Chapter Fourteen

MESSIAH

The prophets of Israel foretold much about the coming of Messiah, the anointed one. Daniel prophesied about Messiah during the Babylonian captivity (Daniel 9:24-27). The time for the coming of Messiah was set. From the command to rebuild Jerusalem, a period of sixty-nine sevens (69x7=483) was decreed until Messiah. Messiah would be "cut off," and then Jerusalem would be destroyed again:
Daniel 9:24-27 (NKJB):
"Seventy weeks are determined
For your people and for your holy city,
To finish the transgression,
To make an end of sins,
To make reconciliation for iniquity,
To bring in everlasting righteousness,
To seal up vision and prophecy,
And to anoint the Most Holy.
"Know therefore and understand,
That from the going forth of the command
To restore and build Jerusalem
Until Messiah the Prince,
There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks;
The street shall be built again, and the wall,
Even in troublesome times.
"And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself;
And the people of the prince who is to come
Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.
The end of it shall be with a flood,
And till the end of the war desolations are determined.
Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week;
But in the middle of the week
He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.
And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate,
Even until the consummation, which is determined,
Is poured out on the desolate."

Notice that Messiah would be cut off before the city and sanctuary would be destroyed again. Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed by the Romans in A.D. 70. Messiah had to have come before A.D. 70. Those who wait now for Messiah are too late. He must have come before A.D. 70 just as prophesied in Daniel.

Daniel 9:24-27 gives the time from the command to restore and build Jerusalem which was 457 B.C., Ezra 7:6,7 and 9:9. From this starting point until Messiah are seven sevens plus sixty two sevens which is a total of 483. This prophecy set the coming of Messiah at A.D. 26, the time of the baptism of Jesus. Our Dionysian calendar has an error; Jesus was born about 4 B.C. In verse 27, He would make a covenant with many for one week, the seventieth week. But in the middle of the week He would bring an end to sacrifice and offering. This Jesus did when He offered Himself once for all on the cross, Hebrews 9:12-28.

Messiah--"Cut Off"--"Pierced"

In Daniel 9:26 we read: ". . . Messiah shall be cut off, . . ." This same statement is made in Isaiah 53:8: ". . . he was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people . . ." All of Isaiah 53 is about the individual who would be a sin offering for many. Daniel 9:24-27 foretold of the making an end of sins and the reconciliation for iniquity, with Messiah being cut off. Isaiah 53 shows that He would be cut off for the sins of God's people, the many (Isa. 53:8, 12).

But He was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,
And by His scourging we are healed.
All of us like sheep have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all
To fall on Him.
Isaiah 53:5, 6.

But the Lord was pleased
To crush Him, putting Him to grief;
If He would render Himself as a guilt offering,
He will see His offspring,
He will prolong His days,
And the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in
His hand.
Isaiah 53:10.

The crucifixion of Messiah was foretold about 1,000 years ahead of time.

Psalm 22:1: My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?. . .

Psalm 22:14-18:
I am poured out like water,
And all My bones are out of joint;
My heart is like wax;
It has melted within Me.
My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
And My tongue clings to My jaws;
You have brought Me to the dust of death.
For dogs have surrounded Me;
The assembly of the wicked has enclosed Me.
They pierced My hands and My feet;
I can count all My bones.
They look and stare at Me.
They divide My garments among them,
And for My clothing they cast lots.
(NKJV)

The inhabitants of Jerusalem were to look upon the LORD whom they would pierce. The LORD said:
"And I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him, like the bitter weeping over a first-born. Zechariah 12:10.

Jesus came at the right time, which was before the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans. He was cut off, pierced by nails for our transgressions, just as the prophets foretold. Jesus fulfilled Isaiah chapter 53. Since A.D. 70, there has not been a temple in Jerusalem where sacrifices could be offered, resulting in Passovers without offering lambs, and Days of Atonement without sacrifices of atonement. Why is this? Because, Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (Isaiah 53:6,7). Messiah made atonement for our iniquity (Daniel 9:24).

The Promise to Abraham

God made promises to Abraham. Gen. 12:1-3.

Genesis 22:18:
"And in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice."

The word seed in this prophecy is singular. God promised that all the nations of the earth would be blessed in the seed of Abraham, not just Israel, but all nations. Is this singular seed of Abraham, Messiah? Yes, Jesus is the fulfillment. Galatians 3. The promise is for all nations, Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:15.

God's Prophecy to Moses

Moses lived about 1400 B.C. God used Moses to lead His people Israel out of Egyptian slavery. God said to Moses:
Deuteronomy 18:18, 19:
'I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. And it shall come about that whoever will not listen to My words which he shall speak in My name, I Myself will require it of him.'

God foretold that there would be another prophet like Moses: Moses was a deliverer from slavery. He was also a lawgiver. Who is this prophet to come after the time of Moses and be like Moses the deliverer and lawgiver? Is this Messiah? Yes, Jesus. Acts 3:22. In Hebrew, Yeshua.

Jesus said:
"Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; the one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have set your hope. "For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote of Me. "But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?" John 5:45-47.

Do you believe?

King David's Lord

David was king of Israel about 1,000 B.C. He was also a prophet of God (2 Samuel 23:2). God promised David to establish David's kingdom and throne forever (2 Samuel 7:16; Psalm 89:4; Psalm 132:12). In Psalm 110, David prophesied that one would rule from the right hand of God. David even called Him Lord. Messiah is both a descendant of David and his Lord. As David's Lord, Messiah is more than human, He is also deity. In Psalm 45:6, 7, the Anointed, Messiah, is called God. In Psalm 16:10, David prophesied that Messiah would not undergo decay, which showed that Messiah would be resurrected. Psalm 16:10. The second Psalm is about the Lord and His Anointed, Messiah.
Psalm 2:7: "I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD:
He said to Me, `Thou art My Son,
Today I have begotten Thee.

Yes, the LORD has a begotten Son. It is JEHOVAH who has a begotten Son. This cannot refer to David, because David was not a son begotten of God. Jesse begot David. Then also notice the next verse:
Psalm 2:8: 'Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Thine inheritance,
And the very ends of the earth as Thy possession.

God foretold that the Kingdom of Messiah, the Son of God would include the nations and the ends of the earth. David's kingdom did not include the nations and the ends of the earth. However, the Kingdom of Messiah includes the nations and the ends of the earth. You can understand that in Psalm 2:7, God was speaking to His Son, Messiah. "Thou art My Son, Today, I have begotten Thee."

The King in Isaiah

Isaiah prophesied from about 740 B.C. until about 681 B.C. In Isaiah 9:6, 7 Isaiah foretold about a son who would be born and be the king on the throne of David:
For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;
And the government will rest on His shoulders;
And His name will be called Wonderful
Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
There will be no end to the increase of
His government or of peace,
On the throne of David and over his kingdom,
To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness
From then on and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.

This Son is called Mighty God. He is king, Messiah on the throne of David. Yes, Isaiah foretold the kingdom of Messiah, Jesus. Jesus was raised from the dead and rules from the right hand of God on the throne of David (Acts 2:30-36). The kingdom came with power on the Day of Pentecost after the resurrection of Jesus the Messiah (Mark 9:1; Acts 1:8; 2:1-41). Christians are in the kingdom of Messiah. (Colossians 1:13; Revelation 1:5, 6.)

Daniel Foretold the Kingdom of God

In Daniel chapter 2 the prophet Daniel gave the meaning of the king's dream. Four kingdoms were listed: Babylon, Medo-Persian, Macedonian, and Roman. Daniel foretold that God would set up an eternal kingdom during the days of the Roman kingdom:

Daniel 2:44: "And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever. (See Dan. 7:13, 14.)

The kingdom of Messiah was indeed set up during the days of the Roman Kingdom, just as Daniel foretold. Colossians 1:13; Rev. 1:5,6.

The Word

Deut. 6:4:
"Hear, O Israel. The LORD is our God, the LORD is one.

In the Bible the Hebrew word for God is ELOHIM. It is a plural word but verbs that are used with it are in the singular form. For example:
In the beginning, God (ELOHIM) created (singular form) the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1:

In the second verse of the Bible, the Spirit of God is mentioned. So then there is God and the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit is mentioned in Psalm 51:11 and in Isaiah 63:10,11.
Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; . . . Genesis 1:26:
Notice the plural forms Us and Our, speaking of God's image and God's likeness.

In Deuteronomy 6:4, we have read, "the LORD is one." The Hebrew word for one is "ACHAD." This is the same Hebrew word that is used in:
Genesis 2:24: For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and they shall become one (ACHAD) flesh.

ACHAD is used here meaning one, but a composite one. Two become one in marriage.

God (ELOHIM) is one (ACHAD), a composite one. ELOHIM is a plural form word that uses singular verbs. Referring to God, plural form pronouns are used, us and our. Yes, the LORD is one, a composite one.

Psalm 33:6:
By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,
And by the breath of His mouth all their host. . . .

So there is the word of the LORD.

In Isaiah 48:12-16, Isaiah wrote down what a person said, who is not Isaiah.
Isaiah 48:12,13:
"Listen to Me, O Jacob, even Israel whom I called;
I am He, I am the first, I am also the last.
"Surely My hand founded the earth,
And My right hand spread out the heaven;
When I call to them, they stand together.

Who is speaking here? He is the first and the last. He founded the earth. Notice what He said in verse 16:
"Come near to Me, listen to this:
From the first I have not spoken in secret,
From the time it took place, I was there.
And now the Lord YHWH (Jehovah) has sent Me, and His Spirit."

So then, who is He who founded the earth, and spread out the heavens? He was sent by the Lord Jehovah, so He is not the LORD (Jehovah). Look again at Psalm 33:6. He must be the word of the LORD by whom the heavens were made. Yes, the word of the LORD is "He," a person. Isaiah 48:12-16.

Yes, God, ELOHIM, is a composite one. There is the Spirit of the LORD and there is the Word of the LORD, with the Father - the LORD (Jehovah).
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.
All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

John 1:1-3.

And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His Glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14.

Jesus (Yeshua) the Messiah said:
"I and the Father are one." John 10:30.
For in Him all the fulness of Deity dwells in bodily form. Colossians 2:9.

God Promised the New Covenant

God spoke to Jeremiah the prophet in Jerusalem about 587 B.C. and foretold that He would give a New Covenant.
Jeremiah 31:31-34:
"Behold, days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a New Covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them," declares the LORD. "But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days," declares the LORD, "I will put My law within them, and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. "And they shall not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD.' for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,"declares the LORD, "for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."

God promised that He would put His law in the hearts of His people, His people would know Him, He would forgive their sins, and He would remember their sins no more.

Has God kept His promise of a New Covenant? Yes, read Hebrews 8 and 9. You must admit that the priesthood of the Old Covenant is gone. The sacrifices of the Old Covenant are gone. It has been impossible since A.D. 70 to keep the Old Covenant. Why did God allow the Roman army to destroy Jerusalem and the temple? Since then the only real passover lamb is Messiah, Jesus who was offered once for all for the forgiveness of our sins (Hebrews 9:28). The only atonement is Messiah, Jesus. He is the Messiah of Daniel 9, the promised Seed of Abraham, the Prophet promised to Moses, David's Son and Lord, the King foretold by Isaiah, God's Servant who bore our sins (Isaiah 53).

Would you have your sins forgiven? Would you be in Messiah's kingdom? Would you dwell in the house of the Lord forever with Abraham, Moses, David, Isaiah and Daniel?

Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. John 3:5.

Germaine Lockwood

Copyright ©1996 by Germaine Charles Lockwood. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Scripture quotations in this work, unless otherwise indicated, are from The New American Standard Bible, Copyright ©1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations from The New King James Bible (NKJB), Copyright ©1979,1980,1982, Thomas Nelson Inc., Nashville, TN. Used by permission.

Published in The Old Paths Archive
(http://www.oldpaths.com)

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