The Feast of Trumpets and the Return of the King – Pod for Israel
ONE FOR ISRAEL Ministry kick off a new series on the fall festivals and how they foreshadow the Return of our Messiah! Yom Teruah or the Feast of Trumpets is an amazing festival of expectation and introspection. But does the books of Ezra and Nehemiah and prophecies in the New Testament give deeper meaning to the return of our Messiah?
HOW MANY REASONS DOES A person need to believe that something is true? Five? Ten? One hundred? Perhaps just one “good” reason.
Presented here are twenty-one of the most significant and hopefully, most persuasive reasons to show that Yeshua (Hebrew for Jesus) is the long-awaited Messiah. Approach these reasons with an open mind and perhaps a prayer that God would show you if in fact these twenty-one reasons do point to Yeshua. And if they do convince you that He is the Messiah, ask yourself if you are willing to believe His message.
Yeshua fulfilled every prophecy concerning the Messiah given to us in the Old Testament Scriptures. Prophecy, defined as speaking forth the message of the Almighty, can also contain a predictive aspect, whereby God communicates something yet to occur. In His desire that we might know the Messiah, He painted a detailed prophetic portrait of this yet-coming Servant so that we could recognize Messiah when He came. The Old Testament described who he will be, where He will be born, what He will do, and how He will die. Following are some of the predictions to consider:
Messiah was to come from the Jewish nation: “The Lord had said to Abram…all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” (Genesis 12:1,13)
This promise, given to Abram (whose name was later changed to Abraham), is reiterated to his son Isaac and grandson Jacob. Scholars, both Jewish and Christian, agree that this was a specifically Messianic promise. Although it is true that the Jewish people as a whole have been a blessing to the world in terms of their many contributions to civilization, this promise finds its truer and greater fulfillment in the person of Messiah. The apostle Paul, writing over a thousand years later, confirms that God had fulfilled this promise, sending Messiah through the Jewish people.
…the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Messiah… (Romans 9:4,5)
Messiah was to come through the tribe of Judah: “The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs, and the obedience of the nations is his.” (Genesis 49:10)
Two rabbinic sources — Rashi and the Targum of Onkelos — agree that this verse refers to Messiah. It is not a point of contention that Messiah was to come from the tribe of Judah.
Messiah was to come from the house of David: “The Lord declares to you [David]that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever… Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.” (2 Samuel 7:11-13,16)
King David, a descendant of the line of Judah, is being reassured by God that his kingdom would be established forever. This could mean nothing else but that the Messiah’s throne was to be a throne descended from the house of David. Isaiah the prophet, speaking almost 300 years later, confirms this in a well-known Messianic prophecy:
Messiah was to have an unusual birth: ”Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)
Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem: ”But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” (Micah 5:2)
Messiah was to be rejected by His own people: “Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces, he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” (Isaiah 53:1-3)
We might expect that when Messiah did come, His people would receive Him with open arms, but this was not the case. These words were written about 700 years before the coming of Yeshua.
Messiah’s first coming had a sacrificial purpose: “He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment, he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken…Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.” (Isaiah 53:7,8,10)
The Scriptures speak of two distinct comings of Messiah, but here we are dealing with the purpose for His first appearance.
Messiah was to die a specific kind of death: “A band of evil men have encircled me; they have pierced my hands and my feet…”They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.” (Psalm 22:16,18)
Messiah was not to remain in the grave but would be resurrected: ”You will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.” (Psalm 16:10)
This prophecy could not apply to David, but refers rather to the Messiah, a descendant of David.
Messiah was scheduled to appear at a certain time in history: ”Seventy “sevens” are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy. Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven “sevens,” and sixty-two ”sevens,” It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. After the sixty-two “sevens, “the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing.” (Daniel 9:24-26)
Scholars who have studied this prophecy of Daniel have concluded that the “sevens” spoken of in this passage represent periods of seven years. After making the calculation, we have a period of 490 years between the decree to return to Jerusalem after captivity to the time of Messiah.
To sum up this first and perhaps most important reason to conclude that Yeshua truly is the Messiah, let us reiterate: Yeshua was born, from the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Judah, and the house of David. Born of a virgin in the town of Bethlehem, He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, suffering without defending Himself. He was crucified, His hands and feet pierced by the nails that held him on the cross. On the third day, He rose from the dead, as was testified to by as many as 500 people, who saw Him at one time. The timing of His arrival was also right on target.
Certainly, there have been others who were proclaimed to be the Messiah: Bar Kochba in the second century, Shabbathai Zvi in the seventeenth century, and others who were less renowned. These were pretenders, not the true heirs to David’s throne, not the authentic seed of Abraham. Only one throughout history fulfilled the prophecies concerning Messiah’s first coming — only Yeshua, the Messiah.
Angels proclaimed Yeshua as Messiah: ”But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you; he is Messiah the Lord.'” (Luke 2:10,11)
God Himself acclaims Yeshua to be His beloved Son: “And the Holy Spirit descended on him [Yeshua] in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” (Luke 3:22)
John the Baptizer, whom the Gospel of Matthew calls the greatest of all prophets (11:11), points to Yeshua as the Lamb of God, declaring the nature of Messiah’s mission and identifying Him with the sacrificial lamb of Passover: “Then John gave this testimony: ‘I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him…I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God…’When he saw Yeshua passing by, he said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God!'” (John 1:32, 34,36)
The claims made by Messiah Himself point to His divine nature and unique ministry. He referred to Himself as:
The light of the world: ”When Yeshua spoke again Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'” (John 8:12)
The bread of life: “I am the bread of life. Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” (John 6:48-51)
The living water: ”Yeshua answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water that I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:13,14)
The way, the truth, and the life: ”Yeshua answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'” (John 14:6)
The King of the Jews: ”Meanwhile Yeshua stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ ‘Yes, it is as you say,’ Yeshua replied.” (Matthew 27:11)
The resurrection and the life: “Yeshua said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.'” (John 11:25)
The Messiah: ”The woman said, ‘I know that Messiah (called Christ) is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.’ Then Yeshua declared, ‘I who speak to you am he.” (John 4:25-26)
He who had the power to save the world: “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:17)
Being One with the Father: ”I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30)
Lord and Master: “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord’ and rightly so, for that is what I am.” (John 13:13)
Claims don’t prove anything. This is true. But why did Yeshua make these claims? There are only three possible explanations: (1) He either spoke the truth because He was exactly who He claimed to be, (2) He was a liar and a cheat, or (3) He was a raving lunatic.
Even the bitterest of Yeshua’s enemies of today would not accuse Him of insanity. Has anyone ever heard a lunatic teach and preach the way Yeshua did?
Did He lie? And if so, what was His motive? Consider why men usually lie, cheat, or deceive. It is either to gain wealth, fame, or power or to escape suffering or punishment. Such was obviously not the case with Yeshua.
Wealth and fame were both rejected by Yeshua. He came, He said, to minister, not to be ministered to. When people attempted to make Him King, He refused, withdrawing privately into the wilderness. As to the motive of avoiding suffering or punishment, we see instead an innocent Man suffering for no crime at all. A simple recanting or an apology might have spared Him pain and disgrace, but He chose, instead, to die in humiliation upon a cross.
Do men die for a lie? Not sane, sensitive truth-teaching men like Yeshua, the Messiah. Yes, this is who He claimed to be, and this is who He is. He is the Redeemer of Israel and of all mankind, and the only reasonable response is to trust what He says.
The teachings of Yeshua stand out in history as the most perfect and sublime. His Sermon on the Mount speaks today as it did to the multitudes nearly two thousand years ago.
The life that Yeshua lived was a convincing example of the power of God and of His teachings. The Sanhedrin could find no fault with Him. A false witness had to be bribed to lie in testimony against Him. The Roman Governor, Pilate, who was put in the uncomfortable position of prosecuting Yeshua said, “I find no basis for a charge against him.” (John 18:38)
The miracles He performed confirmed His claims. They prove beyond doubt that He came from God and that He is the Messiah He claimed to be. He had power over nature. (Matthew 8:23-27) He had power over disease. (Matthew 8:16)
He had power over death. (Matthew 9:18,24,25) he had power over Satan. (Matthew 8:28-34)
The death of Yeshua died was further proof. He did not have to die. He was given every chance to escape death. And He had every reason to do so. He was in the prime of life, in His mid-thirties. All that life had in store lay ahead of Him. Yet, He submitted Himself to death: “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.” (John 3:14,15)
Even as He died, Yeshua displayed a supernatural attitude toward those who hated Him: “Yeshua said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34)
The evidence for the resurrection of Jesus is overwhelming. His disciples saw the risen Messiah again and again. Surely, they could have all been mistaken or deceived. Even Thomas, the doubter, one of the twelve disciples, relented. “But he [Thomas] said to them, ‘Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.’ Then he [Yeshua] said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.’ Thomas said to Him, ‘My Lord and my God!'” (John 20:25,27,28)
The disciples of Yeshua were plain, honest fishermen. They followed Yeshua for three years and lived with Him. They heard Him teach and preach. They saw Him feed the hungry, heal the sick, and raise the dead. They knew Him. When the testing came and the Lord asked His disciples if they would desert Him, Simon Peter’s own testimony of the One he knew was “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:68,69)
A member of the Sanhedrin, the governing body of the Jewish community, became a believer in Yeshua. His name was Nicodemus. He approached the Messiah under cover of night and said, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.” (John 3:2)
After the crucifixion, this same Nicodemus declared his faith in the open by bringing myrrh and aloes to anoint the body of Yeshua. This was a high priced gift, an expression of deep affection and faith. Tradition tells us that after the resurrection, he became a professed disciple of Messiah.
The apostle Paul, who began as a persecutor of the believers but turned to faith in Yeshua, provides a persuasive testimony to the Messiahship of Yeshua. Paul was, no doubt, one of the most zealous and most learned Jews of his time. In his zeal, he became the most notorious persecutor of the believers. He dragged many of them in chains to prison for their faith. Then, suddenly, a dramatic experience released his own spiritual chains. He accepted Messiah and became the most devout follower and the greatest propagator of the faith. He carried the message throughout the known world, and when the message became so powerful as to threaten the Roman Empire, he died for the Messiah in whom he had come to believe.
Preaching in the name of Yeshua has stood Rabbi Gamaliel’s test of time. “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” (Acts 5:35-39)
The most revered rabbi of the first century was Rabbi Gamaliel. Even today his advice concerning the celebration of Passover is heeded in Jewish homes worldwide. When the authorities were about to lay hands upon Peter and the other apostles because of their bold preaching, Rabbi Gamaliel issued this inspired warning. Many centuries have rolled by since he spoke these words, and Messiah is still being preached.
And today, as in the days of the first century, Messiah has the power to transform lives. He alone can take the weak and make them strong. He alone can supply the answer to a world bent on self-destruction, by bringing peace individually to people who trust Him.
Not only has Messiah transformed the lives of individuals, but He has altered the direction of world civilization. Wherever the Gospel has been preached, His life and His teaching have improved the plight of those who are in need.
Through Messiah, and through Him alone, is forgiveness of sin. Through Him and Him alone are we reconciled to a just and holy God. In Him, we have atonement for sin. In the law we read, “For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I [God] have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.” (Leviticus 17:11) The whole sacrificial system is based upon that truth. But the shedding of an animal’s blood was neither adequate or sufficient, but was merely a picture of the ultimate sacrifice of God’s Son. Prophesied by the prophet Isaiah, we knew that Messiah would be offered like a humble lamb; that He would go without objection; that His blood would be shed for the transgression of Isaiah’s own people, indeed for the sins of the whole world. (Isaiah 53)
Messiah alone offers and gives peace — abiding personal peace. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27)
The peace that Messiah came to give to the world on His first mission was a personal peace that can prevail even in the midst of confusion and war, sorrowing and stress, pain, and suffering.
Through belief in Messiah, God can be real to us. God, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe can seem far away, out of reach. Deep in the human heart, there is a longing to know Him and to be near to Him. This is true of all types of people: those who appear to have it all; those who are in the powerful positions in this world; those who are successful, educated, respected, and apparently self-sufficient. If people are honest, they will admit that if there is a God, it would be comforting to know Him and to feel His strength, His involvement, and His love.
King David was certainly one of the “right and famous” of his day. He wrote,
“As the deer pants for steams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.” (Psalm 42:1,2)
By believing in Messiah, we come to know God our Father, not just formally, but intimately, the way a child knows his parent. Messiah is God’s manifestation to us, our way back to Him.
Finally, there is hope in Messiah. Just as He is our personal hope, He is yet to return to embody the hope of this corrupt, sinking world. Now people of the globe place their trust in the United Nations, in peace talks among superpowers, in missile build-up. But there will be no true peace until the nations are united under the Prince of Peace. This is not merely speculation. This is the promise of the sure word of prophecy in the Scriptures. Just as Yeshua fulfilled all the prophecies concerning His first coming, so to, He will fulfill the prophecies concerning His return.
The One to whom the scepter belongs (Genesis 49:10) shall gather the nations to Himself.
The root of Jesse spoken of in Isaiah shall stand as an ensign, and the nations (Gentiles) will also come to Him.
The Prince of Peace on whose shoulders world government will rest shall be established by the mighty arm of God.
And the Son of Man, spoken of in Daniel 7, shall have everlasting dominion of all the peoples of the earth.
The apostle Paul put it this way:
“God exalted him [Yeshua] to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Yeshua every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Yeshua the Messiah is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11)
We have given here twenty-one reasons to believe in Yeshua, the Messiah. To the one who wishes to seek the truth and to know God, this is more than enough proof. The first important step is to know that you need a Savior, a Messiah, a Redeemer and to recognize that your sin has separated you from your God. Then you must desire in your heart to turn the relationship around; to come to the Lord on His terms.
The way He has provided is the way of His Son. There is every reason in heaven and earth to believe in Him and to trust Him for everlasting life.