Those of the Jewish faith often challenge Christians about the unfulfilled Messianic prophecies. They think Messiah's mission will be all about them.
When the prophecies were given, Adam, Israel, or just Judea looked forward through time, dimly seeing a mountain peak in history. As the world arrived at that peak, the followers of Messiah began to realize that scriptures described not one mountain peak, but two. The two peaks are aligned so that ancient Israel could not distinguish them. But now, being between those peaks, we can clearly distinguish them.
Just as granite and sandstone seldom occur together, so the characteristics of the suffering Messiah and the conquering Messiah (being the same Person) lack compatibility. In that light, the separation of events makes sense.
Moses said God would send another prophet like himself. A few parallels are especially relevant.
- When Moses first came to Israel, Israel rejected him. When Messiah first came to Israel, Israel rejected Him.
- After being rejected by Israel, Moses went away for a very long time, shepherding among the gentiles. After being rejected by Israel, Messiah went away for a very long time, shepherding gentiles.
- Moses returned to deliver Israel from bondage in a foreign land. Messiah will return and deliver Israel from bondage to unbelief.
- Moses gave the Law of Death (rather God gave it through Moses) which commissioned Israel as a priestly nation and a peculiar people. Messiah gave the Law of Liberty which commissioned believers in every nation to be a borderless, priestly nation and a peculiar people.
When you stand between two points in a process, you do not say, "The second point has not arrived, so the first point was not part of the process." Yet that is what Jewish apologists do. When God says, "Our path is going to make a right turn," those who follow the change are the ones with God. If you continue straight, you are the one who leaves the path.
Copyright 2020, Richard Wheeler. Permission granted for personal, non-prophet... er, non-profit... uses, provided credit is given where credit is due.
