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From: Dean and Susan Wheelock
To: heb_roots_chr@hebroots.org
Subject: Messianic Prophecies: Exodus, Leviticus & Numbers
Dean and Susan Wheelock have a ministry called Hebrew
roots. They produce a quarterly magazine called Hebrew roots. If
you
would like to receive the magazine, please send an e-mail to Dean
and
Susan at: (dewheelock@aol.com)
or write them at the following address:
Hebrew Roots
P.O. Box 98
Lakewood, WI 54138
1-715-757-2775
Messianic Prophecies:
Exodus, Leviticus & Numbers
From the website:
http://www.geocities.com/hebrew_roots/html/hr-3-4-05.html
THE MESSIANIC PROPHECIES
THE TORAH
And beginning at Moses and all the
Prophets, He expounded to them in all the
Scriptures The things concerning Himself.
Luke 24:27
In the last issue of Hebrew Roots we
began a series of articles
examining the prophecies found in the Tanakh (Tah-nahk = Old
Testament) which the ancient Jewish sages believed
referred to the coming of the Messiah. While the prophecies found
in
the book of Genesis were covered in the first article, this
article
will examine the remainder of the Torah prophecies. The next
article
in this series will focus on a portion of the historical writings
from
the Tanakh.
~ The Messiah In Prophecy ~
The ancient Jewish sages of
Yeshua's day, and even before His
time, knew the Scriptures backward and forward. They knew the
Messiah
was coming, and they combed the writings to locate passages that
spoke of or eluded to His coming. A good number of their
understandings are preserved for us in several different
writings. These include both Scriptural paraphrases and
extra-Biblical
sources. Some were written before the time of Yeshua, and others
appeared after His day. For example, there are writings in both
the
Jerusalem and Babylonian Talmud, written well after the time of
Yeshua, which clearly show the rabbinic understanding of many
Messianic passages of Scripture.
It is on these early works that we
wish to focus our attention
in this series. The basis for this information comes from the
monumental work of a nineteenth century Jewish Believer,
Alfred Edersheim. In his classic book, The Life and Times of
Jesus the
Messiah, Edersheim publishes (in Appendix IX) a List of Old
Testament
Passages Messianically Applied in Ancient Rabbinic Writings. This
list
contains 456 scripture passages that the ancient rabbis
understood
pointed to the Messiah or to Messianic times. Seventy-five of
these
prophetic verses are found in the Torah (the first five books of
the
Bible), 243 in the Prophets, and 138 in the Writings. Edersheim
claims
to have supported these Messianic Scriptures with references to
558
Rabbinic writings.
The works to which Edersheim
refers are:
The TARGUMIM - These are Aramaic
paraphrases of the Old
Testament. Because they are paraphrases,
and not literal
translations of the Scriptures, they
give additional information
as to how the authors of that time
interpreted the Scriptures.
Often the authors have actually inserted
the word "Messiah" into
a passage so that all will know that it
is to be applied with
that understanding.
The TALMUD - Although both
versions of the
Talmud were written quite some time
after the first century, they
do express the understanding of earlier
times as well as the
times in which they were written. (The
Talmud consists of two
different writings; the Mishnah, which
is the `Oral Law'
committed to writing, and the Gamarah,
which is the rabbinic
commentary on that `Oral Law' or
Mishnah.)
Ancient MIDRASHIM -
These are the stories and legends that
teach moral truths about
the Scriptures. Today we might call them
allegories or parables.
Many of Yeshua's parables could be
classified as Midrash. Paul's
analogy of Hagar and Sarah being
representative of Mt. Sinai and
the New Jerusalem, is typical Jewish
Midrash. (See Gal. 4:24-27).
Yalkut - This is a collection of fifty
older writings, which are
no longer available from any other
source. It is the only late
dated writing that Edersheim included;
only because its contents
represent a much earlier point of view.
Edersheim did not include
any references from the Zohar, the
Jewish mystical books that
were written during the Middle ages.
This series of articles will
follow Edersheim's list as closely
as seems appropriate. However, with so many of the
passages cross referencing each other, we may cover some of the
later
passages in some detail within earlier ones. Edersheim's
information
is either quoted or paraphrased, and other information has been
added
as seems appropriate.
~ The Book of Exodus ~
The Prophecy:
"`Then you shall say to Pharaoh, "Thus says the
LORD: `Israel is
my son, My firstborn.'"'" (Ex.
4:22)
Edersheim: "Ex. iv. 22 is
referred to the Messiah in the Midr.
on Ps. ii. 7." (p. 713)
Ancient Sources: The Midrash.
"`I will declare the decree:
The LORD has said to Me,
You are My Son,
Today I have begotten
You.'"
(Psalm 2:7)
Obviously, the nation of Israel
itself cannot be the Messiah.
However, it is clear by the connecting of these passages that the
sages understood the Messiah must come from the
descendants of Jacob (Israel), and would be known as God's Son.
The Prophecy:
"`This month shall be your
beginning of months; it shall be the
first month of the year to
you.'" (Ex. 12:2)
Edersheim: "`...let this be
the beginning of months,' it is
remarked that God would make new ten things in the latter
days, these being marked by the following passages [quoted
below]: Is.
lx. 19; Ezek. xlvii. 9; xlvii. 12; Ezek. xvi. 55; Is. liv. 11;
Is. xi.
7; Hos. ii. 20; Is. lxv. 19; Is. xxv. 8; Is. xxxv. 10." (p.
713).
Ancient Sources: The Midrash Shemoth Rabba, on Exodus.
The connection between Ex. 12:2
and the following ten scriptures
comes from the fact that at certain specific times God does make
a
`new begin-fling.' Such was the case when lie changed
the calendar to begin in the spring, and such will be the case
when
Yeshua returns bringing the olam haba (oh-lahm hah-bah the world
to
come).
The parallels between the
following ten Old Testament Scriptures
and those found in the New Testament are quite striking:
* Ten New Things in the Latter Days *
~ #1 ~
"`The
sun shall no longer be your light by day,
Nor for
brightness shall the moon give light to you;
But the
LORD will be to you an everlasting light,
And your
God your glory.'"
(Isa.
60:19)
Compare to Revelation 2 1:23 and
22:5. (See Additional
Scriptures )
~ #2 ~
"`And it shall be that every
living thing that moves, wherever
the rivers go, will live. There will be a very great
multitude of
fish, because these waters go there; for they will be healed, and
everything will live wherever the river goes.'" (Ezek. 47:9)
Compare to Revelation 22:1-2. (See
Additional Scriptures)
~ #3 ~
"`Along the bank of the
river, on this side and that, will grow
all kinds of trees used for food; their leaves will not wither,
and
their fruit will not fail. They will bear fruit every month,
because
their water flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for
foods
and their leaves for medicine.'" (Ezek. 47:12)
Compare to Revelation 22:1-2. (See
Additional Scriptures)
~ #4 ~
"`When your sisters, Sodom
and her daughters, return to their
former state, and Samaria and her daughters return to their
former
state, then you and your daughters will return to your former
state.'" (Ezek. 16:55)
Compare to Matthew 10:15. (See
Additional Scriptures)
~ #5 ~
"`O
you afflicted one,
Tossed
with tempest, and not comforted,
Behold, I
will lay your stones with colorful gems,
And lay
your foundations with sapphires.'"
(Isa.
54:11)
Compare to Revelation 21:18-20.
(See Additional Scriptures)
~ #6 ~
"`The
cow and the bear shall graze;
Their
young ones shall lie down together;
And the
lion shall eat straw like the ox.'"
(Isa.
11:7)
A well known Millennium passage,
including the verses around it.
~ #7 ~
"`I
will betroth you to Me in faithfulness,
And you
shall know the LORD.'"
(Hos.
2:20)
Compare to II Corinthians 11:2 and
Revelation 19:7-9. (See
Additional Scriptures)
~ #8 ~
"`I
will rejoice in Jerusalem,
And
joy in My people;
The voice
of weeping shall no longer be heard in her,
Nor the
voice of crying.'"
(Isa.
65:19)
Compare to Revelation 7:17 and
21:4. (See Additional Scriptures)
~ #9 ~
"He
will swallow up death forever,
And the
Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces;
The rebuke
of His people
He will
take away from all the earth;
For the
LORD has spoken.'"
(Isa.
25:8)
Compare to Revelation 7:17 and
21:4. (See Additional Scriptures)
~ #10 ~
"And the
ransomed of the LORD shall return,
And come
to Zion with singing,
With
everlasting joy on their heads.
They shall
obtain joy and gladness.
And sorrow
and sighing shall flee away."
(Isa.
35:10)
Compare to John 16:22, Revelation
14:1-4, and 15:2-4. (See
Additional Scriptures)
The Prophecy:
"It is a night of solemn
observance to the LORD for bringing
them out of the land of Egypt. This is that night of the LORD, a
solemn observance for all the children of Israel
throughout their generations." (Ex. 12:42)
Edersheim: ..there were four
remarkable nights: those of
creation, of the covenant with Abraham, of the first
Passover, and of the redemption of the world; and that as Moses
came
out of the desert, so would the Messiah come out of Rome."
(p. 713)
Ancient Sources: Jerusalem Targum.
It is interesting to note that at
least three of these
`remarkable nights' took place at the Passover; the covenant of
Abraham; the first Passover; and the redemption of the world when
the
Messiah gave Himself up on the stake.
As to the Messiah coming out of
Rome; Yeshua was born and lived
under Roman rule.
The Prophecy:
"Then Moses and the children
of Israel sang this song to the
LORD, and spoke, saying;
`I will sing to the LORD,
For He has triumphed
gloriously!
The horse and its rider
He has thrown into the
sea!'"
(Ex. 15:1)
Edersheim: "It is noted ...
that this song would be taken up in
Messianic days, only with far wider reach, as
explained in Is. lx. 5; lviii. 8; xxxv. 5, 6; Jer. xxxi. 13; and
Ps.
cxxvi. 27 (p 713) Ancient Sources: Mekhilta (ed. Weiss, p41
a).
"`Then you shall
see and become radiant,
And your
heart shall swell with joy;
Because
the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, The
wealth of
the Gentiles shall come your way.'" (Isa. 60:5)
"`Then your light shall break forth like the morning,
Your
healing shall spring forth speedily,
And your
righteousness shall go before you;
The glory
of the LORD shall be your rear guard.'"
(Isa.
58:8)
"Then the
eyes of the blind shall be opened,
And the
ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
Then the
lame shall leap like a deer,
And the
tongue of the dump sing.
For waters
shall burst forth in the wilderness,
And
streams in the desert."
(Isa.
35:5-6)
"`Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance,
And the
young men and the old, together;
For I will
turn their mourning into joy,
Will
comfort them,
And make
them rejoice rather than sorrow.'"
(Jer. 3
1:13)
"Then
our mouth was filled with laughter,
And our
tongue with singing.
Then they
said among the nations,
`The LORD
has done great things for them.'"
(Psalm
126:2)
All of these scriptures can be
tied to the book of Revelation:
"And I saw something like a
sea of glass mingled with fire, and
those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and
over
his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of
glass, having harps of God. "And they sing the song of
Moses, the
servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying:
"`Great and marvelous are Your works,
Lord God Almighty!
Just and true are Your ways,
O King of the saints!
Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For
You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship
before You, For Your judgments have been manifested.'"
(Rev. 15:2-4)
The Prophecy:
"Then Moses said, `Eat that
today, for today is a Sabbath to the
LORD; today you will not find it
in the field.'" (Ex. 16:25)
Edersheim: "...applied to the
Messiah, it being said that, if
Israel only kept one Sabbath according to the commandment, the
Messiah would immediately come." (p. 713) Ancient Source:
The
Jerusalem Talmudic Tractate Taanith, on fasting and Fast-Days.
"`For the Son of Man is Lord even
of the Sabbath.'" (Matt. 12:8)
Another Jewish Midrash states that
the Messiah will not come
until the world is either totally righteous or totally wicked.
The Prophecy.
"And Moses said to Aaron,
`Take a pot and put an omer of manna
in it, and lay it up before the
LORD, to be kept for your generations.'"
(Ex. 16:33)
Edersheim: "This manna ...
was to be preserved for the days of
the Messiah. Is. xxx. 15 is similarly explained." (p. 713)
Ancient
Source: The Talmudic Tractate Mekhilta, and the Jerusalem
Talmudic
Tractate Taanith.
"For
thus said my Lord God,
The Holy
One of Israel,
`You shall
triumph by stillness and quiet;
Your
victory shall come about
Through
calm and confidence.'"
(Isa.
30:15 Tanakh)
The tying together of these two
scriptures can only make sense
when viewed in light of the previous one concerning the Sabbath.
(Ex.
16:25). One lesson which can be derived from these
verses is that the Almighty is going to bring about the coming of
the
Messiah, and we can rest assured that the salvation of YHVH will
take
place.
The Prophecy:
"...`Because the LORD has
sworn; the LORD will have war with
Amalek from generation to
generation.'" (Ex. 17:16)
Edersheim: "...refers to
Messianic times." (p. 713)
Ancient Source: Targum Pseudo
Jonathan.
The Amalekites were a tribe of
people descended from Jacob's
twin brother, Esau. They were considered to be
the worst of Israel's enemies, displaying fierce hatred toward
the
children of Israel. The wicked Haman from the book of Esther (see
Holocaust Averted in this issue) was an Amalekite. According to I
Chronicles 4:42-43, the Simeonites defeated the Amalekites that
had
escaped and settled on Mount Seir.
Today, the Jewish understanding of
the `Amalekites' is that they
live on within all nations of the earth as the `spirit
of hatred' against God's chosen people. For this reason, Adolf
Hitler
is often referred to as an `Amalekite.' Thus, it is taught that
the
throne of God will never be fully established on earth until all
of
the `Amalekites' (those who are driven by their hatred of the
children
of Israel) are destroyed.
The Prophecy:
"`Now these are the judgments which you shall set
before them:'"
(Ex. 21:1)
Edersheim: "...notes on the
word judgments' a number of things
connected with judgment, showing how Balaam
could not have wished the advent of the future deliverance (Numb.
xxiv. 17) since he was to perish in it; but that Israel should
cleave
to the great hope pressed in Gen. xlix. 18; Is. lvi. 1; lix. 16;
and
especially Zech. ix. 9, of which a different rendering is
proposed."
(p. 7 13-14) Ancient Source: The Midrash Shemoth Rabba on
Exodus.
"I have waited for your
salvation, O LORD!" (Gen. 49:18)
"Thus
says the LORD:
`Keep
justice, and do righteousness,
For My
salvation is about to come,
And My
righteousness to be revealed.'"
(Isa.
56:1)
"He
saw that there was no man,
And
wondered that there was no intercessor;
Therefore
His own arm brought salvation for Him;
And His
own righteousness, it sustained Him."
(Isa.
59:16)
"`Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout, O
daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold,
your King is coming to you;
He is just
and having salvation,
Lowly and
riding on a donkey,
A colt,
the foal of a donkey.'"
(Zech.
9:9)
To the Believer, the Messiah has
come in the person of Yeshua.
At His first appearance He brought salvation (Yeshuah =
salvation)
riding on a donkey. At His second coming lie will manifest
himself as
a "strong right arm" of His Father.
Genesis 49:18 ("I have waited
for your salvation...") is a
prophecy given by Moshe (Moses) to the tribe of
Dan. It is interesting to note that in Jewish eschatology
(understandings of the last days), the False Messiah is
identified as
coming from the tribe of Dan. When you put all this information
together, it tells the Believer that we must not try to hasten
the Day
of the Lord, for that might put us in the camp of the False
Messiah
(i.e. trying to bring peace through a one world government that
is not
of God.) Rather, we should wait for God to do his mighty work
through
His strong right arm, Yeshua HaMashiach.
The Prophecy:
"`And you shall take the
anointing oil, and anoint the
tabernacle and
all that is in it; and you shall hallow
it and all its
utensils, and it shall be holy. ...
"`And you shall
anoint the layer and its base, and sanctify it.'"
(Ex. 40:9, 11)
Edersheim: "...distinct
reference to the King Messiah, on whose
account the anointing oil was to be used." (p. 714) Ancient
Source:
Targum Pseudo Jonathan.
The Messiah is literally the
"Anointed One." Just as the
Tabernacle and its accouterments were (Isa. 59:16)
`anointed' to be set apart to God, so the Messiah is `anointed'
to be
set apart to God.
~ The Book of Leviticus ~
The Prophecy:
"`I will walk among you and
be your God, and you shall be My
people.'" (Lev. 26:12)
Edersheim: "The promise is
also referred to the latter, or
Messianic. days." (p. 714)
Ancient Source: Yalkut 62.
One day the Messiah will dwell on
the earth and will walk among
us. After the thousand years, both the Father and the Son will
dwell
on the earth. (Rev. 2 1:22; 22:1,3)
The Prophecy.
"`I am the LORD your God, who
brought you out of the land of
Egypt, that you should not be
their slaves;
I have broken the bands of your
yoke and made you walk
upright.'" (Lev. 26:13)
Edersheim: "...applied to
Messianic times. See our remarks on
Gen. ii. 4. [Issue 98-4] "The promise of peace in the
Aaronic
benediction Num. vi. 26 is referred to the peace of the Kingdom
of David, in accordance with Is. ix. 7." (p. 714) Ancient
Source:
Siphre (A somewhat older Commentary on Numbers
and Deuteronomy.)
"`The
LORD lift up His countenance upon you,
And give
you peace.'" (Num. 6:26)
"Of
the increase of His government and peace
There will
be no end,
Upon the
throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order
it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that
time forward, even forever.
The zeal
of the LORD of hosts will perform this."
(Isa. 9:7)
When God, in the person of Yeshua
HaMashiach, again walks among
us on this earth; there will be no end to His
government, to peace, to righteous judgment and justice. In other
words, the `countenance' of God will be `lifted up' upon each and
every person on the face of the earth.
~ The Book of Numbers ~
The Prophecy:
"And the one who offered his
offering on the first day was
Nahshon the son of Amminadab, from
the tribe of Judah."
(Num. 7:12)
Edersheim: "In connection
with this it is marked that the six
blessings which were lost by the Fall are to be restored by the
son
of Nahshon, i.e. the Messiah." (p. 714) Ancient Source:
Bemidbar
Rabba, the Midrash or commentary on Numbers.
The genealogy of Yeshua lists
Nahshon as one of his ancestors.
"Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, and
Nahshon begot
Salmon." (Matt. 1:4)
"the son of Jesse, the son of
Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of
Salmon, the son of Nahshon,"
(Luke 3:32)
The Prophecy:
"But the two men had remained
in the camp: the name of one was
Eldad, and the name of the other Medad. And the Spirit rested
upon
them. Now they were among those listed, but who had not gone out
to
the tabernacle; yet they prophesied in the camp." (Num.
11:26)
Edersheim: "the prophecy of
Eldad and Medad is supposed to have
been with regard to the wars of the latter days against
Jerusalem,
and to the defeat of Gog and Magog by the Messiah." (p.714)
Ancient Source: Targum Jerusalem.
One of the major points of this
scripture is that prophesy and
visions are not limited to a select group of God's people. Rather
it
is YHVH who decides who will speak for Him in this manner.
"But Peter, standing up with
the eleven, raised his voice and
said to them, `Men of Judea
and all who dwell in Jerusalem,
let this be known to you,
and heed my words. For
these are not drunk, as you
suppose, since it is only the third hour
of the day. But this is what
was spoken by the prophet Joel:
`And it shall come to pass
in the last days, says God,
That I will pour out of My
Spirit on all flesh; Your sons
and your daughters shall
prophesy, Your young men shall
see visions, Your old men
shall dream dreams. And on My
menservants and on My
maidservants I will pour out My
Spirit in those days.'"
(Acts 2:14-18)
Additional Scriptures
"`Assuredly, I
say to you, it will be more tolerable for the
land of Sodom, and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that
city!'"
(Matt. 10:15)
"`Therefore you now have sorrow;
but I will see you again and
your heart will
rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.'"
(John 16:22)
"For I am jealous
for you with godly jealousy. For I have
betrothed you to one
husband, that I may
present you as a
chaste virgin to Christ." (II Cor. 11:2)
"`...for the Lamb
who is in the midst of the throne will
shepherd them
and lead them to living
fountains
of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their
eyes.'" (Rev. 7:17)
"Then I looked,
and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and
with Him one hundred
and forty-four thousand, having His
Father's name written
on their foreheads.
"And I heard a
voice from heaven, like the voice of many
waters, and like
the voice of loud thunder. And I heard the
sound of
harpists playing their harps. And they sang
as it were a new
song before the throne, before the four living
creatures, and the
elders; and no one could learn that song except
the hundred and
forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the
earth.
"These are the ones who were. not defiled with women,
for they are virgins.
These are the ones who follow the Lamb
wherever He goes.
These were redeemed from among
men, being firstfruits
to God and to the Lamb." (Rev. 14:1-4)
"And I saw
something like a sea of glass mingled with fire,
and those who have the
victory over the beast, over his image
and over his mark and
over the number of his
name, standing on the
sea of glass, having harps of God, and the
song of the Lamb,
saying:
"`Great and
marvelous are Your works,
Lord
God Almighty!
Just
and true are Your ways,
O
King of the saints!
Who
shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name?
For
You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and
worship before You, For Your judgments have been
manifested.'" (Rev. 15:2-4)
"`Let us be glad
and rejoice and give Him glory, for the
marriage of the
Lamb has come, and His
wife has made
herself ready.'
"And to her
it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean
and bright, for
the fine linen is the
righteous acts
of the saints.
"Then he said to
me, `Write:
"Blessed are
those who are called to the marriage supper of
the Lamb!'"
And he said to me, `These
are the true
sayings of God.'" (Rev. 19:7-9)
"`And God will
wipe away every tear from their eyes; there
shall be no more
death, nor sorrow, nor
crying; and
there shall be no more pain, for the former things have
passed
away.'" (Rev. 21:4)
"And the
construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city
was pure gold, like
clear glass. And the
foundations of the
wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of
precious stones: the
first foundation was jasper, the second
sapphire, the third
chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth
sardonyx, the sixth
sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth
beryl, the ninth
topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth,
and the twelfth
amethyst." (Rev. 21:18-20)
"And the city had
no need of the sun or of the moon to shine
in it, for the glory
of God illuminated it,
and the Lamb is its
light." (Rev. 2 1:23)
"And he showed me
a pure river of water of life, clear as
crystal, proceeding
from the throne of God
and of the Lamb. In
the middle of its street, and on either side of
the river, was the
tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree
yielding its fruit
every month. And the leaves of the tree were for
the healing of the
nations." (Rev. 22:1-2)
"And there shall
be no night there: They need no lamp nor
light of the sun, for
the Lord God gives
them light. And
they shall reign for ever and ever." (Rev. 22:5)
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