Yeshua is the Messiah
In recent years, I have seen a massive increase in anti-Yeshua rhetoric on my Facebook page – usually from Torah folks who now deny the Savior they once believed in as a result of listening to the likes of Tovia Singer (among others). They did a pendulum swing from once believing to now disbelieving and they are now just as passionate in their disbelief as they once were in their former, firm beliefs. Over and over again, they assault nearly every post I make about Yeshua.
But those who deny Yeshua/Jesus Christ as the Messiah, have no legitimate counter-argument for Isaiah 53. Some argue that it was “written in past tense,” therefore it can’t be a prophetic Scripture applicable hundreds of years later – as if YHWH is incapable of “declaring the End from the Beginning” and doing so in a prophetic vision/dream, wherein the writer looks back at what he had seen. Besides, past, present and future are all one and the same to Him who sits outside of time. This should go without saying.
Beyond that, there is NO historical figure prior to the time of Isaiah who would even remotely fit what is written there. Nor do these people have ANYONE who would fit what the prophet said in Isaiah 9:6. Apart from Yeshua, what human CHILD can claim the titles of MIGHTY GOD and EVERLASTING FATHER??
Tossing out the (lame) arguments of whether the word is “virgin” your “young maiden” in 7:14, the rest of the passage, combined with what is said in chapter 9, leave you with NO other legitimate candidate if you toss out Yeshua/Jesus. NO ONE else even comes close to fulfilling what is said there. Joseph? Nope. Jacob? LOL! David? Sorry. Hezekiah? While he is the closest runner up that I’ve seen, I’d still say he falls WAY short of fulfilling what is said there. Was he MIGHTY GOD or the EVERLASTING FATHER??? Of course not.
Indeed, NO ONE in Isaiah’s history truly fits all that is describe in Isaiah 53 and in the surrounding chapters, which give it context. So, you are then forced to play the “poetry” and “metaphor” game of denial. In short, you’ve got nothing.
Some claim the Torah/Tanakh forbids one paying for the sins of others. However, no matter how you view Isaiah 53, you see SOMEONE does!
Isiah 53:5 But he was pierced FOR OUR TRANSGRESSIONS; he was crushed FOR OUR INIQUITIES; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.
Who was PIERCED for the sins of others if not Yeshua/Jesus? When you come to the ONLY conclusion you can – Yeshua/Jesus being that ONE person Who fits ALL descriptions in Isaiah 53 – you will also discover the true PEACE that He brings to ALL who put their trust in Him, accepting HIS sacrifice FOR OUR sins. And again we see a few verses later in verse 8, “… was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken FOR THE TRANSGRESSION of my people?” And again…
Isaiah 53:11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see[i] and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall BEAR THEIR INIQUITIES. 12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he BORE THE SIN OF MANY, and made intercession for the transgressor.
CLEARLY SOMEONE is paying the price for the sins of others here. Who else but Messiah could do this?
The ministry “Jews for Jesus” points out the ancient JEWISH understanding of Isaiah 53 was that of a Messianic prophesy:
What do the early rabbis say?
Some of the first written interpretations or targums (ancient paraphrases on biblical texts) see this passage as referring to an individual servant, the Messiah, who would suffer. Messianic Jewish talmudist, Rachmiel Frydland, recounts those early views:3
“Our ancient commentators with one accord noted that the context clearly speaks of God’s Anointed One, the Messiah. The Aramaic translation of this chapter, ascribed to Rabbi Jonathan ben Uzziel, a disciple of Hillel who lived early in the second century c.e., begins with the simple and worthy words:
‘Behold my servant Messiah shall prosper; he shall be high, and increase, and be exceeding strong: as the house of Israel looked to him through many days, because their countenance was darkened among the peoples, and their complexion beyond the sons of men (Targum Jonathan on Isaiah 53, ad locum).’”“We find the same interpretation in the Babylonian Talmud:
What is his [the Messiah’s] name? The Rabbis said: His name is “the leper scholar,” as it is written, “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him a leper, smitten of God, and afflicted.” (Sanhedrin 98b)“Similarly, in an explanation of Ruth 2:14 in the Midrash Rabbah it states:
He is speaking of the King Messiah: “Come hither” draw near to the throne “and dip thy morsel in the vinegar,” this refers to the chastisements, as it is said, “But he was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities.”“The Zohar, in its interpretation of Isaiah 53, points to the Messiah as well:
There is in the Garden of Eden a palace named the Palace of the Sons of Sickness. This palace the Messiah enters, and He summons every pain and every chastisement of Israel. All of these come and rest upon Him. And had He not thus lightened them upon Himself, there had been no man able to bear Israel’s chastisements for the trangression of the law; as it is written, “Surely our sicknesses he has carried.” (Zohar II, 212a)
The early sages expected a personal Messiah to fulfill the Isaiah prophecy. No alternative interpretation was applied to this passage until the Middle Ages. And then, a completely different view was presented. This view was popularized by Jewish commentator Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Itzchaki), who lived one thousand years after Jesus.
And there are many other ancient resources, which point to a MESSIANIC understanding of Isaiah 53. Still, some have argued that Isaiah 53 was talking about Israel. But the same ministry of JEWS points out:
[I]t is impossible to say that “for the transgression of my people he was stricken” since “my people” clearly means the Jewish people. If verse 8 refers to Israel, then are we to read that Israel is stricken for Israel because of Israel’s sin? How can the sin-bearer and the sinner be the same? Likewise, how can Israel be the servant, the one who “had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth” (Isaiah 53:9)? Israel is not now, nor ever has been, without sin—the Scriptures are replete with examples of Israel’s disobedience.
So that doesn’t work either. Again, you have NO reasonable candidate for Isaiah 53’s “suffering servant” if you dismiss Yeshua/Jesus as the Messianic fulfillment thereof.
As for me, I consider Isaiah 53 to be one of the powerhouse prophetic Scriptures for my Messiah, my Lord and my Savior, Yeshua/Jesus Christ. Thank you YHWH!
It’s one thing to not understand all of the so-called “prophetic Scriptures” that point to Yeshua/Jesus Christ. It’s also not uncommon to misunderstand or simply not understand at all how Yeshua fits with the Torah. And while some reasonable questions have been asked – which DO deserve answers – it’s another thing altogether however to deny 2,000 years worth of testimony to the indisputable FACT that Yeshua/Jesus Christ really did walk this earth. He really was crucified and He really did rise from the dead. To deny this is simply to show the world how willingly ignorant of and intentionally blind to historical fact you actually are.
Furthermore, the reality of Yeshua/Jesus Christ is abundantly shown in the life-changing, transformational testimonies of those who trust in Him. For 2,000 years, people have been forgiven, healed, delivered and set free in His name. No other historical person (fiction or otherwise) can boast such a claim. I’ve yet to see demons flee in terror at anyone else’s name. I’ve yet to see radical, life-changing transformation in someone’s life (often instantaneously) based on belief in any other. I’ve yet to see true miracles done in any other name too.
Now, some may look at the latter and pull a Deuteronomy 13 card. The problem with that however is Yeshua/Jesus only pointed others TO Torah and NEVER away from it and TO His Father, NEVER away from Him.
Deut. 13:1 “If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, ‘Let us go after other gods,’ which you have not known, ‘and let us serve them,’ 3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him. 5 But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has taught rebellion against the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you out of the house of slavery, to make you leave the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.
Did Yeshua/Jesus EVER point anyone away from YHWH and toward “other gods” to serve them? NO. In fact, He even pointed others AWAY from Himself and toward His Father – repeatedly – going so far as to rebuke those who called Him “good” and saying ONLY “God” (i.e. His Father) was good (Mark 10:18). Did Yeshua/Jesus walk after “the Lord your God” (i.e. YHWH)? YES! Absolutely. And perfectly. Are we commanded both by Him and His disciples to do the same? YES! Absolutely. Did Yeshua/Jesus ever teach rebellion against YHWH? NO! NEVER!
So, He more than passes the Deuteronomy 13 Test, which is not something most “miracle workers” can boast of having been able to do.
If we were to assume Yeshua/Jesus Christ was not real, why would demons fear and flee that name? Why would miracles happen in that name? Now, of course you could pull a Pharisee routine and claim that these things were being done BY demons (or the prince of demons), but then, you run the risk of the UNFORGIVABLE sin. So… if you go that route, you better be more than sure you are right because eternity is a VERY LONG TIME to be horribly wrong.
Even Yeshua/Jesus deniers recognize the reality of Satan. Why would Satan spend such an ENORMOUS amount of effort in ATTACKING everything to do with Yeshua/Jesus if he was the author of what you deem to be a myth/lie? Why does he FLEE in terror at the name of that which he allegedly created? Is it all just an elaborate self-defeating act he’s putting on? Why would he author something that would cause him to always take two steps back for every step he attempts to take forward?
Why is the name of Jesus profaned? No one goes around using Buddha’s name as a swear word. No one goes around mocking Confucius. No one forbids the name of Mohammad in public. ALL other famous world leaders – religious or otherwise – are accepted without reservation. However, ONLY the name of Yeshua/Jesus/Isa (etc.) is regularly denied and mocked, while those who claim it are heavily persecuted. In fact, MILLIONS have been murdered throughout the centuries for simply claiming a belief in Him. Why? Yeshua/Jesus deniers have NO reasonable explanation for the worldwide, indisputable, historical FACTS concerning the persecution of believers in Yeshua/Jesus.
Over and over again, Scripture tells us that YHWH saves by His “right hand.” His own name Y-H-W-H means “Hand Behold, Nail Behold.” What other possible explanation can there be for that except the nail pierced hands of Yeshua? Isaiah 12:2 says that YHWH is our yeshua (salvation). Coincidence? I think not.
Again, to deny the reality of Yeshua/Jesus Christ is to already show you have no clue what you are talking about. So, while you may have some Scriptures that you believe provide compelling evidence against Him, I’m sorry but you haven’t proven anything other than that you understand neither the Scriptures, nor history.
Great Job! Yeshua smiling in you, at you and through you.
Very well said , Rob. I don’t understand how anyone who believed in Yeshua/Jesus then deny His existence. I would venture to say they really didn’t believe in Him to begin with, how could it be any other way?