Posted on 12/16/2018 9:27:46 AM PST by SeekAndFind
More and more scholars are becoming skeptical of Messianic prophecy in the Hebrew Bible—that is, the Old Testament. Michael Rydelnik notes that “Although evangelical scholarship still recognizes that there is something messianic about the Hebrew Bible, for the most part it sees it as a story that finds its climax in Jesus, not as predictions that Jesus of Nazareth fulfilled” (Rydelnik, The Messianic Hope, 3-4). Yet, such skepticism is not justified. Sure, some passages in the Hebrew Bible have been stretched beyond its scope, something that can become a dangerous trend. Nevertheless, certain passages in the Hebrew Bible enjoy a status of being both Messianic in context and in its history.
One such Messianic prophecy is found in Isaiah 7:14. Four schools of thought have developed on how one should interpret Isaiah 7:14. Some hold to direct fulfillment indicating that the text only speaks to the fulfillment found in Messiah. Others hold to a historical fulfillment which claims that the text only addresses a birth of a child in Isaiah’s day. A third view holds to a double fulfillment in that the prophecy was fulfilled to a degree in Isaiah’s day and later in the Messiah. A fourth view is espoused by Arnold Fruchtenbaum. He calls it double reference (Fruchtenbaum, Yeshua, 364). A double reference “states that the one piece of Scripture actually contains two prophecies, each having its own fulfillment” (Fruchtenbaum, Yeshua, 364). After researching the passage, I must agree that in Isaiah 7:14 one finds a double reference. Although Isaiah 7:14 is among the most controversial of Messianic prophecies (Rydelnik, The Messianic Hope, 147), several good reasons exist to accept the prophecy as Messianic in scope.
1. King Ahaz and House of David. To understand the passage, one must understand the chapter in which Isaiah 7:14 is found. Isaiah comes to King Ahaz while Ahaz and King Rezin of Aram and King Pekah of Israel were reigning. Yahweh (the personal name for God) tells Isaiah to bring his son Shear-jashub with him to meet Ahaz (Is. 7:3). Yahweh speaks to Isaiah again telling him to ask Ahaz for a sign (7:10-11) but Ahaz refuses (7:12). After Ahaz refuses, Isaiah turns his attention to the house of David (7:13) asking if they would try the patience of Yahweh. It is then that Isaiah delivers the Immanuel prophecy. From keeping the text in context, Yahweh through Isaiah is addressing two distinct groups of people. On the one hand, he is addressing King Ahaz. On the other hand, he is addressing the house of David. The Immanuel prophecy is given to the house of David and not to King Ahaz. King Ahaz’s sign was found in Isaiah’s son Shear-jashub who already reached the age of accountability and chose to do what was right. Ahaz was much older and still chose to do what was evil. Thus, Ahaz’s kingdom was coming to an end.
2. Singular and Plural Language. A close examination of the Hebrew text shows a difference in the language used directed toward Ahaz as opposed to the house of David. When Isaiah is addressing Ahaz, he uses singular language and uses plural language when speaking to the house of David. As Fruchtenbaum noted earlier, the text appears to be giving two differing prophecies—one to Ahaz and one to the house of David. Since the Immanuel prophecy is directed to the house of David, it is not necessary to hold that the prophecy only addresses Ahaz and even his time.
3. Present and Future Language. In the Immanuel prophecy, Isaiah uses the Hebrew imperfect verb yitten, which means “he will give,” to describe the timing of the prophecy. The imperfect verb in Hebrew describes something that is incomplete and will transpire at some point in the future. Thus, the sign for the house of David was a sign given by God to transpire at some point in the future. When? The text does not say. Therefore, it is completely appropriate to think that the text could find its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus the Messiah.
4. ‘Almah and Parthenos. The Revised Standard Version translation made a great deal of waves in the Christian community when it translated ‘almah as “young woman” instead of the classical translation of “virgin.” Does the term refer to a young woman or a virgin? The answer is both. ‘Almah is almost always used in the Hebrew Bible to denote a young woman who has just reached the age of marriage who had not yet wed. ‘Almah is used in the following passages in the Hebrew Bible: 1) Gen. 24:43 used of Rebekah; 2) Ex. 2:8 used of Miriam, Moses’s sister; 3) Ps. 68:25 used in the divine royal procession, the virgins symbolize purity; 4) So. 1:3 refers to the purity in marriage; 5) So. 6:8 contrasts the purity of virginity with the impurity of concubines; 6) Pr. 30:18-19 also contrasts virginity with adultery; and 7) in Is. 7:14 (Fruchtenbaum, Yeshua, 364-365). In Jewish culture, a young woman who just reached the age of marriage most certainly implied the woman’s virginal status. The translators of the Septuagint (LXX) understood this to be the case. The LXX translates ‘almah in Isaiah 7:14 with the Greek term parthenos which most certainly means “virgin.”
5. Current and Future Understanding. Isaiah connects the birth of the child from Isaiah 7:14 to the prophecies given in 9:6-7 and in 11:1-10. Thus, the prophet took the view at the time the prophecy was given that this promised child would come at some point in the future. This child would be linked intrinsically with God in some fashion. But not only did Isaiah understand the prophecy in this way, others did also. Micah is one such example. Micah, a contemporary of Isaiah’s, linked his prophecy in some sense with that of Isaiah 7:14. Micah notes that “Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are small among the clans of Judah; one will come from you to be ruler over Israel for me. His origin is from antiquity, from ancient times” (Mi. 5:2). As already noted, the translators of the LXX understood Isaiah 7:14 to refer to a virgin in the 100s BC. Therefore, Isaiah 7:14 was recognized to be Messianic, or at least more prophetic than some modern scholars, as well as by early Christians, such as Matthew 1:23.
Isaiah 7:14 is a glorious passage that prophesies the birth of a royal, divine king that was to be born in the most miraculous of fashions. In our attempt to properly interpret the Bible, let us not be drawn to a hyper-skepticism that very well could combat the very thinking of the writers of the New Testament. They held the text to be Messianic not because they made it that way, but because that was the prophetic intention of the text.
Sources
Fruchtenbaum, Arnold G. Yeshua: The Life of Messiah from a Messianic Jewish Perspective. Volume One. San Antonio, TX: Ariel, 2017.
Rydelnik, Michael. The Messianic Hope: Is the Hebrew Bible Really Messianic? NAC Studies in Bible & Theology. Edited by E. Ray Clendenen. Nashville: B&H Academic, 2010.
Wrong, wrong, right.
You're preaching the modern, church-of-iniquity, leavened version of scripture. What it preaches is very dangerous. It will cause many, many souls to be lost to Satan. It's one of the primary reasons the nation, and world, is in the shape it's in.
...let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them. For I tell you truly, until heaven and earth pass away, not a single jot, not a stroke of a pen, will disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished...
Of course, if someone is truly in Christ, then the Law is written on their hearts and inscribed in their minds. And though they may often fail, will atone for their transgressions, and rededicate themselves to overcoming their weaknesses.
There are many confirmations to this in scripture. Just one simple scripture which contains much hidden meaning:
The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
- James 5:16
Peace...
P.S. Check out the following. You may find it also of interest in your, hopefully, continued pursuit of knowledge of God:
The Didache (Koine Greek: teaching), short for " Teaching of the Lord to the Gentiles by the Twelve Apostles," is a short early Christian treatise containing instructions for Christian communities. The text, believed by many to have been written prior to A.D. 150.
Great read. Very informative. Fer sure interesting.
Merry Christmas!
See the link below to an interesting discussion on another thread:
https://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/3713919/posts?page=23
So, what's your definition of scripture?
#NotAGotcha
It seems to me to contradict John 3:16 and impose legalism in the place of grace...
It's not contradictory at all.
An actual contradiction is the claim one believes in Christ, but doesn't follow his commandments. Not directing this at you, but it is what's being preached in many churches today.
Right inline with the prophecy from 2 Timothy:
3For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires.
Yeshua's words recorded in John 14:
15If you love Me [i.e, believe in me], you will keep My commandments.
Now for the rest of the story, as Paul Harvey would say:
John 3:16:
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
shall not perish
Think back to what Paul said, as recorded in 1 Cor. 15:
51Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed
What is Paul saying here? He's telling us that those in Christ, present at the time of his second coming, will receive their heavenly bodies without the need to die/perish.
Only two people have ever been taken up to heaven, not having to die first: Enoch and Elijah. But even they will return someday, according to scripture, to die and then be resurrected.
This will indeed be a world shaking event, as will those living in Christ who are taken up.
Affirmation of this is in the words of Yeshua as recorded in John 14:
I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and welcome you into My presence, so that you also may be where I am.
So in layman's terms, Christ/Jesus, who's spoken Hebrew name is Yeshua, has made a new arrangement for those who are in him (i.e., believe in him).
Not taking this into consideration has caused much consternation between the different religions, which I may get into later.
For now, back to John 3:16, read it again, taking into consideration what we have now reviewed:
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Matt: 22:35 One of them, a legal expert, tested him. 36 “Teacher, what is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
37 He replied, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, and with all your mind. 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: You must love your neighbor as you love yourself. 40 All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.”
John 14:15: If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
John 15:10: If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love.
Here is a question you may be able answer. Did Jesus speak real Hebrew or Aramaic Hebrew?
Here's something I posted on the other thread: https://freerepublic.com/focus/religion/3713919/posts?page=57#57
Matt. 13:12 Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.
1 John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome, 4because everyone born of God overcomes the world.
True story, first hand account:
A young man saw a woman broken down on the side of a turnpike in a major city. She looked desperate, so he pulls over to assist. She needs a battery. She had no money.
He took her to the nearest auto parts store and bought her a $80 battery out of his own pocket. He then took her and the battery back to her car, on the side of the turnpike, and installed it for her. Car started, and after thanking him, she drove off.
Short while later, the young man goes into Burger King, buys a hamburger and coke. Checking to see if he won anything, he scratches off the hidden number on the soda cup. Discovers he's won $10,000!
Coincidence, karma, or the Holy Spirit? I like to think Holy Spirit. Expect to be rewarded here and in the hereafter.
God isn't dead. His power is real and he shares it with us.
2 Tim 3
Evil in the Last Days
1But understand this: In the last days terrible times will come. 2For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3unloving, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, without love of good, 4traitorous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5having a form of godliness but denying its power. Turn away from such as these!
Good luck, and may God bless ya!
:)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.