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Is Jesus Christ Really the Messiah?
Is it Judah?
If this is describing
Judah, consider this scripture:
Isaiah 53:8 He
was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his
generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the
transgression of my people was he stricken
If the
scriptures of
Isaiah 52:13-Isaiah 53:12 refer to Judah as the Servant,
then this scripture is ludicrous. This verse alone is point to the
"Servant". If Judah is the Servant referred to in this verse, then
who are God's people in this verse?
If the Scripture
is speaking of Judah, are they then cut off from the land of the
living? This is not possible since the rest of that verse states
that the Servant here was cut off for the transgression of "my people".
In other words, Judah was not "cut off" for their own transgressions.
Do you know what tribe Isaiah was from? Right, from the tribe of Judah.
With this being the case, who is the "we", "our" and "us"? For example:
Isaiah 53:5
But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our
iniquities; The chastisement of our peace was upon Him, And by His
stripes we are healed.
Whose
transgressions is the Servant wounded for? Whose iniquities? Who is healed
by His stripes? How can Judah be a trespass offering?
According to
Isaiah, it is "our" iniquities and
transgressions, the chastisement of "our"
peace was upon Him and by His stripes "we"
are healed. "we" in this instance would be
Judah since Isaiah is from the tribe of Judah. When the Word of God says "we
despised Him" then the "we" would be
Judah.
Now, I
understand that it could be referring to "other" people that may come in
the future, however, even then, the people cannot be a "trespass offering"
for themselves, nor can they be wounded for themselves, or bruised or
chastised for themselves.
These passages MUST be
referring to someone else other than Judah.
It is Israel?
Based on the above information, there are several qualifications that
prevent it from being Israel.
1. The Servant will deal "prudently"
2. By His knowledge, the Servant will "justify/declare righteous" many.
3. The Servant had "done no violence"
4. The Servant was "righteous" and didn't have any deceit in His mouth.
5. The Servant was a trespass offering.
Those who deny Jesus is the Messiah say that Israel (not Judah) is the one
who apostates and turns from the true faith.
None of the
above attributes would accurately fit the description of even that
understanding of Israel if the scriptures were referring to Israel.
There is some evidence that the Servant of
Isaiah 53
could be Israel. The text most often used to promote this idea is Isaiah 49. Let's examine Isaiah 49 which also speaks of a Servant:
Isaiah 49:1-3 "Listen, O isles,
unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from
the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.
And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand
hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid
me; And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I
will be glorified."
In
Isaiah 49, the Servant spoken of here is
indeed identified as Israel. Let's keep reading.
Isaiah 49:4-5 "Then I said, I have laboured
in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain: yet surely my
judgment is with the LORD, and my work with my God. And now, saith the
LORD that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob
again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in
the eyes of the LORD, and my God shall be my strength."
This is the
problematic scripture for those who believe the Servant is Israel.
The passage states "And
now, saith the LORD that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to
bring Jacob again to him".
How can Israel bring back
Israel?
Isaiah 49:6
'And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to
raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel:
I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be
my salvation unto the end of the earth."
Here, this
Servant is not only bringing back Israel, He is going to be a light to the
Gentiles and even be God's salvation to the ends of the earth!
These are all
things that line up with prophecies of the coming Messiah!
The coming
Messiah who can also be called Israel, was going to come from the tribe of
Israel and not from a Gentile seed.
The coming
Messiah was to be the true, righteous manifestation of Israel.
These passages MUST be
referring to someone else other than Israel.
Could it be a combination of
Judah and Israel?
It is not possible for the passages to be a combination of
Judah and Israel for the exact reasons discussed above. If one is
disqualified for any reason, the other is by definition and default, also disqualified.
It cannot, therefore, be a combination of the two since each were
disqualified of their own accord.
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