box Identifying the Messiah: Why Jews and Noahides Don't Accept Adon Y'shua as Mashiach

The Earth Belongs to HaShem and the Fullness Thereof.

שמע ישראל ה 'הוא האלוהים שלנו הוא אחד

Shema Yisrael Adonai Elohaynu Adonai Echad
"Hear Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One"

Identifying the Mashiach (Messiah)

Part One: Why Jews and Noahides Don't Accept Adon Y'shua as Mashiach
By Yochanan ben Avraham (John of AllFaith) © 9.1.07 (last updated 7.13.10)

Has Mashiach Come?

The Tanakh gives us the identifiers to recognize Mashiach. If someone has met these qualifications that person is Mashiach. On the other hand if these qualifications have not been met then Mashiach has not come. Here is one of the important sections of prophecy related to Mashiach. Read it carefully. We will discuss each verse below. The Complete Jewish Bible (CJB) presents it this way:

Isaiah 11:1 But a branch will emerge from the trunk of Yishai, a shoot will grow from his roots.
2 The Spirit of ADONAI will rest on him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and power, the Spirit of knowledge and fearing ADONAI
3 he will be inspired by fearing ADONAI. He will not judge by what his eyes see or decide by what his ears hear, 4 but he will judge the impoverished justly; he will decide fairly for the humble of the land. He will strike the land with a rod from his mouth and slay the wicked with a breath from his lips.
5 Justice will be the belt around his waist, faithfulness the sash around his hips.
6 The wolf will live with the lamb; the leopard lie down with the kid; calf, young lion and fattened lamb together, with a little child to lead them.
7 Cow and bear will feed together, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
8 An infant will play on a cobra's hole, a toddler put his hand in a viper's nest.
9 They will not hurt or destroy anywhere on my holy mountain, for the earth will be as full of the knowledge of ADONAI as water covering the sea.
10 On that day the root of Yishai, which stands as a banner for the peoples - the Goyim will seek him out, and the place where he rests will be glorious.
11 On that day Adonai will raise his hand again, a second time, to reclaim the remnant of his people who remain from Ashur, Egypt, Patros, Ethiopia, 'Eilam, Shin'ar, Hamat and the islands in the sea.
12 He will hoist a banner for the Goyim, assemble the dispersed of Isra'el, and gather the scattered of Y'hudah from the four corners of the earth.
13 Efrayim's jealousy will cease - those who harass Y'hudah will be cut off, Efrayim will stop envying Y'hudah, and Y'hudah will stop provoking Efrayim.
14 They will swoop down on the flank of the P'lishtim to the west. Together they will pillage the people to the east - they will put out their hand over Edom and Mo'av, and the people of 'Amon will obey them.
15 ADONAI will dry up the gulf of the Egyptian Sea. He will shake his hand over the [Euphrates] River to bring a scorching wind, dividing it into seven streams and enabling people to cross dryshod.
16 There will be a highway for the remnant of his people who are still left from Ashur, just as there was for Isra'el when he came out from the land of Egypt.

Now, has anyone in history ever fulfilled these very detailed and specific prophecies?

    No, clearly these prophecies have not been fulfilled. Let's look at these one by one:

Verse one: The branch that will emerge from the trunk of Yishai, or as the King James Version (KJV) has it "a rod out of the stem of Jesse" identifies this as a messianic prophecy. Both Jews and Gentiles agree that Isaiah is prophesying about Moshiach here.

Verse two: This verse tells us that the Ruach HaKodesh (the Spirit of Adonai) will rest upon Mashiach and that he will act in the fear (or awe) of HaShem. He will regard himself as the servant of HaShem

    Will Mashiach be HaShem Incarnate as taught by Nicene Christians? Not according to the Tanakh. This key prophecy tells us that Mashiach will perform his tasks in the fear of Adonai. The Hebrew says he will act out of Yir'ah or awe and honor of HaShem. Adonai will bless this very devout leader as a Commander blesses a favored general. I discuss the unbiblical Nicene Christian belief in Y'shua's divinity elsewhere. For now we simply note that Isaiah here presents the Mashiach as a tzaddik or righteous man, not as an incarnation of God.

Verses three and four: One can not read the books of the B'rit Hadashah (New Testament) without seeing the mercy of Adon Y'shua in action. This verse however is speaking of one with the authority to make legal rulings that effects the entire land of Israel. The prophecy says Mashiach "will decide fairly for the humble of the land. He will strike the land with a rod from his mouth and slay the wicked with a breath from his lips." Adon Y'shua never held any political authority nor determined the laws for Am Israel (People Israel).

    Did Adon Y'shua ever sit in legal judgment of anyone during his time on Earth? The closest he came to our knowledge was when the prostitute was taken in the act of adultery. He saved her from being stoned with reason and then added, I do not condemn you either. This was not a legal ruling as described here. It was a spiritual lesson in mercy and hypocrisy.

Verse five: Mashiach will wield great power and smite the land with "the rod of his mouth," and with "the breath of his lips" he will slay the wicked."

    Did Adon Y'shua ever smite or slay anyone or fight the wicked? Clearly he did not. Our adon (master) was not a fighter; he turned the other cheek and allowed himself to be sacrificed. Y'shua taught that those who live by the sword will perish by it. This is hardly the image of the warrior-King of King of Israel foretold by the prophets!

Verses six and seven: This prophecy seems clear enough. HaShem revealed to Noach that with the allowance to eat meat enmity between the various species would begin (Genesis 9:2). Once Mashiach delivers the planet from sin and death (Romans 8:2) this enmity will go away and peace will reign supreme (Romans 8:19) around the planet.

    Has this happened? Is there universal peace among the animals? Would a child be safe playing among wild animals, leading lions as though they were pets? Has the senseless slaughter of billions and billions of animals stopped or even slowed? No. In neither a literal nor a symbolic sense did this happen when Adon Y'shua came nor afterward and this according to the prophet is one of the things Mashiach will accomplish when he comes.

Verse eight: Likewise the suckling child will play in the coils of the asp and not be harmed, the weaned child will put his hand on the basilisk's den without suffering negative consequences.

    Again this obviously is not the case today. A child playing like this will be killed by such mishaps and no loving parent would allow their child to be placed in such danger.

Verse nine: Now notice the implications of these prophecies: "... They shall not hurt nor destroy in all of My holy mountain..." Why? "...for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of HaShem..."

    There is something very important here that is often missed. "They" -- the Gentiles -- will do no more harm to Israel (the holy Mount Zion) and its people because "they" (the Gentiles) will be brought into full knowledge of Adonai and His Torah! This is is already beginning with the emerging "Nazarene" sects and movements (by their various names). Once Mashiach begins his direct work among us these people and others will have their doctrinal errors corrected and as a Great Multitude we will serve HaShem and His Son, our Mashiach (Revelation 7:9). This growing Nazarene movement is far more significant than most suspect thus far.

    Revelation 3:14-19 speaks of the Nicene Church being "vomited out" into the Seven Year Tribulation period as Babylon the Great. 3:20-22 describes how many people will "knock on the door" and be admitted to serve Mashiach. This sorting of the people is already beginning.

    Since the giving of the Sheva Mitzvot B'nei Noach (the Seven Noahide Laws) circa 2704 B.C.E. the Gentiles have had limited knowledge of HaShem and His Torah but as we approach the end of the age those who are sincere are beginning to enter into Way of Y'shua in spirit and in truth (Acts 17:30). Once Mashiach establishes his position on the Judaic Throne the Noahide Gentiles will have "full knowledge" and will bless Israel.

    The people of Israel have not known peace for any extended period of time since 70 CE -- Indeed since the Southern Kingdom of Judah fell to Babylon circa 606 B.C.E.. The primary role of Mashiach is establish Israel.

    Is the world filled with accurate knowledge of HaShem today? Hardly! Apostasy and heresy are epidemic (Revelation 3:14-19). No, a mere thirty years or so after Adon Y'shua HaNatzrati's death, as he himself foretold (Matt 24:1-3) the Holy Mountain (Zion) fell before the Roman conqueror Titus and the Jews were dispersed throughout the world. This prophecy remains unfulfilled.

Verse ten: Again here's the direct prophetic declaration: "...it shall come to pass in that day, that the root of Jesse [Yishai], that standeth for an ensign of the peoples, unto him shall the nations seek; and his resting-place shall be glorious....

    Note that Prophet Isaiah says, "in that day" Mashiach (the root of Yishai/Jesse) will be accepted as the banner around which the Noahide nations will gather. Did the nations rally behind Israel during Adon Y'shua's life or after it? Did they approach Y'shua seeking his counsel? Was Adon Y'shua's position in Israel made glorious? Was he exalted as Shlo'mo (Solomon) was? Or was he beaten, rejected and despised? To understand the significance of this verse and what Mashiach will accomplish consider this Word of HaShem revealed through Prophet Zechariah:

    Zechariah 8:20 ADONAI-Tzva'ot [the Lord of armies] says, 'In the future, peoples and inhabitants of many cities will come; 21 the inhabitants of one city will travel to another and say, "We must go to ask ADONAI's favor and consult ADONAI-Tzva'ot. I'll go too." 22 Yes, many peoples and powerful nations will come to consult ADONAI-Tzva'ot in Yerushalayim and to ask ADONAI's favor.'
    23 ADONAI-Tzva'ot says, 'When that time comes, ten men will take hold - speaking all the languages of the nations - will grab hold of the cloak of a Jew and say, "We want to go with you, because we have heard that God is with you."

    There is an important prophetic point here that is commonly missed. The prophet says "many people" from various lands will go up to Jerusalem seeking counsel from Mashiach. Then in verse 23 another group is mentioned, "ten men." These are different than the Noahide nations of verses 20-22. I discus this important prophecy elsewhere in more detail however these "ten men" have been living among the Noahide nations. They are the descendants of the "Ten Lost Tribes." Under Mashiach the Israelites of the Northern Kingdom (often known collectively as "Ephraim" in the prophecies) will be restored to their ancient Houses as Israel is restored and redeemed (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Romans 11:26). This return to HaShem's favor will necessitate the Ten Houses as well as the Noahide Nations humbling themselves before Judah (the Jews)-- Jeremiah 23:6 -- and the Mashiach who be seated on the Throne of the Judaite David.

    So then, once Mashiach is here the Gentile nations as well as "Ephraim" (the "Ten Lost Houses of Israel") will be accepted into the Theocratic Kingdom of Israel under the authority of Judah, the House of David, and the Mashiach.

    Did this happen when Adon Y'shua was here? No. Instead the Roman Empire crushed Israel and the Jews (Judaites) have been dispersed and persecuted ever since.

Verse eleven: The phrase in that day refers to the time when Mashiach establishes the theocratic Kingdom of HaShem. When this happens, not two thousand plus years later, we will know Moshiach has come. Then through Mashiach "...Adonai will set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people..."

    Did Adon Y'shua restore the dispersed Jews to Israel? We know from the previous verses that once this restoration of Israel happens (it began in earnest in 1948 when Israel reborn) the Gentiles 'will not hurt nor destroy in all of Zion.' (Isaiah 65:25). So no, it clearly did not happen and even today with Israel putting forth leave (Matthew 24:32) Israel faces almost non-stop aggression from its enemies. Again in 70 CE, a mere thirty five years or so after Y'shua's execution Israel fell to the nations and the Jews entered into the most complete diaspora of their history. These prophecies remain unfulfilled.

    Exactly as Adon Y'shua foretold:

    Matthew 24:24 And they [the Jews] shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

    As we will discuss below in more detail, Adon Y'shua did not fulfill the Messianic, but then, he never said he was going to unless certain conditions were met. By the point he spoke his Matthew 24 prophecy he was clear that he would not be establishing the Kingdom at that time.

    Note the phrase, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. Once the Times of the Gentiles are fulfilled, Mashiach will take his throne and the Kingdom will be given to the Restored Twelve Houses of Israel. When will the "times" be completed? When Moshiach comes! Until then they will continue.

    Adon Y'shua confesses that even he did not know when these Times of the Gentiles would end:

    In the King James Version: Mark 13:32 But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.

    In the Complete Jewish Bible: Mark 13:32 However, when that day and hour will come, no one knows -- not the angels in heaven, not the Son, just the Father.

    What we know for certain is that the Times of the Gentiles continue still. We know that even now with Israel reborn globalist powers from the Islamic Ummah, the United States, the European Union and elsewhere are hard at work trying to destroy Israel. We can say therefore with absolute certainty that the messianic prophecies have yet to be fulfilled. What happened during and after Adon Y'shua's life was the exact opposite of what Prophet Isaiah foretells about the Day of the Mashiach.

    This is a big reason what most Jews and Noahides say Y'shua was not the Mashiach of Israel.

Verse twelve: As the KJV has it the Mashiach foreseen by Isaiah "...will set up an ensign for the nations, and will assemble the dispersed of Israel, and gather together the scattered of Judah from the four corners of the earth..."

    Didn't happen. For the first three hundred years following the death and resurrection of Adon Y'shua the followers of the Nazarene Way (both Jews and Noahides) were scattered throughout the known world just trying to surviving the hostile Roman government. There was no ensign of any kind that one can point to and rally around. The non-Way Jews kept to themselves and worked to restructure Judaism while the Way talmidim (students of the Way) became evermore fractured. Untold thousands were executed, many embraced Gnosticism or the Nicolaitan heresies, some converted to non-Way Judaism while others lost faith entirely. But a few struggled to faithfully. By the 300's the Nicolaitan Heresy had unified itself into Nicene Catholicism, certainly not the foretold banner of HaShem as it led the talmidim away from the Torah and largely into restructured Pagan Universalism.

    And even if one believes Catholicism to be the heir of to the Throne of Peter and Christendom, still it is evident that the Jews were not gathered around that ensign, rather they were victimized and persecuted by it. In the early times the question would "Could Gentiles join the Way of Y'shua" but within 300 years the question became "Can we remain Jewish and follow him?"

    Another thus far unfulfilled messianic requirement.

Verse thirteen: As in verse ten, here we have another direct reference to the reestablishment of the "Ten Lost Tribes of Israel." Again we read: "Efrayim's jealousy will cease - those who harass Y'hudah will be cut off, Efrayim will stop envying Y'hudah, and Y'hudah will stop provoking Efrayim."

    Efrayim, the ten rejected houses of Israel (II Kings 17:18) will be grafted back onto the Tree of Israel. They will accept Y'hudah (Judah) and the two branches of Israel will again live as brothers. All who oppose Judah and the King of Israel will be cut off!

    Once again, the exact opposite was the case following Master Y'shua's ministry. Not only was the twelve houses not reunited, not only were the enemies of the Jews not cut off, but those who opposed them increased their harassment of God's people. Y'shua had foretold this demonstrating that the time for Isaiah chapter eleven to be fulfilled had not yet come.

Verses fourteen and fifteen: People typically speak of "Armageddon" as a single war however the prophets present it as a series of battles that begin as Rex Mundi (the Antichrist) takes his throne. The war will culminate with the Battle of Jerusalem. These verses are discussing how the servants of HaShem will be victorious in their various battles during this period.

    As is obvious, Y'shua did not led the armies of Israel in such military campaigns nor were the Israelites victorious when they rose against Rome in the late 60's CE. Rather an estimated 1,100,000 people were killed during the siege of Yerushalayim. Many of these died not only from military assaults but also due to illnesses brought about by hunger. Starvation was worsened by pestilences and famine. 97,000 were captured and enslaved by the Romans. Others fled the region and settled elsewhere, always under suspicion and antisemitic conditions. None of this happened as prophesied, including the foretold invasion of Israel by China ("the Kings of the East").

    They did not 'put forth their hands upon Edom and Moab' and the children of Ammon did not obey them. HaShem did not destroy the Egyptians and today the Egyptian-based al Ikhwan (Muslim Brotherhood) is orchestrating a planned holocaust of Jews throughout the world.

    Adon Y'shua did not accomplish any of the details of this and similar prophecies.

    And again, the Egyptian Sea was not died up during the life of Y'shua as it was during the Exodus. Such events simply didn't happen then... but they will according to the prophecies when the armies of China (paid for by Walmart and other US corporations and their customers) march into the final battle across the the Euphrates (Revelations 16:12).

Verse sixteen: The KJV version tells us that in the days of Mashiach ...there shall be a highway for the remnant of His people, that shall remain from Assyria, like as there was for Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt....

    Did anything even comparable to this happen? No. And again, the opposite did. The remnant of HaShem's people fled Zion and did not return in earnest until 1948. Adon Y'shua did not fulfill this prophecy. He clearly didn't despite what well intentioned Nicean Believers claim.

What does all this mean?

This study is seeking to identify Mashiach and to determine why most Jews and Noahides are so certain Y'shua HaNatzrati was/is not him.

Part 1 has been a look at one of Prophet Isaiah's important most pointed prophecies concerning what Moshiach will accomplish. Unlike many of the Tanakh ("Old Testament") prophecies Y'shua's talmidim point to in support of his messiahship, this one is accepted by Jews, Noahides, Noahide Nazarenes and Nicene Christians as being messianic. That makes it especially relevant to this study. If all sides agree this is a messianic prophecy then we would assume all the factions would agree on whether or not it has been fulfilled. Clearly it has not been.

Since all sides accept this one as a messianic prophecy, those of us who are sincerely the talmidim of Adon Y'shua need to understand that he did not accomplish any of these tasks! So before criticizing the Jews and standard Noahides for rejecting "the clear facts," the Evidence that Demands a Verdict, we need to understand these verses as well! Adon Y'shua's Jewish and Noahide detractors can and do make a strong case in rebuttal to the messianic claims declared by Nicene Christians! Most Christians are incapable of answering these challenges. As we will see in part two, the answers are out there if we rightly understand the Word of Truth! I hope you will keep reading.

The now blossoming Nazarene movement needs to distance itself from the indefensible claims of Nicene Christianity and return to the Scriptures and to reality. Mashiach has not yet come... at least not as Mashiach!

Despite what we as his talmidim (students/disciples) may wish to the contrary, there is no way Adon Y'shua fulfilled these and other key messianic qualifications found in and required by the Tanakh. If you question this, read the headline of your local newspaper! War, disease, famine, antisemitism... these things will not exist once Mashiach comes and establishes the Kingdom of HaShem.

So the question is, why didn't Y'shua fulfill the prophecies and establish the Kingdom?

The question is, since he did not satisfy the messianic requirements listed here (and elsewhere) how should we view him? Was/is Y'shua the Mashiach?

We need to understand the truth of this rather than place our faith in the non-biblical traditions of the Gentile Church established by Pagan Rome.

Acts 17:10 But as soon as night fell, the brothers sent Sha'ul [Paul] and Sila off to Berea. As soon as they arrived, they went to the synagogue.
11 Now the people here were of nobler character than the ones in Thessalonica; they eagerly welcomed the message, checking the Tanakh every day to see if the things Sha'ul was saying were true.
12 Many of them came to trust, as did a number of prominent Greek women and not a few Greek men.

We must do the same. The Tanakh was the only Bible the talmidim of Y'shua knew. The Nicene Creed and other Catholic documents and traditions should not be the source of our faith. Even the books of the B'rit Hadashah (New Testament) must be read according to the doctrines of the Tanakh, the Bible used by Y'shua and his original talmidim.