Jesus, "the Messiah", came!

Jesus, "the Messiah", came!

In this biblical examination concerning the second coming of the Lord, we
need to start at Christ's first coming to understand the second coming.
After the resurrection of Jesus all of the early Christians were fascinated
with the doctrine of the second coming and they desired to be present at
this great event. In fact, they were hoping that His coming would be very
soon. However, Paul told the Thessolonians, "Now we beseech you, brethren,
by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto
him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit,
nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except
there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of
perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God,
or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God,
shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with
you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he
might be revealed in his time" (2 Thessalonians 2:1-6).

We see from this scripture that Paul declared that Christ couldn't come any
time soon because several prophecies hadn't been fulfilled yet. Therefore,
he explained that the second coming of Christ was not at the door. Even so,
no one really knows when Christ will come again because He will come as a
thief in the night.

Let's analyze the prophecies, the signs, the symbolism and the events which
preceded the first coming of the Lord, then we will look at the scriptures
concerning he second coming. But before we do that, it is important to
understand that each coming is for a different purpose. The Messiah's first
coming was to teach and redeem mankind. The second coming is to judge
mankind, cleanse the earth of unrighteousness and to rule over it. Unless we
understand the differences between these two missions, the prophecies
concerning the two comings of the Messiah will cause confusion rather than
give us a clearer understanding.

In his book, "The Promised Messiah," Bruce R. Mc Conkie wrote, "The souls
that are spiritually learned are not surprised to discover that the
prophecies of the first coming are also types and shadows of revelations
similar to the second coming." What he means is that the prophetic system
used for revealing future events is often shrouded in symbolism. This is not
only true about prophecies concerning the Lord's first coming but also His
second coming. Therefore, we need to understand how prophecies tell us the
future by the use of types and shadows. This is just as true for the Jews as
it is for us. The people who lived at the time when Jesus was born in
Bethlehem had the same prophecies we do today, yet they weren't able to
discern the signs of times when their Messiah did come. For example, have
you ever wondered why just three wise men saw the star announcing the coming
of the King of kings and understood it's meaning? Unless we learn how to
properly interpret the prophecies found in the Bible, we will just as surely
miss the signs of His second coming as the Jew did when Christ came the
first time.
In this my study there is not the conceitedness to give to preach or to teach something but only to analyze how the first coming came, what symbols gave the Lord to help to Hebrew to better acknowledge it, which prophecies and what events would have been helpful for them. It is interesting to point out that the Hebrew were searching the scriptures and notwithstanding they missed Him, maybe like I wrote before there were circumstances and attitude that didn't consider and also they like so much to make philosophies and traditions. Every rabbi liked to give his personal opinion and liked to be honored for that.
According to Peter
Acts 3:24
24 Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days.
ALL THE PROPHETS have spoken of the first coming and
Acts 10:43
43 To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.

and even Stephen
Acts 7:52
52 Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers:
Truly the prophecies regarding the first coming are tons, but very clear are not many. The basics are clear: Where Jesus should born, His life in general and few others. Everybody should have the basic but on the base the believer should build up studying, searching, pondering, inquiring by prayer, fasting for desire, and knocking to the door until the last door will be open not only by the faith by even from the real desire to know the will of the Lord regarding his time. So many prophecies were not hided but put in a way that only by sincere study and real desire would have been clear to the real believer
John 5:39
39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
Many things were hard to be understood even for His personal disciples
Luke 24:44
44 And he said unto them, These [are] the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and [in] the prophets, and [in] the psalms, concerning me.
Luke 24:45
45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,

Luke 24:46
46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:

Luke 24:47
47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
Even Jesus maintain that in every book there were clues and symbols for Him and His mission, even of His resurrection on the third day, but we don't have this prophecy in the Bible.

Genesis 3:15
15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
This is the first messianic prophecy.
Genesis 4:3
3 ¶ And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.

Genesis 4:4
4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:

Genesis 4:5
5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.

Genesis 4:6
6 ¶ And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?

Genesis 4:7
7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee [shall be] his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
It is interesting to note that the offer of Abel was accepted (the firstlings of his flock ) while the offer of Cain was refused and God said: " If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted?
It is implicit that Abel and Cain KNEW ALREADY regarding a Lamb of God coming in the meridian of times to redeem mankind. God is fair enough to judge someone who knows, not vice versa. If Cain didn't know the principle then the Lord should teach him about it, instead God didn't like what he did, just because he was perverting the way of the Lord. God gave him another chance: " If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? Cain was angry just because he was a person who was thinking that the Lord should accept his offer no matter what. It is evident from this that God taught both of them, or surely Adam for first in this and He demand to follow His rules and principles. He doesn't like when people take the right to decide for Himself, there are many examples in the scriptures where people were explained in everything and after they decided to do different, Balaam, Saul and so on. It is clear for me that from the very beginning God was working very hard to prepare the coming of His son, do you know why? because He was everything and all, without Him everything would have been useless, the whole creation would have been futile. For this reason Paul said:" I preach Jesus and Him crucified" Because our life will have a reason to be only for His atonement otherwise.......

Mankind was taught from the very beginning to await and to believe and to worship the coming Messiah, the only one capable to atone for our sins, the only deliverer available for each one of us.

The law of Moses is an Hymn for Christ and His mission, of this I'd like to have a special chapter, because it is intriguing and deep to prefigure Jesus and His mission. Here I want to quote just the Easter and yet the sacrificed of firstlings of the flock.
Joseph was a symbol of Christ.
He was a favorite son of his father, like Jesus.
He was rejected, like Jesus, from his brothers.
He was sold to gentiles like Jesus.
In the same attempt to destroy Joseph, actually his brothers put the very basis of their temporal salvation, in fact Joseph became their deliverer, so Jesus given in the gentile hands, was crucified and become the Savior and deliverer for our spiritual salvation.
Joseph became influential toward 30 years old, Jesus begun to preach at the same age. Before Joseph everybody knelt, and so it will be for Christ. Both of them were exiled in Egypt.
Joseph never to commiserate himself and did good for evil and forgave his brothers.
David is another symbol for Christ, and the prophecies related to His first coming are referring to him lice Jesus' ancestor, but even many prophecies related to His second coming are connected to David.
David wrote many psalms in which Jesus was declared and foreseen.
Psalms 2:7
7 ¶ I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou [art] my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
Psalms 2:12
12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish [from] the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed [are] all they that put their trust in him.
Psalms 22:15
15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.

Psalms 22:16
16 For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.

Psalms 22:17
17 I may tell all my bones: they look [and] stare upon me.

Psalms 22:18
18 They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.
Psalms 69:20
20 Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked [for some] to take pity, but [there was] none; and for comforters, but I found none.
Psalms 69:21
21 They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
Psalms 110:1
1 ¶ A Psalm of David. The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.

Psalms 110:2
2 The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.

Psalms 110:3
3 Thy people [shall be] willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.

Psalms 110:4
4 The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou [art] a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.
Obviously the greatest and clearest prophecies regarding Messiah are found in Isaiah>
Isaiah 11:2
2 And 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;

Isaiah 11:3
3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:

Isaiah 11:4
4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove 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.

Isaiah 11:5
5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.
Isaiah 22:20
20 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah:

Isaiah 22:21
21 And I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hand: and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah.

Isaiah 22:22
22 And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.

Isaiah 22:23
23 And I will fasten him [as] a nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father's house.

Isaiah 22:24
24 And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his father's house, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small quantity, from the vessels of cups, even to all the vessels of flagons.

Isaiah 22:25
25 In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall the nail that is fastened in the sure place be removed, and be cut down, and fall; and the burden that [was] upon it shall be cut off: for the LORD hath spoken [it].
Jesus was born in Bethlem were Micah prophesied
Micah 5

1

Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops: he hath laid siege against us: they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek.

2

But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

3

Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.

Most Christians are familiar with the prophecies of Isaiah concerning the
coming of the Messiah (chapters 42 and 53) but there is another one that's
even more important, which most people aren't familiar with. In Daniel
9:24-27 we read, "Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy
holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to
make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness,
and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. Know
therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to
restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven
weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and
the wall, even in troubled times. And after threescore and two weeks shall
Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that
shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof
shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are
determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in
the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to
cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate,
even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the
desolate."

At the time when Daniel received this prophecy, Jerusalem had been
completely destroyed and most of the Jews had been taken into captivity. In
verse 24 the prophecy states that "Seventy weeks are determined upon thy
people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an
end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in
everlasting righteousness." In Hebrew the word we translate as " week" is "
shabua" which literally means "a week of years."

In verse 25 we read, "Know therefore and understand, that from the going
forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah
the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street
shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times."

What this is telling us is that 69 "weeks of years" AFTER Jerusalem is
rebuilt, the Messiah would come to His people. In Daniel's day, their
calendar was based on 360 days per year. That means, 69 weeks of years
equals 483 years, or 173,880 days. But this counting of "weeks" would not
begin until AFTER the Jews had returned from captivity and rebuilt the city
of Jerusalem.

In Nehemiah 2:1,2 we read, "And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the
twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him: and I took
up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in
his presence. Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad,
seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I
was very sore afraid." Nehemiah explained that the reason he was sad was
because of the desolation of his city, Jerusalem. When he asked Artaxerxes
for permission to allow his people to return and rebuild it, . the king
granted his wish by way of a royal edict. From secular history, we know
exactly what date that event occurred.

In the book, "The Creator Beyond Time and Space" by Mark Eastman and Chuck
Missler we read, beginning on page 137, "For the final elucidation of this
prophecy (Daniel), we are deeply indebted to the work of Sir Robert
Anderson, former head of Scotland Yard, who made a remarkable discovery when
he applied the principle of a 360-day calendar year for purposes of
prophetic calculations. Anderson applied this fact and multiplied the 360
days per calendar year by the 483 years to get 173,880 days. Gabriel was, in
effect, telling Daniel that 173,880 days after the command was given to
restore and rebuild Jerusalem the Messiah would come. Remember, at the time
this prophecy was given the city of Jerusalem was desolate. Is there a
record of a command such as this recorded anywhere in History? Yes Nehemiah
2:1-2 King Artaxerxes granted the wish of Nehemiah and gave him "letters" or
documents for easy passage. This occurred, we are told, in the month of
Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes reign. Artaxerxes Longimanus
ascended to the throne of Medo-Persian empire in July 465 B.C. (encyclopedia
Britannica, 1990) The twentieth year of his reign would have begun in July
446.B.C. The decree occurred approximately nine months later in the month of
Nisan (March-April on our calendar). By Hebrew tradition, when the day of
the month is not specifically stated ( as in Artaxerxes decree ) it is given
to be the first day of that month. Consequently, the very day of Artaxerxes'
decree was the first day of the Hebrew month Nisan in 445 B.C. The first day
of Nisan in 445 B.C. corresponds to the 14th day of March. These dates were
confirmed through astronomical calculations at the British Royal Observatory
and reported by Sir Robert Anderson (Robert Anderson, The coming Prince,
Kregel. Reprinted in 1984)

"The prophecy states that 69 weeks of years (173,880 DAYS) AFTER THE COMMAND
GOES FORTH TO RESTORE and rebuild the city of Jerusalem the Messiah will
come. If we count forward 173,880 days from March 14th, 445 B.C., we arrive
at April 6th, 32 A.D. Here are the calculations. March 14th, 445B.C. to
March 14th, 32A.D. is 476 years. (1 B.C. to 1A.D. is one year. There is no
year zero) 476 years x 365 days per year + 173,740 days Add for leap years +
116 days (leap years do not occur in century years unless divisible by 400,
therefore, we must add three less leap years in four centuries) March 14th
to April 6th = 24 days total = 173.880 days."

What exactly happened on April 6th, 32 AD? There are those who say that
it was the day the atonement took place, Others say it was the day that
Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey while the crowds shouted "Hosanna.
However, it's not important to know which exact event took place on that
day. What is important about this date is that the Jews couldn't look
beyond this time for the coming of their Messiah. That means, if Jesus isn't
the promised Messiah, then who else should they look for on April 6th, 32
A.D.?

In the book we have just read from, Roberts Anderson continues, saying,
"There is another way to check the accuracy of this date. In the Gospel of
Luke, chapter three, it states that in the 15th year of the reign of Caesar
Tiberius, Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist and began His ministry. It
is well established that the reign of Caesar Tiberius began with his
coronation on August 19th in the year A.D. 14. Most scholars believe Jesus
was baptized in the fall season. It therefore follows that the ministry of
Jesus started with His baptism in the Fall of A.D. 28, the 15th year of the
reign of Caesar Tiberius. The ministry of Jesus spanned four Passovers or
about three and an half years.

"The first Passover of Jesus' ministry would have been in the Spring of A.D.
29. The fourth Passover of His ministry was the day of His crucifixion and
would have fallen in the year A.D. 32 (there are some scholars that place
the crucifixion at A.D. 33. The disagreement is due to the method one uses
in calculating the ascension of Caesar Tiberius. Some believe that his first
year began the day he took office. In this case the fifteenth year begins in
A.D. 28 and the crucifixion would be in A.D. 32. If one begins counting the
first year of Tiberius' reign on his 1st anniversary, then A.D. 29 is the
year Jesus was baptized and His crucifixion would be in A.D. 33)

"The Passover in that year fell on April 10th (The Passover holiday always
occurs on the 14th day of Nisan in the Hebrew calendar, This corresponds to
the first full moon after the Spring equinox.) REMARKABLY, ACCORDING TO
ROBERT Anderson and the British Royal Observatory, the Sunday before that
Passover was April 6th exactly 173,880 days after the decree of Artaxerxes!

"Some of you may be thinking that the application of this prophecy to the
Messiah is a Christian contrivance. In fact, most modern rabbis try to deny
the Messianic application of this prophecy. However, it is well established
that ancient Jews believed that this prophecy pinpointed the time of
Messiah's coming. In fact, many in the Qumran community (the writers of the
Dead Sea Scrolls) believed that they were living in the very generation to
which this prophecy pointed. Regarding the times referred to in Daniel's
prophecy, Rabbi Judah, the main compiler of the Talmud, said:" These times
were over long ago"

"In the 12th Century A.D. Rabbi Moses Ben Maimon (Maimonides), one of the
most respected rabbis in history, and a man who rejected the messianic
claims of Jesus of Nazareth, said regarding Daniel's seventy weeks prophecy:
"Daniel has elucidated to us the knowledge of the end of times. However,
since they are secret, the wise (rabbis) have barred the calculation of the
days of Messiah's coming so that the untutored populace will not be led
astray WHEN THEY SEE THAT THE END TIMES HAVE ALREADY COME BUT THERE IS NO
SIGN OF THE MESSIAH" (emphasis added) (Igeret Teiman, chapter 3 pg 24).

Finally Rabbi Moses Abraham Levi said regarding the time of the Messiah's
coming: "I have examined and searched all the holy scriptures and have not
found the time for the coming of Messiah clearly fixed, except in the words
of Gabriel to the prophet Daniel, which are written in the 9th chapter of
the prophecy of Daniel." (The Messiah of the targums, Talmuds and rabbinical
writers. 1971).

In Genesis 49:1 we read, "And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather
yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the
last days." This is another remarkable prophecy for the Messiah. Genesis
49:10 "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between
his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people
be." To the Rabbis, the word scepter signifies the "tribal staff" of the
twelve tribes. To the Israelites, the tribal staff represented their right
to enforce and apply the Law of Moses, including capitol punishment.
Furthermore, the term "Shiloh" has always been understood to be an idiom for
the "Messiah". Therefore, according to this prophecy, the tribal staff, or
scepter of the tribe of Judah, would not cease until the Messiah came. Judah
was not only the name of one of the son's of Jacob, but it was also the name
of the southern kingdom of the divided nation of Israel.

>From the book "The Creator Beyond Time and Space," beginning on page 145, we
read, "With these definitions in place we can restate the prophecy as
follows: `The (national identity of Judah, which includes the right to
enforce Mosaic law, including the right to administer capital punishment
upon the people, as called for in the Torah) shall not depart from (the
southern kingdom (Judah)), nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until
Shiloh (The Messiah) comes; and to him shall be the obedience of the
people."

"This prophecy gives specific indicators regarding the time of the coming of
the Messiah! The prophecy declares that He
would come before the right to impose Jewish law (which includes capital
punishment) is rescinded and before the
national identity of Judah was removed! During the 70 year Babylonian
captivity, from 606-537 B.C. the southern
kingdom of Israel, Judah, had lost it's national sovereignty, but it
retained it's tribal staff or national identity. It is very
significant that in the book of Ezra we read that during the seventy year
Babylonian captivity the Jews still retained their
own lawgivers or Judges as we read in Ezra 1:5,8 "Then rose up the chief of
the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests, and the Levites, with
all them whose spirit God had raised, to go up to build the house of the
LORD which is in Jerusalem.. Even those did Cyrus king of Persia bring forth
by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and numbered them unto Sheshbazzar,
the prince of Judah.

"The Jews maintained their identity and judicial authority over their own
people even during 70 years of slavery. The
scepter had not been lost during the Babylonian captivity. During the next
five centuries the Jews suffered under the
Yoke of the Medo Persian, Greek and Roman Empires. Yet, Judah retained its
tribal identity up until the first quarter of
the first century A.D.

"In the first quarter of the first century A.D. the Jews were under Roman
dominion when an unprecedented event occurred. According to Joseph
(Antiquities 17:13) around the year A.D. 6-7, the son and successor to king
Herod, a man named Herod Archelaus, was dethroned and banished to Vienna, a
city of Gaul (Archelaus was the second son of Herod the Great. Herod's
oldest son, herod Antipater, was murdered by Herod the Great, along with a
number of other family members. Archelaus' mother was a Samaritan, giving
him only one quarter or less, Jewish blood. At the death of Herod the Great
in 4 B.C. Archelaus was placed over Judea as "Entharch" by Caesar Augustus.
However, he was never accepted by the Jews and was removed from office in 6
or 7 A.D.) Herod Archelaus was replaced not by a Jewish king, but by a Roman
Procurator named Caponius. The legal power of the Sanhedrin was then
immediately restricted.
With the ascension of Caponius, the Sanhedrin lost their ability to
adjudicate capital cases. This was the normal policy toward all the nations
under the yoke of the Romans. The province of Judea had, however, been
spared from this policy up to this point. However, Caesar Augustus had had
enough of the Jews and finally removed the judicial authority from them at
the ascensions of Caponius. This transfer of power was recorded by Josephus
Wars of the Jews Book 2 chapter 8. `And now Archelaus' part of Judea was
reduced into a province, and Caponius, one of the equestrian order of the
Romans, was sent as a procurator, HAVING THE POWER OF LIFE AND DEATH PUT
INTO HIS HANDS BY CAESAR!.' (Emphasis added)

"The power of the Sanhedrin to adjudicate capital cases was immediately
removed. In the minds of the Jewish leadership, this event signified the
removal of the scepter or national identity of the tribe of Judah! If you
think that this is a Christian contrivance, think again. Here are several
ancient rabbinical reference that indicate that the rabbis believed that
Genesis 49:10 was referring to the Messiah. In the Targum Onkelos it states:
`The transmission of dominion shall not cease from the house of Judah, nor
the scribe from his children's children, forever, UNTIL MESSIAH COMES.'
(from The Messiah: An Aramaic interpretation, The Messianic Exegesis of the
Targum, Samson H Levy, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College Jewish Institute of
religion, 1974 page 2)

"The Targum Yerushalmi states: `Kings shall not cease from the house of
Judah....UNTIL THE TIME OF THE COMING OF THE KING MESSIAH....to whom all the
dominions of the earth shall become subservient.' (ibid page 8)
In the Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 98b, Rabbi Johanan said: `The world was
created for the sake of the messiah, what is this Messiah's name? The school
of rabbi Shila said "His name is Shiloh, for it is written; until Shiloh
comes.' These amazing commentaries should eliminate any doubt that the Jews
that lived prior to the Christian era believed that one of the names of the
Messiah was Shiloh. Furthermore, these quotes should eliminate all doubt
that the ancient rabbis believed that the Messiah would come before the
removal of the scepter from Judah!

"What was the reaction of the Jews when the right to adjudicate capital
cases was removed from Judah? Did they view the removal of their authority
on capital cases as the removal of the scepter from Judah? The answer is
Yes! When Archelaus was banished, the power of the Sanhedrin was severely
curtailed. capital cases could not longer be tried by the Sanhedrin. Such
cases were now transferred to the Roman Procurator, Caponius. This transfer
of power is even mentioned in the Talmud (Jerusalem Talmud, Sanhedrin, folio
24) `A little more than forty years before the destruction of the Temple,
the power of pronouncing capital sentences was taken away from the Jews.'

"This certainly corresponds to the same event recorded by Josephus we saw
earlier. In Antiquities 20:9 Josephus again points out that the Sanhedrin
had no authority over capital cases: `After the death of the Procurator
Festus, when Albinus was about to succeed him, the high priest Ananias
considered it a favorable opportunity to assemble the sanhedrin. he
therefore caused James the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, and
several others, to appear before this hastily assembled council, and
pronounced upon them the sentence of death by stoning. All the wise men and
strict observers of the law who were at Jerusalem expressed their
disapprobation of this act....some even went to Albinus himself, who had
departed to Alexandria, to bring this breach of the law under his
observation, and to inform him that Ananius had acted illegally in
assembling the Sanhdrin without the Roman Authority.'

"This remarkable passage not only mentions Jesus and His brother James as
historical figures, but it also declares that the Sanhedrin had no authority
to pass the death sentence upon any man! The scepter had departed from
Judah. Its royal and legal powers were removed; but where was Shiloh? The
reaction of the Jews to these monumental events is recorded in the Talmud.
Augustin Lemann, in his book `Jesus before the Sanhdrin', records a
statement by Rabbi Rachmon: ` When the members of the Sanhedrin found
themselves deprived of their right over life and death, a general
consternation took possession of them: they covered their heads with ashes
and their bodies with sackcloth, explaining: "WOE UNTO US FOR THE SCEPTER
HAS DEPARTED FROM JUDAH AND THE MESSIAH HAS NOT COME!' (Emphasis added)
(Babylonian Talmud, chapter 4, folio 37)

"While the Jews wept in the streets of Jerusalem, there was growing up in
the city of Nazareth the young son of a Jewish carpenter, Jesus of Nazareth.
The inescapable conclusion was that Shiloh had come! Only then was the
scepter removed!"

Then there are the prophecies relating to the Messiah and the dead. Let's
take a look at some of them. In Psalms 88:10-12 we also read, "Wilt thou
shew wonders to the dead? shall the dead arise and praise thee? Selah. Shall
thy loving kindness be declared in the grave? or thy faithfulness in
destruction? Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? and thy righteousness
in the land of forgetfulness?"

In Isaiah 61:1-2, we read, "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because
the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent
me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and
the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable
year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that
mourn."

Isaiah prophesied in chapter 24:21-22, "And it shall come to pass in that
day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high,
and the kings of the earth upon the earth. And they shall be gathered
together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the
prison, and after many days shall they be visited." Visited from who?

In Zechariah 9:11-16 we are told, "As for thee also, by the blood of thy
covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water.
Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even to day do I declare
that I will render double unto thee; When I have bent Judah for me, filled
the bow with Ephraim, and raised up thy sons, O Zion, against thy sons, O
Greece, and made thee as the sword of a mighty man. And the LORD shall be
seen over them, and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning: and the Lord
GOD shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with whirlwinds of the south. The
LORD of hosts shall defend them; and they shall devour, and subdue with
sling stones; and they shall drink, and make a noise as through wine; and
they shall be filled like bowls, and as the corners of the altar. And the
LORD their God shall save them in that day as the flock of his people: for
they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon his
land."

Were these prophecies fulfilled in Christ? In Revelation 1:18 Jesus
declared, "I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for
evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death." While he was alive
in mortality, Jesus said, as recorded in John 5:25, "Verily, verily, I say
unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice
of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live."

In 1 Peter 3:18-20, 4:6 " we're told, " For Christ also hath once suffered
for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put
to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went
and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient,
when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark
was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water....
For this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that
they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to
God in the spirit." Paul explained in 1 Corinthians 15:29, "Else what shall
they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why
are they then baptized for the dead? "

It is abundantly clear that Jesus was the Messiah who showed, "wonders to
the dead" and declared "loving kindness in the grave," who proclaimed
"liberty to the captives" who were "gathered together, as prisoners are
gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days
shall they be visited." Because of His atonement, Jesus has been able to set
free the "prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water."

Manna was another symbol for Christ. In Deuteronomy 8:2-3 we read, "And thou
shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years
in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in
thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. And he
humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which
thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know
that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out
of the mouth of the LORD doth man live."

To help the Israelites survive in the desert and not perish, God daily sent
them manna. This manna also came to symbolize that if people would depend on
God, they would likewise survive and not perish in a spiritual sense. Thus
the manna was not only representative of salvation from temporal death, but
from spiritual death as well. When Jesus multiplied the fishes and the
bread He made reference to the manna from heaven, thereby showing the people
that He trying to help them to better understand this topic (John 6:47-51).

The brazen serpent was another great symbol of Christ and His Atonement, but
not necessarily in the way we might think. For a more in-depth look at this
subject, please my article entitled "Atonement".

It was prophesied that the Messiah would be rejected. In the Old Testament
we read, "I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my
mother's children" (Psalms 69:8). "Thus saith the LORD, the Redeemer of
Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation
abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also
shall worship, because of the LORD that is faithful, and the Holy One of
Israel, and he shall choose thee" (Isaiah 49:7). " Wherefore, when I came,
was there no man? when I called, was there none to answer? Is my hand
shortened at all, that it cannot redeem? or have I no power to deliver?
behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness: their
fish stinketh, because there is no water, and dieth for thirst. He is
despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief:
and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed
him not" (Isaiah 50:2-3). "Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a
vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take
counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying"
(Psalms 2:1-2). "Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder
marvellously: for I will work a work in your days, which ye will not
believe, though it be told you" (Habakkuk 1:5).

Concerning Jesus, in the New Testament we read "Be it known unto you
therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the
forgiveness of sins: And by him all that believe are justified from all
things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. Beware
therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets;
Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your
days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto
you" (Acts 13:38-41). "For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers,
because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read
every Sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him." (Acts
13:270.

The resurrection was also prophesied. "Thy dead men shall live, together
with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust:
for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead" (
Isaiah 26:19). "And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off,
but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall
destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a
flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined" (Daniel
9:26).

It was prophesied that He would die on a cross. "And I will fasten him as a
nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father's
house. And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his father's house,
the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small quantity, from the vessels
of cups, even to all the vessels of flagons. In that day, saith the LORD of
hosts, shall the nail that is fastened in the sure place be removed, and be
cut down, and fall; and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off: for
the LORD hath spoken it" (Isaiah 22:23-25).

"All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake
the head, saying, He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him
deliver him, seeing he delighted in him... My strength is dried up like a
potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into
the dust of death. For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked
have enclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. I may tell all my
bones: they look and stare upon me. They part my garments among them, and
cast lots upon my vesture" (Psalms 22:7,8, 17,8 ).

These are some of the more evident prophecies. But let's take a look as some
indications of the Messiah's coming which are not as obvious.

The colors by which the Temple was clothed were messianic in their nature.
In Exodus 27:16 we read, "And for the gate of the court shall be an hanging
of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen,
wrought with needlework: and their pillars shall be four, and their sockets
four."

Since the colors were given by revelation then we should try to understand
why of these colors were given by the Lord. The first color mentioned is
blue. The symbolism of this color had already been established among the
children of Israel. After a man had been stoned for gathering sticks on the
Sabbath day, the camp of Israel was commanded to make: "fringes in the
borders of their garments" and to " put upon the fringe of the borders a
ribband (ribbon) of blue" (Numbers 15:38). This ribbon was the color of the
heavens, and was to be a constant reminder to the Israelites of their
obligation to obey the will of heaven. Blue also carries with it the feeling
of rest and peace - a rest and peace enjoyed by man only as he places this
life in accordance with the principles of heaven.

The next color mentioned was purple. Purple dye was very rare, and was
therefore expensive. Because of that, it became known as the color of
royalty or of those possessing great wealth. To Israel it was a reminder
that they were of the royal or heavenly family. It was also a reminder of
the wealth of blessings which God had sent them. The color scarlet is a deep
red and signifies the blood of the Lamb. It served as a constant reminder of
the necessity of the atonement.

The order of these colors (blue, purple, and scarlet) is repeated at least
24 times in the description of the tabernacle. It is assumed that the
symbolism associated with them is constant. As related to Christ, we could
say that blue represents the Heavenly One, the Son of God. The color purple
reminds us that He is the King of Kings, and the color scarlet symbolizes
His blood which He offered for our sins. The interweaving of these colors
suggests a union or a connection between obedience, heavenly power, and the
atoning blood of Christ.

The gate of the temple was always to be located on the east side of the
tabernacle. The reason for this was so that the first rays of the sun would
always illuminate the entranceway into the temple. This heavenly light would
thus reveal the beauty of the multicolored gate as the light of heaven
reveals Christ as "the Way, the Truth and the Life" and the only way that
men may approach the Father (see John 14:6).

>From the book "Gospel Symbolism" by Joseph Fielding Mc Conkie, on page 102
we read that even this had a particular meaning. "Exodus 27:1-8 tells us,
`And thou shalt make an altar of shittim wood, five cubits long, and five
cubits broad; the altar shall be foursquare: and the height thereof shall be
three cubits. And thou shalt make the horns of it upon the four corners
thereof: his horns shall be of the same: and thou shalt overlay it with
brass. And thou shalt make his pans to receive his ashes, and his shovels,
and his basons, and his fleshhooks, and his firepans: all the vessels
thereof thou shalt make of brass. And thou shalt make for it a grate of
network of brass; and upon the net shalt thou make four brazen rings in the
four corners thereof. And thou shalt put it under the compass of the altar
beneath, that the net may be even to the midst of the altar. And thou shalt
make staves for the altar, staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with
brass. And the staves shall be put into the rings, and the staves shall be
upon the two sides of the altar, to bear it. Hollow with boards shalt thou
make it: as it was shewed thee in the mount, so shall they make it.'

"Everything associated with the altar was symbolic , and as with the
entirety of the tabernacle all its symbolism centered in Christ. Shittim
wood is a hard, dark oak that is very durable. In the Septuagint it has
appropriately been translated "incorruptible wood". Brass is extremely fire
resistant and thus seems an appropriate symbol for one who suffered and was
tried in all things. The altar stood on an elevation to foreshadow the
atonement of the Lamb of God on the mount Golgotha. Obviously intended to be
the focus of attention upon entering the courtyard of the Lord, this was the
altar upon which the offerings were made by which one sought divine
acceptance and access into the Lord's presence. The burnt offering being the
most perfect type for the atonement of Christ, the placement of the brazen
altar dramatized the Atonement and the role of Christ as the focus of all
true religious worship.

"As none could return to the presence of God save it were for the Atonement
of Christ, so none could enter either the Holy Place or the Holy of Holies
without having first gained access through the name of Christ and by virtue
of His sacrifice - thus the appropriate placing of the altar of burnt
offering.

"Much of the ritual of the temple in the old testament times was a prophetic
dramatization of the sufferings of Jesus Christ. For instance the gold which
should be used for the candlestick and the mercy seat should be pure gold,
but "beaten". The spices for the holy anointing, the frankincense and the
others should be "beaten" otherwise they couldn't free their fragrance and
their scent which should come out should be."

Melchisedec was an high priest and the King of Salem (which means
"righteousness") who offered bread and wine to Abraham, who was the head of
the chosen family. The Bible tells us that Jesus was ordained by God the
Father Himself as a High priest forever according to the order of the
priesthood of Melchisedec (Hebrews 5:5). Jesus is also known as the King of
Righteousness.

Isaac was even a type of Christ. His birth was a miracle, and so was the
birth of Jesus. Isaac willingly allowed his life to taken as a sacrifice in
obedience to the wishes of his father. We need to remember that when this
incident occurred, Abraham was very old, therefore Isaac could easily have
rebelled against his father's command it he had wanted to, but he didn't.
Jesus likewise could have refused to follow the wishes of His Father in
heaven when He was asked to sacrifice His life. In fact, He even pleaded
with His Father to release Him from going through such an act, but He also
said, "Not my will but thine be done" (Luke 22:42). Isaac was the son of the
promise, and Jesus likewise was promised to mankind from the very beginning.

Moses was another type or representation of Jesus. Shortly after his birth,
his life was in danger of being taken when the Pharaoh (i.e. king) ordered
that all the male children of his kingdom should be slain. The same thing
happened shortly after Jesus was born, when King Herod ordered all male
children under the age of two to be slain. Moses was saved from this fate
when he was discovered by an Egyptian princess. The parents of Jesus fled to
Egypt to save their child. Both Moses and Jesus spent considerable time in
the wilderness fasting. Both of them performed great miracles during their
ministry. Both of them were a deliverer to the children of Israel (Moses was
their temporal savior, and Jesus was their spiritual savior.) Both of them
were mediators of a new covenant (the Law for Moses and the gospel of Jesus
Christ). Both of them were lawgivers to Israel and both of them were great
revelators. The scriptures also tell us that both of these men were meek
(Numbers 12:3 and Matthew 11:29).

If the words of the prophets were so clear about the mission of the promised
Messiah, then why didn't the Jews, especially the learned and pious
religious leaders, recognize Jesus for who He was? That's because they were
looking for a much different kind of a Savior. So far we have looked at the
prophecies of the coming Messiah which only talk about His redeeming
mission, but there are others which show Him coming as a King over the Jews,
having great power over their enemies. Instead of looking for a King who
would save them from spiritual death, they were looking for a King who would
deliver them from physical death in battle.

According to these prophecies, at the time when the Jews living in Palestine
will be in great danger of being destroyed, their Messiah will come to Mount
Olivet and will fight their enemies, as it says in Zechariah 14:3-4 "Then
shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought
in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of
Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall
cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there
shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward
the north, and half of it toward the south." "And it shall come to pass in
that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against
Jerusalem. And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants
of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look
upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one
mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that
is in bitterness for his firstborn." (Zechariah 12:9-10).

At that point the Jews will ask Him, "What are these wounds in thine hands?
Then He shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my
friends" (Zechariah 13:6). At that point they will know for sure that He is
Jesus Christ, the Messiah whom their ancestors crucified! As Ezekiel
prophesied, they "shall know that I have not done without cause all that I
have done in it, saith the Lord" (14:23).

Their dispersion and the troubles they faced for two thousand years since
the time they killed their promised deliverer was a result of the curse that
they received by their own words as recorded in Matthew 27:25: "Then
answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.
In 70 A.D. when the Roman army destroyed the temple in Jerusalem (the House
of the Lord), God's protecting Spirit also left them. From that time
forward, they became a vagabond nation and a rejected people.

But the Lord always keeps His promises, and He has promised that He will
gather Israel together again. As it says in Matthew 23:37 "O Jerusalem,
Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent
unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a
hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!"

But before He can return the second time as their deliverer, they must once
more build a true temple as they had anciently. But it cannot be just any
kind of building. It must be specially dedicated and consecrated, and set
apart as a Holy House unto the Lord. It has to be a building that God
Himself can come and dwell in as He did anciently. By doing this, it will be
a way of inviting Him back into their national life, like a special guest.
And after they have done this, when He comes again the second time, He will
not disappoint their expectations of Him. Then, finally, their joy will be
complete.
An interesting example of Kabbalab in the Bible is the name "Jehovah," which, in Hebrew, is formed by four letters. It is interesting to
note that in the Hebrew alphabet, each of these four letters has a value associated with each of the five senses. However, there are five
senses, but the name Jehovah in Hebrew has only four letters. Then which “sense” is missing from the name Jehovah? This is a very
good question. The name Jesus (Joshua in Hebrew) contains five letters and the extra letter represents the missing sense--"tact."
Jehovah (Jesus) was just a spirit before gaining a body and it was clear from the four words of His name that he was just a spirit. The
missing letter is "shin" which means "tooth" and is connected to "tact." If you think about it, the first thing a child does to get to know
something is put it in their mouth! This corresponds to the sense of taste.

So even for the most learned Hebrew it was possible to see this thing.
Probably there are other ways to show that Jesus was the promised Messiah,
but for me what I have shared in this talk is more than enough to convince
me. I know with all of my heart that my Redeemer lives and I know that His
name is Jesus, the great Messiah.