INTRODUCTION

Prophesy can in many sense be called the foundational theme of the Bible because it is the single strand that ties together all the themes of both Christian Testaments, Old and New. Thus it provides a lens through which to unite the text of Scripture under the single theme of God’s loving desire to transform his people into a “new creation”, fit to dwell in his Presence in Heaven, from previously having been allowed to worship only from afar at the Earthly Tent, and that under strict stipulation. In effect he takes us from being a “people with a priest” to a “kingdom of priests” (Ex.19:16, Is.43:20-21, 1Pet.2:9). The main and central themes of prophecy broadly speaking are: the prediction of the divine Messiah in the line of David, the New and Eternal Covenant to replace the Old, and God’s desire to dwell definitively with his people, and we shall examine all of these along with related themes and how they all tie together.

THE BIBLICAL USE AND MEANING OF “MESSIAH”

Michael Rydelnik offers this useful scriptural analysis:

“The Hebrew word (mashiach) is commonly and accurately translated as “anointed.” It is used 39 times in the Hebrew Bible, generally with another noun, such as “the anointed priest.” (…) the Old Testament does indeed use the word “anointed” in its technical sense of “Messiah” (meaning the one that is to save Israel etc.- my add) at least nine times out of its thirty-nine usages, citing 1 Sam 2:10,35; Ps 2:2; 20:6; 28:8; 84:9; Hab.3:13; Dan 9: 25,26.7 (…) also add 2 Sam 22:51; 23:1; and Ps 89:51 (…) Moreover, “Messiah” is not the only or most common designation for this future royal figure. Some of the other terms used for this king include “the Branch,” “the Holy One,” and “the Servant of the Lord.” (TMH, p.2)

Collins here describes what “Messiah” meant to the Jewish people:

“The degree of diversity is inevitably bound up with the question of terminology. In modern parlance, the word “messiah” refers at the minimum to a figure who will play an authoritative role in the end time, usually the eschatological king. The Hebrew word “masyach”, however, means simply “anointed” and does not necessarily refer to an eschatological figure at all. While it refers to a royal figure some thirty times in the Hebrew Bible, it can also refer to other figures, most notably the anointed High Priest. The association of the term with an ideal Davidic king derives from Ps 2:2, which speaks of the subjugation of all the peoples to God’s anointed. In the postexilic period, when there was no longer a king in Jerusalem, we occasionally find the hope for an ideal king of the future. Jer 23:5 can be read in this context: “The days are coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.” The use of the term “masyach”, messiah, for such a future king is not attested in the biblical period. In the late apocalyptic Book of Daniel, the only uses of “masyach” refer to High Priests (Dan 9:25, 26). It is not helpful, however, to restrict the discussion of messianism too narrowly to occurrences of “masyach” or its translation equivalents (christos, unctus, etc.). On the one hand, since the term “messiah” is commonly used in later tradition for the ideal Davidic king of the future, passages such as Jer 23:5-6 , which clearly refer to such a figure, may reasonably be dubbed “messianic,” even though the specific term does not occur. On the other hand, it is best to reserve the English term “messiah” for figures who have important roles in the future hope of the people. Even though historical High Priests are called “masyach” in Daniel 9, they are not “messiahs” in the eschatological, futurist, sense of the term.

The term “messiah” may be used legitimately, however, for the High Priest in an eschatological context, and for other eschatological figures, such as the Enochic Son of Man, who are sometimes designated as “masyach” or its translation equivalents. The term cannot be extended at will. Many reviews of Jewish messianism include sections on such writings as the Testament of Moses, which have no provision for a messiah by any name. In short, a messiah is an eschatological figure who sometimes, but not necessarily always, is designated as a “masyach” in the ancient sources.

It should be clear from these remarks, however, that “messiah,” even as an eschatological term, can refer to different kinds of figures, and that to speak of “the messiah” without further qualification is to speak ambiguously. This is the valid insight that underlies the recent denials of any common messianism in ancient Judaism. One could, arguably, give a satisfactory account of Jewish future hope without using the word “messiah” at all. What matters is the expectation of a Davidic king, of an ideal priest, of an eschatological prophet. Besides, there was no Jewish orthodoxy in the matter of messianic expectation, and so we should expect some variation. We shall argue, however, that the variation was limited, and that some forms of messianic expectation were widely shared. To be sure, we cannot go back to the single pattern of messianic expectation described by Schurer and Moore.

We shall find four basic messianic paradigms (king, priest, prophet, and heavenly messiah), and they were not equally widespread. (Admittedly, the “heavenly messiah” paradigm is somewhat different from the others, since it is not defined by function, and can overlap with the other paradigms.) We cannot be sure just how widespread messianic expectation was. Our sources do not permit us to speak with confidence about the majority of the Jewish people. It is possible, however, to show that some ideas had wide distribution and were current across sectarian lines. If we may accept E. P. Sanders’s notion of a common Judaism, in the sense of what was typical, though not necessarily normative, in the period 10 0 BCE-IOO CE, the expectation of a Davidic messiah was surely part of it… This messiah was, first of all, a warrior prince, who was to defeat the enemies of Israel” (Collins, p.16-19)

Collins describes what messianic expectation might have been at the time of the post-exilic prophets: “

“…(in the post-exilic period) the hope for a restoration of the monarchy gradually receded into the future. In Jer 33:14–16 the prophet reassures his listeners: “The days are surely coming says the Lord when I will fulfil the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous branch to spring up for David…” We occasionally find similar messianic oracles in other prophetic writings of the Second Temple period (e.g., Zech 9:9–17). These texts are difficult to date (…) It may be noted that none of the passages we have cited from the exilic and early postexilic periods use the word (masiach) with reference to the future king. (Ezekiel typically refers to the future ruler as a “prince” (nasi). There were precedents for referring to the king as masiach (Saul is called “the anointed of the Lord” in 1 Sam 24:6; the king is called “his [the Lord’s] anointed” in Ps 2:2).” (Collins, 77,78)“

GOD AS SUFFERING SERVANT AND MESSIAH

Sold for 30 Pieces of Silver- Zech 11

We now look at an incredible and enigmatic sequence in Zechariah which even at surface reading seems an inescapable allusion to Jesus. Consideration of the Hebrew gives a better appreciation of the nuance involved, since much of the language used here is obscure and has long been a matter of scholarly speculation and debate. I quote the NIV translation here because it uses “the potter” which is closer to the Hebrew “hay-yō-w-ṣêr הַיּוֹצֵֽר” (root yatsar יָצַר -to form, fashion). In its particular form (hayotzer), occurs only in Jer 18–19, out of the entire Hebrew Bible. Robert Alter in his Jewish translation uses “potter’s kiln” with the note:

“The Hebrew noun hayotseir is opaque. Many interpreters understand it as though it were haʾotsar, “the treasury,” but there is scant evidence for interchangeability between those two terms, despite a limited phonetic similarity, and the violent verb “fling” for putting something in a treasury would be surprising. Yotseir means “potter,” and perhaps here, through metonymy, it refers to the potter’s kiln, where the weights of silver would be smelted.“

This sequence is set in the context of God giving clear indication that his covenant with all the peoples was now broken. Having done so, God incredibly asks for his “wages”, seemingly a sardonic request to be pay God in money for his trouble in human currency. The absurdity of such a request can hardly be missed, and yet it is made indeed. This “price” which is measured out to him is the same as the Torahic price of a slave. In Exodus 21:32, we learn that if an animal gores a slave to death, the animal’s owner must pay 30 shekels to the owner of the latter to make up for the loss (fn-Joseph is sold off by his brothers for 20 pieces of silver (Gen.17:29). Some have indicated would be similar to 30 shekels at the time of Moses, given inflation).

That money is then thrown “to the potter” and again “in the House of the Lord (bayt YHWH, also used for the Temple of the Lord) for the potter”. There intended irony is inescapable, with God even calling this the “magnificent price (he) was valued at”. Words fail here, and it seems almost like God’s way of saying “human words cannot in describe the enormity of your sin, nor my great love for you in order to save you from it. But for now, let me just show you the irony of your situation- you who put a price on everything, put a price on me too”. Indeed is it not true that our love for power and money can lead us to sell out everything, including our faith in God. Matthew quotes this sequence:

(fn- but states it is from Jeremiah. The NRSV observes that some manuscripts actually use Zechariah or Isaiah. See an explanation here https://www.gotquestions.org/Matthew-27-9-Jeremiah-Zechariah.html. One can see this also in some other places of the NT, and it is most likely that this mimics the Jewish rabbinic manner of teaching wherein sayings of a minor/later prophet can be grouped under the name of a major/earlier prophet, or a prophet that is earlier in the Naviim or the prophetic writings which is the name of the collection of prophetic books in the Tanakh):

“Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah, “And they took (or “I took”) the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the one on whom a price had been set (or “the price of the precious one”) on whom some of the people of Israel had set a price, and they gave (or “i gave) them for the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.”.” (Matt.27:9,10)

It is hard to see how this sequence which includes God asking to be paid “the lordly price at which I was valued” and on top of that the people deciding it was the Torahic slave-price could possibly have made any sense to the Jews at the time (even were it not for the correlation in price). A Christian would strongly assert that the fact it is made sense of in Jesus’ Atoning Sacrifice could not have been contrived. This is also yet another allusion in Matthew to the divinity of Jesus:

“And I took my staff, Beauty, and cut it in two, that I might break the covenant which I had made with all the peoples. So it was broken on that day. Thus the poor of the flock, who were watching me, knew that it was the word of the Lord. Then I said to them, “If it is agreeable to you, give me my wages; and if not, refrain.” So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver. And the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—that princely price they set on me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord for the potter” (Zecheriah 11:10,13).

These verses are certainly obscure, to the extent that they post a challenge even to the Hebrew translators. The Jewish sefaria.org site uses “treasury” instead of potter while footnoting that this, as well as the entire “noble sum” phrase preceding. It is not hard to see why. We’ve already looked at the derivation of yotser as potter earlier, while here we not that the word translated as “magnificent” (or by sefaria.org “noble”) which is eder (אֶדֶר) is used only this single time in the Hebrew Bible with this meaning, and the only other time it is used (Micah 2:8) it has the connotation of “robe/mantle”. Of course we might see glory as the mantle covering a person, and the derivation, according to Strong’s is from adar (אָדַר) which has the same consonants, is itself quite infrequent, but does mean “glory/magnificence” in all of its three occurrences.

Lastly, also consider how the fate of the coins parallels that of them in the Bible, and how this too seems uncontrived. Zechariah prefigures Judas when he states “I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them to the potter at the house of the Lord.” The word for “threw” here is shalakh, a common word in the Tanakh always used for throwing/being cast, and seemingly prefigures the contempt that Judas will come to hold his ill-gotten gains in, and indeed his life.

The “Servant Songs”

The four Songs of the Suffering Servant occur in the book of Isaiah and run from Ch.42:1–4; 49:1–6; 50:4–7 and 52:13–53:12. They speak of a certain “servant of YHWH” ( עבד יהוה‎, ‘eḇeḏ Yahweh). God calls the servant to lead the nations, he is horribly abused by them, though in the end, he is rewarded and stands victorious. These are found in the so-called “deutero-Isaiah” (Ch. 40-55). Some portions can be seen as speaking of Isaiah himself, or of Israel as a whole, but even these, also in a manner of “double fulfilment”, of Jesus who is to come, While others, a Christian would say unmistakably point to a future fulfilment in Jesus.

Chosen before his birth, anointed and filled with the spirit: “The Lord called me when I was born” (49.1) and “the LORD…who formed me in the womb to be his servant…” (49.5); “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him;“ (42:1); “the Holy One of Israel…has chosen you” (49.7) “The spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed…” (61:1, the synopsis of the last part of Isaiah is given later);

He will be a source of Revelation to all peoples, and a sign to mark God’s own covenant with them: “to open eyes that are blind” (42:5); “I have…given you as a covenant to the people” (42.8,c.f42:7). “a light to the nations” (42.6), “he will not grow faint or be crushed until…the coastlands wait for his teaching” (42:4) “I will give you as a light to the nations” (49:6) “the Lord has given me the tongue of a teacher, that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word” (50:4).

He will bring for justice in all the world, and the salvation of God: “…he will bring forth justice to the nations” (42:1b); “he will faithfully bring forth justice” (42:3b); “he will not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice in the earth” (42:4)”; “…to bring out the prisoners…those who sit in darkness” (42:7; 49:9) “to bring Jacob back to him” (42.5,6), “that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth” (49.6). These themes continue in our synopsis on Trypro-Isaiah.

To gather his people up to him: “to bring Jacob back to him, and that Israel might be gathered to him, for I am honored in the sight of the Lord, and my God has become my strength— he says, “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel” (49:5.6a)

He will be despised and cruelly treated: “Thus says the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One, to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nations, the slave of rulers” (49:7a)

Just as there were many who were astonished at him —so marred was his appearance, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of mortals— “(52:14)

“For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.  He was despised and rejected by others; a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity; and as one from whom others hide their faces he was despised, and we held him of no account.” (53:2,3)

This is iterated in other place in the Bible like:

“The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.” (Psalm 118:22)

“This is what the LORD says– the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel– to him who was despised and abhorred by the nation, to the servant of rulers: “Kings will see you and rise up, princes will see and bow down, because of the LORD, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.” (Isaiah 49:7)

“for zeal for your house consumes me, and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.” (Psalm 69:9)

Psalm 22 has a Davidic figure who is the subject of sufferings that read just like the Passion narrative of Jesus, and following which he is exalted, also in line with the Gospel accounts of the Resurrection of Jesus:

Will suffer:

“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but thou dost not answer; and by night, but find no rest. But I am a worm, and no man; scorned by men, and despised by the people. All who see me mock at me, they make mouths at me, they wag their heads; “He committed his cause to the LORD; let him deliver him, let him rescue him, for he delights in him!” Be not far from me, for trouble is near and there is none to help.

Many bulls encompass me, strong bulls of Bashan surround me; they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax, it is melted within my breast; my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue cleaves to my jaws;

He gives himself up for our sin

“and I was not rebellious, I did not turn backward. I gave my back to those who struck me, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard; I did not hide my face from insult and spitting.” (50:5,6)

“Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases; yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed.  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (53:4-6)

“Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him with pain. When you make his life an offering for sin,…” (53:10)

“The righteous one, my servant, shall make many righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.” (53:11b)

“because he poured out himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors…” (53:12)

He suffered in meekness and offered no resistance:

“he will not cry out or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street, a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimply burning wick he will not quench” (42:2)

“He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.“(53:7)

“…although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.” (53:9)

he will die:

“he poured himself out to death” (53:12a)

“By a perversion of justice he was taken away. Who could have imagined his future? For he was cut off from the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people. They made his grave with the wicked and his tomb with the rich…” (53:8)

“thou dost lay me in the dust of death. (Psalm 22)

He will be glorified after his suffering and death

“Kings shall see and stand up, princes, and they shall prostrate themselves,  because of the Lord, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.” (49:7b)

The Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame…” (50:4-7)

 “See, my servant shall prosper; he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high…” (52:13)

so he shall startle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths because of him; for that which had not been told them they shall see, and that which they had not heard they shall contemplate. Who has believed what we have heard? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? (52:15, 53:1)

“he shall see his offspring, and shall prolong his days; through him the will of the Lord shall prosper. Out of his anguish he shall see light; he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge” (53:10b,11a)

“Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong” (53:12a)

“Deliver my soul from the sword, my life (Heb. my only one) from the power of the dog. Save me from the mouth of the lion! From the horns of the wild oxen you have rescued me. I will tell of your name to my brethren; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you…For he did not despise or abhor; the affliction of the afflicted; he did not hide his face from me; but heard when I cried to him;From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will pay before those who fear him (…) To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, and I shall live for him”(Psalm22:22,24,25,29)

Here again we find a resurrection reference which Peter references and exegetes in the Book of Acts:

“Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” (Ps.16:9-11)

The Suffering Servant as the Sin Offering

Consider the intensity of holiness that is associated with the “purification/sin offering”. It is v.25 translated as “most holy it is” is rendered in the Hebrew both times “קֹ֥דֶשׁ קָֽדָשִׁ֖ים הִֽוא׃”  (kodesh kadashim hi). There could not be a more holier expression in Hebrew and this phrase is exactly the same as employed in the Holy of Holies, the inner sanctuary of the Temple. V.27 goes so far as to state “whatever touches its flesh will become holy”. Even the blood that gets spattered on garments is “washed in a holy place” it is not permissible to simply walk around in neglect of it, nor wash it without the sentiment of the holiness of the ritual being undertaken.

Consider the intensity of holiness that is associated with the “purification/sin offering”. It is v.25 translated as “most holy it is” is rendered in the Hebrew both times “קֹ֥דֶשׁ קָֽדָשִׁ֖ים הִֽוא׃” (kodesh kadashim hi). There could not be a more holier expression in Hebrew and this phrase is exactly the same as employed in the Holy of Holies, the inner sanctuary of the Temple. V.27 goes so far as to state “whatever touches its flesh will become holy”. Even the blood that gets spattered on garments is “washed in a holy place” it is not permissible to simply walk around in neglect of it, nor wash it without the sentiment of the holiness of the ritual being undertaken.

God Revealed at his Servant’s Exaltation- Exodus Typology

I quote from Richard Baukham’s exegesis of the servant songs of Deutero-Isaiah:

“…the monotheism of Deutero-Isaiah (Isaiah 40-55) is (…) eschatological. It looks to the day when the God of Israel will demonstrate himself to be the one and only God in the sight of all the nations, revealing his glory and his salvation in the deliverance of his people, so that all the ends of the earth will acknowledge him as God and turn to him for salvation. It is in his great act of eschatological salvation, the new exodus, that the one and only God will demonstrate his unique deity universally. This is also the coming of his kingdom, announced by the messenger who brings good news (the gospel) of salvation, saying to Zion, ‘Your God reigns’ (Isa. 52:7; cf. 40:9). The one God implements his universal sovereignty in the new exodus which demonstrates his deity to the nations...” (JGI p.40,41)

Baukham goes on to note that the crucial passage in this respect is Isaiah 52:13:

“But Isaiah says that because the Servant poured himself out, therefore God will exalt him (‘allot him a portion with the great’), a theme already announced at the beginning of the Isaianic passage (52:12): ‘my servant shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high’…” (JGI, 61) He has already pointed out: “Isaiah 52:13 states, with emphasis, the exaltation of the Servant, presumably following the humiliation and death described in the following passage (53:12).” (JGI p.54)

The Messiah of Israel will suffer “as a lamb led to the slaughter”, then to be exalted to the highest heaven. This is also prefigured in the self-revelation of God to Moses on the mountain, as “abounding in compassion and steadfast covenantal love”:

“…First, God is identified by his acts in Israel’s history, especially in the Exodus. Secondly, God is known from his character description given to Moses: ‘merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness’ (Exod. 34:6). The acts of God in Israel’s history (especially in the Exodus- stated by Baukham earlier) and the character description of God together identify God as the one who acts graciously towards his people (…) However, the God so identified was expected, on the basis of this very identity, to act again in the future, in a way consistent with his already known identity. Thus Deutero-Isaiah, in a way especially important for the early Christians, expects a new exodus event, on the model of the first exodus but far transcending it. God will demonstrate his deity to Israel and to the ends of the earth, and will act for the salvation not only of Israel but of all peoples.” (JGI p59,60).

Baukham continues:

“…In Isaiah 57:15, a text we have already encountered in relation to Philippians 2:6-11, reads: “… thus says the exalted and lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with those who are crushed and lowly in spirit …” The God of Israel, indeed, is characteristically the God of the lowly and the humiliated, the God who hears the cry of the oppressed, the God who raises the poor from the dust, the God who from his throne on high identifies with those in the depths, the God who exercises his sovereignty on high in solidarity with those of lowest status here below.” (JGI, p.62)

Not just John and Paul, but Matthew when he quotes Jesus in the Last Supper “my blood of the covenant…poured out for many”, and Luke in describing Jesus’ “exodus which is about to be fulfilled” at the Transfiguration are aware that the suffering servant is Jesus. In his suffering and humiliation, God shows us his gracious nature. Baukham writes:

“…in Exodus 33 – 34, in which the central Old Testament character description of God occurs. There Moses asks to see God’s glory (33:18), is told that he cannot see God’s face, but as God covers Moses’ eyes and passes by, he hears God proclaim his name and his character: ‘YHWH, YHWH, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness’ (Exod. 34:6) – or in John’s translation ‘full of grace and truth’ (John 1:14). Moses could only hear God’s word proclaiming that God is full of grace and truth. He could not see God’s glory. But in the Word made flesh, God’s glory was seen in human form, and grace and truth (according to John 1:17) happened or came about (egeneto). Thus, God’s gracious love, central to the identity of the God of Israel, now takes the radically new form of a human life in which the divine self-giving happens. This could not have been expected, but nor is it uncharacteristic. It is novel but appropriate to the identity of the God of Israel.” (JGI p.62,63)

“Jesus is the king in humility (at the entry into Jerusalem), the king in humiliation (before Pilate and on the cross) and the king in death (his royal burial). Jesus is the lord who serves, who enacts the meaning of his death when he washes the disciples’ feet, the menial task exclusive to slaves. His kingship consists in his humiliating service to the point of death. Just as he is exalted in his humiliation and glorified in his disgrace, so also he reigns in being the servant. In this way he reveals who God is. What it means to be God in God’s sovereignty and glory appears in the self-humiliation of the one who serves. Once again the Prologue provides the programmatic key, this time in its use of the word ‘grace’ (1:14, 17). Because God is who God is in his gracious self-giving, God’s identity appears in the loving service and self-abnegation to death of his Son...” (JGI p.57)        

There is nothing more loving than to be with the one that you love in their suffering, this is the simplest and truest view of the meaning of love, like visiting your sick mother in the hospital. In Isaiah 61 we find that the word “servant” is not here, rather anointed one- “messiah”, and it is he that rings in the “year of the Lord’s favor”:

“The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed (מָשַׁח֩– masah) me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to provide for those who mourn in Zion- to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit (…) but you shall be called priests of the Lord, you shall be named ministers of our God; you shall enjoy the wealth of the nations, and in their riches you shall glory. Because their shame was double, and dishonor was proclaimed as their lot, therefore they shall possess a double portion; everlasting joy shall be theirs. For I the Lord love justice, I hate robbery and wrongdoing; I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them (…) I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my whole being shall exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels...” (Isaiah 61:1-3)

Death of Messiah/God- Ps 22, Wisdom

There are clear references to the one suffering the fate of Jesus being “Son of God” in this incredible passage from Wisdom of Solomon which is part of Catholic and Orthodox cannon and in any case, an early Jewish text:

“Let us lie in wait for the righteous man, because he is inconvenient to us and opposes our actions; he reproaches us for sins against the law, and accuses us of sins against our training. He professes to have knowledge of God, and calls himself a child of the Lord. He became to us a reproof of our thoughts; the very sight of him is a burden to us, because his manner of life is unlike that of others, and his ways are strange. We are considered by him as something base, and he avoids our ways as unclean; he calls the last end of the righteous happy, and boasts that God is his father. Let us see if his words are true, and let us test what will happen at the end of his life; for if the righteous man is God’s son, he will help him, and will deliver him from the hand of his adversaries. Let us test him with insult and torture, that we may find out how gentle he is, and make trial of his forbearance. Let us condemn him to a shameful death, for, according to what he says, he will be protected” (Wis. 2:12-20)

“you have laid me in the dust of death. Yea, dogs are round about me; a company of evildoers encircle me; they have pierced my hands and feet (we look at the translation in detail in a later section).—I can count all my bones –they stare and gloat over me; they divide my garments among them, and for my raiment they cast lots.” (Psalm 22)

GOD’S ETERNAL COVENANT AND KINGDOM

What does “New Covenant” entail?

The central chapters “new covenant” chapters are in Jeremiah: 31:31-34; 32:37-41 and 33:6-9,14-22 (the last refers to the Davidic Messiah which we discuss in the next section), then 36:24-29 of Ezekiel and we can add to this also Isaiah 59:21. Here I give a synopsis of the significance of these chapters and tie in other verses in the Bible that deal with this theme. This is apart form the verses which talk of the coming divine Davidic Messiah as a fulfilment of that new covenant which we deal with in the net section.

In the 31st Chapter of Jeremiah we arrive at he prediction of a paradigm change in salvation history and God’s relationship with his people- the “new covenant” בְּרִ֥ית חֲדָשָֽׁה׃- bə-rîṯ ḥă-ḏā-šāh. We can rightly use this as an interpretative lens with which to read several other biblical verses, as we shall see. First, consider the following themes which come through clearly with regards to this “new covenant”: that will “not be like ” the Old Covenant (v.32), broken by the people themselves (v.32), that it is meant for a future time “after those days” (v.33), and it is “everlasting”, one that God will “never draw back from” (Jer.32:40). God likewise also refers to a new and everlasting covenant to come replacing the old one in Ez.16:59-63.

Personal Moral Responsibility

In previous generations, the poor choices of parents have led to calamity for their offspring, as we see over and over again in the Bible, but this will be no more under the new covenant where “each shall die for their own sins” (Jer.31:29-10)- this is a strong implication of definitive Judgement, such that there are no successive generations. Personal moral responsibility is also the explicit theme in the whole of Ezekiel 18.

Gathering together the Scattered tribes of Israel

Further the strong theme of the gathering together of the scattered tribes of Israel is once again, an eschatological scenario, since with all the genetic intermixing that has gone in the interim, it is practically impossible. Thus the fulfilment of God’s promises is related to the reunion of the “scattered tribes” of Israel in passages such as Lev26:33; Deut4:23–27; 28:25,37,64, 1Kin14:15; Ps 44:11,106:27; Jer9:16, 24:6,31:38-40,32:37, 33:6,7; Ez5:10,11:16, 12:14,15,18:17, 20:23, 22:15,13:24; 28:24-26, 30:11, 36:19, 37:14,15-22 (under one Davidic king); Zech2:6, 7:14; Neh1:8 and Lam4:16. Clearly a pervasive theme! Jeremiah (16:14) it says:

“However, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when it will no longer be said, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,’ but it will be said, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.’ For I will restore them to the land I gave their ancestors”

Previously, in the 3rd chapter of Jeremiah, we are given indication that the Ark of the Covenant will now be obsolete, (v.16) and shepherds after God’s own heart who are loyal to him will guide us with knowledge and Skill (v.15), thus once again signifying a “newness” of teaching. This immediately reminds us of the present Church, which priests or “pastors” (shepherds) guided in knowledge and skill by the Holy Spirit himself. The indication of the obsolescence of the Ark draws one to consider Revelations 11:19-12:1 where the Ark appears as though one final time, only to be immediately replaced by the Lady crowned with stars, cloaked with the Sun and with the Moon under her feet. If the Ark represented the primary mode of Grace in the Old Testament then it is replaced by what can only be the new mode of Grace. Catholics like myself will say that this implies grace is now through our Lady’s intercession, in line with their teaching, while Protestants will take this as representing Grace under the New Law in the New Israel etc.

In either case, and still in Chapter 31 of Jeremiah, verses 17 and 18 represent a definitive eschatology, the old Law replaced by the New covenant, the “New Jerusalem” where men will no longer “follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts” (v.17). the scattered people of God and finally united, represented by the reunion of the two kingdoms of Israel and Judah (v.18) to receive “the most beautiful inheritance of all the nations”. In the last chapters, once again this is alluded to, God’s “everlasting covenant that will not be forgotten” (50:4,5), and Baruch, who is Jeremiah’s scribe, recalls the promise of the “new covenant” once more, with God saying he will “increase them, and they will not be diminished… never again remove my people Israel from that land that I have given them” (Bar.2:35).

Conversion of Gentiles

“For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name is great among the nations, and in every place incense is offered to my name and a pure offering, for my name is great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts.” (Mal.1:11)

“But the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” (Habakkuk 2:14,15)

We see this spoken of in other passages such as Jeremiah 3:14-18 25:18, 16:19-20, 38:31-34, Isaiah 11:1-10, and latter sections of Isaiah, Micah 4:1-4 and Zecheriah 2:15, 8:21-23.

New Heart, Outpouring of the Spirit, Sealing all Vision and Prophecy, End of Sin

We are told in other places how this covenant will consist in a radical change of heart for the believers wrought by God himself. Indeed they will be “given” a “new heart” (Jer.24:7; 32:39, also Ez.18:31; “one heart”- Ez.36:26), and a “new spirit”, “remove (their) hearts of stone” (Ez.36:26) a heart that will be filled with the Holy Spirit (Is.59:21; Ez36:27, 37:14), so that it will have a direct knowledge of God (Is.59:21; Jer.24:7,Ez.36:27), “no longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other: “know the Lord”…for they shall all know me, from the least to the greatest” (Jer.31:34) and be able to produce signs and fruit worthy of this transformed state of being (Joel 2:28). Thus it is now a heart that is no more “callused” but rather “circumcised” (we come back to this “circumcision of the heart” a bit later). All this signifies nothing less than that in the New Law, the soul enters into a direct, personal, intimate relationship with its Creator.

Further, we see every person is offered the opportunity to live a life of complete purity, with their “sin…remembered no more” and their iniquity forgiven (Jer.31:34,33:8; Ez.16:63). God assures the people that they will never again be defiled with “…any of their transgressions”, and “save them from all the apostasies into which they have fallen” and “will cleanse them…“(Ez37:23) they will be “cleansed from all their “idols” or “detestable things” and uncleanness (Ez.36:25;29, 37:23). Finally, as “sprinkled with clean water”(Ez.36:25) an implicit to the Holy Spirit whom God calls “my spirit” (Ez.36:27), God will “make you…be careful…to follow my statutes and ordinances” (Ez.36:27); they will “return to me with their whole heart” (Jer.24:7). God says that the people will have “one heart and one way”, and they will “fear me all the time…for their own good” (Jer32:39), “so that they may not turn from me” (Jer.32:40).

This is foretold also in Isaiah:

“till the Spirit is poured on us from on high, and the desert becomes a fertile field, and the fertile field seems like a forest. The Lord’s justice will dwell in the desert, his righteousness live in the fertile field. The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever. My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest. Though hail flattens the forest; and the city is leveled completely, how blessed you will be, sowing your seed by every stream, and letting your cattle and donkeys range free.” (Isaiah 32:15-20)

“And as for me, this is my covenant with them, says the Lord: my spirit that is upon you and my words that I have put in your mouth shall not depart out of your mouth or out of the mouths of your children or out of the mouths of your children’s children, says the Lord, from now on and forever.” (Isaiah 59:21)

This is indeed now a blessed state where “they shall be my people and I shall be their God” (Jer.24:7,31:33,32:38; Ez.36:28, Bar.2:35), and where God say he will “rejoice in doing good to them”, and “plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and with all my soul” (Jer.32:41).

By this the truth about God will finally be “displayed” to “the nations”, “before their eyes”, “through” Israel, no more to be profaned among them (Ez.36:23, Jer.33:9).

God leaves us with a promise of the “fulfilment of every vision”, which we also see in Daniel 9:24:

“But say to them: “The days are near, and the fulfillment of every vision. For there shall no longer be any false vision or flattering divination within the house of Israel. But I the Lord will speak the word that I speak, and it will be fulfilled. It will no longer be delayed, but in your days, O rebellious house, I will speak the word and fulfill it, says the Lord God.”…” (Ez.12:23b-25, cf Dan 9:24).

The meaning of “covenant” is conveyed to us most succinctly when God says in an incredible passage of scripture:

“I spread the edge of my cloak over you, and covered your nakedness: I pledged myself to you and entered into a covenant with you, says the Lod God, AND YOU BECAME MINE” (Ez.15:8), going on “your beauty… was perfect because of my splendor that I had bestowed on you…” (Ez15.14), a theme elsewhere as: “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast? and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Yet even if these forget, I will not forget you. See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands. Your walls (presumably the walls of the city built for its defense) are ever before me” (Is.49:15,16), and “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you ; I have summoned you by name, YOU ARE MINE. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you (…) BECAUSE I LOVE YOU”

(Isaiah 43:1,2,4).

In fact, towards the end of Ezekiel, we see no less than five passages end with these promises of reunion, kingdom and the outpouring of the Spirit upon Israel. We’ve covered the material above, but the passages are from Ch.34:23-30, 36:22-33, 37:22-28, 39:21-29 and 43:1-12 while the book itself ends magnificently with the assertion that the city of Jerusalem will be called “The Lord is There (Yahweh Shammah)” (48:35).

This culminates in Joel:

“Then afterward;  I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. ²⁹ Even on the male and female slaves, in those days I will pour out my spirit.” (Joel 2:28,29, this goes on to speak of final judgement on the Lord’s Day, so we quote the remaining verses of this passage later)

This then leads to sealing of prophecy and vision spoken of in Daniel 9:24, Joel ?, and the verses that say they will “know the Lord”, again in Hosea God expresses his desire to reveal the definite knowledge of himself rather than mere ritual:

“For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings” (6:6)

“Circumcision of Hearts”

It is not hard to tie in this theme of “hearts of stone” being replaced for “hearts of flesh” with that of the “circumcision of the heart” that is already present in the Bible. Clearly, this is meant if anything, as a metaphor for a radical change of heart (it’s “circumcision”, or “enfleshment”), and a prerequisite for the inpouring of the Holy Spirit, which God intends. It is obviously nothing to do with a reference to genitals, since the heart has no genital content. What it does signify is the surgical removal of the “callus” or “stone” that covers what God has created pure, innocent and receptive to the intimacy of the Holy Spirit that will be poured into it, making it fit for eternal Life in God. We see the New Testament authors take up this interpretation of the text, for example in:

Romans 2:29 ” On the contrary, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart—by the Spirit, not the letter. That man’s praise is not from men but from God.”

Acts 7:51 “You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit, just as your fathers did.…”

Thus fulfilling what was said in the Old Testament and desired by God, but could not be fulfilled by the Old Law. It is God himself who asserts that the New Law is required:

Leviticus 26:41 “I also was acting with hostility against them, to bring them into the land of their enemies—or if their uncircumcised heart becomes humbled so that they then make amends for their iniquity,…”

“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “that I will punish all who are circumcised only in the foreskin (…) for all the nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised of heart.” (Jeremiah 9:25,26b)

(Ezekiel 44:7a) “when you brought in foreigners, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in My sanctuary to profane it...“

In this next section we shall see that the fulfilment is in the Davidic Messiah named: “the Lord is our Righteousness”, which is alluded to immediately following these passages in Jer.3314-22. But we shall examine this in light of other Scripture with a similar theme.

THE DAY OF THE LORD- EVERLASTING JOY, END TO SORROW AND DEATH

The prophetic writings speak profusely of a “Day” on which there is definitive judgement, mercy, salvation, purification from sin, and when God will finally truly dwell in the midst of his people. This will be established on Mount Zion, in Jerusalem. We discuss here the themes under which that Day is described. Christians would see the Day as coming to final fruition with the Second Coming of Jesus with Judgement, but is already inaugurated with the coming of his Kingdom with his Birth:

Death swallowed up, end to all Sorrow, Evil, War

In these verses we see predictions of incredible events like the literal end of evil, war and even death itself. Further, no more will the people be deceived by false prophets not worship false Gods but walk in holiness to the Mountain of the true God. There will be nothing left but rejoicing in God’s Presents with everlasting happiness in his Temple:

“On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples; a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear (…); he will swallow up death forever. Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.” (Isaiah 25:6-8)

Amazingly, this verse reminds us immediately of Jesus finally reading from the very scroll of Isaiah (Ch.61, quoted below), but a few chapters later, predicting the opening of the eyes of the blind and himself performing it:

“On that day the deaf shall hear; the words of a scroll, and freed from gloom and darkness; the eyes of the blind shall see. The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the Lord, and the neediest people shall exult in the Holy One of Israel” (Isaiah 29:18,19, also 2:4)

These verses use the language of redemption and ransom, and a Way upon which only the holy might walk. It is unusual to see such themes in the OT and one can only think of them as being relevant in Jesus. “Redemption” in the OT is linked to the appropriate sacrifices being made in the Temple, but by the time of the later prophets, the Temple sacrificial system is in disarray. Further there is no mention of just what is meant by “ransom” in it. It seems impossible that the mind not be drawn to Jesus who proclaims himself as that ransom (Mk.10:45) and that Way, the prophecies that of the messenger preparing the “way for the Lord, the highway for our God”:

“Then will the eyes of the blind be opened; and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert; the burning sand shall become a pool and the thirsty ground springs of water; the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp; the grass shall become reeds and rushes. A highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Holy Way; the unclean shall not travel on it, but it shall be for God’s people; no traveler, not even fools, shall go astray. No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there. And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” (Is.35:5-10)

“the former troubles are forgotten and hidden from my sight” (65:16); “…their days of sorrow shall be ended” (60:20b), “they shall possess a double portion” and “everlasting joy shall be theirs” (Is.61:7)

“to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, to provide for those who mourn in Zion— to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.” (Is.61:1-3)

for indeed “they shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain”, rather even the animals will live in peace “the wolf and the lamb, etc….” (65:25)

The scattered tribes of Israel will be gathered up once again. Of course there are numerous verses which predict this which we have seen earlier in the article, but this is specifically with respect to the Day:

“Thus says the Lord God: When I gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered and manifest my holiness in them in the sight of the nations (…) They shall live in safety in it (…) They shall live in safety when I execute judgments upon all their neighbors who have treated them with contempt. And they shall know that I am the Lord their God.” (Ez.28:24-26)

(Micah 4.6) “On that day, says the LORD, I will assemble the lame; and gather those who have been driven away, and those whom I have afflicted.“

(Isaiah 11.11) “On that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that is left of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Ethiopia, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea.”, also Ez 28:26,Joel 3:2

An end to war:

“They will beat their swords into plowshares; and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.” (Isaiah 2:4, repeated Micah 4:1-4, Joel 3:10)

No longer be any false gods or prophets

(Isaiah 2.20) “On that day people will throw away to the moles and to the bats their idols of silver and their idols of gold, which they made for themselves to worship”

(Isaiah 31.7) “For on that day all of you shall throw away your idols of silver and idols of gold, which your hands have sinfully made for you.”

(Zechariah 13.2) “On that day, says the LORD of hosts, I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, so that they shall be remembered no more; and also I will remove from the land the prophets and the unclean spirit.”

(Zechariah 13.4) “On that day the prophets will be ashamed, every one, of their visions when they prophesy; they will not put on a hairy mantle in order to deceive”

Vengeance upon evildoers

“On that day (…) The ruthless will vanish, the mockers will disappear, and all who have an eye for evil will be cut down—” (Isaiah 29:20)

“The unclean shall not travel (on the Holy way)…” (Is.35:18)

(Zephaniah 3.11) “On that day you shall not be put to shame; because of all the deeds by which you have rebelled against me; for then I will remove from your midst; your proudly exultant ones, and you shall no longer be haughty; in my holy mountain.”

Punishment, Final Judgement World’s End

(Isaiah 24.21) “On that day the LORD will punish: the host of heaven in heaven, and on earth the kings of the earth.”

“On that day the Lord will punish; the host of heaven in heaven; and on earth the kings of the earth. They will be gathered together; like prisoners in a pit; they will be shut up in a prison, and after many days they will be punished.” (Is.24:21)

(Isaiah 27.1) “On that day the LORD with his cruel and great and strong sword will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent, and he will kill the dragon that is in the sea.”

punishment is also referred in “the Day of Vengeance of our God…” (Is.61:2)and Ez 28:26 “I will execute judgement upon all their neighbors who have treated them with contempt”

but here is probably the greatest passage regarding this, from Joel:

“Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming, it is near— ² a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness! Like blackness spread upon the mountains, a great and powerful army comes; their like has never been from of old, nor will be again after them in ages to come. ³ Fire devours in front of them, and behind them a flame burns. Before them the land is like the garden of Eden, but after them a desolate wilderness, and nothing escapes them (…) 6 Before them peoples are in anguish; all faces grow pale (…) The earth quakes before them; the heavens tremble. The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining. ¹¹ The Lord utters his voice at the head of his army; how vast is his host! Numberless are those who obey his command. Truly the day of the Lord is great, terrible indeed—who can endure it?

¹² Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; ¹³ rend your hearts and not your clothing. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from punishment. ¹⁴ Who knows whether he will not turn and relent; and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering; for the Lord your God?

¹⁵ Blow the trumpet in Zion; consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly; ¹⁶ gather the people. Consecrate the congregation; assemble the aged; gather the children, even infants at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room; and the bride her canopy. ¹⁷ Between the vestibule and the altar, let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep. Let them say, “Spare your people, O Lord, and do not make your heritage a mockery, a byword among the nations. Why should it be said among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’ ”; ¹⁸ Then the Lord became jealous for his land and had pity on his people.” (Joel 2:10-18)

(verses 19-26 begin to speak of the Lord’s promises for the restoration of Israel, we pick up the narrative in v.26):

“²⁶ You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame. ²⁷ You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel; and that I, the Lord, am your God and there is no other. And my people shall never again be put to shame.“

The Outpouring of the Spirit

^“28 Then afterward; I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. ²⁹ Even on the male and female slaves, in those days I will pour out my spirit. (we’ve quoted these verses of the outpouring of the spirit earlier in relation to the New Covenant already)

³⁰ I will show portents in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. ³¹ The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. ³² Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved, for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.” (Joel 2:26-32)

“Let the nations rouse themselves; and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat, for there I will sit to judge; all the neighboring nations. ¹³ Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Go in, tread, for the winepress is full. The vats overflow, for their wickedness is great. ¹⁴ Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near; in the valley of decision. ¹⁵ The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining. ¹⁶ The Lord roars from Zion; and utters his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth shake. But the Lord is a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the people of Israel (Joel 3:12-16)

again, we have both judgement and end of the world scenario in Joel:

“Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near; in the valley of decision. ¹⁵ The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining. ¹⁶ The Lord roars from Zion; and utters his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth shake. But the Lord is a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the people of Israel (…) ²⁰ But Judah shall be inhabited forever; and Jerusalem to all generations. ²¹ I will avenge their blood, and I will not clear the guilty, for the Lord dwells in Zion.” (Joel 3:14-16, 20,21)

“Woe to you who long; for the day of the Lord! Why do you long for the day of the Lord? That day will be darkness, not light. ¹⁹ It will be as though a man fled from a lion; only to meet a bear,(…) ²⁰ Will not the day of the Lord be darkness, not light—pitch-dark, without a ray of brightness?(…) ²⁴ But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” (Amos 5:18-20,24)

(Amos 8.9) “On that day, says the Lord GOD, I will make the sun go down at noon, and darken the earth in broad daylight.”

Jerusalem restored and Victorious

Restoration of the Land

(Isaiah 30.23) “He will give rain for the seed with which you sow the ground, and grain, the produce of the ground, which will be rich and plenteous. On that day your cattle will graze in broad pastures”

Joel 3.18) “On that day the mountains shall drip sweet wine, the hills shall flow with milk, and all the stream beds of Judah; shall flow with water; a fountain shall come forth from the house of the LORD; and water the Wadi Shittim.”

(Amos 9.11) “On that day I will raise up; the booth of David that is fallen, and repair its* breaches,
and raise up its* ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old”

Jerusalem will be Victorious among all Nations

(Zechariah 9.16) “On that day the LORD their God will save them, for they are the flock of fhis people; for like the jewels of a crown; they shall shine on his land.”

(Zechariah 12.3) “On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who lift it shall grievously hurt themselves. And all the nations of the earth shall come together against it.

(Zechariah 12.4) “On that day, says the LORD, I will strike every horse with panic, and its rider with madness. But on the house of Judah I will keep a watchful eye, when I strike every horse of the peoples with blindness

(Zechariah 12.6) “On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a blazing pot on a pile of wood, like a flaming torch among sheaves; and they shall devour to the right and to the left all the surrounding peoples, while Jerusalem shall again be inhabited in its place, in Jerusalem.”

(Zechariah 12.8) “On that day the LORD will shield the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them on that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the angel of the LORD, at their head.”

(Zechariah 12.9) “And on that day I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.”

(Zephaniah 3.16) “On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands grow weak.”

(Zechariah 14.13) “On that day a great panic from the LORD shall fall on them, so that each will seize the hand of a neighbour, and the hand of one will be raised against the hand of the other”

No longer Traders in the Temple

(Zechariah 14.21) “and every cooking-pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be sacred to the LORD of hosts, so that all who sacrifice may come and use them to boil the flesh of the sacrifice. And there shall no longer be traders* in the house of the LORD of hosts on that day.”

God’s Presence Among us on that DAY

“With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And you will say in that day: Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known his deeds among the nations; proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be known in all the earth. Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.” (Is.12:3-6)

“… Then the moon will be abashed; and the sun ashamed, for the Lord of hosts will reign; on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before his elders he will be glorified.” (Isaiah 24:22,23)

“…It will be said on that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation. For the hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain.” (Isaiah 25:9,10)

“And in an instant, suddenly, you will be visited by the Lord of hosts; with thunder and earthquake and great noise, with whirlwind and tempest and the flame of a devouring fire (Is.29:5,6)

“Break forth together into singing, you ruins of Jerusalem; for the Lord has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem. The Lord has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.” (Isaiah 53:10)

“I dwell also with those who are contrite and humble in spirit” (57:15). His Glory will “break forth like the dawn” (58:8), “…for your light (God) has come”, “the LORD will arise upon you, and this glory will appear over you” (60:1) at which we ” shall see and be and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and rejoice (be enlarged)” (60:5). God himself will be our “healing”, “vindicator” and “rearguard” (58:8) as he “answers” our “cry” and himself replies “here I am” (58:9).

The advent of God will be obvious to and available to all indiscriminately: “I was ready to be sought out by those who did not ask, to be found by those that did not seek me, I said “here I am, here I am” to a nation that did not call on my name” (65:1). and culminating in “The sun shall no longer be your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you by night, but the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. Your sun shall no more go down or your moon withdraw itself, for the Lord will be your everlasting light…” (60:19,20; cf.Rev.22:5,21:22).

“The sinners in Zion are afraid; trembling has seized the godless: “who among us can live with the devouring fire? who among us can live with the everlasting flames?”(…)your eyes shall see the king in his beauty(…)there the Lord in majesty will be for us a place of broad rivers and streams(…)for the Lord in our judge, the Lord is our ruler, the Lord is our king, he will save us” (Isaiah 33:14,17,21,22)

“…They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God. Strengthen the weak hands and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are of a fearful heart, “Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God. He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense. He will come and save you” (Isaiah 35:2b-4)

“A voice cries out: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” (Is.40:3-10, cf.Matt.3:3)

(Isaiah 27.13) “And on that day a great trumpet will be blown, and those who were lost in the land of Assyria and those who were driven out to the land of Egypt will come and worship the LORD on the holy mountain at Jerusalem.”

(Isaiah 28.5) “On that day the LORD of hosts will be a garland of glory, and a diadem of beauty, to the remnant of his people”.

(Isaiah 17.7) “On that day people will regard their Maker, and their eyes will look to the Holy One of Israel”.

(Isaiah 52.6) “Therefore my people shall know my name; therefore on that day they shall know that it is I who speak; here am I”.

The LORD will be exalted

(Isaiah 2:10-12, rep.17) “Enter into the rock, and hide in the dust; from the terror of the Lord; and from the glory of his majesty. The haughty eyes of people shall be brought low, and the pride of everyone shall be humbled, and the Lord alone will be exalted on that day. For the Lord of hosts has a day against all that is proud and lofty, against all that is lifted up and high”.

(Isaiah 4.2) “On that day the branch of the LORD shall be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land shall be the pride and glory of the survivors of Israel.”

(Isaiah 11.10) “On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.”

(Isaiah 12.4) “And you will say on that day: Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known his deeds among the nations; proclaim that his name is exalted.

This verse tells of a time to come when Jerusalem is to be the “Throne of the Lord” for all nations. It would seem such a term “throne” could mean nothing else than to imply God’s real Presence in that place. As it says in the Psalm “Heaven is my throne and all the Earth my footstool”, for example:

“At that time Jerusalem shall be called The Throne of the Lord, and all the nations shall be gathered to it, to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem. No more shall they follow the dictates of their evil hearts.” (Jer.3:17)

“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Amend your ways and your doings, and let me dwell with you in this place (…) For if you truly amend your ways and your doings, if you truly act justly one with another, if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, and the widow or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own hurt, then I will dwell with you in this place, in the land that I gave to your ancestors forever and ever.” (Jer.7:3-7)

“The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness’…” (Jer.23:5-6)

“Thus says the Lord God: When I gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered and manifest my holiness in them in the sight of the nations, then they shall settle on their own soil that I gave to my servant Jacob.” (Ez.28:25, a passage repeated in other sections here)

In Ezekiel Chapter 43 “Mortal…this is the place of my throne and the place for the soles of my feet where I will reside among the people of Israel forever (v.7)…I will reside among them forever (v.9)” with the book itself ending with “the name of the city will be called, The Lord is There” (48:35)”. Ezekiel 37:27 “My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be My people”.

It simply cannot be ignored that “I shall take you as my wife…on that day…you shall know the Lord” indicates an intimate Presence of God:

“On that day, says the Lord, you will call me, “My husband,” (…) I will make for you a covenant on that day with the wild animals, the birds of the air, and the creeping things of the ground; and I will abolish the bow, the sword, and war from the land; and I will make you lie down in safety. And I will take you for my wife forever; I will take you for my wife in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love, and in mercy. I will take you for my wife in faithfulness; and you shall know the Lord. On that day I will answer, says the Lord, I will answer the heavens and they shall answer the earth; and the earth shall answer the grain, the wine, and the oil, and they shall answer Jezreel; and I will sow him for myself in the land. And I will have pity on Lo-ruhamah, and I will say to Lo-ammi, “You are my people”; and he shall say, “You are my God.”” (Hosea 3:16-23).

Later in Hosea it is stressed: “Let us know, let us press on to know the Lord; his coming is as sure as the dawn; he will come to us like showers, like the spring rains that water the earth” (Hosea 6:3)

as God says: “I will not again execute my fierce anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim; for I am God and no mortal, the Holy One in your midst; and I will not come in wrath” (Hosea 11:9)

The “King of Israel” is “The Lord you God…in your midst”:
Zephaniah 3:14-20 “The Lord has taken away the judgements against you, he has turned away your enemies. The king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall fear disaster no more. On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands grow weak. The Lord, your God, is in your midst, “I will remove from you all who mourn over the loss of your appointed festivals, which is a burden and reproach for you. At that time I will deal with all who oppressed you.” I will rescue the lame; I will gather the exiles. I will give them praise and honor in every land where they have suffered shame. At that time I will gather you; at that time I will bring you home. I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes before your very eyes,” says the Lord.”

Here the one who is coming himself is an irresistible judgement for mankind:
“See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple (cf.Is.29:5). The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap; he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years. Then I will draw near to you for judgment..”. (Malachi 3:1-6)

Consider the phrase “salvation of our God” – “יְשׁוּעַ֥ת אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ׃- Yeshuat’ Elohenu” is particularly interesting to Christians because it is literally the name of Jesus (cf. Lk.1:31: he will be called Jesus, Matt.1:21:you are to name him Jesus for he will save his people from their sins) and we see it in verses like Isaiah 53:10, 56:1, 59:17, 60:18, and this one 62:1,11 “see your salvation comes; his reward is with him and his recompense before him” (cf.Matt.3:12).

“Then those who revered the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord took note and listened, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who revered the Lord and thought on his name. They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, my special possession on the day when I act, and I will spare them as parents spare their children who serve them. Then once more you shall see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him. See, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble; the day that comes shall burn them up, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. ²But for you who revere my name the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the Lord of hosts. Remember the teaching of my servant Moses, the statutes and ordinances that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel. See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of parents to their children and the hearts of children to their parents, so that I will not come and strike the land with a curse.” (Mal.3:16-18, 4:1-5)

“And I myself will be a wall of fire around it (Jerusalem),’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will be its glory within.’” (Zech.2:5)

Zechariah 2:10 “Sing for joy and be glad, O daughter of Zion; for behold I am coming and I will dwell in your midst,” declares the LORD.”

(Zechariah 2.11) “Many nations shall join themselves to the LORD on that day, and shall be my people; and I will dwell in your midst. And you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you.”

“This is what the Lord says: “I will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the Faithful City, and the mountain of the Lord Almighty will be called the Holy Mountain”(…) I will bring them back to live in Jerusalem; they will be my people, and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God.” (Zech.8:3,7, see also 8:20-23)

(Zechariah 13.1) “On that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity.”

(Zechariah 14.6) “On that day there shall not be* either cold or frost.”

(Zechariah 14.8) “On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea and half of them to the western sea; it shall continue in summer as in winter.”

(Zechariah 14.9) “And the LORD will become king over all the earth; on that day the LORD will be one and his name one.“

(Zech.14:17) “If any of the family of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of Hosts, there will be no rain upon them”

The LORD comes to deal justice

“The Lord utters his voice at the head of his army; how vast is his host! Numberless are those who obey his command.” (Joel 2:11a)

We’ve seen these passages before in relation to final judgement, here we look at excerpts with reference to God’s Presence among his people:

“…come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat, for there I will sit to judge;…multitudes, multitudes ni the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near; in the valley of decision. The Lord roars from Zion; and utters his voice from Jerusalem (…)So you shall know that I, the Lord your God, dwell in Zion, my holy mountain. And Jerusalem shall be holy, and strangers shall never again pass through it.¹⁸ (…) a fountain shall come forth from the house of the Lord; and water the Wadi Shittim. (…) ²¹ (…)for the Lord dwells in Zion.” (Joel 3:12,14,17,18,21)

DAY OF THE LORD JESUS in the New Testament

1 Corinthians 4.5: Therefore do not pronounce judgement before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive commendation from God.

The Day of the Lord:

Matthew 7.22: On that day many will say to me, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?

1 Corinthians 5.5: you are to hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord

2 Corinthians 1.14: as you have already understood us in part—that on the day of the Lord Jesus we are your boast even as you are our boast.

1 Thessalonians 5.2: For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.

2 Thessalonians 2.2: not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as though from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord is already here

2 Peter 3.10: But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed

on that day:

2 Thessalonians 1.10: when he comes to be glorified by his saints and to be marvelled at on that day among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.

1 Thessalonians 5.2: For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.

2 Timothy 1.18: —may the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day! And you know very well how much service he rendered in Ephesus.

2 Timothy 4.8: From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

God’s Real Presence from the earliest Writings

From the earliest revelation, one thing has been clear: God wishes, and it is his Will that He dwell with His people. Let us trace this fascinating trend going all the way back to the first books of the Bible.

“Tabernacles” foreshadows God’s Coming in his Temple

The Jewish Festival of Booths/ Tabernacles/ Sukkot. Historical significance: God’s providence the desert years. Agricultural significance: end of the harvest. (15th of Tishrei- late September to late October).

“The LORD said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites: ‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh month the LORD’s Feast of Tabernacles begins, and it lasts for seven days….” (Lev 23:33-35, 39-43).

Sukkot occurs after the harvest has been completed. It is a festival of rest from one’s labor and rejoicing in what God has done in providing for his people. Jews are also called upon to remember God’s providential care for them during the forty years of wilderness wandering when they lived in temporary booths. (“sukkah” the word for a single booth, derives form a Hebrew root meaning “to cover over”, and the branches used to form the roof of a sukkah are known as s’khakh, a covering. “Shakhah” is “branch” (as of a tree) in some Indian languages).

On the first morning of Sukkot a procession of priests went down to the pool of Siloam to bring up to the Temple a golden container of water sufficient to last throughout the seven days of the feast. The water was brought up with great ceremony. The shofar was blown and the pilgrims who had come to Jerusalem for the feast waved their lulavs as the priests carried the water around the altar. On the last or “great” day of the feast, the water libation rite reached its climax. The priests circled the altar seven times and then poured out the water with great pomp and ceremony. This was Hoshana Rabbah, the great “HOSHIANA,” (“save now”).

When God says that He will dwell in the midst of the Israelites it is the verb form: שָׁכַן shakan or shekinah. During the 40 years that the Israelites wandered in the desert, the Temple was a portable sanctuary of cloth covering over a frame. The Hebrew word used for this sanctuary tent is “mishkan“, which is the participial form gained through the addition of the “mi” prefix. In the NT when Peter offers to build three tents for Jesus, Moses and Eiljah he uses σκηνή skene, which is again the same s-k-n Hebrew root (Mt 17:4, Lk9:33, Hb 8:2,5)

(footnote- This word gets translated as “tabernacle” from the Latin “tabernaculum”, the Roman for “tent”, which comes into English as “tavern”.)

(footnote 2- mishkan is not actually the Hebrew word for “tent” for that word is ohel אֹהֶל,  which is used in the phrase “Tent of Meeting” itself (Ex 35:11,21 and 36:14,18,19,37, 38:8,30, 39:2). In 39:2 both words are used עֲבֹדַ֕ת מִשְׁכַּ֖ן אֹ֣הֶל abodat mishkan ohel, the “work of the tabernacle (mishkan) of the tent (ohel)of meeting”. Again in 2Sam7:6 God uses both words “I have dwelt…in a tent and in a tabernacle…”. Lastly in the same verse from Samuel we see another word for “house” and “live” (in a house) which is בְּבַ֔יִת babayit and יָשַׁ֙בְתִּי֙ yasabti respectively. Thus just like in the English there are many words for the place that men take shelter like “shelter”, “home”, ”house”, “dwelling” “tent” and so on.)

From the point of fulfilment, this feast day points to the Lord’s promise that He will dwell with His people, so to reign forever in their midst, the definitive redemption that both Jews and Christians look forward to, and the definitive Temple or “Tabernacle”.

(footnote -Catholics Christians would see in this promise the dwelling of the Lord in the Eucharist inhabiting all the tabernacles of the world, as dealt with in the next section).

That it is fulfilled in the NT is announced at the very outset in John 3:16 “and the word became flesh and dwelt amongst us” is really “tabernacle” amongst us, it is the same word ἐσκήνωσεν eskenosen from the Hebrew root shekinah.

(footnote- The actual Hebrew name of the feast “Sukkot” is not etymologically related to the tabernacle or dwelling place of God among the Israelites in the desert, but rather the dwelling places of the Israelites in the desert themselves, the “sukkah”).

Jesus references this and describes the “rivers of living water” referring to the Holy Spirit who is to be poured out upon believers in John 7:39.

“In 167 BC Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the Seleucid king, descecrated the Temple in Jerusalem and set up worship of Zeus in it. A pig was slaughtered on the altar of burnt sacrifice and its broth poured over the sacred vessels desecrating them. For three years sacrifice to YHWH ceased in the Temple (167–164 BC). A resistance movement under the Maccabees succeeded in retaking the Temple (2 Mac 10:1–8) and rededicated it (1 Mac 4:52–59) in 164 BC. The eight-day celebration of Dedication or Hanukkah commemorated that re-dedication/re-consecration of the Temple. Jesus attended the Feast of Dedication in Jn 10:22–39, and declared that he had been consecrated by the Father (Jn 10:36) (…) The Mishnah (m. Suk. 4:9) gives the details of the morning water liturgy. The procession of priests and people would go to the Pool of Siloam and fill a flask with water, and upon returning to the Temple the priests would fill a silver bowl with the water to be used as a water libation around the altar. The Mishnah also describes the evening light liturgy (m. Suk. 5:2–4). It involved priests lighting four giant candelabras in the Court of Women whose light was said to enlighten every courtyard in Jerusalem. Christ entered the Temple during the Feast of Tabernacles (Jn 7:14). On the last day of the feast he proclaimed, “If anyone thirst let him come to me and drink” (Jn 7:37) indicating that he is the transfiguration of Tabernacles’ daily morning water liturgy. Jn 7:39 specifies that this will occur when those who believe in Jesus will receive the Spirit. Jesus also indicated during Tabernacles that he is the transfiguration of the evening light liturgy: “I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (Jn8:12). As if to confirm this, Jesus’ miraculous healing of the blind man during Tabernacles (Jn 9:1–7) also shows that he is the fulfillment of Tabernacles’ evening light liturgy. At the healing of the blind man Jesus proclaimed, “As long as I am in the world I am the light of the world” (Jn 9:5). Tabernacles’ morning water liturgy and evening light liturgy are fulfilled in Christ..” (Tomas Lane, JTT p.16-18)

In the Torah

“You brought them in and planted them on the mountain of your own possession,
the place, O Lord, that you made your abode, the sanctuary, O Lord, that your hands have established. The Lord will reign forever and ever.” (Miriam’s song in Exodus 15:17,18)

“And they are to make a sanctuary for Me, so that I may dwell among them.” (25:8) “I will dwell among the sons of Israel and will be their God.” (29:45) “They shall know that I am the LORD their God who brought them out of the land of Egypt, that I might dwell among them; I am the LORD their God.” (Ex.29:46)

(Numbers 5:3) ‘You shall not defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which I dwell; for I the LORD am dwelling in the midst of the sons of Israel.” (35:34) “You shall send away both male and female; you shall send them outside the camp so that they will not defile their camp where I dwell in their midst.”

in Numbers Ch.14, We see the Glory of the Lord appearing to “all the Israelites” (v.10) “…the people who have seen my glory” (v.22) and God stating “all the Earth shall be filled with the Glory of the Lord” (v.21)

“I will put my dwelling place among you, and I will not abhor you.” (Lev. 26:11)

“I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be My people.” (Lev. 26:12)

“I will dwell among the sons of Israel, and will not forsake My people Israel.” (1 Kings 6:13)

In the Psalms

יְֽהֹוָ֗ה אָ֭הַבְתִּי מְע֣וֹן בֵּיתֶ֑ךָ וּ֝מְק֗וֹם מִשְׁכַּ֥ן כְּבוֹדֶֽךָ׃

Psalm 5:7 “But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house, I will bow down toward your holy temple in awe of you.”

“O Lord, I love the house in which you dwell;  and the place where your glory abides.” (Psalm 26:8)

אַחַ֤ת ׀ שָׁאַ֣לְתִּי מֵֽאֵת־יְהֹוָה֮ אוֹתָ֢הּ אֲבַ֫קֵּ֥שׁ שִׁבְתִּ֣י בְּבֵית־יְ֭הֹוָה כׇּל־יְמֵ֣י חַיַּ֑י לַחֲז֥וֹת בְּנֹעַם־יְ֝הֹוָ֗ה וּלְבַקֵּ֥ר בְּהֵֽיכָלֽוֹ׃

“One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.” (Psalm 27:4)

לְךָ֤ ׀ אָמַ֣ר לִ֭בִּי בַּקְּשׁ֣וּ פָנָ֑י אֶת־פָּנֶ֖יךָ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֲבַקֵּֽשׁ׃

““Come,” my heart says, “seek his face!” Your face, Lord, do I seek. Do not hide your face from me.” (Ps. 27:8,9)

לׅׄוּׅׄלֵׅ֗ׄאׅׄ הֶ֭אֱמַנְתִּי לִרְא֥וֹת בְּֽטוּב־יְהֹוָ֗ה בְּאֶ֣רֶץ חַיִּֽים׃

“I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” (Ps.27:13)

“Let your face shine upon your servant; save me in your steadfast love (…) In the shelter of your presence you hide them (those who fear you) from human plots” (Ps.31:16,21)

“My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.” (Psalm 84:2)

שְׁלַח־אֹורְךָ֣ וַ֭אֲמִתְּךָ הֵ֣מָּה יַנְח֑וּנִי יְבִיא֥וּנִי אֶל־הַֽר־קָ֝דְשְׁךָ֗ וְאֶל־מִשְׁכְּנֹותֶֽיךָ׃

“O send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill; and to your dwelling.“

אָבֹ֤ואָה ׀ אֶל־מִזְבַּ֬ח אֱלֹהִ֗ים אֶל־אֵל֮ שִׂמְחַ֪ת גִּ֫ילִ֥י וְאֹודְךָ֥ בְכִנֹּ֗ור אֱלֹהִ֥ים אֱלֹהָֽי׃

“Then I will go to the altar of God,  to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you with the harp, O God, my God.” (Psalm 43:3,4)

The mighty one, God the Lord, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth. (Psalm 50;1,2)

מִצִּיֹּ֥ון מִכְלַל־יֹ֗פִי אֱלֹהִ֥ים הֹופִֽיעַ׃ (v.2)

In 50:2, “perfection” is miclal, 1.occ, from kalal- perfection, completion- 2.occ, both Ezek.. “Beauty” yophi, “shining” (19 occ., incl. for Esther) der. from yapha (8 occ., here hophia hifil imperf. also Ps.80:1, 94:1 “Shine forth!” הוֹפִֽיַע׃), so we have the aspect in beauty of “radiance” or “radiant beauty shines forth.

“So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary (בַּקֹּ֣דֶשׁ), beholding your power and glory.” (Ps.63:2)

“Happy are those whom you choose and bring near to live in your courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, your holy temple. ” (Ps.65:3,4)

Psalm 84 goes:

(v.1) How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! (v.2) My soul longs, indeed it faints, for the courts of the Lord (…);(v.3,4) at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God. (v.4) Happy are those who live in your house, ever singing your praise. Selah (v.5-7). Happy are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.

…As they go through the valley of Baca,  they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength; the God of gods will be seen in Zion (v.10). For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God;  than live in the tents of wickedness…”

This continues in the next Psalm 85 (v.9) “Surely his salvation is close at hand for those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land”

Psalms 96:13 and 98:9 speak of God who is coming to judge the entire Earth.

“Glory in this holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually” (Psalm 105:3,4)

Zion will be the House of Prayer for all Nations

All this culminates in an eschatologically significant sign and a blessing for all the world:
“In the days to come the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established; as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations; and will settle disputes for many peoples (4)… “the Lord alone will be exalted in that day, for the Lord has a day that is against all that is proud and lofty, against all that is lifted up and high” (vv.2:4,11,12)

“And the foreigners (…) these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices; will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” (Isaiah 56:7); thenceforth God will “guide, satisfy, strengthen, water you continually”(58:11); “rebuild / repair/ restore” the “ancient ruins…of many generations” (58:12); he will “delight in you” and “make you ride upon the heights of the earth” (58:14) “nations shall come to your light and kings to the brightness of your dawn” (60:2, also 7,9,12) “…the Lord will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all nations” (61:11) that “…(Zion’s)vindication shines out like the dawn and her salvation like a burning torch. The nations shall see your vindication and all the kings your glory…” (62:1,2a); “you shall be a beautiful crown in the hand of the Lord and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.

You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate, but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her and your land Married, for the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married. For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your builder marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.” (62:3-5); that “whoever invokes a blessing in the land shall bless by the God of faithfulness, and whoever takes an oath in the land shall swear by the God of faithfulness,” (65:16) even to the point that “before they call I will answer, while they are yet speaking I will hear” (65:24).

Indeed, the believers at that time will rule in eternity forever: “Your people shall all be righteous; they shall possess the land forever (…) so that I might be glorified. The least of them shall become a clan and the smallest one a mighty nation; I am the Lord; in its time I will accomplish it quickly.” (60:21,22) The people of God shall “be called priests of the LORD”, “ministers of our God” while they “enjoy the wealth of the nations, and glory in their riches” (61:6).

“So this city will bring Me renown, joy, praise, and glory before all the nations of the earth, who will hear of all the good I do for it. They will tremble in awe because of all the goodness and prosperity that I will provide for it.” (Jer.33:9)

“I will shake all the nations, and they will come with all their treasures, and I will fill this house with glory, says the LORD of Hosts” (Hag.2:7).

Newness of Life in God

Finally, there is a “new Heavens” and that the “New Covenant” must involve God himself coming to rule in Zion, accompanied by the pouring out of the Spirit upon a people made holy before him.
“And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever…” (Isaiah 25:7,8a)
The Lord said (…) their worship of me is a human commandment learned by rote (LXX- they worship me in vain), so I will again do; amazing things with this people, shocking and amazing. The wisdom of their wise shall perish, and the discernment of the discerning shall be hidden…”(Isaiah 29:13,14; for “wisdom of the wise” cf. 1Cor.1;18-29, Rom.1)
(Is.59:21), “your people shall all be righteous” (60:19a), and God promises to give “an everlasting name with shall not be cut off” (Is.56:5). to his servants he will give a different name” (65:15) and again “you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will give, you shall be a cup of beauty in the hand of the LORD” (62:2,3). Thus the entire Creation is to be renewed: “For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I am creating, for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy and its people as a delight. I will rejoice in Jerusalem and delight in my people; no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it or the cry of distress”(65:17-19).

Coming of the Eternal Davidic King, Messiah, God

God’s eternal covenant is that David’s kingdom will be established forever (2 Sam5:3; 2 Chr.13:5, Ps. 89:3-4). The final form which the covenant is to take is revealed at the time of King David, the promise of an eternal kingdom of his dynasty. The prophecy from the book of Samuel ostensibly refers to David’s son Solomon, but contains the promise that David’s “house” will be an eternal kingdom, or dynasty. The Solomonic kingdom disintegrates very quickly after Solomon’s death, first divided and then destroyed completely in around 400BC, never again for a king to sit on the throne in Jerusalem.

“Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the Lord: (…) the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house.  When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.  I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me (…) Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever. ” (2 Sam7:11-14a,16)

A few hundred years after the time of King David and Solomon we can again pick up the prophecies of the “chosen one”, the coming King who will fulfil the covenant. Note the consistent use of the name of “David”, which used hundreds of years after the death of David himself, can only point to the dynasty of his bloodline. The second of these pinpoint the place of his ministry (Galilee) and a further prophecy by the prophet Micah gives also the date of his birth (Bethlehem) (Jesus is raised in a different place to that in which he is born):

“Here is my servant, whom I uphold,  my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations (…) He will not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his teaching (…) am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations…” (Is. 42:6).

It is later reiterated that it is the Davidic covenant that is being referred to:

“…I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David. See, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples. See, you shall call nations that you do not know, and nations that do not know you shall run to you, because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you.” (Is.55:3)

In Jeremiah once again God confirms that it is the Messiah who will fulfil the promise:

Jer.23:5-8 speaks of God raising up a “righteous branch for David” who shall reign as king and who will be called by the name “the LORD is our righteousness”, states that “therefore”, people will speak of the LORD reuniting all the scattered tribes of Israel back to their land.

“But they shall serve the Lord their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them” (Jer.30:9).

“Behold the days are coming, says the Lord when I will fulfil the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah …a righteous branch to spring forth for David…” (Jer.33:14,15)

“But they shall serve the Lord their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them.” (Jer. 30:9)

“I will save my flock, they shall no longer be a prey; and I will judge between sheep and sheep. And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them; I, the Lord, have spoken. I will make with them a covenant of peace and banish wild beasts from the land, so that they may dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will send down the showers in their season; they shall be showers of blessing” (Ez.34:22–26).

“…and one king shall be king over them all. Never again shall they be two nations, and never again shall they be divided into two kingdoms (…)My servant David shall be king over them; and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall follow my ordinances and be careful to observe my statutes (…) I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an eternal covenant with them; and I will bless them and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore. My dwelling place shall be with them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. (Ez.37:22,24–27).

“for the Lord of hosts cares for his flock, the house of Judah,  and will make them like his proud war-horse. Out of them shall come the cornerstone, out of them the tent peg, out of them the battle bow” (Zech.10:3,4)

Roughly thirty years after the death of Ezekiel, Daniel received a vision from God that it would take about five hundred years (“seventy weeks of years”) for all the prophecies to be fulfilled (Dan.9:24–27) which brings us right up to Jesus’ time.

(Dan.9:24) “Seventy weeks are decreed for your people and your holy city: to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place.”

Shifting to the Psalms, we see that the Davidic Messiah of the world is to be established “forever”:

“…great triumphs he gives to his king; and shows steadfast love to his anointed, to David and his descendants forever.“ (Ps.18:49,50)

Psalm 89 has stunning implications, so let us consider it carefully. The first half of the psalm tells of the LORD’s unchangeable promise to David, that “his line will continue forever” (v.29,36) “and this throne as long as the heavens endure” (v.29) “his throne endure before me like the sun” (v.36) swearing this “by (The LORD’s) holiness” and that he “will not lie” (v.35); “like the moon, an enduring witness in the skies” (v.37), “forever…my covenant with him will stand firm” (v.28), iterating that even “if” his children reject the LORD and incur the LORD’s wrath (v.31,32), “but” God “will not violate (his) covenant”; “or alter the word that went forth from my lips” (“if…but”-v.33,34). However in the second half (v.38 onward), we find the psalmist already lamenting that the LORD has “spurn(ed) and rejected him…the anointed (masyach)” (v.38), has “renounced (his) covenant with (his) servant)” (v.39), “defiled his crown in the dust” (v.39), “broken through all his walls” (v.40), “exalted the right hand of his foes” (v.42), “removed the scepter from his hand and hurled his throne to the ground” (v.44), and “cut short the says of his youth and covered him with shame” (v.45). There is no way to reconcile this stark contradiction apart from a fulfilment in someone like Jesus who transcends the original covenant through the “new covenant”, in keeping with that prophesied in Jeremiah 31 and alluded to in Ezekiel 36. It is no less than the LORD’s holiness and truth themselves (v.35 above) that provide the guarantee against it ever coming to pass that the covenant not be fulfilled, and yet, were it not for Jesus, this would appear to be the case.

Davidic King and Messiah, Branch Prophecy, Cleansing from Sin, DAY of Salvation

Genesis-the prophecy of Shiloh

It all begins with a somewhat obscure prophecy:

“The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet (or from his descendants) until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his” (Gen.49:10)

Rydelnik writes regarding this that the most controversial aspect of this prophecy is the identification of “Shiloh (ad ci yavo siloh)”. He supports the view that siloh is here used for the name of the Messiah. The alternative is that it is the name of the place, referring to the realization of the definitive Temple. However he shows that the Targums seem to support the former interpretation:

“Shiloh is a proper name of the Messiah. This is the view of the Talmud in Sanhedrin 98b, which answers the question of what the Messiah’s name is by saying, “Shiloh is his name, as it is said, ‘Until Shiloh come.’ ” It is also the view of the Targum Pseudo-Jonathan (“until that time that King Messiah shall come”)9 and the Qumran community (“until the coming of the Messiah of Righteousness”) (…)

Shiloh is a word meaning “which belongs to him” or “to whom it belongs.” This view is sustained by accepting the variant reading (i.e.,) instead of (i.e., ). According to this view, is a word formed from , an archaic relative pronoun like the more common (“which, who”), plus (“belonging to”), and the suffix for -ô (“him”). The critical apparatus of BHS cites multiple Masoretic and Samaritan
manuscripts which read . his is apparently the source of the Septuagint’s translation (“until there should come the things stored up for him”). It is also supported by Targum Onqelos, Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion.16 According to the Hebrew lexicon by Koehler and Baumgartner, the pronoun is archaic in Hebrew, its function eventually being taken over by the more common . It occurs, for example, in Gen 6:3; Judg 5:7 (an especially important text since this is considered some of the oldest Hebrew in the Bible); 6:17; 7:12; 8:26; and Job 19:29.17 (…) (this view) has intertextual support from Ezek 21:27 [Hb. 21:32] (…) The passage in Ezekiel substantiates two
ideas: First, it affirms the rendering of as “to whom it belongs.” Second, it confirms that Gen 49:10 is a messianic prophecy. In Ezek 21:24–27 [Hb. 29–32] (…) God announces the temporary overthrow of the Davidic line “until He comes whose right it is” (Ezek 21:27[32] ad bo asher lo hammispat- the judgement) (TMH, p.48-50)

Immanuel, Bethlehem, Jesse, Virgin Birth, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace

We look at the famous “Immanuel prophecy” in detail in a later section, but let is quote it here anyway. Two things may be observed which would in our opinion override the objections. One, that the sign is “deep as Sheol and high as Heaven”, and second, that the child knows good and evil even before he is weaned:

“Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, saying, “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” Then Isaiah said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary mortals that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son and shall name him Immanuel. He shall eat curds and honey by the time he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good.” (Is.7:10-15)

“But there will be no gloom for those who were in anguish (…) but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness— on them a light has shined (…) For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.” (Isaiah 9:1)

Next, we have the prophecies that the one who comes to judge all the earth and to “kill the wicked with the rod of his mouth”, the latter being a remarkable allusion to the Word, and both of the prerogative of God himself, will be of the shoot of Jesse, hence also human. The “shoot of Jesse” is the focus of the whole world:

“A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see or decide by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge for the poor and decide with equity for the oppressed of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist and faithfulness the belt around his loins. The wolf shall live with the lamb; the leopard shall lie down with the kid; the calf and the lion will feed together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den. They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.” (Isaiah 11:1-10)

Here the origin of the one who is to come is “from of old, from ancient days”.

“But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days. Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has brought forth; then the rest of his kindred shall return to the people of Israel. And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth; and he shall be the one of peace. (Micah 5:1-5)

“your all-powerful word leaped from heaven, from the royal throne, into the midst of the land that was doomed, a stern warrior; carrying the sharp sword of your authentic command, and stood and filled all things with death, and touched heaven while standing on the earth. (…) For the whole creation in its nature was fashioned anew, complying with your commands, so that your children might be kept unharmed.” (Wis.18:15,16,19:6)

Branch, Day of Salvation, Cleansing from Sin- Isaiah, Zechariah

Here we see mention of the glorious “branch”, and further it is associated definitive forgiveness of sins, purification and Judgement by the Spirit. The cloud of smoke and pillar of fire can be interpreted as nothing other than the Presence of God, by anyone that is familiar with the Exodus narrative. I would associate the “branch” with the other plant-based metaphor of “shoot” of Jesse in Isaiah 11:1,10, as well as Jer. 23:5 “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch”. and therefore conclude at least to a degree that this refers to Jesus. This would seem to be reinforced by the fact that in the passage from Zechariah the “Branch” is Yehoshua who is said to be an “omen” of things to come:

“On that day the branch of the Lord shall be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land shall be the pride and glory of the survivors of Israel. Whoever is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy, everyone who has been recorded for life in Jerusalem, once the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodstains of Jerusalem from its midst by a spirit of judgment and by a spirit of burning. Then the Lord will create over the whole site of Mount Zion and over its places of assembly a cloud by day and smoke and the shining of a flaming fire by night. Indeed over all the glory there will be a canopy…” (Is.4:1-5a)

Zechariah speaks of the “Day” on which the spiritual salvation of Israel will be achieved, through the “one whom you have pierced”, and at whose death there is a great and solemn mourning in the land. Good Friday is prophesied, and the coming glory of Israel.

Zechariah first states that God’s servant the “Branch” (the implication of which we have just seen) will come and that the guilt of the people will be removed, also signified by the changing of filthy clothes to festal apparel, and Satan can accuse of sin no more. In the first of these passages (vv.6-10), Joshua’s “guilt” is taken away. This at first glance would make it unlikely to be Jesus in whom we cannot admit of any guilt. However this is said to be an “omen”, symbolic of when the servant of the Lord, “the Branch” who is to come, will take away not his own guilt, but the guilt of Israel. The removing of guilt from Joshua is therefore merely symbolic of the fact that he is to bear the sin of the nation. Of course a lot of this could only be made sense of through a Christian lens.

(fn- When Matthew says that Jesus was to be a “Nazirite” as the result of the fulfilment of scripture, it is thought that he might mean the Hebrew word for “branch”. Hebrew was written with only consonants, that word which is netser would have appeared as NZR—the same consonants as for Nazareth)

“Then he showed me the high priest Joshua standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. And the Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, O Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this man a brand plucked from the fire?” Now Joshua was dressed with filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. The angel said to those who were standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes.” And to him he said, “See, I have taken your guilt away from you, and I will clothe you with festal apparel…For they are an omen of things to come: I am going to bring my servant the Branch…and I will remove the guilt of this land in a single day…” (Zechariah 3:6-10). There is a further reference to Joshua being the “Branch” in 6:9-14, and him being crowned and the restorer of the Temple.

Then we see that the king who is to fulfil “the blood of (God’s covenant”, whose dominion is “to the ends of the earth” will come “humbly”, “riding on a donkey, on a colt…” Thus once again we have the image of the Suffering Servant as in Isaiah, and onward here to as we shall continue to see in Zechariah:

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war-horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall command peace to the nations; his dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you…”(Zech.9:9-11)

Next the there is a seeming sequence of Salvation on the day of the Crucifixion presented in stunning detail in the 12^th and 13^th chapters of Zechariah:

“And the Lord will give victory to the tents of Judah first(…)On that day the Lord will shield the inhabitants of Jerusalem so that the feeblest among them on that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God (כֵּֽאלֹהִ֔ים), like the angel of the Lord, at their head. And on that day I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. And I will pour out a spirit of compassion and supplication on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that, when they look on the one whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn…” The mourning of the land and the people is described here in great solemnity for the next four verses, then the narrative continues with”…On that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity“. Following this there is a seeming prophecy of the aftermath of the Crucifixion where the disciples scatter, but then remain resolute in the faith, are persecuted and killed for it as, “… Strike the shepherd, that the sheep may be scattered;  I will turn my hand against the little ones (…)and test them as gold is tested. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, “They are my people”; and they will say, “The Lord is our God” (Zech.12:7-13:9 excerpts)

“And you shall flee by the valley of the Lord’s mountain, for the valley between the mountains shall reach to Azal; and you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of King Uzziah of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him (cf.Mt.25:31) On that day there shall not be either cold or frost. And there shall be continuous day (it is known to the Lord), not day and not night, for at evening time there shall be light (cf.Rev.22:5). On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem (cf.Jn.7:38), half of them to the eastern sea and half of them to the western sea; it shall continue in summer as in winter. And the Lord will become king over all the earth; on that day the Lord will be one and his name one. The whole land shall be turned into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem. But Jerusalem shall remain aloft on its site from the Gate of Benjamin to the place of the former gate, to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king’s wine presses. And it shall be inhabited, for never again shall it be doomed to destruction; Jerusalem shall abide in security.” (Zech14:5-11)

Following this the passage reverts to a time when there will be plagues and temple sacrifices, one can see that this is a past time, because it has already been promised that once the “Lord comes” there will be no more plagues or destruction, nor indeed day nor night.

Danielic Prophecy- Ch. 2,7,9: Conquering Messiah and Lord

Chapters 2 and 9 of Daniel tell of the Messiah that is to come and establish his kingdom in all the world. The incredible sequence of chapter 7 tells of a Son of Man who is also a divine figure. This, along with the Immanuel and “he shall be called mighty God…” prophecy of Isaiah is probably the strongest reference in the Old Testament to a figure who combines divinity and humanity in one being. Further we see a hint in the timed messianic prophecy of chapter 9 that this figure will also suffer. First we take the incredible prophecy of Chapter 2.

Daniel 2- “the Stone that was Cut out not by Human Hands…”

“You were looking, O king, and lo! there was a great statue. This statue was huge, its brilliance extraordinary; it was standing before you, and its appearance was frightening. The head of that statue was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its middle and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. As you looked on, a stone was cut out, not by human hands, and it struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, were all broken in pieces and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.” (Daniel 2:31-35)

and the oracle continues:

“And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, nor shall its sovereignty be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand for ever; just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall be hereafter. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.” (Daniel 2:44-45)

According to the book of Daniel, the four parts of the statue are four pagan kingdoms (empires), beginning with the Babylonian Empire. Daniel tells King Nebuchadnezzar that the king himself is “the head of gold” and that after him shall arise “another kingdom inferior” to Babylon, represented by silver. Then “a third kingdom of bronze” will come, followed finally by “a fourth kingdom,” which shall be “strong as iron” at first but then gradually grow weaker, like a mixture of iron and clay (Daniel 2:36-43). Most important, during the time of the fourth kingdom—the one made of iron and clay—a fifth kingdom will finally come, and this shall be the kingdom of God.

… according to the most ancient Jewish interpretations we possess, in the first century AD, the four pagan kingdoms described by the book of Daniel were interpreted as the four empires that had reigned over the Jewish people since the time of King Nebuchadnezzar: (1) the Babylonian Empire, (2) the Medo-Persian Empire, (3) the Greek Empire, and (4) the Roman Empire (…) the long-awaited kingdom of God will come sometime during the reign of the Roman Empire. That’s what Daniel says: “in the days” of the fourth kingdom, “the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed” (Daniel 2:44)….” (TCJ 105-7)

Daniel 7- the Son of Man

The Biblical passage begins with:

“As I watched, thrones were set in place, and an Ancient One took his throne; his clothing was white as snow; and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames, and its wheels were burning fire. A stream of fire issued and flowed out from his presence. A thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood attending him. The court sat in judgment, and the books were opened…” (Daniel 7:9-10,13-14)

The first point we’ll make here is that Jesus at his time, and although he would have been multi-lingual, would most likely have used the Aramaic form בראנש, bar enasha to describe himself. This is significant because Daniel 7 is one of only books written originally in Aramaic. The Hebrew of Daniel 9 would thus use the more common form, בןאדם ben adam for the same expression. In fact, Daniel 7 is the only place in the OT where bar enasha is used. The Hebrew form in the OT is used generally to denote a human being or “mortal” (around 200 occ., eg.Ps8:4, Ez.2:1, Jer.49:18, Dan.8:17; N.B. Dan.3:25 is Aram. son of the gods- lebar elahin). This correlation would seem to intensify the divine signification and uniqueness of Jesus’ Son of Man utterances in the Gospels, since the Daniel 7 passage carries such an implication.

There is no doubt that the initial figure, the “Ancient of Days” (v.9,13) is God. The “one like a son if man” (v.13) incredible enters the scenario “with the clouds of Heaven”. Who would approach God in this manner, the God who is himself being attended upon by “then thousand times ten thousand” and seen in all his glory? The answer is really “no one”, any creature would approach on their knees unless told to rise, no doubt. As the Jewish rabbis have already noted (we see in the next section), “thrones” have been set in place (v.9) and they comment that this signifies that the second figure is also worthy of being enthroned alongside Yahweh. Indeed he is “presented” to God and what is said of him is unmistakable.

What’s more the motif of the one who rides on the clouds is a theme for the divine which would have been familiar to the people of the time as associated with Baal, the storm God who was much revered at the time as the one who brings rains and enables the crops to grow and so on. The same is also used with reference to Yahweh in verses like Isaiah 19:1 “A pronouncement against Egypt: Look! Jehovah is riding on a swift cloud and is coming into Egypt”, also Dt.33:26, Ps 68,32,33; Ps 104:3. The Biblical author therefore is co-opting the familiar motif onto the this divine figure and thereby unmistakably assigning divine status to him.

Here is the rest of the verse:

“I saw one like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. And he came to the Ancient One; and was presented before him. To him was given dominion; and glory and kingship, that all peoples, nations, and languages; should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion; that shall not pass away, and his kingship is one; that shall never be destroyed.” (Dan.7:13,14)

Divine Signification of SON OF MAN in the Inter-Testamental literature

J. Paul Tanner (MHBP) writes:

“Casey has found ten references to Dan 7:13-14 in this literature, at least four of which interpret this figure as Messiah: b. Sanh. 98a; Num. Rab. 13.14; Aggadat B r ēšît 14:3; 23:1; and Midr. Haggadol Gen. 49.10. Rabbi Akiba, prominent in the early second-century AD, took him to be the
Messiah (as did the later Talmud), and this view was embraced by most rabbinical exegetes. Montgomery writes, “Joshua b. Levi, c. 250, taught that, if Israel deserved it, the Messiah would come with the clouds of heaven, after Dan. 7, or, if otherwise, riding upon an ass, after Zech. 9
9 (Sanh. 98a). This interpretation was followed by all the Jewish comm., with the exception of AEz., as noted above, including the Karaite Jepheth, e.g., Rashi, ‘This is King Messiah.’,”…”

and the footnote:

“P. M. Casey, Son of Man: The Interpretation and Influence of Daniel 7 (London: SPCK, 1979), 80–83. Num. Rab. 13.14, for instance, states:

“How do we know that he [the Messiah] will hold sway on land? Because it is written … Behold, there came with the clouds of heaven one like unto a son of man … and there was given unto him dominion … that all the peoples should serve him”

(MHCB)

Next, he gives passages from the Parables of Enoch (Similitudes) and Aramaic Apocalypse:

“we can say is that there is some evidence that the expression “son of man” was used in a messianic sense prior to Jesus’ ministry. It is found, after all, in the fragmentary Aramaic Apocalypse (4Q246), in the Parables of Enoch, i.e., chaps. 37–71 of 1 Enoch (also known as the Similitudes), and at least the concept in 4 Ezra 13.18 In the case of 4 Ezra 13, the vision begins with “something like the figure of a man” (13.3) arising from the sea. Later, God calls him “my son” (13.32), and in the latter days he takes his stand on Mt. Zion, destroying an army that attacks it, and regathering the ten tribes of Israel.

Though he is clearly a messiah figure, both Collins and Burkett point out differences with the “son of man” in 1 Enoch. Aramaic Apocalypse (4Q246), published by É. Puech in 1992, has been dated to the first century BC.20 There, a “son of man” figure has been given the title “Son of God” and becomes a great king over the whole earth. K. A. Kuhn has concluded, The Aramaic Apocalypse not only borrows from Daniel 7 but also offers an interpretation of that text by designating the Danielic “one like a son of man” as the “Son of the Most High” and “Son of God.” These titles, I claim, cast Daniel’s eschatological redeemer against the royal background of the Davidic monarchy, and yet also mark a development in the transcendent character of this heavenly figure by attributing to him divine sonship.

Of perhaps greater interest is the material found in the Parables of Enoch, i.e., chaps. 37–71 of 1 Enoch (also known as the Similitudes). It is here that we find the earliest Jewish evidence for the interpretation and re-use of Dan 7:13-14. Although some scholars date the Parable of Enoch after Jesus’ public ministry (e.g., Collins), more recently D. L. Bock has argued for the “strong likelihood that the Parables of Enoch are Jewish and most likely were composed prior to the work of Jesus of Nazareth or contemporaneous with his Galilean ministry.”

and some useful footnotes gives a passage from Testament of Abraham:

“One other pseudepigraphal work of possible relevance is the Testament of Abraham, which shows obvious reliance on Dan 7, and in which Abel (the son of Adam) is given authority to judge creation. The date of this work, however, is uncertain. Some would date it to the first half of the first century AD, but others after AD 70.”, and “For a description and analysis of 4 Ezra 13 (probably to be dated to the end of the first century AD), see J. J. Collins, “The Son of Man in First-Century Judaism,” New Testament Studies 38 (1992): 459–66; and D. Burkett, “Son of Man in Apocalyptic and Rabbinic Texts,” 102–8”

we quote some more passages in Trinity in the Old Testament and Talmudic Judaism

Daniel 9- the Coming of the Anointed Prince: CONTROVERSIAL!

Daniel 9 as a messianic prophecy is controversial and we will examine both points of view here. IT has long been taken as a time marker for the arrival of the Messiah, along with a reference to a messianic figure suffering and possibly dying. However modern scholarship has not been in favor of this view. We will present points both for and against the messianic view. This is the passage, v.24b I have taken the NKJV, and I explain the reason shortly after:

“Seventy weeks are decreed for your people and your holy city: to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place. Know therefore and understand: from the time that the word went out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, until an anointed (masiach) prince (נָגִ֔ידמָשִׁ֣יחַ – masiach nagid), there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times. (25) After the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one (masiach) shall be cut off and shall have nothing, and the troops of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed. He shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall make sacrifice and offering cease; and in their place shall be an abomination that desolates, until the decreed end is poured out upon the desolator.” (Daniel 9:24-27)

First we note a tantalizing relationship between the “wise men” who “came from the East” at the birth of Jesus in Matthew and Luke’s Gospels and the “magicians” of Daniel 2 (10,17) who are asked to interpret the King’s dream. The Hebrew word is חַרְטֹם chartom, translated in the Greek LXX as “magoi– μάγοι”-, exactly the same as the Gospels (also the “magician” in Acts 13:6,8). No wonder they knew of these prophecies at the time of Jesus’ birth and set out to seek him, since Daniel himself gave it to their ancestors!

We now look at the time calculation for the prophecies: The period of “weeks” is taken by most commentators to mean seventy “weeks of years” (1 week of years is 7years, not seven days). The Israelites would have been familiar with this reference from passages like Lev25:8 and Dt15. The total time period being referred to here is 70 weeks (v.24- to anoint a most holy place/one). This is broken down into 62+7+1. The time to the coming of the Messiah is 62 + 7 = 69 weeks which gives 490 years (CIBOT pg.889). The construction is difficult, because we seemingly have the arrival of the anointed one after seven weeks (v.25) which is only 49 years following the decree, which we seemingly cannot take literally, rather relegate that event to the completion of the further 62 weeks so that the “coming” and the “cutting off” (v.26) coincide at the end of the 69 weeks instead. The rebuilding of the city “with streets and moat” and pertinently “in a troubled time”, “for 62 weeks” (v.25) would have to be taken as occurring somewhere during this period, with the beginning not being clearly demarcated.

Personally when I look at the Hebrew, the demarcation between the 7 and the 62 is not clear and the translation requires bracketed words in the English. The Hebrew merely says “…until an anointed prince seven weeks and sixty-two weeks and again shall be built the street and the world even in troubled times”. I’m no Hebrew scholar, but I’m not seeing the cut off here. NIV, NKJV, NASB, NET agree with my translation, while the ESV and NRSV support the contrary version for some reason. This is the Hebrew:

“עַד־מָשִׁ֣יחַ נָגִ֔יד שָֽׁבֻעִ֖ים שִׁבְעָ֑ה וְשָֽׁבֻעִ֞ים שִׁשִּׁ֣ים וּשְׁנַ֗יִם תָּשׁוּב֙ וְנִבְנְתָה֙ רְח֣וֹב וְחָר֔וּץ וּבְצ֖וֹק הָעִתִּֽים:…”

Once again it might not be as straightforward a calculation as this, Robert Alter in his Jewish commentary says that the anointed prince in v.25 is Antiochus Epiphanes IV and the anointed one who is cut off is the last priest Onias III who was murdered by him. Walton in the Cultural Backgrounds study Bible (pg.1451,2) uses the separation of the initial seven weeks to identify an early messianic figure such as “Cyrus (called “the LORD’s anointed” in Is45:1), Joshua the high priest, or Zerubabbel the governor (both called “anointed in Zech 4:14)”. The second anointed one he then infers to be Onias III at the and of the whole 69 weeks.

Kevin Zuber (MHBP), like Brand Pitre, comes out strongly again in interpretating this as foretelling the arrival of Jesus. Going through the four possible candidates (also enumerated by Walton and Keener) for the “decree which went out” as establishing the starting point of the weeks, only the one in Neh.2 related to the rebuilding of the city itself rather than the Temple. He insists “an anointed one” in 9:25 refers to Jesus. He notes that it is used 39 times in the Bible and does not take Walton’s objection that the absence of the definite article makes is unlikely to be a messianic reference as significant here. Zuber first gives the various decrees and examines their merits individually:

“…the decree of Cyrus the Great (is) to rebuild the Temple, given in 538 BC (given in Ezra 1:1-4- my addition). But the decree Daniel has in mind is a decree to rebuild the city, Jerusalem, not the temple (similarly also King Darius gives a Temple rebuilding decree in Ezra 6:1-12). Another decree was issued by Artaxerxes Longimanus in 458/7 BC (cf. Ezr 7:11-26), but this decree had to do with “the restoration of the temple’s utensils and permission to appoint civil leaders,” and was, again, not a decree to rebuild the city, Jerusalem…”

Then he gives the one that fits the bill:

“…another decree was also issued by Artaxerxes Longimanus, this one on March 5/4, 444 BC (Walton gives the same date), and that decree is referenced in Neh 2:1-8. (…) the decree of March 5/4, 444 BC is the decree in view in Dan 9:25 and is the starting point of the first 69 weeks. The end point (terminus ad quem) of the first 69 weeks is identified in the phrase “until Messiah the Prince.” The 69 weeks of years (483 years) if calculated by “biblical/prophetic years of 360 days each” would yield 173,880 days. Starting with the decree of March 5/4, (Nisan 1) 444 BC and calculating the 173,880 days, the 69-week period ends on March 29/30, (Nisan 10), AD 33. This best fits with “the date of Jesus the Messiah’s triumphal entry (Lk 19:28-40).” That Dan 9:26 mentions the death of the Messiah (see below) supports this chronology, as Walvoord notes, “the best explanation of the time when the sixty-nine sevens ended is that it occurred shortly before the death of Christ anticipated in Daniel 9:26.”

The beauty of this prophecy, as Kevin Zuber (MHBP) notes is the symmetry of 70 weeks before and after the exile. He is able to derive this symmetry as he describes:

“What is the significance of the seventy? (…) Judah’s captivity lasted 70 years because the nation had failed to keep the Sabbatical rest of the land seventy times (cf. Lv 26:34-35, 43). Thus, 70 years of captivity provided the land with the 70 Sabbatical rests it had missed (2Ch 36:21).”

What about after the 69 weeks?

“After” this period of 69 weeks, in v.9:26 we have “an anointed one shall be cut off and have nothing“. “Cut off” (Heb. karat) is commonly meant to refer to death. The phrase shall have nothing (NRSV) Heb. וְאֵ֣ין ל֑וֹ, (wa-ayn lo) which is literally “and nothing for/to him“, so one can see why it is amenable to some variation in translation (Brenton’s LXX: “and there is no judgment in him”. Alter in his Jewish commentary: “with none to save him“, Sefaria.org: “and vanish”- all of these have the implication of suffering and/or death).

If we have already placed the 69 weeks at Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, then the second “anointed prince” also being a reference to himself since there is no time gap specified here. Following this there is a gap of seven weeks (v.27) where the “troops of the prince”, this time referring to the troops of the Romans under Tacitus who destroyed the Temple a few decades later with the cessation of sacrifice (v.27) which can be taken as the final week (thus the “anointed prince” is not the same as “troops of the prince” in v.26). Walton has not placed this as Jesus in the first place, so he has a different anointed figure here, same as Alter: “…following (Onias III’s) murder by Antiochus IV in 171BC led to a 7 year period of persecution in Judah, which included the desecration of the Temple in 167 BC”.

If we look at the two differing views, then the non-Messianic view places this temple destruction, desecration and setting up of the abomination as the doing of Antiochus Epiphanes IV in 167 BC, possibly with the collusion of some of the Jews. This is the view of Alter and Walton. However in the Messianic view this “abomination that desolates” is not a specific recorded entity, rather it refers to the destruction of the Temple in general. According to Zuber (MHBP), “Abomination” is shiqquitsim which refers to “things detestable which can refer to some idolatrous practices. Thus Pitre says:

“…King Artaxerxes of Persia in the seventh year of his reign (c.457 BC), had ordered (the Temple) to be rebuilt under the leadership of Ezra the Jewish priest…Daniel’s prophecy clearly points to a fulfilment in the first century…Jesus explicitly refers to this passage from Daniel when he warns the disciples about the coming of the “abomination of desolation” and the destruction of Jerusalem (see Matthew 24:15; Mark 13:14)… …” (CIBOT 889).

IN SUMMARY: The prophecy of Daniel is simultaneously tantalizing and obscure. Majority of exegetes, as noted in the Jerome commentary (p417), no more see this as a reference to Jesus, nor do they take the book of Daniel to have been written in the 6th century, rather around the time of Antiochus Epiphanes IV (p408). The Jerome dates the beginning period to the proclamation of the seventy weeks to Jeremiah in 29:10 “only when Babylon’s seventy years are completed will I visit you”, (587BC) since this is what Daniel is referencing in 9:2 and in turn draws the response from Gabriel in 9:20. This modern non-messianic view would fit in with the first anointed prince being someone like Cyrus, the anointing of the Holy Place with that of Judah Maccabeus’ consecration of the Holy of Holies, the murder of the second anointed prince to Onias III, and the subsequent abomination set up and desecration by Antiochus III. However in the Messianic view Gabriel is not referencing the prior prophecy but rather the Neh2 declaration of Artexerxes form where the period begins. Why would “Babylon’s seventy weeks” not begin with the exile in Babylon itself, rather with s subsequent decree, this produces some tension in the Messianic view, and also the word for decree is “word” and can therefore be seen to refer to prophecy as well “the word went out”. At the same time periods of sevens and seventy are used as symbolic in Jewish and Biblical texts and might not require exactness. Further the time period from Jeremiah to Cyrus or Zerubbabel (538BC) does not really add up to 70 year or close. Although the one in 9 is really difficult to prove, its power is from the prediction that the events will bring the “sealing of prophet and vision, the end to transgression…” etc. So even if the anointed ones are not Jesus himself, these events are a portent of the event of Jesus’ coming, rather than the coming itself. This phraseology is nowhere else in the Bible. Finally, note that Jesus seemingly refers directly to this prophecy of the “desolating sacrilege standing in the holy place” as was spoken of by the prophet Daniel” (let the reader understand)” (Mt.24:15) as a future event and seemingly linked to the destruction of Jerusalem in this passage.

Analysis of some Prominent Messianic Prophecies

Promise to Abraham by his “Seed”, and through Isaac

God, in his promise to Abraham states:

“and by offspring (seed) shall all nations of the earth gain blessing for themselves, because you have obeyed my voice.”

The NETBible footnote explains that “blessing” is in the Hitpael or reflexive form, hence “gain blessing for themselves” seems apt (ESV/NRSV), or “all the nations of the earth “will pronounce blessing on one another” (NIV/NETBible). ESV uses “in your offspring”.

The author of Hebrews makes a point of underlining that fact that “seed” is used in the singular, and indeed this is the case with בְזַרְעֲךָ֔ ḇə-zar-‘ă-ḵā (plu. zar-e-ka, with tsere yod, LXX ἐν τῷ σπέρματι en to spermati, Vul. in semine tuo) . In English “seed” is used for both sing. and plu., but not in the case of Heb./Gk.. The concept of every single person alive, past, present or future being blessed by name or actions of some single person, is only present in the Christian theological understanding. Not surprisingly, Jewish translations use “descendants”, thus avoiding the ambiguity of seed/offspring, which the English translations conveniently use. Were those English translations really committing themselves, they would use “descendent”. However one feels that although the Hebrew is singular, the singularity of the descendent is not being particularly stressed in the passage as a whole, thus seemingly allowing for this ambiguity. Desmond Alexander, MHBP states zera is the same sing./plu. in Heb., which I don’t agree with, although I’m not Hebrew scholar, I’m not aware of any Heb. words following such a rule, further Biblehub parses it sing. masc. construct form- msc. Robert Alter makes no comment while translating it “through your seed”. The NRSV-CBSB comments at Gal. 3:16 (p.2066, also JBCTFC p.1655) that “seed” can be taken also as a collective noun, thus permitting the plural sense, but Paul uses the Jewish interpretative technique of using the sense that best suits the argument, as they do when ascribing the status of the single seed to Isaac.

In Genesis itself we are told that it will be a single person that will be a blessing for all nations. True it does not say that this includes those persons past as well, but there does seem a reasonable inference that this blessing extends into the future rather than terminate at some point. Of course, it could also imply that the Israelites will be a blessing for all the nations.

The Bible is clear that the son of the Promise is Isaac and not Ishmael, that is, God’s promise to Abraham will be fulfilled through Isaac and not Ishmael “…for it is through Isaac that offspring shall be named for you” (Gen.21:12). This is significant, because Abraham has other children too. Abraham receives the promise definitively in Gen.22 right after the great event of being demanded the sacrifice of his son:

“by myself I have sworn…by your offspring shall all nations of the earth gain blessing for themselves…” (22:15, 18). These words are already spoken earlier in the text, seemingly unbeknown to Abraham at this point: “…seeing that Abraham shall become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? No, for I have chosen him, that he may charge his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring about for Abraham what he has promised him…” (Gen.18:18,19).

God has made his promise to Abraham even earlier in the narrative:
“ I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. ⁸ And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land where you are now an alien, all the land of Canaan, for a perpetual holding, and I will be their God.” (Gen.17:7,8)

and again, it is asserted that God that the promise will be through Isaac, and not Ishmael:
“Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, “Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Can Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” And Abraham said to God, “O that Ishmael might live in your sight!” God said, “No, but your wife Sarah shall bear you a son, and you shall name him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him. As for Ishmael, I have heard you; I will bless him and make him fruitful and exceedingly numerous; he shall be the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this season next year.” And when he had finished talking with him, God went up from Abraham.” (Gen.17:17-22)

The Qur’an states that Isaac and Jacob (Isaac’s son) were given to Abraham, and were “guided”, as were the prophets of old also guided by God. The concept of “rightly guided” is very significant in Islam as would be known by anyone who has studied it even a little. For example the first four caliphs of Islam are called “rightly guided ones” because their governance is felt to have been exemplary and in line with Muhammed’s teachings. They had all been Muhammed’s close companions and associates in his life and therefore great reverence is given them.

Thus we see how Isaac is mentioned as “guided” by Allah, and mentioned alongside the greatest prophets of old, while Ishmael is not even mentioned in these verses, although he is born before Isaac.

Surah 6:84-86 is strange because Ishmael instead of being mentioned among the sons “given to” Abraham is mentioned later in the list instead among descendants instead:

“And We gave to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – all [of them] We guided. And Noah, We guided before; and among his descendants, David and Solomon and Job and Joseph and Moses and Aaron. Thus do We reward the doers of good.”… (Q 6:84)

Once again, the Qur’an states that prophethood is through the line of Isaac and does not even mention Ishmael!

“And We gave (Abraham) Isaac and Jacob, and ordained among his progeny Prophethood and Revelation, and We granted him his reward in this life; and he was in the Hereafter (of the company) of the Righteous.” (Q 29:27)

Once again in 37:11, we are told of the “glad tidings” of Isaac’s birth announced beforehand and that he would be a prophet and one of the Righteous. Abraham and Isaac are blessed with no mention of a blessing of Ishmael who is already born:

“and we gave him the good news of Isaac- a prophet and one of the Righteous. And We blessed him and Isaac. But among their descendants is the doer of good and the clearly unjust to himself.” (Q:37:112,3)

And another confirmation, that it is the line from Abraham coming down to Imran (who the Qur’an believes to be Mary’s father) is the one that is distinguished from all others:

“Indeed, Allah chose Adam and Noah and the family of Abraham and the family of ‘Imran over the worlds. Descendants, some of them from others. And Allah is Hearing and Knowing.” (Q 3:33,34)

Solomon’s Dedication Prayer- Atonement, Covenant, Incarnation

Chapter 8 of 1Kings is the Dedication of the Temple. Solomon’s Temple (House) is built that the Name of Yahweh (v.17,18,19, 20,48) will dwell in that place forever (v.13). The Lord’s “Name shall be there” (v.16,29), his “name is invoked on this house” (v.43). The eyes of the Lord are always “open towards this House day and night” (v.v.29). It is where the two stones of the covenant which was made by God with the Israelites at Mt. Horeb (v.9, 21) are stored in the Ark, the glory of the Lord filled the House in the Cloud of Smoke (v.11,12), all of which is in fulfilment of the promise to David (v.15,24,26) that there will never fail to be a successor to him on the throne of Israel, if his children walk before God as did David walk before him (v.25).

Solomon is fully aware that God is not literally confined in that tiny space enclosed by the Ark under the wings of the cherubim, for he is aware, “even Heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, much less this house that I have built”, and that Heaven is the true dwelling of God (v.30,32,34,39,43,49), and he will forgive (v.36,39) those who “pray toward/in that place” (v.29,35,38,42,44/31.33,) for God knows what is in every human heart (v.39). There is no one who does not sin (v.46), and forgiveness (v.34,36,39,50) is to be given should they “repent with all their heart and soul” (v.48). Further even the prayers of a foreigner are to be heard, because “all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you as do your people Israel” (v.43). It is significant that he is able to grasp the possibility that there is some manner in which God really is present in that House, for he has seem the dark cloud in which the Lord dwells (v.12,13), and further, the Name is always associated with God himself (as also Ex.23:20-23).

At the same time the “promise to (his) father David” is that he shall never fail to have a successor on the “throne of Israel” (admittedly on the condition that his descendents walk before the Lord like David), and there is no notion here of the Temple ever being destroyed, even when the Israelites are taken away into exile, they will be able to pray toward the Temple (rather than toward the ruins of a Temple). As is revealed by the prophet Ahijah to Jeroboam: “I will punish the descendants of David, but not forever” (1Kings11:39) and “…so that my servant David may always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem” (1Kings11:36)

All this is fulfilled in Jesus, who is both the “God whom heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain”, yet really present on Earth also in finite form just like the dark Cloud which filled the Temple. Indeed it was appropriate for Jesus to state (Jn.2:19-21) that the true Temple is to be his own Body, in indeed we are forgiven when we pray toward Jesus. Indeed Jesus is the New Ark- as the visible Presence of God for us, “fillled with the Holy Spirit” as the Temple filled with the Glory of God, and in whom is the New Covenant “in my blood” (Lk.22:20, 1Kings8:9,21 as above).

Deut.18: “a Prophet like me…”

This is the prophecy:

“The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you shall heed such a prophet. This is what you requested of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.’ Then the Lord replied to me, ‘They are right in what they have said. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their own people; I will put my words in the mouth of the prophet, who shall speak to them everything that I command. Anyone who does not heed the words that the prophet shall speak in my name, I myself will hold accountable. But any prophet who presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded the prophet to speak or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.’ (Dt.18:15-20)

Right enough, there is also a verse in Deuteronomy itself which tells us just what it takes to be “a prophet like Moses”:

“Since that time, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face— no prophet who did all the signs and wonders that the LORD sent Moses to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh and to all his officials and all his land, and no prophet who performed all the mighty acts of power and awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel” (Dt.34:11,12)

God himself makes a strong distinction between between Moses and every other OT prophet “not so with my servant Moses…”:

“Then the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the tent and called Aaron and Miriam, and they both came forward. And he said, “Hear my words: When there are prophets among you, I the Lord make myself known to them in visions; I speak to them in dreams.
Not so with my servant Moses; he is faithful in all my house. With him I speak face to face—clearly, not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the Lord. “Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?” (Num.12:5-8)

Jesus reminds the Jews of his day that they too have not seen the form of God:

“And the Father who sent Me has Himself testified about Me. You have never heard His voice nor seen His form” (John 5:37,38)

This is obviously not so in the case of Jesus:

“Not that anyone has seen the Father except the One who is from God; only He has seen the Father.” (John 6:46)

This is iterated in the OT:

“So since you saw no form of any kind on the day the LORD spoke to you out of the fire at Horeb, be careful” (Deut.4:15)

We can see even at first take how appropriately Jesus fulfils this prophecy, since the reason given is the people’s inability to bear the direct vision of God (18:16). Moses himself veils his face because of the manner in which it shines with the reflected Glory, and Jesus veiled in human Flesh bears the Presence of God and his Words to them directly.

Peter alludes to the fact that Jesus fulfils this prophecy in Acts 3:22-23.

Let us list some of the similarities;

Commands: “and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you…“ (Matt.28:20a)

“A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one another.” John 13:34

“A certain ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honor your father and mother.’” He replied, “I have kept all these since my youth.” When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “There is still one thing lacking. Sell all that you own and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” (Luke 18:18-22)

Israel’s entering into the Promised Land was incumbent upon Moses first dying, foreshadowing the manner in which Jesus has to die to save the people.

Jesus spoke with the Father directly, “Face to Face”, as did Moses, even though in his human capacity

Covenant: Both brought divine covenants from God for the people of Israel

Miracle: Both performed tremendous miracles

Transfiguration: with Moses and Elijah present, the voice of the Father says, in relation to Jesus “listen to him…”. This is exactly what is said of the Angel of the Lord, who is God himself who Moses encounters in the Burning Bush and Elijah on Mount Carmel, and of whom also is said “listen to him”.

“As God”: “Then the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet” (Exodus 7:1, also 4:16 “you will be as God to him)

Indeed this prefigures the manner in which Jesus is God come to us himself, and with the prophets that speak his words, even as his own apostles and those that speak inspired with the Holy Spirit, the inspired writers of scripture and so on.

Is Joshua the Prophet?

Some Jews will assert that this prophecy is in fact immediately upon Moses’ death, by Joshua. This is implausible actually for several reasons.

1. The last 8 verses of Deuteronomy are written as an appendix by a different writer, after the death of Moses. This is because they relate Moses’ death not as a prophecy but as an event and even add the detail “no one knows his burial place to this day” (34:6). Here “this day” is obviously a day after Moses’ death and really dates the writing itself. Even conservative Jewish scholars agree on this point (perhaps not all), and some say Joshua wrote these lines himself. But if that is so, then it rules out the possibility of Joshua fulfilling the prophecy since the words “never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face” (34:10) are subsequently mentioned in that same section. A straight reading of the verse “never has there arisen” should be taken to indicate that it is written at a time after other prophets have indeed arisen and none of them has been like Moses, period. It can be seen as making a definitive argument that we are still awaiting its fulfilment.
2. Joshua does not fulfil the not so clause where it is only Moses who spoke to God face to face anyway, nor were his miracles of the magnitude nor quantity of Moses. In order to bring down the walls of Jericho, the entire Israelite army had to march round them several times.
3. What supports Joshua as fulfilling the prophecy? Yes, there was a parting of the waters miracle, to his credit. Also v.9 states “Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid hands on him”. Also Joshua certainly did succeed Moses, that is not in contest. Finally, in Numbers 13:16 we read “…And Moses changed the name of Hoshea son of Nun to Joshua.” The name Hoshea means “salvation” and Moses seemingly appends the Tetragrammaton to it so as to signify that it is Joshua who is going to lead the people into the promised land (which he is), thereby bringing to them the Salvation of God (I think it is difficult to say whether these names really started off as Yeshua or Yehoshua which was then contracted to Yeshua (Joshua), although the latter is entirely likely, and especially given that such theophoric names were so common among the Israelites. my understanding is that both versions of the name are present in ancient Israel.

The Archetypal Messiah

“Although these nations that you are about to dispossess do give heed to soothsayers and diviners, as for you, the Lord your God does not permit you to do so…I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their own people; I will put my words in the mouth of the prophet, who shall speak to them everything that I command (…) But any prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, or who presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded the prophet to speak—that prophet shall die.” (Deut. 18)

These verses are taken, even by many Jewish scholars to pertain to the coming Messiah, some relate it in the immediate sense to Joshua, who also performed signs like at the Walls of Jericho and the parting of the river Jordan. However Joshua would have been part of the congregation at the time of Moses stating these verses, and might well have been at Moses’ right hand the time, it seems unlikely that he were referring to someone at the present time.

What is meant by “prophet like you” if that is felt to not be obvious, is given in Deut. 34

“Since that time, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face— no prophet who did all the signs and wonders that the LORD sent Moses to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh and to all his officials and all his land, and no prophet who performed all the mighty acts of power and awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel” (Deut. 34:11,12)

On the topic of Jesus’ prophetic fulfilment of this passage, there are reasons we believe Jesus fulfils Deut. 18:18 can be taken to be as under Miracle, Prophecy itself, Covenant, Law, Closeness to God and Messianic Mission. The objections seem to be related to some of the details of his Life, and also that he was “more than a prophet”. Because of Jesus very obviously surpassing Jesus and even claiming divinity, this is taken as an objection to the prophetic fulfilment by him of Deut.18. Along with other miraculous aspects like the Virgin Birth, Crucifixion and Resurrection and so on which obviously are not part of Moses’ own life. However let us remember that the meaning of what it is to be a prophet is first and foremost related to what that prophet brings to the people and that they bring the people closer to God, which is the whole point of their ministry. And the prophet will bring this to the people in proportion that they they themselves are close God. And here we see the significance of the similarities between the missions of Moses and Jesus in the bringing of Covenant, Law, Miracles, commandments.

Lets us seen the commandments that Jesus brought:  “and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you…“ (Matt 28:20a) “A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one another.” (John 13:34) “A certain ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honor your father and mother.’” He replied, “I have kept all these since my youth.” When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “There is still one thing lacking. Sell all that you own and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” (Luke 18:18-22)

Psalm 22 “My Hands and Feet are Pierced”

This article is taken from TorahResource.com:

An ancient controversy has surfaced once again in our times. It revolves around the text of Psalm 22:16  (verse 17 in the Hebrew). In the Hebrew Masoretic text, the verse reads: “For dogs have encircled me, an evil congregation surrounded me; like a lion my hands and my feet.” The Lxx translation, however, did not read the Hebrew word ‘כאר, ka’ari, “like a lion” but rather כארו, ka’aru, “they dug,” and thus they translated the word with the Greek word ὤρυξαν, oruxsan, “they dug” or “they pierced.” The difference was whether the original word ended with a vav or a yod. Virtually all English translations (except those offered by Jewish publications) have followed the Lxx translation instead of the Masoretic text, giving us the well known phrase, “they pierced my hands and my feet.”

To some this appeared as an obvious example of Christian translators choosing to follow the Lxx because it fit their messianic interpretation of the passage, disregarding the clear reading of the Hebrew original. What is more, the Lxx was accused of changing the original to bolster the Christian interpretation of the Psalm.

Unfortunately, the Psalms Scroll found at Qumran did not include 22:16[17] because the manuscript was damaged at the very place where it would have appeared. The pre-Masoretic text seemed lost forever. That is, until recently.

Scraps from a scroll containing some of the Psalms were discovered at Nachal Hever, and one scrap contained the line from Psalm 22:16  with the word in question well in view. Though the writing on the scrap was faint, under magnification it was easy to see and decipher. The word clearly ended in a vav not a yod, and was therefore a 3^rd person plural verb: “they dug” or “they pierced.” Here was evidence that the Lxx translators had not “fooled” with the text, but had faithfully translated the Hebrew original that was before them. Since this scrap is dated (in accordance with the style of letters used) to 50-68 CE, it is almost 1000 years earlier than the Masoretic text, and shows that in at least one of the earliest Hebrew traditions of Psalm 22, the word is not “like a lion” but “they dug” or “pierced.”

Dr. Peter Flint, who published the principle edition of the scrap in Discoveries in the Judean Desert, Vol. 38 (Oxford), notes that in the Herodian script, “vav and yod are usually distinguished, with vav generally longer than yod.” Indeed, in this instance, we have a perfect example for comparison, since the very next letter following the word in question is a yod: “my hands” (‘ד’ה). The last letter of ka’aru is without doubt a vav when compared with the beginning letter of the next word which is clearly a yod. Here, then, is a Hebrew manuscript, pre-Christian, with “they dug” or “they pierced.”

But not everyone is convinced. Some (who apparently have not looked at the photographs of the manuscript) accuse Dr. Flint of misreading the letter. Others have argued that the Hebrew word כאר could never mean “pierce,” and that Christian interpreters have tried to make כאר (ka’ar) some form of כרה, karah, which does mean “to dig” (and by inference) “to pierce.” “But,” say the detractors, “the appearance of the aleph in the word precludes it being a form of karah, ‘to dig’ or ‘to pierce.’” Others have claimed that the word ‘ד’ה “my hands” is “misspelled” because it has the final ה, (implying that the text is not to be trusted in matters of spelling). Apparently those who make this judgment are unaware that the Hebrew of the Qumran documents often utilize the final ה to mark final dipthongs (see Elisha Qimron, The Hebrew of the Dead Sea Scrolls, Scholars Press, 1986). Let’s look closer at the text. First, the phrase, as it stands in the Masoretic text, seems to lack a verb. Note that the Masoretic punctuation (the atnach under the word ‘הק’פונ puts a stop after “surrounded me,” leaving the final phrase of the verse to stand on its own. The Targum felt this problem, and “fixed it” by adding the verb “bite” (נכת, nechat): “biting my hands and my feet like a lion.” But now we see the earliest Hebrew source did not have “like a lion” but wrote the word as a verb. But what verb did the Lxx (as well as the Syriac and the Vulgate) “see” when they translated “they dug (pierced) my hands and my feet?”

A verb with the three consonants כאר ka’ar does not show up in the lexicons of biblical Hebrew. Some, however, have suggested that the root is כור, kur, and that it was written in an archaic form with aleph instead of with vav. We actually do have examples of verbs with middle vav being spelled with aleph. For instance, the verb קומ, kum, “to get up” is spelled with aleph in Hosea 10:14 , Daniel 2:13 ; 3:3 ; 7:16 , and the word רומ, rum, “to be high above” is likewise spelled with aleph in Zechariah 14:10 . So there is at least a reasonable possibility that an original verb spelled kur was written with aleph, i.e., ka’ar. One of the verbs in Hebrew that means “to dig” is karah (כרה). Originally that verb could have been spelled כור kur (final hey was added as an early “vowel marker”). This being the case, כארו could be an alternate spelling for כרו, “they dug.”

Interestingly, the Masorah itself suggests that there is something different going on in Psalm 22:16 . The Masorah note attached to the word כארי indicates that it is found two times in this exact spelling (with the initial vowel chametz). The other occurrence is Isaiah 38:13 . A Masoretic note attached to this verse (see Perowne, Psalms, p. 248) indicates that though the word is found in this exact form twice, the meanings are different (ירתב ינש). “Like a lion” certainly fits the sense of Isaiah 38:13 , so apparently the scribes recognized a different meaning for the word in Psalm 22.

We should conclude, then, that the original reading was likely the verbal form כרו, karu with an archaic spelling, כארו, ka’aru, meaning “to dig.” Thus, the versions did not change the meaning of the Hebrew text, but reproduced it faithfully.

Then who is the subject of this verb? The most obvious referent is in the preceding line: the congregation of evil ones were those who “dug my hands and my feet.” Since this band of evil people are characterized metaphorically as wild dogs, it makes sense to understand the verb “to dig” as describing pawing or biting (as the Targum suggests). The subject of the Psalm is pictured as having hands and feet bloodied by the evil congregation that surrounds him.

That Yeshua referenced this Psalm while on the execution stake (Matt 27:46 ; Mk 15:34 ) must indicate that He saw Himself as fulfilling its prophetic purpose. Quoting the opening lines was like naming the Psalm’s title. And when He declared, “it is finished,” He paralleled the Psalm’s ending: “He has done it.”

Here, in the ancient Psalm of David, the suffering Messiah is prophetically and mystically portrayed. The darkness which came while He hung as the Pesach Lamb demonstrated the manner in which God viewed the sin bearer: He turned the shining of His face away (cf. Numbers 6:25 , Psalm 67:1 ). The trauma He underwent was one which dislocated His bones (vv. 14, 17), and brought dehydration and thirst (v. 15). His hands and feet were bloodied by those who pierced them (v. 16). His enemies divided His clothes like the spoils of war (v. 18).

Yet His cries for help to God did not go unheeded. He knew of the victory He would win, and even of His resurrection, for He knew that He would stand as a witness to His brethren and give praises to the Almighty (vv. 22, 25). He knew that by His suffering He would accomplish the salvation of His people. In exchange for the joy of redeeming His bride, He endured the cross, despised the shame, and won the victory.

This prophetic picture of David, the sweet psalmist of Israel, was in perfect harmony with the message of the later prophets. Isaiah 53:5  speaks of the Servant being “pierced through” (מחלל, mecholal) for our transgressions, and Zechariah (12:10) describes the Messiah as “pierced” (דקרו, daqaru).

We understand, then, that David, in writing Psalm 22, was looking ahead and describing the death of the Messiah. But not only His death, but also the victory which was His, and ours, in resurrection (Acts 2:31 ).

“Immanuel” Prophecy- Isaiah 7:14

“…Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted. The Lord will bring upon you and upon your people and upon your father’s house such days as have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah—the king of Assyria.” (Isaiah 7:10–17)

The sign is that the virgin (עַלְמָ֗ה- almah) shall conceive and bear a son, and she will name him “God with us.” Further, before the child “knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good”, two threatening kings mentioned will be destroyed as a fulfilment of the sign of God’s promise. However, there remains a horrendous downside: “The Lord will bring upon you and upon your people and upon your father’s house such days as have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah—the king of Assyria.”

Many modern English translations render ʿalmâ as “virgin” (ESV, NASB, HCSB, NIV, etc.), while others use “young woman” or something similar. In Hebrew there is a word that is said to be more specific for virginity which is betulah (בְּתוּלָה), as well as a word that would more clearly refer to a woman (אִשָּׁה- isha), so why this word? John Oswalt, in his NICOT volume on Isaiah reminds us that it is “not possible to be dogmatic as to why Isaiah used the ambiguous ʿalmâ here instead of the unambiguous beṯûlâ.” He notes that the typical meaning prescribed to ʿalmâ is “a young woman of marriageable age,” (quite similar to the English “maiden”) (Oswalt, The Book of Isaiah, Chapters 1–39, 211). As he is quick to point out, however, many conservative scholars demonstrate that the word is not used to reference a married woman in the Old Testament; thus it must refer to a “sexually mature, but unmarried, woman.” In the Hebrew culture, this would certainly also imply virginity. I also took a look at Robert Alter in his three-volume Jewish commentary on the Tanakh, but he offers no comment on the identity of the child, nor its mother.

Oswalt goes on to discuss the Septuagint translation of the word and a possible dual-focus. Such an understanding has the significant virtue of explaining the origin of the LXX parthénos, “virgin,”…Unless ʿalmâ had overtones of virginity about it, the LXX translation is inexplicable. . . .Possibly, then, it is the dual focus of the oracle that explains the use of ʿalmâ here. Could Isaiah have used עַלְמָה to allow for both an imminent fulfilment of the word by a “maiden” as well as a future and final fulfilment by a virgin?

“He shall shall eat curds and honey by the time he knows to choose evil and know the good” (Isaiah 7:15) Tellingly, such a verse could not possibly be applied to any human being, and would seem a strong indication of divine fulfilment, directly linked to “Immanuel”.

Also the passage begins with “Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, saying, Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” And when king Ahaz refuses to ask, replies “therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign”.  A woman giving birth is hardly an earth-shattering sign! (although the prophecy that came about about the dismantling of the Nothern Kingdom might be seen as a sign and the resulting relief of Israel as they had aligned with Aram against them).

When speaking of “prophetic fore-telling,” Blomberg, Klein, and Hubbard state that “an OT prophecy may have two fulfilments, one near the prophet’s lifetime, and one long past it” (Blomberg, Klein, & Hubbard, An Introduction to Biblical Interpretation, 378). He cites 2 Samuel 7:12-16 as an example, with its immediate fulfilment in 1 Kings 1–2 in the coronation of Solomon.

However, Blomberg also points to Hebrews 1:5, which applies the prophecy of 2 Samuel to Jesus, not merely as David’s son, but as God’s. “Sound theology,” he posits, “undergirds the idea of such multiple fulfilments—belief that God rules all human history and can bring about both sons.’” Another prophecy commonly seen as having a dual fulfilment occurs in Luke 21:5–9, where many scholars say Jesus predicts both the destruction of the temple in AD 70 and the end of the age, immediately prior to the parousia. Indeed, the Bible seems to be full of these sorts of prophecies.

…there are several possibilities of who this child may be…the most likely possibility is Isaiah’s own son, Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. For in Isaiah 8:3–4, the prophetess conceives and bears a son, and “before the boy knows how to cry ‘My father’ or ‘My mother,’ the wealth of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria will be carried away before the king of Assyria.”. The name “Immanuel” is repeated in 8:8, but this could be God being addressed directly, as in 8:10 following. The son of Isaiah is seemingly not addressed directly here.

In 8:18 Isaiah describes his two sons, Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz and Shear-Jashub (cf. 7:3), as “signs and symbols in Israel,” which description ties back in with the sign God promised in 7:11, 14. Of course this is Isaiah’s own words here, and his interpretation of the sign in the immediate. But in 9:1–7 the more distant future is in view, as exiles are once again restored to Galilee. Here, in 9:6, another description of the birth of a wonderful child appears, one who can be called “Almighty God,” “Eternal Father,” and “Prince of Peace,” who will rule from David’s throne and establish universal justice forever—prophecies that scarcely could have been fulfilled in a mere earthly king… (Carson & Beale, Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old, 5) …Like in Isaiah, the birth of Jesus was a sign of the destruction of an oppressing kingdom. “before the boy knows…” does not negate the prophecy, since indeed the kings were defeated “before” the time of Jesus anyway. Further, one might note that “Immanuel”, my knowledge is never in use as a name among the Jews, this even though there are multiple “theophoric” names in use, incorporating the term “El” for God, this was not one of those, neither at the time nor at the time of Jesus.

Such a mystery can only be solved in Jesus. Prophecy is said to be fulfilled when the mysteries of old are answered, and not necessarily in the manner in which that fulfilment was expected or interpreted.

Further verses point to the true occurrence of “Immanuel” as an event:

“The Lord has taken away the judgements against you, he has turned away your enemies. The king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall fear disaster no more. ¹⁶ On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands grow weak. ¹⁷ The Lord, your God, is in your midst…” Zephaniah 3:15-17

^“A voice cries out: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” Isaiah 40:3-10 (cf.Matt.3:3)

“But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days. Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has brought forth…” (Micah 5:2-3)

IN SUMMARY: Almah, the word used in the Hebrew implies a young maiden which in the ANE culture would mean a sexually mature woman of marriageable age, thus a virgin unless she were already married. This sign’s initial fulfilment is at the time of Isaiah itself and did not signify virginal conception at the time, it was fulfilled in the defeat of the two kings. However there was no definite fulfilment at the time and the subsequent desolation of Israel was also prophesied. There is ample room for the awaiting of the definitive fulfilment of the sign then, in the person of Jesus who was indeed born of a virgin. Thus the use of almah allows for the dual possibilities. For an unweaned infant to “know the good from the evil” can indeed only point to Jesus as truly man and truly God. Lastly, we can look at other prophecies that support the interpretation of Immanuel as more than just a name rather a name that signifies the event of God really coming down to us.

Isaiah 53

This messianic chapter has a seemingly ambiguous term in the 8th verse which in turn seemingly raises some translation issues. The word is lā-mōw לָֽמוֹ׃ , which is parsed by the Biblehub site as prep, 3mp, which is third person masculine plural. I cannot as of now state why this is because the “o” ending is also used for the singular. The word seemingly has has only 2 other occurrences and is translated “at” both times. I had to do a bit of digging to actually find the entry (Gen.9:26, 27). Lemow has 3 occurences and is usually translated at, for, to, upon, and does not seem have a connotation of number (it is singular in all of these): Job 27:14, 38:40, 40:4, 29:21. https://biblehub.com/hebrew/lamo_3926.htm

This allows the standard modern day Jewish translations to translate this verse differently from the Christian translations:

This is the translation on seffaria.org:

By oppressive judgment he was taken away (meaning of Heb. uncertain), Who could describe his abode? For he was cut off from the land of the living Through the sin of my people, who deserved the punishment.

and chabad.org has:

From imprisonment and from judgment he is taken, and his generation who shall tell? For he was cut off from the land of the living; because of the transgression of my people, a plague befell them.

My arguments for the Christian translation is that when you look at all the other verbs and nouns, associated with this passage they are in the singular, so I would say that the choice of the singular is accurate.

In fact the sefaria.org very helpfully has a dictionary entry for the word:

לְמוֹ (prep) heb. at, to, for, in, of, by, in reference to poetic form of inseparable preposition

and,

לָֽמוֹ inflected pers. pron. meaning ‘to them’ (poetically). [Formed from לְ◌ with ◌מוֹ, a suff. used only in poetry.] (Source Klein Dictionary, created by Ezra Klein)

The most footnoted Bible in use NET.Bible has the translation:

He was led away after an unjust trial– but who even cared? Indeed, he was cut off from the land of the living; because of the rebellion of his own people he was wounded.

and the footnote:

sn The “land of the living” is an idiom for the sphere where people live, in contrast to the underworld realm of the dead. See, for example, Ezek 32:23-27.

tn The Hebrew text reads “my people,” a reading followed by most English versions, but this is problematic in a context where the first person plural predominates, and where God does not appear to speak again until v. 11 b. Therefore, it is preferable to read with the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a עמו (“his people”). In this case, the group speaking in these verses is identified as the servant’s people (compare פְּשָׁעֵנוּ [pÿsha’enu, “our rebellious deeds”] in v.5 with פֶּשַׁע עַמִּי [pesha’ ’ammi, “the rebellion of his people”] in v. 8).

Finally we look at the verse in its own context. This is the second half in Hebrew:

כִּ֚י נִגְזַר֙ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ חַיִּ֔ים מִפֶּ֥שַׁע עַמִּ֖י נֶ֥גַע לָֽמוֹ:

Which simply translates (s) for all the singulars:
For he was cut off (he was cut off- singular verb form) from the land of the living for the transgressions of my people stricken (stricken- masculine singular noun) “lamo” as discussed above.

Thus the context of the verse seems to be an individual, seeming to lend credence to the Christian translation, and this can be readily tagged on the context of the earlier verses in which it is it more readily and non-controversially obvious that the servant is really suffering for the iniquities of others.

Verse.5 in particular and that fact that v.8 states it was a perversion of justice, seems to indicate that the individual did not deserve to suffer rather than that the consequences were rightfully borne by the populace. Verse 5 has suffering “for” our sins using the Hebrew “me” preposition which can be translated both “for” or “because”. Verse 6 then goes on to state “the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all”, seemingly putting the issue beyond reasonable doubt.

The “Offspring”

Jesus is compared to a lamb in 53:7. Offspring in 53:10 is easily seen to refer to his spiritual offspring; not literal. How do we know this? Well, by the very next verse: “he shall see the fruit of the travail of his soul . . . many to be accounted righteous.” It is the spiritual fruit. We see the same dynamic in, for example, the parable of the sower (Mt. 13:24-30, 36-40), which uses the metaphor of seed and planting and watering, to describe spiritual descendants (not physical). Hence Jesus says, in giving the proper interpretation: Matthew 13:37-39 He who sows the good seed is the Son of man [i.e., Himself]; the field is the world, and the good seed means the sons of the kingdom; the weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil.

Dr. Michael Brown comments on the phrase יִרְאֶ֥ה זֶ֖רַע- yir’eh zera, “will see seed” does not actually say “his” seed, and this phrase is the only time it is used in the Bible. Thus it could validly be taken to refer to future generations. He refers to the Jewish translator Robert Alter’s foot note in his magisterial translation of the Tanakh where he states: “Again, the Hebrew is crabbed and the translation is conjectural. It is also puzzling that after the servant has been reported dead and buried, and a surrogate for Israel’s sins, this conditional possibility of a long and happy life should be offered. Could this be a textual intrusion?” A further point can be made in Isaiah 53:7 where “seed of falsehood” is used metaphorically.

The “God of God”- Divine Begottenness, and Christ’s Kingship

Here we look at how the Old Testament hints at “God having a God”. Obscure passages in this relation are only explained in their trinitarian and Christological fulfilment, and if not for which these would remain eternally irremediable.

Psalm 45- the “God of God, the Messiah”, also Explaining Jesus’ “My God” sayings

In Ps.45:6,7 is a seeming direct reference to this “God of God” terminology, speaking of two Persons of God, one of which will rule Earth with a scepter. V.6 is obviously addressing God; v.7 is causally linked with v.7 using therefore, or “for this” (al ken). If this causal linkage if considered, which does seem to be the surface reading of the text, then it is the person in v.6 which is God is being told that God will now make him Messiah. A Jew would probably say here that the subject shifts between the verses from God in v.6 to king in v7. However the implication of causality or the placement of al ken is lost in such a reading, unless the subject changes in the second phrase of v.6 itself, which would be an odd way to write a verse and therefore a strained interpretation:

“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the righteous scepter is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore (al ken) God, your God, has anointed (masyach) you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions” (Psalm 45:6,7).

These are the verses in Hebrew from sefaria.org:
(v.7) כִּסְאֲךָ֣ אֱ֭לֹהִים עוֹלָ֣ם וָעֶ֑ד שֵׁ֥בֶט מִ֝ישֹׁ֗ר שֵׁ֣בֶט מַלְכוּתֶֽךָ׃

Which in fact they translate “your divine throne is everlasting”, which makes the latter interpretation above even less likely (the NRSV does mention this alternate translation in the footnote “your throne is a throne of God, it”), although I cannot see this in the Hebrew, so I assume it might be from a variant reading. Indeed the sefaria website also translates verse 8 as “therefore God, your God…”. I haven’t checked the LXX yet.

Psalm 22 uses this term of Endearment and Belonging also seen in Rev.3, Jn. 20

When Jesus says “MY GOD” in both this and other places like Revelations and in the Gospel of John (20:17), he is expressing ENDEARMENT and BELONGING. The Father and the Son truly belong to each other. This is different from the human prayer “my God” which denotes creaturliness, inferiority and dependence. Hierarchy is a characteristic of human societal living, man thinks of everything in terms of differences in power, dignity, and so on

There are other places where Jesus calls God the Father His God.

In John 20:17 “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” (Jn. 20.17) and Revelation 3:2,12. In the latter it is the words of “him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars” states “I have not found your works perfect in the sight of my God” (v.2) and “I will make you a pillar in the temple of my God; you will never go out of it. I will write on you the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem that comes down from my God out of Heaven, and my own new name” (v.12). But of note, Jesus even while saying “my God”, is also speaking as God as we see in Revelations “I will give you the crown of life…I am the one who searches minds and hearts, and I will give to each of you as your works deserve…I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you (v.3)…if you conquer…I will not blot your name out of the book of life. I will confess you name before my Father and before his angels (v.5)…(to the lukewarm) I spit you out of my mouth (v.16)…to the one who conquers I will give  a place with me on my throne…”, and the entire book continues in this vein, of course. Note that even in v.12 Jesus adds that he will write on his faithful followers also “his own new name” apart from the name of the Father. “To the one who conquers I will give a place with me on my throne, just as i have myself conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne” (v.21).

Jesus teaching from the Cross

The most obvious cross reference for the crucifixion quote is Psalm 22 of King David.

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Psalm 22:1)

It is clear that even at his last moments before bodily death and the agony of the Cross, Jesus is teaching that he is the fulfilment of the scriptures. This is what makes Jesus the greatest teacher, and manifests the purpose of his Mission of suffering- to the last drop of his Blood, he is teaching us the ways of God out of his great love for us. When the Jewish rabbis stated the first line of a Psalm it would be understood by their disciples that the whole psalm were being called to mind and in this case, the Psalm concludes with the deliverance of the Messiah. Jesus says “my God” in the crucifixion narratives (Mt.27:46, Mk.15:34) with reference to the Father. This appellation is seen in a couple of other instances, that is in John 20, and in Revelations 3:2,12. We show that Jesus, as the ultimate rabbi, is teaching with his whole life, and continues to teach even in his agony (reminiscent of the death of Socrates). Further he is quoting the Old Testament, passages in which he has inspired King David to quote similar language of God having a God (Ps.45). This shows that the language being used is faithful to the monotheistic scriptures and sentiments of the Jews and over and beyond that, prophetic fulfilment of them in that in that the sense of the mysterious term “God of God” is made manifest in Christ.

Jesus’ abandonment on the Cross

Apart from the purpose of teaching, we must not also lose sight of the intensity of the suffering Jesus endured on the Cross. At the moment of His death on the cross, Christ was experiencing the abandonment and despair that resulted from the outpouring of divine wrath upon the sin that He bore, the separation that humanity experiences from God because of sin, in his own Humanity. This was the price He paid to redeem His church–all who believed and all who would ever believe in Him–and He paid it in full. On the cross, Jesus in His humanity voluntarily surrendered His will to the Father in order to finish the task for which He came into the world.

In the same way, He voluntarily emptied Himself of certain aspects of His deity when He came to earth as a man. In some way we can’t fully understand, God the Father turned away from God the Son for that moment, and Jesus died a very lonely death, but because it was God’s Will that he experience that state of suffering, which was itself far greater than all the pain inflicted by his torturers. Jesus is given, in his humanity to suffer the greatest suffering of the human condition in experiencing abandonment. This does not mean that the Father literally walked out on the Holy Trinity, rather, the quote narrates Jesus’ subjective Human experience which he was given, according to the Father’s Will. But as we see in what follows, in using the phraseology “my God”, Jesus is actually referencing to his own divinity as well, when seen in light of the Psalms from whence this is taken, in the first place.

Ps.110, Prov.8:22,25- God Begotten of God, at his Right Hand, Messiah, Priest

“The Lord says to my lord – “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.” The Lord sends out from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your foes. Your people will offer themselves willingly on the day you lead your forces on the holy mountains. From the womb before the dawn I have begotten you. The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” The Lord is at your right hand; he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath. He will execute judgment among the nations. filling them with corpses; he will shatter heads; over the wide earth. He will drink from the stream by the path; therefore he will lift up his head.” (Psalm 110 in toto)

Ps.110, Prov.8:22,25- Wisdom begotten of God

Pitre then describes this “Lord of David” whom “the Lord” is addressing:

” …According to the most ancient Jewish translation that we possess, he is also described as having been “begotten” (Hebrew yalad) by God “from the womb of the dawn” (Hebrew merechem mishchar) (Psalm 110:3)…while the scribes say the Messiah is begotten of David, the psalm says the Messiah is “begotten” by the LORD from the very dawn of creation. So by choosing Psalm 110, Jesus is also implying that the Messiah is the pre-existent Son of God…” (TCJ,147-8)

“…the Masoretic vowel pointing is unlikely to reflect how this was being read in Jesus’ era, as the other ancient manuscript traditions make clear. For instance, on the strength of Ps.2:7, where we find the same Hebrew consonants, as well as the LXX evidence from Ps.109:3 itself, it is much more likely that the consonants were originally read as a qal perfect yelidtika (’I have begotten you”) rather than as a possessive noun yalduteka (‘your youth’)…” (Matthew Bates).

Brenton’s English translation of the Septuagint reads: “…I have begotten thee from the womb before the morning: ἐκ γαστρὸς πρὸ ἑωσφόρου ἐξεγέννησά σε”. The NeTBible states it is ““from the womb of dawn.” The Hebrew noun רֶחֶם (rekhem, “womb”) is probably used here metonymically for “birth.” The form מִשְׁחָר (mishkhar) occurs only here and should be emended to שַׁחַר (shakhar, “dawn”) with the מ (mem) being understood as a duplication of the mem ending the preceding word. The phrase “womb [i.e., “birth”] of dawn” refers to sunrise”- This is taken on by most English translations today and I presume that is the reasoning behind the now more mainstream: “From the womb of the morning,  the dew of your youth will come to you””. (109:3) Douai-Rheims retains this translation which comes down in the Latin Vulgate.)

Proverbs 8:22-36

“he acquired (qnh) me at the beginning (reshit) of his ways (22)…Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, I was brought forth (25)”

“brought forth” v.24-25 (Chul) is used for giving birth in all these: Isaiah 51:2, Psalm 25:23, 29:9, Job 39:1, 15:7; Deut.32:18; Is.45:10, 51:2, 66:8, while its meaning is given in Strong’s as “bear”, it is also used for enduring, eg.pain., and finally in the companionship state in v.27

Psalm 2:7-the Messiah is Begotten of God (hence not of human)

This is significant, because God himself has begotten the Messiah, there is not reference to him being begotten of a human being:

“…Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, “I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill.” I will tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron, and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”

The Psalm has obvious correspondences to the prophecy about Judah “the scepter will not depart…”, and the Son of Man in Daniel 7 “he shall rule them with a rod of iron”.

NT use of the argument- Matthew 22:41-45; Hebrews 1, Acts 22

This argument is not one that later exegetes have used rather much the contrary, fully three of the New Testament writers could see the relationship and use the argument. In Mt.22:41-45, Jesus refers to Ps.110(1), in which David is referring to the future king— which Jesus identifies as the Messiah—as his “Lord” (Heb.’adon; Greek kyrios):

“…it is the only passage in all four Gospels in which Jesus explicitly poses a question about “the Messiah” (Gk: ho Christos) (p146) “First, despite what some claim, Jesus is not rejecting the idea that the Messiah is a descendant of King David. The Old Testament makes abundantly clear that the future king of Israel—who by the first century came to be known as “the Messiah”—will in fact be descended from David (see 2 Sam.7; Is.11; Jer.33; Ez.37). What Jesus is questioning is the scribal tradition of referring to the Messiah by the title “the Son of David.” Why? Because the title “Son of David” is never found in Jewish Scripture; it comes from later in Jewish tradition. For this reason, Jesus is saying that the scriptural title for the Messiah is actually “Lord (Greek kyrios) of David.” (p.145, the Case for Jesus)

Further, the Epistle to the Hebrews begins in the very first chapter with reference to these verses in the Psalms:

“But of the Son (God) says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the righteous scepter is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions”…”(Heb.1:8,9)

and: “But to which of the angels has he ever said, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”?  (Heb.1:13)

The evangelist Luke narrates Peter using the same references as an argument in his first speech in Acts 22:34-36

IN SUMMARY

As we said at the start, the Old Testament hints at “God having a God”. Obscure passages in this relation are only explained in their trinitarian and Christological fulfilment, and if not for which these would remain eternally irremediable. This is also the reply to the objections to the Divinity of Christ based on his New Testamental “my God” sayings, specifically from the various writings of John. First, it is no minor consideration that John has arguably the highest Christology of all the New Testament writings, so that should in itself give one pause and cause one to consider that this is a reflection of his personal linguistic preference.

But the question to the specific objection “how can God have a God?” is to say that firstly when Jesus calls the Father his God, he is employing this in line with the phraseology of Scripture, and also Scripture that is specifically messianic as in Psalm 45, demonstrating that that he is their fulfilment. In other scriptural verses like Psalm 110, Psalm 2 and Proverbs 8, we find that the Messiah is Eternal Priest and God himself, further Psalm 2 indicates that the Messiah is the only entity that it directly begotten of God, therefore God himself, and Proverbs 8 in stating that this is God’s Wisdom itself that is begotten at the beginning of God’s ways, once again implies that Wisdom is a divine Personification.

Thus in answering the question “how can God have a God”, we can reply that when God (Jesus) addresses the Father as his God, it is the same as for him to say “my Father” (who is God). This is possible because as it says in the creed, Jesus is “God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten not made, consubstantial with the Father”. Jesus has a God not in a creaturely manner but rather in the relational manner that the Divine Son “has” a Divine Father, in keeping with the Old Testament verses of his begottenness. For Jesus to say “my God” with reference to the Father is to denote the aspects of endearment and belonging, but specifically that relational origin and priority– the Father is God who begets God the Son. God the Father can be called the God of the Son in the sense of this relational priority, just as he is superior in that same relational priority and not that of the priority of creator to creature.

The Confirmation in the New Testament

John 14:23 “Jesus replied, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make Our home with him.”

Indeed see how beautifully the prophecy of Isaiah is mirrored in the book of Revelations:

“For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind. But be glad and rejoice for ever   in what I am creating; for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy, and its people as a delight. I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and delight in my people; no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it, or the cry of distress.”

“…Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘See, the home^* of God is among mortals. He will dwell^* with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; (21:1-3)

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.’
Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates. Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and fornicators and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood….The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’ And let everyone who hears say, ‘Come’.” (Rev.22:13-15)

We’re saying a strange thing here, that Jesus himself “is” a Temple. An analogical consideration to the way in which humans might speak of their own bodies as “temples” might be useful here with the implication that they carefully tend and protect that they eat, exercise etc. But in Christianity everything is based on the concept of “Temple”, as we shall continue to see and as it is finally confirmed in the the Book of Revelations that God himself “is” the heavenly temple.

John 2:19-21 “Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?” ²¹ But he was speaking of the temple of his body.

Rev 21:22-24 “I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.” (repeated in Rev 21:22 and also see Isaiah 60:19)

Indeed all the imagery in the Book of Revelations is the imagery of Temple, the candlesticks, incense burners, the white robes of the priests, books that are opened and read, the chanting and singing. God could well have, in a single sweep said “all this will pass away”, rather it seems, that “all this” is what is eternal and that the ritual and chanting we have on earth are a copy of the heavenly temple and the heavenly “ritual”. Indeed the 144,000 break at one point into a new song that “no one else could learn”!

“The Jews then said to him, “What sign have you to show us for doing this?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he spoke of the temple of his body. (Jn 2:18–21)

Jesus again confirms this: “I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.” (Matthew 12:6-8). St. Paul reiterates this in Ep. 2:19-22, that Jesus himself is the cornerstone of the holy temple in the Lord…the dwelling place for God.  

The prophet Ezekiel had a vision of the new temple of the end times, in which a miraculous river, the river of life, flowed out from it (Ez 47:1–12), and Jesus again refers these verses to himself both in the passage about the woman at the well (John 4) as well as in John 7: (it is thought that the “last day of the festival” in the verse refers to the last day of the seven days of Sukkot), the feast of Tabernacles): “On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.’” Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive…” (John 7:37,38).

Finally Hebrews 10:5-7 states “a body you have prepared for me”, going of the Septuagintal version of Psalm 40:6 (The MSS states “You have given me an open ear).

There’s probably verses I’ve missed here, need to go through this myself to check: https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/I-Will-Be-Their-God?fbclid=IwAR3A248HXyQZrev9BvqVr1pxwapWXKvWYQQ3pz5BNr7wMTA7AQV2ewhHOgk

Addressing Objections to the Prophecies

We’ve deal with many objections as they’ve come along, but there’s some others we might look at here. Some of the typical objections are from places in the New Testament in which the Gospel writers stitch together prophecies from different books and sometimes even lump verses from different prophets under the same one. However this is a known rabbinic device where sometimes the sayings of lesser prophets or earlier ones are lumped as a single unit under those of a later or greater one. It makes sense to do this if it is taken that all divine revelation is ultimately a unity and so neither God nor the prophet to whom someone else’s writings were being attributed would mind this collation, since he would have whole-heartedly affirm the same teaching or if an elaboration, then as an elaboration of what he were teaching anyway.

It is objected that Matthew uses the “out of Egypt” verse from Hosea 11 out of context, because Hosea is actually referring to the sinfulness of the Israelites. The passage goes:

“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. The more I called them, the more they went from me; they kept sacrificing to the Baals and offering incense to idols.”

One might respond by taking this once again as a double fulfilment; the first to a son who was disobedient, which was Israel, and the second to the one who was indeed obedient, Jesus, and us in him, the spiritual Israel. In this sense the first son fails God while the Second which is Jesus does not.

Next we have the “he will be a Nazarene” prophecy, which we shall see: the best way to answer this is perhaps by considering that Matthew is referring to the “branch prophecies” as a whole, which we have discussed in detail. This version might however run into some trouble if it is argued that the Greek “Nazarene” does not quite link to the Hebrew natsar for branch. In fact it really is not far off: Nazóraios- Ναζωραῖος, Strong’s 3480.

this is the catholicanswers answer: https://www.catholic.com/qa/he-shall-be-called-a-nazarene-where-in-old-testament

Messianic Expectation in Second Temple Judaism

In this section we look at evidence for the presence of messianic expectation in Second Temple Judaism at the time of the Birth of Christ by examining documents that are extant from that period and a consideration of the sections of the Judaic community that they were prevalent in. We first examine the Scriptural precedent for Messianism, that is, in what manner was the future coming of the savior-figure based scripturally, with a particular emphasis on the word “messiah”.

Note: In this section you will find the some sections which give the scroll numbers of the Qumran documents beginning with a “Q”. These are there for your reference in case you would like to look up the primary documents. The numbers usually refer to the number of one of the 14 caves that they were found in. I haven’t gone into any more detail regarding the numbering here.

Suffering Servant in Jewish Tradition

Talmudic scholar Daniel Boyarin’s describes the Talmudic interpretation of Isaiah 53:

“The suffering Messiah who atones for our sins was a familiar idea throughout the history of the Jewish religion, even long after there truly was a separation from Christianity. The idea of a suffering Messiah is present in ancient, medieval, and early modern Judaism. This fact, at the very least, calls into question the truism that the formation and acceptance of this idea by followers of Jesus constituted the necessary and absolute breaking point with the religion of Israel. The Suffering Messiah is part and parcel of Jewish tradition from antiquity to modernity. Not only, then, is the Gospel drawing on Jewish tradition but this idea remained a Jewish one long after Christianity had indeed been separated off in late antiquity. One of many important pieces of evidence for this view is this history of how Jewish commentators have interpreted Isaiah 53: (1-12) I cannot overstate the extent to which the interpretation of this passage has anchored the conventional view of Judaism’s relationship to Messianism. It has been generally assumed by modern folks that Jews have always given the passage a metaphorical reading, understanding the suffering servant to refer to the People of Israel, and that it was the Christians who changed and distorted its meaning to make it refer to Jesus.

Quite to the contrary, we now know that many Jewish authorities, maybe even most, until nearly the modern period have read Isaiah 53 as being about the Messiah; until the last few centuries, the allegorical reading was a minority position. Aside from one very important—but absolutely unique—notice in Origen’s Contra Celsum, there is no evidence at all that any late ancient Jews read Isaiah 52-53 as referring to anyone but the Messiah. There are, on the other hand, several attestations of ancient rabbinic readings of the song as concerning the Messiah and his tribulations.

The Palestinian Talmud, commenting on the biblical passage “And the land shall mourn” (Zechariah 12:12), cites two amoraic opinions: one amora who interprets “This is the mourning over the Messiah” and one who disagrees, arguing that it is the mourning over the sexual desire (that has been killed in the messianic age] (PT Sukkah 5:2 55b). 1 9 There are, moreover, traditions in the Babylonian Talmud and thus attested from the fourth to the sixth centuries A.D. (but very likely earlier}, the most famous and explicit of which is Sanhedrin 98b. Referring to the Messiah, the Talmud asks there openly, “What is his name?” and various names are proffered by different rabbis. After several different views, we find: “And the Rabbis say, ‘the leper’ of the House of Rabbi is his name, for it says, ‘Behold he has borne our disease, and suffered our pains, and we thought him smitten, beaten by God and tortured’ [Isa. 53:4].” We see here both the vicarious suffering of the Messiah and the use of Isaiah 53 to anchor the idea. This midrash (or one very like it) is what lies behind the heartrending image that appears only one page earlier in the Talmud of the Messiah sitting at the gates of Rome among the poor and those who suffer from painful disease. They all loosen and bind their bandages at one time, and he loosens and binds them one at a time, saying: “Perhaps I will be needed and I don’t want to delay.” Thus the Messiah too, ever mindful of his soteriological mission, suffers from the same disease and painful tortures of the indigent and sick of Rome. Another classical rabbinic passage might perhaps be the earliest attestation from the tradition: Rabbi Yose Hagelili said: Go forth and learn the praise of the King Messiah and the reward of the righteous from the First Adam. For he was only commanded one thou-shalt-not commandment and he violated it. Behold how many deaths he and his descendants and the descendants of his descendants were fined until the end of all of the generations. Now which of God’s qualities is greater than the other, the quality of mercy or the quality of retribution? Proclaim that the quality of goodness is the greater and the quality of retribution the lesser! And the King Messiah fasts and suffers for the sinners, as it says, “and he is made sick for our sins etc.” ever more so and more will he be triumphant for all of the generations, as it says, “And the Lord visited upon him the sin of all.” If this text be deemed genuine, then we have clear evidence that by the third century, rabbinic readers understood the suffering servant to be the Messiah who suffers to vicariously atone for the sins of humans. There are also various medieval Jewish commentators, among them figures marginal to rabbinic Judaism (but hardly suspected of Christian leanings) such as the Karaite Yefet ben Ali, who clearly understand the Isaiah text and its suffering servant as about the Messiah. The early modern Kabbalist Rabbi Moshe Alshekh, also a spotlessly “orthodox” rabbinite teacher, writes, “I may remark, then, that our Rabbis with one voice accept and affirm the opinion that the prophet is speaking of the King Messiah, and we ourselves also adhere to the same view.” The intellectual giant of Spanish Jewry, Rabbi Moses ben Nahman, concedes that according to the midrash and the rabbis of the Talmud, Isaiah 53 is entirely about the Messiah, but he dissents. As we see, neither Judaism nor Jews have ever spoken with one voice on this (hermeneutical) theological question, and therefore there is no sense in which the assertion of many sufferings and rejection and contempt for the Son of Man constitutes a break with Judaism or the religion of Israel. Indeed, in the Gospels these ideas have been derived from the Torah (Scripture in its broadest meaning) by that most Jewish of exegetical styles, the way of midrash. There is no essentially Christian (drawn from the cross) versus Jewish (triumphalist) notion of the Messiah, but only one complex and contested messianic idea, shared by Mark and Jesus with the full community of the Jews. The description of the Christ as predicting his own suffering and then that very suffering in the Passion narrative, the Passion of the Christ, does not in any way then contradict the assertion of Martin Hengel that “Christianity grew entirely out of Jewish soil.” Gospel Judaism was straightforwardly and completely a Jewish-messianic movement, and the Gospel the story of the Jewish Christ.” (Borderlines: the partition of Judeo-Christianity, Daniel Boyarin, 2004 University of Pennsylvania Press)

Messiah in “Psalms of Solomon” Apocryphal Document

Collins introduces to us the “Songs of Solomon”: “Prior to the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the only clear evidence from the last two centuries before the turn of the era for the use of the term messiah (christos) with reference to a future Davidic king, and indeed for the expectation of a Davidic messiah in any terms, lay in the Psalms of Solomon. This document is a collection of eighteen psalms preserved in Greek and Syriac. It is sometimes listed with the Apocrypha, such as the books of Maccabees and the Wisdom of Solomon, in ancient canonical lists, and it is printed in modern editions of the Septuagint (Collins 52) The Psalms cannot, however, be taken as representative of Judaism at large. Not all Jews of the time accepted resurrection. We can also say with confidence that the Psalms of Solomon do not represent the supporters of the Hasmoneans, of whom they are severely critical. Since no trace of them has been found at Qumran,’ it also seems safe to say that they did not originate in the Dead Sea sect.” (J. Collins SAS p54)

He then goes on to describe the expectation of the restoration of the Davidic monarchy expressed in these psalms: “the psalmist prays for the restoration of the Davidic monarchy: “See, Lord, and raise up for them their king, the son of David, to rule over your servant Israel in the time known to you, O God. Undergird him with the strength to destroy the unrighteous rulers, to purge Jerusalem from gentiles who trample her to destruction; in wisdom and in righteousness to drive out the sinners from the inheritance; to smash the arrogance of sinners like a potter’s jar to shatter all their substance with an iron rod; to destroy the unlawful nations with the word of his mouth; at his warning the nations will flee from his presence; and he will condemn sinners by the thoughts of their hearts.” (17:21-25) (Collins, 57.58)

Collins describes how the messianic expectation mirrors the language of of the book of Isaiah, the approach of the messiah is seen as violent, and it is also echoes in the Targums of Pseudo-Jonathan, another Jewish source written in the Aramaic of the time of Jesus: “The language of Isa 11:1-4 also figures prominently in the description of the “Lord Messiah” in Ps Sol 18:6-8: “Blessed are they who shall be in those days, seeing the good things of the Lord which he will perform for the generation that is to come, under the rod of discipline of the Lord’s anointed in the fear of his God, in wisdom of spirit, and of justice and of might, so as to direct every man in works of righteousness in the fear of God. The initial role of this king is undeniably violent. He is “to destroy the unrighteous rulers, to purge Jerusalem from gentiles” (17:22). Charlesworth contrasts the portrayal of the messiah in Targum PseudoJonathan to Genesis 49:11: How beautiful is the king, Messiah, who is destined to arise from the house of Judah! He has girded his loins and gone down to battle against his enemies, destroying kings and their power, and there is neither king nor power that can withstand him. He reddens the mountains with the blood of their slain. His garments are saturated with blood, like those of him who presses grapes. (Collins 58,59)

He notes that the Messiah is stated to be free from sin: “he is “pure from sin” (katharos apo hamartias, 17:36). There is no indisputable Jewish parallel for such a statement about the messiah. (Testament of Judah 24:1, “a star will arise to you from Jacob . . . and no sin whatever will be found in him,” is Christian in its present context.) (p.60)

In conclusion he states: “…We have, then, a distinct picture of the Davidic messiah in the Psalms of Solomon. He is first of all the one who will liberate Jerusalem, and defeat and subjugate the Gentiles. He will then usher in an era of peace and reign in a kingdom marked by holiness and righteousness. This picture draws its warrants from biblical prophecy, especially Isaiah 11 and Psalm 2.” (Collins 60)

Dual Messianic Roles of Priest and King of Essene Jews of Qumran

There are traditions of this “dual role” of king and priest in both Rabbinic Judaism and also in evidence from the Essenes. This is of interest because it shows that the expectation of Messiah was not purely military. Collins describes the political context of the Qumran community in which these documents were written. The “Hasmoneans” refer to the Maccabean Kings who ruled Jerusalem following their successful rebellion against Rome. They were not of Davidic line nor were their priests of Aaronic or Levitic descent, giving rise to antipathy among the Jewish sects directed against them. Bergsma explains:

It’s probably based on several prophetic texts that affirm God’s faithfulness to the royal and priestly dynasties of Israel. For example, Jeremiah 33 insists that the House of Levi will never lack a man to function as priest before the LORD, and the House of David will never lack a man to serve as king. The implication of this promise is that God will one day restore both houses. Likewise, the prophet Zechariah famously sees a vision of two olive trees, which represent two “sons of oil” who stand by the LORD (Zech 4:14). These could easily be interpreted as two Messiahs, royal and priestly, to arise in the future. Diarchic messianism seems to have been the dominant expectation at Qumran. But at least one document appears to represent a “minority report…” (JDS, 30) This Melchizedechian messiah which combines the two roles. We will come to this in the following section.

“The expectation of a Davidic messiah in the Dead Sea Scrolls should also be seen as a reaction against the kingship of the Hasmoneans. This is suggested by two factors. First, the “messiah of Israel” in the Scrolls is paired with a priestly “messiah of Aaron,” who takes precedence over him. The separation of functions can be seen as an implicit critique of the Hasmoneans, who, notoriously, combined the kingship and the priest” (Collins, p.81)

“The expectations of the Dead Sea sect with regard to ruler figures were not greatly different from those of other Jews of the period. The hope for a warrior messiah from the line of David, who would drive out the Gentiles, was widespread among various groups. The Dead Sea sect gave distinctive prominence to the high priest of the end-time, the messiah of Aaron, and emphasized his teaching role, but all of this was based on scriptural precedent. It would scarcely be possible to imagine a restoration of Israel without an eschatological high priest; only his prominence here is distinctive. The eschatological prophet has only a minor role in the Scrolls, and this, again, is in accordance with what we know of Second Temple Judaism in general” (Collins, p.91)

“Was there then anything distinctive about the understanding of the Davidic messiah in the Scrolls? Most scholars would say that the distinctive element lies in the way the kingly messiah is paired with a priestly counterpart, who takes precedence over him. It has long been recognized that this kind of dual messianism corresponds to the organization of the Jewish community in the early postexilic period, as reflected in the latter part of the book of Ezekiel, as well as Zechariah and Chronicles. Ezekiel 40–48 relegates the prince to a cultic role, subordinate to the High Priest The two “sons of oil” in Zechariah reflect the dual leadership of Zerubbabel and the High Priest Joshua at the time of the restoration. It is possible that the sectarians of the Scrolls had this early postexilic period in mind as an ideal… It is true, of course, that not all messianic texts found at Qumran mention two messiahs. But several do, and dual messianism is especially characteristic of the major rule books, the Rule of the Community and Damascus Document. It is still disputed whether the expression “messiah of… Aaron and Israel” in the Damascus Document should be interpreted as referring to one figure or two. But it should be noted that Balaam’s Oracle is interpreted with reference to two figures in CD 7.18–20. 1QSa (Rule of the Congregation), 1QSb (Blessings), 4Q174 (Florilegium) and 4Q175 (Testimonia) are all plausibly interpreted as reflecting dual leadership in the eschatological community.” (Collins p.83,85)

“The Rule of the Congregation (1QSa , meaning “the first appendix to 1QS”) is an end-times, or “eschatological,” document, describing how the entire nation of Israel would be governed and organized when the Messiah (or Messiahs) arrived. This is a short document, and there is only one copy extant, which was written as an appendix to the Community Rule from Cave 1. In essence, with the coming of the Messiah, the rules of the community would be adjusted and extended to cover the whole nation of Israel” (JDS,23)…They shall not be reckoned among the council of the people, and their names shall not be written in their book from the day the Beloved Teacher dies until the Messiah from Aaron and from Israel appears. (CD 19:35–36) As this statement indicates, after the death of the Teacher, they were actually expecting two Messiahs, a priestly one from the line of Aaron and a royal one from the line of David. They termed these two messiahs “the Messiah of Aaron and the Messiah of Israel.” A section of the Community Rule instructs the Qumranites to stay faithful to their founding vision until these two Messiahs appear: They shall govern themselves using the original precepts by which the men of the Yahad began to be instructed, doing so until there come the Prophet and the Messiahs of Aaron and Israel. (1QS 9:10–11)…” (Bergsma JDS 29,30)

“The Essenes also knew the royal Messiah had to be from David’s line: And the one who sits on the throne of David shall never be cut off, because the “ruler’s staff” (Gen 49:10) is the covenant of the kingdom, and the thousands of Israel are “the feet,” until the Righteous Messiah, the Branch of David, has come. For to him and to his seed the covenant of the kingdom of His people has been given for the eternal generations, because he has kept […] the Law with the men of the Yahad. (4Q252 5:2–5)

Notice that the Essenes understand the Messiah to be heir of the “covenant of the kingdom,” recalling that David’s kingdom was established by a divine covenant (2 Sam 5:3; 2 Chr 13:5; Ps 89:3–4)” (Bergsma 34)

Annunciation, the angel Gabriel tells Mary: “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:31–33)

This sounds a lot like a messianic prophecy that was found among the Scrolls and dated to the reign of Herod the Great (37 B.C.–4 B.C.), or shortly before the birth of Jesus:

“Great will he be called and he will be designated by his name. He will be called son of God, and they will call him Son of the Most High….His kingdom will be an eternal kingdom, and all his paths in truth. He will judge the earth in truth and all will make peace. The sword will cease from the earth, and all the provinces will pay him homage. The great God is his strength, he will wage war for him; he will place the peoples in his hand and cast them all away before him. His rule will be an eternal rule.” (4Q246 1:9–2:9) (Bergsma, 35)

Bergsma goes on to draw parallels from this prophecy to Jesus’ ministry in the Gospel of Luke, “he will be called Son of the Most High…eternal kingdom…, Jesus’ casting out of demons (“In that day he will deliver them from the power of Belial, and from the power of all the spirits predestined to (Belial)”?”11QMelch 2:13), and forgiving sins (“releasing them from the debt of all their sins” 11QMelch 2:6).

The Melchizedekian Messiah in Qumran

“an alternative messianic expectation focused on the return of the mysterious biblical figure Melchizedek, who was both a priest and a king (Gen 14:18–20). This document was found in Cave 11, and since the content focuses largely on Melchizedek, scholars call it “11QMelchizedek.” Although 11QMelchizedek is in fragmentary condition, we can read it well enough to realize that it is a prophecy that combines several biblical texts related to the Year of Jubilee and applies them to Melchizedek, who will return at the end of time.6 The ancient Israelites celebrated the Year of Jubilee every forty-nine years by blowing a trumpet throughout the land, proclaiming the forgiveness of outstanding debts, the return of all family property sold for debt, and the release of all debtslaves. Every Israelite was to return to his property, and have his property returned to him. Unfortunately, over the centuries, the Israelites observed the jubilee sporadically if at all. In time, the prophets saw it more as an end-times expectation than a living law.7 Isaiah foresaw an anointed “servant of the LORD” who would announce an end-times Jubilee Year: The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good tidings to the afflicted; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor. (Isa 61:1–2)” (Bergsma 30)

(Bergsma state that his combines the Daniel 7 “seventy weeks” and Isaiah 61:1-2 “the Spirit of the Lord is upon me” prophecies, as well as Lev. 25) “…And concerning what Scripture says, “In this year of jubilee you shall return, every one of you, to your property” (Lev 25:13)…the interpretation is that it applies to the Last Days and concerns the captives, just as Isaiah said: “To proclaim the jubilee to the captives” (Isa 61:1)…and whose teachers have been hidden and kept secret, even from the inheritance of Melchizedek, for…and they are the inheritance of Melchizedek, who will return them to what is rightfully theirs. He will proclaim to them the jubilee, thereby releasing them from the debt of all their sins. This word will thus come in the first week of the jubilee period that follows nine jubilee periods. Then the “Day of Atonement” shall follow at the end of the tenth jubilee period, when he shall atone for all the Sons of Light and the people who are predestined to Melchizedek. (11QMelch 2:1–8) (Bergsma 32)

“Therefore Melchizedek will thoroughly prosecute the vengeance required by God’s statutes. In that day he will deliver them from the power of Belial, and from the power of all the spirits predestined to him. (11QMelch 2:13)

“It is written concerning him, “who says to Zion ‘Your God reigns’ ” (Isa 52:7). “Zion” is the congregation of all the sons of righteousness, who uphold the covenant and turn from walking in the way of the people. “Your God” is Melchizedek, who will deliver them from the power of Belial. Concerning what Scripture says, “Then you shall have the trumpet sounded loud in all the land of…” (Lev 25:9, modified). (11QMelch 2:23–25)

Summing up, 11QMelchizedek presents an alternate view of the end-times, focused not on the twin Messiahs of Aaron and Israel but on a single priest-king figure, the almost-divine Melchizedek, who will proclaim a supernatural jubilee freeing God’s people from the debt of sin and slavery to Satan. (Bergsma 33)

Messiah in “Damascus Document” of Qumran and Cairo Geniza

Wikipedia gives a good introduction to what the Damascus document is: “The Damascus Document, also called the Damascus Covenant or the Book of the Covenant of Damascus, Cairo Damascus document (CD) or Damascus Rule, is an ancient Jewish document that some scholars suggest serves as a “bridge” document, connecting Judaism’s post-exilic ‘Enochian’-Essene majority[clarification needed] to the asserted leadership of its radical minority Qumran–Essene community that was established in isolation near the shores of the Dead Sea. It forms part of the Dead Sea Scrolls, found after 1947 near Qumran, but two fragments had already been discovered in 1897 in the Cairo Geniza (…) The Damascus Document is a composite text edited together from different sections of a larger source, and scholars have attempted to place the different sections in a chronological order to generate a more complete idea of the original using evidence from the Dead Sea Scrolls.”

Collins describes how the Messianic interpretation of certain Biblical texts is not unique to the Qumran community, rather we can see it in other apocrypha, and the writings of Philo. The term “Prince of the Congregation” is used as a messianic referemce: “The blessing of the Prince of the Congregation (usually a seeming reference to the Davidic Messiah in these texts- my addition) fits a consistent pattern in the messianic texts in the Dead Sea Scrolls. These texts are based on a small number of biblical prophecies: Isaiah 11 (4QpIsaa [= 4Q161], 4Q285), Balaam’s Oracle in Numbers 24 (CD 7.19–20; 1QM 11.6–7), Genesis 49 (4Q252), 2 Samuel 7 (4Q174) and a few others. These same texts are also interpreted as messianic in other contexts that are remote from Qumran. Philo of Alexandria cites Balaam’s oracle from the (LXX) as a prophecy of a man who will lead his host to war and subdue great and populous nations. The same oracle was cited by Rabbi Akiba when he allegedly hailed Simeon bar Kosiba as messiah in the revolt against Rome in 132 C.E. The fact that the same text is interpreted as messianic in such diverse locations shows that this was a well-established exegetical tradition. Similarly, it is important that the Psalms of Solomon are not found at Qumran, and indeed are often thought to derive from the Pharisees, the archenemies of the Dead Sea sect. Here again we see that the expectation of a Davidic messiah was not a peculiarly sectarian idea, but was grounded in an exegetical tradition that was widely known across sectarian lines…”

“The Prince of the Congregation also appears with messianic overtones in CD 7:19, in the context of a citation of Balaam’s oracle from Numbers 24. The two manuscripts of the Damascus Document that were found in the Cairo Geniza have different texts at this point. Balaam’s oracle is found only in MS A. The passage begins with the citation and interpretation of Amos 5:26-27, but then introduces Num 24:17: “The star is the Interpreter of the Law who shall come to Damascus; as it is written, A star shall come forth out of Jacob and a scepter shall rise out of Israel. The scepter is the Prince of the whole congregation, and when he comes he shall smite all the children of Sheth.” The messianic interpretation of Balaam’s oracle is well attested. Perhaps the most famous attestation is in the legend of Akiba’s recognition of Bar Kochba: “Rabbi Akiba interpreted, ‘A star has come forth out of Jacob’ as ‘[Kosiba] has come forth out of Jacob/ When Rabbi Akiba saw bar [Kosiba] he said: This is the King Messiah. Rabbi Yohanan ben Torta replied: ‘Akiba, grass will grow out of your cheekbones before the son of David comes” The messianic interpretation of Num 24:17 was also current in Greek-speaking Judaism. The LXX read “man” (anthropos) for scepter, and Philo interprets this “man” as a warrior, who “leading his host to war, will subdue great and populous nations.” The messianic interpretation of this passage in Philo is all the more remarkable because Philo generally shows very little messianic or eschatological fervor. A similar interpretation of Balaam’s oracle appears in the Testament of Judah 24:1-6, which is a Christian text but probably preserves Jewish traditions: “And after this a star will come forth for you out of Jacob in peace, and a man will rise from among my descendants like the sun of righteousness. . . . Then will the scepter of my kingdom shine forth, and from your root will come a stem. And from it will spring a staff of righteousness for the Gentiles, to judge and to save all that invoke the Lord.” There can be little doubt that the prince who is identified with the scepter in CD 7 is also a messianic figure. ..Balaam’s oracle was widely understood in a messianic sense, and that “Prince of the Congregation” was a messianic title.  (Collins, 71,73)

The passage in question is exceptionally complicated, as two quite different texts are preserved in the two manuscripts, A and B, of the Geniza document. The context is a warning about future punishment. Both manuscripts have midrashic passages at this point, but they cite different texts. M S A cites Isa 7:17, followed by Amos 5:26-27 (with a subsidiary citation of Amos 9:11) and Numbers 24:17, as follows: . . . when the saying shall come to pass which is written among the words of the Prophet Isaiah son of Amoz: He will bring upon you, and upon your people, and upon your father’s house, days such as have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah (Isa 7:17). When the two houses of Israel were divided, Ephraim departed from Judah. And all the apostates were given up to the sword, but those who held fast escaped to the land of the north; as God said, J will exile the tabernacle of your king and the bases of your statues from my tent to Damascus (Amos 5:26-27). The Books of the Law are the tabernacle of the king; as God said, J will raise up the tabernacle of David which is fallen (Amos 9:11). The king is the congregation; and the bases of the statues are the Books of the Prophets whose sayings Israel despised. The star is the Interpreter of the Law who shall come to Damascus; as it is written, A star shall come forth out of Jacob and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel (Num 24:17). The sceptre is the Prince of the whole congregation, and when he comes he shall smite all the children of Seth (Num 24:17). At the time of the former visitation they were saved, whereas the apostates were given up to the sword…. (trans. Vermes, emphasis added, biblical quotations italicized) M S B cites Zech 13:7 and Ezek 9:4, as follows: . . . by the hand of the prophet Zechariah: Awake, O Sword, against my shepherd, against my companion, says God. Strike the shepherd that the flock may be scattered and I will stretch my hand over the little ones (Zech 13:7). The humble of the flock are those who watch for Him. They shall be saved at the time of the Visitation whereas the others shall be delivered up to the sword when the Anointed of Aaron and Israel shall come, as it came to pass at the time of the former Visitation concerning which God said by the hand of Ezekiel: They shall put a mark on the foreheads of those who sigh and groan (Ezek 9:4). But the others were delivered up to the avenging sword of the Covenant, (trans. Vermes, emphasis added) Both manuscripts contain messianic allusions. The scepter of Balaam’s oracle is explicitly identified as the Prince of the Congregation in M S A, and the star also invites interpretation as a messianic figure. 3 7 M S B refers to “the messiah(s) of Aaron and Israel” at the end of the midrash on Zechariah. (Collins 77,78)

Throughout the Biblical text God expresses his desire to dwell with his people, in prophecy and fulfilment. We examine this uniquely Christian theme in this article.

Appendix

A God who desires to Save

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“See, the Lord’s arm is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. Rather, your iniquities have been barriers between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you
so that he does not hear.” (Isaiah 59:1,2)

when we stop sinning we open ourselves to everything that it is our Father’s “pleasure” that he should give to us. Every time we choose sin we diminish our own gift (Lk.12:32, Ephesians 1:9). This beautiful spiritual reflection is reminiscent of Gen.4:7 “If you do what is right, won’t you be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.”

In Jeremiah 3 we get the beautiful sequence:
“The LORD announced to me, “Unfaithful Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. 12 Go, proclaim these words to the north, and say: Return, unfaithful Israel. This is the LORD’s declaration. I will not look on you with anger, for I am unfailing in My love. This is the LORD’s declaration. I will not be angry forever. 13 Only acknowledge your guilt— you have rebelled against the LORD your God. You have scattered your favors to strangers under every green tree and have not obeyed My voice. This is the LORD’s declaration. 14 “Return, you faithless children”—this is the LORD’s declaration—“for I am your master, and I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion. 15 I will give you shepherds who are loyal to Me, and they will shepherd you with knowledge and skill. 16 When you multiply and increase in the land, in those days”—the LORD’s declaration—“no one will say any longer, ‘The ark of the LORD’s covenant.’ It will never come to mind, and no one will remember or miss it. It will never again be made. 17 At that time Jerusalem will be called, Yahweh’s Throne, and all the nations will be gathered to it, to the name of Yahweh in Jerusalem. They will cease to follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts. 18 In those days the house of Judah will join with the house of Israel, and they will come together from the land of the north to the land I have given your ancestors to inherit.” 19 I thought: How I long to make you My sons; and give you a desirable land, ; the most beautiful inheritance of all the nations. I thought: You will call Me, my Father, and never turn away from Me.” (Jer.3:11-19)

God is calling back sinners, even the worst sinners who have “prostituted” themselves, given themselves as wives to other husbands (v.1), and yet God wants them back and is calling out to them all the time. It is just heart-breaking when God utters such tender words as: “I thought: How I long to make you My sons; and give you a desirable land, ; the most beautiful inheritance of all the nations. I thought: You will call Me, my Father, and never turn away from Me” (v.19), like an earthly father who adopts a helpless child and wishes that they would only call him their own father and waits to bestow upon him his entire inheritance, which is his joy (cf.Lk.12:32).

Restoration of Animal Sacrifice in the Temple?

A slightly different discussion is regarding some verses that seem to indicate the restoration of animal sacrifice in the new kingdom. None of them mention it to be specifically temporary, rather the tone is always triumphal and sometimes “for all time”. That is not to say that they could not be meant to be temporary and superseded by a greater Sacrifice in the future, what is alluded in the passages we have already seen. But to see them as the state in a millennial kingdom combines the two religions of Judaism and Christianity with a seemingly incongruous result. A repeat of the Judaic Temple in and of itself will not truly bring Redemption from Sin and Eternal Life, so that would not get us anywhere. So it seems incorrect to suppose that the end of Judaism is literally a Temple structure with a literal supply of animals. In the case of a supposed millennial kingdom it seems a bit difficult to visualize the sacrifice of Bulls and goats occurring when Jesus himself as God in the Holy of Holies sat on the Throne. Zech. 14 states as we have seen: “the Lord will come and all his holy ones with him, with the living waters flowing out (this has to he the Holy Spirit), and there will be no more night”. What have the bloody sacrifice of bulls and various animals got to do in the scenario, it seems unthinkable. The most reasonable interpretation of these passages therefore is to conclude that some of these are referring to the temporary restoration of the Temple which we know did happen, and was superseded by the Sacrifice of Jesus, which is signified in the other set of passages which we have already seen. These are the passages that prophecy the restitution of animal sacrifice:

Isaiah 56:6-8 is from so-called “Trypto- Isaiah” which if that theory is right, is written in the post-exilic context and so it would seem fair to assume it is speaking of a restoration to the Second Temple since that theme is prevalent to that time period. Jeremiah 33:15-18 speaks of sacrifices “for all time”, so it cannot be “millennial” and it would seem metaphorical. Ezekiel 43:18-46:24 gives a great deal of detail regarding the building of a Temple, but it all sounds very symbolic and does not seem to specify a time. Zechariah 14:16, once again when read in the light of the preceding verses sounds like there is a time change that occurs around verse 11-12 a the verses preceding seem to be speaking of eternity to come, which when the switch occurs the narrative goes back to describing plagues and destruction.

Bibliography

JGI- Jesus and the God of Israel- God Crucified and Other Studies on the New Testament’s Christology of Divine Identity, 2008, William B Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan / Cambridge , UK.

SAS– The Scepter and the Star- Messianism in Light of the Dead Sea Scrolls, second edition, 2010 John J. Collins, William B Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan / Cambridge , UK.

JDS– Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls, Revealing the Jewish Roots of Christianity, John Bergsma, published Image, New York, 2019.

Collins– John j. Collins’ article “Messianic Expectation at Qumran” (p.71-92), The Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls Vol.2, Scripture and the scrolls ed. James H. Charlesworth the Second Princeton Symposium on Judaism and Christian origins, Baylor University Press Waco, Texas, 2006.

TMH– The Messianic Hope: Is the Hebrew Bible Really Messianic? 2010, Michael Rydelnik, B&H Publishing Group, Nashville, Tennessee.

RAHB–The Hebrew Bible: a translation with commentary– Robert Alter, 2019, W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 500 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10110

JTT– The Jewish Temple is Transfigured in Christ and the Temple Liturgies are Transfigured in the Sacraments, Thomas Lane, Antiphon: A Journal for Liturgical Renewal, Volume 19, Number 1,
2015, pp. 14-28 (Article)

TCJ- The Case for Jesus, the Biblical and Historical Evidence for Christ, Brant Pitre

MHBP– Moody’s Handbook of Biblical Prophecy

NJBC– The New Jerome Biblical Commentary

CIBOT– A Catholic Introduction to the Bible, the Old Testament, Brand Pitre, John Bergsma