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Showing posts with label Messianic prophecies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Messianic prophecies. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 23, 2025

The First Three Letters of the Bible

 

In Genesis 1:1, the first word of the Bible, in Hebrew, is בְּרֵאשִׁית which is transliterated as bare sit or b'rei-sheeth.  The first letter is ב (bet), the second letter is ר (resh), and the third letter is א (alef). The English-language name of the book is Genesis, from its Greek name, Γένεσις. Its Hebrew name is the same as its first word, Bereshit, “in beginning.”

Some Christian commentators have noticed and commented on this as a statement of the Trinity in the first word of the Bible. Others see it as merely an interesting coincidence.

            בן         Ben (son)

            רִיחַ       Ruach (spirit, breath, wind)

            אֱלֹהִ֑ים    Elohim (God, a name in plural form)

            Religious Jews reject this understanding as heretical, believing that the very essence of their religion is monotheistic; God is one, not plural. They understand the plural name of God, Elohim, as expressing the majesty of God, as in the phrase "holy, holy, holy," with each "holy" adding to the emphasis or strength of the word.

            An objection to the idea of Jesus or the Trinity being mentioned in the Old Testament is seen here:  https://gsgriffin.com/2017/07/29/the-bereshit-jesus-in-genesis-argument-has-no-merit/#:~:text=Both%20assert%20the%20following%20meanings,covenant%2C%20mark%2C%20cross)
by writer Garrett S. Griffin. Griffin is a Democratic Socialist activist and political writer.

Friday, May 1, 2020

Cleopatra is almost modern


I am not sure who first noticed this so I cannot give attribution. The situation points to an important and seemingly contradictory fact. Though the events related in the Bible  seem to have taken place in great antiquity they can also be seen as having been quite recent,

Think about this set of facts. From the creation of the Great Pyramid of Giza to the life of Cleopatra VII there is a time span of roughly 2520 years. From the lifetime of Cleopatra until the invention of the i-phone is a span of about 2063 years.

Neither Khufu (aka: Cheops, ruled 2589 - 2566 BC), who built the Great Pyramid, or Cleopatra VII Philopator (ruled 51 - 30 BC) is mentioned in the Bible but they are not irrelevant to Bible history.  The Egyptians are prominent in the history of Israel and Cleopatra and her lovers were important in the military battles and intrigues which  led to their enemy, Gaius  Octavius (aka: Octavian),  becoming the first Emperor of the Roman Empire, Augustus.

Emperor Augustus seems to have unknowingly set into motion the events which led  to Jesus being born (Luke 2: 1-5}  in Bethlehem (Beit Lahm, West Bank)  rather than his hometown of Nazareth
(Natzrat, Israel).  Many Christians believe that this  was in fulfillment of the Messianic prophecy given in Micah 5:2.

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Cleopatra's great-great-great-great-great grandmother, also named Cleopatra,  is mentioned in 1 Maccabees 10:57-58,  part of the Apocrypha, which is not given biblical status by Protestants.

Friday, March 18, 2016

Messianic Prophecies from the Old Testament: Today This Scripture Has Been Fulfilled in Your Hearing

Luke 4:16-28New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

The Rejection of Jesus at Nazareth
16 When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
    because he has anointed me
        to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
    and recovery of sight to the blind,
        to let the oppressed go free,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
20 And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” 23 He said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Doctor, cure yourself!’ And you will say, ‘Do here also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.’” 24 And he said, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown. 25 But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; 26 yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. 27 There were also many lepers[a] in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.” 28 When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage.

Footnotes:

Luke 4:27 The terms leper and leprosy can refer to several diseases
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

That the quoted text (from Isaiah 61:1-3) is a Messianic prophecy is evident because Jesus Himself used it in this way.

The scholars who insist that Jesus never identified Himself as the Messiah obviously never read this passage. Why else was the synagogue so quickly filled with rage? They understood exactly what He meant and they believed that He was speaking blasphemy.

Verse 28 says they “were fiiled” ἐπλήσθησαν  with rage. This is from the verb πλήθω I am filled (to the top; to full capacity. )  Strong categorizes the word ἐπλήσθησαν (e-plees-the-san) as V-AIP-3P (verb-aorist indicative passive- third person plural).


In English and many other languages, tense has primarily to do with time. In Koine Greek, tense has primarily to with the type of action. The aorist tense expresses action without any further definition. It carries the idea of sudden action. The people were suddenly filled with rage

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Messianic Prophecies From the Bible: A Jew Will be Born Who Will be the King of the Jews. He Will be Called God, the Father, and The Prince of Peace.


Jews and Christians disagree on whether or  not Isaiah 9:6 is a reference to The Messiah.  Christians see this verse as clearly pointing to Jesus.  Jews insist that we are taking the verse out of context.  They say the verse refers to the birth of Hezekiah (740? – 692? BC/BCE), King of Judah.  Hezekiah cleaned and reopened the Temple.

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”  Isaiah 9:6

Jews number the verse differently (as Isaiah 9:5) and say that the verse should be translated as “For a child has been born to us, a son given to us,  and the authority is upon his shoulder, and the wondrous advisor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, called his name, “the prince of peace.”

A literal word for word translation of the Hebrew words of the verse: “For to us a child is born to us a son is given to and shall be the government on his shoulder and called his name Wonderful Counselor the God mighty the everlasting the Prince of Peace.”  Written ancient Hebrew contains no punctuation marks and all the letters are run together with no spaces between words.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Messianic Prophecies from the Bible: Links to Several Posts


Recently, there has a major burst of interest in the post on this blog about the messianic prophecy of the Star of Bethlehem.  Christians traditionally have believed that the Old Testament is full of references to Jesus and prophecies about Him.  Jewish scholars, of course, deny this and accuse Christians of misinterpreting scripture.  They say that we take words and phrases out of the context of the surrounding text.  Essentially, they are saying that we are practicing eisegesis.

Eisegesis (εἰς, eis, Greek = “into.”) is the process of interpreting a text or portion of text using one's own presuppositions, agendas, or biases. This is commonly referred to as reading your prior suppositions into the text.

Christian biblical scholars stress the need to practice exegesis of biblical texts and not eisegesis.  (Exegesis ἐξηγεῖσθαι (exegeisthai) The English meaning of this Greek word is “to explain,” or “to interpret.”  The idea is that the interpretation comes from within the text. This comes from the etymology of the word: ek (out) plus egeisthai (to lead), “to lead out.”

So, when Christians search the Old Testament for messianic prophecies about Jesus, are we guilty of practicing eisegesis?  The short answer is no and this is because Jesus Himself told us to do this.

“Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” John 5:39

“For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me; for he wrote of me.” John 5:46

“And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.” Luke 24:27

Listed below are the messianic prophecies discussed so far on this blog.  There will be others.  Click on the link to go to the post.

The Star of Bethlehem

He Will be Called Out of Egypt

He is the Light of the World

Herod’s Slaughter of the Children of Bethlehem

He Will Be from Nazareth

They Will Give Him Vinegar for His Thirst

A Prophecy Not Yet Fulfilled

He Will be Sold for Thirty Pieces of Silver

He Will Bring Light to the Lands of Zebulon and Naphtali

He Will Die Among the Wicked But be Buried With a Rich Man

God Has a Son
  
His Body Will Not Decay

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

"Labels" vs "Search This Blog"

To search for specific subjects on this blog, you will find the Labels listing to be much more useful than the Search This Blog Gadget.  The labels are listed at the end of the page.  Messianic prophecies shows 16 posts, light bulb jokes, 38, and moral relativism, 8.

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Messsianic Prophecies: His Body Will Not Decay


“For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.” Psalm 16:10

David is speaking here in the Psalm and many then and now believed that the “holy one” of whom he speaks is David himself.  Holy as in the sense of holiness and being a saint, set apart from the world and dedicated to God.

Hell can be interpreted as separation from God.

Peter, in Acts 2:27, reinterprets the passage as a reference to Jesus’ resurrection.  Most conservative Christians now see this verse as a messianic prophecy.

“Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.” Acts 2:27

Paul also used the verse in the same way.

“Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.”  Acts 13:35

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Messianic Prophecies From the Bible: The Star of Bethlehem


Messianic Prophecies is a recurrent segment in this blog.  To see links to several other posts, click here.

Old Testament:
“I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.” Numbers 24:17

New Testament:
“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”  Matthew 2:1-2

In ancient times, stars and comets were often believed to be heralds of important events.  Stars were also seen as symbols of royal power.

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To see other posts about Messianic prophecies in the Bible, go to the Labels list at the bottom of this page.  The labels are in alphabetical order.  Click on "Messianic Prophecies."

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Messianic Prophecies from the Bible: He Would Die Among the Wicked But Be Buried Among the Wealthy and Powerful


Old Testament Prophecy:
“And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.” Isaiah 53:9

New Testament Fulfillment:
Jesus was crucified and died between two thieves (Luke 23:32-43).  After Jesus’s death, a wealthy Israelite, Joseph of Arimathea (a secret believer and a member of the Sanhedrin; Matthew 27:57, Luke 23:50, Mark 15:43) asked Pontius Pilate for Jesus’ body (Mark 15:43-45).  The fact that Joseph was allowed to speak to Pilate attests to his social prominence.

Joseph and Nicodemus placed Jesus into Joseph’s tomb which Joseph had previously prepared for his own burial. (Matthew 27:59-60, Mark 15:46, Luke 23:53, John 19:38-42.)

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Messianic Prophecies from the Bible: What Is His Son's Name?


Messianic Prophecies is a recurrent segment in this blog.

Old Testament:
“Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell?”  Proverbs 30:4

New Testament:
“And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.” John 3:13

“And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:   And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:16-17

Obviously Jews reject this interpretation.  Here are several of their comments on Proverbs 30:4.



Sunday, January 29, 2012

Messianic Prophecies from the Bible: He Will Be Buried With a Rich Man


“And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.” Isaiah 53:9

“When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple:  He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered.  And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,   And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.” Matthew 27:57-60.

Monday, September 19, 2011

Messianic Prophecies from the Bible: He Would Bring Light to The Lands of Zebulon and Naphtali

Some of the Old Testament Messianic prophecies fulfilled by Jesus have been found after years of study by scholars.  This one was easier to find; so that we would not miss it, Matthew said, "Here is one of them ."


“Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee;  And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.  From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.“ Matthew 4:12-17
 
“Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations. The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.” Isaiah 9:1-2

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Messianic Prophecies from the Bible: He Will Be Sold for Thirty Pieces of Silver

Messianic Prophecies is a recurrent segment in this blog.

Old Testament:
“And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver.”
Zechariah 11:12


New Testament:
“Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.”  Matthew 26:14-16

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Messianic Prophecies from the Bible: A Prophecy Not Yet Fulfilled

The Old Testament Prophecy:
”And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the LORD in the holy mount at Jerusalem.” Isaiah 27:13


The New Testament Prophecy:
”And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” Matthew 24:31



This is a case of a prophecy yet to be fulfilled.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Messianic Prophecies from the Bible: None of His Bones Will be Broken


PROPHECY: 
"He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken."  Psalm 34:20

FULFILMENT:
"But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs:"  John 19:33
"For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken." John 19:36

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Messianic Prophecies from the Bible: They Will Give Him Vinegar for His Thirst

“They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.” Psalms 69:21


“They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted [thereof], he would not drink.
… And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled [it] with vinegar, and put [it] on a reed, and gave him to drink.” Matthew 27:34,48

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Messianic Prophecies from the Bible: He Will Be from Nazareth

"And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene." Matthew 2:23


This Messianic prophecy has no direct counterpart in the Old Testament (TANAKH) and has led some to say it reflects an error in Matthew and others to say that it is a reflection from a lost Jewish scripture. Probably, neither one of these views is correct.

The ancient Jews were zealous, even fierce, protectors of their holy books, and especially the Torah. Hand copies of the books were checked letter by letter for exactness. If any book failed to have the correct word total and letter total, it was discarded. If any one letter was not in the correct sequence, the entire book was discarded. There were no erasers and any corrections or smudges of the letters rendered the books unusable. Because the unusable books were still revered scripture, they were not destroyed, but were placed into sealed chambers (genizah: Hebrew for "hiding place") along with torn or soiled copies and books worn out by constant use. Needless to say, archeologists and biblical scholars jump with joy when one of these chambers is newly discovered.

Back to Matthew 2:23. Instead of a specific “proof text” Old Testament quotation, this verse probably connects the fact that the Nazarenes were held in contempt as unsophisticated country hicks (John 1:46; John 7:52) with the prophecies that the Messiah would be held in contempt (Psalm 22:6-8, 69:9-11, 19-21; Isaiah 53:2-4, 7-9).

This allusion would have been immediately obvious to Matthew’s Jewish readers, even the illiterate ones who had heard the scriptures read thousands of times. It is us modern readers, who don’t really know our Bibles, who have to dig it out. Dinesh D'Souza had it right when he said, "...we live in a religiously illiterate society..."

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Messianic Prophecies from the Bible: The Messiah Will be Born in Bethlehem

“But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, [though] thou be little among the thousands of Judah, [yet] out of thee shall he come forth unto me [that is] to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth [have been] from of old, from everlasting.”
 Micah 5:2



“And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, [in] the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.” Matthew 2:4-6.


“Hath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was?”
 John 7:42

Monday, March 1, 2010

Messianic Prophecies from the Bible: Herod's Slaughter of the Children in Bethlehem

Messianic Prophecies is a recurrent segment in this blog.

Old Testament:

“Thus saith the LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, [and] bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they [were] not.” Jeremiah 31:15.



New Testament:

“Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping [for] her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not." Matthew 2:16-18.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Messianic Prophecies from the Bible: Jesus is the Light of the World

 This may or may not be a messianic prophecy.  My feeling is that it is not, because that could imply that Jesus is a created being. That would be inconsistent with the many other biblical references which teach that Jesus is pre-existent.

Some people feel that the first use of a word in the Bible establishes that word's meaning for the rest of the Bible.  This is highly doubtful and is an unfounded assumption.  Interpretations of words and phrases in the Bible must be derived from the surrounding textual and historical context, from the most usual usage of the word, and from their consistency with the rest of the biblical revelation.

Examples abound of people making unfounded assumptions about biblical words and phrases and, as a result, going off in heretical directions.

Old Testament:
”And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that [it was] good: and God divided the light from the darkness.”
Genesis 1:3-4

New Testament:
“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12