WE SHOULD HAVE THE SAME UNDERSTANDING OF THE SAME WORD

WE SHOULD HAVE THE SAME UNDERSTANDING OF THE SAME WORD

Hugh Fogelman

Whenever people get into a discussion on one subject matter it would be more intelligent if all involved had a clear definition and understanding of the subject. For example, if the discussion were about a wagon, it would be imperative that we all had the same picture of this wagon. If not, I may have a little red wagon in mind while you have a large covered brown wagon in mind. Both are capable of carrying things, both have four wheels; both have a yoke ― yet they are quite different.

To discuss the Bible, we have to understand whose Bible ― the SOURCE Bible, the Original Text from God, or the Christian translated version of the Hebrew Bible.

When Christians refer to Jesus as the Jewish messiah, what does this mean? Are they talking about a messiah in the Original Text (OT), the Hebrew Bible, or THE Messiah in the Christian bible? These two concepts are as different as night and day; as the red wagon and the covered wagon. Messiah is the English rendition of the Hebrew word, “anointed.” In 1 Samuel 26, King Saul is referred to as God’s messiah. In Isaiah 45, Cyrus is referred to as God’s messiah. In the Hebrew Bible, the SOURCE DOCUMENT, the word messiah is used generically for anyone who is anointed with oil. Kings and high priests were anointed, thereby, each would be a messiah.

Christianity has a problem when they use the Hebrew Bible for their authority to validate their bible when they use THE MESSIAH in reference to Jesus. Because the Hebrew word HaMoshiach, THE Messiah, describing the future anointed one to come, does not appear once in the Hebrew Bible. What? If that is so, how did the Jews obtain their concept of the Messiah? For the Jews, THE Messiah does not appear anywhere in the Hebrew Bible, except when talking about the first priest, Aaron. The Hebrew word for Aaron is hokohen HaMashiach (“Ha” in Hebrew means THE), the anointed one. Mashiach by itself (without “Ha”) only means an anointed one, as all Jewish kings and priests were anointed with oil. So if you went back in time to Jerusalem during the first 100 years C.E. and asked to see the messiah - you would be asked “which one.” Jesus would never have been thought of as the Jewish messiah as he was never anointed in oil according Jewish law, as instructed in the Torah. Even the New Testament has no mention of him being anointed in the Jewish custom of God’s Laws.

God told His Prophets what would happen in the messianic era. God said; “there must be global peace, when the lamb will lay with the wolf and the swords will be turned into plow-shares as Isaiah prophesized. “And they shall beat their swords into plough-shares and their spears into pruning hooks - nation shall not lift up; sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” Plus, there will be the universal knowledge of the one God of Israel, and the building of the 3^rd Temple. Jews have always believed that the “Savior of Israel” would be a man of flesh and blood like themselves that would deliver them out of oppression, pain and suffering.”]

One of the major themes of prophecy is the future age of perfection–the perfect world–Utopia. Of all of the many prophecies there are several passages that speak of an individual who will be a descendent of King David, through his son Solomon, who will the ruler of Israel during this age of perfection–the Messianic Age, as God told Ezekiel in Chapter 37.

Ezekiel 37:24 (KJV)

And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them.

Notice that God said this person will be the ruler over Israel and will execute justice and righteous. Also notice that God said the world will have one shepherd and walk in His ordinances and in His statues and do them. This clearly means that God’s Torah will be observed even at the End of Days! Not Paul’s New Testament! Standing in stark opposition to God’s word is Paul: You cannot follow the Law anymore (Romans 3:20-23; 4:14; 5:520; 8:3; 10:4).

Ezekiel 37:23 (KJV)

And the heathen shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.

Isn’t that what other prophets wrote? Yes it is!

Zechariah 8:23 (KJV)
Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.

Jeremiah 16:19 (KJV)
O LORD, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit.

So, who does one believe and follow―God or Paul? Even Jeremiah prophesied that Paul’s followers had inherited lies.

How will we know that HaMoshiach has come? We will look outside and will see this Utopia because all the media will be mentioning this. (Isaiah 2:4; 11:6-8; 11:9; 26:19; 43:5-6 Jeremiah 31:33 Zechariah 14:9 Daniel 12:2 Ezekiel 37:12-13; 37:26-28 and Malachi 3:23-24 (4:5-6).

The word for savior in Hebrew is “Moshee’a’ah” which means “deliverer.” The word for “anointed” in Hebrew is “Mash’akh” which means “smeared” (with oil). The Greek Septuagint combined both meanings and came up with the Greek word, Messiah, as they are similar in sound. Therefore, to be a Jewish messiah, one should be a deliverer, a Savior from oppression, and one has to be anointed with oil. King David comes to my mind as messiah.

There have been “saviors” and “deliverers” throughout the history of Israel and many were even crucified on the cross. So, by having Christians say that the messiah died on the cross for all mankind, to the Jew it doesn’t mean anything. The Jewish Messiah will not be the instrument of this utopia of world bliss; God is the only one who can do that. The Jewish Messiah will rule at this time, acting as a king, not a savior. Only God is Ha’savior.

The words, “The Messiah,” even though never mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, are talked about in tradition. And the entire concept of The Messiah can be summed up in one sentence. He will be a deliverer, a savior who will end all oppression for the Jews forever. The key word here is “forever!” Throughout history, we’ve had many delivers and saviors and we also had peace and harmony, but it did not last. Jews were once again the oppressed victims. Therefore, none of them has been HaMoshiach. We are still looking, still waiting.

To the Jew, the phrase, “to end all oppression forever” is the key phrase. Four prophets tell us this will happen at the End of Days, when certain things fall into place. At that time, there will be a ruler over Israel from the direct line of David. He will be called HaMashiach.

If Christians want to call Jesus the messiah, that’s okay. But he is not the Jewish messiah. The conflict between the two religions is when Christians try to tell the Jewish people that Jesus is the Jewish messiah and that Jews are too stiff necked and blind to see. To see what? You just saw what the Jewish messiah would be like, according to God, not the [unknown] authors of the Christian bible. To the Jews, Jesus does not fit the bill. During Roman occupation of Judea, Jews would have loved to have had Jesus be their messiah because then they would have known that their oppression would be lifted; they could live in peace forever. Logically, they would have greeted him with open arms.

When Jesus died and no prophecy came true, the New Testament writers had to make up some excuse why the Jews rejected Jesus. So they told everyone the Jews were blinded to see the truth. Does this sound logical? That period in time would have been perfect for God to show the world His message.

But nothing changed. Today’s Christians do not know it, but after Jesus’ death many of his Jewish followers left his movement disappointed. After the Fourth Century, the remaining Jewish-Christians were pushed out of the Church by the Gentile-Christians and Paul’s Christianity was born. If Christians want to call Jesus god, that too is okay. But for the Jew, he knows that there is but one God, the God of Israel, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, our Father in Heaven.

No, Jesus was not the Jewish Messiah. From the words in the New Testament, Jesus qualifies as a Roman/Greek messiah, with gods and angles mating with humans and eventually dying and being resurrected―true to pagan religions of the that day and hundreds of years before.

In conclusion, there are two different religions. Jews have the SOURCE DOCUMENT, Torah, and God’s definition of HaMoshiach. Whereas, Christians have their later invention of The messiah. Neither the twain shall meet! Jews will take care of their lives and souls and Christians should take care of theirs, but Christians don’t. Christians say that their religion is the right and true religion, and that all other beliefs are wrong.

One final point, nowhere in the Hebrew Bible does it tell us to worship HaMoshiach.

NOTES:

CRITERIA OF HA MOSHIACH ACCORDING TO GOD IN THE HEBREW SCRIPUTURE:

Must be a member of the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10)

Must be a direct descendent of both King David and King Solomon - son of David (2 Chronicles 13:5, 2 Chronicles 21:7, Psalm 89:3-4, Psalm 132:10 –12, Jeremiah 33:21) Son of Solomon (NOT NATHAN) 2 Samuel 7:13, 1 Chronicles 22:9-10, 1 Kings 9:2 – 7

Must gather the Jewish people from exile and return them to Israel

Must rebuild the Jewish Temple (the 3^rd Temple)

Must bring in “world peace”

Must influence the entire world to acknowledge and serve the One God of Israel

All of these criteria for the Messiah are best stated in the book of Ezekiel, Chapters 37:24-28. If an individual fails to fulfill even ONE of these conditions, he cannot be the Jewish Messiah!

The Jewish Scriptures clearly state that a person’s genealogy and tribal membership is transmitted exclusively through one’s PHYSICAL father (Numbers 1:18 Jeremiah 33:17)

Torah reveals the Messiah to be a human being with no connotation of deity or divinity. And repeating, nowhere in Jewish Scripture does it say to worship this messiah as a deity. He will be a King from the Royal line of David.

Now, who do you believe – the word of God Himself – or the man who told you God was a man and God inspired the authors, something that cannot be proven or seen?

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