OK – I’m editing this post as of May 08, because I’m intrigued – it has remained just about the top ranking post out of the entire blog for months now, and I’d dearly, dearly love to know what has brought YOU to read this page (or not as the case may be). So please, please, take 2 secs to just fire me a short comment on what led you here and whether the article is indeed of any real interest, or you’ve just come graphic hunting or whatever. Should you (for any reason) prefer to do this privately, please feel free to email me through the “Contact me” link. Regardless – thank you for stopping by!

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Isaiah 49 is a very telling piece of scripture. I provide it here for those Jewish readers who may be willing to read it with a fresh perspective perhaps. I’m not going to do any sort of exposition on it because I’m not a teacher or Pastor but just in hearing it once more in my daily readings the Truth within it hit me afresh. While most Christians are aware that Isaiah 53 is the “Suffering Servant” portion of scripture that prophesies about Jesus’ death on the cross, (although I know many Jews have been told that it speaks of Israel, but in reality that’s much harder to reconcile), this portion (for me at least) shows that the Messiah of Israel HAD to have been alive BEFORE Israel became a nation once more. For God clearly states in this passage He will provide a Redeemer before that point

The Servant Messiah

5 And now the LORD says—
he who formed me in the womb to be his servant
to bring Jacob back to him
and gather Israel to himself,
for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD
and my God has been my strength-

6 he says:
“It is too small a thing for you to be my servant
to restore the tribes of Jacob
and bring back those of Israel I have kept.
I will also make you a light for the Gentiles,
that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.” (this is certainly what Yeshua has done!)

7 This is what the LORD says—
the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel—
to him who was despised and abhorred by the nation, (also very true of Yeshua)
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.”

Restoration of Israel

8 This is what the LORD says:
“In the time of my favor I will answer you,
and in the day of salvation I will help you;
I will keep you and will make you
to be a covenant for the people,
to restore the land
and to reassign its desolate inheritances, 9 to say to the captives, ‘Come out,’
and to those in darkness, ‘Be free!’
“They will feed beside the roads
and find pasture on every barren hill.

10 They will neither hunger nor thirst,
nor will the desert heat or the sun beat upon them.
He who has compassion on them will guide them
and lead them beside springs of water.
11 I will turn all my mountains into roads,
and my highways will be raised up.
12 See, they will come from afar—
some from the north, some from the west,
some from the region of Aswan. ”

To me at least it shows rather clearly that the Messiah was to be unveiled before the restoration of the Land of Israel, and the only person ever truly given that title by more than a handful of followers is Jesus (Yeshua).

And on a slightly different stance Psalm 2 also testifies to a unique event currently only associated with Yeshua:

Psa 2:7-8 I will declare the decree: the LORD has said unto me,  You are my Son; this day have I begotten you. Ask of me, and I shall give you the heathen for your inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for your possession.

To my Jewish readers – I would urge you to consider this passage and others in Isaiah with a new vision perhaps – if all you’ve ever heard or known has come to you through Rabbis, please remember that scripture itself is from HaShem and therefore is infallible eternal Truth – all Rabbis and Pastors are but sinners and fallen men whose interpretation cannot always be trusted in its entirety.  Be like those who lived in Berea and studied scripture for themselves to determine whether what the Apostles stated was true, and they ended up agreeing, because all of the Torah testifies to Yeshua alone as the Messiah. Whether you agree or not, HaShem will hold you responsible to have read His Word for yourself and made your own determination based on it alone – not on the sayings of man!   Read this fascinating article on how the Passover rituals in Judaism point so strikingly to Yeshua.

Two sites you can check out which do an excellent job of stating all the scriptures that point to Yeshua very clearly are Prophecies Fulfilled and Prophecies of Jesus .

Or do you disagree – comments please .

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