Judaism's Messiah

Dear friends:

Below is an interesting article about Judaism's concept of Messiah, from a Jewish Web site, www.aish.com .

Of itself, the Web suite says, "Aish HaTorah's vast network of programs is the vision of American-born Rabbi Noah Weinberg, who founded Aish HaTorah in 1974 to combat alarming assimilation rates. From its beginning in one small apartment in Jerusalem's Old City, Aish has become today a premier resource for Jews who long for intelligent answers to important life questions."

We rejoice when we hear of Jews also looking for the Messiah. Unfortunately, they are not looking for the same Messiah as are Bible-believing Christians. There are radical distinctions.

See article below. See my comments following.

Jim
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THE MESSIAH

In Judaism, who is the Messiah?

The messiah is a God fearing, pious Jew, who is both a great Torah scholar and a great leader as well. He is a direct descendent of King David, and will be anointed as the new Jewish King. (In fact, the Hebrew word for messiah - "Moshiach" - means "anointed one.").

When the messiah comes, there will be a universal recognition of the truth of Torah and the God Who gave that Torah at Mount Sinai. All Jews will return to the Land of Israel, where they will throw off the yoke of their enemies and undergo a complete spiritual revival. They will embrace the faith of their forefathers and dedicate themselves to God's service forever.

They will re-build the Holy Temple, from where the Divine presence will shine forth, spreading the light of truth, justice, tolerance and peace throughout the world.

Today, the world is beset by jealousy, greed, theft, violence, lying, impatience, intolerance, deception and fraud. We are suspicious of our neighbors and cynical of our leaders. We are factionalized, and we worship different gods. Rather than cooperate, we compete. We are manipulative and seek advantage at the expense of others. It's dog-eat-dog and every man for himself. We withdraw into our homes behind a curtain of satellite dishes, internet, and take-out food. We shield ourselves from the harsh realities and worst of all, we despair of the notion that things can be much better. We shrug our shoulders and lament, "That's just the way life is."

Judaism says "No." When Adam and Eve left the Garden of Eden, God assured us of a path back. Statesmen may speak of "peace in our time," but the Jewish prophet said it best: "The lamb will lie down with the lion... and young children will play at the cobra's nest" (Isaiah 11:6).

"Shalom," the Hebrew word for "peace," comes from the root "shaleim," which means complete or whole. "Shalom," says the Talmud, is one of the Names of God, for His unity encompasses all. This "one-ness" is the primary theme of the Jewish Pledge of Allegiance: "Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One!" The word "Shalom" is also part of the name "Jeru-Salem."

How can we hasten the coming of the Messiah? The best way is to love all humanity generously, to keep the mitzvahs of the Torah (as best we can), and to encourage others to keep them as well.

We also must pray to God to hasten the coming of the Messiah. The Talmud says that one of the first questions a Jew is asked on Judgement Day is: "Did you yearn for the arrival of the Messiah?" Praying for such an event increases our sensitivity to what we currently lack, and demonstrates our sincere desire for the Messiah to arrive.

If we so desire, he can come today.

(End of article.)
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COMMENTS:

1. The above messiah is a "God-fearing, pious Jew." Our Messiah is Himself God and only half Jew (on His mother's side). He doesn't fear Himself.

2. There is some biblical truth to the above, but if you know the Bible you can spot the error. Error is often cloaked with some truth.

3. I found it odd that God's principle attribute is love, which includes mercy and compassion, and all of His nature is embodied in His Son, but there is no mention of any of those concepts. The emphasis above is that when this person comes "there will be a universal recognition of the truth of Torah," which the New Testament explains was "only a shadow of the good things that are coming -- not the realities themselves" (Hebrews 10:1). The apostle Peter described this law of Moses as "a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear" (Acts 15:10). Paul called it a "yoke of slavery," or bondage (Galatians 5:1).

4. The above messiah, if he shows up, will be a false messiah -- either the antichrist or a tool of the antichrist.

5. Be alert to those whose teachings emphasize any of the erroneous principles above. While well-intended, they may unwittingly be led by the spirit of antichrist to prepare the world for his appearance and teachings.

6. This antichrist may soon appear. If anyone misses the rapture for one of several possible reasons, such as unbelief, you will be under great religious and political pressure to recognize this false messiah. Don't.

7. When the REAL Messiah shows up, He will be unmistakable, for at least three reasons:

(He will come in the clouds.) "Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11).

(He will come with drama and power.) "On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south" (Zechariah 14:4).

(He will be identified by the holes in his hands, feet and side.) "They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son" (Zechariah 12:10).

Look for this One, not the other.

Jim