Edmund Heddle's series on the prophetic ministry comes to a close as we study the greatest prophet of all: Jesus the Messiah.

"Are you the one who was to come or should we expect someone else?" The question which John the Baptist addressed to Jesus from his prison cell is the one that had echoed down the ages of biblical history. "Are you the coming one?" (in Greek ho erkomenos) (Matt 11:3).

Messiah's Threefold Office

The 'coming one', called Messiah because he was anointed by God's Spirit for his ministry (Isa 61:1), had a threefold office to fulfil: prophetic, priestly and kingly. He was to be a prophet to save us from our ignorance, a priest to save us from our guilt and a king to save us from our self-will.

Eusebius, one of the early church fathers, spoke of him as "the only High Priest of all men, the only king of all creation and the Father's only supreme prophet of prophets". In Christ all the prophecies of Old Testament Scripture are fulfilled, as Peter told his hearers in one of his earliest sermons: "Indeed. all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as have spoken, have foretold these days...the promises of God through the prophets are for you, and you share in the covenant which God made with your ancestors" (Acts 3:24-25, Good News Bible).

The promised Messiah was to be a prophet to save us from our ignorance, a priest to save us from our guilt and a king to save us from our self-will.

The Prophet God Will Raise Up

We now turn our attention to the role of prophet and seek to understand how Israel was made to expect the coming of a prophet. In Deuteronomy 18:15, Moses announces: "The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to him".

Fuller details of the raising up of this prophet are given in verses 15-18. First, he will be raised up by God, he will not be appointed by the men of Israel or their leaders. He will be God's choice. Secondly, he will be like Moses and resemble his ideals and outlook. Thirdly, he will be "one of your own people". No foreigner will be appointed to that office. He will speak God's words and God's people are required to obey him in an unquestioning way. There will be serious consequences for those who refuse to obey. God himself will make him answer for any disobedience. This was the kind of prophet Israel was told to expect.

The Circumstances that Demanded a Prophetic Ministry

There are three reasons why it was important to receive the promise of a prophetic ministry at that time in Israel's history:

1. Moses their leader was shortly to be taken from them.

2. The promised land ahead was riddled with occultic and spiritualist practices (Deut 18:14)

3. They were afraid of God's voice and the fiery aura that surrounded him. "For this is what you your¬selves begged of God at Mount Horeb. There at the foot of the mountain you begged that you might not have to listen to the terrifying voice of God again, or see the awesome fire on the mountain, lest you die" (Deut 18:16, Living Bible).

The promise of a prophet who would speak only God's words was of vital importance to the Israelites as they proceeded into Canaan, where horrible practices such as the offering of live babies into Molech's dreadful fire were conducted. How such a practice must have grieved a loving God! The Israelites would find themselves among peoples who practised divination, sorcery, witchcraft, casting spells, practising spiritualism, listening to mediums and calling up the spirits of the dead (Deut 18:10-13). Such customs are still carried out today in so-called Christian countries, bringing down the wrath of God on people who practice things he regards as destestable (Deut 18:12 and 14).

The Lord showed his approval of their reaction to his holiness: "The Lord said to me: What they say is good. I will do as they have requested. I will raise up for them a prophet" (Deut 18:17, 18).

Israel needed the promise of a prophetic ministry. Moses was to be taken from them, they were afraid to hear God directly and the land of promise ahead was riddled with witchcraft.

A Succession of Prophets?

The text of Scripture refers to one single prophet (Deut 18:15 and 18). Moffatt in his translation refers to a succession of prophets in his rendering: "The eternal your God will raise up for you prophet after prophet like myself". It is clear on reflection that both are true.

Moses is requesting a prophet who will go into action as soon as they enter the Promised Land and who will continually stand up against the powers of darkness throughout the coming years of the nation's history. Clearly a succession of prophets would be necessary to accomplish this obligation. The New Testament places the stress on one exceptional prophet, concerning which the question of John the Baptist was asked, "Are you the one who was to come or should we expect someone else?" (Matt 11:3).

Corporate or Individual?

In our understanding of the scriptures we need to realise that certain titles like 'the prophet', 'the servant of the Lord', 'the son of man' and others have both a corporate and an individual significance. To get the fullness of the meaning we need to accept both interpretations.

So to grasp the meaning of the Deuteronomy reference we need to see the ultimate appear-ance of some special person, one preceded by a long line of prophets who were able to speak God's word to their succeeding generations.

Jesus - the Final Fulfilment of Deuteronomy's Prophet

It is evident from the gospels that the believers had become convinced that Jesus was 'the prophet'. He is referred to as Jesus the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee (Matt 21:11). After the people saw the miracles that Jesus did they began to say, "Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world" (John 6:14). "On hearing his words, some of the people said surely this man is the Prophet" (John 7:40).

The central revelation conveyed to the people of Israel is that it is Jesus of Nazareth who is the fulfilment of the prophet promised by Moses and recorded in Deuteronomy. Peter in his sermon in Solomon's Porch at the Jerusalem Temple refers to Jesus, the one whom God raised up, as the fulfilment of the Deuteronomic prophecy (Acts 3:22-26).

The Deuteronomy prophecy refers to the ultimate appearance of some special person, preceded by a long line of prophets who spoke God's word to their succeeding generations.

The prophet "powerful in word and deed before God and all the people" is revealed by the Lord himself to the two travellers on the road to Emmaus. It is surely no wonder that, as they listened to his exposition of "Moses and all the prophets", their hearts burned within them (Luke 24:19-32).

Reasons Why People Believed Jesus to be the Prophet

The woman of Samaria cited the evidence that had led her to believe that Jesus was the prophet when she described to her fellow Samaritans how "he told me everything I ever did!" (John 4:29). The widow of Nain received back her dead son when Jesus said, "Young man, I say to you, get up!" When the man subsequently started to talk the people were filled with awe and praised God. The crowd cried out, "A great prophet has appeared among us" (Luke 7:14-16).

On the last and greatest day of the feast, when Jesus was expounding the scriptures to both religious leaders and ordinary people, there was some discussion as to whether or not he was the prophet promised in the Old Testament scriptures. Some at least reached the right conclusion: "Surely this man is the Prophet" (John 7:40). There was, however, no clash of opinion after Jesus had fed the five thousand. "After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did they began to say, 'Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world'" (John 6:14}.

Some Had Difficulties in Accepting Jesus as the Prophet

The Jewish leaders refused to accept Jesus because he had come from Galilee. They were saying, "Look into it and you will find a prophet does not come out of Galilee" (John 7:52). But that was not all the scriptures had said about the Messiah's birthplace: "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler in Israel" (Mic 5:2). It was true that Jesus was brought up in Galilee. but it was in Judea that he was born.

After Jesus had opened the eyes of the blind man, the Pharisees were sent to investigate what had happened. The blind man had reached the only sensible conclusion that Jesus was a prophet and that he was operating with God's power. The religious leaders could not accept that conclusion because the man had been healed on the Sabbath (John 9:16, 17, 33).

There are still many people today who do not believe that Jesus is the prophet promised by Moses. Some have drawn inadequate conclusions by refusing, like the Pharisees, to accept parts of Scripture. Others do not acknowledge him because, like the religious leaders of the time of our Lord, they allow their own traditions to stand in the way of accepting the evidence which to ordinary people was so clear and convincing.

At the time, many people did not believe Jesus was the promised Prophet because they failed to accept parts of Scripture, or were blinded by their religious traditions.

God's Greatest Prophet

The answer to the question that has titled this series of Bible studies, What is a Prophet?, cannot be adequately answered simply by studying, as we have done, the prophets of the Bible. We need in the end to come face to face with Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth.

He, like Moses before him, "knew the Lord face to face" (Deut 34:10) but in his case uninterruptedly. Other prophets, like Samuel, were able to communicate God's word to the people (1 Sam 3:21). And what was true of Samuel was supremely true of Jesus in that God let none of his words fall to the ground (1 Sam 3:19).

Jesus is greater than Jonah (Luke 11:42), Solomon (Matt 12:42), Jacob (John 4:12), Abraham (John 8:53) and Moses himself, concerning whom the writer to the Hebrews said, "Jesus has been found worthy of greater honour than Moses" (Hebrews 3:3). To quote again the words of the early father Eusebius, Jesus is "the Father's only supreme prophet of prophets". Listen to him and learn to prophesy by his prophetic spirit.

If we are to understand what a prophet truly is, we must in the end come face to face with Jesus the Messiah.

First published in Prophecy Today, Vol 7 No 6, November/December 1991.

Catch up with the rest of this series by following this link.

Edmund Heddle unpacks Peter's valuable instructions on prophecy.

In his two New Testament letters Peter augments and complements the teaching on prophecy and prophesying found in the letters of Paul. The two writers between them establish a complete answer to the question 'What is a prophet?' Peter's letters contain five paragraphs in which he deals with prophets and prophesying, each full of valuable instruction, and we shall deal with each paragraph in turn.

Prophecies Concerning the Coming Messiah (l Peter 1:10-12)

Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and the circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels desire to look into these things.

The Old Testament prophets who foretold the coming of Messiah referred to him as the gift of God's grace. This they did under the direction of the Holy Spirit, who revealed through them the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glory that would follow. The prophets were clear about the coming of the Messiah – but who he should be, what he should do, and at what point in history he would appear - all of these things they longed to know but were kept in the dark.

It was revealed to them that the prophecies they uttered were not for the immediate benefit of either themselves or God's people. They had been given for the enlightenment and blessing of a later generation, namely the people of Peter's day.

So the message had remained hidden, though they searched intently and with the greatest care. Prophets on earth and angels in heaven longed to understand the fullness of the prophetic revelation. The Greek word translated 'look into' is the same as the word used in John 20:11 to describe Mary Magdalene's entrance into the grave of Jesus, where she stooped down to look, standing at the side of the tomb so as not to get into her own light. How carefully should we look into the prophetic word, especially where the immediate application appears to be neither easily understandable nor relevant.

Old Testament prophets foretold the coming of the Messiah but were kept in the dark about the meanings of their own prophetic revelations.

The lesson from this paragraph is that no one prophet conveys the whole message. Paul in 1 Corinthians 14:29 suggests that "two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said."

Prophecy needs to be taken seriously and is best weighed in the company of the Lord's people. We need the Holy Spirit as much in understanding prophecy as in its
proclamation. The prophetic word about the Messiah remained hidden until Peter himself - the Spirit-filled preacher on the day of Pentecost - brought the explanation of their age-long bewilderment.

Using God's Grace-Gifts for His Glory (1 Peter 4:10-11)

Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides so that in all things God maybe praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

God's grace is 'multicoloured' and is revealed in the gifts (charisma) of his Spirit. Peter mentions two gifts here:

1. The ability to speak God's words or, as it is usually termed, the ability to prophesy. "...the very words of God" is an attempt to translate the Greek word logion, which is usually translated by the word 'oracle' and means a divine response or utterance. This word is used in the scriptures of the Mosaic law, God's written utterances through Old Testament writers, the totality of Christian doctrine (Acts 7:38; Rom 3:2; Heb 5:12) and, incredibly, in the Spirit-inspired utterances of ordinary Spirit-filled-believers.

2. The ability to serve the body of Christ by gifts of divine power such as healing, miracles, deliverance from powers of darkness, and others (1 Cor 12:9-10). We are stewards of these gifts. Whatever gift God decides to give us for another individual or group we must pass on. God's gifts are unstinted and unlimited, except by our disobedience and unbelief. As stewards we shall one day be required give an account of our stewardship. God's provision is always lavish, and we are the ones who limit his gifts.

God's grace is multicoloured and his provision is always lavish – we are the ones who limit his gifts.

The Greek word translated as 'provides' is an interesting one; its literal translation is to provide a chorus in the theatre - to defray the cost of putting on a chorus at a public festival. Later on it came to describe the supplying and equipping of an army or a fleet. But in all cases its use conveys the idea of abundance.

Two things are required of us. First, that we are filled with God's Spirit and that we are willing to receive the gifts from the Lord and, secondly, that we obediently use them in the service of those for whom they have been provided. We are to let the spiritual gifts reach a fullness of development through us. Only then will their ultimate objective be achieved, namely that God may be praised. "To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever."

Paying Attention to the Prophetic Word (2 Peter 1:19-21)

And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Peter says that the Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah had been made more certain by the transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain, at which event he and the others present were eye-witnesses of his majesty. They were there when the voice came from heaven saying, "This is my son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased" (v17). "You will do well to pay attention to the prophetic word which is for you like a light shining in a dark place", is the admonition Peter addresses to his readers.

We cannot live the whole of our lives in the glory of our transcendent Lord. We are in a sin-darkened world which Peter describes with words that translate to mean dirty, squalid and murky. The time will come when a new day dawns, preceded by the morning star. In classical literature the morning star is Venus, which rises in great brilliance before the dawn. But for Peter it must be Jesus (Rev 22:16). The words 'in your hearts' are thought by some scholars to belong to the next verse.

The Greek word for morning star is phosphorus, which means 'light-bringer'. Until the dawning of the day of Christ the prophetic word is like a light shining in a dark place. We should do well to give attention to it as society deteriorates and things become ever more difficult for those who are wholly committed to Christ.

Peter goes on to show that prophetic Scripture can be relied on totally because it originated not in the human mind or will but in the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. No true prophecy was ever produced by mere human effort. Never at any time was it man's initiative that brought into being the scriptures. Man had his part to play; dwelling in God's presence and listening to his voice, he was told to record what he heard but he had to be careful never to add his own thoughts. Peter likened the prophets to sailing boats carried along by the wind.

No true prophecy was ever produced by mere human effort. Man had his part to play, but he had to be careful to never add to what God was revealing.

Scripture could be depended upon as a light-bringer. The initiative in prophesying must always be with the Holy Spirit. As Paul says after listing the nine supernatural gifts, "All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines" (1 Cor 12:11).

The corollary to Peter's statement, ie that it was the Spirit who originated Scripture, is that it can be neither understood nor interpreted by mere human ability. The modern practice of prophesying needs to be brought into line with the fact that no true prophecy ever comes from human initiative, also that no prophecy can be understood apart from the enabling of God's Spirit. How blessed are those who, though living in a wicked and dangerous world, nevertheless have the word of the prophets made more sure.

Prophetic Promises Remembered (2 Peter 3:1-4, 8-13)

Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Saviour through your apostles.

First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come...they will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised?...everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation"...but do not forget this one thing, dear friends: with the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise...he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief...since everything will be destroyed...what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God...in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.

Peter is concerned that the prophet's words concerning the destruction of both earth and heaven prior to the establishment of the new heaven and the new earth were being forgotten and were ceasing to have a challenging effect on the behaviour of God's people. He recalls the words of Jesus, who challenged the people of his day to watch "because you do not know on what day your Lord will come" (Matt 24:36-44).

Peter in his two letters makes three references to Noah and the Noachic flood (1 Pet 3:20; 2 Pet 2:5; 2 Pet 3:5). The promised flood was a long time in coming but finally it arrived and did exactly what God said it would do.

Isaiah had foretold the establishment of a new heaven and a new earth (Isa 65:17-19, 66:22) but the process was to involve the destruction of things as they are. Since their fathers had died things had gone on just the same and people blamed God for being dilatory. But Peter explained that the delay in fulfilling the promise was due to the patience of God and his great desire that none should perish. Peter told them it was not that God had forgotten but that he loved. The delay is no indication of divine forgetfulness but rather of compassion.

Peter warned believers that God's apparent delay in delivering his promised judgment on the world was due not to forgetfulness, but rather to divine compassion and love.

Patience is likewise required of God's people. The promise of the prophets is that the new heaven and the new earth will be preceded by universal destruction. This ought to exercise a profound effect on Christians' life and conduct.

To Sum Up...

Peter reviews the coming of the Messiah; unfolds the resources of the spiritual gifts; confirms the authority of the prophetic word; and reveals the importance of preparing for the day of the Lord.

First published in Prophecy Today, Vol 7 No 4, July/August 1991.

Charles Gardner reviews a spell-binding new book from Julia Fisher, which looks at the costly path of discipleship being followed by Jews and Arabs in Israel.

Stories of healing, restoration and forgiveness, along with a remarkable outflowing of love and reconciliation...sounds rather like the gospel accounts of when Jesus walked the land of Israel! Actually, it's also the story of what is happening there today, according to a spell-binding new book by British author-journalist Julia Fisher.

What is God doing in Israel? (Monarch Books) is a gripping account of the lives of individual Jews and Arabs who have had a supernatural encounter with Yeshua (Jesus).

In each case it has led to a dramatic transformation in their lives. And the cost of their discipleship – whether coming from a Jewish or Muslim background – has been no less demanding than that experienced by Paul and the original apostles. For there is nothing half-hearted about their faith, with passion undimmed despite painful suffering, especially through rejection by family or community.

Modern Apostles

Appropriately, therefore, the book is divided into twelve chapters, each dedicated to what I would call a true modern 'apostle'. Most of the Jewish believers included have been disowned by their families at some point – in the case of Sandy Shoshani it was 14 years before she was reconciled with her father, who subsequently gave his life to Jesus on his deathbed!

As Jesus said: "No-one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields – and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life." (Mark 10:29)

Also featured is the more widely-known story of David and Leah Ortiz, whose teenage son Ami was virtually blown apart by a bomb (though he has since miraculously recovered). Perversely disguised as a Purim parcel, the device was sent to the family home during the Feast of Purim, when Jews exchange gifts to celebrate their rescue, by Queen Esther, from a plot to exterminate them in ancient times. The perpetrator of the atrocity, a Jewish extremist, believed the Ortiz family were betraying his people by encouraging them to follow Jesus.

As far as some of the Muslim-background believers are concerned, they have become like hunted animals after deciding to follow Christ, with Julia having to carry out interviews with a great degree of stealth and care so as not to attract attention to these brave men and women risking their lives for the sake of their Lord. Many have been tortured, imprisoned or forced to flee the land.

This gripping account tells the stories of Jewish believers who have been disowned by their families - and Muslim-background believers who have become like hunted animals after deciding to follow Christ.

The Power of True Reconciliation

The shocking irony of it all is that these persecuted believers actually hold the key to peace in this troubled region. Palestinian and Jewish believers are clearly united by their love for Yeshua, the Jewish Messiah; they pray and fellowship with one another and are a powerful demonstration of the reconciling effect of what Jesus did for them on the cross, breaking down the dividing wall of hostility and creating "one new man" out of the two (Eph 2:14).

"This is something the politicians cannot do" said Mazen Naswari, a Palestinian pastor in Jerusalem's Old City. "This love that we as believers in Jesus share, no matter what background we come from, shows that we can love one another."

Patrick Radecker was a seemingly hopeless drug addict who lived on the streets for seven years but, with the help of a rehabilitation centre in Haifa called House of Victory, he has been totally cleaned up and renewed, almost unrecognisable to those with whom he used to hang out in downtown Tel Aviv. A Jew whose family immigrated to Israel from Holland, Patrick too has developed a special love for Arabs since he started following Yeshua.

Here is the answer to conflict in the Middle East: all these people, Jews and Arabs, have found peace through the Messiah whom the prophet Isaiah foretold would be the "Prince of Peace" (Isa 9:6).

What is God Doing in Israel is out today (19 February 2016), available for purchase from Amazon or from Lion Hudson, both £8.99 + P&P (Kindle edition £8.54).

Part of the prophetic task is to bear witness to Jesus the Messiah, including to how he fulfils Messianic predictions in Scripture.

Prediction was not the central element in Biblical prophecy. Prophets were primarily proclaimers of the principles of righteousness to the people of their own day. As is frequently noted, they were 'forthtellers' rather than 'foretellers'. But it remains true that inspired prophecy always points to a future when the great principles the prophets had seen at work in Israel would be openly developed and manifest.

But in addition, the Old Testament prophets from time to time did predict what was going to happen, and these predictions included the coming of a deliverer who would rescue from their sin and disaster his chosen people, and eventually through them the whole of mankind. This was their 'messianic hope'.

Bible prophecy centres around proclaiming God's truth more than predicting the future. However, predictions were sometimes given – including of a coming deliverer.

The Coming of 'Messiah'

On one occasion John the Baptist, who was at that time in prison, sent some of his disciples to ask Jesus this question: "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?" (Luke 7:19). 'The one who was to come', or the erkomenos (to use the Greek word), was a common way of referring to God's expected deliverer. There is hardly any reference in the Old Testament to the word 'Messiah' as a description of the 'coming one'. Such description was something that developed during the years between the end of the Old Testament period and the beginning of the New (see Dan 9:25-26).

It is significant that the word 'Messiah' was used of Cyrus, the Persian ruler: "This is what the Lord says to his anointed, to Cyrus..." (Isa 45:1), and again, "I call you by name and bestow on you a title of honour, though you did not acknowledge me" (Isa 45:4). 'Messiah', from the Hebrew Mashiach meaning 'anointed', is the English equivalent of our word 'Christ'. High priests and kings were anointed with oil in order to establish them in their office (Ex 29:5-7; 1 Sam 10:1). Jesus is rightly called the Christ because God anointed him with the Holy Spirit, as Peter told the Roman centurion Cornelius (Acts 10:38).

The word 'Messiah' was not used to describe God's expected deliverer until the years between the Old Testament and the New.

How Old is the Messianic Hope?

It is as old as the story of man's sin in the Garden of Eden. For no sooner had man rebelled against God's commands than God was declaring (in a promise which is usually referred to as the 'protevangelium') the coming of a deliverer who would be "of the seed of the woman". "He (the man) will crush your (the serpent's) head and you will strike his heel" (Gen 3:15).

Another element in the messianic hope was given in Jacob's blessing to his children when he indicated that the deliverer would come from the tribe of Judah: "The sceptre will not depart from Judah...until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience [or gathering] of the nations is his" (Gen 14:10).

This promise was still being echoed many years later by Ezekiel (Ezek 21:27). An unexpected source of further information about the Messiah is to be found in the inspired words of the nevertheless unholy prophet Balaam, "I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a sceptre will rise out of Israel. he will crush his enemy..." (Num 24:17-18).

No sooner had man rebelled against God's demands than God was declaring the coming of a deliverer.

The Messianic Hope - Four Pictures

1. A Prophet-Messiah Like Moses

God's promise to Moses is recorded in Deuteronomy 18:18-19: "I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him". We are told towards the end of that same book that "no prophet has risen like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face" (Deut 34:10). The context of God's promise to Moses was that of the occult practices of the surrounding nations. These things were detestable in God's sight and he warned his people to have nothing to do with such practices (Deut 18:9-13).

In our day, with the rapid growth of witchcraft, magic and occultism, folk both within and outside of our churches need to be told that such things bring the anger of God upon us. Peter's speech in Solomon's Colonnade makes it clear that Jesus the Christ is the one whose words we must obey, for this is the Messiah like Moses (Acts 3:22).

2. A Priest-Messiah Like Melchizedek

There is only one appearance of Melchizedek, the mysterious king-priest of Salem (see Gen 14:18-20). He is described as the priest of God Most High. He brought with him bread and wine (though we have no guidance as to what they were used for), and he accepted tithes paid by Abraham. Had it not been for the writer of Psalm 110, no-one would have recognised the important lessons to be learned from Melchizedek. He reveals that the Messiah was to be a priest, not in the order of Levi, but in the order of Melchizedek (Ps 110:4).

Jesus claimed this psalm as speaking of himself (Mark 12:35-36) and later on the writer to the Hebrews points out that Melchizedek is a type of Christ's priesthood - for Christ's is a royal priesthood in a way that Aaron's was not.

Melchizedek is the type of an eternal priesthood, as nothing is said in Scripture about either his birth and his antecedents, and we know nothing about his death (Heb 7:1-3). In the order of Levi, relays of priests had to be ordained, because being subject to death they could not go on for ever. In such ways the writer points out the superiority of the Priest-Messiah.

The Messiah was to be a priest like Melchizedek – whose priesthood was both royal and eternal.

3. A King-Messiah from David's Family

Although they are important in our understanding of the Messianic hope brought to us in the word of God, comparatively little is written about the two categories of title we have been considering, i.e. the prophet-Messiah and the priest-Messiah. However, much more is written about the King-Messiah.

We have seen that the Messiah was to come from the line of Judah, and this was true of David. The prophet Nathan brought the word of the Lord to David and assured him that his kingdom would be established for ever: "Your house and your kingdom shall endure for ever before me, your throne shall be established for ever" (2 Sam 7:16). That could not prove true for David himself, but pointed to the Messiah whose kingdom would last forever (Rev 11:15).

David was Israel's favourite king, and all subsequent kings were compared with him (1 Ki 11:4; 11:6, 14:8; 15:3; 15:11-14; 2 Ki 18:3 and 22:2). David is celebrated in the Psalms (see Ps 2, 18, 21, 45, 63, 72, 89, 101 and 312). These psalms indicate that the Messiah would:

• meet worldwide opposition;
• become world ruler;
• have Zion as his capital;
• enjoy a rule, both prosperous and peaceful, that would last forever;
• be the friend of the poor but the enemy of the oppressor;
• inherit God's covenant and Melchizedek's priesthood;
• be seated at God's right hand as Yahweh's son;
• possess an everlasting name
• and receive unending thanks.

As well as having the roles of prophet-Messiah and priest-Messiah, the Bible predicts the Messiah as being a King coming from the house of Judah and from David's line.

A subsidiary title to be given to the King-Messiah is shown in Jeremiah 23:5-6. "'The days are coming' declares the Lord, 'when I will raise up to David a righteous branch, a king who will reign wisely...in his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety.'"

4. A Suffering Messiah Like Isaiah's Servant

The hope of a Messiah who would be at one and the same time prophet, priest and king was appreciated by those who read about him in the psalms and prophets, but the idea of someone who was going to let people trample over him and dismiss him as not worth a second look was not one that appealed to anyone in Israel (Isa 53:2, 3, 7). It was a totally new concept of messiahship that introduced the idea of vicarious suffering.

But that is the only way of salvation for sinners, whether they are Jews or Gentiles. It is not surprising that the idea of a King marching in as conqueror was more appealing than a bloodied figure carrying his cross outside the city-wall and dragging along the instruments on which he would die an agonising death.

The Messianic Hope: All Four Kinds of Messiahs in One

No one prophet gave the complete picture, and today this is still true (1 Cor 14:29). The guise in which the Messiah-Jesus came was a bitter disappointment to the Jews of his day. They had formed their conception of what the Messiah should be from their partial study of the scriptures, and he was not the kind of Messiah they wanted or were expecting. "He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him" (John 1:11).

The Jews formed their conception of the Messiah from a partial study of the scriptures, failing to recognise the prophecies that he would suffer, and be humble and down-trodden.

Are we likely to fall into the same error in our day? Are our minds really open to all that is promised in the scriptures concerning our soon-to-be-returning Messiah at his Second Coming?

We can be certain that, however biblical our own understanding of eschatology might be, no one is going to get it all right. That is no reason for giving up our studies - but every reason to proceed with humility and caution. Jesus' contemporaries did not get it right either, because certain things seemed inconsistent and irreconcilable.

Yet, slowly and surely, the church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit pondered on the Messianic foreshadowings of Christ in the scriptures until they discovered that the various elements found their union in him. They came to see in him King, Priest, Prophet and Suffering Servant, and at the same time they saw in him God and worshipped him in adoring love and wonder (John 14:9). "All the prophets testify about him," said Peter (Acts 10:43), and we must continue to follow their example.

The Prophets' Task: Bearing Testimony to Jesus the Messiah

The question with which we started this study was, "Are you the one who was to come or should we expect someone else?" The woman of Samaria found the answer when she said to Jesus, "I know that the Messiah (called Christ) is coming." And he replied, "I who speak to you am he!" (John 4:25-26).

Are our minds really open to all that is promised in the scriptures concerning the second coming of our Lord Jesus?

The crowd who had witnessed the feeding of the five thousand were on the right track for the correct answer when they reasoned, "Surely this is the prophet who is to come into the world" (John 6:14). Best of all is the personal testimony of Martha, who exclaimed, "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world" (John 11:27).

Central to all true prophecy is the Lord Jesus the Messiah, and we do well to heed the words of Revelation 19:10, addressed to those who were holding to the testimony of Jesus: John says, "Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."

First published in Prophecy Today, Vol 6, No 2, March/April 1990.

In the final article of our series on the Jewish High Holy Days, Helen Belton looks at the meaning and significance of the Feast of Tabernacles.

Feast of 'Booths'

On Sunday 27 September, 2015 (Tishri 15 in the Jewish calendar), the Feast of Tabernacles begins. In Hebrew, it is Sukkot, which means 'booths'. We use the English word 'tabernacle' from the Latin word for tent (taberna declining as tabernaculum).

The biblical instructions are as follows:

The Lord said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites: 'On the fifteenth day of the seventh month the Lord's Festival of Tabernacles begins, and it lasts for seven days. The first day is a sacred assembly; do no regular work. For seven days present food offerings to the Lord, and on the eighth day hold a sacred assembly and present a food offering to the Lord. It is the closing special assembly; do no regular work...

A booth prepared for Sukkot (see Photo Credits)....So beginning with the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the festival to the Lord for seven days; the first day is a day of sabbath rest, and the eighth day also is a day of sabbath rest. On the first day you are to take branches from luxuriant trees—from palms, willows and other leafy trees—and rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. Celebrate this as a festival to the Lord for seven days each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come; celebrate it in the seventh month. Live in temporary shelters for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to live in such shelters so your descendants will know that I had the Israelites live in temporary shelters when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.'" (Lev 23:33-43)

The instruction to live in temporary shelters for seven days is a reminder: firstly, of the Israelites' sojourn in the desert for 40 years after the exodus from Egypt and, secondly, that they are totally dependent on him for everything and that since they left their comfortable homes in Egypt to follow him they have never been abandoned or forsaken. The true home of God's people is God himself.

Abraham was "a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God" (Heb 11:9-10). In the same way, the believers who left everything to follow Jesus were sent out without money or provisions and were described as "foreigners and exiles" in this world (1 Pet 2:11).

At Sukkot the Israelites were instructed to live in temporary shelters for a week, as a reminder of their 40 years in the desert, and of their total dependence on God, who is faithful.

Journeying with God

Sukkot also teaches us that salvation is a journey with God: we are led out by God towards the Promised Land and he travels with us. After the Exodus, God himself 'tabernacled' or camped with his people in the desert and provided for their needs with manna. So, this festival reminds us of God's provision and his presence. He was a pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night, and he was worshipped in the Tent of Meeting, itself a temporary structure. He dwelled with his people.

Centuries later, God dwelled among us uniquely by tabernacling in another temporary structure, a human body: "...the Word became flesh and dwelt [or tabernacled] among us" (John 1:1). This echoes Genesis 1:1 ("In the beginning") to indicate a new beginning in God's relationship with his creation when he would once more dwell among his people, sharing our nature and bearing our sin.

Rejoicing in Harvest

After the awe and solemnity of Yom Kippur, Sukkot is a joyful celebration - a traditional name for it is Zeman Simchatenu, "Season of our Rejoicing". It is the final harvest festival of the year and so it is also known as the 'Feast of Ingathering' (in Hebrew, Hag ha Asif. Hag means feast and ha is the definite article).

Lulav and etrog (see Photo Credits).The Feast of Tabernacles is the final pilgrim feast of the year (Passover and Pentecost being the first and second), when the men of Israel were commanded to go up to Jerusalem to celebrate (Ex 24:33). All are harvest festivals: Passover celebrates the ingathering of the barley harvest, Pentecost (Feast of Weeks) the wheat harvest and Tabernacles the final ingathering of wheat. The land of Israel would yield a variety of fruits at this time, including figs, pomegranates and dates. It is a thanksgiving celebration (it is thought that the American feast of Thanksgiving took its inspiration from this biblical harvest feast¹).

Biblical Observance of Sukkot

The biblical observance of Sukkot consisted of three main aspects; firstly, the building of booths, secondly, the gathering of four species of plant, and thirdly to rejoice. The four species are date palm, myrtle and willow branches, and the etrog or 'citron' in English (not the same as a lemon), interpreted from Leviticus 23:40.

The palm, myrtle and willow branches are bound together and are collectively known as the lulav. They are held upright with the etrog and waved before the Lord, a custom which has arisen through tradition.

There are various interpretations of the meaning of the four species. One of the best known is that they represent four types of Jews: the etrog, which has both flavour and fragrance, represents those who study and do good deeds. The palm branch has flavour but no fragrance, symbolising those who study but do not perform good deeds. The myrtle has no flavour but has fragrance, representing those who do not study Torah but do good deeds. Finally, the willow has neither flavour nor fragrance, representing those who neither study nor do good deeds.

At Sukkot, the final pilgrim festival of the year, men would go up to Jerusalem to give thanks for the ingathering of the wheat harvest. Four types of branch would traditionally be gathered and waved before the Lord.

Another interpretation is that each species relates to a particular aspect of man's service to God:

Etrog refers to the heart, the place of understanding and wisdom. Lulav refers to the backbone, uprightness. Myrtle corresponds to the eyes, enlightenment. Willow represents the lips, the service of the lips (prayer).²

The people were to rejoice for seven days. Seven is the number of perfection in the Bible. Passover is seven days, Pentecost is seven weeks after Passover and Tabernacles lasts seven days during the seventh month. The number of offerings during the feast are divisible by seven³ and according to rabbinic tradition the 70 bull offerings were symbolic of the 70 nations of the world (70 nations being deduced from scripture).⁴

The Hallel (messianic Psalms 113-118), which was sung during the Temple service, includes the words "The LORD is exalted over all the nations" (Ps 113:4) and, "Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples" (Ps 117:1).

According to the Talmud⁵, Israel was sacrificing for the nations of the world, even though the nations mock Israel (again in the Hallel) saying, "Where is their God?" (Ps 115:2) and part of the Hallel speaks of Gentiles (or nations) rising against Israel: "All the nations surrounded me, but in the name of the Lord I cut them down" (Ps 118:10). The Talmudic commentary lamenting the loss of the Temple in 70 AD says: "Woe to the idolaters, for they had a loss and do not know what they have lost. When the Temple was in existence the altar atoned for them, but now who shall atone for them?"⁶ The apostle Paul gives the answer:

But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith (Rom 3:21-25).

Israel was blessing the Gentiles through sacrifice at the Feast of Tabernacles, but Israel's sages did not see that the Gentiles do not need to enter via Moses but by the same route as Abraham, who did not have the Law of Moses, but was justified by faith: "Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed through you." So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the "man of faith" (Gal 3:8).

Torah scholars today expect that the Gentiles will become obedient to the Torah. According to the International Embassy in Jerusalem who host a multi-nation Feast of Tabernacles event in Jerusalem each year, "many are intrigued by the increasing number of Gentile Christians showing up in Jerusalem each year for Sukkot."⁷

They are fascinated beacuse Zechariah 14 prophesies that all nations will one day celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. Zechariah 14 is one of the Haftarah texts (readings from the Prophets) traditionally read in synagogues at Sukkot, along with 1 Kings 8⁸. The Torah readings are the sections Leviticus 23, 24 and Numbers 29 which instruct about Sukkot.

Gathering the Nations

In fact, another interpretation of the lulav is that the branches represented different types of Jewish people and the etrog represents the Gentiles, or non-Jews. At the start of the waving ceremony, the etrog is upside-down. The spiritual meaning is that before we came to God, we were in a state of being upside-down. During the ceremony, the etrog is turned right side up and joined to the other three species, depicting Jews and Gentiles joining together at the Feast.

The lulav and etrog are waved together to north, south, east and west, to welcome the Lord and symbolise his presence in the four corners of the earth, but perhaps also the gathering of the harvest of souls to come from the four corners of the globe.

The lulav and etrog may also represent Jew and Gentile, being gathered together before the Lord from all four corners of the globe.

In the Temple at Jerusalem tens of thousands of worshippers would gather and shake their branches and fruit before the Lord, creating a tremendous rustling and whooshing sound with the fragrance of thousands of citrons rising in the warm sunshine. It would have been an experience of sensory worship unlike any other, involving sight, sound, smell and touch, with overwhelming fragrance and bright colour.

Times of Revival: Solomon and Ezra

The Feast of Tabernacles was a time of spiritual revival for the people of Israel, taking place at key moments in their history. Solomon dedicated the first Temple and brought in the ark during the seventh month, the time of the Feast of Tabernacles (1 Kings 8:2) - referred to then as "the Feast". Tabernacles was known as the Feast (ha-Hag) because it was seen as the greatest of the year. In John 7 it is also simply described as "the Feast".

The high point at Solomon's dedication was the glory of the Lord descending on the sanctuary:

When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the LORD. And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled his temple (1 Kings 8:10-11)

Fire came down and consumed the offerings Solomon made at the Feast (2 Chron 7:1). Both the cloud of the Lord's glory in the Temple and the fire consuming the offerings were a reminder of God's original tabernacling with his people in the desert, when his presence was a pillar of cloud to guide them by day and a pillar of fire by night in the desert. The LORD was indicating that he would tabernacle with his people in the Temple.

Solomon also prayed prophetically (1 Kings 8) about future exile and re-gathering for Israel, but also envisaging that foreigners (Gentiles) would come to God's Temple.

After the return from exile the first thing the people did, even before re-building the Temple, was to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles (Ezra 3:4). At Rosh HaShanah, the New Year (Feast of Trumpets or 'first day of the seventh month'), the people gathered in Jerusalem for a reading of the Law. Interestingly, this was not instigated by their leader, as had been the case with Moses, rather the people asked Ezra to read the Law to them. They stood for five or six hours listening to God's word and weeping.

When Ezra praised the Lord they raised their hands and called out "Amen, Amen!" and prostrated themselves. Then the priests gave the meaning of the Law for them so that everyone could understand (Neh 8). The next day the leaders gathered around Ezra again and found the instructions about the Feast of Tabernacles. They instructed the people, who celebrated it with a joy not seen since the days of Joshua. On each day of the Feast, Ezra read the Law to them.

It was at Sukkot that Solomon dedicated the first Temple; fire came down and consumed his offering and cloud filled the Temple, symbolising God's presence with his people in the desert as pillars of cloud and fire.

Living Water

Jesus used the Feast of Tabernacles to announce his messiahship (John 7). One tradition of the Feast of Tabernacles was a water-drawing ceremony (described in the Mishnah). Each morning at dawn during the Feast a procession of priests, musicians and other worshippers would leave the Temple and process about half a mile to the Pool of Siloam (created by King Hezekiah, which can be seen today).

Part of the Pool of Siloam (see Photo Credits).The High Priest, dressed in full robes and carrying a golden pitcher, led the throng. At the pool, he would fill the pitcher and then process back to the Temple through the Water Gate of the City. The Water Gate was identified by some rabbis as the south gate of Ezekiel's Temple through which the water of life would flow to all the land (Eze 47:1-5). At the Water Gate, they paused while trumpeters blew three blasts on silver trumpets and the priests would sing or shout, "With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation" (Isa 12:3).

Then the High Priest ascended to the altar, which was elevated, and upon which stood two silver basins. He poured water into one and wine was poured at the same time into the other as the trumpet players blew three more blasts. Then the whole congregation and choir of Levites sang from Psalm 118:25: "Save now we beseech thee, O LORD, O LORD, we beseech thee, send now prosperity."

There they would pour both the water and wine into special funnels, which created droplets which would come out at the bottom of the altar. It was a sign of the outpouring of God's Spirit and, as it would turn out, of his own lifeblood. John's gospel tells us that water and blood came from Jesus' side as his life was poured out on the altar that was the Cross.

After the outpouring on the altar, the Hallel (Praise, Psalms 113-118) was sung, which consists of Psalms 113-118. This was sung as the priests circled around the altar. The same psalms are sung at Passover. Jesus and his disciples sang them at the last supper. Significantly, they are messianic psalms. The worshippers would be waving their lulavim and singing psalms beseeching God for salvation. This joyful cacophony would fill the air, culminating in a fever pitch on the seventh day of the feast. This last day was known as Hoshanah Rabbah meaning 'Great Salvation' and it was the most intense day of all, with seven circuits of the altar by the priests and seven trumpet blasts and the people crying, "God save us now".⁹

The messianic fervour of the nation was at its peak at this point of the Feast - and in the time of Jesus, messianic hope was at fever pitch. It is thought likely that it was on this seventh day (some say it was on the Eighth Day of the Feast¹⁰) that Jesus stood up and cried out, as water flowed from the altar:

If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him."¹¹ By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.

On hearing his words, some of the people said, "Surely this man is the Prophet." Others said, "He is the Christ." (John 7:37-41)

It was at Sukkot, in fulfilment of its daily water-drawing ceremony and its Messianic expectation, that Jesus stood and declared himself the source of Living Water.

This water ceremony was a reminder of Moses and the miracle of the water from the rock in the desert (Ex 17). It pointed to the coming of the promised prophet like Moses (Deut 18:15) who would bring forth new water from the well of salvation. Paul reminds us that Messiah is that rock: "For they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them and that rock was Christ" (1 Cor 10:4). Ezekiel foresaw the coming of a Messianic 'Prince' who would celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles (Eze 45:25) and then water would flow from the threshold of the Temple to all the land (Eze 47:1-11).

Light of the World

Another feature of Sukkot was the illumination ceremony, which took place at the time of Jesus from the second night of the feast at the Temple. The Levites and priests would process from the Court of the Men with their instruments down the 15 steps to the Court of the Women, singing the Psalms of Ascent which are Psalms 120-134.

The Court of the Women was a wide, open space and in the centre stood four giant lamps, each consisting of four containers mounted on a pole over 70 feet high. Young priests would climb ladders to light them. Each container held about 15 litres of oil with wicks made of priests' old garments. The Mishnah¹² tells us that once these were lit, "There was no courtyard in Jerusalem that was not illuminated from the light of these." The priests, sages, elders and (in Jesus' day) Pharisees would then pick up torches and dance with abandon.

There is a story about one rabbi (Simeon Ben Gamaliel) who rejoiced by juggling with eight lighted torches. There are stories of others juggling with knives, glasses of wine and eggs.¹³ Singing and celebration would go on all night. The Talmud says, "He who has not beheld this celebration has never seen joy in his life."¹⁴ It was in this context of night turned to day by the giant candelabra that Jesus stood up and cried out, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (John 8:12). He was declaring that he is the Shekhinah or glorious light of God, the pillar of fire that was with Israel in the desert.

It was also at Sukkot that Jesus declared himself Light of the World, during the illumination ceremony when giant candelabra lit up Jerusalem.

The miracle Jesus used to confirm his messianic claim was the healing of the blind man who was told to wash in the pool of Siloam, the very place from which the water for the pouring ceremony had come (John 9). Using the imagery of the festival, water and light, Jesus showed that he was the provision and presence of God, the Hoshanah Rabbah or 'Great Salvation' of the seventh day.

Other references to the Feast of Tabernacles in the New Testament are at the transfiguration, where Jesus is seen speaking with Moses and Elijah (Luke 9:27-36). Peter's thought is to make booths or tabernacles, suggesting he sees the fulfilment of the Feast in Jesus, whose messiahship is corroborated by Moses and Elijah (representing the Law and the Prophets respectively). In Revelation, we are told that God "will shelter them [the redeemed] with his presence" (Rev 7:15), literally he will tabernacle over them (in Greek, skenosei).

Observance today

Booths (sukkot) constructed on balconies (see Photo Credits).Religious Jews begin making their sukkah at the end of Yom Kippur five days before Sukkot, as it is seen as a blessing to go from one mitzvah (commandment or good deed) to another. A sukkah is a temporary shelter built to provide shade and so it must be under the open sky. You should be able to see the stars through the roof.

The walls can be of any reasonably secure material, but the roof must be of natural materials that have grown from the ground, such as evergreen branches.¹⁵ There is a height limit but it can be as wide as you like, to accommodate guests. It is like the temporary huts that shepherds would use as they travelled with their flocks, a structure that could be erected and disassembled easily.¹⁶

It is not obligatory to sleep in the sukkah but meals are taken there and there is a tradition called Ushpizin ('guests' in Aramaic) where symbolically honoured guests are invited each day to join the family in the Sukkah. These imaginary guests are Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, and David. One is invited for each day of the Feast. Another custom is that it is a blessing to invite the poor and needy to celebrate with you. Often yeshiva (Orthodox Jewish seminary) students would be invited by families to share their meals at this time, just as the Levites, along with foreigners and widows, would have been invited in biblical times.¹⁷

Redemption for Jew and Gentile

The harvest theme of the Feast of Tabernacles, which is also known as the Feast of Ingathering, finds its prophetic fulfilment in the final end time harvest of souls from among Jews and Gentiles.

God promised to tabernacle with his people once more in Ezekiel 37. After the dry bones have come to life, he says:

My dwelling place [or tabernacle, Heb. mishkan] will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people. Then the nations will know that I the Lord make Israel holy, when my sanctuary is among them forever. (Eze 37:27)

In our day we are seeing the dry bones come to life and put on flesh, as Jews have returned to the land of Israel and many hearts of stone have been turned to hearts of flesh by the Holy Spirit, who is the stream of Living Water promised by Yeshua the Messiah.

Tabernacles prophetically heralds the final ingathering of Jew and Gentile souls, when the Lord will tabernacle with his people forever and be their source of light and life.

On the Sabbath falling during Tabernacles, Ezekiel 38:18-39:16 (about the destruction of Gog) is read. It depicts other nations coming against Israel and receiving God's punishment. Zechariah 14 is also read during Tabernacles and foresees the Gentile survivors of the final conflict against Israel coming up to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles in the end times:

Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles. If any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, they will have no rain. (Zech 14:16-17)

Ezekiel 38 predicts rebellion against the Lord and the epitome of anti-Semitism: a war against Israel. Zechariah prophesies that survivors, a remnant of God-fearing Gentiles who are philosemites (those who love the Jewish people) will worship the Lord with the Jewish people in Jerusalem. They will truly be "one new humanity" (Eph 2:15).

This Tabernacles theme of redemption for Gentiles is echoed in Revelation 7, where people from every tribe and nation (i.e. Gentiles) stand before the Lamb dressed in white with palm branches in their hands and Jesus' promise from John 7 about streams of living water is echoed, "For the Lamb at the centre of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water."

Tabernacles Fulfilled

At the Feast of Tabernacles the whole of Jerusalem was illuminated at night and in Zechariah 14 this finds fulfilment in the new earth where "there shall be continuous day...for at evening then there shall be light" (Zech 14:7) and again in Revelation 21:23, "the Lamb will be its [Jerusalem's] lamp".

The Lord himself is the illumination of the city and the river of the water of life flows freely:

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling [or tabernacle] of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

Then verse 6: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life (Rev 21:3-6).

The new earth will be God's sukkah or tabernacle where he will dwell once more face-to-face with his people, in paradise restored.

References

1 DID YOU KNOW: The Jewish Feast of Tabernacles Inspired America's Celebration of Thanksgiving? Messianic Jewish Alliance of America, 1 October 2012.

2 Sefer HaChinuch (Book of Education), #285.

3 A total of 182 sacrifices. 182 divided by 7 = 26. Chumney, E, 1994. The Seven Festivals of the Messiah. Destiny Image Publishers Inc, Shippensburg, PA, p166.

4 Deuteronomy 32:8 and Genesis 46:27 – God divided the nations according to the number of the children of Israel, which are 70.

5 Talmud, Sukkah 55b.

6 Ibid.

7 Black, JM. Sukkot and the Gentiles, ICEJ, 25 October 2012.

8 Kings is included with the prophetic books in the Jewish canon of scripture.

9 At Jesus triumphal entry (Matt 21:1-11), the people laid palm branches at his feet because they see Zechariah 9:9 being fulfilled, "See your king comes riding on a donkey" so they shouted "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" There was a tradition of shaking palm branches at Passover, but it is possible that as they recognised Messiah they echoed Tabernacles in their greeting because that was seen as the key messianic feast.

10 Glaser, M & Glaser, Z, 1987. The Fall Feasts of Israel, Moody, Chicago, p177. The last day of the Feast is called Shemini Atzeret (Eighth Day), a day of solemn assembly, in the Bible and in the Talmud. The book of Ecclesiastes is read on this day. In rabbinic tradition, Israel has acted in intercession for the world before the Lord on the first seven days of Sukkot and takes the eighth day as an opportunity to be alone with God (p199). This day is also known as Simchat Torah, 'rejoicing in the Law', which celebrates the conclusion of the annual cycle of Torah readings and the beginning of the new cycle. This is not found in the Bible or the Talmud but has arisen probably later (p200). Outside Israel, Simchat Torah is a separate ninth day of the holiday.

11 There is no exact Old Testament quotation that is the equivalent to the phrase "streams of living water will flow from within him", but it echoes many scriptures promising the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, such as the verse mentioned earlier - Isaiah 12:3 (also Ex 17:6; Num 20:11; Ps 114:8; Isa 44:3; Isa 55:1; Isa 58:11; Joel 2:23; Joel 3:18; Eze 47:1; Eze 47:12; Zech 13:1; Zech 14:8).

12 The Mishnah is oral law written down by around 200 AD. Combined with the commentary on it known as the Gemarah, the two together became known as the Talmud.

13 Brickner, D, 2006. Christ in the Feast of Tabernacles. Chicago, Moody, p83.

14 Mishnah, Sukkot 5:1.

15 The Sukkah: The Holiday Hut, Chabad.org.

16 Brickner (see note 10) p34.

17 The inspiration for Ushpizin goes back to Abraham, who invited travellers in (Gen 18) - See also Ushpizin: Welcoming Guests, Ross, LK, and Brickner (note 10), p35.

Edmund Heddle looks at the deep symbolism behind the Spirit's descent on Jesus 'like a dove'...

We cannot answer the question 'What is a prophet?' adequately until we turn our attention to Jesus, the Prophet, and discover the secret of his prophetic ministry. Moses foretold the coming of a prophet like himself and yet greater (Deut 18: 15-19). The early church believed that Jesus was that prophet (Acts 3:22-23, 7:37). Jesus referred to himself as a prophet (Matt 13:57, Luke 3:33) and his contemporaries certainly regarded him such (Matt 21:11, Luke 7:16 and John 4:19).

Jesus and the Spirit

It is highly significant that Jesus' prophetic ministry did not commence until after the Spirit had descended on him, immediately following his baptism by John in the Jordan River. Jesus was the Son of God and the Word from all eternity, yet as man he had to receive and rely upon the Spirit of God to carry out his ministry as a prophet. If this was true of Jesus, how much more must it be true for us!

Jesus' prophetic ministry did not start until after the Spirit had descended on him. If this was true of Jesus, how much more must it be for us!"

Who saw the Dove?

What is the special significance in our being told that the Spirit descended on Jesus 'like a dove'? Some have been content to see this as a reference to the innocence and harmlessness of the Spirit, along the lines of Jesus' words in Matthew 10:16, "Be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves". But there is a much deeper meaning in this phrase 'like a dove', if we let the biblical references fill out its meaning.

Who saw the dove? According to Matthew and Mark the dove was seen by Jesus (Matt 3:16-17, Mark 1:10-11). Luke mentions the descent of the dove but does not say who actually saw it. John's gospel however indicates that the dove was also seen by John the Baptist, and that this was the pre-arranged sign by which he would recognise the Messiah (John 1:31-34). It is to be noted that none of the gospels indicate that the dove was seen by the crowds standing by.

A Real Dove?

We need also to note that the gospels do not say that it was a dove, but that it was 'like a dove'. As on the day of Pentecost, the Spirit revealed himself like rushing mighty wind and like tongues of fire, so here it does not say that an actual dove flew down and alighted on the newly baptised Jesus. It was real to Jesus and his forerunner John, and deeply significant to these two, both of whom had minds that were soaked in the stories and teaching of the Old Testament.

The Spirit's descent 'like a dove' would have been deeply significant to both Jesus and John the Baptist."

The Brooding Dove

We have only to turn to the second verse of the Bible to read: "The Spirit of God was hovering over the waters." Some translators prefer 'brooding' to 'hovering', but both words describe the activity of a bird. The Talmudic comment on this verse reads: "The Spirit of God who moved on the face of the waters like a dove." Those who are familiar with Milton's Paradise Lost will recall the lines "...and with mighty wings outspread, dovelike sat'st brooding on the dark abyss".²

The descent of the dove on our Lord marks him out and qualifies him to be the one to bring mankind out of the chaos of a fallen world and into the "new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells" (2 Pet 3:13). The dove is symbolic of the mighty creative power of God, which rested in fulness on Jesus. Yet at the same time it reveals the quietness of such power; expressed beautifully by Dr Alexander McLaren in the words: "The Spirit of God was brooding over chaos and quickening life, as a bird in its nest by the warmth of its own soft breast."¹

Dove with Olive Branch

The second Bible reference to the dove occurs in the story of Noah's flood (Gen 8:6-12). Because of the spread of man's violence and the unheeded preaching of Noah, God's judgement fell on all except those who took the God-provided way of escape (Gen 6:11-13; 2 Pet 2:5). After the floodwaters had receded and the Ark had come to rest on Mt. Ararat, Moses sent out two birds. The raven, a bird of prey, flew off and stayed away, doubtless feeding on what had died. The dove returned to the Ark as the earth was still covered with water.

Seven days later the dove was again sent out and this time returned with a freshly plucked olive leaf. The dove bearing the olive branch was messenger of hope to the prisoners in the ark, telling them that judgement was past. The raven, in contrast, was too intent on gorging itself that it brought no message.

The dove's descent marks Jesus out as the One to bring order out of the world's chaos, hope out of despair, life out of death."

Augustine put it like this: "As the dove did at that time bring tidings of the abating of the water so doth it now of the abating of the wrath of God upon the preaching of the Gospel." The dove that comes to us with a leaf plucked from the tree of life is symbolic of the redemptive power of our Saviour and of the good news that through him we have escaped judgement and have been reborn into his new creation.

Poor Man's Sacrifice

In the Old Testament system of sacrifices, the only bird that was allowed to be offered was the dove. The rich were required to bring a bull or a lamb, but the poor man (as in the case of Jesus' parents) could bring a pair of doves (Lev 1:14-17, Luke 2:24). We know that doves were acceptable offerings from the stories of Jesus cleansing the temple and his overturning the benches of those selling doves (John 2:14-16, Matt 21:12-13).

St. Cyprian sums up his understanding of the doves' acceptability as a sacrifice in the following words: "A dove, a gentle joyous creature, with no bitterness of gall, no fierceness of bite and no violence of rending claws".³ The Spirit who came on Jesus was the Spirit of sacrifice, the Spirit that led him eventually to offer himself without blemish to God (Heb 9:14). The voice from heaven that accompanied the descent of the dove declared that Jesus after living thirty years in Galilee was totally acceptable to God.

Jesus' submission to baptism by John in the Jordan and the descent of the dove upon him are the negative and positive aspects of his Spirit of entire self offering; of his oneness and identification with the sinful race he came to save and of his complete consecration to achieve their eternal salvation cost what it might.

In the Old Testament, the dove was the only bird acceptable as a sacrifice. The Spirit who came on Jesus was the Spirit of self-sacrifice, leading him to offer himself on our behalf- an offering with which God was 'well pleased'."

Spring and Lovers

The Song of Songs tells us that the dove is the herald of spring and is associated with lovers:

Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come with me. See! the winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land...My dove in the clefts of the rock, in the hiding places on the mountainside, show me your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet and your face is lovely (Song of Solomon 2:10-12, 14).

The Hebrew word for dove comes from the word yayin, which contains the ideas of effervescence and intoxication and refers to the warmth of doves' love-making. There is a 'twoness' about doves. The poor man's offering was a pair of doves. Doves live in pairs and lay a clutch of two eggs, "nurturing their young together; when they fly abroad hanging in their flight side by side; leading their life in mutual intercourse; giving in concord the kiss of peace with their bills; in every way fulfilling their unanimity" (to quote from St. Cyprian again⁴).

The coming down of the dove on Jesus symbolises our Lord as the lover of our souls, desiring to become one with his bride- the Church."

Their twoness becomes oneness, or as St Paul says to the Ephesians (5:31-32), "the two shall become one". Paul says he is referring to Christ and his bride, the church. The coming down of the dove on our Lord reveals him to be the lover of our souls who cannot be content until we respond to his eternal love-making.

The Dove Prophet

As well as the direct references to the dove in Scripture we have examined, there is a very instructive one, which is not immediately apparent. The Hebrew word for dove is 'Yonah' or 'Jonah': the name of a prophet who tried to escape from the responsibility of declaring God's message to the city of Nineveh. When Jonah was sent he disobeyed but the One on whom the dove came acted in absolute obedience, when his Father told him to leave heaven and travel to our earth with the message of God's pardoning love.

Jesus is the true and perfect Jonah, the final dove-prophet."

Sinful Jonah, when sent by God, disobeyed and found himself jettisoned into a storm of judgement. Yet in the incredible mercy of God he was saved by being swallowed up and vomited out! Sinless Jesus was completely obedient to God's instructions and yet found himself overwhelmed by the storms of judgement and death. But he rose again! Furthermore, the only sign he would give his generation was the sign of Jonah (Matt 16:4). Jesus is the true Jonah, the final dove-prophet, the missioner of God. It was when John saw the dove descend on him that he recognised his cousin to be nothing less than the Son of God, the Lamb of God and the Baptiser in the Holy Spirit (John 1:29-34).

Dove-Prophets Today

Those who are prophets today must be careful to make sure that the Spirit that is inspiring their speaking is truly the Dove.

A possible reaction to man's rebellion and violence and to its inevitable consequence of divine judgement and punishment, is that we become harsh in our attitudes, judgmental in our speech and separatist in our relationships. But we are not to manifest the spirit of the raven, but the Spirit of the Dove.

Those prophesying today must not manifest the harsh spirit of the raven, but the endlessly loving Spirit of the Dove."

Dove-prophets are to be endlessly loving, always seeking unity and togetherness. They must sacrifice their own plans and preferences for the greater joy of announcing forgiveness to those who would otherwise perish. They are to be ever hopeful; convinced that the last word is with the God who will yet have heaven and earth as he intends.

Commenting on the descent of the dove, Dr. Alexander McLaren said of Jesus: "Since he was a man, he needed the Divine Spirit. Since he was sinless, he was capable of receiving it in perfect and unbroken continuity."⁵ If he needed the Dove, so much more do we- and the thrilling truth is that our need has been met. Every Christian prophet today may by faith receive the Spirit in fullness; the Spirit that is 'like a dove'.

References

1 Commentary on Mark 1:9-10

2 Vol. 1.

3 Treatise 1, section 9.

4 See previous note.

5 See note 1.

First published in Prophecy Today, Vol 1, No 4, 1985.

Clifford Denton continues to consider consequences of the separation of branches of Christianity from its original roots.

The Jewish Messiah becomes the Gentile Christ

This week, we are pausing in our historical survey of Christianity's parting of the ways with Israel and the Jews to consider some of the consequences. There is nothing more important to consider than the way Israel's Messiah has been taken out of his historical and cultural setting and re-defined by Christian theology. At the extreme, some Christian theologians have made Jesus Christ unrecognisable as the expected Messiah of Israel.

Of course, a rejection of Yeshua by many Jews contributed to Christians making fresh claims and re-defining him in a Gentile context. This included changing his Jewish name (Yeshua) to a Greek form (Jesus), and changing his title (Mashiach – Messiah – Anointed One) to the Greek (Christos, shortened to Christ). Whatever the cause, the same Christian theology that saw the Church as replacing Israel has often also been in danger of transforming Yeshua into a Greco-Roman god, an Anglican Bishop, a product of Lutheran or Calvinistic theology, or many other things including a European, African or other form of iconic figure.

Jesus has often been removed from his historical and cultural setting and re-defined by Christian theology, so we lose a sense of his Jewishness."

Words that we use and pictures that we paint are loaded with meaning and are interpreted through the way hearers think. The meaning of the words Jewish and Messiah must be understood without modification of their true, intended meaning. When understood correctly, it is a certain fact that Jesus is both Jewish and Messiah. He perfectly describes and fulfills the meaning of those terms. He was born into a Jewish family, and came to earth to be the Messiah.

These are basic issues for both Christians and Jews. Jews may have defined their Jewishness in a certain way and their Messianic expectation in a certain way, so that many Jews missed the moment of revelation that Yeshua (Jesus) is indeed the Jewish Messiah. Whatever may be the reasons, however, many Christians have disconnected themselves with Judaism so much as to miss the point that Jesus was, is and will return as King of the Jews.

In truth, Jesus was, is and will return as the King of the Jews."

Jesus and his followers

We can read the biblical account over and over again, and still have a mindset that has been cultivated through our own background and culture. We might pay lip-service to the Lord's Jewishness, without realising that our image of him is actually far removed from the truth.

Jesus was born and raised out of the stock of Israel and the Tribe of Judah. He is the fulfillment of the covenant promise given to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets of Israel. It was essential, in fulfillment of prophecy (see below), that he was and is of the Tribe of Judah, King of the Jews and the promised Jewish Messiah.

Marvin Wilson writes in his book, Our Father Abraham:

The life and teachings of Jesus reveal a deep commitment to the Jewish beliefs and practices of his day. He was born of Jewish parents (Matthew 1:16) and circumcised on the eighth day in accord with Jewish Law (Luke 2:21). As a boy he celebrated Passover (Luke 2:41-43), and as a youth he learned by interacting with various Jewish teachers, all of whom were amazed at his understanding (Luke 2:46-47). Frequenting the synagogue from Sabbath to Sabbath as was his custom at the start of his adult ministry (Luke 4:16), Jesus was exposed to a wide range of Jewish thought.¹

Marvin also points out:

Furthermore, Jesus' early followers were Jews. Less than three scant years after Jesus launched his public ministry, a nucleus among them would found the primitive Christian assembly. Jesus discipled his followers in the fashion of a typical first-century itinerant teacher of Judaism. Not in synagogue classrooms but on hillsides, in fields, and in remote locations, this Galilean carpenter's son clustered many pupils about him.²

Jesus came to the world of the Rabbis (each being from a various sect of Judaism) and ministered according to Rabbinic traditions, in his own perfect exposition of the Hebrew Scriptures. In particular, we note Jesus' own central purpose while he was on this earth, to find "the lost sheep of Israel" (Matt 15:24).

Jesus the Jewish Messiah

Not only did Jesus come into this world as a Jew, he also fulfilled the promises given through the prophets of the coming Messiah to suffer for his people. The Hebrew root of the word 'Messiah' is 'one who is anointed'. The Messiah foretold by the Scriptures is the one who is anointed by God to lead his people, and bring in eternal peace.

Jesus first came to suffer and pay the sacrifice for the redemption of his people. On his return he will fulfill the remaining prophesies and bring in the Messianic Kingdom (Jude 15, Rev 2:27). Many people from the tribes of Israel expected the Messiah to fulfill the promises all at once when he came. There was an expectation of the "lion lying down with the lamb", the symbol of peace that would confirm the Messianic Kingdom (extracted from Isaiah 65:25). There was therefore a disappointment when this did not take place all at once, and this has been a cause for many Jews rejecting Yeshua (Jesus) as Messiah to this day.

Jesus came in fulfillment of the promises of Scripture and will return in fulfillment of the promises of Scripture."

Yet, he came in fulfillment of the promises, will return in fulfillment of the promises and continue to confirm that he is indeed the Messiah. He was born a Jew, lived as a Jew, died as a Jew in fulfillment of all prophecies pointing to his sacrificial death and resurrection. He will return as the King of the Jews, returning to Jerusalem, the capital city of Israel and Judah. Here are some of the Scriptures pointing to Jesus (Yeshua), the Jewish Messiah.

• Jacob prophesied His coming from the Tribe of Judah (Gen 49:10).
• Balaam foresaw the Star out of Jacob and the Sceptre from Israel (Num 24:17, 19).
• Moses foresaw the coming Messiah (Deut 18:15).
• David knew that the Messiah would come from his descendants (Psa 132:11).
• Micah was told that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (Mic 5:2).
• Daniel was shown the time of the coming of the Messiah to suffer for His people, and Isaiah predicted the suffering too (Dan 9:26, Isa 53:5, 7).
• David related the suffering of Messiah to the Passover Lamb (Psa 22:6).
• Zechariah was shown that Messiah's own brethren would be involved in the sacrifice (Zech 12:11; 13:6).
• The Messiah would rise from the dead (Isa 53:10, Psa 16:10, 11).
• He would be the Son of God (Psa 2:7).
• He would rule with the Father (Psa 110:1).
• He will return to execute vengeance on His enemies and establish the Messianic Kingdom (Jude 15, Rev 2:27).
• He came as the Lamb (John 1:29) and will return as the Lion of Judah (Rev 5:5).

While some people, including many Christian theologians, have created an image of Jesus that is divorced from his Jewish and Hebraic background. Others, including some of his own brethren, have not realised that God raised him up as one of them, of the Tribe of Judah, totally integrated into the biblical world of Israel. He was, is and will return as the Jewish Messiah.

Jesus was, is and will return as the Jewish Messiah. In him is the mending of the rift between Christians and Jews: there is no other way."

The mending of the rift and uniting of Christians with the Israel of God is in and of Yeshua HaMashiach. There is no other way.

For Study and Prayer

Do you agree that some Christians may have unconsciously accepted concepts of Jesus that are not compatible with his Jewish background? Can you think of any examples? How can we move towards correcting any misconceptions?

Follow this link for a study of the significance of the Hebrew letters that form the name Yeshua.

Next time: The Jewish Heritage of the Christian Church

These studies are developed from the course Christianity's Relationship with Israel and the Jews, first prepared for Tishrei Bible School.

References

1 Eerdmans 1989, p40, emphasis added.

2 Ibid.