Tag Archives: Genesis

Jacob’s Prophecy to the Christians (pt 2)

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48:16, Multitude in the midst of the earth. The ArtsScroll Stone Edition Tanakh translates this verse as follows:

“‘May the angel who redeems me from all evil bless the lads, and may my name be declared upon them, and the names of my forefathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they [Ephraim and Manasseh] proliferate abundantly like fish within the land.’

Onkelos renders this verse as follows:

‘And like the fish of the sea may they multiply among the children of men on earth’ … The literal translation of VDS/dalet-gimel-hey [dagah] refers to procreation … [and] the word essentially denotes fish (The ArtScroll Bereishis/Genesis Commentary p. 2117, emphasis added).

What religious group on earth today has spread out across the face of the earth into all nations and has proliferated a message of Redemption pertaining to a Messenger of YHVH involving a cross-symbol resembling the ancient paleo-Hebrew letter tav and a fish symbol?

 

Jacob’s Prophecy to the Christians (pt 1)

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Genesis 46:14 and 16, Jacob’s Prophecy Over Ephraim and Manasseh

While prophesying over Joseph’s sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, Jacob crossed his hands over their heads making the symbol of the paleo-Hebrew letter tav  (like the letter t or x in the alphabet), which resembles a cross and in that ancient Hebraic script and pictographically means “sign of the covenant.” Jacob then spoke of the Heavenly Messenger (the Hebrew word malak mistranslated as “angel” in most Bibles) of YHVH (i.e., the preincarnate Yeshua) who had redeemed him from all evil (see Gen 31:11–13). Jacob then prophesied that the descendants of Ephraim and Manasseh would become like “fish in the midst of the land” (literal translation of Gen 48:14–16; see The ArtScroll Stone Edition Tanach).

In light of this prophetic symbolism, which present day religious group would qualify as having fulfilled Jacob’s prophecy as to who the descendents of Ephraim and Manasseh would be? Which religion on earth uses the fish as their symbol, speaks of a Messenger from YHVH as their Redeemer, and has the sign of the paleo-Hebrew letter tav, which looks like a cross? The Buddhists? The Moslems? The Hindus? Even the Jews? No! Only Christianity fits this enigmatic criteria.

Many Christians are without a doubt the literal descendants of Ephraim and Manasseh. Those who are not, according to the Apostle Paul, once they come to saving faith in Yeshua in some unique sense become the descendants of Abraham (e.g., Gal 3:7,29). Many of these unsaved descendants of Abraham will recognize Yeshua their Messiah on the day that he returns to Jerusalem (e.g., Zech 12:10).

 

The “Two” Messiahs of the Old Testament

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The Scriptures Reveal Two Messiahs Are to Come:
One Who Will Be Like Joseph and One Who Will Be Like David

Let’s note a startling statement from Orthodox Jewish sources: Mesorah Publications The ArtScroll Bereishis, vol. 1(b) states in its commentary on Genesis 48:19 regarding Ephraim:

“R. Munk explains: ‘while it is true that the dispersion [of the descendants of Ephraim and Manasseh] was caused by the unfaithfulness and sinfulness of Ephraim’s descendants (Hos 7:8ff), Jacob’s blessing was not in vain for “they will return to God” and will have their share in the world to come (Sanhedrin 110b).’ And R. Eliezer adds: ‘Even the darkness in which the Ten Tribes were lost will one day become as radiant as the day’ (according to the version of Avos d’Rabbi Nosson 36). And in the perspective of history, did not these exiled children of the Patriarchs enlighten the nations among whom they were scattered? They did so by teaching their conquerors the fundamental ideas of the knowledge and love of God, ideals they had never forsaken. Hence they too have a messianic vocation and their Messiah, the Mashiach ben Yosef, Messiah son of Joseph (Succah 52a), also called Messiah son of Ephraim (Targum Yonasan on Exodus 40:11), will play an essential role in humanity’s redemption, for he will be the precursor of the Mashiach ben David, Messiah Son of David. It is therefore not surprising to find that the prophet Jeremiah (3:12) speaks affectionately of Ephraim. In this light, Jacob’s words, ‘his offspring’s fame will fill the nations nation,’ assume the significance of a blessing” (pp. 2121–2122). (emphasis added)

What the Jewish sages are saying here is that Messiah the Son of Yosef/Joseph—the Messiah whose coming precedes that of Messiah the Son of David—is the Messiah that causes the house of Ephraim (that is the ten northern tribes of Israel, many of whose descendants are currently found within the Christian church) to return to YHVH. Yeshua (Jesus), the son of Joseph, of whom the life and ministry of Joseph, the son of Jacob, was an antetype or prophetic shadow picture, is the very Messiah, unbeknownst to them, of whom they speak.

In Jewish literature, the Messiah whose life would resemble Joseph was referred to as the suffering servant or “Messiah Son of Joseph” (Mashiach Ben Joseph), while the Messiah whose life and ministry would resemble David was referred to as warrior king or “Messiah Son of David” (Mashiach Ben David). The Jewish sages came to this conclusion because when reading the messianic prophecies in the Tanakh (OT) they saw two different, even conflicting Messiahs whose roles were very different from each other. What was not known by the ancient Jewish sages, and was a subject of much debate, was which Messiah would come first, when he would come, would he be the same person or two different individuals, and how much time would separate the two comings.

For believers in Yeshua, this does not seem like a dilemma, for we look back in time and can see clearly that Yeshua fulfilled the Suffering Servant role at his first coming, and will fulfill the Conquering King role at this second coming. But two thousand years ago, without the benefit of historical perspective, this was not so easy a matter to figure out. Even the disciples were at times in a quandary as to which mission Yeshua was to fulfill as evidenced by their last question to him before his final ascension, “Will you at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 2:6).

Let’s review some of the passages in the Tanakh that point to the two different Messiahs:

Messiah Son of Joseph

  • The Suffering Servant will die a martyrs death for the sins of his people (Isa 52:13–53:12).
  • In the end of times, the Jews will look upon him whom they pierced and mourn for him as one mourns for his only son (Zech 12:9–10).
  • Verse one of Psalm 22 are some of the last words to come out of Yeshua’s mouth while he hung dying on the cross. This psalm predicts certain aspects of the Suffering Servant Messiah’s ministry.
  • John 1:45 may be a double entendre allusion to Yeshua as being not only the (adopted) son of Joseph, the husband of Mary, but to his being Messiah Son of Joseph as well.

Messiah Son of David

  • He will restore righteous government in Jerusalem (Isa 1:26)
  • He shall judge the nations (Isa 2:4)
  • All on earth shall worship him (Isa 2:17).
  • He shall rule the earth and destroy the wicked (Isa 11:4).
  • Under his rulership, all Israelites will be restored to their homeland (Isa 11:12).
  • Matthew 9:27; 12:23; 15:22; 20:30, 31; 21:9,15; 22:42 are references to the expectations of the Jewish followers of Yeshua that he was Messiah Son of David.
 

Joseph—An Inspiring Example

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Genesis 45:5,7,8, Elohim sent me. Joseph was sold into slavery at age 17, was freed from prison and made ruler of Egypt at age 30, then seven years of plenty followed, and two years of famine had passed by the time he was reunited with is brothers.

Only after 22 years in Egypt did Joseph finally figure out Elohim’s grand and wonderful plan for his life, and how it involved the saving of his family. Had Joseph lost faith along the way, become embittered over his misfortunes, and turned from Elohim, the nation of Israel may have never been preserved.

Keeping one’s eyes on Elohim, and refusing to lose faith during the dark times can yield some amazingly triumphant outcomes, as we learn from the life of Joseph.

 

Prophesied Long Ago: The Conflict Between Moslems, Jews and Christians

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(This post is an excerpt from a larger article Natan has written entitled, “Is America in End-Time Bible Prophecy,” which is available at http://www.hoshanarabbah.org/pdfs/america.pdf.)

Who Are the Ancestors of the Modern Arabs? Bible Prophecy Will Repeat Itself in the End Times.

Genesis 36. Esau and his army stood in the way preventing Jacob from returning to his homeland. This event is prophetic of what will happen in the end times.

We have already identified who the sons of Jacob are, how they were divided into two camps, or two houses, and two kingdoms (the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Israel). But who are the descendants of Esau?

Many, if not most of the modern Moslems (especially the Arabs) trace their lineage back if not biologically then spiritually to Ishmael, the son of Abraham by Hagar. Islam in its holy book, the Koran, claims that it was Abraham and Ishmael who founded the religion of Islam and built the Kaaba, which is the small building containing a stone that supposedly fell from heaven. This shrine is located in the midst of great mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Of Ishmael and his descendents, the Bible prophesies in Genesis 16:11–12,

The angel of YHVH said to her further, “Behold, you are with child, And you shall bear a son; and you shall call his name Ishmael, because YHVH has given heed to your affliction. And he will be a wild donkey of a man, his hand will be against everyone, and everyone’s hand will be against him; and he will live to the east of all his brothers.”

The Koran has further twisted the biblical account to teach declare that the patriarchs were Mulims and that Abraham gave the birthright blessing to Ishamael instead Isaac. Both Israelites and Arabs, therefore, believe that they have a right to the Promised Land of Canaan, and, hence, this disagreement roots of the modern Arab-Israeli conflict.

The Scriptures further record that Esau (Edom), the disinherited son of Isaac, also had ought against his brother Jacob, who, in a sense, stole the birthright promise from him. Furthermore, Esau married the daughter of Ishmael (Gen 28:9). Thus, some of Ishmael’s and Esau’s descendants merged becoming a people-group who had a jealous feud with the sons of Jacob or Israel.

The Bible has more to say prophetically about the descendants of Esau, who scripturally are referred to as Edom (Esau’s alternate name) than about those of Ishmael. Edom is portrayed as an aggressive and bloodthirsty people who are opposed to Israel at every step. We will discover what the Scripture have to say about this below.

In the mean time, let’s take a closer look at Edom.

  • Esau and Edom (meaning “red”) are synonymous (see Gen 25:25, 30; 36:1, 8–9, 19, 43).
  • Esau intermarried with the descendants of Ishmael (Gen 28:9).
  • Seir is another name for the land of Edom (Gen 32:3; 33:16; 36:8).
  • Esau intermarried with the people of Canaan (Gen 36:2). He intermarried with the Hittites, the Hivites, as well as the Ishmaelites.
  • His descendants included the Amalekites (Gen 36:12, 16) who fought against the Children of Israel upon leaving Egypt and as soon as they had entered the wilderness en route to the Promised Land (Exod 17:1).
  • Esau’s sons were dukes or chieftains (leaders of clans) and kings (Gen 36:15–16, 40–43).
  • Although Esau’s direct lineage was confined to the area of the traditional land of Edom, it is clear from the biblical record that he and his descendants intermarried with many of the neighboring nations, so that his descendants were scattered far and wide over the region that later became known as the Holy Land.

The entire one-chapter Book of Obadiah is a prophecy against Edom. Let’s note several key points in this prophecy that might help us to understand some things about Edom in light of end-time Bible prophecy. This will in turn help us to understand end-time world politics and give us a further clue in identifying America in prophecy. Let’s analyze some key verses in Obadiah in light of end-time events.

Verse 2, The descendants of Edom are greatly despised (scorned, held in contempt, disdained).

Verse 3, They dwell in the clefts (places of concealment, retreats) of the rocks, they are proud and view themselves as invincible.

Verse 4, YHVH promises to bring Edom down.

Verse 7, Edom has a confederacy (league, alliance) of nations, which include many of the modern Moslem and Arab nations.

Verse 11, Edom’s eyes are on Jerusalem. Edom along with his foreign allies will cast lots for Jerusalem (seek to divide it among the nations/religions of the world as an international city under the control of the United Nations?).

Verse 13, Edom has entered into the gates of the land of Israel in the day of her calamity/disaster.

Verse 14, Edom will kill Jewish refugees trying to escape the land of Israel in her time of distress.

Verse 15, The time frame of the fulfillment of these prophecies is “near” the day of YHVH, when he will judge Edom and the other heathen nations.

Verse 16, Edom will be drinking (celebrating?) on the Temple Mount/YHVH’s “holy mountain,” and as a result, they shall drink the cup of YHVH’s wrath.

Verse 17, The house of Jacob will get the Temple Mount back!

How many descriptions of the modern Palestinian and other Islamo-terrorists do we see in Obadiah? What other people-group fits this description? Is Edom a picture of many modern-day Palestinians and their Moslem backers who hate the Jews, the state of Israel and America?

We have learned who Jacob represents in end-time prophecy. Now we learn who Jacob’s descendants’ arch-enemy will be and who will attempt to prevent them from returning to the land of Israel. This will happen in the end times before the coming of the Messiah. We will learn more about this later.

 

Men Wearing Earrings

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Genesis 35:4, Strange gods …earrings. Strange in Hebrew is “foreign/alien gods/mighty ones.” Before going up to Bethel to worship before Elohim, Jacob instructed the men to put away their idols and remove their earrings, which this passage links to idol worship. It was acceptable for women to wear earrings (Ezek 16:12), but here, strange gods and earrings are linked.

These rings were not worn as mere ornaments, but for superstitious purposes; perhaps as amulets or charms, first consecrated to some false god, or formed under some constellation, and stamped with magical characters. Maimonides mentions rings and jewels of this kind, with the image of the sun, moon, etc., impressed upon them; and Augustine describes them (Epist. 73,) as used for this execrable purpose.

In the Scriptures, men wearing earrings is often connected to paganism. Note the following Bible passages:

And Aaron said unto them, “Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.” And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, “These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.” (Exod 32:2)

 

And Gideon said unto them, “I would desire a request of you, that ye would give me every man the earrings of his prey.” (For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.) And they answered, “We will willingly give them.” And they spread a garment, and did cast therein every man the earrings of his prey. And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was a thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold; beside ornaments, and collars, and purple raiment that was on the kings of Midian, and beside the chains that were about their camels’ necks. And Gideon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city, even in Ophrah: and all Israel went thither a whoring after it: which thing became a snare unto Gideon, and to his house. (Judg 8:24–27)

 

Coming Before Elohim

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Genesis 35:2, Foreign gods. Heb. teraphim. (See notes at Gen 31:19.) The necessary prerequisites to coming up to Bethel (Heb. the house of El/God) included: the putting away of the pagan idols that were among Jacob’s family members, purifying or cleansing oneself (physically and ceremonially), and changing into clean clothing (v. 2), removing jewelry with any pagan connotations (v. 4).

Bethel, according to the Jewish sages, was where the Temple of Solomon was eventually built (i.e., the Temple Mount).

Because of this act of consecration, “the terror/fear of Elohim” came upon the Canaanite inhabitants of surrounding region (v. 5).

What is the lesson here? There are two. When coming into the presence of Elohim, we would be prudent to consecrate ourselves, for Elohim is in heaven, and we are on earth; therefore, let us be careful not to offer up the sacrifice of fools (see Eccl 5:1–2). And then, let us walk righteously and cleanly before Elohim, devoid of all pagan appearances and practices, and uncleanliness of all kind, including coming before him unbathed and wearing dirty clothing.