A Question for Jews regarding the Messiah?

He must do the following:

"The messaih will bring about the political and spiritual redemption of the Jewish people by bringing us back to Israel and restoring Jerusalem (Isaiah 11:11-12; Jeremiah 23:8; 30:3; Hosea 3:4-5). He will establish a government in Israel that will be the center of all world government, both for Jews and gentiles (Isaiah 2:2-4; 11:10; 42:1). He will rebuild the Temple and re-establish its worship (Jeremiah 33:18). He will restore the religious court system of Israel and establish Jewish law as the law of the land (Jeremiah 33:15). "

I am not a Jew, the one who needs coffee can tell you about what Jews have traditinally expected, but a messiah is a human leader who will accomplish the promises given by the God of Israel, through the prophets, as recorded in several books of the Tanach. The promises are mostly to be accomplished on this earth, as Isaiah says "while we still can speak, while we are still praying for these things to comes to pass". They are meant to be "real, physical fulfillments", not "spiritual ones" and not ones to be accomplished only in heaven. Most would make no sense if they were only spiritual or heavenly. A messiah is a human, earthly realm term not a term used for the spiritual realm; not for eternity, heaven, angels, nor for God. A human messiah can only be known when we actually see the messiah actually accomplishing "messiah stuff"; when we are led and work for that better world, for the establishment of a kingdom of God on earth. Most skeptics can't imagine a "perfect" world, but we have a long way to go to a more perfect world that even pessimists can imagine as attainable. We expect more from a big God, more than some "religious folk" are satisfied with.

The Messiah is preceded by Elijah the prophet who, with the Messiah, unifies the family (Malachi 4:5-6), which is contradicted by Jesus in Matthew 10:34-37.

The Messiah re-establishes the Davidic dynasty through the messiah's own children (Daniel 7:13-14). But Jesus had no children.

The Messiah brings an eternal peace between all nations, between all peoples, and between all people (Isaiah 2:2-4; Micah 4:1-4; Ezekiel 39:9). Obviously there is no peace. Furthermore, Jesus said that his purpose in coming was to bring a sword, and not peace (see Matthew 10:34, as referenced above.)

The Messiah brings about the universal world-wide conversion of all peoples to Judaism, or at least to Ethical Monotheism (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Zechariah 8:23; Isaiah 11:9; Zechariah 14:9,16). But the world remains steeped in idolatry.

The Messiah brings about an end to all forms of idolatry (Zechariah 13:2). But the world remains steeped in idolatry.

The Messiah brings about a universal recognition that the Jewish idea of God is God (Isaiah 11:9). But the world remains steeped in idolatry.

The Messiah leads the world to become vegetarian (Isaiah 11:6-9). It isn't.

The Messiah gathers to Israel, all of the twelve tribes (Ezekiel 36:24). Many of the ten lost tribes remain lost.

The Messiah rebuilds The Temple (Isaiah 2:2; Ezekiel 37:26-28). It hasn't been rebuilt.

There will be no more famine (Ezekiel 36:29-30). People starve to death every day.

After the Messiah comes, death will eventually cease (Isaiah 25:8). People die every day.

Eventually the dead will be resurrected (Isaiah 26:19; Daniel 12:2; Ezekiel 37:12-13; Isaiah 43:5-6);

The nations of the earth will help the Jews, materially (Isaiah 60:5-6; 60:10-12;

The Jews will be sought out for spiritual guidance (Zechariah 8:23);

All weapons will be destroyed (Ezekiel 39:9,12);

The Nile will run dry (Isaiah 11:15)

Monthly, the trees of Israel will yield their fruit (Ezekiel 47:12);

Each tribe of Israel will receive and settle their inherited land (Ezekiel 47:13-13);

The nations of the earth will recognize that they have been wrong, that the Jews have been right, and that the sins of the Gentile nations, their persecutions and the murders they committed, have been borne by the Jewish people (Isaiah 53)

Criterion? That is the wrong way, the human way to look at it. Too many look for signs, dates, verses of descriptions (that some call "prophecies") fulfilled, etc. What was the criterion that God saw, that the skinny boy David had that his older brothers didn't have and that Samuel didn't see? In the bible, we are told over and over that what counts is that God chooses and what matters is deed and what people do. We are here to act, to do, to live, to accomplish. When whoever the messiah is leads us and accomplishes the work of the messiah, that one is the Moshiach. There will be no guessing, no miraculous signs (which all the "best" of the false prophets were (are) good at, so that we are tempted/our faith is tested), no propaganda, no "leap of faith alone" no checkists, no list of "prophesies fulfilled" or rather list of "circumstantial evidence" gathered by shyster lawyers. There is no one who has to go across the sea, or to the "big city", or "up the hill" to bring it to us. "There is no one who needs to ascend to heaven and bring it back down to us, says my bible.

When things are done, when we see the work is started or accomplished, at some point there can be no denial. All will know. Jeremiah promised that no longer will we have to be taught, we will see and we will know. As they said at Sinai, we will hear and we will understand.

Oh, how great God is. Let's us work for peace and justice and do the commandments, the will of God.

The Jewish maschiach must - in order to qualify *as* maschiach - do these things:

- establish world peace

- rebuild the temple

- bring worship of the one, true G-d

There are 23 Jewish messianic prophecies, so the above are just three.

And the maschiach must do them ALL *before* he dies. No 'second coming' in Judaism.

Here is the information:

Judge for yourself: Did Jesus fulfill ALL these criteria?

The Jewish tradition of "The Messiah" has its foundation in numerous biblical references, and understands "The Messiah" to be a human being - without any overtone of deity or divinity - who will bring about certain changes in the world and fulfill certain criteria before he can be acknowledged as "The Messiah".

First of all, he must be Jewish - "...you may appoint a king over you, whom the L-rd your G-d shall choose: one from among your brethren shall you set as king over you." (Deuteronomy 17:15)

He must be a member of the tribe of Judah - "The staff shall not depart from Judah, nor the sceptre from between his feet..." (Genesis 49:10)

To be a member of the tribe of Judah, the person must have a biological father who is a member of the tribe of Judah.

He must be a direct male descendant of King David and King Solomon, his son - "And when your days (David) are fulfilled, and you shall sleep with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who shall issue from your bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will make firm the throne of his kingdom forever..." (2 Samuel 7:12 - 13)

The genealogy of the New Testament is inconsistent. While it gives two accounts of the genealogy of Joseph, it states clearly that he is not the biological father of Jesus. One of the genealogies is through Nathan and not Solomon altogether!

He must gather the Jewish people from exile and return them to Israel -"And he shall set up a banner for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth." (Isaiah 11:12)

Are all Jews living in Israel? Have all Jews EVER lived in Israel since the time of Jesus?

He must rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem - "...and I will set my sanctuary in their midst forever and my tabernacle shall be with them.." (Ezekiel 37:26 - 27)

At last check, there is NO Temple in Jerusalem. And worse, it was shortly after Jesus died that the Temple was DESTROYED! Just the opposite of this prophecy!

He will rule at a time of world-wide peace - "...they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore." (Micah 4:3)

Have you seen a newspaper lately? Are we living in a state of complete world peace? Has there ever been peace since the time of Jesus?

He will rule at a time when the Jewish people will observe G-d's commandments - "My servant David shall be king over them; and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall follow My ordinances and be careful to observe My statutes." (Ezekiel 37:24)

The Torah is the Jewish guide to life, and its commandments are the ones referred to here. Do all Jews observe all the commandments? Christianity, in fact, often discourages observance of the commandments in Torah, in complete opposition to this prophecy.

He will rule at a time when all people will come to acknowledge and serve one G-d - "And it shall come to pass that from one new moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before Me, says the L-rd" (Isaiah 66:23)

there are still millions if not billions of people in the world today who adhere to paganistic and polytheistic religions. It is clear that we have not yet seen this period of human history unfold.

All of these criteria are best stated in the book of Ezekiel Chapter 37 verses 24-28:

And David my servant shall be king over them; and they shall all have one shepherd. they shall also follow My judgments and observe My statutes, and do them. And they shall dwell in the land that I have given to Yaakov my servant, in which your fathers have dwelt and they shall dwell there, they and their children, and their children's children forever; and my servant David shall be their prince forever. Moreover, I will make a covenant of peace with them, it shall be an everlasting covenant with them, which I will give them; and I will multiply them and I will set my sanctuary in the midst of them forevermore. And my tabernacle shall be with them: and I will be their G-d and they will be my people. Then the nations shall know that I am the L-rd who sanctifies Israel, when My sanctuary will be in the midst of them forevermore.

If an individual fails to fulfill even one of these conditions, then he cannot be "The Messiah." A careful analysis of these criteria shows us that to date, no one has fulfilled every condition.

Certainly NOT Jesus.

What Xtians have done is to "write" Jesus into the Torah. Where it talks about others or Israel...they say it is talking of Jesus. They did this long after we (the Jews) were given the Torah and knew what it said and studied it.

We will have universal peace on earth. What could be simpler???

A dead messiah is NOT a messiah.

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I think we'll notice world peace....

Good question Debbie !!

"What criterion must he meet?"

ALL the ones Jeez failed to meet.

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