Women don't have seed. Women have ova (eggs). Yet many Christian translations state that Chava (Eve) in B'reshit / Genesis 3:15 had "seed."
From this they conclude that Mary was special -- the one woman to ever have "seed." Consider this quote from the Blue Letter Bible: "In Genesis 3, there is no explanation of the phrase the seed of the woman." The Benson commentary says "All carnal and wicked men, who, in reference to this text, are called the children and seed of Satan; and her seed — That is, her offspring, first and principally (Jesus), who, with respect to this promise, is termed, by way of eminence, her seed, (see Galatians 3:16; Galatians 3:19)." These, and many more, Christian commentators jump to the conclusion that this verse is about Jesus and makes him unique because Chava (Eve) had "seed." This just goes to show you how people are misled, and mislead others, because they rely on translations. The passage actually does not say seed. Surprise! It does not say seed. The word mistranslated as "seed" by so many Christian translations is the Hebrew word זַרְעֲ / zĕra . It should be translated as "offspring," not "seed." It literally means the living offspring from the parent. For women this SHOULD be translated as "egg" or "ova." It never made sense to me that a missionary could somehow conclude that Jesus was special because he, and only he (and his followers?) came from the seed of "Eve." After all Chava (Eve) was the mother to ALL humans! This error is all based on mistranslating the word זַרְעֲ / zĕra . Since זַרְעֲ / zĕra does not mean "seed" what does it mean? זַרְעֲ / zĕra is a collective noun, which means all of the offspring who come from a parent. It is sometimes translated as sperm (seed) or egg although those are not quite accurate since not all sperm or egg result in living offspring. This word always refers to the living offspring from plants, animals and humans. When used to speak of humans זֶרַע / zĕra means the totality of all a person's descendants, considered collectively as a group. Instances of this word in the sense of one specific person are rare, and when it is used in this way the person referenced is invariably identified in the actual text. Got that? The Hebrew word זֶֽרַע / zĕra is invariably a compound noun that denotes the totality of all the progenitor’s progeny (descendants) considered as a whole group or class. For it to refer to one person (aka "Jesus") he would have to be listed BY NAME in B'reshit / Genesis 3:15 -- and he isn't! "I will plant hatred between you and the woman, and between your offspring / זַרְעֲךָ֖ and her offspring / זַרְעָ֑הּ. He will strike you in the head, and you will strike him in the heel.'" B'reshit / Genesis 3:15 "The Living Torah" translation. The very first claim on this list is based on a mistranslation which is then spun into something that not even the mistranslation infers, hints at or claims! Some modern Christian translations are translating זַרְעֲ / zĕra accurately. The NIV, ESV, NLD and NetBible translations are a few who have "offspring" rather than "seed." Still, many Christians believe the claim that Genesis 3:15 says "seed" and that this somehow applies to Jesus and / or Christians. The Blue Letter Bible goes on to say "The seed is to be understood as either one individual or a group of people whose appearance would be some time in the future. It was a promise of someone or some people to come." The Christian Courier identifies this "seed" as Jesus (along with his people). Yet B'reshit / Genesis 3:15 does not say anything about one individual or a "group" of people -- it speaks of ALL people. After all Chava (Eve) was the mother to every single human who ever lived! In this first claimed prophetic fulfillment the list maker references Luke 1:35 "And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of G-d." King James Version. There is no mention of the seed of a woman. It simply says that Mary will be impregnated by a "holy ghost" (adultery since she was married and definitely a pagan idea since the gods often impregnated human women) -- but it has nothing to do with "the seed of a woman." The other claimed fulfillment is given as Matthew 1:18 - 20. These verses also talk about Mary getting pregnant by someone other than her legal husband, the aforementioned "holy" ghost. "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. 20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost." King James Version. No mention at all about the "seed of a woman" in either reference given as "proof" that Jesus fulfilled a prophecy that, upon examination, does not exist. The Hebrew word זֶֽרַע / zĕra can mean a “seed” (in the agricultural or botanical sense), or “progeny” (i.e. the totality of a person’s descendants for all time, considered together as a group), or a single individual descendant (rarely, and only if that individual is identified in the same verse as the word is used), or “semen." Since the subject here is Chava (Eve) it should be translated as her living offspring or descendants -- it has nothing to do with a woman having "seed."
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We reach the 365th claim on the list of 365 supposed prophecies Jesus fulfilled. It has been a long journey, taking over three years to examine each claim carefully. Every single one failed the test. Check for yourself -- go at random to one of the 365 "proofs" that are listed on the index to the responses of every single entry on the list of "Index to 365 Prophecies Jesus Supposedly Fulfilled." All 365 entries are examined -- and this is a handy table of contents if you have questions about a specific claim. Not on claimed proof on that list is really about Jesus -- and they are either claims based on word or sentence which is out of context, mistranslated, misunderstood / misapplied or has nothing to do at all with the claim given (not applicable):
Thus the claimed "prophecies" are not at all about Jesus. What of today's claim? The very last claim on the list? 365. Malachi 4:6...Forerunner would turn many to righteousness... Luke 1:16-17. There is no chapter 4 in Malachi in the T'nach (Jewish bible). This is Malachi 3:24 in the T'nach "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." What a beautiful vision. In the true messianic age there will be peace -- universal peace in the world, and peace within families. Has this happened? Nope. Did Jesus "do this"? Again: nope. Jesus was rather rude to his own parents! This will happen in the real messianic age. The great sage Rashi opined "He will say to the children affectionately and appeasingly, “Go and speak to your fathers to adopt the ways of the Omnipresent.” So we explain, “and the heart of the children through their fathers.” This I heard in the name of Rabbi Menahem, but our Sages expounded upon it in tractate Eduyot (8:7), that he will come to make peace in the world." Also, Malachi does not say that a "forerunner" would turn many to righteousness as is claimed. No, we are told that Elijah the prophet will come to do these things: "Lo, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome day of the L-rd, 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 3:23 - 24. In this third book of Malachi Jews are reminded to keep the Torah (not turn to Jesus or Christianity) "Keep in remembrance the teaching of Moses, My servant-the laws and ordinances which I commanded him in Horeb (Sinai) for all Israel." Malachi 3:22. Jews will never accept idolatry. Neither will G-d. When the messiah comes those who have followed false religions will recognize their errors and turn to G-d. . . "I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers and against the adulterers and against those who swear falsely; and also against those who withhold the wages of the day laborers, of the widow and fatherless, and those who pervert [the rights of] the stranger, [and those who] fear Me not, says the L-rd of Hosts." Malachi 3:5. G-d says says, “Return to Me and I will return to you.” Malachi 3:7. Those who followed G-d were not swayed by the others. G-d heard these people and metaphorically “inscribed” the names of those who defended His honor. They are the ones who will ultimately be resurrected - verse 16. No "forerunner." No "spirit of Elijah" (Elijah himself). Peace. Elijah will start the peace process by rectifying Israel's behavior, causing them to repent and return to G-d. It did not happen, ergo Eliyahu / Elijah has yet to make an appearance. Malachi ends with the promise that in the day of the messiah G-d will: "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 3:24. What does this mean? For Jews it means that every Jew, the entire nation, will observe His mitzvot - His Torah. "Keep in remembrance the teaching / תּוֹרַ֖ת / torah (torot) of Moses, My servant. . . the laws and ordinances which I commanded him in Horeb (Mount Sinai) for all Israel." Malachi 3:22. (Malachi 4:4 in Christian versions. There is no "chapter 4" in the T'nach). Malachi 3:22 gives the prophecy that the Jewish people will, as a whole, become Torah observant in the messianic age. Christianity will not replace Judaism -- belief in Jesus will not replace the Torah. John the Baptist was not Elijah the prophet -- and the prophecies of the prophet Malachi are yet to be fulfilled. This is how we know that the claim that Jesus fulfilled Malachi 3 is false. In the T'nach Malachi 3:23 (4:5 in Christian versions) says: "Lo, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome day of the L-rd." Notice anything? This passage says G-d will send Eliyahu / Elijah. Not a "spirit" of Elijah. Elijah. Not someone who denied being Elijah (aka John the Baptist): "They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.”" John 1:21. Christianity rejects the idea of reincarnation, so how could John the Baptist be Elijah? The Christian bible even gives the birth information on John -- and it had nothing to do with Eliyahu / Elijah. To reiterate: Malachi 3:23 says that Eliyahu / Elijah himself will appear -- not some "forerunner" or "spirit." Another nail in the coffin of John the Baptist being some sort of pseudo-Elijah is found in the very next verse in Malachi, which ends the chapter and the book: "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 3:24. After John the Baptist and Jesus did the hearts of the fathers turn to their children, and the children to the fathers? Nope. What exactly does it mean that fathers and children will turn to each other? Elijah will start the peace process by rectifying Israel's behavior, causing them to repent and return to G-d. It did not happen, ergo Eliyahu / Elijah has yet to make an appearance. The Malbim opined "הנה - עד לפני בא יום הגדול שאז תשוב לכם הנבואה שנית על ידי גדול הנביאים שהוא אליהו הנביא שיתגלה אז. "Until the great day", that then prophecy will return to them a second time through the Great of the Prophets (Eliyahu HaNavi / Elijah the Prophet) who will be revealed then." The Rambam (Maimonides), on the other hand, took Elijah's return as parable. "...and similarly all of these kinds of things (i.e."the wolf will dwell with the sheep etc.") are parables. And in the days of the Messiah it will be known to all what exactly it was a parable for, and what idea was hinted at with it." Hilchot M'lachim 12:2. In other words there are varying opinions as to Elijah's appearance before the messiah arrives. The concept of Eliyahu HaNavi (Elijah the prophet) returning throughout our history, including every Passover, is deeply rooted in Judaism, but in the realm of allegorical stories. . . In all likelihood it is literal in that Eliyahu / Elijah himself will return -- but how is simply not explained. You might have noticed that the list maker referenced "chapter 4" while the verse appears in chapter three in the T'nach. There is no "Chapter 4" in the book of מַלְאָכִי / Malachi. The book spans three chapters, but in Christian versions they break the third chapter into two -- chapters three and four. Why? Even the early Greek translations have three chapters. Why did later Christian versions break the book up into four? Probably for the same reason they moved it to the last position in their versions of the Hebrew bible -- because they thought it was a perfect "lead in" to the Christian bible. The Christian versions take verses 19 - 24 of chapter three and move them to a new chapter -- which leads into the Christian bible. In the T'nach (Jewish bible) the book of Malachi is found in Nevi'im / נְבִיאִים (Prophets). The entire contents of Ketuvim / כְּתוּבִים follow it -- this means that
All come after Malachi in the bible. The word T'nach is an acronym of the first Hebrew letter of the three sections of the Jewish bible. The first section is the תּוֹרָה / Torah (translation: instructions not law) -- the Five Books of Moses. The second part of the T'nach is נְבִיאִים / Nevi'im -- which translates to "Prophets." Nevi'im are the histories of the Jewish people along with prophecies which were important to the then living people and often have message of importance to those of us alive today. Not everything in Nevi'im (Prophets) IS prophecy for us -- some of it has already been fulfilled and passed --but the message is still important. Prophecy is also very straightforward and based on the plain meaning -- the Hebrew term is P'shat (פְּשָׁט). Malachi is the last book in Nevi'im / נְבִיאִים. Next comes Ketuvim / כְּתוּבִים. Ketuvim consists of histories, poetry, stories -- but NOT PROPHECY. Malachi does not prophesy anything about Jesus -- the prophet wrote about the Jews keeping the mitzvot of the Torah (not turning to Christianity or any other religion) -- and the day will come when G-d will send the people Elijah the prophet prior to the day of judgment. The Levites (Jewish priestly tribe) will be purified and sacrifices will resume in the Temple (which will be rebuilt). Elijah will turn the hearts of parents and children to one another, causing both to turn to G-d. If they won’t return to G-d, then He will strike the world with great destruction. But Malachi ends on a positive note -- with the people returning to G-d. This messianic prophecy is the last prophecy in the T'nach. This is the last book in Nevi'im / נְבִיאִים (Prophets). Next comes Ketuvim / / כְּתוּבִים / Writings -- which includes T'hillim / Psalms and the other books listed above. The books in Ketuvim were inspired by G-d, but written by holy men (not via direct communication with G-d, aka "prophecy"). Wow, seven "proofs" that Jesus "fulfilled" the "prophecy" that our sins are purged supposedly found in Malachi 3:3. Except Malachi 3:3 that doesn't mention sin. At all. It also doesn't say that all sins are purged. Malachi 3:3 is speaking specifically of the priestly tribe (the Levites). "And he (G-d's messenger) shall sit refining and purifying silver, and he shall purify the children of Levi. And he shall refine them as gold and as silver, and they shall be offering up an offering to the L-rd with righteousness." The messenger judges the Levites and refines them -- as gold is put through a fire, so will these people be refined as if a fire had removed their defects. Some mistranslations say "purged" -- which leads to this claim of having sins purged (sins aren't even mentioned). Purged is a mistranslation. The Hebrew for purge would be לְטַהֵר -- not זִקַּ֣ק. The word mistranslated as "purge" is וְזִקַּ֣ק -- and it actually means "refined." The first letter is a vav / ו -- a prefix meaning "and" or "but." The Hebrew זִקַּ֣ק (the actual word) means to distill (as in wine) or refine (as in metals). So no "sin" and no "purging" of sins. We know clearly that is not about Jesus. The prophet makes it clear that in the real messianic age G-d will purify the Levites (see above) and that sacrifices in the Temple will resume: "And then the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem shall be pleasant to the L-rd, as in the days of old and former years." Malachi 3:4. Not Jesus (human sacrifices are forbidden in the T'nach / bible), but kosher sacrifices as outlined in the Torah will resume in the real messianic age. Future sacrifices in the real messianic age are mentioned repeatedly in the T'nach: Y'shayahu / Isaiah 56:7: "I will bring them to My holy mount, and I will cause them to rejoice in My house of prayer, their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be acceptable upon My altar, for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples." Y'shayahu / Isaiah 60:7: "All the sheep of Kedar shall be gathered to you, the rams of Nebaioth shall serve you; they shall be offered up with acceptance upon My altar, and I will glorify My glorious house." Y'rmiyahu / Jeremiah 33:11: "For I am with you, says the L-rd, to save you, for I will make an end of all the nations where I dispersed you, but of you I will not make an end, but I will chasten you in measure, and I will not completely destroy you." Y'rmiyahu / Jeremiah 33:18: "So said the L-rd: Behold I am returning the captivity of the tents of Jacob, and his dwellings I will pity, and the city shall be built on its mound and the palace on its proper site shall be established." Y'chezkel / Ezekiel 20:40-41: "But on My holy mount, on the mountain of the height of Israel, says the L-rd G-d. There all the house of Israel-yea, all of them-will serve Me in the land; there I will accept them, and there I will require your heave offerings and the first of your food with all your hallowed things. With a pleasing savor I shall accept you when I take you out of the nations, and I shall gather you from the lands in which you were scattered, and I shall be hallowed through you before the eyes of the nations." Which brings us back to Malachi 3:3 - 4. "And he shall sit refining and purifying silver, and he shall purify the children of Levi. And he shall refine them as gold and as silver, and they shall be offering up an offering to the L-rd with righteousness. And then the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem shall be pleasant to the L-rd, as in the days of old and former years." No one can save you from your sins except you yourself. Salvation in the T'nach always refers to our physical lives being saved from danger. Our immortal souls do not need saving. The meaning of יְשׁוּעָה in the Scriptures is very different from the way it is misused in by Christian missionaries. In Hebrew, it simply means being “rescued” from danger—typically by the rescuer engaging in physical combat (fighting) with an assailant who is attacking the person being “saved”. In the T'nach, “saving” is almost always associated with “fighting” or “waging war”.... I refer you to any or all of the following examples: • “Just stand still and you’ll see HaShem’s salvation that He is going to do for your today....” (Sh'mot / Exodus 14:13) • “HaShem saved Israel from Egypt’s power that day....” (Sh'mot / Exodus 14:30) • “HaShem set up a savior for Israel—Otniyél ben K'naz, Kalév’s younger brother....” (Shoftim / Judges 3:9) • “HaShem set up a savior for them—Éhud ben Géra the Bin-y'mini, who had a deformed right hand....” (Shoftim / Judges 3:15) • “....and he, too, saved Israel....” (Shoftim / Judges 3:31) • “If You will save Israel through my hand, as You have spoken....” (Shoftim / Judges 6:36) • “....you didn’t save me from them....and, when I saw that you hadn’t saved me....” (Shoftim / Judges 12:2-3) • “HaShem saved Israel that day....” (Shmuel 1 / 1 Samuel 14:23) • “....so David saved the inhabitants of K'ilah....” (Shmuel 1 / 1 Samuel 23:5) • “HaShem is my Light and my Salvation-- Whom should I fear? HaShem is the fortress of my Life-- Whom should I dread? If evil men approach me To devour my flesh-- [When] my adversaries and my enemies [attacked] me-- Wow! They stumbled and fell! If an army encamps against me My heart will not be afraid; If war breaks out against me-- On this [assurance] I can rely!” (T'hillim / Psalm 27:1-3) The above verses (and these are only a selection—there are many, many more) demonstrate how the verb save and nouns savior, salvation are used in the T'nach, which is nothing like the way Christians use them. In D'varim / Deuteronomy 33:29 Moses said we are “a nation that has been saved by HaShem” and Y'shayahu / Isaiah 45:17 says the Jewish nation “has been saved by HaShem”, adding that “this is an eternal salvation”). Note that, in both verses, the words used were “has been saved” or "continually being saved." Yet again the list maker (list of 365 supposed prophecies fulfilled by Jesus) makes a claim which the bible shows is false. Malachi 3:3 - 4 speaks of the Levites being purified in the age of the real messiah -- an age when the Temple will stand and sacrifices will be brought that are pleasing to G-d. Human sacrifice (aka Jesus) is not pleasing to G-d. It is forbidden. Vayikra / Leviticus 18:21: "you shall not give any of your offspring to pass through for Molech. And you shall not profane the Name of your G-d. I am the L-rd." (Molech was a false god, but the point is that human sacrifices profane the name of G-d and are forbidden). Vayikra / Leviticus 24: "if a man strikes down any human being he shall be put to death.. . . one who strikes a person shall be put to death. . . One law shall be exacted for you, convert and resident alike, for I am the L-rd, your G-d. See also D'varim / Deuteronomy 18:10-12; Jeremiah 7:31, 19: 5; Ezekiel 23:37, 39). These all speak of how G-d hates human sacrifice. Another false claim bites the dust. Malachi 3:1 does not mention a new covenant. "Behold I am sending My messenger, and he will clear a path before Me; suddenly, the L-rd Whom you seek will come to His Sanctuary (Temple). And behold! The messenger of the covenant, for whom you yearn, behold He comes, says HaShem, Master of Legions." Malachi 3:1. It simply mentions "the" covenant. The Hebrew here is הַבְּרִ֜ית / HaBrit. The prefix הַ / ha in Hebrew represents the word "the." The Hebrew word בְּרִ֜ית / brit means an agreement, pact, contract or treaty. The word appears often (nearly 300 times) in the T'nach (bible). Christianity teaches that Jesus came to replace the covenant between G-d and the Jewish people. "By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear." Hebrews 8:13. The T'nach (Jewish bible) tells us time and again that the covenant with the Jews is eternal (the "new" covenant of the T'nach is a renewal of the existing one). It will never be replaced, made obsolete or outdated as Hebrews claims. Shoftim / Judges 2:1: "I will not break my covenant with you FOREVER." T'hillim / Psalms 105:8-10: "He set it up to Jacob as a statute, to Israel as an EVERLASTING COVENANT" Y'chezkel / Ezekiel 16:59-60: "I shall remember My covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I shall establish for you an EVERLASTING COVENANT." How do we know that the prophet Malachi is speaking of the eternal covenant G-d made with the Jewish people and not some replacement covenant (Christianity)? Simple. He tells us so. Malachi 3:22 gives the prophecy that the Jewish people will, as a whole, become Torah observant in the messianic age. Christianity will not replace Judaism -- belief in Jesus will not replace the Torah. "Keep in remembrance the teaching / תּוֹרַ֖ת / torah (torot) of Moses, My servant. . . the laws and ordinances which I commanded him in Horeb (Mount Sinai) for all Israel." Malachi 3:22. (Malachi 4:4 in Christian versions. There is no "chapter 4" in the T'nach). This is how we know that the claim that Jesus fulfilled Malachi 3 is false. Malachi is speaking of the Sinaic, eternal, covenant. Christianity attempts to hijack the eternal covenant and say that G-d replaced it with Christianity by referencing Y'rmiyahu / Jeremiah 31:30. The translation “new” at the end of Y'rmiyahu / Jeremiah 31:30 (the Christian number is 31) really means “renewed” because verse 32 (33 in Christian versions) clearly states that the “new” b'rit (covenant) is going to be G-d’s Torah -- just as the Sinaic covenant is G-d's Torah. "For this is the covenant that I will form with the house of Israel after those days, says the L-rd: I have put (נָתַֽתִּי / “I have put") My Torah (תּֽוֹרָתִי֙ / my Torah / my instructions) among them, and I will inscribe it upon their hearts, and I will be their G-d and they shall be My people." Each covenant builds on the previous -- none "does away" with, vanishes or "grows old" as says Hebrews. In Malachi 3:1 we are told that G-d will come to the Jewish people in the age of the real messiah. Read the entire chapter and it is clear that Jesus did not meet Malachi's criteria: We are told "shall sit refining and purifying silver, and he shall purify the children of Levi. And he shall refine them as gold and as silver, and they shall be offering up an offering to the L-rd with righteousness." Malachi 3:3. The one refining the Levites is the messenger G-d sends. Some Christians may say this was John the Baptist, who they say was Elijah (although John denied being Elijah, and Christianity rejects reincarnation). Ask yourself: did John the Baptist purify the Levites - the priestly tribe? Nope. "And then the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem shall be pleasant to the L-rd, as in the days of old and former years." Malachi 3:4. Christians think that Jesus was the "last and final sacrifice" (even though human sacrifice is forbidden). Why then would sacrifices be pleasing to G-d in the time of the messiah? "And I will approach you for judgment, and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers and against the adulterers and against those who swear falsely; and also against those who withhold the wages of the day laborers, of the widow and fatherless, and those who pervert [the rights of] the stranger, [and those who] fear Me not, says the L-rd of Hosts." Malachi 3:5. Did G-d do this 2000 years ago in the time of Jesus? Nope. Perhaps most telling of all: "For I, the L-rd, have not changed; and you, the sons of Jacob, have not reached the end." Malachi 3:6. G-d has not changed. He did not become Jesus. G-d has not given up on the Jews (the sons of Jacob). Another claimed prophecy falls apart simply by reading the bible! No Christian covenant replacing Judaism, no "messenger of a NEW covenant" -- just more false claims. Appearing at the Temple is not the fulfillment of any messianic prophecies. Mark 11:15-16 simply speaks of Jesus going to the Temple -- something millions of people did every year during its existence. Simply going to the Temple is not the fulfillment of Malachi's prophecy which speaks of G-d -- not the messiah or any human. "Behold I am sending My messenger (angel? Malachi? Eliyahu / Elijah?), and he will clear a path before Me; suddenly, the L-rd Whom you seek will come to His Sanctuary (Temple). And behold! The messenger of the covenant, for whom you yearn, behold He comes, says HaShem, Master of Legions." Malachi 3:1. Josephus, a 1st century Jewish historian, wrote of the Jews who came to Jerusalem and the Temple at Passover. Passover was one of the three Pilgrimage Festivals / Shalosh Regalim / שלוש רגלים -- Pesach / פֶּסַח (Passover), Shavuot / שבועות (Weeks or Pentecost), and Sukkot / סֻכּוֹת (Tabernacles, Tents or Booths). In In the time of the Emperor Nero, around 68 CE, 2 million 700 thousand 200 Jews came to the Temple for Passover, sacrificing 256,500 goats or lambs in the process. "Now the number of sacrifices was 256,500: which, upon the allowance of no more than ten that feast together, amounts to 2,700,200 persons that were pure and holy." Wars of the Jews 6:423-27, Josephus. This was the population for one festival out of the entire year. Two million Seven hundred thousand Two hundred persons. No, Jesus just "showing up" at the Temple is no prophetic fulfillment. Malachi 3:1 has G-d saying (through Malachi) that His messenger will clear the way before Him. G-d will come to the Temple and the angel to punish the wicked will arrive. The prophet Malachi is speaking of what will happen in the true messianic era -- when the messianic prophecies which have yet to be fulfilled will come to pass. Jesus didn't do any of the things prophesied of the real messiah -- one of which includes ushering in an age of world peace: "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." Michah / Micah 4:3. Do you see peace in the world? Hasn't happened yet. The list of real messianic prophecies is difficult to fulfill -- and Jesus did not fulfill even one of them. Here are a few of those messianic prophecies with their sources listed: A. Build the Third Temple (Y'chezkel / Ezekiel 37:26-28). B. Gather all Jews back to the Land of Israel (Y'shayahu / Isaiah 43:5-6). C. Usher in an era of world peace, and end all hatred, oppression, suffering and disease. As it says: "Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall man learn war anymore." (Y'shayahu / Isaiah 2:4) D. Spread universal knowledge of the G-d of Israel, which will unite humanity as one. As it says: "G-d will be King over all the world -- on that day, G-d will be One and His Name will be One" (Z'charyah / Zechariah 14:9). If an individual fails to fulfill even one of these conditions, then he cannot be "The Messiah." Jesus fulfilled not one. Read the entire chapter in Malachi (read all three, they are relatively short). Malachi 3 gives the prophecy that the Jewish people will, as a whole, become Torah observant in the messianic age -- a time when all Jews will return to the land of Israel. This, too, did not happen with Jesus. Yet another claim that disappears into thin air simply by reading the bible. The name "Malachi / מלאכי" means messenger. Interestingly enough, the Hebrew word translated as angel is מַלְאָך / mal'ACH. It, too, means "messenger. The prophet Malachi lived in the beginning of the Second Temple period. Haggai, Z'charyah / Zechariah and Malachi were the last three prophets prior to the end of prophecy. They were part of Anshei Knesset HaGedolah (אַנְשֵׁי כְּנֶסֶת הַגְּדוֹלָה, "The Men of the Great Assembly") -- a Sanhedrin of 120 scribes, sages, and prophets which met 50 years before prophecy terminated in 3448 (approximately 313 B.C.E.). This group formalized Jewish prayer and blessings and closed the T'nach (bible). The word T'NaCH is actually an acronym for the parts of the Hebrew Bible: "T" is for Torah, "N" is for Nevi'im, and "CH" is for Ketuvim. It is the acronym used to describe the Jewish (Hebrew) bible. The Christian version of the Jewish bible moves the books around – which changes not only the flow but the logic of many of them. Prophets are mixed in with Writings and many things are out of order making it nearly impossible to make sense of anything. The T’nach is comprised of תּוֹרָה (Torah), translates to "instruction." The Torah is often called the “Five Books of Moses” sometimes called the Pentateuch. G-d dictated the Torah to Moses and it is the holiest part of the bible. Moses was the greatest prophet to ever lived. G-d communicated directly with him. G-d also spoke to the entire Jewish nation at Horeb (Mount Sinai). The second part of the bible is נְבִיאִים / Nevi’im (Prophets). Prophecy is direct communication from G-d to a human via dreams and / or visions. The message from G-d is for the then living generation and the prophet must pass along the message to his (or her) people. Malachi is the last book in נְבִיאִים / Nevi’im (Prophets), but it is far from the last book of the Hebrew bible. After the Prophets comes כְּתוּבִים / Ketuvim -- translated as "Writings." כְּתוּבִים / Ketuvim is the third section of the T'nach consisting of history, stories, essays, songs and poems inspired by G-d, but not in direct communication (a level below prophecy). The Men of the Great Assembly, including Malachi, compiled Ketuvim. Just as Nevi'im is holy, but not as holy as the Torah, so too is Ketuvim holy, but not as holy as Nevi'im. The Writings were written under the influence of the spirit of G-d, which is a communication with G-d that is a level less than that of prophecy. In prophecy G-d speaks through the prophet. In the case of Ketuvim (Writings) people are influenced by G-d, and using their own words and thoughts they write inspired by a ruach haKodesh (spirit of holiness). The Christians put the book of Malachi last in their version of the Hebrew bible. This is seemingly to be a "lead in" to the birth of Jesus since Jesus will ask John the Baptist if he is the prophet Eliyahu (Elijah) -- and it is Malachi who prophesies that Elijah will come before the messiah. . . FYI, John the Baptist denied being Elijah in the Christian bible (John 1:2). Most Christians do not believe in reincarnation -- yet the story of John the Baptist' birth is given in the Christian bible -- so he would have to have been a reincarnated Elijah (going against Christian beliefs) -- so many contradictions! Malachi 3:1 has G-d saying (through Malachi) that His messenger will clear the way before Him. G-d will come to the Temple and the angel to punish the wicked will arrive. Not the messiah. This claimed prophetic fulfillment is indeed made in Matthew 11:10 which says "This is the one about whom it is written: “‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’" but Matthew's anonymous author is misusing the prophecy of Malachi. Malachi 3:1 is not about preparing the way for the messiah. This messenger does not prepare the way for the messiah. He prepares the way for G-d. "Behold I am sending My messenger (angel? Malachi? Eliyahu / Elijah?), and he will clear a path before Me; suddenly, the L-rd Whom you seek will come to His Sanctuary (Temple). And behold! The messenger of the covenant, for whom you yearn, behold He comes, says HaShem, Master of Legions." Malachi 3:1. It is clear that this chapter is not about Jesus. How do we know this? G-d says that this messenger will straighten out the Levites (the priestly tribe) who has been "going through the motions." He will purge them as one refines gold and silver. . . "And then the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem shall be pleasant to the Lord, as in the days of old and former years." Malachi 3:4 Now ask yourself: 2000 years ago, when Jesus supposedly lived, was the Temple purified and the sacrifices pleasing to G-d? Not even close. Both the Talmud and the Christian bible (as well as external historical resources) speak of the corruption of the Temple in the time of Jesus. Matthew 21:12–17, Mark 11:15–19, Luke 19:45–48 and John 2:13–16 all speak of Jesus "cleansing" the Temple. Aha! Jesus CLEANSED the Temple. No, that is what the Christian bible calls the "pacifist" Jesus as he whips and beats the money lenders in the Temple. The Christian bible accuses the priests of killing Jesus (remember?). Hence he didn't "cleanse" it as per the prophecy of Malachi. The Talmud tells us that the Second Temple became corrupted over time. Miracles had been sporadic and in decline after the death of Simon the Just. He died around 200 BCE (200 years before Jesus' supposed birth). Malachi's prophecy was not about the Second Temple -- and Jesus did not "fulfill" it. See Yoma 38 and Yoma 39. No, this prophecy did not come to pass in the time of Jesus -- G-d did not send a messenger to herald the way for Him. This has yet to happen in the real messianic era. The people have neglected G-d’s Torah for a long time. Now He says, “Return to Me and I will return to you.” Malachi 3:7. Not Jesus being rejected. Not Christianity. Christianity teaches that Jesus came to replace the covenant between G-d and the Jewish people. "By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear." Hebrews 8:13. The T'nach (Jewish bible) tells us time and again that the covenant with the Jews is eternal (the "new" covenant of the T'nach is a renewal of the existing one). It will never be replaced, made obsolete or outdated as Hebrews claims. This is how we know that the claim that Jesus fulfilled Malachi 3 is false. Jesus did not replace the Jewish covenant. Malachi states that at the time this messenger clears the way for G-d to enter the Temple the Levites (priestly tribe) will be purified so that the offerings of Israel will be pleasing to G-d as in earlier times. Far from being replaced by Jesus, the sacrifices of the Temple will be pleasing to G-d. The idea of Jesus' "new" covenant and a priesthood based on any group other than the Levites (Melchizedek ring a bell?) is false. It is impossible to repudiate the Levitical priesthood and Jewish sacrificial system as Christianity does and then claim that this prophecy has anything to do with Jesus. "From the days of your fathers you have departed from My laws and have not kept [them]. "Return to Me, and I will return to you," said the L-rd of Hosts..." Malachi 3:7. Return to Me (G-d) and my Torah (instructions) -- not turn to Jesus and ignore the Torah and the priests (Levites) and the sacrifices of the Torah. . . Malachi 3 gives the prophecy that the Jewish people will, as a whole, become Torah observant in the messianic age. Christianity will not replace Judaism -- belief in Jesus will not replace the Torah. "Keep in remembrance the teaching / תּוֹרַ֖ת / torah (torot) of Moses, My servant-the laws and ordinances which I commanded him in Horeb (Mount Sinai) for all Israel." Malachi 3:22. (Malachi 4:4 in Christian versions. There is no "chapter 4" in the T'nach). Observe the Torah so that you will be spared on judgment day. . . For on the day of Judgment G-d will send the prophet Eliyahu / Elijah to turn back (to G-d) the hearts of the fathers to their sons and the sons to their fathers. This did not happen with Jesus. None of it happened -- including the coming of Elijah, let alone the glorious judgment day. Talk about totally reversing a messianic prophecy! Proof texts (passages ripped from the Hebrew bible and said to point to Jesus) are often mistranslated or lifted out of context. This claim is lifted out of context. Z'charyah / Zechariah 13:7 - 9 is about what will happen to the enemies of the Jewish people in the messianic age (when all the Jews return to the land of Israel from exile). It is about the enemies of G-d (not Jesus). Is Jesus an enemy of G-d? If Jesus is not an enemy of G-d this passage is not about him. No one is rejected in this passage. This claim is even more ironic given that the real messiah will return all the Jews from גָּלוּת / galut / exile. "Fear not for I am with you; from the east I will bring your seed, and from the west I will gather you. I will say to the north, "Give," and to the south, "Do not refrain"; bring My sons from afar and My daughters from the end of the earth." Y'shayahu / Isaiah 43:5 - 6. In the messianic age all the Jews return from exile and will live in the land of Israel. "I will scatter the house of Israel among all the nations. . . " Amos 9:9. Exile. But one 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. . ." Amos 9:11. Amos is speaking of the messianic age, when the Jewish exiles (did not happen in Jesus' lifetime) will be returned from exile: "And I will return the captivity of My people Israel, and they shall rebuild desolate cities and inhabit [them], and they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their produce. And I will plant them on their land, and they shall no longer be uprooted from upon their land, that I have given them, said the L-rd your G-d." Amos 9:14 - 15. G-d exiled the Jewish people from the land of Israel due to our own actions (lack of observance, baseless hatred for Jew against Jew), BUT G-d stated there would be a Jewish exile before there was even a Jewish nation (B'reshit / Genesis 15). So while the exile was punishment -- it was also a necessity -- for Jews to become holier and closer to G-d, and for the Jewish people to fulfill our role as a light to the nations. "So said G-d the L-rd, the Creator of the heavens and the One Who stretched them out, Who spread out the earth and what springs forth from it, Who gave a soul to the people upon it and a spirit to those who walk thereon. "I am the L-rd; I called you with righteousness and I will strengthen your hand; and I formed you, and I made you a covenant for the people, for a light to nations." Y'shayahu / Isaiah 42:5 - 7. This is the primary reason Jews are found in every corner of the world -- even the smallest place. There is no prophecy that the Jews will be scattered (exiled) because we reject the messiah. Jesus was never a messiah -- but even if he had been one Z'charyah / Zechariah 13:7 has nothing to do with the messiah. The last three verses of Z'charyah / Zechariah 13 are about the foreign nations to which the Jewish people were exiled. G-d will punish those who were cruel to His people in exile: "O sword, awaken against My shepherd and against the man who is associated with Me! says the L-rd of Hosts. Smite the shepherd, and the flock shall scatter, and I will return My hand upon the little ones. And it shall come to pass throughout all the land, says the L-rd, two parts of it shall be cut off. They shall perish, and the third shall remain therein. And I will bring the third in fire; and I will refine them as one refines silver, and I will test them as one tests gold. He shall call in My name, and I will respond to him. I said, "He is My people"; and he shall say, "The L-rd is my G-d." Z'charyah / Zechariah 13:7 - 9. The gentiles who can be redeemed will be redeemed -- as silver and gold is refined, those who turn to G-d will be accepted by Him. There is not one prophecy in the entire T'nach (Jewish bible) that G-d will be a man. G-d is one, not a man. But now see – it is I! I am the only One! There are no (other) gods with me! (D'varim / Deuteronomy 32:39). G-d is not a man (Bamidbar / Numbers 23:19), “So said the L-rd. . . the ONE who formed you from the womb, “I (singular) am the L-rd . . .Who spread out the earth ALONE (לְבַדִּ֔י).” (Y'shayahu / Isaiah 44:24 ), Over and over and over again we are told that G-d is ONE, alone, by Himself – SINGULAR. The messiah will be a normal human being -- not G-d. Z'charyah / Zechariah 13 is about the messianic age, but not about the messiah himself. Indeed most of the chapter discusses false prophets and what will happen to them in the messianic age (when nearly all Jews will be prophets). A נָבִיא / navi (prophet) had direct communication with G-d (through dreams and / or visions with the exception of Moses who spoke directly with G-d), and who relayed G-d’s message to his or her own generation. It is not someone who "fortells the future." If a prophet mentioned here is about Jesus then Jesus is a false prophet: "And it shall come to pass on that day, says the L-rd of Hosts: I will cut off the names of the idols from the earth, and they shall no longer be mentioned. And also the prophets and the spirit of contamination I will remove from the earth. And it shall come to pass, if a man still prophesies, that his father and his mother-his parents-shall say to him, "You shall not live, for you have spoken falsely in the name of the L-rd." And his father and his mother-his parents-shall thrust him through because of his prophesying. And it shall come to pass on that day that the prophets shall be ashamed, each one of his vision when he prophesies; and they will not wear a hairy mantle in order to lie." Z'charyah / Zechariah 13:2 - 4. This chapter is about false prophets -- and we are told that the parents will say that the false prophet deserves to die his actions -- but no one is actually killed. There is not one word, let alone a suggestion, that the false prophet dies for anyone's sins (but his own) -- let alone all of mankind. What of Z'charyah / Zechariah 13:7 -- the one claimed by the list maker? It has nothing to do with G-d being "man and G-d." How do missionaries leap to the conclusion that this supports their claim that Jesus was man and G-d? Simple: they take the use of the term "shepherd" and leap into fantasy that this refers to Jesus (as G-d's shepherd) even though nothing in the text supports this concept in any way. John 14:9 has nothing to do with shepherds. "Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?" So John 14:9 may somehow infer that Jesus is G-d (the Christian bible never actually makes that claim outright), it does not tie to Z'charyah / Zechariah's use of the metaphor of a shepherd. . . The last three verses of the chapter (Z'charyah / Zechariah 13:7 - 9) discuss the punishment of those who have been the enemies of the Jewish people prior to the messianic age. In these verse the shepherds represent the leaders of the non-Jewish nations to whom G-d entrusted the fate of the Jews (the flock) while we were in exile from the land of Israel. For those who harmed His people G-d will unleash the sword against them. "And it shall come to pass throughout all the land, says the L-rd, two parts of it shall be cut off. They shall perish, and the third shall remain therein. And I will bring the third in fire; and I will refine them as one refines silver, and I will test them as one tests gold. He shall call in My name, and I will respond to him. I said, "He is My people"; and he shall say, "The L-rd is my G-d." Z'charyah / Zechariah 13:8 - 9. Revisit Z'charyah / Zechariah 11. G-d said that the Jews would fall into the hands of Edom (Rome). The gentile nations have been made the "shepherds" of the Jewish people while the Jews are in exile. But G-d tells Z'charyah / Zechariah in chapter 11 that the shepherd (possibly Herod) will be a terrible "shepherd." He will let Jews go astray, won’t care for the weak or sick of his flock. He will gobble up the wealth of the Jews until nothing is left. He is one of many shepherds during the exile who stole and abused the Jewish people. These poor shepherds will face a reckoning in the messianic age. Again, context! Would Christians really want to think that Jesus was a bad shepherd, one deserving of punishment? Yet again a claim falls apart by simply reading the chapter in context: false prophets who are punished and poor shepherds who are punished. . . not man as G-d and not about the messiah. . . Z'charyah / Zechariah 13 is about false prophets. The list maker has tied not one, not two, not three, but FOUR claims that this chapter (one verse in it) is about Jesus. Why? This chapter is about false prophets and what happens to them! "And it shall come to pass on that day, says the L-rd of Hosts: I will cut off the names of the idols from the earth, and they shall no longer be mentioned. And also the prophets and the spirit of contamination I will remove from the earth." Z'charyah / Zechariah 13:2. False prophets. This is the problem with missionary "proof texts." Christians, honest G-d fearing people who want to know G-d and His truth, are lied to with verses lifted out of context and mistranslations which deceive. "And it shall come to pass, if a man still prophesies, that his father and his mother-his parents-shall say to him, "You shall not live, for you have spoken falsely in the name of the L-rd." And his father and his mother-his parents-shall thrust him through because of his prophesying. And it shall come to pass on that day that the prophets shall be ashamed, each one of his vision when he prophesies; and they will not wear a hairy mantle in order to lie." Z'charyah / Zechariah 13:3 - 4. False prophets. Not the messiah. And there is no violent death -- just the threat of a violent death to those who deceitfully practice idolatry and lure others into it by claiming to be a prophet for idolatry. The end of Z'charyah / Zechariah 1, verses 7 - 9, moves from false prophets in the messianic age to the punishment of the gentile countries who have been enemies of the Jewish people, mistreating us in exile. In these verse the shepherds represent the leaders of the non-Jewish nations to whom G-d entrusted the fate of the Jews (the flock) while we were in exile from the land of Israel. For those who harmed His people G-d will unleash the sword against them. "And it shall come to pass throughout all the land, says the L-rd, two parts of it shall be cut off. They shall perish, and the third shall remain therein. And I will bring the third in fire; and I will refine them as one refines silver, and I will test them as one tests gold. He shall call in My name, and I will respond to him. I said, "He is My people"; and he shall say, "The L-rd is my G-d." Z'charyah / Zechariah 13:8 - 9. Not about the messiah. Not about a violent death of the messiah. The last three verses in this chapter describe the punishment of the enemies of Israel (the Jewish people) as well as what will happen to the gentiles. One-third of the non-Jews will turn to G-d, and G-d will test the sincerity of these converts. Those who pass, He will call His people and they will call Him their G-d. The list maker (list of 365 supposed prophecies of Jesus) has tied four claims to Z'charyah / Zechariah 13:7. Which is strange. Because this chapter is not about the messiah.: It is about false prophets. So, if any of this chapter applies to Jesus the missionary is admitting that Jesus was a false prophet. No? Then this chapter is not about Jesus. The previous chapter,Z'charyah / Zechariah 12, spoke of a great battle for Jerusalem that may happen (if there is a war preceding the messiah). Now G-d says that after the war ends idolatry will cease, a spring will flow in Jerusalem for ritual purity, G-d will remove false prophets and even the יֵצֶר הַרַע / yetzer hara (evil inclination) will go away. This is the messianic era -- a time of peace, global knowledge of G-d and the end of idolatry and false prophecy. Next G-d calls for a sword to be unsheathed against a shepherd - that he be struck and the sheep be scattered. What sheep? G-d's flock are the Jews and the shepherds are the nations tending that flock while Israel is in exile. The nations have been bad shepherds with respect to tending the flock of Israel. G-d put Israel into these shepherd's hands and history has shown that these shepherds have not been kind to Israel in exile. It is interesting that the list maker does not mention Z'charyah / Zechariah 13:6 -- because missionaries usually point to it as being about Jesus. It says: "And one will say to him, "What are these wounds between your hands?" And he shall say, "That I was smitten in the house of my friends." Wounds between your hands! The missionaries will say: Jesus had nails put into his hands in the crucifixion -- this has to be about Jesus! He had wounds in his hands! To complicate matters (and probably to make it seem more like Jesus) the King James Version (KJV) mistranslates verse 6 as "What are these wounds in thine hands?" "In" your hands, not "between" your hands. The mistranslated word is בֵּ֣ין / bein, a preposition meaning between or among. As with many proof texts the KJV manages to translate it correctly (as "between) in Genesis 9:16, Genesis 15:17 and so on. To understand who has wounds between their hands one must read the verse in context. The one with wounds between his hands is a false prophet. This could only be Jesus if he is a false prophet who is being killed. "And it shall come to pass on that day, says the L-rd of Hosts: I will cut off the names of the idols from the earth, and they shall no longer be mentioned. And also the prophets and the spirit of contamination I will remove from the earth. And it shall come to pass, if a man still prophesies, that his father and his mother-his parents-shall say to him, "You shall not live, for you have spoken falsely in the name of the L-rd." And his father and his mother-his parents-shall thrust him through because of his prophesying. And it shall come to pass on that day that the prophets shall be ashamed, each one of his vision when he prophesies; and they will not wear a hairy mantle in order to lie." Z'charyah / Zechariah 13:2 - 4. It is interesting that the claim that Z'charyah / Zechariah 13:6 is ignored on the list of 365 supposed prophecies fulfilled by Jesus -- the wounds between the hands is usually one mentioned, even though it is about false prophets and not the messiah. What of the claim that the messiah will die for mankind? Again -- this chapter is about false prophets -- and we are told that the parents will say that the false prophet deserves to die his actions -- but no one is actually killed. There is not one word, let alone a suggestion, that the false prophet dies for anyone's sins (but his own) -- let alone all of mankind. What of Z'charyah / Zechariah 13:7 -- the one claimed by the list maker? G-d calls His sword against the emperor of Rome. When He strikes him down, his subordinate rulers will scatter and their officers will fall. "O sword, awaken against My shepherd and against the man who is associated with Me! says the L-rd of Hosts. Smite the shepherd, and the flock shall scatter, and I will return My hand upon the little ones." Context, context, context! This is not a prophecy that Jesus would be smitten and his flock scattered, or that he would die for mankind. It is about false prophets, their fate, and then what will happen to the foreign rulers in the messianic age (after a final war, if there is one). The chapter ends (Z'charyah / Zechariah 13:7 - 9) discussing the punishment of those who have been the enemies of the Jewish people prior to the messianic age. In these verse the shepherds represent the leaders of the non-Jewish nations to whom G-d entrusted the fate of the Jews (the flock) while we were in exile from the land of Israel. For those who harmed His people G-d will unleash the sword against them. "And it shall come to pass throughout all the land, says the L-rd, two parts of it shall be cut off. They shall perish, and the third shall remain therein. And I will bring the third in fire; and I will refine them as one refines silver, and I will test them as one tests gold. He shall call in My name, and I will respond to him. I said, "He is My people"; and he shall say, "The L-rd is my G-d." Z'charyah / Zechariah 13:8 - 9. While Z'charyah / Zechariah 12:10 is about the messianic age it is not about the messiah. There is no prophecy that the messiah will be rejected -- NONE. This idea is totally un-biblical. Jews long ago accepted a contract, a covenant, with G-d. That contract is binding -- and says that G-d is one, G-d is not a human being, and pray only to Him. Anyone who comes along and tries to change that contract is false -- and they have rejected G-d. John 6:14 says “After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” Well, this is a problem from the start. Prophets are not known by “signs” or “magic” or even miracles. Jesus could have performed miracles from here until doomsday and still not have been a prophet. Read Deuteronomy: “If there should stand up in your midst a prophet or a dreamer of a dream, and he will produce to you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes about, of which he spoke to you, saying "Let us follow gods of others that you did not know (at Sinai) and we shall worship them do not hearken to the words of that prophet or to that dreamer of a dream, for HASHEM, your G-d, is testing you to know whether you love HASHEM, your G-d with all your heart and with all your soul. HASHEM, your G-d, shall you follow and Him shall you fear; His commandments shall you observe and to His voice shall you hearken; Him shall you serve and to Him shall you cleave. And that prophet and that dreamer of a dream shall be put to death, for he had spoken perversion against HASHEM, your G-d Who takes you out of the land of Egypt, and Who redeems you from the house of slavery to make you stray from the path on which HASHEM, you G-d, has commanded you to go; and you shall destroy the evil from your midst.” (Artscroll) D’varim / Deuteronomy 13:2-6. Reject false gods. Reject gods you did not know at Sinai. But none of that has anything to do with Z'charyah / Zechariah 12:10 which says: "I will pour out upon the house of David and upon the inhabitant of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplications. They will look toward Me because of those whom they have stabbed; they will mourn over him as one mourns over an only [child], and be embittered over him like the embitterment over a [deceased] firstborn." Artscroll Stone Edition T'nach. Do you see anything in that passage that says the Jews will reject the messiah? Nope. Not there. There is a big problem with common Christian translations of this verse. See if you can spot the problem: "And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son." NIV, Zechariah 12:10. "And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn." KJV (King James) Zechariah 12:10. Check the Christian translations for yourself -- they mistranslate the pronouns and mangle (as a result) the meaning. Was this done deceitfully or accidentally? If it was accidental it displays a limited knowledge of Hebrew idioms. The primary issue is the mistranslation of the Hebrew expression אֵת אֲשֶׁר־דָּקָרוּ (et asher-daqaru). Properly translated it should be "because of those (or "any one") whom they have stabbed...." Artscroll Stone Edition T'nach. Not as the Christian versions have it: "upon me whom they have pierced." אֵת אֲשֶׁר / et asher appears 146 times in the T'nach (bible). It is not "rare." The Hebrew words אֵת (et) is a preposition. The Hebrew word אֲשֶׁר (asher) is a conjunction -- a connecting word which can be translated as that, because, for, as to, regarding, which, who or whom and it may take on other meanings when combined with prepositions. As with mistranslations in Christian bibles, there are passages which are not "proof texts" (texts supposedly pointing to Jesus) -- and here the Christians usually translate things correctly (or close to it). Consider 1 Samuel 30:27 where we also have the words אֵ֠ת אֲשֶׁר / et asher. "וַיֹּ֣אמֶר דָּוִ֔ד לֹֽא־תַעֲשׂ֥וּ כֵ֖ן אֶחָ֑י אֵ֠ת אֲשֶׁר־נָתַ֨ן יְהוָ֥ה לָ֙נוּ֙ וַיִּשְׁמֹ֣ר אֹתָ֔נוּ וַיִּתֵּ֗ן אֶֽת־הַגְּד֛וּד הַבָּ֥א עָלֵ֖ינוּ בְּיָדֵֽנוּ׃" "David replied, "No, my brothers, you must not do that with what the L-RD has given us. He has protected us and delivered into our hands the raiding party that came against us." 1 Samuel 30:27, NIV translation. "Then said David, Ye shall not do so, my brethren, with that which the L-RD hath given us, who hath preserved us, and delivered the company that came against us into our hand." 1 Samuel 30:27, KJV translation. But note that in Z'charyah / Zechariah 12:10 אֵת אֲשֶׁר / et asher is not "alone." אֲשֶׁר / asher is part of a hyphenated word: אֲשֶׁר־דָּקָרוּ / asher-daqaru. the verb דקר / daqar means to stab, not “to pierce”. Let's look at a bit more of the verse to clarify just why it is "because" and not "whom." "וְהִבִּ֥יטוּ אֵלַ֖י / v'hibbitu élai / and they shall look to Me" אֵלַי / élai means "to Me" or "toward Me." G-d. Next comes אֵת אֲשֶׁר־דָּקָרוּ / ét asher-daqaru / because of him who they pierced". The "Me" and "him" do not both apply to G-d. The Christian mistranslations mislead the reader by making it seem that the one being stabbed is G-d. It is not in the text. The preferred Christians mistranslation of "to me, whom they pierced" is wrong. The Hebrew says no such thing, and the words directly following proves it is wrong: וְסָפְדוּ עָלָיו, כְּמִסְפֵּד עַל-הַיָּחִיד וְהָמֵר עָלָיו כְּהָמֵר עַל-הַבְּכוֹר / v'safdu 'alav k'mispad 'al hayyahid v'hamar 'alav k'hamar 'al ha-b'chor "they will mourn עָלָיו / 'alav / over him as one mourns over an only [child], and be embittered over him like the embitterment עָלָיו / 'alav / over him [as one mourns a deceased] firstborn" Bottom line? Z'charyah / Zechariah 12:10 does not speak of the messiah himself. Z'charyah / Zechariah 12:10 does not say the messiah will be rejected. Also, note that Z'charyah / Zechariah says that all the inhabitants of Jerusalem will mourn — so bitterly will the people mourn that it is as if the death(s) was the death of a firstborn child. This has obviously not yet been fulfilled, now or when the Roman soldier looked at Jesus. It didn’t happen (per the Christian bible) with Jesus. Z'charyah / Zechariah 12:10 is a messianic prophecy -- but it has nothing to do with being pierced, with G-d becoming a man (something He says He is not and will never be) or with Jesus. The verse does not mention anything about the messiah (by name or description). The verse does not mention anything about anyone being both G-d and man. What does it say? "I will pour out upon the house of David and upon the inhabitant of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplications. They will look toward Me because of those whom they have stabbed; they will mourn over him as one mourns over an only [child], and be embittered over him like the embitterment over a [deceased] firstborn." Z'charyah / Zechariah 12:10 Artscroll Stone Edition T'nach. G-d is not stabbed -- and actually the ones stabbed is more properly translated as "any one who is stabbed" or "those whom they have stabbed." Who is being stabbed? Some sages opine that it is Moshiach ben Yosef (Sukkah 52a) -- a person some missionaries try to say was the "first" coming of Jesus. Unfortunately for missionaries the concept of this messiah (not directly found in the T'nach / bible) is of a soldier who lives at the same time as "the messiah" (not 2000 years before him). This person will be a soldier who will die in the final battles which precede the messianic age -- again, it doesn't "fit" Jesus. Other sages believe the passage is not speaking of a specific person (which the grammar supports) - - but rather people who are killed in this messianic war. They are greatly mourned (again, something that did not happen with Jesus) by all the people. The RaDak (R' Kimchi, 1160 - 1235 CE) wrote: "if it should happen that one of them is killed in battle - even just one insignificant person - there will be great wonderment among them how such a thing could have occurred, and they will regard it as a "fall" and a submission before their enemies, comparable with what Joshua did when the inhabitants of the Ai killed 36 men of Israel (Y'hoshua / Joshua 7:5) - how he lamented "Woe, O L-rd G-d" (verse 7) and then added (verse 8 "what shall I say, after Israel has turned their backs before their enemies?" Their reaction in those days will be the same as that, if they will see that even one of them is stabbed - "they will stare in amazement towards Me because of those whom they have stabbed" on account of the one who is stabbed, and they will weep for him like a man who had only one son and he died, or like a man whose firstborn son has died. Our Rabbis of blessed memory, however, explained it as referring to the Moshiach ben Yoséf who is destined to die in battle." The various Christian translations mangle the who and what in this passage as to make it appear to be Christological. Why? Because we are told someone (or many people) will be stabbed -- and the Christian bible says that Jesus was stabbed in the side by a Roman soldier. Thus simply because stabbing is mentioned the missionary says that it is Jesus who was the “one who was pierced” -- even though nothing in the chapter fits Jesus. Including who is being stabbed, when they are stabbed -- and what happens after they are stabbed (the mourning). The "when" it happens is during the siege of Jerusalem in the messianic wars (if they happen). Rome was occupied in the time of Jesus, but when he was killed there was no battle underway -- no siege of Jerusalem. What happens after this great battle (Jewish warriors will succeed, and the nations besieging Jerusalem will be destroyed. Did the Jews beat Rome during Jesus' lifetime? Nope. Were the nations who attacked Jerusalem destroyed in the time of Jesus? Nope. If a missionary claims that will happen in the "second coming" that is an admission that it hasn't happened yet -- ergo they cannot claim it as a messianic prophecy that Jesus fulfilled. Who is being stabbed in Z'charyah / Zechariah 12:10? The Hebrew translates as “they will stare towards Me because of [literally, ‘with’] whom they have stabbed”, the actual object pronoun only being implied. So what is happening in this chapter? G-d is telling the prophet Z'charyah / Zechariah what will eventually happen to the Jewish people. First, He will make Jerusalem so much "trouble" that no one will want to deal with her. "And it shall come to pass on that day that I will make Jerusalem a stone of burden for all peoples; all who bear it shall be gashed, and all the nations of the earth shall gather about it." Z'charyah / Zechariah 12:3. Did this happen with Jesus? Nope. Jesus was killed in Jerusalem while the city was under the control of Rome -- who murdered tens of thousands of Jews. It was a time of turmoil -- both internal and external. Z'charyah / Zechariah goes on to say that the land of Israel (Judah) will be saved before G-d saves Jerusalem in the messianic age. G-d saves Jerusalem last so that it can't think that its rescue is due to its own merit. On that day (presumably the war of Gog and Magog), G-d will protect Jerusalem. Z'charyah / Zechariah 12:4 - 9. Again -- did not happen with Jesus. John 10:30 says "I and the Father are one.” So what? This is in no way supported by Z'charyah / Zechariah 12. The messiah will not be G-d. Time and time and time again the T'nach (bible) tells us that G-d is not a man, G-d does not change --- so there is not one prophecy in the T'nach that the messiah would be G-d. But now see – it is I! I am the only One! There are no (other) gods with me! (D'varim / Deuteronomy 32:39). G-d is not a man (Bamidbar / Numbers 23:19), “So said the L-rd. . . the ONE who formed you from the womb, “I (singular) am the L-rd . . .Who spread out the earth ALONE (לְבַדִּ֔י).” (Y'shayahu / Isaiah 44:24 ), Over and over and over again we are told that G-d is ONE, alone, by Himself – SINGULAR. The messiah will be a normal human being -- not G-d. No one is pierced in this passage -- and John does not "fit" Z'charyah / Zechariah 12:10 -- it misquotes it.
Not "him" (aka Jesus) but "me" (G-d). Also, the one who is stabbed is not the messiah. This is not a messianic prophecy -- although it is a prophecy about the messianic age. The prophet Z'charyah / Zechariah is speaking of the glory that awaits the Jewish people in the messianic age. The Jews were subject to the Romans in Jesus' time -- they were treated horribly (estimates are 50,000 -- 200,000 Jews were crucified by the Romans) -- so this chapter does not fit Jesus at all. Who is the one who is stabbed? The sages have two thoughts: one is that it is a great warrior who is killed in battle (moshiach ben yosef) -- a man who is alive at the same time as the messiah. See Succah (52a). Others opine that the prophet is speaking of all those who will be slain in this final battle. The people will turn to G-d and they will mourn greatly -- as one would over a firstborn son. Jesus was not a warrior. He did not die in battle. He did not live at the time of the restoration of Jerusalem -- in the beginning of the true messianic age. The correct translation of Z'charyah / Zechariah 12:10 is: ""v'hibbitu élai / and they shall look to Me" and "ét asher-daqaru / because of him who they thrust through" "They" (the people) will look to Me (G-d) about him (this is the one stabbed) thrust through. You have to know who is speaking, and who is watching and who is being stabbed! The "Me" and "him" do not both apply to G-d. Long story short, the Christian's desired translation of something along the lines of "to me, whom they pierced" is inaccurate. It incorrectly translates the Hebrew to convey that the "Me" (G-d) and the "him" are one in the same. Z'charyah / Zechariah 12:10 says "I will pour out upon the house of David and upon the inhabitant of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplications. They will look toward Me (G-d) because of those (plural) whom they have stabbed." This is followed up by another clear indication that the desired Christian mistranslation is incorrect: וְסָפְדוּ עָלָיו, כְּמִסְפֵּד עַל-הַיָּחִיד וְהָמֵר עָלָיו כְּהָמֵר עַל-הַבְּכוֹר v'safdu 'alav k'mispad 'al hayyahid v'hamar 'alav k'hamar 'al ha-b'chor and they shall mourn over him (as opposed to "Me") as one mourns over an only son, and be embittered over him (as opposed to "Me") as one is embittered over a firstborn son Read the entire chapter of Zechariah and the meaning becomes clear -- proof texts only work when one sentence or even a partial sentence is lifted out of time and space. A pertinent mistranslation is והביטו אלי את אשר־דקרו as "they will look upon me whom they have stabbed." Yet the Hebrew has G-d saying that that “they” [the Jews] “will gaze towards Me” [in astonishment] “because of” [even one person] “whom they” [the enemies] “have stabbed” etc. G-d isn't stabbed -- someone has been stabbed and the people look to G-d in shock because of the one who was stabbed. . . The verb דקר means to stab, not “to pierce”. AND this happens in the end times -- not 2000 years ago. The prophet has said that the non-Jewish nations will lay siege to Y'rushalayim / Jerusalem -- and this did not happen in Jesus' lifetime. Ergo this prophecy does not "fit" Jesus. The word in question here is "את אשר / et-asher." Missionaries will say that can mean that et asher can mean "whom" and mistranslate the verse as "They will look upon me whom they have stabbed." The Hebrew "את אשר / et-asher" is pretty common in the T'nach (bible). This isn't surprising since it can mean (depending on context) "whom," "which," "that which" and so on -- and it is found146 times in the bible. Take a look a Shmuel Alef / 1 Samuel 30:23, a verse which contains the words "את אשר / et-asher." See if Christians translate as "whom" in that verse -- or if the Christian translations choose to translate "את אשר / et-asher" as "because of / concerning / regarding him [or them]." "No, my brothers, you must not do that with what the L-RD has given us." 1 Samuel 30:23, NIV translation. "No, my brothers! Don't be selfish with what the L-RD has given us. " 1 Samuel 30:23, NLT translation. The ESV, NASB, Christian Standard Bible also have "with what." The King James has "with that." None of them translate it as "whom." The key to knowing what the translated word should be is "context." But did you notice something when you look at the Hebrew of Z'charyah / Zechariah 12:10 ? It doesn't actually say "את אשר / et asher." It says את אשר־דקרו / et asher-daqaru. The words אשר־דקרו / asher-daqaru are hyphenated. Let's examine the three words.
Zechariah is talking of the future (it still hasn't happened) when the nations of the world will be gathered against Jerusalem to destroy it (Z'charyah / Zechariah 12:3 ). On that day, G-d Himself will defend Jerusalem and destroy all of its enemies (Z'charyah / Zechariah 12:4 - 9). G-d will pour out a spirit of grace and supplication toward the Jews. Grace is requested from G-d and supplication are directed to G-d. Now, did Jesus defend Jerusalem? Nope of course not. He was never a ruler. Never a soldier. He died at the hands of the Roman soldiers (if he ever lived at all and if the story of his murder by Romans in the GT is at all close to the truth). After G-d does this, the Jewish nation to look towards G-d concerning those Jews (or possibly Moshiach ben Yosef who is a soldier who dies in battle). Again -- did Jesus defeat the Romans? No. Were the Jews victorious? No. So Jesus did not fulfill this prophecy -- it does not apply to him. The list repeats many claims (seemingly to reach the magical number of 365). This claim was just found four "claims ago" (348. Zechariah 11:10-11b...The Messiah would be God... John 14:7). The messiah will not be G-d. Time and time and time again the T'nach (bible) tells us that G-d is not a man, G-d does not change --- so there is not one prophecy in the T'nach that the messiah would be G-d. But now see – it is I! I am the only One! There are no (other) gods with me! (D'varim / Deuteronomy 32:39). G-d is not a man (Bamidbar / Numbers 23:19), “So said the L-rd. . . the ONE who formed you from the womb, “I (singular) am the L-rd . . .Who spread out the earth ALONE (לְבַדִּ֔י).” (Y'shayahu / Isaiah 44:24 ), Over and over and over again we are told that G-d is ONE, alone, by Himself – SINGULAR. The messiah will be a normal human being -- not G-d. There is no mention at all in Z'charyah / Zechariah 11 of the messiah. John 12:45 does not claim that Jesus is G-d. It says that G-d sent Jesus -- if G-d sent Jesus then clearly Jesus is not G-d (the sender is not the sent one). "The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me." John 12:45. This is not saying Jesus is G-d. Indeed, just two chapters later John has Jesus saying “I go unto the Father, for my Father is greater than I.” John 14:28. If the father is greater than Jesus, they are not the same being. Throughout the Christian bible we are told that Jesus does not know things that G-d knows. Mark 13:32 says "neither the son, but the Father." The "son" does not know, but the father does. If they were one and the same that makes no sense. Even "if" Jesus claimed to be G-d "so what?" The T'nach (bible) makes it clear that this is false. Not only does G-d tell us time and again that He is not a man, and that He does not change. . . He also warned us that any form of worship we did not "know" at Mount Sinai is false. No one at Sinai ever heard of Jesus. No one at Sinai prayed in the name of Jesus. Hence this claim is false, the religion itself is false. Read D’varim 11 and D’varim 13 (Deuteronomy): ". . . .the curse, if you. . .turn away from the way I command you this day, to follow other gods, WHICH YOU DID NOT KNOW." D'varim / Deuteronomy 11: 28. "[This is what you must do] if your blood brother, your son, your daughter, your bosom wife, or your closest friend secretly tries to act as a missionary among you, and says, 'Let us go worship a new god. LET US HAVE A SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN BY YOU OR YOUR FATHER.' 13:8 [He may be enticing you with] the gods of the nations around you, far or near, or those that are found at one end of the world or another. 13:9 Do not agree with him, and do not listen to him." D'varim / Deuteronomy 13:7 . Jews believe that G-d is not a man and He does not change His mind. (Bamidbar / Numbers 23:19). Thus when He says that Torah is eternal, His promises to the Jews are eternal He is not lying.
The list maker (list of 365 supposed prophecies Jesus fulfilled) is yet again repeating a claim. This claim was made just two lines before, #349: "Zechariah 11:12-13a...Betrayed for thirty pieces of silver... Matthew 26:14-15." It was not true in that claim and it is not true here either. Which brings up an interesting point: Matthew 27 gets its reference wrong. "Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price set on him by the people of Israel, and they used them to buy the potter’s field, as the L-rd commanded me.” Matthew 27:9 - 10. Um. Wrong. Y'rmiyahu / Jeremiah says no such thing. Funny enough the NIV translation footnotes Matthew 27 with a reference to "Jeremiah 19." Check the reference. It has nothing to do with 30 pieces of silver or a price to buy a potter's field. Y'rmiayhu / Jeremiah 19 mentions buying a potter's earthen jug (not a potter's field!). G-d told Y'rmiyahu / Jeremiah to buy a jug from a potter (specifically a clay jug). He was to go to the Dung Gate, where broken pottery was thrown away. The people were sacrificing their children to false gods -- and the prophet was to prophesy against them -- warning them that this would lead to their destruction -- then he was to smash the jug in front of the leaders of the people. A jug. A potter's jug. Not a potter's field -- and nothing whatsoever to do with 30 pieces of silver. The NIV also references Jeremiah 32 as "fulfillment" of Matthew 27. Also incorrect. Y'rmiyahu / Jeremiah 32 has the prophet imprisoned. The prophet had a vision that his cousin חֲנַמְאֵל / Ch'namel is coming to see him to ask Jeremiah to use his right of redemption to purchase a field of his in Anasos. Apparently a request to purchase a field somehow equates (in the minds of the NIV translators) to a prophesy fulfilled? Again -- 650+ years before Jesus supposedly lived we have the prophet being asked to buy a field -- but somehow this is a prophesy that someone will pay Judas 30 coins to buy a field? This is not a prophesy of the messiah being betrayed -- and one only need to read Y'rmiyahu / Jeremiah 32 to learn the truth. G-d says that the Jews in Babylonian exile will return to the land of Israel -- and when they do return they will buy and sell property. . . "Men shall buy fields for money and inscribe deeds and sign [them] and appoint witnesses in the land of Benjamin and in the environs of Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah and in the cities of the mountain and in the cities of the lowland and in the cities of the southland, for I will restore their captivity, says the L-rd." Y'rmiyahu / Jeremiah 32:44. Y'rmiyahu / Jeremiah selling land to his cousin (no mention of 30 pieces of silver) -- while he is in captivity and cannot claim that land -- shows his trust in G-d to restore the Jewish people to their land. . . It has nothing to do with the messiah, nothing to do with Jesus, nothing to do with Matthew and nothing to do with 30 pieces of silver being thrown into the Temple. . . And what of Z'charyah / Zechariah 11 -- which the list maker claims is a "fulfillment" of Matthew 26 where Judas is paid 30 pieces of silver? Z'charyah / Zechariah 11 (not Y'rmiyahu / Jeremiah) mentions 30 pieces of silver -- but nothing about this being a price set by the people of Israel. In Z'charyah / Zechariah 11 G-d mentions 30 pieces of silver (not Israel). The 30 pieces of silver are not used to "buy" a field -- they are not really coins at all. . . they are a metaphor for 30 righteous men -- G-d's "pay" to redeem the Jewish people from exile. . . more on that momentarily. . . Z'charyah / Zechariah 11 - 12-13 is not a messianic prophecy. It has nothing to do with Jesus being betrayed for 30 pieces of silver. It not about the messiah. It is not a prophecy at all -- but rather a command! G-d commands the prophet Z'charyiah / Zechariah "And the L-rd said to me: Cast it (30 silver coins) to the keeper of the treasury, to the stronghold of glory-of which I stripped them. " Z'charyah / Zechariah 11 - 13. And Z'chariyah / Zechariah did as G-d commanded "And I (Z'charyah / Zechariah) took the thirty pieces of silver, and I (Z'charyah / Zechariah) cast it into the house of the L-rd, to the keeper of the treasury." Z'charyah / Zechariah 11 - 13. Done. Took. Cast it into the Temple. 500+ years before Jesus was supposedly born. Apparently the mere mention of "thirty pieces of silver" is enough for the list maker -- even though in Z'charyah / Zechariah 11 G-d is not speaking of actual coins, but is rather comparing thirty righteous people pieces of silver. Using this metaphor G-d said He would put these righteous men (coins) “in the treasury,” -- they would live through the seventy years of exile and return, along with the people, to the land of Israel (Judah) to rebuild the Temple. Z'charyah / Zechariah 11 is not a messianic prophecy. There is not one word in the chapter that the messiah will be rejected. There is not one word about the messiah in this chapter PERIOD. There is no prophecy anywhere in the bible that the messiah will be rejected. In Z'charyah / Zechariah 11 G-d is saying that the Jews have rejected Him. He likens Himself to a shepherd -- one who has led his flock (the Jews) with two staffs: one of pleasantness and one of destruction. The rulers of the Jews did not do a good job -- so G-d cut them off. G-d gave these rulers of Judah one more chance to return to Him. If the Jews and their rulers did not turn to Him then they would be exiled to Babylon for seventy years. The exile and the rejection (of G-d, to the Jewish people -- not the Jewish peoples' rejection of the messiah) would not be forever because G-d would have mercy on the people due to thirty righteous people, who are likened to pieces of silver. At the end of seventy years of exile G-d would restore the Jewish people to the land of Israel because of the merit of these thirty people. Why did the Jews "reject" Jesus? It wasn't personal. Jesus, along with many others, failed to fulfill the criteria to be the messiah -- and "no" there are no "second chances." If a man is born, has the birthright to be the messiah (Jesus did not) he must also fulfill the messianic prophecies or he is simply not the messiah. The criteria -- the bible's criteria -- tells us who the messiah will be. The major criteria are: A. Build the Third Temple (Y'chezkel / Ezekiel 37:26-28). B. Gather all Jews back to the Land of Israel (Y'shayahu / Isaiah 43:5-6). C. Usher in an era of world peace, and end all hatred, oppression, suffering and disease. As it says: "Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall man learn war anymore." (Y'shayahu / Isaiah 2:4) D. Spread universal knowledge of the G-d of Israel, which will unite humanity as one. As it says: "G-d will be King over all the world -- on that day, G-d will be One and His Name will be One" (Z'charyah / Zechariah 14:9). If an individual fails to fulfill even one of these conditions, then he cannot be "The Messiah." If Jesus had been the messiah the Jewish people would have embraced him with open arms -- we pray daily for the arrival of the messiah. . . the simple fact is that Jesus was not he. Does G-d's rejection of the Jewish people in Z'charyah / Zechariah 11 prove the contention of many Christians that G-d has permanently rejected the Jews and that Christians have replaced them (supersessionism or replacement theology)? Replacement theology is a Christian doctrine which asserts that the New Covenant of Jesus, takes the place of the Jewish covenant. This idea is certainly found in the Christian bible: “For they did not continue in My covenant and I did not care for them…” Hebrews 8:9. This claim states that the Jews are no longer G-d's chosen people. Not only have Christians replaced the Jews, but G-d doesn't have specific future plans for the nation of Israel. In other words the Christian bible and this Christian concept calls G-d a liar. In the T'nach (Jewish bible) G-d states time and time and time again that He would never break His covenant with the Jewish people. Vayikra / Leviticus 26:44-45: "But despite all this, while they are in the land of their enemies, I will not despise them nor will I reject them to annihilate them, thereby breaking My covenant that is with them, for I am the L-rd their G-d. 45. I will remember for them the covenant [made with] the ancestors, whom I took out from the land of Egypt before the eyes of the nations, to be a G-d to them. I am the L-rd." Shoftim / Judges 2:1: "I will not break my covenant with you FOREVER." Y'chezkel / Ezekiel 16:59-60: "For so said the L-rd G-d: I have done with you as you did, that you despised an oath to violate a covenant. 60. But I shall remember My covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I shall establish for you an EVERLASTING COVENANT." Y'rmiyahu / Jeremiah 46:27. "You fear not, O Jacob My servant, and be not dismayed, O Israel! for behold, I will redeem you from afar and your children from the land of their captivity, and Jacob shall return and be quiet and at ease, and there shall be none who disturb his rest. 28. You fear not, My servant Jacob, says the L-rd, for I am with you, for I will make a full end of all the nations where I have driven you, but of you I will not make a full end, but I will chastise you justly, and I will not completely destroy you." T'hillim / Psalms 105:8-10: "He remembers His covenant forever, the word He had commanded to the thousandth generation, 9. Which He had made with Abraham, and His oath to Isaac, 10. And He set it up to Jacob as a statute, to Israel as an EVERLASTING COVENANT." The translation “new” at the end of Y'rmiyahu / Jeremiah 31:30 (the Christian number is 31) really means “renewed” because verse 32 (33 in Christian versions) clearly states that the “new” b'rit (covenant) is going to be G-d’s Torah -- just as the Sinaic covenant is G-d's Torah. "For this is the covenant that I will form with the house of Israel after those days, says the L-rd: I have put (נָתַֽתִּי / “I have put") My Torah (תּֽוֹרָתִי֙ / my Torah / my instructions) among them, and I will inscribe it upon their hearts, and I will be their G-d and they shall be My people." Each covenant builds on the previous -- none "does away" with, vanishes or "grows old" as says Hebrews. Likewise those who insist Jeremiah is speaking of a replacement covenant with Jesus and Christianity seem to ignore "I have put (נָתַֽתִּי / “I have put") My Torah (תּֽוֹרָתִי֙ / my Torah / my instructions) among them, and I will inscribe it upon their hearts, and I will be their G-d and they shall be My people." Torah. Not Jesus. They also mistranslate חֲדָשָׁה at the end of verse 30 as "new." This is incorrect and ought to be “renewed”, because verse 32 clearly states that the “new” b'rit (covenant) is going to be G-d’s Torah -- just as the Torah is the covenant of Sinai. This is a renewal of the earlier covenant. Not a replacement of the "old" covenant with the "new" -- the old which has "withered away." False. Lies. It is all in the bible -- read it for yourself. Another claimed prophetic fulfillment which has nothing whatsoever to do with the passage which supposedly "prophesies." Z'charyah / Zechariah 11 is not a messianic prophecy. No one is betrayed for thirty pieces of silver (or prophesied that someone will, in the future, be betrayed for thirty pieces of silver). The "thirty pieces of silver" are not even thirty pieces of silver in Z'charyah / Zechariah 11. Speaking metaphorically in Z'charyah / Zechariah 11 G-d is stating that He will exile the Jewish people to Babylon for seventy years because they have rejected Him -- but He will return them to the land of Israel do the fact that there are thirty righteous men (the thirty pieces of silver) who warrant a return to Israel. "And I said to them: "If it pleases you, give [Me] My hire, and if not, forbear." And they weighed out My hire: thirty pieces of silver." Z'charyah / Zechariah 11:12. G-d is speaking (through the prophet) and saying if you fulfill my commandments (give [Me] My hire) I will not do it (forbear) for the payment of thirty righteous men who do respect me (thirty pieces of silver). The thirty pieces of silver are the, metaphorically, the pay of the shepherd (G-d). You have to start at the beginning of the chapter to understand what is happening. The beginning of chapter 11 speaks of the down fall of the nations and "the flock to be slain" (11:4) are the Jews. Jews are sold like animals (11:4-5). The two staffs G-d speaks of using (11:7) are being pleasant (נוֹעַם / no'am means pleasantness) when we are good and our punisher when we are wicked (per Radak). When G-d says he removed 3 shepherds (11:8) He is speaking of three kings He removed (Jewish kings). Now you come to 11:10 and G-d speaks of a covenant He made with the non-Jewish nations that they would not harm the Jews. (He broke His staff of pleasantness). He says to them "if you want G-d (Me) to be your shepherd (verse 11:12) then you mus pay My fee. What is G-d's fee? To be good people. To keep their end of the covenant and not harm the Jews that were given to them as slaves and victims. The verse goes on to say that only thirty people were truly righteous. These are the thirty silver coins. When you get to verse 13 the "30 coins" are thrown into the Temple (Precious Stronghold). Z'charyah / Zechariah is saying the Temple will be rebuilt because of the righteous deeds of these 30 people. They alone paid G-d's fee. This has nothing to do with anyone being betrayed, let alone betrayed for thirty pieces of silver. The opposite is true. It is G-d who feels rejected, but He realizes there are thirty righteous men (the opposite of someone who betrays you), and for the merits of these thirty men G-d will redeem the entire nation of Israel (the Jewish people) and return them from exile. 11:14 goes on to speak of the destruction of Judah which will happen as well of that of Israel (the Northern Kingdom). 11:15-16 are a reference to Rome. The Romans didn't pay attention to the decimated ones (the Judeans). He will not heal the broken one, he will not nurture the weak ones -- and this continues to this very day. Before the messiah comes the nations will attack Jerusalem (chapter 12). Clearly this is not about the messiah, clearly it has nothing to do with a payment for betraying the messiah -- the mere fact that thirty pieces of silver are mentioned is tied to the story in the Christian bible that Judas was paid with thirty pieces of silver. There is no connection whatsoever. Z'charyah / Zechariah 11 does not say that when the messiah would be G-d. The messiah is not mentioned at all in Z'charyah / Zechariah 11. The chapter is about G-d's anger with the Jewish people (not all -- but most) who were ignoring Him, rejecting Him -- even after all He had done for them. He speaks of Himself as a shepherd who has guarded his flock (the Jews) with two different types of staffs: a staff of pleasantness and a staff of destruction. Just as a parent uses positive re-enforcement and negative (treats versus "time out") -- so, to, does G-d. "And I took My [first] staff, [called] Pleasantness and I (G-d) cut it off to nullify My covenant that I (G-d) [had] formed with all the peoples. And it was nullified on that day. And the poor of the flock that kept My (G-d) word knew this, that it was the word of the L-rd." Z'charyah / Zechariah 10 - 10 - 11. Do you see any mention of the messiah? Of course you do not see a mention of the messiah, because he isn't mentioned! It little matters what claims are made in the Christian bible -- that Jesus is a son of G-d or G-d Himself. This is patently false and paganistic (the Romans no doubt using it as a "sales" tool to convert the pagans to Christianity). The T'nach makes it clear that G-d is not, and never will be, a man. "I HaShem do not change ." Malachi 3:6. "Before Me no god was formed, nor will there be one after Me. I, even I, am HaShem, and besides Me there is no Savior.” Y'shayahu / Isaiah 43:11. “I am the first and I am the last; apart from Me there is no G-d! Y'shayahu / Isaiah 44:6. "I am HaShem, and there is no other; besides Me there is no G-d" Y'shayahu / Isaiah 45:5. "Remember the first things of old, that I am G-d and there is no other; I am G-d and there is none like Me." Y'shayahu / Isaiah 46:9. The messiah will be a normal human being with normal human parents. The idea of a divine messiah is pagan -- the pagan religions were replete with half human-half god deities. This is not biblical -- G-d is G-d, He is One and He is unique. There is nothing like G-d who is infinite and omnipotent. Man is man. The twain does not meet. Z'charyah / Zechariah 11 has G-d stating that He will temporarily reject the Jewish people -- temporarily. As always G-d is kind and forgiving -- He did NOT reject the people forever or without a way to return to Him. G-d gave the last kings of Judah a way to return to Him. G-d said that there were thirty righteous people. He compared the thirty righteous men to pieces of silver. G-d said He would put these thirty righteous men “in the treasury" -- meaning they would be the ones to allow the entire people to return from Babylonian Exile after a period of punishment. So, while this claim is misleading (in that G-d did not permanently reject the Jews, and this passage has nothing to do with the messiah), it is somewhat true. G-d temporarily rejected the people, sending them into exile. G-d told Zechariah to tend to this flock, which would ultimately fall into the hands of Edom (Rome, later Christianity). Z'charyah / Zechariah 11:15 - 16 are a reference to Rome. The Romans didn't pay attention to the decimated ones (the Judeans). He will not heal the broken one, he will not nurture the weak ones -- and this continues to this very day. So how can we know with a certainty that G-d did not permanently reject the Jewish people? He says so! Y'rmiyahu / Jeremiah 46:27. "You fear not, O Jacob My servant, and be not dismayed, O Israel! for behold, I will redeem you from afar and your children from the land of their captivity, and Jacob shall return and be quiet and at ease, and there shall be none who disturb his rest. 28. You fear not, My servant Jacob, says the L-rd, for I am with you, for I will make a full end of all the nations where I have driven you, but of you I will not make a full end, but I will chastise you justly, and I will not completely destroy you." G-d repeatedly tells us that He will not break His covenant with Israel EVER. Here are just a few: Vayikra / Leviticus 26:44-45: "But despite all this, while they are in the land of their enemies, I will not despise them nor will I reject them to annihilate them, thereby breaking My covenant that is with them, for I am the L-rd their G-d. 45. I will remember for them the covenant [made with] the ancestors, whom I took out from the land of Egypt before the eyes of the nations, to be a G-d to them. I am the L-rd." Z'charyah / Zechariah 11 is not a messianic prophecy. #346. Zechariah 11:9...Stops ministering to the those who rejected Him... Matthew 13:10-116/15/2018 Having checked the list of 365 supposed prophecies Jesus is said to have fulfilled there are seven more tied to Z'charyah / Zechariah 11. There are total of thirteen claims on the list tied to Zechariah 11. And yet there is not one messianic prophecy in the entire chapter. There is no word of the messiah. There is no word of a person ministering to any people. There is no word of any people rejecting a human being. Nothing. It simply is not there. Strangely, too, is the "proof" text given by the list maker. Matthew 13:10-11 speaks of Jesus teaching in parables ON PURPOSE so that people won't understand him. "The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them." This statement from Jesus shows that he was a liar. According to the Christian bible Jesus said to the high priest. "I have spoken openly to the world,” Jesus replied. “I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret. 21 Why question me? Ask those who heard me. Surely they know what I said.” John 18:20-21. This is a total lie based on the words of Matthew 13:10-11. But it has nothing to do with any prophetic fulfillment of Zechariah 11:9. In what way does that passage match to Zechariah 11:9 which says has G-d speaking about the fact that He has been like a shepherd to the Jewish people -- leading with two "staffs." One staff is of pleasantness and the other with punishment to try and lead the Jews in the "right direction." In this verse he says: "And I took My [first] staff, [called] Pleasantness and I cut it off to nullify My covenant that I [had] formed with all the peoples." G-d is speaking about His anger at the fact that the people rejected Him, even after all He has done for them. As a result He will exile the Jews for 70 years to Babylon (not permanently rejecting them, but punishing them). Z'charyah / Zechariah 11 is not a messianic prophecy. There is not one word in the chapter that the messiah will be despised. The prophet (speaking for G-d) says that three shepherds (rulers) rejected G-d and so G-d in turn could not tolerate them. THEM. Three rulers (not one man, aka Jesus). As in plural -- not singular. "I cut off the three shepherds in one month, I could not tolerate them; moreover, they were too much for Me." Z'charyah / Zechariah 11:8. The creator of the list of 365 supposed prophecies Jesus fulfilled must have thought that the sheer number of 365 gave him (her?) safety from anyone checking the facts. The list maker says this verse is about Jesus being despised, so it "must be so!" Except it isn't. Perhaps we shouldn't blame the list maker. Take a look at the "proof" text which supposedly shows Jesus fulfilled a "prophecy" that the messiah would be despised in Zechariah 11:8. Matthew 27:20 says "the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus." The chief priests (plural?) -- there was only one כהן גדול / Kohen Gadol / chief priest at a time (not plural). The priests were primarily Sadducee (highly Hellenized and buddies with the Romans). The Sadducee (including the priests) and Pharisees hated each other -- they would not have worked together as Matthew (and later Luke) state. Just the day before crowds supposedly loved Jesus, "The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!” Matthew 21:9. So these people went from loving him to despising him simply because some people tried to persuade them to destroy him? Seems highly unlikely! But -- even if this were true and all the people suddenly despised Jesus (even though his followers started a religion around him, hmmm -- slight contradiction?) -- even if it were true SO WHAT? Lots of people are despised. Being despised does not qualify a person to be the messiah! There is no prophecy that the messiah will be despised. None. The passage in Zechariah 11:8 is about three rulers, not the messiah. The theme of the chapter in Z'charyah / Zechariah 11 is G-d giving His reasons for exiling the Jewish people to Babylonian Exile for 70 years. G-d is stating that He has ruled the Jews (as a shepherd watches over His flock) with kindness and with punishment. The Jews (as a whole, not all the Jews) have rejected Him and so He is "fed up." The Jews would be punished -- exiled to Babylon for 70 years. After that time G-d will return them to the land of Israel for the sake of 30 righteous Jews (likened to 30 pieces of silver). G-d said He would put these righteous 30 men “in the treasury." In other words, G-d would preserve them throughout the seventy years of exile until the Temple is rebuilt. A "prophecy" built out of thin air. It simply does not exist. Nothing in Z'charyah / Zechariah 11 is a messianic prophecy. In the entire T'nach (bible) there is not one prophecy that the Jews will reject the messiah. In this chapter G-d, through his prophet, is saying that the Jews have a choice: accept G-d or reject Him and face the consequences. The passage doesn't even say that the Jews will reject G-d (not the messiah) -- but what will happen if they do reject Him. He will punish them by exiling them to Babylon -- but G-d will not reject them. Matthew 23:33 is the very anti-Jewish verse: "You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?" Somehow this does not bring to mind a "loving" Jesus, does it? Matthew 23 is one of the most anti-Jewish sections of the Greek Text -- a brood of vipers, hypocrites. . . every possible evil is blamed on the Jews -- including every murder ever committed going all the way back to Cain and Abel -- the sons of Adam who predate the Jewish people. Matthew 23:35: "so that upon you may fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar." This is repeated in Luke 11:51 -- the same chapter that begins with "the L-rd's prayer" and ends with: "from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the house of G-d; yes, I tell you, it shall be charged against this generation." Both Matthew and Luke blame "that generation" for the blood of all righteous people EVER LIVING up to that time! This is totally against the Torah which says that we are all responsible for our OWN sins and that we can repent of our sins and become good and righteous people: "The wicked should forsake his ways, and the evil person should forsake his plans, and return to HaShem, Who will have mercy on him, for He forgives abundantly." (Y'shayahu / Isaiah 55:7). Yet Matthew and Luke just said that the Jews are responsible for the blood of all righteous people going all the way back to Abel? Then why does Isaiah say that even a wicked person can change his ways and become good? Matthew and Luke hold out no hope! In these passages whoever put these words in Jesus' mouth accuses the Jews of being responsible for the murder of all the righteous of mankind from Abel to Zechariah. This kinda ignores the fact that there were NO Jews in the time of Abel, Noah, etc. In other words it is anti-Semitic drivel to convince others that Jews are bad and damned, ergo turn to that Xian love! How can someone be responsible for something done by others long before his or her own birth? In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus instructed his followers in Matthew 5:43: “Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, and do good to those who hate you.” Yet in the very same gospel, a mere 18 chapters later, we have Jesus calling the Jewish leaders hypocrites, snakes and vipers! Practice what you preach perhaps? The prophet Z'charyah / Zechariah, the son of Berekiah, is the prophet of this book in the T'nach (Bible). In Matthew 23:35 Jesus says that Zechariah, the son of Berekiah, was murdered by "the Jews." To quote "the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar." Wrong. You would think a messiah, let alone someone who is supposedly a god, would get his facts straight. The Zechariah who was murdered was ben (son of) Y'hoyada-- not ben (son of) Berekiah -- the one mentioned by Jesus in Matthew is a different person. The man named Z'charyah / Zechariah who was murdered on order of King Yoash around 900 BCE was a different man. The murder victim was killed 900 years before Jesus supposedly lived BY THE KING (not the "Jews"). Divrei Hayamim Beit / 2 Chronicles 24:20-21: "And the spirit of G-d enveloped Zechariah the son of Y'hoyada the priest, and he stood above the people and said to them, "So said G-d: Why do you transgress the commandments of the L-rd? You will not succeed because you have forsaken the L-rd, and He has forsaken you." And they conspired against him and stoned him by the king's command, in the forecourt of the House of the L-rd." The king. The king referenced here was King Yoash. The Prophet Y'rmiyahu / Jeremiah alludes to this incident in his Eichah / Lamentations: "See, O L-rd, and behold, to whom [else] have You done thus! Will women devour their own offspring, children that are petted? Will priest and prophet be slain in the Sanctuary of the L-rd?" Eichah / Lamentations 2:20 So here we have Jesus blaming "the Jews" for every murder from Abel by Cain to the wrong Z'charyah / Zechariah - - even though the T'nach tells us clearly that there were no Jews in the time of Abel, and it was Z'charyah / ben Yehoiada who was murdered BY THE KING (not "the Jews"). There is another error in the Christian bible regarding this murder. Matthew 23:35 and Luke 11:51 state that the prophet Z'charyah / Zechariah was murdered in the Temple “between the sanctuary and the altar”—a claim for which there is no Scriptural basis whatsoever. Read Divrei Hayamim Beit / 2 Chronicles 24:20-21 -- the murder victim was killed in the forecourt, not between the sanctuary and the altar. Accusations against the Jews in the Christian bible seem to be there to discredit us, all the better to "sell" Christianity. The Talmud suggests very strongly that the prophets Ḥaggai, Z'charyah and Malachi all died of natural causes -- it is mentioned three times! “From [the time that] the last of the prophets—Ḥaggai, Z'charyah and Mal'achi—died, the gift of prophecy [literally, ‘the Spirit of Holiness’] was removed from Yisraél” (Yoma 9b; Sotah 48b; Sanhedrin 11a). There's no evidence anywhere in the Hebrew Bible that the Prophet Z'char'yah (the one with the Book that bears his name) was killed in the Second Temple. Where, then, is the reasoning that the messiah would reject the Jews? False information in the Christian bible -- not supported at all by the Jewish bible. Indeed, the prophet Z'charyah / Zechariah clearly states that G-d will never permanently reject the Jewish people: "Return to Me, said the L-rd of Hosts, and I will return to you, said the L-rd of Hosts. . . "...I will return to Jerusalem in mercy, my house will be built within her...and the L-rd shall yet console Zion and shall yet choose Jerusalem.'" (Z'charyah / Zechariah 1:7-17). In Z'charyah / Zechariah 11 G-d is stating that He has ruled the Jews (as a shepherd watches over His flock) with kindness and with punishment. The Jews (as a whole, not all the Jews) have rejected Him and so He is "fed up." The Jews would be punished -- exiled to Babylon for 70 years. After that time G-d will return them to the land of Israel for the sake of 30 righteous Jews (likened to 30 pieces of silver). G-d said He would put these righteous 30 men “in the treasury." In other words, G-d would preserve them throughout the seventy years of exile until the Temple is rebuilt. Not one word about the messiah, let alone that the messiah would reject the Jews. The words of the prophet, which are the words of G-d Himself, have been twisted and distorted. Again, read the T'nach for yourself -- it is easy enough to see. There is nothing in Z'charyah / Zechariah 11 that is a messianic prophecy. Not in the entire chapter. It does not speak about anyone missionizing (ministering) either -- to the poor, the rich or the in between. It mentions that G-d tends to His flock (the Jewish people). The verse reads: "And I (G-d) tended the flock of slaughter; indeed, the poor of the flock. And I took for Myself two staffs; one I called Pleasantness, and one I called Destroyers; and I tended the flock." Z'charyah / Zechariah 11:7. He then goes on to say that the Jews (described as a flock being led to slaughter) will be killed by enemies even though they are not guilty of anything (Nazi Germany ring a bell?). In other words: the opposite of ministering. G-d is saying if the Jews do not return to Him He will NOT minister to them -- He will leave them to be punished by the other nations. G-d says that he will not save those being led to slaughter from the hands of their enemies. There is also no messianic prophecy that the messiah will be a "preacher" or a "healer." Matthew 9:35 - 36 speaks of Jesus going to various towns preaching and healing -- and there is not one messianic prophecy that the true messiah will do that. Jesus could have performed miracles from here until doomsday and still not have been a prophet. Read Deuteronomy: “If there should stand up in your midst a prophet or a dreamer of a dream, and he will produce to you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes about, of which he spoke to you, saying "Let us follow gods of others that you did not know (at Sinai) and we shall worship them do not hearken to the words of that prophet or to that dreamer of a dream, for HASHEM, your G-d, is testing you to know whether you love HASHEM, your G-d with all your heart and with all your soul. HASHEM, your G-d, shall you follow and Him shall you fear; His commandments shall you observe and to His voice shall you hearken; Him shall you serve and to Him shall you cleave. And that prophet and that dreamer of a dream shall be put to death, for he had spoken perversion against HASHEM, your G-d Who takes you out of the land of Egypt, and Who redeems you from the house of slavery to make you stray from the path on which HASHEM, you G-d, has commanded you to go; and you shall destroy the evil from your midst.” (Artscroll) D’varim / Deuteronomy 13:2-6. Just because someone can perform “signs” do not follow them. After all, the Pharaoh’s magicians were able to duplicate many of Moses’ miracles. Signs, magic and even miracles are not proof that a person is a true prophet, let alone a messiah or a “god.” If someone adds to or subtracts from the Torah -- changing any of its lessons and mitzvot -- they are a false prophet. Jesus did not fulfill even one messianic prophecy. Read the book of Y'chezekel / Ezekiel and see for yourself: 1. Jesus did not rebuild the Temple. יְחֶזְקֵאל / Y'chezkel / Ezekiel 37:26-28: “I shall give My Sanctuary in their midst forever. My dwelling-place shall be over them… The nations shall know that I am G‑d who sanctifies Israel, when My Sanctuary shall be in the midst of them forever.” 2. Jesus did not return the Jewish Exiles of Israel יְחֶזְקֵאל / Y'chezkel / Ezekiel 39:25, 27-29: “…Now I shall bring back the captivity of Jacob and I shall have compassion on the whole House of Israel, and I shall be zealous for My holy Name… When I shall have returned them from the nations and gathered them from the lands of their enemies… They shall know that I am G‑d, their G‑d, in that I exiled them to the nations and gathered them unto their land, and I will not leave any one of them there. I will no more hide My face from them, as I will pour out My spirit upon the House of Israel…” and "when I bring you out from the nations and gather you from the lands where you were scattered, and I shall be sanctified in you in the eyes of the nations. You shall know that I am G‑d when I bring you to the earth of Israel, to the land about which I raised My hand to give it to your fathers.” (יְחֶזְקֵאל / Y'chezkel / Ezekiel 20:32-37, 40-42); and “Therefore say to the House of Israel, Thus said the Lord G‑d: I am not doing (this) for your sake, House of Israel, but for My holy Name which you profaned among the nations wither you came. I shall sanctify My great Name that was profaned among the nations, that you profaned in their midst, and the nations shall know that I am G‑d, says the Lord G‑d, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes. I shall take you from the nations, and I shall gather you from all the lands, and I shall bring you to your land. I shall sprinkle pure waters upon you and you shall be purified from all your sins, and I will purify you from all your idols…” (יְחֶזְקֵאל / Y'chezkel / Ezekiel 36:22-25) 3. Jesus did not end all evil and sin: יְחֶזְקֵאל / Y'chezkel / Ezekiel 37:23: “They shall not defile themselves anymore with their idols and with their abominations and with all their transgressions…” 4. Jesus did not resurrect dead. “Behold I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, My people; and I will bring you into the Land of Israel. You shall know that I am G‑d when I open your graves and when I revive you from your graves, My people. I shall put My spirit into you and you will live, and I will place you upon your land, and you will know that I, G‑d, have spoken and done, says G‑d.” (יְחֶזְקֵאל / Y'chezkel / Ezekiel 37:12-14). (The Christian bible in Matthew 27 speaks of people getting out of their graves and walking around -- but there is not one source that proves this ever happened -- you'd think the Romans might have noticed!). 5. Jesus did not end death -- he couldn't prevent even his own death: “I will call for the grain and increase it… and I will increase the fruit of the tree and the produce of the field…” (יְחֶזְקֵאל / Y'chezkel / Ezekiel 36:29-30. This verse is not about the messiah -- it is speaking about G-d. The prophet Z'charyah / Zechariah states that because the Jews turned their backs on G-d He will punish them. Jesus was never a king -- and what king would the list maker claim replaced Jesus? There was none. Read Z'charyah / Zechariah 11 for yourself -- it says nothing about a king being rejected, let alone a king being rejected in favor of another king. The claimed verses speak of G-d Himself. "So said the L-rd, my G-d: Tend the flock of slaughter, whose buyers shall slay them and not be guilty; and whose sellers shall say, "Blessed be the L-rd, for I have become wealthy"; and whose shepherds shall not have pity on them. For I will no longer have pity on the inhabitants of the land, says the L-rd. And behold! I will deliver the men, each one into his neighbor's hand and into his king's hand. And they shall crush the land, and I will not save [them] from their hand[s]." Z'charyah / Zechariah 11:4 - 6. Do you see anything about a king being rejected for another king? Me neither. G-d is saying that the Jews (described as a flock being led to slaughter) will be killed by enemies even though they are not guilty of anything (Nazi Germany ring a bell?). G-d says that he will not save those being led to slaughter from the hands of their enemies -- this has nothing to do with a Jewish king being rejected by the Jewish people in favor of "another" king. G-d says that in the past He personally tended the "flock" of the Jewish people, using both pleasantness and destruction to keep the Jews observant of His mitzvot. He says that He cut off three rulers in one month because He could not tolerate their ways. As a result it has come to this: G-d refused to tend to the people. He no longer used the staff of pleasantness, saying that whatever happens, happens. He gave the last kings of Judah one final chance to return to Him. None of this fits the missionary claim. |
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