This claim paves the way for replacement theology: the Jews "messed up" so G-d replaced them with Christians. This assertion on the part of the Christian bible and many missionaries is totally refuted by the T'nach (bible) itself. Unfortunately many missionaries only read the T'nach (their version, the mistranslated and out of order "old" testament) for proof passages they think fit Jesus. They ignore the parts of the bible which clearly speak about G-d's promises to the Jews. Jews who fought with one another and went through the motions of observance without the meaning were punished by G-d. Punished but not for ever. G-d promises time and again in the T'nach that He will never "divorce" the Jews. He will never leave us. . . Yes, He punished the Jews with exile -- but He clearly states that the time will come when the Jews will return to the land of Israel and the entire world will live in peace. Missionaries just ignore the words of G-d, amazing as that may seem. G-d says He will never desert the Jews. NEVER. Judges 2:1: "I will not break my covenant with you FOREVER." Yirmiyahu / 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" 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." 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." If Z'charyah / Zechariah 11 does not say that G-d removes (permanently) His protection for the Jews what is it about? It is a prophecy of the destruction of the second Temple and the exile of the Jewish people. Z'charyah / Zechariah 11 does not say that G-d did this because the Jewish people rejected Him. The beginning of chapter 11 speaks of the downfalll 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 (noam 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 30 people were truly righteous. These are the 30 silver coins. When you get to verse 13 the "30 coins" are thrown into the Temple (Precious Stronghold) Zechariah is saying the Temple will be rebuilt because of the righteous deeds of these 30 people. They alone paid G-d's fee. Z'charyah / Zechariah 11:14 goes on to speak of the destruction of Judah which will happen as well of that of Israel (the Northern Kingdom). 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 borken 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 now).
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Z'charyah / Zechariah 11 does not say that when the messiah comes Israel will have unfit leaders. It is more general, speaking of the unfit leaders of the foreign nations who have mistreated Israel as well as earlier Jewish leaders who misled the people. Israel can refer to:
Context tells you who "Israel" is meant to reference. In this passage the term "Israel" refers to the Jewish people In the prophecy G-d tells the prophet that the nations will be told to open their gates -- then fire will consume their kings. The prophet tells us that G-d says to the Jews to prepare shepherds / leaders for the Israel / the flock. He says that while earlier leaders misled us Jews to our own destruction in the nations we were exiled to -- G-d will not forget or forgive the nations of our exile who mistreated us. Those nations praised G-d for giving them Jews to exploit: we "shall slay them and not be guilty. . . "Blessed be the L-rd, for I have become wealthy" Z'charyah / Zechariah 11:5. The nations won't always be so happy because they mistreated the Jews. G-d will not take be kind to the nations unless they repent of their evil. If the nations do not see the error of their ways G-d will let them destroy each another -- and He will let it happen. "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 11:6. G-d then reminds the prophet that He personally tended the flock of Israel, in olden days -- the days of the freedom from slavery in Egypt. . . In those days G-d had two staffs to guide the Jewish people -- one of pleasantness and one of destruction. He removed three rulers in one month because He could not tolerate their ways. This is the passage the list maker twists as if it refers to the Jews having unfit leaders when the messiah comes. . . G-d then tells Z'charyah / Zechariah to tend to the Jews (His flock) -- because it would fall into the hands of Edom (Rome / Christians). The Jewish leaders in this time won't care for the weak and sick. The leaders will only be out for themselves. . . they will devour the resources of the wealthy until they are gone. In the future G-d will wreak vengeance on these evil people: see Y'chezkel / Ezekiel 25:14. This did not happen in the time of Jesus. This prophecy does not fit Jesus' historically at all. The last chapter, Z'charyah / Zechariah 9, speaks of the messianic age when the world will be at peace, the messiah will rule the world (literally from sea to sea), the Jews will all return to Israel and the enemies of the Jews will no longer trouble us: G-d will punish them. None of that happened with Jesus. Ephesians 2:20 speaks of Jesus as the cornerstone of the Christian church -- but this has nothing to do with Z'charyah / Zechariah 10 which continues speaking of what will happen to the Jewish people in the messianic age. (Some sages tie the chapter to the Second Temple period, but most see it as being messianic). Again, read the entire chapter. Z'charyah / Zechariah 10 speaks of the victory that G-d will grant the Jewish people (the children of Judah and Ephraim) in battle: "And they shall be like mighty men, treading the mire of the streets in battle. And they shall wage war, for the L-rd is with them. And they shall shame the riders of horse." Z'charyah / Zechariah 10:5. Did Jesus wage war? Did Jesus wage war successfully? The answer to both questions is "no." In this chapter we are told that in messianic times the Jews won't be saved by other nations. . . No, in the messianic age warriors and kings will come from us. We will easily defeat our enemies because G-d is with us. "My wrath is kindled against the shepherds, and I will visit upon the goats, for the L-rd of Hosts has remembered His flock, the house of Judah, and He has made it as His majestic horse in battle. Out of them shall come the cornerstone; out of them, the stake; out of them, the bow of war. Out of them shall come every oppressor together." Z'charyah / Zechariah 10:3 -4. Did Jesus fulfill any of that? Did he lead the Jews in battle against our enemies? No. Did he have anything to do with the bow of war? No. "And they shall wage war, for the L-rd is with them" Z'charyah / Zechariah 10:5. -- Did Jesus wage war? No. Then the prophet says that the Jews will be resettled as before and it will be as if they never left. "And I will strengthen the house of Judah, and the house of Joseph I will save. And I will cause them to settle, for I have bestowed mercy upon them. And they shall be as though I had not forsaken them, for I am the Lord their G-d, and I will answer them." Z'charyah / Zechariah 10:6 The Jews were not returned to Israel in the lifetime of Jesus. Indeed the Romans exiled most of us from the land for nearly 2000 years. Only since 1948 CE have Jews begun returning en mass to the land. Jesus did not do it. Again the list maker takes one word out of the passage (cornerstone) and tries to say it is prophetic about Jesus when the sentence itself does not support the assertion. Jesus simply did not fulfill the words of the prophet! How many hundreds of thousands of people have entered Jerusalem riding a donkey? Simply riding an ass into the city is not the fulfillment of Z'charyah / Zechariah 9:9: "Be exceedingly happy, O daughter of Zion; Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem. Behold! Your king shall come to you. He is just and victorious; humble, and riding a donkey and a Tfoal, the offspring of [one of] she-donkeys." To understand the person in the prophecy it is important to read the entire chapter -- what is the topic? The topic is the real messianic era and the real messiah. Yes indeed, this is a messianic prophecy. . . And Jesus does not fit it. Z'charyah / Zechariah speaks of a time when the Jewish people's enemies will be destroyed, when G-d will protect the holy Temple, when all Jewish exiles return to the land of Israel and when the messiah will rule over the nations in peace. Not one of those things happened in the time of Jesus. Jesus was never a ruling king -- judging and ruling. The prophet tells us "his rule shall be from the sea to the west and from the river to the ends of the earth" Z'charyah / Zechariah 9:10. Jesus never ruled anywhere -- let alone to the ends of the earth. Jesus did not destroy the enemies of the Jewish people -- indeed hundreds of thousands of Jews were murdered by the Romans. Far from returning the Jews to Israel the opposite happened -- within a hundred years of Jesus' death the Romans exiled the Jews from Israel. The Temple was desecrated by the Romans with idols, parts of it were destroyed by an earthquake during the lifetime of Jesus (not after his death) -- and the Temple itself was destroyed within 30 or so years of Jesus' death. Jesus did not protect the Temple. No, simply riding a donkey into Jerusalem is not all this person must do to fulfill the prophecy! Speaking of Jesus and the donkeys (plural!) the author of Matthew 21 appears to try to apply Z'charyah / Zechariah 9:9 to Jesus. Jesus tells his followers to go and literally steal a donkey and her colt. “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me." Matthew 21:1. Just take them. Don't find out who owns them. Don't pay for them. Take them. That is theft. Read Z'charyah / Zechariah 9:8 - 10: "And I (G-d) will encamp beside My house against a garrison of those passing by and of those returning. And no oppressor shall pass by them, for now I have seen with My eyes. Be exceedingly happy, O daughter of Zion; Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem. Behold! Your king shall come to you. He is just and victorious; humble, and riding a donkey and a foal, the offspring of [one of] she-donkeys. And I will cut off the chariots from Ephraim, and the horses from Jerusalem; and the bow of war shall be cut off. And he shall speak peace to the nations, and his rule shall be from the sea to the west and from the river to the ends of the earth." He is just and victorious and humble. Jesus was not victorious. He was murdered. The list maker wants to "take" humble (and "just") and claim Jesus was both. Perhaps he was -- but two out of three does not count. Jesus was not victorious. Jesus did not rule as is prophesied. Jewish oppressors still exist, Jesus did not remove them, and so on. . . Reading the passage in context it is clear that Jesus "did not do it." Reading verse 9 in the context of verses 8 and 10 it is clear to see that Jesus did not fulfill the prophecy. Missionaries are fond of lifting a word or sentence completely out of context to say "Jesus fulfilled XYZ." In Z'charyah / Zechariah 9 we are told that in the messianic era (the real one) G-d will destroy the enemies of the Jewish people: "Behold, the L-rd shall impoverish her, and He shall smite her wealth in the sea, and she shall be consumed by fire. Ashkelon shall see and fear, and Gaza-and she shall quake violently-and Ekron, for the one to whom she looked was ashamed. And a king was lost from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited." Z'charyah / Zechariah 9:4 - 5. Were these enemies so punished in the time of Jesus? No. G-d will “camp” next to the Temple to protect it; no one will be allowed to antagonize the Jews, as G-d has now seen the distress of His people: Z'charyah / Zechariah 9:8. Was the Temple protected during the time of Jesus? No. The Romans even put foreign idols in it. “Forty years before the destruction of the Temple, the Sanhedrin was BANISHED (from the Chamber of Hewn Stone) and sat in the trading station (on the Temple Mount)”– (Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat 15a). This would be 30 CE -- 30 years before Jesus was supposedly born. An earthquake severely damaged the buildings and mikva'ot of Qumran in 31 BCE. Excavations revealed cracks in walls and a thick layer of ash from a fire that had raged. The earthquake was mentioned by Josephus. (Antiquities of the Jews 15). 31 BCE -- as in 31 years before Jesus was supposedly born. The Temple was not protected by G-d at that time. “Forty years before the destruction of the Temple, the Sanhedrin was BANISHED (from the Chamber of Hewn Stone) and sat in the trading station (on the Temple Mount)”– (Shabbat 15a). This would be 28 CE -- Jesus would still have been alive, and yet part of the Temple was destroyed and the "Supreme" Court and primary governing body of the Jews -- the Great Sanhedrin -- could no longer meet in their chamber. The loss of this chamber meant they could no longer rule on death penalty cases as well. The Temple was not protected by G-d at that time. Jesus was not a king. Jesus was not victorious. He was murdered by the Romans. Ergo, even if Jesus were humble he quite obviously did not fulfill the prophecy of Z'charyah / Zechariah 9. The T'nach tells us about the messiah's qualities. “The spirit of G‑d will rest upon him, a spirit of wisdom and understanding, a spirit of counsel and might, a spirit of knowledge and of the fear of G‑d. He shall be inspired with fear of G‑d, and he shall not judge with the sight of his eyes nor decide according to the hearing of his ears. He shall judge the poor with righteousness and decide with equity for the humble of the earth; he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth and slay the wicked with the breath of his lips. Righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faith the girdle of his reins.” (Isaiah 11:2 - 5). We will not know the messiah because he performs miracles -- he may not perform any miracles at all. He is not required to perform any miracles at all (although the performance of miracles doesn't disqualify him either). The Rambam wrote: "If we see a Jewish leader who (a) toils in the study of Torah and is meticulous about the observance of the mitzvot, (b) influences the Jews to follow the ways of the Torah and (c) wages the "battles of G‑d"—such a person is the "presumptive Moshiach." If the person succeeded in all these endeavors, and then rebuilds the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and facilitates the return of the Jews to the Land of Israel—then we are certain that he is the messiah. Read Z'charyah / Zechariah 9. Read the entire chapter. The prophecy is of a king who will rule in a time when war is no more. Jesus lived in a time of war. The prophecy is of a time when the Jewish exiles will return to the land of Israel. Jesus lived at a time when more Jews lived outside of Judah (Israel) than in it, and within 100 years of his death the Romans exiled nearly all the Jews. . . Jesus simply does not fit the messiah described by Z'charyah / Zechariah 9. Most Christians firmly believe that the messiah will save their tainted (by original sin) souls. Judaism does not have the concept of original sin -- our souls are pure and are from G-d. Our souls do not need saving. Indeed, in the T'nach (the Jewish bible) has no concept of the Christian one of needing "salvation." In the bible "salvation" always refers to physical lives being saved (rescued) from being killed. When people turn to G-d and His Torah there will be peace on earth, no more killing, etc. It has nothing to do with the Christian concept that humans need to be "saved" because of some sin in the Garden of Eden (original sin does not exist), or some other thinking that without belief in Jesus a person is damned. • “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) Every time the concept of salvation is mentioned in the T'nach (bible) it always refers to physical lives being rescued from danger. The Christian concept that the soul is damaged and needs saving is not biblical (T'nach). The concept is Christian, not Jewish. These concepts are un-biblical and are heresy in that they minimize G-d and cast aspersions on His creation -- mankind. The messiah will be a ruling king (Jesus never was), judging and ruling in a time of world peace (Y'shayahu / Isaiah 2:4), the return of all the Jewish people to Israel (Yeshayahu / Isaiah 43:5-6 and "those returning" Z'charyah / Zechariah 9:8), build the third Temple (Y'chezkel / Ezekiel 37:26-28) and global knowledge of G-d as the one true G-d (Z'charyah / Zechariah 14:9). None of this happened 2000 years ago in the time of Jesus. Jesus "did not do it." Want proof? Read "And I will encamp beside My house against a garrison of those passing by and of those returning. And no oppressor shall pass by them, for now I have seen with My eyes." Z'charyah / Zechariah 9:8. 2000 years ago the Jews were oppressed by the Romans, Jesus did not fulfill this prophecy. Read "And I will cut off the chariots from Ephraim, and the horses from Jerusalem; and the bow of war shall be cut off. And he shall speak peace to the nations, and his rule shall be from the sea to the west and from the river to the ends of the earth." Z'charyah / Zechariah 9:10. Jesus did not rule, let alone "to the ends of the earth." Jesus did not speak peace to the nations either -- he preached in a small geographic area within Judah and the Galilee. Most of the world never heard from Jesus during his lifetime. The time he lived was a terrible time of strife and war.... Quite simply: Jesus "did not do it." We should all strive to be just, righteous people (this does not mean we never sin or make mistakes -- we are human). . . but simply being just does not fulfill a messianic prophecy. Jesus may or may not have been a just person -- but he was not the messiah. Z'charyah / Zechariah 9:9 says "Be exceedingly happy, O daughter of Zion; Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem. Behold! Your king shall come to you. He is just and victorious; humble, and riding a donkey and a foal, the offspring of [one of] she-donkeys." Just AND victorious. Jesus was not victorious. He was murdered by the Romans and died. Yes, Christians believe he was resurrected and is victorious sitting at the right hand of G-d, but by human terms he was NOT victorious. He died. The world has not improved for the better -- there is still war, still famine, still murder, still rape. . . Jesus did not fulfill the prophecies of Z'charyah / Zechariah 9. Simply being a just, or righteous, person does not make a person the messiah. We should all strive to be just, good people. Being a just person may be a messianic criteria (it is) -- but by itself it does not make anyone the messiah. It is "table stakes." It is a requirement. One of many -- and whether or not Jesus was just (and although Christians think he was, his actions as portrayed in the Christian bible are not just at all) this alone does not make him the messiah. This is indeed a messianic prophecy. Jesus did not fulfill it. Read Z'charyah / Zechariah 9:9: "Be exceedingly happy, O daughter of Zion; Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem. Behold! Your king shall come to you. He is just and victorious; a humble [man], riding on a donkey—the offspring of atonot [ female donkeys]." This one line is not the only line in the chapter. John 12:12-13 doesn't mirror Z'charyah / Zechariah 9:9. That passage simply speaks of Jesus entering Jerusalem. John 12:12-13 doesn't mention that Jesus is a king (he was not a king) or that he was riding a donkey. The list maker doesn't mention verse 14 which DOES reference both a donkey, or verse 15 which refers to Z'charyah / Zechariah 9:9. It may seem that I am "nit picking" -- but it just goes to show that missionary after missionary pastes this list all over the internet and never bothers to check if the references actually fit! If this list had been scrutinized one would think the claim would be changed to reflect John 12:14-15 and not 12-13. . . "the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. 13 They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the L-rd!” “Blessed is the king of Israel!” 14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written: 15 “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.” John 12:12-15. As an aside, the claim that the Jews took palm branches singing "Hosanna" at Passover is odd in the extreme. It is yet another example that whoever wrote the Christian bible was not Jewish and knew little of Jewish practices. Jews wave branches during Succot (Feast of Tabernacles), not at Passover -- the time of year the Christian bible claims Jesus came to Jerusalem. In fact, the 7th day of Sukkot is called the “Great Hosanna” or Hoshana Rabbah. Multitudes of Jews waving myrtle branches around Passover time singing Hosannas is like Christians sipping eggnog under mistletoe next to their trees on Easter. It isn't even possible that the Jews were waving palm fronds at Passover. At Passover time, there are no palm branches in the region -- it is the wrong time of year! Palm fronds are part of the Sukkot celebration. So is singing Hoshanot -- the feminine plural of הושיעה נא / hosanna. It is plural because each stanza of the prayer is accompanied by the word hosanna - a word meaning "bring us salvation please." נא / na means "please" and הושיעה / Hosa-ah is feminine for "bring us salvation." On each day of the Sukkot festival the chazan (a Jewish musician who helps lead the congregation in prayer) and congregation say the first four Hoshanot responsively, circling the bimah holding the palm fronds (לולב / lulav) and אֶתְרוֹג / etrog (Sukkot cirtrus) and recite the longer Hoshana prayer for the respective day of Sukkot being celebrated. Sukkot falls in the fall, Passover falls in the spring. . . Palm fronds and donkeys aside, Jesus was never a king -- for all that people might have shouted out in hope that he would be their king. . . Z'charyah / Zechariah 9:9 is not a "standalone" line. It is part of a chapter -- and the requirement of the person (the messiah) who will ride a donkey -- NOT two, one -- is a real king (not someone who claims to be a king). This kTing will reign in a time of peace says Z'charyah / Zechariah. "And I will cut off the chariots from Ephraim, and the horses from Jerusalem; and the bow of war shall be cut off. And he shall speak peace to the nations, and his rule shall be from the sea to the west and from the river to the ends of the earth." Z'charyah / Zechariah 9:10. The prophet Z'charyah / Zechariah does not say this king will be "beheld as a king" as the list maker states. Nope, the prophet clearly says this person IS a king -- which Jesus was not. He is saying "BEHOLD (Hey, look!) -- here IS your king!" Jesus was never a king and he had no right to be a king. The Christian bible does claim that Jesus was the "king of the Jews" -- but this is patently untrue. Jesus was never a king. Jesus did not have the right to be a king (he did not have the correct lineage). Jesus was never anointed as a king. Jesus never ruled as a king. Try it -- say "I am a ,king (or queen). It doesn't make you one, now does it? Jesus was not of the tribe of Judah. He was not a legal descendant of Kings David, or of King Solomon. The Christian bible may call him a "son of David" -- but the two conflicting lineages given are for Jesus' "non" father, Joseph. If Joseph's sperm did not impregnate Mary those lineages are worthless to Jesus. Who is a Jew" passes maternally (see D'varim / Deuteronomy 7:1–5, Vayikra / Leviticus 24:10, and Ezra 10:2–3) and lineage (tribal status) passes paternally (by the father -- assuming one first has a Jewish mother) -- and ALL of this is found in the written Torah. Sh'mot / Exodus 6:14, 6:25, B'midbar / Numbers 17:21, 34:14, 36:1, Y'hoshua / Joshua 14:1, 19:51, 21:1, 22:14, Ezra 1:5, 2:59, 2:68, 3:12, 4:2-3, 8:1, 10:16; N'ḥemyah / Nehemiah 7:61, 7:69-70, 8:13, 12:12, 12:22-23. According to the Torah, lineage/pedigree, a blood right, is passed exclusively by a biological father to his sons. Ergo the virgin birth totally disqualifies Jesus from being the messiah. The Christian bible gives two conflicting lineages for Joseph, but both disqualify him or any of his heirs from kingship. Because the two conflict missionaries will claim that Luke is actually giving Mary's lineage. "Mary" (if she even existed) was Jewish, her tribal affiliation is completely irrelevant as her offspring's tribal status would have been that of the biological father. A woman does not pass tribal status, and her status changes to that of her husband's tribe upon marriage. Many missionaries turn cartwheels trying to "prove" that Mary was born into the tribe of Judah and / or the tribe of Levi -- but her birth tribe does not matter. The moment a Jewish woman marries a Jewish man her tribe becomes his tribe. This is discussed in the Torah with Tzelafchad / Zelophehad's daughters (בְּנוֹת צְלָפְחָד) in Bamidbar / Numbers 36. Bottom line to this claim:
The Christian bible references -- but when one simply reads Z'charyah / Zechariah 9 and verse 9 in context of that chapter clearly Jesus did not fulfill the prophecy. The list maker has tied six claims to one verse: Z'charyah / Zechariah 9:9: "Be exceedingly happy, O daughter of Zion; Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem. Behold! Your king shall come to you. He is just and victorious; humble, and riding a donkey and a foal, the offspring of [one of] she-donkeys." The list maker has actually discovered a messianic prophecy. Unfortunately for the list maker: Jesus did not fulfill it. Zechariah is speaking of a Jewish ruler (Jesus never ruled) who will arise in a time of peace when war no longer exists. Rashi, the great Torah commentator, writes: "It is impossible to interpret this except about the King Messiah, as is stated therein 'and his dominion shall be from sea to sea"." Jesus did not rule, let alone "from sea to sea." The time he lived was a terrible time of strife and war. Quite simply: Jesus "did not do it." Lots of people create crowds in Jerusalem: Donald Trump, the Pope to name two. Jews also often create crowds in the holy city on holidays such as Passover and Sukkot. The image is of a crowd of Jews at the Western Wall in Jerusalem during a holiday. Yet again the list maker takes a pretty common occurrence (crowds in Jerusalem) and claims that it is a messianic prophecy Jesus fulfilled. Zechariah 9 does not just speak of someone who is greeted with rejoicing in Jerusalem. Nope, The list maker is playing fast and loose with the words of the prophet. You see, Zechariah tells us that this rejoicing happens under a specific situation. A specific situation which did not happen with Jesus -- which is no doubt why the list maker excludes it. Zechariah 9 speaks of a time when a ruling king (Jesus never ruled) exists in a time of peace when war "is no more." "And I will cut off the chariots from Ephraim, and the horses from Jerusalem; and the bow of war shall be cut off. And he shall speak peace to the nations, and his rule shall be from the sea to the west and from the river to the ends of the earth." Z'charyah / Zechariah 9:10.
Zechariah tells us that G-d will “camp” next to the Temple site to protect it (Z'charyah / Zechariah 9:8). This didn't happen in Jesus' time when the Romans put "mute abominations" of idols in the Temple. Zechariah goes on to say that G-d will not allow anyone to go against the Jews, because G-d has now seen the distress of His people. "no oppressor shall pass by them, for now I have seen with My eyes." Z'charyah / Zechariah 9:8. When Jesus lived, 2000+ years ago, war was everywhere. The Roman Empire had a huge army which conquered most of the then known world. The Romans ruled in Judah, including Jerusalem. There they were cruel to the Jewish populace -- putting idols in the Temple, crucifying (it is estimated) 50,000 to 200,000 Jews. Within 100 years of Jesus death a war against the Romans by the Jews was defeated ("war" being the key point here) and the Romans exiled the Jews from the land. No, "Jesus did not do it." The author of Matthew 21 appears to try to apply Z'charyah / Zechariah 9:9 to Jesus. Jesus tells his followers to go and literally steal a donkey and her colt. “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me." Matthew 21:1. Just take them. Don't find out who owns them. Don't pay for them. Take them. That is theft. How can you know without doubt this is theft? Read Matthew 21:3 "If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.” If. anyone says anything to you. Theft. The poor owner is not given the chance to decide if it is "ok" or not that Jesus' followers took his animals, no they simply are told to steal them. It gets better. Matthew then claims this is in fulfillment of (again ignoring the fact that there must be a ruling messiah in a time of global peace). Matthew 21:5 says This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: “Say to Daughter Zion,‘See, your king comes to you,gentle and riding on a donkey,and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’” Matthew seems to think that poor Jesus would have to ride both a donkey AND a colt at the same time! This was obviously written by someone who did not read Hebrew (or read it well). It does not speak of a person riding two separate animals at the same time: גִּילִ֨י מְאֹ֜ד בַּת־צִיּ֗וֹן הָרִ֨יעִי֙ בַּ֣ת יְרֽוּשָׁלִַ֔ם “Be very happy, daughter of Zion (the Jews) —shout [ for joy], daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king is coming to you: he is just and ‘saved’! a humble [man], riding on a donkey—the offspring of atonot [ female donkeys]." Z'charyah / Zechariah 9:9. Not two animals. One animal. A donkey which is the offspring of אֲתֹנֽוֹת / atonot (female donkeys). Z'charyah / Zechariah 9:9 says that when the real messiah appears he will be a humble man “riding on a donkey.” This is symbolic of his humbleness. Matthew 21 distorts this by having Jesus tell his men to commandeer a doinkey (that didn’t belong to him) and ride into Jerusalem on it. Ignoring the fact that this must all happen in a time of global peace when the Jews are being protected by G-d! If riding a donkey into Jerusalem were a messianic prophecy (ignoring the world peace and G-d resting in Jerusalem parts) then tens of thousands could claim to be the messiah! Jewish priests are from the tribe of Levi, through the line of Aaron (Moses' brother). This is an eternal priesthood per the bible: "an eternal [hereditary] priesthood for all generations." Sh'mot / Exodus 40:15. In Judaism rightful priests cannot be kings and kings cannot be priests. I say "rightful" because the Hasmoneans who ruled in ancient Judah were from the priestly tribe of Levi, but the bible makes it clear that the messiah (rightful king) must be from the tribe of Y'hudah (Judah), not Levi. The T'nach (Jewish bible) makes it clear that the messiah must be descended from King David and King David's son Solomon. Some missionaries will claim that the "promise" that the throne must pass through Solomon is conditional, but this is untrue: Shmuel Beit / 2 Samuel 7:12-16 – When your days (King David) will be completed and you will lie with your forefathers, then I shall raise up your seed after you, that which will issue from your loins, and I shall establish his kingdom. (13) He shall build a Temple for My sake, and I shall make firm the throne of his kingdom forever." Ergo rightful priests eternally will be from Levi, via Aaron and rightful kings will be from Y'hudah (Judah) via David and Solomon. The prophet Z'charyah / Zechariah isn't even speaking of a king -- he is speaking about זְרֻבָּבֶ֤ל / Zerubbabel (Z'rubavel who was a governor, a vassal of Babylon. He was never a king. Then Z'charyah / Zechariah speaks of the kohein gadol (high priest) -- יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, Y'hoshu'a {Joshua). These are two distinct individuals: זְרֻבָּבֶ֤ל / Zerubbabel (Z'rubavel), who will be the Governor/Ruler who will rebuild the Temple, and יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, Y'hoshu'a {Joshua) the high priest who will serve as the spiritual leader (Z'charyah / Zechariah 6:11-13). Jesus did not have the right to be a priest. Jesus did not have the right to be a king. Jesus did not have the correct birthright: he was not from the tribe of Levi or the tribe of Judah. Some missionaries will do cartwheels to try to prove that Mary, Jesus' mother, had links to both tribes (Levi and Judah) -- but women do not pass tribal lineage on to their children. Tribal lineage only passes from a Jewish biological father (think sperm) impregnating a Jewish woman, or (in the case of a woman) via marriage. When a Jewish woman marries a Jewish man her tribe changes from her birth tribe to that of her husband's. If you believe in the "virgin" birth Jesus had no tribe -- not Levi or Judah. What is happening in Z'charyah / Zechariah 6? Zechariah (in his vision) sees four chariots coming from between two mountains of copper. These chariots symbolize four strong kingdoms.
The great biblical commentator Rashi said that:
Zechariah asked the angel what these chariots and horses represent; the angel replied that these are the “guardian angels” of the nations that rule over the world. The drivers of the chariots went to G-d for permission to rule. In the vision the chariots spread north (black horses and white horses), the spotted horses go south and the grey horses go in all different directions. The red horses aren't mentioned -- because they represent Babylon who is already finished. Now we come to the passage in question. G-d tells Zechariah that he should take sine if the exiled Jews to go to the house of יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, Y'hoshu'a {Joshua) the son of Tzefaniah / Zephaniah, who was already living in Jerusalem. They should bring silver and gold with which to make crowns to be placed on the head of יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, Y'hoshu'a {Joshua) the High Priest. They should tell יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, Y'hoshu'a {Joshua) that זְרֻבָּבֶ֤ל / Zerubbabel (Z'rubavel) the “shoot,” will spring up and build the Temple of G-d. The Christian bible NEVER calls Jesus "G=d servant." Not even once. And how could Jesus be both G-d's servant and G-d? That is more than slightly illogical. The words "my servant" only appear once in the Christian bible and that is Matthew 12:17 - 18. Jesus is being followed by a crowd -- he warns his followers not to tell anyone about him and Matthew 12 then says "this was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet (Isaiah) "Here is my servant whom I have chosen. John 17 has Jesus praying to G-d and in verse 4 he says "I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do." Nary a word about Jesus being a servant of G-d. Perhaps the list maker is connecting the idea of G-d's servant to Zechariah speaking of G-d's servant the "shoot" (or sprout). Many Christian versions mistranslate the word as "branch" -- but that is a mistranslation. Missionaries then leap into thin air and extrapolate that this must be Jesus -- Jesus being a "branch" and then another jump to Jesus being the messiah -- thus some missionaries claim that Zechariah 3:8 is about the messiah, but it is not. Zechariah 3:8 is about זְרֻבָּבֶ֤ל / Zerubbabel (Z'rubavel). Who was זְרֻבָּבֶ֤ל / Zerubbabel (Z'rubavel)? Zerubbabel (Z'rubavel) was the son of P'daiah (Pedaiah) and the grandson of Sh'altiyel (Shealtiel). He became the governor of Judah under Persian control. He was the great-grandson of Jeconiah, the last king of Judah, who was exiled to Babylon. Zerubbabel (Z'rubavel) was among those who returned from Babylonian exile, and he was selected as the Governor of Judah. He was never a king. But he was a צֶמַח (TSEmah), "a sprout" from the royal line of Kings David and Solomon through Jeconiah, the last king of David's line. זְרֻבָּבֶ֤ל / Zerubbabel (Z'rubavel) was in charge of rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem after returning from Babylonian Exile. He served as Governor and יְהֹושֻׁ֥עַ בֶּן־יְהֹוצָדָ֖ק / Y'hoshua ben Y'hotzadak / Joshua son of Jehozadak (a grandson of S'rayah, was the kohein gadol (high priest). He was last kohein gadol / high priest who served in Solomon's Temple - see M'lachim Beit / 2 Kings 25:18 and Yirm'yahu / Jeremiah 52:24). In verse 8 G-d is speaking (through the prophet Zechariah) to the the kohein gadol (high priest) Y'hoshua / Joshua and says "Hearken, now, O Joshua the High Priest-you and your companions who sit before you, for they are men worthy of a miracle-for, behold! I bring My servant, the צֶמַח (TSEmah) "sprout"." G-d is speaking to Joshua the high priest who was alive at the time of Zechariah and זְרֻבָּבֶ֤ל / Zerubbabel (Z'rubavel) who lived 400 years before Jesus. G-d says the Shoot, His servant, will sit before THEM. 400+ years before Jesus. O Joshua the High Priest-you and your companions who sit before you. . . These men are worthy of a miracle -- now it this were about Jesus they would have been dead over 400 years and it certainly would not have been their miracle! Start with the first chapter of Zechariah to understand what is happening. G-d spoke to Zechariah in the second year of Darius,. This was before the Jews resumed work on the Second Temple. His visions are hard to understand. G-d tells Zechariah that He punished the people with exile, and wants Zechariah to tell the returning Jews to listen to His prophets and return to Him. Zechariah has a vision that shows that while Israel was in exile, the nations of the world were at peace. Eventually those who punished Israel will pay for their deeds and Jerusalem will once again flourish. Then Zechariah has a vision (all prophets receive their messages in dreams and visions except for Moses) where he saw four horns (horns as in “ox horns” as opposed to, say, trumpets). Zechariah asked what these horns and is told they represent various conquering nations: Babylonia, Persia, Greece and Rome. Then he sees four carpenters coming to saw down these horns. (These carpenters refer to various messianic figures including the messiah, the Moshiach ben Yosef, Elijah the prophet and the Kohen Gadol / high priest.) The carpenters cut down the horns and threw them away. The Jews should return to Israel in the messianic era, and Jerusalem will grow. This brings us to chapter 3 which begins with Joshua (kohein gadol / high priest) standing before an angel of HaShem and an angel acting as a prosecuting attorney (hasatan / the adversary). Joshua is "on trial" because his two sons have married non-Jews. Ezra (10:18): “And it was found of the sons of the priests who had taken foreign wives, of the sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak,. . .” In this mock trial the "defense attorney" (either the angel of HaShem, or HaShem acting as defense attorney) take the position that Joshua should not be judged, because Joshua himself is a righteous man -- but he did not prevent his sons from marrying non-Jews. Joshua is seen as wearing filthy clothes because of the behavior of his sons during the exile, but his filthy clothes are removed from him (allegory for sin) and he is clean (righteous) again. He is now fit to be the kohein gadol (high priest) as was his father. Then in Zechariah 3 we are told that G-d will bring forth a צֶמַח (TSEmah), "a sprout." Think of a plant sprouting out of the ground. Christian translations often translate this as "the branch" -- the King James even puts the translated word "branch" in all capitals to emphasize that his must somehow be speaking of Jsus. A cursory search on my part found "branch" in the NIV, NLT, ESV, NASB, American KJV, ASV, ERV and a few others. Young's Literal Translation has "shoot" but even they capitalize the "S" in "shoot." Rashi tells us that this "sprout" was זְרֻבָּבֶל (Zerubbabel), the governor of Judah (never King). Zerubbabel was a member of the Royal family (thus a "sprout" from the roots of the Royal family). This Christian translation of "branch" is in error in Zechariah 3:8: The word צֶֽמַח tzemaḥ can be used to translate "sprout" or even "shoot", but never "branch" (= "bough") which is עָנָף 'anaf or סָעִיף sa'if in Hebrew. The noun צֶֽמַח tzemaḥ occurs 12 times in the T'nach--
As is so typical of "proof texts" the King James translates more or less correctly in passages which are not used to point to Jesus -- but get it "wrong" in the proof text. For example, the KJV has "and that which grew upon the ground" for וְצֶ֖מַח / v'tzemah. The וְ / vav prefix means "and." Isaiah 4:2 in the KJV צֶֽמַח tzemaḥ is "shall the branch." Isaiah 61:11 in the KJV has צִמְחָ֔הּ / t'zemaha "her bud" and תַצְמִ֑יחַ / t'tzemah is "in it to spring forth;" The תַ / tav means "you" or "they." In Jeremiah 23:5 and 33:15 the KJV capitalizes the entire word! The KJV has "the BRANCH." FYI there are no capital letters in Hebrew. In Ezekiel 16:7 the KJV has כְּצֶ֤מַח / ch'tzemah "as the bud." The כְּ / kaf prefix means "as" or "like." Ezekiel 17:9 the KJV translates צִמְחָהּ֙ / t'zemaha as "of her spring." Oddly enough the KJV translates the same word in the next verse (17:10) as "where it grew." In Hosea 8:7 the KJV has צֶ֚מַח / tzemah translated as "the bud." The KJV has Psalm 65:10 has צִמְחָ֥הּ / t'zemaha as "the springing." Then in Zechariah 3:8 the KJV does the same as it did in Jeremiah 23:5 and 33:15 and capitalizes the entire word: "the BRANCH." Finally, in Zechariah 6:12 the KJV capitalizes the "T" in "the" as well as the word "BRANCH." See how the translators mislead with mistranslations? Zechariah 2:10-13 says not one word about lambs, thrones or lambs sitting on thrones. An angel is speaking (see verses 2, 4, 7, and 8): "Ho, ho! Flee from the land of the north, says the L-rd; for I have spread you as the four corners of the heavens, says the L-rd. Ho, Zion! Flee, she who sits among the nation of Babylon. For so said the L-rd of Hosts: After glory, He sent me to the nations that plunder you, for whoever touches you touches the apple of his eye. For, behold! I raise My hand over them, and they shall be prey for those who serve them. And you shall know that the L-rd of Hosts sent me." See anything about lambs? Lambs sitting on thrones? Nope. There are three Christian bible references claimed as Jesus fulfilling Zechariah 2:10 - 13, yet the one that most fits is missing: "For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; 'he will lead them to springs of living water.'" "Revelation 7:17. By contrast here are the three given: ""To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb. . ." Revelation 5:13. Clearly the "lamb" is not the one sitting on the throne. Note the word "and." "When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of G-d and the testimony they had maintained." Revelation 6:9 has no hint of lambs or thrones! "The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it." Revelation 21:24. Again, no mention of lambs, thrones, or lambs sitting on thrones. . . Christianity is full of the imagery of Jesus as the "lamb" of G-d. This is a very pagan concept, not at all found in the Jewish bible. The Jewish bible (T’nach) makes it clear time and again that lambs were considered holy by the pagans – including the Egyptians – and this is where John 10 takes the concept of “lamb of god” – most certainly NOT from Judaism. Read the story of Joseph in B'reshit / Genesis 46:34 – he says that being a shepherd is “taboo” in Egypt – because they were HOLY to the Egyptians (gods). "you must say, 'We and our fathers have dealt in livestock all our lives'. You will then be able to settle in the Goshen district, since all shepherds are taboo in Egypt.'" Go forward a few chapters to Sh'mot / Exodus and read the discussion between Moses and Pharaoh. Moses asked Pharaoh to allow the Jews to go into the desert and sacrifice the שֶׂה seh -- the reason was that we did not want to kill the שֶׂה seh in front of the Egyptians: "We can’t possibly do that,” said Moses, “because we’re going to sacrifice the Egyptians’ G-d to HaShem our G-d! If we were to sacrifice their G-d right in front of them, wouldn’t they pelt us with rocks?” (Sh'mot / Exodus 8:22). The Egyptians would pelt us with rocks because we were INSULTING them by bringing a celebratory sacrifice of the שֶׂה seh (paschal goat or lamb) -- because the Egyptians worshiped the שֶׂה seh as a god! The the Egyptian god Khnum had the head of a ram. Jews did not worship lambs as gods, the thought of a "lamb of G-d" in Judaism is non-existent. The idea is totally pagan, as Moses discussed with Pharaoh. . . Pagan on every single count. On the one hand Christian missionaries call Jesus the lamb of god (pagan as discussed above) -- but here they claim Jesus is the "good shepherd." John goes even farther saying that Jesus is "the good shepherd (who) lays down his life for the sheep." So is Jesus the "lamb" or the shepherd? It is all a bit confusing! In Judaism lambs (and other pagan gods) were offered as sacrifices to G-d -- in part to show people that G-d had power over the helpless pagan gods who were, quite literally, led to the slaughter. For example, for an עֹלָ֖ה / olah (elevation / burnt offer) where the entire animal was burnt on the mizbeach, the offer was from male cattle, male sheep / goats or birds (Vayikra / Leviticus 1). For מִנחַה / mincha (literally "present") offers various flour offers were brought. There is a meal offer of the finest wheat meal with olive oil and frankincense poured on it. There is also a baked offer -- matzo (unleavened) loaves were brought. There was also a pan offer (fried) and a deep fried one, too. Finally there was also a first grain offer -- where you brought the first of your ripe crop. (Vayikra / Leviticus 2). I'm going into some detail to explain that there are rules and rituals around any and all qorbanot (sacrifices). Male lambs (sheep and goats) were not brought for sin sacrifices or guilt sacrifices. Male animals could be brought for the שְּׁלָמִים / peace offer -- or the / olah (elevation / burnt offer) -- but not for sins or transgressions except for the communal “sin offering” / חַטָּאת / chatat or for the “sin offering” / חַטָּאת / chatat sacrifice of the high priest,who brought a bull (not a lamb). . . (Vayikra / Leviticus 4). Remember that a "sin" was a mistake, a missing of the mark. Intentional wrongdoings were not covered by the “sin offering” / חַטָּאת / chatat. For general ones the high priest or the court would bring a bull, a king a male goat and everyone else brought female goats or lambs. Female, not male. For specific sins (not general) a rich person would bring a female goat or lamb (goats were more common). A less rich person could bring two birds -- and if you couldn't afford either you could bring a plain flour offer. Thus flour is just as atoning as a "blood" sacrifice for sins. (Vayikra / Leviticus 4). What of Zechariah 2 and the list maker's claim that it has something to do with lambs sitting on thrones? Zechariah lived at the same time as the prophets Malachi and Chaggai / Haggai. This was about 2400 years ago, before the Jews began to construct the second Temple. Zechariah was given visions of empires who would conquer one another. He sees Jerusalem being oppressed and Israel exiled -- but that the nations of the world oppressed the Jews in exile and when G-d returns to Jerusalem G-d will console them and re-establish Jerusalem as His holy city. In Zechariah 2 the vision is of four horns (as in ox horns). He is told that the horns represent Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome. In the vision carpenters come to saw down the horns and throw them away. An angel comes and measures Jerusalem -- but another angel (remember this is a VISION) tells the first to stop. . . there is no need because Jerusalem will grow so large, expanding outside its walls, because so many people will come to live there. What of the need for walls to protect the city? G-d will protect the city. Zechariah's message (prophets are to deliver messages from G-d to the people of their generation) is to return from Babylon. The rest of the chapter is Zechariah's vision of the messianic era when all the Jewish exiles return to Israel (this did not happen after the Babylonian Exile or even today). . . G-d will dwell with the Jewish people and many nations will join the Jewish people in worshiping the one true G-d. This is indeed a messianic prophecy. And Jesus did not "do it." The world is still not filled with knowledge of the one true G-d: People worship Jesus as if he were G-d -- ignoring the real G-d. Hindus do not worship G-d. Buddhists do not worship G-d. Atheists do not worship G-d. How about the 2 billion Chinese? "For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the L-rd-as the water covers the seabed." Chavakuk / Habakkuk 2:14 Chavakuk / Habakkuk lived during the time of Yoel / Joel and Nahum. He was upset because the ruler of Babylon was evil and yet he prospered. "Why do You show me iniquity and look upon mischief; and plunder and violence are before me; and the one who bears quarrel and strife endures. Therefore Torah is slackened, and justice does not go out forever, for a wicked man surrounds the righteous; therefore, justice emerges perverted." Chavakuk / Habakkuk 1:3-4. It is a fine Jewish tradition to argue with G-d. Abraham pleaded the case of the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah. . . and Moses tried to get out of his role as a leader of the Jews. . . In this tradition Chavakuk / Habakkuk challenges G-d to give him an answer. He dug a circular hole, stood within it, and said, “I will not budge from here until I hear what He will say to me concerning this, my question why He looks and sees the prosperity of a wicked man.” (Rashi's commentary). "And the L-rd answered me. . :" Chavakuk / Habakkuk 2:2. G-d tells that there will be another prophet, another vision, which will explain the downfall of Babylon and the survival of the Jews. That is for another time -- wait for him even if he tarries. . . . And what of the evil leader of Babylon who seems to prosper? Evil people, G-d explains, are never satisfied. Thus they are never truly happy. A righteous person lives by his faith in G-d -- and is a content, happy person. Do not worry about the evil ones -- they will not remain. Gathering wealth is a futile activity -- it is likened to carrying around a beam made of mud which is heavy and worthless. The fate – burdensome but ultimately useless. Their fate is the grave.(The Hebrew word / av'tit means thick mud or “a beam of mud”). There will come a time, says G-d, when the evil people of the world will realize their search for wealth and power is in vain -- "For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the L-rd-as the water covers the seabed." Chavakuk / Habakkuk 2:14. When all these evil nations meet their downfall it is from G-d. Power is fleeting: the Babylonians, Greeks, Romans -- they all fall. All their efforts, wealth, power -- all are consumed and in the end there is nothing. G-d remains: "the L-rd is in His Holy Temple. Silence the whole earth before Him." Chavakuk / Habakkuk 2:20. Sorry list maker, yet another claim that has no basis in the bible regarding Jesus. Many of the prophets tell us that in the true messianic age the entire world will know G-d -- and that has not happened yet. 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" (Zechariah 14:9).
Ever hear of an eclipse? The sun has "darkened" Every year there are at least TWO eclipses (they may or may not be total eclipses). By now it should come as no surprise that this is not a messianic prophecy. Amos lived about 620 years before Jesus, during the reigns of Uzziyahu in Judah and Y'ravam (Jeroboam II) in Israel. Amos begins with his prophecy of an earthquake (chapter 1). The earthquake happened two years later (see Zechariah 14:5 "And you shall flee as you fled because of the earthquake, in the days of Uzziyahu the King of Judah."). It is rather surprising that any missionary would point to the prophet Amos as proof of Jesus when the prophet clearly said: "G-d will never do anything" (כִּ֣י לֹ֧א יַֽעֲשֶׂ֛ה "" דָּבָ֑ר / ki lo ya'asseh HaShem davar) "unless He has revealed His secret" (כִּי אִם־גָּלָ֣ה סוֹד֔וֹ / ki im galah sodo) to one or more of His prophets (הַנְּבִיאִֽים / ha-n'viim)." (Amos 3:7). Amos uses both future and past tense -- meaning FOREVER. G-d will never do anything that was not revealed to the prophets. The word יַֽעֲשֶׂ֛ה / ya'asseh is future tense (meaning that this is open-ended and refers to all future actions), and גָּלָ֣ה / galah is past tense (so the "revealing of the secret must come before the act itself. G-d will never do something and only tell the prophets "after the fact." Jesus is never mentioned in the T'nach (we're seeing that pretty clearly as we go through the list of 365 supposed prophecies!). We're never told that the messiah will come as an atoning "sacrifice", only to be killed before fulfilling even one messianic prophecies. Nope. Never happened. G-d never told His prophets any such thing. Missionaries will claim that Jesus can be found in the T'nach in "types" and "shadows" -- but Amos clearly says here that is false. If G-d was going to throw out is ETERNAL Torah and choose to kill himself for himself (makes no sense) to fix a mistake He made ("original" sin) -- then He would have told His prophets and they would have told US. Amos destroys the idea of Jesus as a messiah, let alone a part of a triune god. . . Amos' messages are very familiar by now: the people are not following G-d. Amos is warning them to return to G-d or beware the consequences. Amos foresees the end of the northern kingdom of Israel (the ten tribes). The population will be devastated -- only one in ten will survive. There is still time, Amos says, to avoid the horror. (Negative prophecies are always given as a warning of something which can be avoided). "Seek the L-rd and live, lest He break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and it consume with none to quench it for Bethel. . . Seek good and not evil in order that you live, and so the L-rd G-d of Hosts shall be with you, as you said.. Hate evil and love good, and establish justice. . . " Amos 5:6; 14-15. Yet another death knell to Christianity: no need for a "human" sacrifice (Jesus). Just "Seek good and not evil in order that you live." Amos goes further. He says that G-d rejects the people’s sacrifices; He won’t accept them. If you want G-d then forget sacrifices and pursue justice and righteousness ! A relationship with G-d isn’t about sacrifices. Amos even brings up the fact that Jews did not bring sacrifices at all for forty years in the desert as they left Egyptian slavery for the land of Israel: "Did you offer Me sacrifices and meal-offerings in the desert forty years, O house of Israel?" Amos 5:25. So -- really, really surprising that any missionary would point to the prophet Amos! In his visions Amos saw G-d gathering locusts for a swarm. The locusts devoured everything (in his vision). Then Amos saw a huge fire, devouring all before it (another vision). Amos prayed to G-d to not send the punishment and G-d agreed to not send the locusts or the fire (chapter 7). A false prophet lied about Amos to the ruler of Israel (the northern kingdom) in an effort to make him flee to Judah -- but Amos was wealthy. He did not "prophesy for money" -- but because G-d spoke to him. . . He would not stop warning the people.. Which brings us to chapter 8 -- the chapter the list maker claims is a prophecy about Jesus and eclipses. Amos is speaking of the end of the world as he knew it: the end of the northern kingdom of Israel: "The end has come to My people Israel. I will no longer pardon them." Amos 8:2. He is not speaking of the Jewish people (also called "Israel) -- he is speaking of the northern kingdom by that name which was destroyed over 2700 years ago. It has been over 2000 years since Jesus so "no" this had nothing to do with him. He sees the end of the northern kingdom of Israel. The image of a darkened sun (and an enduring sun) are used as analogies as well. The prophet Isaiah used them. In The Guide for the Perplexed by the Rambam he explained that the darkened sun usually means the fall of a nation -- in this case Amos is warning of the fall of the northern kingdom of Israel. The Rambam wrote: "the metaphor frequently employed by Isaiah (of the darkened sun), and less frequently by other prophets, when they describe the the ruin of a kingdom or the destruction of a great nation. . . in phrases like the following:--"The stars have fallen," "The heavens are overthrown," "The sun is darkened," "The earth is waste, and trembles," and similar metaphors. . . "and when they speak of the approach of a nation's prosperity, they say, "The light of the sun and moon has increased," "A new heaven and a new earth has been created," or they use similar phrases. So also the prophets, in referring to the ruin of a person, of a nation, or of a country, describe it as the result of G-d's great anger and wrath, whilst the prosperity" The Guide for the Perplexed. Amos chapter 8 begins with the analogy of figs -- it is full of metaphor and analogy since all prophets other than Moses received their messages through visions and dreams. . . The vision of a basket of bad figs are not bad figs -- and the vision of a darkened sun is not literal either -- as mentioned at the start of this post there are two a year, every year! Within two years of beginning his prophecies there was an earthquake and an eclipse- - not surprising since eclipses are fairly common. . . In context of Amos 8 the image is metaphor, not literal. The land quaking and the eclipse of the sun at "mid-day" is about the end of the northern kingdom of Israel. It has nothing to do with the messiah: "The end has come to My people Israel. I will no longer pardon them.. . Shall the land not quake for this, and shall all its inhabitants [not] be destroyed? Yea, it shall rise up wholly like the rain cloud, and it shall cast up and sink like the river of Egypt. And it shall come to pass on that day, says the Lord God, that I will cause the sun to set at midday, and I will darken the land on a sunny day." Amos 8:2;8-9. All of this happened nearly 700 years before Jesus and had nothing to do with him. Yet again the list maker takes a passage about G-d and claims it is a messianic prophecy Jesus fulfilled. Yoel / Joel was a prophet of the priestly tribe of Levi. He lived in the 6th century BCE -- long before Jesus. It is ironic that a missionary would point to Yoel / Joel as proof of Jesus being a messiah who "died for your sins" since the entire message of the Book of Yoel / Joel is REPENT and be forgiven! No need for sacrifice! No need for Jesus to "die for your sins" (which is an abomination since G-d forbids human sacrifice). Just repent! There is no "Joel 2:28 - 32." Christian bibles lump chapter 2 and 3 together. Yoel / Joel chapter 2 ends at verse 27 "And you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and I am the L-rd your G-d, there is no other; and My people shall never be ashamed." There is only one G-d. There is no other. Not surprising the list maker would ignore this verse! Yoel / Joel 3:5 (2:32 in Christian versions) says: . "And it shall come to pass that whoever shall call in the name of the L-rd יִמָּלֵ֑ט / shall be delivered, for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be a deliverance, as the L-rd said, and among the survivors whom the L-rd invites." Whoever calls on the name of the L-rd. Not the name of Jesus. Joel warns of a day of great darkness, both literally and figuratively, as locusts cover the land. The locusts will run across the land like horses, driven onward by their riders. The sound will be comparable to chariots, or to fire consuming straw. The locusts are an invading force, from which people will flee. The locusts will travel in their paths, doing their job as agents of G-d. G-d sent warning through His prophets, so that the people should repent, because who can stand up before His punishment? G-d still asks the people to repent and return to Him. He would rather they “tear their hearts” in repentance than be punished and tear their clothes in mourning. He is quite merciful, slow to anger and He would rather avoid having to punish people. If people recognize their shortcomings and resolve to improve, they can still walk away from the coming plague relatively G-d has mercy on His people, He will repay them for the damages incurred by the locust swarms. The people will eat, be satisfied and thank G-d for the wonders He has worked for them. The people will recognize G-d and never be ashamed. Yoel / Joel is speaking of the messianic age when everyone will know G-d, when there will be universal peace (hasn't happened yet) -- and the prophet (speaking for G-d) says "And it shall come to pass afterwards that I will pour out My spirit upon all flesh." This is not the "holy spirit" -- a part of a three-headed god. The term “holy spirit” in the T’nach (Jewish bible) does not refer to an entity as it does to Christians. There is no “holy spirit” aka the “holy ghost.” There is only one G-d (D’varim / Deuteronomy 6:4). The term "holy spirit" (in which "holy" is an adjective) never appears in the T'nach even once. G-d is not a spirit. G-d is not a physical entity (He has not physical form, He is not a man). רוּחַ הַקֹּדֶש / Ruach HaKodesh should be translated as "a spirit of [the] holiness" or "a spirit of [the] sanctity". Meaning it is a state of holiness in a human being, NOT a mythical G-d of spirit. Let me repeat that – it is a state of holiness in a human being, NOT a mythical spirit of G-d. The term in Yoel / Joel 3:1 (2:28 in Christian versions) is not "holy spirit." The word here is רוּחִי֙ / my spirit. רוּחַ / ru'ah is a "spirit", and can also be also translated as "wind." G-d breathed a spirit into man (B'reshit / Genesis 2:7).. The Hebrew word (רֽוּחַ) / ruaḥ, which Christians almost invariably translate as “spirit”, in fact nearly always means something else. It usually means a “wind” (as in “north wind” or “east wind”), but it can mean a “mood” or a “fit”; and it can also refer to G-d’s “presence”. It would seem that this Christian “holy ghost” (“holy spirit” of the trinity) is based on a misuse of the Hebrew term Ruach HaKodesh (mistranslated as holy spirit) But Ruach HaKodesh doesn't mean "the holy spirit.” “Holy Spirit” would be הָרוּחַ הַקָּדוֹשׁ ha-ru'ah ha-kadosh (ha meaning “the”) or perhaps הָרוּחַ הַקְּדוֹשָׁה ha-ru'ah ha-k'doshah (because רוּחַ ruach can be both masculine & feminine – all nouns in Hebrew must be either male or female). קוֹדֶשׁ (kadosh) is a noun ("holiness" or "sanctity") and literally means to be separate. The term רוּחַ literally means “wind” and is the lowest level of the soul – the life force. רוּחַ הַקֹּדֶש / Ruach HaKodesh should be translated as "a spirit of [the] holiness" or "a spirit of [the] sanctity". Meaning it is a state of holiness in a human being, NOT a mythical G-d of spirit. Let me repeat that – it is a state of holiness in a human being, NOT a mythical spirit of G-d. So what does it mean? What is a state of holiness in a human being? Divine inspiration. One inspired by G-d. A state of being of a person. Inspiration being a level below communication with G-d (prophecy). Can Yoel / Joel be speaking of Jesus? No -- again read this in context. Yoel / Joel warns the people of his generation of pending catastrophe. . . but REPENT says the prophet. G-d would rather the people "tear their hearts" in repentance than be punished. If the people repent G-d will forgive and turn aside punishment. At the end of chapter 3 the prophet says that everyone will rejoice with G-d. . . . This did not happen with Jesus. The Jewish people were under Roman domination 2000 years ago -- the Romans crucified around 200,000 Jews. They destroyed the Temple, they burned Jerusalem and eventually they exiled most of the Jews from the land, destroying the country and renaming it for the Jewish enemy, the Philistines. . . In the past 2000 years has there been a time when "everyone" rejoices with G-d? It certainly wasn't the Crusades when the Jews were rounded into a Synagogue in Jerusalem and burned alive. Or the Middle Ages with Jews accused of killing Christians and being murdered in groups. It didn't happen during the Spanish Inquisition. Or the pogroms in Russia. Or the Holocaust in World War II. Or today when antisemitism is on the rise and Jews in France flee for their lives while Arab rockets rain down daily on the Jewish town of S'derot. No, the promise of Yoel / Joel that the Jews will rejoice has not yet happened. Yet another false claim by the list maker. . . There is no prophecy that the messiah will be a descendant of זְרֻבָּבֶ֤ל / Zerubbabel (Z'rubavel). Chaggai / Haggai 2:23 is speaking of Zerubbabel (Z'rubavel) -- not any of his descendants. "On that day, says the L-rd of Hosts, I will take you, O Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, My servant; says the L-rd, and I will make you as a signet; for I have chosen you, says the L-rd of Hosts." Chaggai / Haggai 2:23. You. Not a descendant. You. Let's examine the context. Chaggai / Haggai lived during the reign of the King Persia, who was the son of Queen Esther and Achashverosh of Purim fame, Remember: a prophet is a person in direct communication with G-d through visions and dreams. G-d spoke to Haggai and gave him a message for Zerubbabel (Z'rubavel) -- who was not a king. Zerubbabel (Z'rubavel) was the son of P'daiah (Pedaiah) and the grandson of Sh'altiyel (Shealtiel) and he became the governor of Judah under Persian control. Chaggai / Haggai also had a message for Y'hoshuah / Joshua, son of Y'hotzadak, the kohein gadol (high priest). His message: rebuild the Temple. G-d tells Chaggai / Haggai that the Persian Empire will fall, to be replaced with the Greek Empire (and the Greeks highly influenced the Jewish people -- particularly the Hasmoneans who came to rule Judah. They were highly Hellenized (influenced by the Greeks). G-d says when this happens, G-d will raise Zerubbabel (Z'rubavel) up, making him like the signet of a ring. (This is in contrast to Zerubbabel (Z'rubavel)'s ancestor Jeconiah, king of Judah, (Y'rmiyahu / Jeremiah 22) whom G-d removed from power using the analogy of a man removing a signet ring. But even if this were a messianic prophecy (and it is not) it could not fit Jesus. According to the Christian bible Jesus was not a descendant of Zerubbabel (Z'rubavel), King David, King Solomon or any other line of descent. Which brings up another interesting point. Luke mangles his genealogy of Joseph. He claims that Zerubbabel (Z'rubavel) is in the line -- but then he claims that Joseph's line descended from King David via his son Nathan (not Solomon). Zerubbabel (Z'rubavel) was a descendant of Solomon, not Nathan. The messiah must be descended from Solomon, not Nathan. Luke 2:23 - 32 "the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel. . . the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, 3the son of Jesse." Totally wrong. Thus even if Joseph (Mary's legal husband) had fathered Jesus biologically, Jesus would not have been in line to the throne (messiah). . . Luke's lineage goes through Nathan, bypassing Solomon. This alone disqualifies Luke's lineage. The inclusion of Zerubbabel (Z'rubavel) is flat out wrong. Zerubbabel (Z'rubavel) was a descendant of Solomon, not Nathan. The Christian bible gives two different and conflicting lineages for Joseph. Does the lineage of Joseph given by Matthew and also by Luke put Jesus in the running to be the messiah? Matthew does include Zerubbabel (Z'rubavel) as descended from Solomon (correct), but then his lineage also falls apart as a messianic claim for Joseph (Jesus had no claim at all). Matthew skips four kings in his lineage: Ahaziah son of Jehoram, Jehoash son of Ahaziah, Amaziah son of Jehoash and Uzziah son of Amaziah (also called Azariah. Why does Matthew eliminate 4 kings representing 81 years of leadership? Matthew 1:17 states "so all the generations from Abraham to David are 14 generations, and from David to the Babylonian exile are 14 generations, and from the Babylonian exile until the messiah are 14 generations" This is inaccurate. There were 18 generations -- Matthew eliminated four of them. The T'nach lists the list of lineage in three separate places in the T'nach. Link. Eliminating four generations still might put Joseph, and his sons, in line to claim kingship, but Mathew makes one more and far more serious error in his list. Matthew left out a generation and the names given after Zerubbabel (Z'rubavel) don't match Divrei Hayamim Alef / 1 Chronicles 3. The last list given by Matthew seems to be mostly fiction. Matthew says “ After the exile to Babylon:
Look at the third one in this list: Zerubbabel father of Abihud.
Tribal lineage (and thus descendant) is only by a biological Jewish father (think "sperm") impregnating a Jewish woman who is his wife or concubine. The Christian bible claims that Jesus had no "earthly" biological father and thus he was not a descendant of Zerubbabel. In any case, the lineage as it pertains to this claim is not even important: the passage is about Zerubbabel (Z'rubavel) himself, not a messianic prophecy. Nowhere does Chaggai / Haggai say the messiah will visit the Second Temple. There are no second Temple prophecies associated with the messiah. . . The prophet Chaggai / Haggai lived under the rule of Queen Esther's son as king of Persia. Cyrus had given the word to rebuild the Temple and Jerusalem, but the building had been stalled. Seventeen years have passed. Now G-d tells the prophet Chaggai / Haggai to inspire זְרֻבָּבֶ֤ל / Zerubbabel (Z'rubavel) -- the governor of Judah under Persian control -- and the kohein gadol (high priest) יְהוֹשֻׁ֧עַ / Y'hoshua / Joshua son of Jehozadak / Y'hotzedok. This is about the building of the Second Temple -- not who might or might not visit it! Chaggai / Haggai 2. "In the seventh [month], on the twenty-first of the month, the word of the Lord came through Haggai the prophet, saying: Say now to Zerubbabel the son of Shaltiel, the governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak the High Priest, and to the remnant of the people. . ." The Second Temple stood about 400 years. Just how many people visited it in those 400 years? Millions, no doubt, and yet the list maker would have you believe that something millions have done is a messianic prophecies? Amazing! And not in a good way! During festivals such as Sukkot and Passover millions of Jews would visit Jerusalem and the Temple -- so how on earth could anyone think that there would be a messianic prophecy that the messiah would visit the Temple!! 2000 years ago the historian Josephus wrote "Passover... is a memorial of their deliverance out of Egypt. They observe it with enthusiasm. . . An innumerable multitude of people come out of the country, and from abroad also, in order to worship G-d." Wars of the Jews, Book II, Chapter 1. Chaggai / Haggai is speaking of the rebuilding of the Temple -- not anyone vising it! In the prophet says "For so said the L-rd of Hosts: [There will rise] another one, and I will shake up the heaven and the earth and the sea and the dry land [for] a little while." Chaggai / Haggai 2:6 The list maker seems to think that "another one" must refer to Jesus. Nope. Read it in context. Chaggai / Haggai is speaking of EMPIRES, not people. He is speaking of the Persian Empire -- the one controlling the Jewish nation in the land of Judah -- and saying it will fall, but "another one" will rise. As the list maker: if this is about Jesus will you admit he only had shook things up for "a little while"? Exactly. It isn't about Jesus. The list maker references Chaggai / Haggai 2:6 - 9. "For so said the L-rd of Hosts: [There will rise] another one, and I will shake up the heaven and the earth and the sea and the dry land [for] a little while. And I will shake up all the nations, and they shall come [with] the precious things of all the nations. And I will fill this House with glory, said the L-rd of Hosts. The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine, says the L-rd of Hosts. The glory of this latter House shall be greater than the first one, said the L-rd of Hosts. And in this place I will grant peace, says the L-rd of Hosts." How does any of that pertain to Jesus? G-d is speaking of the Second Temple being built under the Persians and existing under the Greeks (the Hasmoneans were Greek, and even the Romans were highly influenced by Greek culture). Some missionaries will point to "The glory of this last House shall be greater than the first one" and say this has to refer to Jesus. Why? Note that Chaggai / Haggai does not say the second Temple was holier than the first. It wasn't. It was physically bigger. It stood for 10-years longer than Solomon's Temple stood. It was also taller -- because the height to the second level was 10 cubits more than Solomon's Temple. It was very grand -- particularly Herod's additions to it. But it was not as holy as the first. It didn't have the ark of the covenant for one. . . for another it was the end of prophecy. Prophecy ended with the last of the prophets (Ezra and company). The high priesthood was bought and sold in the Second Temple. Consider that the first Temple stood for about 410 years and in that time there were only 18 Kohein Gadol (high priests). The second Temple stood for about 420 years -- and there were over 300 high priests! The Second Temple was "greater" than the first in two ways.
Rashi says: There was a controversy between Rav and Samuel. One said: In the building; and one said: In the years, that the years of the First Temple were four hundred and ten, and those of the Second Temple were four hundred and twenty. During most of the first Temple Jews were free. During most of the second Temple period Second Temple the Jews were under the rule of the Persians, the Greeks, and eventually the Romans. Glory, is NOT the same as holiness. While the second Temple was amazing, it never approached the holiness of the first. Some translations confuse readers by saying this second Temple is the "last" (rather than latter) Temple. This is a mistranslation. The terms רִאשׁוֹן (“first”) and אַחֲרוֹן (“last”) are often used relatively. Marcus Jastrow was a great scholar who authored the Dictionary of the Targumim, Talmud Babli, Talmud Yerushalmi and Midrashic Literature., He noted that the word אחרון (from the root for "after", "behind", "other") can be translated as other, next, later or last. So, no, "last" does not mean the second Temple was the "last" Temple. Remember that translations are as much art as science -- so "after", "behind", "other" or "latter" are all correct translations for אַחֲרוֹן . In this passage the Artscroll Stone Edition T'nach translates the phrase הַבַּֽיִת הַזֶּה הָאַחֲרוֹן as “this latter Temple.” Some wonder what Chaggai / Haggai meant when he said "they shall come [with] the precious things of all the nations" -- after all, unlike Solomon's Temple, the nations did not send wealth to build the second Temple. . . But, oh they did! After the Maccabean revolt which restored the second Temple after it had been desecrated with idols many nations gave gifts to the Jews to restore the Temple to a state of glory. Nowhere does Chaggai / Haggai say or even suggest that the messiah will "visit" the second Temple. This claim is about as far fetched as they come! Below is an image of the Artscroll translation. Michah / Micah 5:1 (5:2 in Christian versions) says nothing about anyone being "from everlasting" or "eternal." Mistranslation. Michah . Micah 5:1 in the T'nach. "And you, בֵּֽית־לֶ֣חֶם / Beit Lĕḥĕm Ephrathah-you should have been the lowest of the clans of Judah-from you [he] shall emerge for Me, to be a ruler over Israel; and his origin is from of old, from days of yore." Micah is saying that the messiah (who is indeed the subject of this passage) will be descended from King David who was from מִבֵּ֥ית לֶ֙חֶם֙ יְהוּדָ֔ה / Beit Lĕḥĕm–Ĕfratah -- the house of Bread (Lĕḥĕm) from Efrat. The Davidic family is "from days of yore." He lived nearly a thousand years before Jesus and 3000 years from now. . . When the messiah does emerge he will be from an ancient family -- that of King David. The messiah's origins go back even futher -- to ancient times: to the tribe of Y'hudah (Judah) as prophesied by Jacob (Israel) in the book of B'reshit / Genesis! See B'reshit / Genesis 49:10. But what of the claim that Micah says he is "from everlasting." A total mistranslation. Christian translations try to twist Michah / Micah 5:1 (2 in Christian translations) to somehow fit Jesus. "from days of old." magically becomes "eternally." Yet, as with so many "proof texts" (a biblical passage which missionaries point to as being about Jesus) -- the mangled translation disappears in passages not viewed as being Jesus prophecies. So while the Holman Christian Standard Bible, New American Standard Bible, International Standard Version and others have "eternity" -- and the King James has "from everlasting" they translate the exact same phrase more accurately as "from old days" in other biblical passages: יְמֵ֥י עֹולָֽם / "days of the past." Isaiah 63:9, Holman Christian Standard Bible, יְמֵ֥י עֹולָֽם / / "days of old" Isaiah 63:9, New American Standard Bible. יְמֵ֥י עֹולָֽם / / "days of old" Isaiah 63:9, International Standard Version In the King James Version they translate this term six times: In Isaiah 63:9 = the days of old; In Isaiah 63:11 = the days of old; In Amos 9:11 "as in days of old"; In Micah 7:14 "as in days of old"; In Malachi 3:4 "as in days of old"; and in Micah 5:2 it suddenly changes to "from ancient days." A truthful Christian should ask themselves "why?" Why does the KJV translate it correctly in five of six locations -- but in one they seek to apply to Jesus it is suddenly a totally different translation? Deceit seems to be the only possible reason for a differing translation. . . Let's look at each word: יְמֵ֥י = y'mei = days of עֹולָֽם = olam = long ago, ancient times Why do those three translations (and many others) incorrectly translate the passage as "eternity" ONLY when they think it points to Jesus, but get it correct in other instances? Isaiah 63:9 is joined by other passages including In Isaiah 63:11 the Holman has "days of the past" while the New American Standard (NASB) has "days of old.." Micah is not saying the messiah is somehow divine: from eternity. No, Micah is stating that the messiah comes from a very old, very long family tree -- pointing back to the tribe of Y'hudah (Judah) and its kings David and Solomon. So, no -- this is not a prophecy that the messiah will be "from eternity." Mistranslation and misapplied. John 15:10 doesn't say anything about Jesus being G-d's servant (how can Jesus be part of a trinity-god and at the same time G-d's servant?). John 15:10 says "If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commands and remain in his love." What happened to “You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor shall you subtract from it, to observe the commandments of HaShem, your G-d, that I command you.” D’varim / Deuteronomy 4:2? What gives Jesus any authority to make commandments? Nothing. But back to the subject at hand: G-d's servant. The Christian bible never refers to Jesus as G-d's servant. Not once. Check for yourself. Look at Matthew 17:5 or Philippians 2:5-8 or John 15:10 -- none of them call Jesus G-d's servant. No one in the Christian bible ever calls Jesus "my servant." The words "my servant" only appear once in the Christian bible and that is Matthew 12:17 - 18. Jesus is being followed by a crowd -- he warns his followers not to tell anyone about him and Matthew 12 then says "this was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet (Isaiah) "Here is my servant whom I have chosen. . ." The author of Matthew is referencing (quoting from) Y'shayahu / Isaiah 42:1-4 which says: "Behold My servant, I will support him, My chosen one, whom My soul desires; I have placed My spirit upon him, he shall promulgate justice to the nations. He shall neither cry nor shall he raise [his voice]; and he shall not make his voice heard outside.A breaking reed he shall not break; and a flickering flaxen wick he shall not quench; with truth shall he execute justice. Neither shall he weaken nor shall he be broken, until he establishes justice in the land, and for his instruction, islands shall long." The only problem with Matthew 12 saying that Jesus "fulfilled" the words of this passage is that Isaiah goes on to say that he is speaking of the Jewish people -- not one individual, and certainly not Jesus (who lived 700 years after Isaiah was dead). How do we know this is about the Jews? Read the chapter! "So said the L-rd, "In a time of favor I answered you, and on a day of salvation I helped you; and I will watch you, and I will make you for a people of a covenant, to establish a land, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages." Y'shayahu / Isaiah 42:8. In the T'nach (bible) the messiah is never called "the messiah" or even "messiah." Isaiah does call quite a few people G-d's servant including Himself (Isaiah). Y'shayahu / Isaiah 20:3; Eliakim Y'shayahu / Isaiah 22:20; King David Y'shayahu / Isaiah 37:37; Not specified Israel / the Jewish nation / Jacob / Jeshrun. Israel is called, by Isaiah, "My servant" time and time and time again. Not Jesus. So what of Michah / Micah? Micah 5:2 in Christian bibles is actually Michah . Micah 5:1 in the T'nach. "And you, בֵּֽית־לֶ֣חֶם / Beit Lĕḥĕm Ephrathah-you should have been the lowest of the clans of Judah-from you [he] shall emerge for Me, to be a ruler over Israel; and his origin is from of old, from days of yore." Do you see the term "servant" in the passage? Neither do I. Micah speaks of this person, born from Davidic "stock" (David was from ) who will be a ruler over Israel (the Jewish people). Jesus was never a ruler over us Jews -- but we can clearly see that Micah is not speaking about Jesus by reading Michah / Micah 5. The prophet Michah / Micah states that in this time there will be permanent peace. "And this shall be peace. Should Assyria come into our land, and should they tread upon our palaces, we will appoint over them seven shepherds and eight princes of men. And they shall break the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod at its gates; and he shall save [us] from Assyria, who comes into our land, and who treads in our border." Michah . Micah 5:4 - 5. Missionaries, shown passages which clearly Jesus did not fulfill prophecies, will respond "he'll do that in the second coming!" This is an excuse and clearly shows that JESUS DID NOT DO IT. Jesus did not bring peace. Jesus did not save us from Assyria. Jesus did not return the Jews to the land of Israel. . . He did not one of them! Micah states that the real messiah will usher in an eternal era of peace. The Jewish enemies will be destroyed and Israel won't even need of weapons to keep the peace (obviously this has not happened either). . . . The peace the messiah brings will be so great that cities will not have (or need) walls. Idolatry and magic will end -- and G-d will spend His anger on those who refused to listen to Him. We still await these things - just as we await the real messiah. It will shock most Christians to learn that there is no prophecy that the messiah will be born in בֵּֽית־לֶ֣חֶם / Beit Lĕḥĕm (aka Bethlehem. Yet again the Christian bible authors took a biblical passage from the T'nach and twisted it -- even reversing it. Michah / Micah 5:1 (2 in Christian translations) says “But as for you, Beit Lĕḥĕm–Ĕfratah... (you are too small to be among the thousands of Judah (so small you aren't even counted)- (but) from you [the messiah] shall emerge for Me, to be a ruler over Israel; and his origin is from of old, from early times (days of old).”
Why is the "too small" important? Because Matthew reverses it. Micah: “But as for you, Beit Lĕḥĕm–Ĕfratah... you are too small to be among the thousands of Judah (so small you aren't even counted)- Matthew: "'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.'" you are too small ≠ by no means least Opposite. When Micah says "from you [the messiah] shall emerge for Me" doesn't that mean he must be born in Bethlehem? Nope. The T'nach tells us time and time and time again that the messiah must be a descendant of King David and his son, Solomon. Read Shmuel Alef / 1 Samuel 17:12, Divrei Hayamim Alef / 1 Chronicles 22:9-10, And while you're at it read M'lachim Alef / 1 Kings 8:15-20; Divrei Hayamim Alef / 1 Chronicles 17:11-15, 22:9-10, and 28:3-7. The T'nach (bible) states that the messiah must be a physical offspring of both David and Solomon. Jesus fails this test (virgin birth). Having established that the messiah must be a descendant of King David -- have you ever asked yourself where David came from? That is right: בֵּֽית־לֶ֣חֶם / Beit Lĕḥĕm (aka Bethlehem), or to be more specific, בֵּ֥ית לֶ֙חֶם֙ יְהוּדָ֔ה / Beit Lĕḥĕm–Ĕfratah. "וְדָוִד֩ בֶּן־אִ֨ישׁ אֶפְרָתִ֜י הַזֶּ֗ה מִבֵּ֥ית לֶ֙חֶם֙ יְהוּדָ֔ה" / "And David was the son of this Ephrathite man from Bethlehem of Y'hudah (Judah)." Shmuel Alef / 1 Samuel 17:12. The prophet Micah is echoing what we have already been told in the bible: the messiah will be a descendant of David -- who was from the House of לֶ֙חֶם֙ / Lĕḥĕm of יְהוּדָ֔ה / Ĕfratah (not the one in the Galilee). One way to know that Micah is speaking of the messiah being descended from David, and not that the messiah will be born in the town of Bethelehm, is to read a portion of Micah that Matthew conveniently ignores: "וּמֹוצָאֹתָ֥יו מִקֶּ֖דֶם מִימֵ֥י עֹולָֽם" / "and his origin is from of old, from days of old." The messiah's origins go back to ancient times: to the tribe of Y'hudah (Judah) as prophesied by Jacob (Israel) in the book of B'reshit / Genesis! See B'reshit / Genesis 49:10. Christian translations try to twist Michah / Micah 5:1 (2 in Christian translations) to somehow fit Jesus. "from days of old." magically becomes "eternally." Yet, as with so many "proof texts" (a biblical passage which missionaries point to as being about Jesus) -- the mangled translation disappears in passages not viewed as being Jesus prophecies. So while the Holman Christian Standard Bible, New American Standard Bible, International Standard Version and others have "eternity" -- and the King James has "from everlasting" they translate the exact same phrase more accurately as "from old days" in other biblical passages: יְמֵ֥י עֹולָֽם / "days of the past." Isaiah 63:9, Holman Christian Standard Bible, יְמֵ֥י עֹולָֽם / / "days of old" Isaiah 63:9, New American Standard Bible. יְמֵ֥י עֹולָֽם / / "days of old" Isaiah 63:9, International Standard Version Why do those three translations (and many others) incorrectly translate the passage as "eternity" ONLY when they think it points to Jesus, but get it correct in other instances? Isaiah 63:9 is joined by other passages including In Isaiah 63:11 the Holman has "days of the past" while the New American Standard (NASB) has "days of old.." Micah is not saying the messiah is somehow divine: from eternity. No, Micah is stating that the messiah comes from a very old, very long family tree -- pointing back to the tribe of Y'hudah (Judah) and its kings David and Solomon. This claim is "two for one":
The next claim is "born in Bethlehem" so once again the list maker is bulking up the list by claiming the same "prophecy" multiple times.
At the time of Isaiah the prophets Micah and Isaiah are preaching in Judah (the southern kingdom) while the prophets Hosea and Amos were preaching in the northern kingdom of Israel. This was about 700 years before Jesus' supposed birth. How do we know without a doubt that Micah is not speaking of Jesus establishing a "kingdom" in heaven or elsewhere? He says so. "And it shall be at the end of the days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be firmly established at the top of the mountains, and it shall be raised above the hills, and peoples shall stream upon it." Michah / Micah 4:1. G-d's house (the Temple) on a HILL (the Temple Mount). A hill. Not up in heaven somewhere. Micah is speaking of the Temple in the messianic age which has yet to be built. This is a REAL building on a REAL hill -- and Micah goes on to tell us: "And many nations shall go, and they shall say, "Come, let us go up to the L-rd's mount and to the house of the G-d of Jacob, and let Him teach us of His ways, and we will go in His paths," for out of Zion shall the Torah come forth, and the word of the L-rd from Jerusalem." Michah / Micah 4:2.
FOR OUT OF ZION SHALL THE TORAH COME FORTH. Not Jesus. Torah. Not Paul distorting the words of the Torah, but the Torah itself. Jesus didn't do any of the things prophesied by Micah including bringing 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. Jesus "did not do it." Yet another claim made that is false. As for Bethlehem, There is nothing in the T'nach (bible) that says the messiah will be born in or even arrive in בֵּֽית־לֶ֣חֶם / Beit Lĕḥĕm (aka Bethlehem). The Christian bible misuses the words of the prophet Michah / Micah who said that the messiah will be a descendant of King David. It was David who was of Beit Lĕḥĕm–Ĕfratah. "And David was the son of this Ephraitite man from the House of Lĕḥĕm (Beit Lĕḥĕm–Ĕfratah, aka Bethlehem) of Judah." Shmuel Alef / 1 Samuel 17:12. The prophet Micah was not prophesying that the messiah will be born in the town of בֵּֽית־לֶ֣חֶם / Beit Lĕḥĕm (aka Bethlehem. There is no prophecy that the messiah will be born in בֵּֽית־לֶ֣חֶם / Beit Lĕḥĕm (aka Bethlehem -- or even where the messiah might be born. What of Luke and Matthew claiming that Jesus was born in Bethlehem?
"there is evidence the other Bethlehem in the West Bank, or what Israelis call Judea, was not even inhabited in the first century. Paula Fredriksen, an American scholar of the historical Jesus, says that early Christianity only started to pay attention to the Judean Bethlehem in the fourth century, when the Emperor Constantine declared Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire.." Source: National Public Radio. The T'nach (bible) speaks of King David being from Judah, not the Galilee. That is why Christians try to place Jesus' birth in that location. "And David was the son of this Ephraitite man from the House of Lĕḥĕm (Beit Lĕḥĕm–Ĕfratah, aka Bethlehem) of Judah." Shmuel Alef / 1 Samuel 17:12. Uri Yosef has written an interesting article entitled "O Little Town of Bethlehem -- of Galilee" which is worth reading. He writes "Two distinct geographical places named בֵּֽית־לֶ֣חֶם / Beit Lĕḥĕm (aka Bethlehem) are mentioned in the Hebrew Bible: One, the familiar city that is located in the territory of the Tribe of Judah, is referenced on 40 occasions. The other, a more obscure one referenced only once (as one of the 12 named cities in the territory of the Tribe of Zebulun), is located in the lower Galilee some four miles (approximately 7 kilometers) northwest of Nazareth. . ." No. Really? Come on! The list maker actually claims that Jesus fulfilled a prophecy to regather Israel (the Jewish people)? Nothing could be further from the truth. "I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of you; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; together I will make them as sheep in a fold, as a flock within its stall shall they stir with people." Michah / Micah 2:12. 2000 years ago the nation of Judah (Judea) had become a vassal state to Rome. A majority of Jews didn't even live in Judah -- many having never left Babylon after the exile hundreds of years earlier. Other Jews lived in Egypt, Rome -- the various locations of the known world. . . A mere forty years after Jesus' supposed death the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple, and about sixty years later the Romans exiled most of the Jews from the entire country -- and renamed it "Palestine" as an insult (the name referenced an old Jewish enemy, the Philistines). So exactly "how" did Jesus regather Israel? It never happened! Who was Micah? Micah was a prophet who lived during the reigns of Yosam, Ahaz and Chizkiyahu / Hezekiah -- the same time as the prophet Y'shayahu / Isaiah. This was nearly 700 years before Jesus supposedly lived. This was about 150 years before the destruction of the first Temple in Jerusalem by the Babylonian hosts and the first exile of the Jews. "Micah the Morashtite was prophesying in the days of Chizkiyahu / Hezekiah the king of Judah, saying: So said the L-rd of Hosts: Zion shall be plowed for a field, and Jerusalem shall be heaps, and the Temple Mount as the high places of a forest." Y'rmiyahu / Jeremiah 26:18. Micah warned of the destruction of Samaria and Jerusalem. Samaria was destroyed about 25 years after his proclamation. Jerusalem was destroyed 130+ years later -- in the year 3338. Remember that all negative visions can be avoided -- this is the very reason negative visions exist -- to avoid them! Yoel / Joel was a prophet of the priestly tribe of Levi. He lived in the 6th century BCE -- long before Jesus. It is ironic that a missionary would point to Yoel / Joel as proof of Jesus being a messiah who "died for your sins" since the entire message of the Book of Yoel / Joel is REPENT and be forgiven! No sacrifice needed. Repent! Yoel / Joel speaks about the fact that in the true messianic age -- an age of global peace, worldwide knowledge of G-d, all the Jews returning to the land of Israel -- the true prophecies which never happened with Jesus and have yet to happen -- in that time G-d will deliver the Jews from their exile and torment. There is no "Joel 2:32." Christian bibles lump chapter 2 and 3 together. Yoel / Joel chapter 2 ends at verse 27 "And you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and I am the L-rd your G-d, there is no other; and My people shall never be ashamed." THERE IS NO OTHER. No Jesus. Neither does verse 3:5 (2:32 in Christian versions) say anything about salvation or the messiah bringing salvation. "And it shall come to pass that whoever shall call in the name of the L-rd יִמָּלֵ֑ט / shall be delivered, for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be a deliverance, as the L-rd said, and among the survivors whom the L-rd invites." Whoever calls on the name of the L-rd. Not the name of Jesus. Yoel / Joel speaks only of G-d and the fact that He will deliver the Jews in the messianic age -- the living people, not their souls -- which do not need to be "saved" from anything. Romans 10:13 actually says "call on the name of the L-rd" correct. It goes on to say "and be saved." Yoel / Joel does not say "saved" it says יִמָּלֵ֑ט / shall be delivered, וְנוֹשַׁעְתֶּ֖ם / shall be saved is different. Nouns in Hebrew are either masculine or feminine and the word for "salvation" is a feminine noun. 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." So we don't NEED Jesus to save us -- G-d has saved / is saving us continually, B"H! Romans 10 tells Christians to call on the name of the L-rd. That L-rd is not Jesus -- they should heed the advice. There is no "holy spirit" or "holy ghost" in the sense of an entity -- a part of a trinity god. There is only one G-d (D’varim / Deuteronomy 6:4). The term "holy spirit" (in which "holy" is an adjective) never appears in the T'nach even once. Judaism, relying on the T'nach, holds that G-d is One and Unique. The notion of a dual or triune godhead is totally rejected. G-d is not a spirit. G-d is not a physical entity (He has not physical form, He is not a man).. So what is happening in Yoel / Joel 2:? Yoel / Joel was from the tribe of Levi (the priestly tribe) -- the son of the prophet Shmuel / Samuel. (Shmuel Alef / I Samuel 8:2 and Divrei Hayamim Alef / I Chronicles 6:18.). He lived in the 6th century BCE -- long before Jesus. Yoel / Joel was a student of the prophet Micah and lived when the prophets Nahum and Habakkuk lived. His prophecies include the vision of a devastating locust plague if the people did not repent. G-d would rather they “tear their hearts” in repentance than be punished and tear their clothes in mourning. He is merciful, slow to anger and He would rather not punish people. If people recognize their shortcomings and declare their intention to improve, they can walk away from the coming plague mostly untouched. "And even now, says the L-rd, return to Me with all your heart, and with fasting and with weeping and with lamentation. And rend your hearts and not your garments, and return to the L-rd your G-d, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and He repents of the evil". Yoel / Joel 2:12. No need for any sacrifices -- let alone human sacrifice (which is forbidden) -- just sincere repentance and G-d will forgive. "And you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and I am the L-rd your G-d, there is no other." Yoel / Joel 2:27. THERE IS NO OTHER. Not Jesus. And no mythical "holy ghost" either. There is only one G-d. There is no verse 28 - 32. Yoel / Joel chapter 2 ends at verse 27 "And you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and I am the L-rd your G-d, there is no other; and My people shall never be ashamed." Christian bibles combine Joel 2 and Joel 3 into chapter 2. Acts 2:17-21 purports to quote the prophet Yoel / Joel 3:1-5 (2:28–32 in Christian bibles) Yoel / Joel 3:1: "And it shall come to pass afterwards that I will pour out My spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and daughters shall prophesy; your elders shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions." AFTERWARDS. After what? The vision of Yoel / Joel of the disaster with the locusts. Did any of that happen to Jesus? Nope. Romans 10 also speaks of "being saved" It says "For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." This is a mistranslation of Yoél / Joel. In Hebrew "to save" would be לְהוֹשִֽׁיעַ / l'hoshiya (to save). This verb does not occur in Yoel / Joel 3:5:, which is misquoted both in Acts 2:21 and in Paul the Apostate’s Letter to the Romans 10:13. "And it will be that everyone who proclaims G-d's Fame will escape (be delivered), for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be a deliverance, as the L-rd said, and among the survivors whom the Lord invites." Yoel / Joel 3:5. The verse in —the verse actually reads וְהָיָ֗ה כֹּ֧ל אֲשֶׁר־יִקְרָ֛א בְּשֵׁ֥ם יְיָ֖ יִמָּלֵ֑ט “....and it will be [that] everyone who proclaims G-d's Fame will escape....”. The word יִמָּלֵ֑ט = to escape. Not "be saved." Escaped. Escape dangers -- it has nothing to do with the eternal soul which is perfect and does not need "saving." As so often with mistranslations in Christian versions the distortion appears only in "proof" texts. A proof text is a passage used to "point" to Jesus. If you read 1 Kings 19:40 in the King James the same word (יִמָּלֵ֥ט ) is translated as "of them escape." In 2 Kings 10:24 the NAS and KJV have "to excape" for יִמָּלֵט֙. . . Check for yourselves. . . This is a true messianic prophecy -- and it means that in Messianic times, G-d will pour His spirit out on the people, who will be so infused with an understanding of G-d that many will have dreams and visions. Even the members of other nations, who may choose to come to Israel to facilitate the service of G-d, will be on a high spiritual level. Being imbued with a spirit of holiness means connecting to G-d -- it is not a mythical ghostly god. That concept is foreign to the T'nach. How can we be very certain that this has nothing to do with Jesus? Yoel / Joel describes the material blessings with which G-d will reward His people for their obedience and faith. Has that happened to the Jewish people? Nope. In Jesus' lifetime the Jews were under Roman oppression -- and within 100 years of his death the Romans destroyed the country and exiled its Jews. For nearly 2000 years Jews have been the victim of death and torture at the hands, primarily, of Christians. The promise of Yoel / Joel has not yet happened. It didn't happen 2000 years ago. It still has not happened today. |
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