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Hi Berean,
You: Oh that tires me all these theological speeches, to in the end deny the divine / human Son of God.
Me: ‘Devine/human son of God’ is myth created by the NT writers which is foreign to the Hebrew religion. Please keep alert and be strengthened.
The Messiah has to be the seed of David :
1 Ch 17:11 And it shall come to pass, when thy days be expired that thou must go [to be] with thy fathers, that I will raise up thy seed after thee, which shall be of thy sons; and I will establish his kingdom.
1Ch 17:12 He shall build me an house, and I will stablish his throne for ever.
1Ch 17:13 I will be his father, and he shall be my son: and I will not take my mercy away from him, as I took [it] from [him] that was before thee
Psalm 132:11 The LORD has sworn in truth to David; he will not turn from it: “I will set upon your throne the fruit of your body.
Jeremiah 23:5-6 “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. 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.
2Sa 7:12 And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.
2Sa 7:13 He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.
2Sa 7:14 I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men
2Sa 7:15 But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took [it] from Saul, whom I put away before thee.So no Virgin Birth of Messiah as alleged by the NT writers.
Gadam
Devine/human son of God’ is myth created by the NT writers which is foreign to the Hebrew religion. Please keep alert and be strengthened.
Me
No it’s not a myth
That is the real truth.
You are very zealous to fight the truth, but I pray that Jesus Himself will show you who HE REALLY IS, as for the apostle Paul.Hi Berean,
You: No it’s not a myth
That is the real truth.
You are very zealous to fight the truth, but I pray that Jesus Himself will show you who HE REALLY IS, as for the apostle Paul.Me: If this is real truth then we are make Hebrew Bible void. Thanks for calling me Zealous in fighting truth. In fact I am zealous for knowing the truth behind these confusions created by the NT writers on Jesus.
People who believe in a messiah and that Jesus is not that messiah usually have an expectation in their mind of a messiah. Of course, the messiah is not going to meet these kinds of expectations, so he will be rejected by carnal men.
But those who have a heart after God, it is they who will see him. It will be revealed to them because they are innocent. They are not crafty like the wise of this world are. They are like children who know when the king has no clothes on. They do not get caught up in pretence.
The god of this world is not the one true God. The worldly want a certain kind of messiah like Barabbas. Therefore they reject Jesus because he was meek and humble. They want a powerful messiah who will take things by force.
But if they accepted the meek and humble one, then they will see him as the reigning king too.
Many are not worthy.
Hi Proclaimer,
You: People who believe in a messiah and that Jesus is not that messiah usually have an expectation in their mind of a messiah. Of course, the messiah is not going to meet these kinds of expectations, so he will be rejected by carnal men.
Me: There is no question of belief in a Messiah as per the Hebrew Bible but only waiting for the true one as quoted in the scriptures.
The NT writers searched Hebrew Bible to prove that Jesus was the promised Messiah. They were not the super human beings who could only tell the truth but they are like our Christian Apologetics who can manipulate scriptures to prove their ideology. I don’t find any difference between these two groups.
You: The god of this world is not the one true God. The worldly want a certain kind of messiah like Barabbas. Therefore they reject Jesus because he was meek and humble. They want a powerful messiah who will take things by force.
But if they accepted the meek and humble one, then they will see him as the reigning king too.
Me: There is no god of this world as per the Hebrew Bible but is another creation by the NT writers. The Gospel stories were the polemics on Jewish people and they even could support cruel ruler like Pilate.
Please visualise how the world is looking towards God’s people Israel these days but not the way Christianity wants – Antichrist will be revealed and sit in the newly built Third Temple thereby usher Jesus’ so called second coming. Many Christian Apologetics are trying to prove the NT scriptures literally and some are even influencing the few Jewish authorities to support their ideologies.
But the time will prove what is truth and false.
Hi Adam,
You: These verses are well known from NT. You need not remind us here as we are debating on the validity of Jesus as Messiah. Please do participate in the debate and share your arguments here instead of threating us.
Me: Really?
These verses are saying that Jesus is the Messiah.
I didn’t make it up.
You can’t stand the truth.Let’s read it again:
Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ?
This is the Antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son.
Whoever denies the Son doesn’t have the Father.
He who confesses the Son has the Father also. 1 John 2:22,23Hi Danny
You: Really?
These verses are saying that Jesus is the Messiah.
I didn’t make it up.
You can’t stand the truthMe: The verses you quoted from 1 John are words of it’s writer to defend his other earlier writing which some of his reader misunderstood. They did not prove Jesus as Messiah.
Denying Father and son is another defence way of supporting his views on Jesus’ role in God’s activity for which there is no support in Hebrew Bible. Jews of his time were denying the Messiahship of Jesus so this writer quoted these defensive terminology to support his views.
Please prove Jesus as Messiah as per Hebrew Bible not from NT which is the secondary and was not the scripture at the time of Jesus and these writers.
Adam,…… the people of Jesus’ day knew exactly when the messiah was to be born, they even told king Herod . They were not ignorant to the time mentioned in Scriptures of his berth, by the Prophet Daniel, So if you disbelieve that Jesus was the true Messiah, then please tell us who was the “Messiah” at that time period mentioned there, because scriptures certainly do tell us the time he was to come into his existence.
Dan 9:24-27. How do the Jews disallow this in their reasoning Adam?peace and love to you and yours………..gene
Hi Adam,
You: The verses you quoted from 1 John are words of it’s writer to defend his other earlier writing which some of his reader misunderstood. They did not prove Jesus as Messiah.
Me: That’s not true.
It clearly says: Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ?
Come on, Adam. What’s so hard to understand?Hello brother Gene,
You: Adam,…… the people of Jesus’ day knew exactly when the messiah was to be born, they even told king Herod . They were not ignorant to the time mentioned in Scriptures of his berth, by the Prophet Daniel, So if you disbelieve that Jesus was the true Messiah, then please tell us who was the “Messiah” at that time period mentioned. Because scriptures certainly does tell us the time he was to come into his existence.
Dan 9:24-27. How do the Jews disallow this in their reasoning Adam?Me: The stories of Jesus birth were the writings based on oral stories but we don’t have originals as told by the NT scholars. We have had much debate on ‘Virgin Birth’ thread on the validity of these stories. We don’t have other writings except the Gospels about the opinion people of Jesus’ time and about King Herod. In fact there was no historical proof for Herod killing the infants as quoted by Matthew. So question about messiah is another thing. The Jews of Jesus’ time denied his Messiahship as he did not fulfill the Hebrew scriptures as I quoted in my previous posts.
Dan 9:24-27 is another prophecy much quoted by Christianity to prove it’s applicability to Jesus.
THE SEVENTY WEEKS OF DANIEL 9:24 -27
Daniel’s Seventy Week’s is among the passages most abused by Christians in their attempt to prove Jesus is the Messiah. Who says Daniel 9:24-27 is a messianic passage pinpointing the Messiah’s arrival and why do they say it? For centuries Christians have offered explanations of Daniel 9 based on manipulation of the text through fallacious translations, ignoring what the text actually states, and by providing erroneous computations to arrive at pre-selected years that coincide with the life of Jesus. When all else fails, they resort to accusing the Jews of altering the Hebrew text. A charge made all the more despicable by their own alterations of the text in translation.
There are a plethora of Christian interpretations of the Seventy Weeks prophecy that differ fundamentally with each other. They are all “carefully” crafted to give the desired results sort after. The often irreconcilable and conflicting interpretations are nothing short of bordering on theological anarchy. Suffice it to say that the Jewish Scriptures are overwhelmingly supportive of the decree of Cyrus as the edict allowing for the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem (see Isaiah 44:28, 45:13; Zechariah 1:16; Ezra 6:14).
Take, for instance, the use of the Hebrew word mashiach in verses 25 and 26. All agree that the word means an anointed one in and by itself, but what does it mean in the context of this passage? Does it have reference to two separate anointed individuals, to one anointed individual not specifically named in the text, specifically to the Jewish Messiah and by further Christian inference to Jesus? What can we learn from the literal text itself and what is actually in the realm of interpretation? Is there justification for reading too much into the text by translating it as “the Messiah” (or “Messiah”) with all its implications (expressed in the use of the definite article and the capitalization) as opposed to the literal “an anointed one” (or even “the anointed one” as in some Jewish renderings)? Is there justification for mistranslating v’ein lo as “but not for himself,” even for those who, while admitting the phrase means “he shall have nothing,” nevertheless give the mistranslation as a legitimate alternative? They have no justification because they reluctantly acknowledge the correct meaning while advocating the counterfeit translation in practice.
It simply will not do to assume, as some Christians do, that verse 26 speaks of the death of the Messiah, and that Christian Bible translations are fully justified in explaining Daniel 9:24-27 in Messianic terms. Rendering “anointed” as Messiah in this context and the implications of the word Messiah generally is making an interpretative judgment about the meaning of the text, whether a specific figure is identified as Messiah or not. To deny the literal text that identifies two different anointed ones living hundreds of years apart and to render the text corruptly by omitting the definite article before “threescore and two weeks” in verse 26 in order to support a theological belief is simply dishonest. There is no textual reason for capitalizing the initial letter of the word mashiach in translation or pretending there is a definite article before it and then to render it as the Messiah (verse 25); neither is there justification for the deletion of the definite article before the mention of sixty-two weeks (verse 26). These are beliefs that should be properly confined to footnotes and not to a rendering of a scriptural text that millions rely on as being “the literal word of God” (e.g., the KJV renders mashiach as “anointed” throughout its entire translation except in two places Daniel 9, verses 25 and 26).
Why do Christians ignore the ‘atnach positioned between the “seven weeks” and the “sixty-two weeks,” in verse 25 that significantly divides the two periods and indicates that there are two anointed ones referred to in the verse? Why do Christians disregard the definite article before the “sixty-two weeks” mentioned in verse 26 that emphasizes the division in the sequence? Why do Christians ignore that verse 26 speaks of a second “anointed one” coming “after the sixty-two weeks”? Why do Christians mistranslate v’ein lo, “he shall have nothing” (in reference to the second anointed one’s condition after death) obscuring its implicit denial of any reference to the Jesus of Christian theology?
If Daniel 9 pinpoints the coming of Jesus as the Messiah down to the exact date, then why is there no clear reference to this passage in the New Testament?
Where in the New Testament is Peter or Paul to cry out that the dates are all there and that it all adds up to Jesus, according to the Scriptures? The silence is not deafening, it is revealing of the fraudulent Christian misuse of this passage.
The conclusion arrived at by answering these questions honestly is straightforward and to the point: this passage does not speak of Jesus. Moreover, it is not a messianic passage and certainly finds no fulfillment in the life and death of Jesus.
The Seventy Weeks of Daniel 9
I’m curious to know the Jewish understanding of Daniel 9:24-27. It seems such a clear reference to Jesus that I don’t understand how Jewish scholars can disagree. It speaks of the Messiah who will live 483 years after Daniel’s time. He will be cut off (i.e., crucified) but not for his sake (v. 26), and He will make a covenant with the many (v. 27), abolish sacrifice (v. 27), and terminate transgression (v. 24). And after his death there will be terrible destruction (vv. 26-27). This sounds exactly like Jesus dying for our sins and making a New Covenant with all of mankind, and afterwards there would be terrible calamities during the destruction of the Temple. Jesus lived precisely when Daniel was told the Messiah would be – shortly before the destruction of the Second Temple. How can the Jews not accept this? You don’t even believe the Messiah came when Daniel was told he would!
The Aish Rabbi Replies:
Thank you for raising the very important issue. You happen to be right that learned Christians often see Daniel 9, prophesying about a 490 year period (70 “weeks” of 7 years each), as perhaps the most explicit allusion to Jesus in the Torah, even more so than Isaiah 53. It seems to write explicitly that the Messiah would come before the Second Temple’s destruction and that he would die for our sins.This is a very lengthy topic, especially because those verses in Daniel are so cryptic. However, before summarizing the Jewish interpretation, I’d like to point out a few difficulties with the Christian one. First of all, the term “mashiach”, which literally means “anointed one,” is never used in the Torah in reference to the Messiah as we think of it today. That word appears 39 times in the Torah, and the intention is always for a High Priest, a King, or someone designated by God (“anointed”) for some special mission. See for example Leviticus 4:3, I Samuel 12:3, 24:6, 26:11, Psalms 20:7, Lamentations 4:20, and Isaiah 45:1.
In fact, Rabbi Tovia Singer points out that in every other place where the word “mashiach” appears in the Torah, Christian Bibles interpret it accurately as “anointed one” and only the two times that it appears here do they translate it as “the Messiah” – both with the definite article “the” in front of it (which does not appear in the Hebrew), and with the word Messiah capitalized – although Hebrew has no capital letters.
Secondly, Daniel 9 clearly speaks of two anointed people – one after 49 years (7 weeks), who will begin the rebuilding of the Second Temple. And a second after 62 weeks (434 years), when an anointed person will be cut off. The first one predates the Second Temple and clearly does not refer to Jesus.
The second anointed one, who did live around the time of Jesus, does not seem to be a very righteous person. Daniel writes that he will be “cut off” (“yikarait”). Karet, which means excision, always has a negative connotation in the Torah. It is most commonly used for the punishment of excision which one incurs for the most serious transgressions.
Daniel also states that that this mashiach will be cut off “and there will not be to him” (“v’ain lo”). It is a cryptic term, but seems to say that he will have nothing left or there will be nothing left of him. Christians interpret this expression as meaning “he will die but not for his own sake” – namely, the Messiah will die for our sins. But that is simply not what the Hebrew means.
Lastly, Christians believe that the Messiah was to be cut off in the middle of the final 7 years (the final “week” of v. 27) and at the end of that week the Temple was destined to be destroyed. But according to Christian tradition, Jesus was crucified in the early 30’s C.E. which was well over the half week (24.5 years) before the Temple’s destruction in the year 70. It is also difficult to understand when to begin the count of 490 years according to Christian interpretation. Four hundred and ninety years before Jesus’s death does not seem to correspond to any significant event, making it unclear what starting point Daniel’s vision had in mind.
To begin understanding these verses according to Jewish tradition, as always, it is important to see the verses in context. In the beginning of Chapter 9, Daniel is profoundly worried about the prophecy of Jeremiah. Jeremiah foretold that Jerusalem’s destruction would last 70 years (see Jeremiah 25:12 and 29:10). He thought the 70 years had come to an end already, and in fact the Babylonian Empire had recently been overtaken by the Persians, yet the return to Jerusalem had not occurred. He feared that they were not worthy of the prophesied redemption and that it was going to be delayed. He began fasting and praying, beseeching God for His forgiveness, until the angel Gabriel came to him and clarified the future events – when the Second Temple would be rebuilt and how long it would stand.
(In truth, the two 70’s of Jeremiah 25 and 29 were separate prophecies. Babylonia would fall 70 years after its ascension (25:12) – and this had occurred the year before the events of Daniel 9, while the return to Zion would not occur until 70 years after Jerusalem’s destruction (29:10), which occurred 18 years after Nebuchadnezzar’s ascension.)
As to the precise interpretation of the verses, there are a number of slightly different approaches among the commentators. In the interests of simplicity, I will follow primarily a single approach below.
The 490 years (70 weeks) refer to the entire time period from the destruction of the First Temple until the Destruction of the Second. Gabriel outlined this entire period to Daniel. Some explain that this was in part a response to Daniel’s anxiousness over the 70 years of Jeremiah. The angel explained that in addition to the literal 70 years of Jeremiah’s prophecy – the 70 years of punishment Israel would require before the building of the Second Temple, Jeremiah was hinting to a longer 70 – 70 weeks of years – which would be required to fully expiate the sins of the nation during the First Temple. Thus, apart from the 70 years of actual exile, there would be 490 years total in which Israel would suffer other forms of unrest and deprivation, even as the Second Temple stood (Abarbanel, Malbim).
Based on this, verse 24 states that a full 490 years would be required to completely wipe out the sins of the First Temple era. At that point, sin could be removed totally and a period of everlasting righteousness and the fulfillment of prophecy could ensue. I.e., after the full atonement of the 490 years, the Messianic era could have ensued, and the Third Temple could have been built shortly after the Second. (Sadly, though, the Jews sinned further during the Second Temple, pushing off the ultimate redemption even further away.)
Verse 25 speaks of an anointed prince appearing after 7 weeks, after which “a street and moat” will be built, standing for 62 weeks, but in troubled times. The anointed prince was Cyrus (whom God referred to as his mashiach (Isaiah 45:1)) who was to grant the Jews permission to rebuild the Temple. This occurred in the 52nd year after Jerusalem’s destruction – longer than 7 weeks, but the final fraction of a week was not counted.
As that verse continues, afterwards would commence the building of the Second Temple. That period would span in total 62 weeks = 434 years, plus the 4 years remaining from the eighth week begun before Cyrus ascended the throne. (Note that the 7+ weeks together with the 62+ total 70 full weeks.) Thus, this period would last 438 years in total – the 18 years from Cyrus’s command until the Temple was inaugurated, together with the 420 years the Second Temple stood. This, however, would be in troubled times – under the rule of the Persians, then the Greeks, and finally the Romans, with much oppression throughout.
Verse 26 describes what will happen at the time of the Second Temple’s destruction. An “anointed one” will be cut off. This either refers to King Agrippa II, the Hasmonean King at the time of the destruction, the High Priest at that time, or the notion of priesthood in general. The Temple will be utterly destroyed by the Roman legions of Vespasian and Titus (“the people of the prince”). Jerusalem will be utterly “washed away” (“its end shall come in a deluge”). And it will remain so until “the end of war” – the final battles in the time of the Messiah.
Verse 27 adds some interesting details of those final years and beyond. The Romans will make a covenant of peace with the “great ones” of Israel for the final seven years. However, they will not abide by their covenant but for the final half a week before the Temple’s destruction they will abolish the offering of sacrifices. Also, an idolatrous temple with mute abominations would later be built on the high place of the Temple (by Hadrian) – until destruction will be poured out upon all such abominations in the End of Days.
Hi All, Here is how an ex-pastor gives replies to Christian queries.
BUT MY NEW TESTAMENT SAYS IT’S A FULFILLED PROPHECY…YOU MEAN ITS NOT?
I can remember my shock the first time a friend of mine, whom I respect very much, mentioned to me that almost all of the many prophecies in the New Testament which are believed to be “fulfilled prophecies by Jesus” were in reality not fulfilled at all! He went on to say that in the Gospel of Matthew, for instance, that the prophecies that are believed by Christians to be “fulfilled” are really not “fulfilled” prophecies after all in spite of what the New Testament and the writer of the Book of Matthew said. At first I could not believe it; surely he was mistaken for at that time in my life my scholarship concerning the Bible was only at an infant state. All I could say was that I had been taught and heard preached that Jesus had fulfilled “what was written” because it said so and that my preacher had said so. After all when reading the New Testament these “thus being fulfilled what the prophet said” passages sure sounded like they had Divine authority and I cold remember reading something like that in the Old Testament before. After being challenged in this way the first thing I did was to look at my center reference in my study Bible and began to look for an Old Testament Scriptural references which would surely prove my friend wrong and my Christian religious belief system correct. As I was looking up my reference my friend said something that would change the course of my life: “But Craig, your Christian Bible is a fraudulent translation of the Jewish Hebrew Scriptures…the Jewish Masoretic Text (the Jewish Old Testament) does not read the same way your Christian Old Testament reads. I remember saying to myself: “Surely he is mistaken or even crazy.” For after all as a Christian Jesus was my “Messiah.” But that was then and now, some sixteen years later after years of hard-nosed dedicated scholarly study, I can no longer say and believe what I did then. I now realize that my friend was right; my Christian Bible was a fraud in many places and I never knew it. But I do now and I wish to inform you of this sad plight in hopes your worship of G-d be no longer be contaminated with idolatry because you own and believe in a forged translation of the Jewish Bible.
As you can imagine this information presented to me by my friend stopped me on a dime. I thought to myself “What evidence does he have to back up such a claim”. Surely, I thought to myself, he could not be correct.
After “growing up in the LORD” for these last 16 years I can say without a doubt that my friend was 100% correct in his assessment of the Christian Bible and its mistranslations. I had be led to believe that my Christian Bible was inspired and infallible since I was a child. I had lived my whole life, up to then, with the notion that my Christian KJV was inspired, infallible, and inerrant. I can remember my shock, my devastation, and my anger as it all settled in over the next few days and years. After a considerable time of intense study into this subject I came to the undeniable conclusion that I had a book that even my Pastors don’t know is altered in hundreds of places. If they did know then never told me. Now understand after 16 years of intense Bible study and after being awakened to this matter I cannot look at my Christian Bible and believe it without searching out the truths for myself. I had to begin a serious investigation of every line and ever precept. It has taken my 16 years to do this, and such results finally led to my resignation as a Pastor of a mega-church in Dallas. I had not been teaching the “truth” and had been associated with the greatest cover-up in the history of mankind. My repentance and tears flowed continually throughout the years as I tried to justify keeping my position as a Pastor. Finally my shame and my knowledge would have me “come out of the unclean thing.” No longer could I justify with my presence a Replacement Religion that opposes the very things that Yeshua both loved, lived, and taught. I have today been able to master from the Jewish Masoretic Texts the problem passages which confront us in the Christian Bible. The rub comes for the Christian in the fact that the vast majority of these “corrupted and falsified and purposefully mistranslated passages” are Messianic in perspective.
Let me say up front that even though I can and will share with you how the Torah, Prophets, and Writings have been literally butchered over the centuries by various Bible translations, and even thought many of these when viewed from the Jewish text, turn out to be non-Messianic prophecies, I still hold a faith and belief that when Messiah comes it most likely will be Yeshua. But I could be wrong. It really does not matter but I am moved by 2000 years of history where this man, for better or worse, has been the center figure in the faith of over 2 billion people. Where there is smoke there is fire. I deal with this issue on this and other websites of this ministry where we look into why the prophecies, the real and true Jewish prophecies, were not fulfilled in the first century. No mater whom the Messiah was to be, they would not have been fulfilled and any Messianic movement was doomed to failure. But at the same time I refuse to “take away or add to the Word of G-d,” the Jewish Masoretic text, in order to create “fulfilled scripture” which makes it look as if Yeshua is the Messiah when the original texts never said the things the New Testament says they did. Many people have “beliefs” about Yeshua, and many varieties of them exist in the world today. Regardless, I want the truth and only the truth about this man. Falsification of Christian Bibles in order to create “fulfillments” about Yeshua that were never true in the first place does neither G-d nor me, or even you , any good.
I HAVE HEARD THIS MY WHOLE LIFE…WHAT ABOUT YOU?
“What are the mathematical odds of any one person fulfilling all of the messianic prophecy? Obviously the scriptures could only have been talking about Jesus.”
On the face of it, this sounds like a good argument. And if you read all of the Christian scriptures, there are lots and lots of “prophecies” that needed to be fulfilled, and, according to your New Testament, Jesus fulfilled every one of those “prophecies” as they appear in the Christian bible. You need to understand that the reason that I put “prophecies” in quotes is that nearly every “prophecy” quoted in the book of Matthew is non-Messianic! Some of them are even made up. Many are “quotes” of non-existing Jewish Scriptures. And the one or two prophecies that are Messianic have been butchered to such a degree that they are untrue to the originals in the Masoretic text or taken out or purposefully taken out of context by the authors of the Christian bible.
Answer for yourself: Why was this done?
Simply said, since the original prophecies in the Jewish Tanakh were not fulfilled by anyone in the first century, then in the selling of Jesus as “the” Messiah to the Gentile nations, who never knew the prophecies in the first place, it was necessary to alter then in order that Jesus of the Gentile Church could “fulfill” them. The unsuspecting and Tanakh deficient Gentiles would never know the difference. This would work for the Biblically ignorant Gentiles but it is an entirely different story with the Jews who were familiar with the Jewish Palestinian Text and could spot the forgery! That is why the LXX (Septuagint) was never accepted by those who could read Hebrew in the first century; they knew better. With the dying out of Hebrew and the Jews only able later to speak Greek then the Greek LXX had to be used. The errors and the purposefully alterations, over time, were not noticed any longer. For those who knew Hebrew and the Palestinian Masoretic Text in the first century it was
impossible to believe in any Jewish Messianic pretender who did not fulfill the prophecies that they had both cherished and looked forward to for over hundreds and thousands of years.WHAT TECHNIQUES WERE USED BY GENTILE CHRISTIANS TO FALSIFY THE JEWISH TEXTS IN THE CHRISTIAN BIBLES?
There is a specific structure that is used in the Christian bible that manipulates (sentences) in the Tanakh (Yeshua’s Bible). I will provide an example using contemporary terms.
Let me give you again the mechanics involved in textual manipulation whereby we end up with something different in meaning that the original author intended.
1. Jewish texts and phrases are lifted out of their places in the Hebrew Scriptures and given meanings which, at best, are forced.
2. Preceding many of the prophetic verses which are quoted is the assertion, “What was said through the prophet was thus fulfilled.” In this way the writers of the Christian Scriptures endeavored to show that the Tanakh anticipated and predicted the events recorded in the New Testament and associated with the life of Jesus. In other words, events in his life were back-written and given prophetic authority as it they had been “prophesied.”
3. Those happenings, then, are presented as the fulfillment of the Hebrew Scriptures and are considered proof texts.
4. The techniques employed to establish proof include citation of verses out of context, mistranslation, and misquotation.
5. Sometimes a figurative or poetic phrase is mistaken for a straightforward statement and vice versa.
6. Sometimes sayings of different writers, living in different places, and in different centuries are run together.
7. Often two or more of these methods are used in a single quotation.
8. Often there was never such a prophecy and the reference to one is “made up”. Even if it was a prophecy, it has nothing to do with the Messiah.
There are a dozen “prophecies” in the book of Matthew. In the examples that follow, will see that they all fall into one or more of these none deceptive categories above.
BUT WHY WAS THE NEW TESTAMENT WRITTEN IN THIS MANNER?
The answer is simple. When you have a result that you want to prove, it’s a lot easier to start from the end and go backwards. Having a religious belief then you proof text to find passages that support your position, and not finding them or enough of them, then you create them! Again we must understand the Jews will know the difference, but if you are targeting another group, like the non-Jews often hundreds and thousands of miles away, a little deception with the texts will be noticed by no one; except G-d who knows better!Answer for yourself: Do you know what the Jewish Masoretic Text/Palestinian Text is, and do you have one or have you ever read it? Have you ever compared it line upon line whereby the “Messianic passages” are compared to see if they read the same?
Before you say “yes,” since your Christian Bible often says that it is taken from the Masoretic text, you must realize how Bibles are put together. Your Christian Bible is an eclectic text. This is a fancy word meaning the “best manuscripts” were consulted and some were taken from here and others from there. It is more like a collage or a mixture of “best” texts, at least in the mind of the Bible committee which put it together and decided what was “best” depending on their existing denominational religious belief system. Of what I am speaking is the Jewish Tanakh which is faithful to the Jewish Masoretic text from start to finish. The Christian OT cannot make that claim since a knowledgeable comparison will reveal the alterations of which I speak. This is important for this reason: Since every New Testament quote in the New Testament is taken from the corresponding Christian Old Testament, then it is of major importance to the Christian if it can be shown that the Christian Old Testament is not faithful to the Jewish Scriptures!
So when you read or hear a passage from the New Testament and identify it as a “Messianic fulfillment” since you have never owned or read the true uncorrupted Jewish Palestinian Canon or the Jewish Masoretic Text, you are unable to recognize a “misquote, or a mistranslation, or a verse taken completely out of the context intended by the original author! Since lacking such a text that is faithful to the Jewish Masoretic text, the Bible Yeshua both knew and used, and since most Christians today do not have the skills to read Hebrew, then you would never know of these purposeful mistranslations, misquotations, and verses which have been twisted out of their original context.
Since not possessing this knowledge then it is easy to be misled by one who comes to you and shows you a Christian translation of the Jewish Bible or quotes passages in the New Testament supposedly taken accurately from the Jewish Bible or says: “What are the mathematical odds of any one person fulfilling all of the messianic prophecy? Obviously the scriptures could only have been talking about Jesus.”
Hosea 4:6 6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, … (KJV)
The unprepared Christian, not knowing any different, is led astray every time. And the other side of this coin is that when you provide the refuting evidence for the supposed “fulfilled prophecy”, most will discount it as “impossible” and fewer still will take the challenge and procure a Jewish Tanakh (Jewish Masoretic Text) and compare the wordings between the Jewish Texts and their Christian Bible to see who’s correct and who’s in error.
Isa 28:10 10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: (KJV)
If we but followed the admonition of Isaiah the Prophet you would not have this problem, but few study like this. If they only knew the great need for such disciplined study.
So the purpose of these articles that follow is to inform you of this sad situations that exists in Christianity which so few know or understand has happened. We will begin to elaborate on this point by presenting the “prophecies” in the order in which they occur in the book of Matthew along with the evidence which will either prove them to be “fulfilled” or “fraudulent”. You can be the judge and make an intelligent decision once you know the facts from fiction.
Please think over…..
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
[14] Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
[15] For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
[16] I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.Adam,
Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.
(Matthew 16:16)I hope and pray that you will accept Him before it’s too late.
Danny, where it says , I Jesus have sent my angel or messenger, to tell the Churches these things.. He was speaking about John, not an angelic being of some kind, as false Christianity teaches , it was John who wrote those things down and delivered it to the Churches, not some unknown, “angelic” being of some-kind.
peace and love to you and yours………gene
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it
BY his angel
UNTO his servant John:
It is an angel of God, who moreover refused to be worshiped(22:9), who was sent by Jesus UNTO HIS SERVANT JOHN.
The Angels of God:
But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?
[14] Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?Hi Mike, I have shifted your query addressed to me me on John1:1 to this thread as we are debating on Messiah.
You:
gadam: I have quoted number of verses from Hebrew Bible for proving that Messiah has to be a normal human being and will be the seed of David.
And I have shown you that God can, right this very minute, cause Michael the archangel to be conceived on earth through a human woman who is of the lineage of King David. And doing so would fit every single prophesy about the Messiah. So it’s okay to say that the Messiah will be flesh and of David’s lineage. It’s not okay to impose other stipulations on God by saying this son of David couldn’t have already existed as Michael the archangel… or even as a stone or an eagle.
I asked if you deny even the direct quotes from Jesus in the NT. What is your answer?
Me: I could not visualise what you have shown here. So you think God caused Michael the archangel would be conceived as God’s Messiah from the lineage of King David?
Wow! what a wild imagination it is…..where from you get such great ideas my friend? Also you think son of David was preexisting as Michael the archangel? yes why stop with him only you can add any stone or eagle too as already quoted by you.
I am sorry I am not going to buy your strange ideas. In fact Michael was mentioned only four times in the Hebrew Bible;
The name first appears in the Hebrew Bible in the Book of Numbers, 13:13 where Sethur the son of Michael is one of 12 spies sent into the Land of Canaan.
Other three times in a non-prophetic book Daniel (Dan 10:13, 21; 12:1) whose compilation was questioned even by the Jews.
I don’t find any logic behind your ideas.
Thank you…..Adam
Here is how one argues based on the Hebrew Bible that Christian Jesus did not fulfill the requirement of Jewish Messiah post.
Messiah Wanted!
I. Introduction
Christianity is based on the claim that Jesus is the Messiah who fulfilled all the prophecies in the Hebrew Bible. In fact, many Christian missionary websites list hundreds of “Old Testament” prophecies, along with passages from the New Testament as “evidence” of their fulfillment by Jesus. The reality is that the messianic agenda, as described in the Hebrew Bible, consists of a mere handful of significant items, which are to be completed during the reign of (mashi’ah), the promised Jewish Messiah.
Although it is not the spiritual concern of Judaism and of the Jewish community at large whether Christians choose to believe these claims are true, unfortunate situations occur when Christian missionaries use this material for the purpose of Jewish evangelism. They try to convince their Jewish targets, particularly those who are perceived as lacking a good Jewish education, that this is all true and that they need to accept Jesus as Messiah in order to become “completed Jews”.
This essay focuses on what the Hebrew Bible teaches concerning the qualifications and expectations of the . This information is then cast into a “Job Requisition” that serves as a template that for evaluating the suitability of a claimant to this position. Specifically, this template is applied to Jesus, Christianity’s candidate for this position, and demonstrates, (a) that he failed to qualify for the job, and (b) even though it is claimed he was appointed to the position, he did not do the job right.
II. Job Requisition: Judaism’s Messiah
A “Job Requisition” template for the position of Jewish Messiah, shown in Table II-1, has been developed to describe who, according to the Hebrew Bible, this person will be, what his known attributes are, and what he is expected to accomplish. Further elaboration on its contents follows the table.
Table II-1 – “Job Requisition” for the Position Available
– the Jewish MessiahJob Description
To usher in the messianic era, as foretold in the Hebrew Bible, and to preside over the people of Israel as their king, sitting on the throne of King David.Job Requirements
To execute and successfully complete the messianic agenda, as described in the Hebrew Bible, within one lifetime.Prior Job Experience
NoneQualifications
The successful candidate will have attributes that must include, but not necessarily be limited to, the following:1. Be the seed (a direct descendant) of King David, through King Solomon (e.g., 2 Sam 7:12-16)
2. Be a spiritual and military/political leader (e.g., Is 2:3, 11:2; Dan 7:14)
3. Be married and have children during his term (e.g., Ezek 46:16-17)
Performance Appraisal Criteria:
The successful candidate will be expected to bring about certain conditions as part of his sovereignty, though some will commence prior to his being identified as the Messiah. These must include, but not necessarily be limited to, the following:
1. Arrival of Elijah the Prophet (e.g., Mal 3:23-24[4:5-6][2])
2. Building the Third Temple in Jerusalem (e.g., Ezek 37:26-28)
3. In-gathering of Jewish exiles to Israel (e.g., Is 11:12)
4. Reunification of Judah and Israel into one people (e.g., Ezek 37:22)
5. World peace (e.g., Is 2:4)
6. Universal knowledge of G-d (e.g., Is 11:9)
7. Resurrection of the dead (e.g., Is 26:19)
A. Prior Job Experience
Although Jewish tradition holds that in every generation there lives a person who is worthy of being the promised Jewish Messiah, this job has never before been filled. Consequently, it is not possible to possess any prior job experience.
B. Qualifications
The Qualifications of candidates for the job of Jewish Messiah are the pre-requisites for consideration, and they are specified in the Hebrew Bible.
1. Seed of David through Solomon
The Messiah will be a biological descendant of King David from the branch that goes through Solomon, since Solomon is the one who built the Temple:
2 Samuel 7:12-16 – (12) When your days will be completed and you will lie with your forefathers, then I shall raise up your seed after you, that which will issue from your loins, and I shall establish his kingdom. (13) He shall build a Temple for My sake, and I shall make firm the throne of his kingdom forever. (14) I shall be to him a Father, and he shall be to Me a son; so that when he goes astray I will chastise him with the rod of men and with afflictions of human beings. (15) But My mercy shall not move away from him as I removed [it] from Saul, whom I removed from before you. (16) And your dynasty and your kingdom shall be confirmed before you forever; your throne will remain firm forever. [See also Is 11:1; Jer 23:5, 30:9, 33:15; Ezek 34:23-24, 37:24-25.]
1 Chronicles 22:9-10 – (9) Behold a son will be born to you; he will be a man of peace, and I shall give him peace from all his enemies around about, for Solomon will be his name, and I shall give peace and quiet to Israel in his days. (10) He shall build a House in My Name, and he shall be to Me as a son, and I to him as a Father, and I shall prepare the throne of his kingdom forever. [See also 1 Kgs 8:15-20; 1 Chron 17:11-15, 22:9-10, 28:3-7.]
2. Spiritual and Military/Political Leader of Israel
The Messiah will be steeped in Torah, an authority who will influence all of Israel to follow Torah in an environment created by his spiritual leadership:
Isaiah 2:3 – And many nations shall go, and they shall say, “Come, let us go up to the L-rd’s mount, to the House of the G-d 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 L-rd from Jerusalem.
The Messiah will defeat and conquer the enemies surrounding Israel. As an ordinary mortal, a “flesh & blood” human being, he lives/will live in a world of recognizable realities of military requirements and political alignments. He will have to deal with these realities, and emerge victorious within the constraints that they engender. Nevertheless, his political leadership will be well recognized throughout the world:
Daniel 7:14 – He has been given dominion, honor, and kingship, so that all peoples, nations, and tongues will serve him; his dominion is an eternal dominion that will never be removed, and his kingship will not be destroyed.
3. Married with Children
Although marriage and children are not stated pre-requisites for being the Messiah, there is a clear indication that the Prince, who is the Messiah/King [see Ezek 34:23-24, 37:24], will have children (via marriage) at some point in time during his reign, and they will be entitled to inherit his property:
Ezekiel 46:16-17 – (16) Thus says the L-rd G-d: “If the Prince gives a gift to any of his sons, it is his inheritance to remain in their possession; it is their property by inheritance. (17) But if he gives a gift of his inheritance to one of his servants, then it shall be his [the servant’s] until the year of liberty, and then it returns to the Prince; only to his sons shall his inheritance belong.
C. Performance Appraisal Criteria
The Performance Appraisal Criteria comprise several significant messianic agenda items against which the performance of a qualified candidate for the job of Jewish Messiah must be evaluated.
1. Arrival of Elijah the Prophet
Elijah the prophet will precede the Messiah and “pave the way” for his arrival, heralding the commencement of the messianic era:
Malachi 3:23[4:5] – Behold, I will send you Elijah the Prophet before the coming of the great and awesome day of the L-rd.
2. Building the Third Temple in Jerusalem
The presence of the Third Temple is envisioned in what is, perhaps, one of the most detailed and vivid descriptions of the messianic era to be found in the Hebrew Bible – Chapter 37 in the Book of Ezekiel:
Ezekiel 37:26-28 – (26) 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. (27) And My dwelling place shall be over them; and I will be to them for a G-d, and they shall be to Me as a people. (28) And the nations shall know that I am the L-rd who sanctifies Israel, when My Sanctuary is in their midst forever. [See also Is 33:20; Ezekiel Chapters 40-48.]
Later on, in Chapters 40-48, Ezekiel provides detailed descriptions of the Third Temple and the ritual services to be held within its walls.
3. In-Gathering of Jewish Exiles to Israel
The Messiah will repatriate the Jewish people from the Diaspora to the promised land of Israel in preparation for the repair of the schism that followed Solomon’s reign:
Isaiah 11:12 – And he [Messiah] shall set up a banner for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. [See also 43:5-6; Jer 16:15, 23:3; Ezek 37:21-22; Zech 10:6-10.]
4. Reunification of Judah and Israel into One People
The messianic agenda calls for the restoration of a unified kingdom for the people of Israel:
Ezekiel 37:22 – And I will make them into one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel, and one king shall be to them all as a king; and they shall no longer be as two nations, and they shall not be divided into two kingdoms anymore. [See also the “lead-in”, Ezek 37:16-21; Is 11:13.]
5. World Peace
The Messiah will be recognized as a fair judge and peacemaker, and in the messianic era, disputes between countries will be settled through peaceful means and not by war:
Isaiah 2:4 – And he [the Messiah] shall judge among the nations, and he shall reprove many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, and they shall not learn war anymore. [See also , Is 11:6-8, Micah 4:3-4.]
6. Universal Knowledge of G-d
There will prevail a universal knowledge of G-d that will put an end to destruction and violence:
Isaiah 11:9 – They shall not harm and not destroy on all of My holy mountain; for the land shall be as filled with the knowledge of the L-rd, as the waters cover the sea bed. [See also Jer 31:33[34]; Zech 14:9.]
7. Resurrection of the Dead
Most, but not all, of the dead will come back to life. The righteous will live in bliss, and the wicked will live in misery:
Isaiah 26:19 – May Your dead live, ‘My corpses shall rise; awaken and sing, you who dwell in the dust, for a dew of lights is your dew, and [to the] earth You shall cast the slackers. [See also Ezek 37:12-13; Dan 12:2.]
III. Christianity’s Candidate – Appraisal of Qualifications & Performance
According to the New Testament, the Messiah of Christianity is Jesus. Rather than accept (on faith) the claims made by Christian missionaries about Jesus being the (Jewish) Messiah promised in the Hebrew Bible, he will be considered here as an applicant for the position of Jewish Messiah, whose credentials and performance will be evaluated using the requirements listed in the “Job Requisition”.
Prior Job Experience
According to the explanation given in Section II.A, and as Christianity’s candidate for the job, Jesus satisfied this criterion.
Qualifications – Did Jesus Qualify for the Job?
1. Seed of David through Solomon
Although the New Testament authors claim that Jesus was the “son of David” (e.g., Mt 1:1; Mk 12:35), the manner of his allegedly miraculous “Virgin Birth” (e.g., Mt 1:18-25; Lk 1:27-35) rules out the possibility of a Davidic lineage for him. According to Jewish Law (e.g., Num 1:18), and as confirmed by recent genetic research, tribal lineage – a blood right – is passed exclusively by a father to his biological sons (via the Y-Chromosome) and, therefore, cannot be transmitted in any other manner, including adoption. Since, according to the New Testament, the Holy Ghost, not Joseph, impregnated the “Virgin Mary”, Jesus has no identifiable tribal lineage.
Another problem with the claim to the Davidic throne by Jesus is the matter of the two hopelessly irreconcilable genealogies in the New Testament (Mt 1:1-17; Lk 3:23-38). Christians still cannot agree on whether the genealogy in the Gospel of Luke belongs to Joseph or to Mary. Either way, this is a moot point, since that genealogy goes through Solomon’s brother Nathan and, too, a female’s genealogy is irrelevant to lineage according to the Hebrew Bible. Perhaps this is the reason that Paul, recognizing the problems with these two genealogies, wrote:
1 Timothy 1:4(KJV) – Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.
Titus 3:9(KJV) – But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.
Note here how Paul, to whom Christian missionaries refer as “Rabbi”, teaches Christians that some parts of the Bible – genealogies in this case, which include those of Jesus – are akin to fables and foolish questions, which must not be given heed and should be avoided.
2. Spiritual and Military/Political Leader of Israel
When did Jesus serve as spiritual and military/political leader of a unified people of Israel? Though Jesus is referred to as “King of the Jews” in the Four Gospels (e.g., Mt 27:29; Mk 15:9; Lk 23:38; Jn 18:39), there is no historical record or other validated evidence to substantiate that Jesus ever served in such a capacity. Moreover, there exists no extant factual evidence that he was ever recognized as a Torah scholar and authority, or that he ever led soldiers to war and was victorious on the battlefield.
3. Married with Children
Was Jesus ever married and did he (biologically) father any children? The authors of the New Testament are silent on this matter. According to the New Testament, Jesus never married nor did he father any children. Though Christians generally refer to themselves as the “spiritual” children of Jesus, this is not the same as biological children, which are also referred to as seed, offspring, and progeny.
“Candidate” Jesus passes the “Prior Job Experience” test. However, he does not possess the requisite “Qualifications” to be a viable candidate for the job.
Conclusion: Jesus failed to qualify as candidate for the job.
Performance Appraisal Criteria – Did Jesus Do the Job Right?
Christianity has claimed Jesus as its Messiah. Therefore, the evaluation process continues in order to determine whether he performed that job as required.
1. Arrival of Elijah the Prophet
Jesus claimed that John the Baptist was Elijah:
Matthew 11:10-14(KJV) – (10) For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. (11) Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. (12) And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. (13) For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. (14) And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to co
me.Yet, according to the New Testament, John the Baptist himself denied it:
John 1:21(KJV) – And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.
Jesus also claimed that Elijah, when he showed up, was mistreated:
Matthew 17:12(KJV) – But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them.
Yet, nowhere in the Hebrew Bible is such treatment of Elijah foretold, and his mission will be the opposite of that which is described in the New Testament:
Malachi 4:5-6(KJV)[3:23-24 in the Hebrew Bible] – (5) Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: (6) And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
Moreover, it seems that John the Baptist, alleged to have been Elijah, was rather unsure about Jesus being the Messiah:
Luke 7:19-20(KJV) – (19) And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to Jesus, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another? (20) When the men were come unto him, they said, John Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?
Given that Elijah will be the one announcing the arrival of the Messiah, how is it possible that he will not know who the Messiah is? Does this make any sense? The conclusion is that Elijah has not yet returned.
2. Building the Third Temple in Jerusalem
The authors of the New Testament are silent about Jesus having built the Third Temple in Jerusalem, and there is no mention of the Third Temple built after his death on the cross. The historical record of the first century C.E. testifies to the fact that the Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 C.E., and that the Third Temple has not yet been built.
3. In-Gathering of Jewish Exiles to Israel
The authors of the New Testament are silent on whether this occurred during the lifetime of Jesus. The historical record of the first century C.E. testifies to the fact that not only where the all the Jewish people not repatriated to the Holy Land, they were exiled and dispersed into the Diaspora much more than what happened during the previous exile following the destruction of the First Temple in 586 B.C.E.
4. Reunification of Judah and Israel into One People
According to a misquoted verse from the Hebrew Bible, cited in Hebrews 8:8, this was not yet the situation at the time of the writing of Hebrews during the first century C.E. Eight centuries after the destruction of the Northern Kingdom of Israel with its population dispersed into exile by Assyria, only a Judean remnant populated the Holy Land.
5. World Peace
The historical record of the first century C.E. testifies to the fact that war, not peace, was raging all over the region of the Holy Land and elsewhere in the known world of that time.
6. Universal Knowledge of G-d
The historical record of the first century C.E. testifies to the fact that paganism was rampant, and that a new religion, which quickly embraced many of these pagan principles, further diverted people from a universal knowledge of G-d.
7. Resurrection of the Dead
Both the historical record of the first century C.E. and the conflicting accounts in the New Testament lead to the conclusion that no resurrection of the dead ever took place, and that the story of the alleged “rising from the dead” of Jesus is a myth.
The performance of “Candidate” Jesus did not meet the stated “Performance Appraisal Criteria”.
Conclusion: Jesus failed to do the job right.
Candidate’s Score Card:
As was already demonstrated, Jesus did not possess the necessary credentials to qualify him as a candidate for the position of Jewish Messiah. Yet, owing to the fact that he is the declared Messiah of Christianity, it was actually possible to evaluate his performance on the job using the criteria provided in the Hebrew Bible. Together, the results of the two phases of the evaluation clearly demonstrate that Jesus did not meet the requirements that would entitle him to the title of Jewish Messiah. Table III.D-1 replicates the “Job Requisition” and includes a scoring column to indicate whether “candidate” Jesus, the Messiah of Christianity, satisfied each of the listed requirements.
Table III.D-1 – Did Christianity’s candidate meet the job requirements?
Category
Requirements
Met?Prior Job Experience : None
YesQualifications
The successful candidate will have attributes that must include, but not necessarily be limited to, the following:1. Be a direct descendant of King David, through King Solomon (e.g., 2 Sam 7:12-16)
No2. Be a spiritual and military/political leader (e.g., Is 2:3)
No3. Be married and have children during (e.g., Ezek 46:16-17)
NoPerformance Appraisal Criteria
The successful candidate will be expected to bring about certain conditions as part of his sovereignty, though some will commence prior to his being identified as Messiah. These must include, but not necessarily be limited to, the following:1. Arrival of Elijah the Prophet (e.g., Mal 3:23-24[4:5-6])
No2. Building the Third Temple in Jerusalem (e.g., Ezek 37:26-28)
No3. In-gathering of Jewish exiles to Israel (e.g., Is 11:12)
No4. Reunification of Judah and Israel into one people (Ezek 37:22)
No5. World peace (e.g., Is 2:4)
No6. Universal knowledge of G-d (e.g., Is 11:9)
No7. Resurrection of the dead (e.g., Is 26:19)
NoCriteria Satisfied: 1 “Yes”, 10 “No”
“Candidate” Jesus, the Messiah of Christianity, satisfied one out of the eleven requirements described in the “Job Requisition” for the position of Jewish Messiah. Does he qualify for the title of Jewish Messiah? Would you hire him?
Conclusion: Jesus was a failed candidate for the job of Jewish Messiah.
IV. Summary
According to the requirements stated in the Hebrew Bible, and as the historical record testifies, the position of Jewish Messiah has not yet been filled and remains vacant to this day. Christianity has proclaimed Jesus as it’s Messiah, and the New Testament contains the “evidence” of the fulfillment of the messianic prophecies in the “Old Testament”. Christian missionaries to the Jewish people try to impress on their Jewish targets that Jesus is, in fact, the promised Jewish Messiah. These are two incompatible perspectives.
The purpose of the analysis presented in this essay was to resolve this situation, and this is accomplished with the following pair of questions and answers. First, on being a qualified candidate for the job:
Question: Did Jesus, Christianity’s “candidate” for the position of Jewish Messiah, qualify for the job?
The scores on the Qualifications in Table III.D-1 provide the answer:
Answer: Jesus did not possess the requisite qualifications for the job.
Second, concerning performance on the job:
Question: Did Jesus, the Messiah of Christianity, do the job right?
The scores on the Performance Appraisal Criteria in Table III.D-1 provide the answer:
Answer: Jesus did not meet the performance objectives of the job.
The events detailed in the Hebrew Bible as part of the messianic agenda did not occur nor have they been fulfilled. In fact, and quite to the contrary, history teaches that exactly the opposite conditions prevailed from the alleged time of the birth of Jesus, during his ministry, and long after his death, even to the present time.
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