What the New Testament Says About Yeshua-Jesus-II, Dec 29 2024

We finished our study of the What the New Testament Says About Yeshua-Jesus. We looked at the claims of Jewishness, Kingship, and the Messiahship of Yeshuah-Jesus. We reviewed Alternative to the Two Messiahs Theory. Finally, we took a look at How Did the Wise Men Know? Or is Astrology Valid?

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December 15, 2024

What the Old Testament Says About Yeshua-Jesus

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Isaiah 7:14 NKJV

14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.

Introduction

If the Old Testament only spoke of the Messiah in terms of His suffering, it would hardly give us enough to go on, but there is much more to the Old Testament picture of the Messiah than that found in Isaiah 53. In other passages, there is often less conflict, if any, than the conflict over Isaiah 53. These other passages, taken along with Isaiah 53, go a long way to show how the Messiah was to be a thoroughly unique Person.

I — The Uniqueness of His Birth

Genesis 3:15

Following the account of Creation, the Old Testament continues with the story of Adam and Eve. In the guise of a serpent, Satan deceives Eve and causes her to break God's one commandment. Adam follows suit. The result is that sin enters the human family and the human experience. Man now stands under God's righteous judgment.

Nevertheless, at the time of the Fall, God provides for future redemption. As He addresses Satan, God says in Genesis 3:15:

Genesis 3:15 NKJV

15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.”

The keynote of this verse is the statement: the seed of the woman. In and of itself, this statement may not seem unusual, but in the context of biblical teaching, it is most unusual. Throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, lineage was never reckoned after the woman but only after the man. In all the genealogies in the biblical record, women are virtually ignored because they are unimportant in determining genealogy. Yet the future Person who would crush Satan’s head, while only suffering a slight wound Himself, would not be reckoned after a man, but after a woman.

In the biblical pattern, this is highly unusual.

Despite the typical biblical pattern, we have a clear statement that the future Redeemer comes from the “seed of the woman.” His birth will take into account His mother only. For a reason that is not explained here, the father will not be taken into account at all. Yet this goes totally contrary to the whole biblical view regarding genealogies.

That this verse was taken to be messianic by the Jews is clear from the Rabii’s “Targums of Jonathan” and the “Jerusalem Targums.” Furthermore, the Talmudic expression, “Heels of the Messiah,” seems to have been taken from this verse. However, Genesis does not explain how or why this Redeemer can be labeled “seed of the woman” when it contradicts the biblical pattern.

Isaiah 7:14

Centuries later, Israel had a great prophet in the person of Isaiah. It was left to this prophet to explain the meaning and reason why the Messiah would be reckoned only after the seed of the woman. Isaiah writes in Isaiah 7:14:

Isaiah 7:14 NKJV

14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.

The very fact that the birth of the Person spoken of in this passage is described as a sign points to some unusual circumstance regarding the birth. In other words, the birth could not be normal, for that would not fulfill the requirement of the word sign. It had to be unusual in some way, perhaps miraculous or, at least, attention-getting.

The very existence of the Jewish people is derived from a sign of birth. The Scriptures make it clear that both Abraham and Sarah were beyond the point of being able to bear children; Abraham was ninety-nine years old, and Sarah was eighty-nine. She had, of course, already undergone menopause when, in Genesis 18, God promised that Sarah would have a son within one year! This would be the sign that God would keep his covenant with Abraham and would make a great nation from him. A year later, this sign took place with the birth of Isaac, through whom the Jewish people came. It was the sign needed to authenticate the covenant. This was a miraculous birth.

The birth of the son in Isaiah 7:14 was also to be a sign of being unusual in some way. But this time, the unusual nature of the birth was not going to be due to the great age of the mother. It would be a sign because this son would be born of a virgin.

Isaiah 7:14 NKJV

14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.

Right at this point, another conflict often ensues. Rabbis today claim that the Hebrew word almah does not mean “virgin” but “young woman.” But they fail to explain how this would be used as a sign. A young woman giving birth to a baby is hardly unusual; in fact, it happens all the time!

In other passages where this word is used, almah clearly means “virgin.” It is used in six other places in the Old Testament outside of Isaiah 7:14. In all six other places, no one argues that the word means a “virgin.” If it means a “virgin” in those six other passages, there is no way it could mean a “non-virgin” in Isaiah 7:14.

About 250 b.c., seventy Jewish rabbis translated the Greek version of the Old Testament, called the Septuagint. These seventy rabbis all made almah to read Parthenos, the simple Greek word for “virgin.”

Even if almah is allowed to mean “young woman,” it still must be admitted that the word can refer to a “virginal young woman.” It must not be ignored that this birth was to be a sign, an unusual birth. This is best seen if taken to mean a “virgin birth.”

This explains the mystery of Genesis 3:15. The Messiah would be reckoned after the seed of a woman because He would not have a human father. Because of a Virgin Birth, His lineage could be traced only through His mother and not His father. Thus, Isaiah 7:14 clarifies the meaning of Genesis 3:15: the Messiah will enter the world by means of a Virgin Birth.

II — The Place of His Birth

Not only was the means of the Messiah’s birth prophesied, but also the place of His birth was prophesied. This was done by the Prophet Micah, a contemporary of Isaiah. In chapter 5 of his book, we read in verse 2:

Micah 5:2

Micah 5:2 NKJV

2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.”

There is far less disagreement among Orthodox rabbis about this verse since they generally take it to mean that the Messiah will originate from Bethlehem. This is the view taken by “The Soncino Books of the Bible,” the Orthodox Jewish commentary on the Old Testament that takes as its source some earlier Jewish commentaries.

III — The Lineage of the Messiah

Another uncontested point is that the Messiah would be a descendant of King David. From this comes the rabbinical ascription of the title, “Messiah, the Son of David.”

Of the numerous passages that might be cited, we will limit ourselves to the following two, both from Isaiah. The first passage is Isaiah 11:1:

Isaiah 11:1

Isaiah 11:1 NKJV

1 There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.

And the second passage is Isaiah 11:10:

Isaiah 11:10

Isaiah 11:10 NKJV

10 “And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, Who shall stand as a banner to the people; For the Gentiles shall seek Him, And His resting place shall be glorious.”

Jesse was the father of David; thus, these passages show that the Messiah will come from the House of David. All Orthodox Judaism agrees with this. Other passages regarding this same point will be cited later in a different context.

IV — The Sufferings of the Messiah

Isaiah 53

All early rabbis agreed that the Messiah would suffer and die. They referred to the Suffering Messiah as “Messiah, the Son of Joseph,” making Him distinct from Messiah, the Son of David. The central passage that supports this view is Isaiah 53. As we have discussed, the Rabiis following the Masorites corrected their theology since so many Jews were becoming Christians, excising Isaiah 52 and 53.

Psalm 22:1–21

This is another passage dealing with the suffering of the Messiah.

Psalm 22:1–21 NKJV

1 My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning? 2 O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear; And in the night season, and am not silent. 3 But You are holy, Enthroned in the praises of Israel. 4 Our fathers trusted in You; They trusted, and You delivered them. 5 They cried to You, and were delivered; They trusted in You, and were not ashamed. 6 But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised by the people. 7 All those who see Me ridicule Me; They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, 8 “He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him; Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!” 9 But You are He who took Me out of the womb; You made Me trust while on My mother’s breasts. 10 I was cast upon You from birth. From My mother’s womb You have been My God. 11 Be not far from Me, For trouble is near; For there is none to help. 12 Many bulls have surrounded Me; Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me. 13 They gape at Me with their mouths, Like a raging and roaring lion. 14 I am poured out like water, And all My bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It has melted within Me. 15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death. 16 For dogs have surrounded Me; The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; 17 I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. 18 They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots. 19 But You, O Lord, do not be far from Me; O My Strength, hasten to help Me! 20 Deliver Me from the sword, My precious life from the power of the dog. 21 Save Me from the lion’s mouth And from the horns of the wild oxen! You have answered Me.

To summarize this passage, we find that the Messiah is forsaken by God, is ridiculed and tormented by the people, and His tormentors gamble away His clothes. He suffers such agony that all His bones come out of joint; His heart breaks with a mixture of blood and water; and His hands and feet are pierced. In many ways, this Psalm is very similar to Isaiah 53, providing even more detail about the type of suffering and agony the Messiah must undergo. The rabbis in the Yalkut also understood this passage to refer to Messiah, the Son of Joseph.

V — The Kingship of the Messiah

In all the passages discussed so far, the Messiah is portrayed as a man, but as a man of sorrows; He was to suffer and die. The earlier rabbis recognized that these passages speak of the Messiah and called Him Messiah, the Son of Joseph. For as Joseph, the Patriarch, suffered at the hands of his brethren, the Messiah would also suffer.

But other Old Testament passages speak of another kind of Messiah: not a sufferer but a conqueror; not a dying Messiah but a reigning One. The rabbis called this One “Messiah, the Son of David.” Most of what is said about the Messiah in Moses and the Prophets revolves around the Messiah’s coming to bring peace and establish the Messianic Kingdom in Israel.

There are far too many such passages to begin listing them here, but two such passages will be quoted in full. It should be noted how differently this Messiah is portrayed compared to all the previous passages thus far discussed. Little wonder the early rabbis were confused and devised the Theory of the Two Messiahs, with each Messiah coming only once.

Isaiah 11:1–10

Isaiah 11:1–10 NKJV

1 There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots. 2 The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. 3 His delight is in the fear of the Lord, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the hearing of His ears; 4 But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, And decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. 5 Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, And faithfulness the belt of His waist. 6 “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, The leopard shall lie down with the young goat, The calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little child shall lead them. 7 The cow and the bear shall graze; Their young ones shall lie down together; And the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole, And the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den. 9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord As the waters cover the sea. 10 “And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, Who shall stand as a banner to the people; For the Gentiles shall seek Him, And His resting place shall be glorious.”

And there shall come forth a shoot out of the stock of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of Jehovah shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of Jehovah. And his delight shall be in the fear of Jehovah; and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither decide after the hearing of his ears;

End of 1st Service 12/15/2024

but with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth; and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his waist, and faithfulness the girdle of his loins. And the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of Jehovah, as the waters cover the sea. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the root of Jesse, that stands for an ensign of the peoples, unto him shall the nations seek; and his resting-place shall be glorious.

The ancient and modern rabbis agree that this passage speaks of the Messiah and the Messianic Age. But unlike the previous passages, there is no picture of a dying Messiah being rebuked and despised by His people. The picture here is of a reigning Messiah who brings peace and prosperity to the entire world; peace extends down to the animal kingdom; the wicked are removed in judgment; and the Messiah’s authoritative word settles differences between the nations. The knowledge of the God of Israel spreads until it covers the entire world. Now that the reigning Messiah has brought peace and prosperity, the world has an intimate knowledge of the God who created it.

Psalm 72:1–19

This is a second passage that gives the same picture.

Psalm 72:1–19 NKJV

1 Give the king Your judgments, O God, And Your righteousness to the king’s Son. 2 He will judge Your people with righteousness, And Your poor with justice. 3 The mountains will bring peace to the people, And the little hills, by righteousness. 4 He will bring justice to the poor of the people; He will save the children of the needy, And will break in pieces the oppressor. 5 They shall fear You As long as the sun and moon endure, Throughout all generations. 6 He shall come down like rain upon the grass before mowing, Like showers that water the earth. 7 In His days the righteous shall flourish, And abundance of peace, Until the moon is no more. 8 He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of the earth. 9 Those who dwell in the wilderness will bow before Him, And His enemies will lick the dust. 10 The kings of Tarshish and of the isles Will bring presents; The kings of Sheba and Seba Will offer gifts. 11 Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him; All nations shall serve Him. 12 For He will deliver the needy when he cries, The poor also, and him who has no helper. 13 He will spare the poor and needy, And will save the souls of the needy. 14 He will redeem their life from oppression and violence; And precious shall be their blood in His sight. 15 And He shall live; And the gold of Sheba will be given to Him; Prayer also will be made for Him continually, And daily He shall be praised. 16 There will be an abundance of grain in the earth, On the top of the mountains; Its fruit shall wave like Lebanon; And those of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth. 17 His name shall endure forever; His name shall continue as long as the sun. And men shall be blessed in Him; All nations shall call Him blessed. 18 Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, Who only does wondrous things! 19 And blessed be His glorious name forever! And let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen and Amen.

Give the king your judgments, O God, And your righteousness unto the king’s son. He will judge your people with righteousness, And your poor with justice. The mountains shall bring peace to the people, And the hills, in righteousness. He will judge the poor of the people He will save the children of the needy, And will break in pieces the oppressor. They shall fear you while the sun endures, And so long as the moon, throughout all generations. He will come down like rain upon the mown grass, As showers that water the earth. In his days shall the righteous flourish, And abundance of peace, till the moon be no more. He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, And from the River unto the ends of the earth. They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; And his enemies shall lick the dust. The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall render tribute: The kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. Yea, all kings shall fall down before him; All nations shall serve him. For he will deliver the needy when he crieth, And the poor, that has no helper. He will have pity on the poor and needy, And the souls of the needy he will save. He will redeem their soul from oppression and violence; And precious will their blood be in his sight: And they shall live; and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba: And men shall pray for him continually; They shall bless him all the day long. There shall be abundance of grain in the earth upon the top of the mountains; The fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon: And they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth. His name shall endure for ever; His name shall be continued as long as the sun: And men shall be blessed in him; All nations shall call him happy. Blessed be Jehovah God, the God of Israel, Who only does wondrous things: And blessed be his glorious name for ever; And let the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen, and Amen.

This Psalm is applied in the Talmud as speaking of the righteous reign of the Messiah. The Targums, the Jewish Aramaic translations and interpretations of the Hebrew Bible, make the first verse read as follows: “Give the sentence of your judgment to the King Messiah, and your justice to the son of David the King.”

The Midrash on the Psalms follows suit and connects this Psalm with Isaiah 11:1, quoted previously. Furthermore, among the many different names given to the Messiah by the rabbis of the Talmud, the name Yinnon was taken from the Hebrew rendering of verse 17 in this very Psalm. So, this passage also presents a different view of the Messiah than the others discussed earlier in this study.

This, then, is a twofold picture that presents a major problem to anyone trying to formulate what the Old Testament says about the Messiah.

Other Aspects of the Person of the Messiah

Other passages dealing with the Messiah's kingship give us two other aspects of the Messiah's person. One is the Messiah's sonship with God, and the other involves the God-Man Concept. To get a complete picture of the Old Testament’s concept of the Messiah, we must discuss these two points, which we will touch on briefly.

A. The Sonship of the Messiah with God

Two passages point out that the Messiah is also, in some way, the Son of God.

Psalm 2

The first of these is Psalm 2, which deals primarily with the Kingship of the Messiah but also brings out the Messiah’s Sonship with God. The twelve verses of the Psalm read:

Psalm 2 NKJV

1 Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, 3 “Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us.” 4 He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision. 5 Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, And distress them in His deep displeasure: 6 “Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of Zion.” 7 “I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. 8 Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession. 9 You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ ” 10 Now therefore, be wise, O kings; Be instructed, you judges of the earth. 11 Serve the Lord with fear, And rejoice with trembling. 12 Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, And you perish in the way, When His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.

Why do the nations [Gentiles] rage, And the peoples meditate a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against Jehovah, and against his anointed [Messiah], saying, Let us break their bonds asunder, And cast away their cords from us. He that sits in the heavens will laugh: The Lord will have them in derision. Then will he speak unto them in his wrath, And vex them in his sore displeasure: Yet I have set my king Upon my holy hill of Zion. I will tell of the decree: Jehovah said unto me, You are my son; This day have I begotten you. Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance, And the uttermost parts of the earth for your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel. Now therefore be wise, O ye kings: Be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve Jehovah with fear, And rejoice with trembling. Kiss the son, lest he be angry, and ye perish in the way, For his wrath will soon be kindled. Blessed are all they that take refuge in him.

Rashi admits that “our rabbis expound it as relating to King Messiah.” Although most rabbis in earlier years also expounded this Psalm as referring to King Messiah, many rabbis today would refer it to David rather than the Messiah. But the words of the Psalm and a comparison of history would exclude David as a possibility altogether.

In this passage, God tells the Person to whom He is speaking that He is turning over the dominion and authority of the whole world to Him (v. 8).

Psalm 2:8 NKJV

8 Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession.

History makes it very clear that David never had that dominion or was ever able to exercise such authority. Hence, David must be excluded. Thus, the early rabbis were correct in interpreting this Psalm to speak of the Messiah, who is referred to in this Psalm as the Son of God.

In this same Psalm, God warns that all must submit to the Son of God, the Messiah. Those who refuse will be punished. Those, however, who take refuge in the Messiah, that is, who place their faith and trust in Him for their salvation, will receive new life.

Proverbs 30:4

The second passage comes from the wise king, Solomon, who compiled the Book of Proverbs. In Proverbs 30:4, we have a series of six questions.

Proverbs 30:4 NKJV

4 Who has ascended into heaven, or descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has bound the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His Son’s name, If you know?

The first four questions all ask the same question of identity: “Who did it?”

The first question is: Who has gone up into heaven and come down?

The second question is: Who has gathered the wind in his fists?

The third question is: Who has bound up the waters in his garment?

And the fourth question is: Who has established all the ends of the earth?

Solomon asks four questions, indicating that the answer is very clear. When we look at the events described in these four questions, it is obvious that only one Person could do all those things: God Himself.

Now the fifth question: What is his name?

Only God can do those things in the first four questions, but now, “what is God’s name?” No one knows how to pronounce His name anymore because, throughout the centuries, we have feared taking God’s name in vain, and the pronunciation has been forgotten. In Hebrew, we have it in four letters: YHVH. It is the name for which we substitute the word Adonai. In English, we sometimes give it the name Jehovah. The name is YHVH, the Great I AM. So, it is God, the Great I AM, who did all these things.

Now, the sixth question, which is found in the very same verse: what is his son’s name, if you know?

Notice how Solomon is posing the sixth question.

First, four questions were asking who did all these great things. The answer was that God did all those things.

The fifth question was: “What is God’s name?” The answer: YHVH, the Great I AM, is His name.

But then Solomon poses a trick question because he knows that it would be impossible to answer at this stage of biblical history. He adds the phrase “If you know” to the sixth question.

The question is: what is his son’s name, if you know?

The obvious meaning here is that this God, the Great I AM, has a Son!

Until the time of Solomon, we did not know His name because it had not yet been revealed. This was not an unusual approach in the Scriptures. For instance, throughout the whole history of the Book of Genesis, no one knew God’s name because He revealed it to Moses first in the Book of Exodus, in chapters 3:14–15, and, secondly, in chapters 6:2–3. The people living during the time of Genesis knew that there was a God; they did not know His name. No one knew the name of the Son of God throughout Old Testament Judaism. But Old Testament Judaism did know that God had a Son, for both David and Solomon spoke of Him.

Thus, the Messiah’s Sonship with God is related to His Messiahship. In Psalm 2, this Sonship is related strongly to the Messiah’s Kingship.

B. The God-Man Concept and the Messiah

Another aspect of the Messiah's kingship is the strange God-Man Concept concerning the Messiah. Some passages dealing with the Messiah's kingship add a whole new dimension to the Messiah's person, making Him a man and yet more than a man.

Isaiah 9:6–7

Isaiah 9:6–7 NKJV

6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of Jehovah of hosts will perform this.

Verse 6 declares that a son will be born into the Jewish world who will eventually control the reigns of government. Verse 7 identifies Him as the Messianic descendant of David; it gives a dramatic description of His reign, which will be characterized by peace and justice. But in verse 6, He is given names that can only be true of God Himself: Mighty God and Everlasting Father. Wonderful Counselor and Prince of Peace can be true of a man. This new dimension, presented by Isaiah regarding the Person of the Messiah, is that the Messiah had to be a man, a descendant of David, but He was to be God as well.

This further explains what Isaiah said two chapters earlier in Isaiah 7:14 when he stated: Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

In this passage, which we discussed earlier, Isaiah declares that there will be a Son born of a virgin. Then He is given a name, which is said to be Immanuel. In the Bible, when a parent names his child, it shows the thinking of the parents. However, when God gives a person a name, it represents their very character, as only God can foresee. So when this Child is named Immanuel by God, the name portrays the actual character of the Child. What does Immanuel mean? It means: “With us, God.” So here, we have a Child that is born of a virgin and who is “With us, God” or “God is among us!”

The Isaiah 9 passage further clarifies that this Son is a descendant of David, and He is labeled as God Himself. So Isaiah clearly portrays the Messiah as the God-Man.

Micah 5:2

Let’s look again at a passage we reviewed earlier when we talked about the place of the Messiah’s birth. We pointed out that His birth would be in Bethlehem according to Micah 5:2. Let’s reread that verse:

Micah 5:2 NKJV

According to Micah 5:2, the Messiah’s human origin will be Bethlehem. But Micah states even further that His goings forth are from old, from everlasting. This Individual, who is to be born in Bethlehem, has his origins from eternity. Only one Person is eternal from eternity past, and that is God Himself. As to His human origin, He was born in Bethlehem; as to His divine origin, He is from eternity, which means He is both God and man simultaneously.

Jeremiah 23:5–6

Jeremiah 23:5–6 NKJV

5 “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and prosper, And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. 6 In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell safely; Now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS

Nor is Isaiah alone in presenting this picture. Jeremiah echoes Isaiah in Jeremiah 23:5–6: Behold, the days come, says Jehovah, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely; and this is his name whereby he shall be called: Jehovah our righteousness.

Here, too, a descendant of David reigns upon the throne of David, and the character of His reign is described as one of peace and security for Israel. Yet He is given the very name of God, which can only belong to God Himself, Adonai Tzidkenu, Jehovah our righteousness. This is the YHVH, the very name God revealed to Moses as His own personal name: I AM. So once again, the future King Messiah of Israel is seen as a man on one hand but as God on the other. As with the Sonship Concept, the God-Man Concept is related to the Messiah’s Kingship.

Zechariah 13:7

Another passage, which brings out this God-Man Concept, is Zechariah 13:7:

Zechariah 13:7 NKJV

7 “Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, Against the Man who is My Companion,” Says the Lord of hosts. “Strike the Shepherd, And the sheep will be scattered; Then I will turn My hand against the little ones.

The Hebrew word translated as fellow means “my equal.” The verse reads, “Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my equal or deity, says Jehovah of hosts:” Again, the Messiah was to be both God and man.

This, then, concludes the picture of the Messiah given in the Old Testament. On the one hand, He is a suffering and dying Messiah. On the other, He is a conquering and reigning Messiah called God and the Son of God. The solution of the rabbis was to formulate the Doctrine of Two Messiahs: Messiah, the Son of Joseph, and Messiah, the Son of David.

The Majority View of the Messiah and the Minority View

A different objection is raised repeatedly: If Jesus were the Messiah, why don't the rabbis believe in him? Or it may be stated like this: If Jesus is the Messiah, why is it that very few Jews believe this? The implication here is that something cannot be true for the Jew unless most rabbis or most Jewish people accept it to be true. In other words, the implication is that truth is determined by “majority vote.”

However, truth is not determined by a majority vote. If something is true, it will be true whether everybody believes it or not. Truth is absolute; it never changes. It is irrelevant how many people believe the truth. It is still true because of what it is in itself.

It has always been clear from the Old Testament that it was only a minority of Jewish people who believed. In the days of Elijah the Prophet, only 7,000 were believers from among hundreds of thousands of Jews. Only a minority of the Jewish people have ever believed, and that is still true today. Just because a minority believes something does not make it wrong. And because a majority believes something, it does not make it right. The issue is: what do the Scriptures teach? By comparing the New Testament with the Old Testament, it is very clear that the Messiah of the Old Testament is Jesus of the New Testament.

December 22, 2024

Review

Last week we looked at

What the Old Testament Says About Yeshua-Jesus

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Isaiah 7:14 NKJV

14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.

Introduction

I — The Uniqueness of His Birth

Genesis 3:15

Isaiah 7:14

Isaiah 7:14 NKJV

14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.

II — The Place of His Birth

Micah 5:2

Micah 5:2 NKJV

III — The Lineage of the Messiah

Another uncontested point is that the Messiah would be a descendant of King David. From this comes the rabbinical ascription of the title, “Messiah, the Son of David.”

Of the numerous passages that might be cited, we will limit ourselves to the following two, both from Isaiah. The first passage is Isaiah 11:1:

Isaiah 11:1

Isaiah 11:1 NKJV

1 There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.

And the second passage is Isaiah 11:10:

Isaiah 11:10

Isaiah 11:10 NKJV

10 “And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, Who shall stand as a banner to the people; For the Gentiles shall seek Him, And His resting place shall be glorious.”

IV — The Sufferings of the Messiah

Isaiah 53

Psalm 22

V — The Kingship of the Messiah

Isaiah 11:1–10

Isaiah 11:1 NKJV

1 There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.

The Rod is a Scepter,

We have other passages that prophesy the same thing, which Isaiah is reiterating.

Genesis 49:10 NKJV

10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.

Numbers 24:17 NKJV

17 “I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; A Star shall come out of Jacob; A Scepter shall rise out of Israel, And batter the brow of Moab, And destroy all the sons of tumult.

Psalm 2:7–9 NKJV

7 “I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. 8 Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession. 9 You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ ”

VI — Other Aspects of the Person of the Messiah

A — The Sonship of the Messiah with God

Two passages point out that the Messiah is also, in some way, the Son of God.

Psalm 2

Psalm 2:10–12 NKJV

10 Now therefore, be wise, O kings; Be instructed, you judges of the earth. 11 Serve the Lord with fear, And rejoice with trembling. 12 Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, And you perish in the way, When His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.

Proverbs 30:4

The second passage comes from the wise king, Solomon, who compiled the Book of Proverbs. In Proverbs 30:4, we have a series of six questions.

Proverbs 30:4 NKJV

The obvious meaning here is that this God, the Great I AM, has a Son!

B. The God-Man Concept and the Messiah

Isaiah 9:6–7

Isaiah 9:6–7 NKJV

Micah 5:2

Micah 5:2 NKJV

So that ended our review of what the Old Testament had to say about Yeshua-Jesus.

End Review

==========================

This morning we continue our study, and now that we have examined what the Old Testament had to say about Yeshua-Jesus, we are going to turn to examine:

What the New Testament Says About Yeshua-Jesus

Matthew 1:1 NKJV

1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:

Introduction

The primary point of the New Testament is that Yeshua (Jesus) is the Jewish Messiah of the Old Testament. While each of the four biographies on the life of Jesus that have come down to us have their theme, they still all make one primary point: Yeshua is the Messiah.

Matthew 1:1 NKJV

1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:

This opening statement of the New Testament sets the stage for the entire New Testament (Mat. 1:1).

I. Messiahship Kingship Jewishness

Giving Yeshua the title of Messiah points to His Messiahship and has reference to the Messiah spoken of in the Old Testament. The word Christ is simply the Greek word for the Hebrew word Messiah.

Giving Jesus the title of son of Abraham points to Yeshua's Jewishness since, throughout biblical history and theology, Jewishness was always associated with God's covenant with Abraham.

Giving Jesus the title of son of David points to His Kingship because the kingship of the Jews was sustained through the House of David.

The entire New Testament revolves around this opening statement of Matthew 1:1. The various writers of the New Testament repeat, develop, and expand upon it, as the following Scriptures show.

Messiahship: Matthew 1:16

Matthew 1:16 NKJV

16 And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ.

Messiahship: John 4:25–26

John 4:25–26 NKJV

25 The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”

Kingship: Matthew 2:1–2:

Matthew 2:1–2 NKJV

Kingship: Matthew 27:37

Matthew 27:37 NKJV

37 And they put up over His head the accusation written against Him: THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS

Jewishness: John 4:9

John 4:9 NKJV

9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.

Her point being that Jesus was a Jew.

The dialogue will continue on this issue of being Jewish and not Samaritan,

John 4:20–24 NKJV

20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

4:23. With the advent of the Messiah, the time came for a new order of worship. True worshipers are those who realize that Jesus is the Truth of God (John 3:21; 14:6 )

John 14:6 NKJV

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

and the one and only Way to the Father (Acts 4:12 ) as Peter would point out to the Sanhedrin.

Acts 4:11–12 NKJV

11 This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ 12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

To worship in truth is to worship God through Jesus. To worship in Spirit is to worship in the new realm which God has revealed to people. The Father seeks true worshipers because He wants people to live in reality, not falsehood. Everybody is a worshiper (Rom. 1:25), but because of sin, many are blind and constantly put their trust in worthless objects.

4:24. This is a declaration of His invisible nature. He is not confined to one location. Worship of God can be done only through the One (Jesus), who expresses God’s invisible nature (John 1:18 ),

John 1:18 NKJV

18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.

and by the Holy Spirit, who opens to a believer the new realm of the kingdom

We see this throughout John, John 3:3, 5 ; 7:38–39

John 3:3 NKJV

3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

John 3:5 NKJV

5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

John 7:38–39 NKJV

38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

End of 1st Service 12/22/2024

2nd Service 12/22/2024

Jewishness: Galatians 4:4–5

Paul addresses the Jewishness of Jesus, who came redeeming the Jews

Galatians 4:4–5 NKJV

4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

Jewishness: Hebrews 2:16

Hebrews 2:16 NKJV

16 For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham.

The New Testament dominantly claims Yeshua's Messiahship, Kingship, and Jewishness. This is true in the Gospels, the four biographies of His life, and the rest of the writings that deal with the theology of His life. He is clearly portrayed as the Messiah of the Old Testament.

A. The Son of Joseph

Most of what the Gospels say places Yeshua precisely into the mold of the Old Testament Messiah. He would be the One to whom the rabbis referred as the “Messiah, the Son of Joseph,” meaning Joseph, the Patriarch, who was characterized by suffering.

This is seen in John 1:45:

John 1:45

John 1:45 NKJV

45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

B. The Son of David

But the four biographies also portray Him as the Messiah whom the rabbis referred to as “Messiah, the Son of David.”

This is found in Luke 1:31c–33:

Luke 1:31-33

Luke 1:31–33 NKJV

31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”

II. An Alternative to the Two Messiahs Theory

How could both aspects be true in the same person? The answer of the Talmudic rabbis was to declare that it could not be. Hence, they adopted the Two Messiahs Theory, making one as the Suffering Messiah and the other the Conquering and Reigning Messiah.

The New Testament, however, declares that there is an alternative to the two-Messiahs view and shows how the two aspects can indeed be true of the same person.

A. The Uniqueness of His Birth

First, as has already been stated, the primary point of the Gospels is to portray Yeshua as the Messiah who came to suffer and die for sin. He was the One the rabbis would have called “Messiah, the Son of Joseph.”

Jesus was the Messiah who came into the world in both a normal and a miraculous way; normal, in that He came into the world by birth as do all other human beings; miraculous, in that He was given birth by a virgin.

This is recorded by Luke 1:30–31 and 34–35:

Luke 1:30-31 and 34-35

Luke 1:30–31 NKJV

30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.

Verses 34–35 state:

Luke 1:34–35 NKJV

34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” 35 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.

And in Matthew 1:21–23:

Matthew 1:21-23

Matthew 1:21–23 NKJV

21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” 22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

The Gospels view the Virgin Birth of the Messiah, first hinted at in Genesis 3:15 and later developed by Isaiah 7:14, as being fulfilled in the birth of Yeshua.

His Davidic lineage is established by the fact that both Mary, His mother, and Joseph, His stepfather, were descendants of King David. So on His mother’s side, Yeshua was a descendant of David by blood, and on His stepfather’s side by adoption.

B. The Place of His Birth

Furthermore, His birthplace was in Bethlehem, although His parents lived in Nazareth. This is recorded in Luke 2:3–7:

C. His Suffering and Death

1 — Isaiah 53

More than anything else, the sufferings and death of Yeshua fit into the mold developed by Isaiah 53.

a — The Historical Personality

He is portrayed as the historical, individual personality fulfilling, to the letter, the content of Isaiah 53.

b — The Innocent Sufferer—Isaiah 53:4–6, 8b, 9b

Isaiah 53:4–6 NKJV

4 Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

Isaiah 53:8 NKJV

8 He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.

Isaiah 53:9 NKJV

9 And they made His grave with the wicked— But with the rich at His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth.

He was innocent of any sin and so suffered innocently, as we see in 2 Corinthians 5:21:

2 Corinthians 5:21

2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV

21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

c — The Voluntary and Willing Sufferer

He was a voluntary sufferer and willingly allowed Himself to be mistreated by those who took Him captive, according to John 10:17b–18a:

John 10:17-18

John 10:17–18 NKJV

17 “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. 18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”

Not only did He submit Himself to the mistreatment resulting in suffering and death, but He did so silently, without any real protest.

d — The Silent Sufferer—Isaiah 53:7

One of the very things that surprised and amazed men at His trial was His total silence, never vocalizing protest against the injustice of the false accusations.

Isaiah 53:7 NKJV

7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.

In Matthew 27:12–14, we read:

Matthew 27:12-14

Matthew 27:12–14 NKJV

12 And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He answered nothing. 13 Then Pilate said to Him, “Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?” 14 But He answered him not one word, so that the governor marveled greatly.

e — The Vicarious Sufferer—Isaiah 53:4–6, 8, 10, 12

All His sufferings, however, were vicarious; that is, He was suffering for the sins of others rather than His own.

Isaiah 53:4–6 NKJV

Isaiah 53:8 NKJV

8 He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.

Isaiah 53:10 NKJV

Isaiah 53:12 NKJV

12 Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.

This is recorded in 1 Peter 2:21–24:

1 Peter 2:21-24

1 Peter 2:21–24 NKJV

21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: 22 “Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”; 23 who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.

f — The Death of the Messiah—Isaiah 53:8, 12

Isaiah 53:8 NKJV

8 He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.

Isaiah 53:12 NKJV

The New Testament writers see the death of the Messiah to be the fulfillment of all the factors regarding the death of the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53. Just as the suffering of the Servant ended in death, after scourging, mockery, and crucifixion, so too Yeshua died. Just as the Suffering Servant was treated as a criminal and died a criminal’s death, so Jesus, by dying a death through crucifixion, died a criminal’s death along with two other criminals. The death of the Suffering Servant was a result of a judicial sentencing and a judicial judgment.

Yeshua underwent two trials.

The first was a religious one in which He was condemned on false charges of blasphemy and sentenced to death;

the second was a political trial by the Romans on false charges of fomenting rebellion against Caesar.

Again, He was sentenced to death and underwent the Roman type of tortuous death.

Although, like the Suffering Servant, He was assigned a criminal’s grave, He was, nevertheless, buried in a rich man’s tomb, according to Matthew 27:57–60:

Matthew 27:57-60

Matthew 27:57–60 NKJV

57 Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. 58 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him. 59 When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed.

g — The Resurrection of the Messiah—Isaiah 53:10–11a

Isaiah 53:10–11 NKJV

10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. 11 He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities.

In the Isaiah passage, the Suffering Servant does not stay dead but is resurrected to see the results of His sufferings and death. Three days after the body of Yeshua was buried in a rich man’s tomb, His death gave way to resurrection. The Gospels record that forty days after the Resurrection, He ascended into Heaven and now sits at the right hand of God, just as the Suffering Servant was to be: exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high (Is. 52:13).

Isaiah 52:13 NKJV

13 Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently; He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high.

h — Justification and Reconciliation—Isaiah 53:5–6, 11b

Finally, the Isaiah passage concluded that the Suffering Servant would bring justification and spiritual healing to those who would accept His substitutionary death on their behalf. He would bring justification, redemption, and reconciliation to many. Whether or not Jesus had done this will be discussed later.

Isaiah 53:5–6 NKJV

5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

Isaiah 53:11 NKJV

11 He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities.

2 — Psalm 22

Not only is the life of Yeshua portrayed as fitting the mold of Isaiah 53, but it is also portrayed as fitting the mold of Psalm 22.

a — Psalm 22:1

Psalm 22:1 NKJV

1 My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning?

While dying on the cross, Jesus cried out the first verse of the psalm in Matthew 27:46:

Matthew 27:46

Matthew 27:46 NKJV

46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

b — Psalm 22:18

Psalm 22:18

The Roman soldiers gambled for His clothes, according to Matthew 27:35:

Matthew 27:35

Matthew 27:35 NKJV

35 Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet: “They divided My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.”

And John 19:23–24:

John 19:23-24

John 19:23–24 NKJV

23 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His garments and made four parts, to each soldier a part, and also the tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the top in one piece. 24 They said therefore among themselves, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be,” that the Scripture might be fulfilled which says: “They divided My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.” Therefore the soldiers did these things.

c — Psalm 22:6–8

While Yeshua hangs on the cross, the people ridicule, using almost the very same words found in Psalm 22:8.

Psalm 22:6–8 NKJV

6 But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised by the people. 7 All those who see Me ridicule Me; They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, 8 “He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him; Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!”

Matthew 27:43 states:

Matthew 27:43

Matthew 27:43 NKJV

43 He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ”

d — Psalm 22:14–15

As in Psalm 22, when a spear pierced His side, a mixture of blood clots and water serum poured out, which is the sign of death, the natural post-mortem state of the body.

Psalm 22:14–15 NKJV

14 I am poured out like water, And all My bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It has melted within Me. 15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death.

e — Psalm 22:16b

Finally, His hands and feet, having been nailed to the cross, were pierced just as those of the person in Psalm 22 were pierced.

Psalm 22:16 NKJV

16 For dogs have surrounded Me; The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet;

Summary: The Jesus of the New Testament is portrayed as the Messiah of the Old Testament regarding His suffering and death. In all, Jesus fulfilled about three hundred prophecies dealing with the coming of the Messiah by His life, suffering, death, and Resurrection. According to the New Testament, He fulfilled all the rabbis expected of the Messiah, the Son of Joseph.

End of 2nd Service 12/22/2024

December 29, 2024

Review

Two weeks ago we looked at

What the Old Testament Says About Yeshua-Jesus

We centered our review around the prophetic statement given in Isaiah 7:14.

Isaiah 7:14 NKJV

14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.

We worked through an outline of the major factors in the identification and prophecy that surrounded the coming of the Messiah, which we know to be Yeshua-Jesus. We looked through the Old Testament at:

I — The Uniqueness of His Birth

II — The Place of His Birth

III — The Lineage of the Messiah

IV — The Sufferings of the Messiah

V — The Kingship of the Messiah

VI — Other Aspects of the Person of the Messiah

A — The Sonship of the Messiah with God

B. The God-Man Concept and the Messiah

Last week, we continued with a look at

What the New Testament Says About Yeshua-Jesus

We centered our review around the claim of prophetic fulfillment made in Matthew 7:14.

Matthew 1:1 NKJV

1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:

first we looked at the claims of Jewishness, Kingship, and the Messiahship of Yeshuah-Jesus.

I - Messiahship/Kingship/ Jewishness

It is an interesting mixture, because each supports the other. He must be Jewish; He must be Jewish Royalty; He must be both Jewish and Royalty to be the Messiah predicted in the Old Testament.

This Jewish Messiah is the one who has been designated by the Eternal Creator God of the Universe as the appointed one to deal with the sins of mankind as the 2nd Federal Head by virtue of His exquisitely unique birthright.

Messiahship/Kingship/Jewishness

Jewishness: John 4:9

Jewishness: Galatians 4:4–5

Jewishness: Hebrews 2:16

Kingship: Matthew 2:1–2

Kingship: Matthew 27:37

Messiahship: Matthew 1:16

Messiahship: John 4:25–26

We talked about the

Two Views of the Messiah addressed in the New Testament.

A. The Son of Joseph John 1:45

B. The Son of David Luke 1:31-33

The concept of two Messiahs, Messiah ben David and Messiah ben Joseph, is indeed rooted in Jewish tradition. However, the evidence suggests that the idea of two distinct Messiahs was not fully developed or widely held during Jesus's time.

The Talmudic references to Messiah ben Joseph and Messiah ben David appear to be later developments, likely solidifying after the period of the Second Temple. The Masoretic Text, the authoritative Hebrew text of the Jewish Bible, also does not explicitly mention the concept of two Messiahs.

It seems that the idea of two Messiahs became more prominent in Jewish thought during the Middle Ages rather than being a widely accepted view during Christ's time.

Then we talked about the resolution to this perception.

II. An Alternative to the Two Messiahs Theory

A. The Uniqueness of His Birth -- Luke 1:30-31, 34-35, Matthew 1:21-23

B. The Place of His Birth Luke 2:3–7

C. His Suffering and Death

1 — Isaiah 53

a — The Historical Personality -- He is portrayed as the historical, individual personality fulfilling, to the letter, the content of Isaiah 53

b — The Innocent Sufferer -- He was innocent of any sin and so suffered innocently as we see in 2 Corinthians 5:21: Him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf; that we might become the righteousness of God in him.

c — The Voluntary and Willing Sufferer -- He was a voluntary sufferer and willingly allowed Himself to be mistreated by those who took Him captive, according to John 10:17b–18a: I lay down my life, that I may take it again. No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down of myself. Not only did He submit Himself to the mistreatment resulting in suffering and death, but He did so silently, without any real protest.

d — The Silent Sufferer -- One of the very things that surprised and amazed men at His trial was His total silence, never vocalizing protest against the injustice of the false accusations. In Matthew 27:12–14, we read that he was accused by the chief priests and elders and answered nothing. Then Pilate told him, Hear you not how many things they witness against you? And he gave him no answer, not even to one word: insomuch that the governor marveled greatly.

e — The Vicarious Sufferer -- All His sufferings, however, were vicarious; that is, He was suffering for the sins of others rather than His own.

This is recorded in 1 Peter 2:21–24: For hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that ye should follow his steps: who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered threatened not; but committed himself to him that judges righteously: who his own self bore our sins in his body upon the tree, that we, having died unto sins, might live unto righteousness; by whose stripes ye were healed.

f — The Death of the Messiah -- The death of the Messiah is seen by the New Testament writers to be the fulfillment of all the factors regarding the death of the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53. Just as the suffering of the Servant ended in death, after scourging, mockery, and crucifixion, so too Yeshua died. Just as the Suffering Servant was treated as a criminal and died a criminal’s death, so Jesus, by dying a death through crucifixion, died a criminal’s death along with two other criminals. The death of the Suffering Servant was a result of a judicial sentencing and a judicial judgment.

g — The Resurrection of the Messiah -- In the Isaiah passage, the Suffering Servant does not stay dead but is resurrected to see the results of His sufferings and death. Three days after the body of Yeshua was buried in a rich man’s tomb, His death gave way to resurrection. The Gospels record that forty days after the Resurrection, He ascended into Heaven and now sits at the right hand of God, just as the Suffering Servant was to be: exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high (Is. 52:13).

h — Justification and Reconciliation -- the Isaiah passage concluded that the Suffering Servant would bring justification and spiritual healing to those who would accept His substitutionary death on their behalf. He would bring justification, redemption, and reconciliation to many. Whether or not Jesus had done this will be discussed later.

2 — Psalm 22

a — Psalm 22:1 While dying on the cross, Jesus cried out the first verse of the psalm in Matthew 27:46: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

b — Psalm 22:18 The Roman soldiers gambled for His clothes, according to Matthew 27:35: And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments among them, casting lots.

c — Psalm 22:6-8 While Yeshua hangs on the cross, the people ridicule, using almost the very same words found in Psalm 22:8. Matthew 27:43 states: He trusted on God; let him deliver him now, if he desires him: for he said, I am the Son of God.

d — Psalm 22:14–15 As in Psalm 22, when His side was pierced by a spear, a mixture of blood clots and water or blood serum poured out.

e -- Psalm 22:16b His hands and feet, having been nailed to the cross, were pierced just as those of the person in Psalm 22 were pierced.

III — The New Testament Solution to the Paradox

But what about the prophecies dealing with the Messiah as a king?

What about His coming to restore peace and prosperity on the earth?

What about the messianic figure that the rabbis termed “Messiah, the Son of David?”

While the rabbis sought to solve the paradox by developing the Two Messiahs Concept, the New Testament offers a different alternative.

Instead of two Messiahs, each coming one time, the New Testament speaks of one Messiah coming two times.

A — The First Coming of the Messiah

He first comes into the world by birth; He lives His life on earth, eventually undergoing a period of suffering that ends in death for Israel's sins; He is then resurrected and returns to His place in Heaven. At some future time, He will return to set up the Messianic Kingdom by reestablishing the Davidic throne. He will reign over a Kingdom of peace, prosperity, and security for Israel.

But in the meantime, anyone who believes in and accepts the substitutionary death for his sins will be justified and reconciled with God and have a living relationship with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

B — The Second Coming of the Messiah

After Yeshua's death and Resurrection, the New Testament looks forward to His return to establish the Kingdom.

A number of passages in the New Testament speak of one Messiah coming twice.

1 — The Kingship of the Messiah

Of these numerous passages, here are a few.

Matthew 19:28:

Matthew 19:28 NKJV

28 So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Matthew 24:29–31:

Matthew 24:29–31 NKJV

29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Matthew 25:31:

Matthew 25:31 NKJV

31 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.

Luke 1:32–33:

Luke 1:32–33 NKJV

32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”

Acts 1:6–7:

Acts 1:6–7 NKJV

6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.

Romans 11:25–27:

Romans 11:25–27 NKJV

25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; 27 For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins.”

1 Corinthians 15:20–28:

1 Corinthians 15:20–28 NKJV

20 But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. 24 Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. 25 For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. 27 For “He has put all things under His feet.” But when He says “all things are put under Him,” it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted. 28 Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.

Hebrews 9:27–28:

Hebrews 9:27–28 NKJV

27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, 28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.

Revelation 20:4–6:

Revelation 20:4–6 NKJV

4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.

All these verses indicate that Yeshua will come again and establish a Kingdom. The kingship passages in the Old Testament were connected with the Sonship of the Messiah with God and the God-Man Concepts. These ideas regarding the Messiah are also found in the quotations cited from the New Testament.

2 — The God-Man Concept and Jesus

The God-Man Concept was another factor regarding the Messiah in Isaiah 9:6–7 and Jeremiah 23:5–6. In other words, Messiah was to be both man and God simultaneously.

Isaiah 9:6-7

Isaiah 9:6–7 NKJV

Jeremiah 23:5-6

Jeremiah 23:5–6 NKJV

Does the New Testament teach the same thing about Yeshua?

In the New Testament Book of Philippians 2:5–8, we read:

Philippians 2:5-8

Philippians 2:5–8 NKJV

5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

Furthermore, in the New Testament Gospel of John 1:1–2, and 14a, we read:

John 1:1-2

John 1:1–2 NKJV

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God.

Verse 14a states:

John 1:14

John 1:14 NKJV

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

3 — The Sonship of Jesus with God

Again, the Jewish writers of the New Testament see in Yeshua the messianic requirements of the Old Testament, right down to the God-Man Concept. Now, only one thing remains. Does the New Testament make Jesus the Son of God, as demanded by Psalm 2:7 and Proverbs 30:4?

Psalm 2:7

Psalm 2:7 NKJV

7 “I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.

Proverbs 30:4

Proverbs 30:4 NKJV

Going back to Luke 1, when Gabriel announced the coming miraculous birth of the Messiah to Mary the Virgin, we read in verses 34–35:

Luke 1:34-35

Luke 1:34–35 NKJV

According to this passage, Jesus Messiah would be called the Son of God because of His miraculous conception and Virgin Birth. This is in keeping with the demands of the Old Testament in every way.

Years later, when Yeshua is about to begin His career of public ministry, we read in Matthew 3:16–17:.

Matthew 3:16-17

Matthew 3:16–17 NKJV

16 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. 17 And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Conclusion

In conclusion, the New Testament proclaims Yeshua to be the Messiah of the Old Testament. The New Testament solution to the Old Testament paradox is that there will be only one Messiah, and this Messiah comes twice. This seems to be consistent with the Old Testament since the Old Testament often speaks of the suffering and conquering aspects of the Messiah in one and the same passage, giving no indication at all that two persons are meant.

How Did the Wise Men Know? Or is Astrology Valid?

In Matthew 2:2 we read,

Matthew 2:1–2 NKJV

How Did the Wise Men Know? Or is Astrology Valid?

You are familiar with the account of the Wise-men’s visit to the infant Yeshua (Jesus), recorded in Matthew 2:1–12: Let’s read the whole passage:

Matthew 2:1-12

Matthew 2:1–12 NKJV

1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: 6 ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ” 7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.” 9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.

This passage records the visit of the Magi from the east, who were led there by the visibility of a star. Because of this, some believers have stated that astrology has some validity, and some have even attempted to develop a doctrine of biblical astrology.

Each year, around Christmas time, nativity sets are erected. These nativity sets all appear to look alike. We have a baby Jesus in some type of manger or in the lap of Mary, and with Mary stands Joseph; on one side of the family of three, we have shepherds, and on the other side, we have three kings. This scene is totally and biblically invalid. First of all, the story of the shepherds and the story of the Wise-men are separated by approximately two years.

The shepherds were there soon after Jesus was born. They found Him in a stable lying in a manger (Lk. 2:12, 16 ).

Luke 2:12

Luke 2:12 NKJV

12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”

Luke 2:16

Luke 2:16 NKJV

16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.

The Wise men only saw the star when Yeshua was born, and it took them some time to get to Jerusalem. According to verse 11, when they finally found Jesus, they found Him in a home, not in a stable.

Matthew 2:11 NKJV

11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

So, the wise men and the shepherds never even met. The Matthew account makes it rather clear that Yeshua was approximately two years old by the time these wise men appeared.

Furthermore, what is often thought is that there were just three kings. A famous Christmas song begins with the words, “We three kings of orient are.” First of all, notice that we have not been told how many there are. We know there had to be at least two because the word Wise-men is in the plural. There may have been two; there may have been twenty; there may have been two hundred or two thousand. The Bible does not specifically say. There is no real knowledge that there were only three. The reason people think there were only three is because Yeshua was given three different types of gifts: gold and frankincense and myrrh. This is hardly evidence at all. There could have been ten people giving gold or twenty giving frankincense or thirty giving myrrh. The number of gifts does not prove that there were only three Wise-men.

Furthermore, Matthew never says that these men were “kings.” We know for certain that they were not kings because the specific title they are given in the Greek text is magoy or “Magi,” which means Wise Men or, more specifically, “astrologers.”

Matthew 2:1 NKJV

1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem,

What we have in the Matthew account is an unknown number of astrologers from the East. In the Bible, the East is always the area of Mesopotamia, so there are at least two astrologers from Babylon.

Suddenly, astrologers arrive in Jerusalem asking the question, “Where is he that is born King of the Jews?” Did they gain this knowledge through astrology? This incident raises a number of questions. First, how did these men know anything about the birth of a Jewish king? And secondly, even knowing about the birth of a Jewish king, why would Babylonian astrologers want to come and worship Him? After all, Babylonian astrologers did not worship other Jewish kings; why would they want to worship this particular king? Again, the question is: how did the Wise-men know?

Let’s break the passage down and begin looking at it seriously, point-by-point, and see if they really learned it all from astrology or if something else is going on.

The basic rule of interpretation is this:

“When the plain sense of Scripture makes common sense, seek no other sense. Therefore, take every word at its primary, ordinary, usual, literal meaning unless the facts of the immediate context studied in the light of related passages and axiomatic and fundamental truths, indicate clearly otherwise.”

We should take the Bible exactly as it says unless there is some indication in the text and in the context that tells us we cannot take it literally.

First of all, let’s focus our attention on the issue of the star. To begin with, that this was no ordinary star is evident by the actions which this star took.

The star is referred to as “His star” or “the King of the Jews’ star,” in a way that the other stars cannot be.

This star appears and disappears.

This star moves from east to west. This star moves from north to south.

This star hovers over one single house in Bethlehem and points to where the Messiah is.

Any literal star, as we know it, that would hover over only one house in Bethlehem would destroy this entire planet. It is very evident that this cannot be a literal star. Again, five things about this star make it obvious that it cannot be a real star.

First, it is the personal star of the King of the Jews.

Secondly, it appears and disappears.

Thirdly, it moves from east to west.

Fourthly, it moves north to south.

And the fifth thing is that it literally hovers over one single house in Bethlehem.

Obviously, it must be something different, but what is it?

The Greek word for star simply means “radiance” or “brilliance.” By this star coming in the form of a light, what we actually have is the appearance of the Shechinah Glory rather than an astrologer’s star.

The Shechinah Glory is the visible manifestation of God’s presence. Whenever God became visible in the Old Testament that is what is referred to as the Shechinah Glory. In most cases, the Shechinah Glory came in the form of a light, fire, cloud or some combination of these three things.

Over in Babylon, a light, a brilliance, a radiance, appears over the area that may look like a star from a distance and yet has actions which no star can do or does do. What these Wise-men actually saw was the Shechinah Glory. When they saw this Shechinah Glory, this unusual brilliance, they deduced that it was a signal that the King of the Jews, the Messiah, had finally been born.

Having determined that this star was not a literal star but the Shechinah Glory still does not answer all the questions.

The one question still is:

how did the Wise-men know anything about the birth of a Jewish king?

How could Gentile, Babylonian astrologers know anything about the birth of a Jewish king?

Even if they did know something about births of Jewish kings, why would they want to come and worship this particular one?

Having said what we have about the star, we have so far failed to answer the real issue. If it is not by means of astrology that the Magi or Wise-men knew about the birth of a Jewish king, how did they know?

From the New Testament account, all that we can deduce is that Gentile Babylonian astrologers somehow knew that the birth of the King of the Jews had taken place by means of a star-like shining brilliance in the heavens that moved from east to west and hovered over the very house where Jesus was.

To answer the question of how they knew, we must look to the Old Testament. To begin with, we must note that the only place in the entire Old Testament that dates the Messiah’s coming is the famous Seventy Sevens (weeks) of Daniel, found in Daniel 9:24–27.

Daniel 9:24-27

Daniel 9:24–27 NKJV

24 “Seventy weeks are determined For your people and for your holy city, To finish the transgression, To make an end of sins, To make reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness, To seal up vision and prophecy, And to anoint the Most Holy. 25 “Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command To restore and 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. 26 “And after the sixty-two weeks 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. 27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate.”

Besides this, the Book of Daniel was not written in Israel but in the city of Babylon; much of it is written in Aramaic, the language of the Babylonian Empire. So it was that, in the city of Babylon, a book was written which prophesied when the Messiah was to come.

But that is not all. Daniel was always associated with Babylonian astrologers

Notice Daniel 1:19–20 ; 2:12–13, 47 ; 4:7–9 ; 5:11–12 .

Daniel 1:19–20 NKJV

19 Then the king interviewed them, and among them all none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; therefore they served before the king. 20 And in all matters of wisdom and understanding about which the king examined them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers who were in all his realm.

Daniel 2:12–13 NKJV

12 For this reason the king was angry and very furious, and gave the command to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. 13 So the decree went out, and they began killing the wise men; and they sought Daniel and his companions, to kill them.

Daniel 2:47 NKJV

47 The king answered Daniel, and said, “Truly your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you could reveal this secret.”

Daniel 4:7–9 NKJV

7 Then the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers came in, and I told them the dream; but they did not make known to me its interpretation. 8 But at last Daniel came before me (his name is Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god; in him is the Spirit of the Holy God), and I told the dream before him, saying: 9 “Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that the Spirit of the Holy God is in you, and no secret troubles you, explain to me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and its interpretation.

Daniel 5:11–12 NKJV

11 There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the Spirit of the Holy God. And in the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, were found in him; and King Nebuchadnezzar your father—your father the king—made him chief of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers. 12 Inasmuch as an excellent spirit, knowledge, understanding, interpreting dreams, solving riddles, and explaining enigmas were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, now let Daniel be called, and he will give the interpretation.”

Nebuchadnezzar, not having much spiritual discernment, did not realize that the source of Daniel’s ability was not the stars of the heavens but the God of Heaven. Nevertheless, Nebuchadnezzar made Daniel the head of all the astrologers of Babylon. It was in this environment and in this company that Daniel penned his book, revealing the time of the Messiah’s coming.

A day came when Daniel was able to save the lives of all of the Babylonian astrologers. Nebuchadnezzar had an unusual dream, and when the astrologers were unable to interpret his dream, he sentenced every one of them to execution. Among those arrested were Daniel and his three friends because, from the viewpoint of the Babylonians, these four Hebrews were part of the Babylonian School of Astrology and, therefore, to be executed. But Daniel requested and received an audience with the king. After the audience, Daniel did interpret King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. By interpreting that dream, he saved the lives of all the other astrologers. In fact, this is the way he became the head of the Babylonian School of Astrology. Since Daniel saved their lives as well as becoming their head, there is little doubt that he was able to lead many of them to a saving knowledge of the God of Israel. A number of these astrologers turned away from the worship of the stars to the worship of the God of Israel who made the stars.

So a line of Babylonian astrologers from generation to generation worshiped the true God and, having Daniel’s prophecy, looked forward to the coming of the King of the Jews. From the Book of Daniel, then, we can conclude that Babylonian astrologers did know about what time the Messiah was to be born. However, the Book of Daniel says nothing about a star that would in some way announce the Messiah’s birth. So how, then, did the astrologers know anything about a star?

For this question, we must go back even earlier in the Old Testament to the prophecies of Balaam, who the king of Moab hired to curse the Jews. Four times he tried to curse them, but each time God took over his mouth; instead of cursing the Jews, he ended up blessing them. During his blessings of the Jews, he came forth with four key Messianic prophecies. One of these prophecies is found in Numbers 24:17:

Numbers 24:17

Numbers 24:17 NKJV

17 “I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; A Star shall come out of Jacob; A Scepter shall rise out of Israel, And batter the brow of Moab, And destroy all the sons of tumult.

Balaam, much to his own reluctance and regret, was forced by God to prophesy the coming of the Jewish Messiah, and he related that to a star. This is not a literal star because it then says concerning this star: “And a scepter shall rise out of Israel.” The star and the scepter are one and the same. Remember that the term scepter is a symbol of royalty or kingship. This star, which would rise out of Jacob, is a king.

Furthermore, Balaam’s occupation was that of astrology. Even more significant was that he came from the city of Pethor, a city on the banks of the Euphrates River in Babylonia

(Notice Numbers 22:5 ; Deuteronomy 23:4 ).

Numbers 22:5

Numbers 22:5 NKJV

5 Then he sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor at Pethor, which is near the River in the land of the sons of his people, to call him, saying: “Look, a people has come from Egypt. See, they cover the face of the earth, and are settling next to me!

Deuteronomy 23:4

Deuteronomy 23:4 NKJV

4 because they did not meet you with bread and water on the road when you came out of Egypt, and because they hired against you Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse you.

So, we have a double Babylonian connection here. We have, of course, the Book of Daniel, which spelled out how many years would transpire before the birth of the King of the Jews. Still, we have the prophecy of Balaam concerning the star, and, again, Balaam was part of the Babylonian School of Astrology. Hence, the revelation of a star in relation to the Messiah’s birth came by way of a Babylonian astrologer who, no doubt, passed the information down to his colleagues. Centuries later, Daniel could expound to the Babylonian astrologers as to the time that “the star of Jacob” would come.

How, then, did the Wise men know? Not by gazing at the stars in the pseudo-science of astrology but by the revelation of God as contained in the Scriptures by means of the prophecies of Balaam and Daniel. Hence, the story of the Wise-men gives no validity to astrology whatsoever.

The Wise Men gave Yeshua three types of gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. All of these are full of Old Testament symbolism. Gold symbolizes royalty or kingship, emphasizing that Jesus is a king. Frankincense was the symbol of deity because it was part of the special incense burned on the Altar of Incense within the Holy Place, and the smoke penetrated into God’s presence in the Holy of Holies itself. Frankincense emphasizes Yeshua is God. Myrrh was associated in the Old Testament with death and embalming.

While the first line of that famous Christmas song, “We Three Kings of Orient Are,” is not biblically accurate, the last line that says, “King and God and Sacrifice” certainly is. By giving these gifts to the family of Joseph, Mary and Jesus, the Wise-men provided the income for the family to be able to escape to Egypt, live there for approximately two years, and to have the income to finance their trip back to Nazareth after the death of Herod the Great.

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