Quote:
JOE:
So, mentioning Cyrus is more important than mentioning Jesus Christ.

REUVEN:
Saying J* is messiah is not only weak, it is moot. We don't buy the lie because we know better.

G-d declared to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that their descendants would inherit a land of their own and subsequent biblical history foretells a future redemption which will be brought about through an anointed agent of the Almighty. The early prophets declared that this kingly figure would be a descendant of David and that his throne would be secure for all time, ruling over the northern and southern kingdoms as well as the rest of the nations.

Later prophets including Isaiah, Micah, Amos and Hosea prophesied the destruction of Israel because of its sins, yet in accordance with the eternal covenants they also prophesied that the re-gathering of the exiles would come and Israel would be restored to her land. The suffering of exile would lead to the glory of redemption at the time that the L-rd would have compassion on his people and return them to their former glory. This theme is also echoed throughout the book of Psalms and the prophet Daniel paints a very vivid picture of a coming, divinely appointed deliverer - the Son of Man - who will be given dominion over all the earth.


Quote:
I saw in the visions of the night, and behold with the clouds of the heaven, one like a man was coming, and he came up to the Ancient of Days and was brought before Him. And He gave him dominion and glory and a kingdom, and all peoples, nations, and tongues shall serve him; his dominion is an eternal dominion, which will not be removed, and his kingdom is one which will not be destroyed.
Daniel 7:13-14



The term 'Moshiach' comes from the Hebrew word "Mashiach" which literally means "anointed one". As such, the term has been applied to a number of personages throughout history. Moses, Esther, David and others who were liberators in their generation are all seen as messianic figures. Over time, the term 'HaMashiach' (the Moshiach) came to refer to the Moshiach who would appear at the end of days. Although there is actually no specific or explicit reference to this person in the Torah, certainly the concept of ultimate Redemption of the Jewish nation and of the world is clearly in the promises made to the Patriarchs in Genesis 12:1-3:
Quote:
And the Lord said to Abram, "Go forth from your land and from your birthplace and from your father's house, to the land that I will show you. And I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will aggrandize your name, and [you shall] be a blessing. And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse, and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you."
Gen. 12:1-3



Again, in Genesis 26:3-5 Abraham's son Isaac is told that his descendants will be as numerous as the stars and that through them all nations will be blessed:

Quote:
Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you, and I will bless you, for to you and to your seed will I give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham, your father. And I will multiply your seed like the stars of the heavens, and I will give your seed all these lands, and all the nations of the earth will bless themselves by your seed, Because Abraham hearkened to My voice, and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My instructions."
Genesis 26:3-5



Finally, Isaac's son Jacob is reassured in a dream that his offspring will be the source of G-d's blessing to all peoples:

Quote:
And he dreamed, and behold! a ladder set up on the ground and its top reached to heaven; and behold, angels of God were ascending and descending upon it. And behold, the Lord was standing over him, and He said, "I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac; the land upon which you are lying to you I will give it and to your seed. And your seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and you shall gain strength westward and eastward and northward and southward; and through you shall be blessed all the families of the earth and through your seed.
Genesis 28:12-14



These verses provide the background for the expectation of the deliverance of the nation.

In the book of Samuel, the notion of redemption through a divinely appointed agent is explicitly presented. The L-rd has chosen David and his descendants to rule and reign over Israel at the end of time as we read in 2 Samuel 23.

I will not post the entire chapter but you can read it
HERE

David is the anointed vessel, chosen for a purpose.

Quote:
On that day, I will raise up the fallen Tabernacle of David, and I will close up their breaches, and I will raise up its ruins, and build it up as in the days of yore. In order that they inherit the remnant of Edom and all the nations because My Name is called upon them, says the Lord Who does this.
Amos 9:11-12.



Despite such a hopeful vision of Israel's future, the prophets understood that before Israel would be redeemed, it would suffer exile, destruction and great heartache because of its sins. Only after these terrible events will the house of David be restored to its former glory and the kings of that house rule over a reunited and re-gathered Israel. Therefore, Hosea cried out...

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Come and let us return to the Lord, for He has torn and He shall heal us; He smites, and He will bind us up. He will revive us from the two days, on the third day He will set us up, and we will live before Him. And let us know, let us strive to know the Lord: like the dawn whose going forth is sure, and He will come to us like rain, like the latter rain which satisfies the earth.
Hosea 6:1-3



There is thus a direct link between destruction and redemption. According to Hosea, although the people shall be deprived of their king this situation will change once the Israelites mend their ways and return to the L-rd:

Quote:
For the children of Israel shall remain for many days, having neither king, nor prince, nor sacrifice, nor pillar, nor ephod nor teraphim. Afterwards shall the children of Israel return, and seek the Lord their God and David their king, and they shall come trembling to the Lord and to His goodness at the end of days.
Hosea 3:4-5



Isaiah follows with an explanation that although G-d is disappointed with his people because of their sinfulness, nevertheless His kingdom will triumph.

Quote:
And it shall be at the end of the days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be firmly established at the top of the mountains, and it shall be raised above the hills, and all the nations shall stream to it. And many peoples shall go, and they shall say, "Come, let us go up to the Lord's mount, to the house of the God of Jacob, and let Him teach us of His ways, and we will go in His paths," for out of Zion shall the Torah come forth, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge between the nations and reprove many peoples, and they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift the sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.
Isaiah 2:2-4



Overshadowed as this future vision is with the calamity brought about by idolatry, Isaiah maintains the theme of the promised salvation.

Quote:
And a shoot shall spring forth from the stem of Jesse, and a twig shall sprout from his roots. And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, a spirit of wisdom and understanding, a spirit of counsel and heroism, a spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord. And he shall be animated by the fear of the Lord, and neither with the sight of his eyes shall he judge, nor with the hearing of his ears shall he chastise. And he shall judge the poor justly, and he shall chastise with equity the humble of the earth, and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth and with the breath of his lips he shall put the wicked to death. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faith the girdle of his loins. And a wolf shall live with a lamb, and a leopard shall lie with a kid; and a calf and a lion cub and a fatling [shall lie] together, and a small child shall lead them.
Isaiah 11:1-6



A contemporary of Isaiah, Micah prophesied in the southern kingdom, condemning both Judah and Samaria for their wickedness, but was still confident in the restoration of his people:

Quote:
I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of you; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; together I will make them as sheep in a fold, as a flock within its stall shall they stir with people.
Micah 2:12



Confident in the restoration of the people, he looked forward to an age of prosperity and fulfillment. Like Isaiah he predicted a time of messianic redemption. All nations, he declared, will go to the mountain of the L-rd and dwell together in peace; in those days swords will be turned into ploughshares and each man will sit under his vine and fig tree:

Quote:
And many nations shall go, and they shall say, "Come, let us go up to the Lord's mount and to the house of the God of Jacob, and let Him teach us of His ways, and we will go in His paths," for out of Zion shall the Torah come forth, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge between many peoples and reprove mighty nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nations shall not lift the sword against nation; neither shall they learn war anymore. And they shall dwell each man under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them move, for the mouth of the Lord of Hosts has spoken.
Micah 4:2-4



In his prophecy, Zephaniah also called on Israel to await G-d's vindication and deliverance:

Quote:
Sing, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O Israel! Rejoice and jubilate wholeheartedly, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Zephaniah 3:14



In 626 B.C.E. Jeremiah was commissioned as a prophet. Although persuaded that the country was doomed, Jeremiah was certain that the L-rd would not completely destroy his people: a remnant would return with a new king at its head:

Quote:
Behold, days are coming, says the Lord, when I will set up of David a righteous shoot, and he shall reign a king and prosper, and he shall perform judgment and righteousness in the land. In his days, Judah shall be saved and Israel shall dwell safely, and this is his name that he shall be called, The Lord is our righteousness.
Jeremiah 23:5-6



According to Jeremiah, this redemption will bring a new spiritual life for the Israelites. The L-rd will create a new heart for his people and pour out a new spirit upon them:

Quote:
Behold, days are coming, says the Lord, and I will form a covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, a new covenant. Not like the covenant that I formed with their forefathers on the day I took them by the hand to take them out of the land of Egypt, that they broke My covenant, although I was a lord over them, says the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will form with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will place My law in their midst and I will inscribe it upon their hearts, and I will be their God and they shall be My people. And no longer shall one teach his neighbor or [shall] one [teach] his brother, saying, "Know the Lord," for they shall all know Me from their smallest to their greatest, says the Lord, for I will forgive their iniquity and their sin I will no longer remember.
Jeremiah 31:30-33



For Jeremiah, in this blissful time a noble king filled with fear of the L-rd will rule over the people:

Quote:
Behold, days are coming, says the Lord, and I will establish the good thing that I spoke concerning the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and in that time I will cause to grow for David a plant of righteousness, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days, Judah shall be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell securely and this is the name that He shall call it, the Lord is our righteousness
Jeremiah 33:14-16



The prophets throughout the Tanach spoke of a coming 'anointed one' who Would appear at the time that G-d, the Redeemer of Israel, would deliver His people from oppression and establish the Kingdom of G-d on this earth. Daniel describes this anointed one as follows:

Quote:
I saw in the visions of the night, and behold with the clouds of the heaven, one like a man was coming, and he came up to the Ancient of Days and was brought before Him. And He gave him dominion and glory and a kingdom, and all peoples, nations, and tongues shall serve him; his dominion is an eternal dominion, which will not be removed, and his kingdom is one which will not be destroyed.
Daniel 7:13-14


From the verses quoted above and many more we can summarize the mission and times of the expected Moshiach as follows:

1) Elijah the Prophet will come to herald the arrival of the Moshiach.

Quote:
Keep in remembrance the teaching of Moses, My servant-the laws and ordinances which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel. Lo, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord, that he may turn the heart of the fathers back through the children, and the heart of the children back through their fathers-lest I come and smite the earth with utter destruction.
Malachi 3:22-24



Both Jews and Xians agree that this is a messianic prophecy indicating that before King Moshiach, son of David, comes, Elijah must come to usher in that awesome era.

John the Baptist categorically denied being Elijah and the prophecy of Malachi does not say "I will send you someone like Elijah" or "I will send you someone who has the spirit and power of Elijah", it says "I will send you Elijah..."

The other problem we have with the claim that John was the 'Elijah to come' is that according to the gospels, J* identified John as Elijah but this is exactly the opposite to the pattern of the Hebrew *****ures. The prophets always identified the King; the King never identified and announced the prophet.

2) There will be a universal knowledge and recognition of G-d.

Quote:
They shall neither harm nor destroy on all My holy mount, for the land shall be full of knowledge of the Lord as water covers the sea bed. And it shall come to pass on that day, that the root of Jesse, which stands as a banner for peoples, to him shall the nations inquire, and his peace shall be [with] honor. And it shall come to pass that on that day, the Lord shall continue to apply His hand a second time to acquire the rest of His people, that will remain from Assyria and from Egypt and from Pathros and from Cush and from Elam and from Sumeria and from Hamath and from the islands of the sea. And He shall raise a banner to the nations, and He shall gather the lost of Israel, and the scattered ones of Judah He shall gather from the four corners of the earth.
Isaiah 11:9-12



3) When he comes to rule from Jerusalem, there will be world peace.
See Isaiah quotes above.

4) The exiles shall be gathered back to their land.
See Isaiah 11 quoted above.

We have indeed seen in the past few years the beginning of this process as Jewish people from many nations have been making 'aliya' - the return - to their native homeland. This should be exciting to us as it is a sign that the Moshiach's coming is close and the Messianic Kingdom will soon be established on the earth.

5) The Third Temple shall be built


Quote:
And they shall dwell on the land that I have given to My servant, to Jacob, wherein your forefathers lived; and they shall dwell upon it, they and their children and their children's children, forever; and My servant David shall be their prince forever. And I will form a covenant of peace for them, an everlasting covenant shall be with them; and I will establish them and I will multiply them, and I will place My Sanctuary in their midst forever. And My dwelling place shall be over them, and I will be to them for a God, and they shall be to Me as a people. And the nations shall know that I am the Lord, Who sanctifies Israel, when My Sanctuary is in their midst forever."
Ezekiel 37:25-28



Some try to spiritualize this and say that it doesn't mean a literal Temple but the Hebrew *****ures do not support such spiritualizing of this prophecy. It will be a visible manifestation of the presence of G-d in the midst of His people, Israel. Without a doubt there is a spiritual reality in that even at Mt. Sinai it was G-d's desire that His spirit would dwell with all the people but too often we force an either/or position; i.e., either it's entirely spiritual, or it's entirely natural. The balanced truth is that very often there is the natural reality together with the spiritual truth. For instance, there is a literal Jerusalem but there is also a heavenly Jerusalem. One does not cancel out the other.

6) The Gentiles will turn to the Jews for instruction in the ways of G-d.

Quote:
And I will pay first the doubling of their iniquity and their sin, for their profaning My land; with the carcass of their detestable things and their abominations they filled My heritage. O Lord, Who are my power and my strength and my refuge in the day of trouble, to You nations will come from the ends of the earth and say, "Only lies have our fathers handed down to us, emptiness in which there is nothing of any avail! Can a man make gods for himself, and they are no gods?" Therefore, behold I let them know; at this time I will let them know My power and My might, and they shall know that My Name is the Lord.
Jeremiah 16:18-21



Quote:
And the inhabitants of one shall go to another, saying, "Let us go to pray before the Lord and to entreat the Lord of Hosts. I, too, will go." And many peoples and powerful nations shall come to entreat the Lord of Hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the Lord. So said the Lord of Hosts: In those days, when ten men of all the languages of the nations shall take hold of the skirt of a Jewish man, saying, "Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you."
Zechariah 8:21-23



This really rattles some people. After centuries of traditional evangelism aimed at 'converting' people to a Romanized system of religion, what a shock to be faced with the need to turn to the Jews for instruction in the ways of G-d! Yet this is exactly what is prophesied and it is exactly what is beginning to happen with increasing frequency in our day. It has been an amazing experience over the past few years to watch group after group of people l have brought to Israel on tour come face to face with Jewish people in the Land who have an ardent passion and love for G-d, a profound knowledge of His word and a graceful kindness that disarms the observer. Time after time, people in our groups have come to me and said, "I never knew there were Jewish people like this. I don't know what to do with them because the), don't fit what I've been taught but I cannot den), their love for G-d, their passion for His Word. I guess I don't know as much as I thought I knew." I wish I could tell you how many dozens of times this scenario has been repeated.

7) All nations will come to Jerusalem once a year to worship at the Feast of Tabernacles.

Quote:
And it shall be that whoever of all the families of the earth does not go up to Jerusalem to prostrate himself to the King, the Lord of Hosts-upon them there shall be no rain. And if the family of Egypt does not go up and does not come, it shall not [rain] upon them. The plague [on Egypt] will be [the same as] that with which the Lord will plague the nations who do not go up to celebrate the festival of Tabernacles.
Zechariah 14:17-18



Only the feasts of the L-rd will be celebrated, not just by the Jewish people in Israel, but by all nations. You see, the Messianic prophecies give no indication whatsoever that Judaism would ever change in some dramatic way.

No more arguments about Saturday vs. Sunday. We will worship on the Sabbath and observe the New Moon. Best learn about it now! Over the past few years it has indeed been thrilling to hear testimony after testimony across the nation of America and other nations from families who have begun to observe Shahbat and discovered the tremendous blessings it brings. Shabbat is one of those things that is difficult to appreciate until you observe it, but having done so, the benefits are incalculable. As an old teacher I once had used to say, "It's better felt than 'telt'." Observing Shahbat as an individual and as a family has literally changed the lives of hundreds and brought great blessings into their homes.


8 ) All idolatry will be crushed and idols destroyed.

Quote:
They shall turn back greatly ashamed, those who trust in the graven image, who say to the molten idols, "You are our gods."
Isa 42:17



They will be put to shame and even humiliated, all of them; the manufacturers of idols will go away together in humiliation. Israel has been saved by the L-rd with an everlasting salvation; you will not be put to shame or humiliated to all eternity.

The worship of anyone or anything other than the Holy and Almighty G-d, the one true and living G-d, is idolatry. When Moshiach comes, he will judge the idolaters and completely destroy idol worship.

I did not go into such detail in my previous post so, perhaps I've given you more to consider, to discuss and quite possibly, you may learn something about Judaism....from Jews. Who else would know Judaism better than a Jew who lives Torah? Who else would know xianity better than a xian? The problem here is xianity has STOLEN our scrpture, rewrote it, mistranslated it and now, it is not our scrpture at all.

Having spent nearly a decade as a messianic, the last 2.5 years, "rabbi" of a messianic congregation....hence, been there, done that. Then returned to Judaism when all of my research with much help towards the last 4 months of 2 years work....

Sure, xians think we "know" J* is messiah but refuse to admit it. I am of the camp that says this "J* character never existed since there is no mention of him in ANY Jewish history and believe me, for all the violations of Torah, the attempts to lead Jews away from Torah, he's violated Torah repeatedly.
Missionaries are perfect nuisances and leave every place worse than they found it.
Charles Dickens