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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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