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Shalom and welcome to the Saltshakers Messianic Community. First, a little about ourselves. We are a Jew and a Gentile, who have met our Messiah, Jesus (Yeshua) and seek to minister to the whole body of believers, whether you call yourself Messianic or Christian.
We promote a balanced approach to our faith walk and we work towards a non-judgemental, caring and loving witness to both Jew and Gentile, believer and non-believer. Our desire is to reach the following:
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The Bible is no ordinary book. Its writers claim that they spoke by the Spirit of God. It contains prophecies, many of which have been fulfilled in minute detail. Others are yet to be fulfilled. The main focus of Bible prophecy is the person of the Messiah. The big question is:
Do the prophecies of the Bible point to someone who has already come or someone who is yet to come?
In this article I want to look at three passages of the Bible which relate to this subject.
1. The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. Genesis 49.10.
In the context of this verse Jacob is blessing his sons. The most significant word comes not for Reuben, his oldest son, nor for Joseph or Benjamin, his favourite sons, but for Judah, his fourth son. Judah's record in the Bible is actually the worst of the 12 brothers. He conspired to kill Joseph and then suggested selling him for 20 pieces of silver. He was not morally upright and had illicit sexual relations with his daughter-in-law, Tamar, whom he mistook for a prostitute. Yet it was to him that Jacob conferred rulership and through his line that 'Shiloh' would come.
Rabbinic writings agree that 'Shiloh' is a term for the Messiah. Possible meanings of the word are 'peace' or 'the one sent.'
Rabbi Yohanan taught that all the world was created for the Messiah. What is his name? The School of Sheeloh taught: His name is Shiloh as it is written (Genesis 49.10) 'Until Shiloh come and unto Him shall the gathering of the people be.' Sanhedrin 98b.
'Until Shiloh shall come; He is called by the name of Shiloh because all the nations are destined to bring gifts to Israel and to King Messiah, as it is written, 'In that day shall the present be brought to the Lord of hosts.' Yalkut 160.
The sceptre in this verse is the Hebrew word 'shevet', the tribal staff which belonged to each tribe as an ensign of their authority. Thus the tribal identity of Judah would not pass away, as happened to other tribes, until Shiloh or Messiah comes. It was from the tribe of Judah that the line of kings descended from King David came. Even after the Babylonian captivity, Judah continued to have lawgivers (see Ezra 1.5 - 8).
In the early years of the Roman occupation of Judea, the Jewish people still had a king in their own land. Moreover they were to a large extent governed by their own laws, and the Sanhedrin exercised its authority. But in the span of a few years (during the year when Jesus was twelve years of age and appeared publicly in the Temple, Luke 2.41-52) Archelaus, the king of the Jews was dethroned and banished. Coponius was appointed Roman Procurator, and the kingdom of Judea, the last remnant of the former nation of Israel, was formally debased into a province of Syria (see Josephus' Antiquities 17, chapter 13.1-5).
At this time the Sanhedrin lost its power of passing the death sentence (see John 18.31). Rabbi Rachmon said, "When the members of the Sanhedrin found themselves deprived of their right over life and death, a general consternation took hold of them; they covered their heads and their bodies with sackcloth, exclaiming, 'Woe unto us, for the sceptre has departed from Judah and the Messiah has not come.'"
For almost another half century the Jewish people retained the semblance of a provincial government structure, but in 70 CE all semblance of Jewish national sovereignty disappeared when Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed by the armies of the Roman General Titus.
If Jesus is the Messiah, then the prophecy of Jacob way back in Genesis was fulfilled in a remarkable way, with Messiah coming before Judah lost its national identity, just as Jacob foretold. If Jesus is not the Messiah, this prophecy has not been fulfilled and never can be.
2. Know therefore and understand that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall even in troublesome times. And after sixty two seeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for himself; and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, and till the end of the war desolations are determined. Daniel 9.25-26.
According to this prophecy in Daniel, Messiah had to come 483 years after a specific date in Daniel's time (69 x 7 years - a 'week'=7 years - see Genesis 29.27). Sir Robert Anderson in his book 'The Coming Prince' works out that there were 483 years according to the Hebrew method of calculating dates from the decree of Artaxerxes granting permission to the Jewish people to return and rebuild Jerusalem to the date of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. This date he believes was the official presentation of Messiah as 'Prince' to Israel (details of how he comes to this date are available on request).
Whether or not one accepts Anderson's findings, it is clear that there was a great deal of Messianic expectation at the time of Jesus. It is reasonable to assume that Daniel's prophecy had something to do with this. There are Rabbinic writings which point to the arrival of 'Menachem (the Comforter) ben Amiel (God is with His people)' who is identified as Messiah and appears at this time. He started to work around the Mediterranean Sea, went to Samaria, then Rome and the ends of the world.
Daniel's prophecy speaks of Messiah being 'cut off' (dying a violent death), but not for himself (not for his own sins but for others) before the destruction of the second Temple and Jerusalem, which took place in 70 CE. Later Jewish thought has identified this prophecy with King Agrippa (a carnal Gentile king) or the Jewish High Priest. Since the goal of Daniel's prophecy is 'to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity' (verse 24), it is clear that neither Agrippa not the High Priest can be considered as candidates for its fulfilment. If Jesus is not the Messiah, then Daniel's prophecy is a false one.
3. And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come; and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of hosts. The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, says the Lord of hosts; and in this place I will give peace, says the Lord of hosts. Haggai 2.7 -9.
The context of Haggai's prophecy is the rebuilding of the Temple after the return of the Jewish people from Babylon. He says that the glory of the latter house (the second Temple) will be greater than the glory of the former house (Solomon's Temple). Clearly he is not talking about the outward adornment of the Temple. He is talking about the 'Shekinah', the glory cloud which filled the Tabernacle (Exodus 40.34-38) and the first Temple (2 Chronicles 5.13 - 6.2). The Shekinah is the presence of the Lord in the place where He has chosen to dwell. (NB the Hebrew verb 'shaken', meaning 'to dwell', is connected to this word).
According to Rabbinic literature five things were present in the first Temple, but absent in the second: The ark and its contents, the holy fire which descended from heaven to consume the sacrifices in token of God's acceptance, the Urim and Thummim, the spirit of prophecy, the Shekinah glory. Therefore Haggai's prophecy that the glory of the second Temple would be greater than the glory of the first was a false one.
Unless its fulfilment was in the Messiah coming into the Temple!
In Luke 2.25-35 we read of the aged priest Simeon, to whom it had been revealed that he would not see death before he had seen the Messiah. When Jesus was brought into the Temple as a baby he took him in his arms and blessed God, saying, 'Lord you are now letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word. For my eyes have seen your salvation which you have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of your people Israel.'
In John 1.14 we read of Jesus that 'The Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.' The Greek word for dwelt is an unusual one, 'skeinen', which is most likely related to the Hebrew word 'shaken', to dwell. The glory cloud of the Shekinah is replaced in the New Testament with the glory of the Messiah, which was beheld by those who believed in Him.
All of these prophecies point to the truth and accuracy of the Word of God and the fact that Jesus is the Messiah. If God took such care to fulfil these prophecies to the letter, will He not also fulfil the prophecies of Messiah's return to the letter? As we see specific prophecies of this coming great event being fulfilled today, let us 'look up, because our redemption is drawing near.' Luke 21.28.
Recommended for further information:
'The Ancient Scriptures for the Modern Jew' by David Baron
'What the Rabbis know about the Messiah' by Rachmiel Frydland.
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