Trianon event

I am announcing the upcoming meeting at the Trianon Hotel in Bonita Springs Florida, on this saturday February 21. The gathering time will be at 7:00 p.m. I hope you are able to attend and bring a friend. We look forward to meeting you there.

The message will relate to Jesus and our Jewish roots, with emphasis on the transmission of truth from "his" kingdom message" to the "apostles doctrine." I will also relate about Paul's gospel and show his view from Jewish perspective about the law of God.

Highway 41 in Bonita Springs Florida, intersecting Bay Commons Drive, is the place to arrive. The actual address is 3401 Bay Commons Drive. As usual, we will share some Hebrew words and thoughts to enrich understanding.

Ron

messiah/messias/mashiach

Messias/“mashiach”/messiah)

The word Christ is found often in the English King James Version Bible, being the Greek language term used in translation for the Hebraic concept of anoint/anointed.
The term occurs often in the New Testament section of the Christian Bible. Since Christians also use the Hebrew bible portion, which they call the Old Testament, we can easily found the ancient Hebrew source word that equates the term christ. Before it was rendered into Greek or English, the Hebrew word is משׁיח (mashiach). It’s found in 4 verses of the Christian Bible and translated with spellings of messiah and messias.

In Daniel 9:25, and Daniel 9:26, it was spelled messiah in the K.J.V. The Jewish Publication Society (JPS) rendered it “anointed leader” and “anointed one” in their translation version.

Two other verse locations in the Christian Bible (KJV), are John 1:41 and John 4:25, where a different English spelling is used for the word christ or mashiach. In those examples the spelling was messias.

The Septuagint Greek Version of the Hebrew Torah, made around 285 B.C., also used the Greek term christ, in that oldest Greek version of the bible. Supposedly, it was made by 72 scholars sent from Jerusalem to Alexandria, and for the benefit of the Royal Library there. There is also some indication that the growing Jewish population in Alexandria had become sufficiently hellenized to need a Greek translation of the Hebrew Torah ( 5 books).

In the Hebrew scriptures, the anointing not only applied to objects, kings, prophets, or things set apart, but also to authority figures chosen of God to lead His people. We even have an example of a pagan king named Cyrus (Khoresh), who didn’t know the Lord, but was anointed with authority and chosen of God to shepherd Israel (see Isaiah 45:1, למשׁיחוֹ, for His messiah/anointed).

There is a need for Christians to understand that the Hebraic concept of mashiach exists yet today among Jews, and is one of 13 basic principles of Judaism. But, Jews do not employ the Greek term christ to express that concept, and they do not believe that Jesus fulfilled the requirements. This writing is an attempt to relate when the term cristos (christ) had its beginning in scriptures, and shows how Hebrew concepts impacted the Greek world and Christianity.

If the Septuagint Greek translation of the Torah, had never been made,
the concept of messiah, would never have been expressed with the Greek term christ, except perhaps in a Greek speaking world when Christianity was first introduced. That appears to be exactly what has happened.

Some Christians think that the term mashiach or messiah/messias, is only a reference to Jesus, or originates only from the Greek New Testament term cristos (anointed). But the Hebrew Bible has numerous verses using the Hebrew term, and refers to others, and not Jesus; and in one case, the plural term is used of the sons of Aaron, showing that more than one messiah (anointed one) operated simultaneouslyהכּוֹהנים המּשׁוּחים (anointed PRIESTS), in Numbers 3:3.

Leviticus 4:3 mentions the “anointed priest” (K.J.V.), הכּהן המּשׁיח, (haKohen haMashiach or “the anointed kohen/priest”). In some sense every Levitical priest in the Hebrew Bible was a messianic type figure; a christ, if we dare to use Septuagint Greek terms. Matter of fact, Leviticus 4:5, and 4:16, also refer to each priest by the Hebrew term mashiach, and with the Hebrew direct article; “The.”

It’s also true of Leviticus 6:22. which even names sons of the priests with terms
הכּהן המשׁיח the Lord’s anointed, which in Greek would be the Lord’s Christ.

Thus, the first individual(s) in the bible to be designated or specifically linked to the term “mashiach” (messiah), were Israelite priests who literally had holy oil placed upon them.

In Lamentations 4:20, “the anointed of the Lord,” משׁיח יהוֹה(Mashiach Yehovah); is a possible reference to King Josiah, who was killed by Egyptian archers (see 2Chronicles 35:23-25). In the Septuagint, the terms used are “ho christos”. Some think it could also be a reference to captive Israel, after considering verses like Psalm 105:14-15, "mashicho" ; which refer to collective Israel; Gods anointed.

Other verses refer to both kings Saul and David as anointed (christ in the Septuagint, the mashiach in the Hebrew version).

Many verses indicate that King Saul was the Lord’s anointed (mashiach). See
1Samuel 24:10 (24:7) and 12:3, 12:5, and 1Samuel 24:6.

King David is also referred to as the Lords anointed with the terms mashiach in the Hebrew text, and christos in the Greek text. See Psalm 84:9, 89:38, 89:51, 132:10, and Psalm 132:17.

Thus, we have in the Hebrew bible: 1. the mashiach/ messiah priests, plural 2. the mashiach/messiah priest, 3. an individual mashiach/messiah spoken of twice in Daniel, 4. King Saul a mashiach/messiah anointed by a prophet, 5. King David, three times anointed with holy oil, 6. Cyrus a Persian king משׁיחוֹ (His anointed),
mashiach/messiah, 7. A reference in Lamentations 4:20, יהוֹה משׁיח (mashiach Yehovah), the anointed of the Lord.

Pointing out these things establish that certain phraseology was employed long before the Christian doctrine regarding Jesus came into being. It also shows that Hebrew to Greek translators of the Septuagint did not attach divine worship to any person described by the terms “christ” or “the christ,” (or messiah). Only in the case of Cyrus and kings, who were God’s mashiach to Israel, and who were literal kings, was subjection and obeisance the normal. Respect and honor was certainly shown all leaders and teachers, but no anointed person was worshipped as Divine.

In the case of the priests, who were reverenced as Gods anointed, prayers and worship were never at any time directed to them personally. The Jewish understanding was, and is; that an anointed person was never to be worshipped as God. Neither was any human worshipped by devout Jews, as a Divine being.

In Jewish thought, the messiah is not to take the place of God, rather he is supposed to be Gods instrument to usher in a world peace that makes the nations turn their swords into plowshares and spears into pruninghooks (see Isaiah 2). He shall judge among the nations and rebuke many people. Neither shall they learn war any more. This will be in a time when the literal walls of God’s House will be rebuilt and the nations shall say; Let us go up to the mountain of the House of the Lord, to the House of the God of Jacob, and he (mashiach) will teach us of God’s ways.

Not only did Isaiah foresee and foretell that Jerusalem and Tzion, would be the place from which the Torah (law) of the Lord, and the word of God, would go forth to all the earth, but Micah 4:2 expresses the exact same. Thus, we have the witness of two Hebrew prophets, expressing coming messianic events. Jewish sages agree that those are messianic prophecies that the anointed of the Lord will perform. Ibn Ezra went so far as to say that messiah will preside at the Temple in Jerusalem (see Artscroll Mesorah comments on Micah 4:2).

It matters little that we try to tell our Jewish friends that Jesus will fulfill those prophecies at his second coming. They just point out that he failed the first time, since the last 2,000 years have been filled with wars and bloodshed, and the Temple is not yet restored. Nevertheless, they hold hope for the coming mashiach, and though he tarry, they yet await him. I heard a cute story told once about an honest Jews comment to a Christian, who told him that messiah had already come and it was Jesus. The Jew replied; “I’m going to ask mashiach when he comes; have you been here before?”

A final thought based upon my scriptural research should be added here, since it relates well to the subject of mashiach or “anointed” ones.

In my studies I learned an amazing thing regarding the life of King David. I found him to be the only person in the Hebrew Bible that was literally anointed three times with holy oil. The first anointing was mentioned in 1Samuel 16:13, when David was a shepherd, and the Spirit of the Lord rested on David from that time.

The second literal anointing was made upon David, by the men of Judah when they made him ruler over the House of Judah as recorded in 2Samuel 2:4).

The third literal anointing was given in Hebron, according to 2Samuel 5:3, when the tribes of Israel and its elders anointed David to rule over them.

The first anointing was a prophetic anointing, to watch God’s flock (people).
The second anointing was a King’s-to rule.
The third anointing was to unify and consolidate God’s people (kingdom).

Wow! No body ever had such grace and choseness bestowed upon them by God and God’s people. I wonder, is that why messiah/mashiach will be called the son of David? Hmmm. Something to think about. An anointed, with greater qualifications than king David.

These leads me to another point. Psalm 2:6 in the K.J. Version reads: Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Tzion. In my studies I have never found a king or anybody yet in biblical history, anointed on mount Zion. You see the Hebrew terms; “vah ani nasachti malchi al tzion” ( עַל־ציוֹן ואני נסכתי מלכי

Another translation actually changes the verse quite a bit. “ And I have anointed My king on Tzion.” The sages know when the Spirit of the Lord spoke through the prophets, they would speak in the first or second person and various tenses.

So, there must be a future anointing on mount Zion which will exceed the triple anointing of King David. Wow! When and who? What hath God wrought?

Finally, Jesus himself spoke considerably of false christs who would appear in Matthew 24:4-5. Likewise in Matthew 24:23-24, he mentioned false christs and false prophets, and warned about such religious deception.

The terms false christs and christ, in his warnings are quite serious, and indicate much religious deception which will lead people away from truth and into error.
Christian prophecy preachers all seem to relate such verses to end time scenarios, and even use the term anti christ in a more specific sense, to refer to those of non christian views.

Fact is, that in the epistle of John (1John 2:18-19), the author also describes an antichrist, as a spirit affecting plural persons; people who began in the Christian faith, left the group and its apostolic teaching, and no longer continued in the faith delivered unto the early church. By using the terms “many antichrists”, it’s more of a reference to people who wilfully leave the faith, and are led into deception, rather than a “man of sin,” who deceives all the nations as pointed out in some verses in the Revelation.