The Messiah
Written by: Joseph Rutherford
Title: Comfort for the Jews
Copy written: 1925 International Bible Students Association
MESSIAH means anointed one. The Anointed One is he who is clothed
with authority from his superior to act. The Messiah, therefore,
the anointed one of God (YAHWEH), must be clothed with authority
to carry out the divine plan of redemption and deliverance of
mankind and to extend to mankind blessings, which God (YAHWEH)
promised to Abraham.
The greatest desire of all real Jews (Israelites) has ever been
that their Messiah would come, establish his great kingdom, redeem
them, and relieve them from their suffering and bring them the
blessings promised. It must necessarily follow that the Messiah
is “Abraham’s seed, according to the promise” because it is through
him that the blessings must come. It necessarily follows that
he is the one of whom Moses was a type and the one to whom the
people shall be gathered. Because he is the anointed of God (YHWH),
because he is the great deliverer and blesses of the people, Satan
the enemy would use every possible means at his hands to keep
the people in darkness as to Messiah’s identity.
The testimony of men, unsupported by the Word of YAHWEH, should
never be taken as to who is the Messiah, or what is his work.
God’s Word alone is final and conclusive proof.
Concerning this the Prophet Isaiah wrote: “To the law and to the
testimony: if they speak not according to this work, it is because
there is no light them.” (Isaiah 8:20) In their confession of
faith the orthodox Jews acknowledge: That all the words of the
prophets are true; that all the law which at this day is found
in our hands was delivered by God (YHWH) himself to our master
Moses." Then by the law and by the prophets let us identify
the Messiah. If the words of the law and the prophets give a clear
description of the Messiah and it is found from the undisputed
facts following the prophecy that a certain one meets every part
of that description, such should be sufficient upon which to base
the conclusion that the one who meets these requirements is the
Messiah. Otherwise stated, God (YHWH) through his prophets foretold
the Messiah. The only way to know whether or not we have prophecy
properly interpreted is to fit the facts to the prophecy. Now
since the Lord invited us to reason together no man can reason
unless he puts aside prejudice. Neither should any man permit
any one else to do his thinking, whether that man is a rabbi or
a preacher. Remember the words of YAHWEH: “To the law and to the
prophets; if they speak not according to this word, there is no
truth in them.” The devil has used the sophistry of men to keep
the people in darkness. But let us throw away his sophistry, return
wholly to the Word of YAHWEH, and use it in the light of reason
and the physical facts, which we see before us, which cannot be
disputed.
No man ever walked on earth that was the object of such wicked
persecution as Jesus (Yahshua) of Nazareth, whom the Jews regard
as a great teacher. Yahshua was accused of every crime known to
the calendar, yet guilty of none. The common people heard him
gladly and believed upon him. The clergy of his day, from whom
better might have been expected, were the instruments used by
Satan for his persecution. The clergy of the present time likewise
misrepresent God. They advance their own wisdom to turn the minds
of the people away from YAH and from his Word. The time has come
when the people must cast away the stumbling stones which the
clergy have put in their pathway, and use their own mental faculties
to understand the scriptures.
Jesus always faithfully represented YAHWEH. No one can justly
claim that he was unfaithful to YAHWEH (Jehovah) and to the law
covenant. He said: “I can of mine own self do nothing…I seek not
mine own will, but the will of the Father who sent me.” David
prophesied concerning him who should be the members of his own
house. “Because for thy sake I have borne reproach: shame hath
covered my face. I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and
an alien unto my mother’s children. For the zeal of thine house
hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee
are fallen upon me.”—Psalm 69:7-9
Satan the enemy has reproached God since the days of Eden, and
has reproached every one who has insisted on following the teachings
of Jehovah. It was he who caused the reproaches to come upon Jesus.
Moses was a type of the Messiah because he testified to that effect.
“The Lord thy God will raise up unto a prophet from the midst
of thee, of thy brethren like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken.”
“I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren, like
unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak
unto them all that I shall command him.”—Deuteronomy 18:15,18
That the Messiah must come through the tribe of Judah is plainly
set forth in the prophecy: “The scepter shall not depart from
Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come;
and unto his shall the gathering of the people be.”—Genesis 49:10
The Lord through the prophet Micah foretells the place where the
Redeemer, the Messiah, must be born: “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah,
though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of
thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel;
whose goings forth have been from old, from everlasting.” –Micah
5:2
All agree that Jesus was of the tribe of Judah and that he was
born at Bethlehem. His name means “Savior of the people.”
God, through his prophet Isaiah, said concerning the Messiah:
“Who hath believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the Lord
revealed?” (See Isa. 53:1) Thus the Lord foretold that only a
few would send would believe the report concerning him whom God
would send to execute His plan. The words of the prophecy continue:
“He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted
with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised,
and we esteemed him not.”
All agree that Pharisees and other leaders of the people and the
clergy and the doctors of the law despised Yashua. They rejected
him and persecuted him. They heaped upon him all manner of abuse
and put forth every possible effort to turn the people away from
him. The common people of that day were not responsible for the
mistakes and errors of those who claim to be teachers of the Bible.
The prophet further says: “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted;
yet he opened not his mouth” he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shears is dumb, so he opened not his
mouth.” –Isa. 53:7
Surely Jesus (Yashua) and his experience fulfill every part of
this description. He was oppressed and persecuted and afflicted;
and then when he stood before his accusers he opened not his mouth.
The prophet further identifies the one who is to be the Messiah
as “the lamb of God” of whom the Passover lamb was a type. It
was at the time of the Passover that the great trouble came upon
Yahshua during which he was put to death.
Please read scriptures: Isaiah 53
Zach. 11:12
Daniel 9:25-27
Psalms 34:19,20,
Psalms 16:10,11
Exodus 12:1-14
Hundreds of witnesses testified that within three days after the
crucifixion of Jesus (Yahshua) YAHWEH raised him out death, and
that his body was taken away and did not see corruption.
Can any reasonable person conclude that these things concerning
Jesus (Yahshua) as coincidence? Has any man, Jew or Gentile, ever
lived on earth that so completely fulfilled every detail of prophecy
as did Yahshua? There certainly has not been one.
We have seen that he who would be Redeemer of the human race must
be a perfect man; therefore must be sent by God and not taken
from amongst the race on earth. Isaiah prophesied: “Therefore
the Lord himself shall give you a sign: Behold, a virgin shall
conceive, and bear a son, and shall call him name Immanuel.” (Isa,
7:14) Exactly in harmony with this prophecy Jesus was born of
a virgin, the Virgin Mary. About this there is not the slightest
doubt, nor will any one attempt to successfully disprove it. Satan
the enemy knew that this child was the one promised and hence
Satan sought to have the mother stoned to death before the birth
of the child. But God thwarted his purpose. Now we observe that
Yahshua met every one of the requirements, namely: He was from
the tribe of Judah; he was born of a virgin; he was despised and
rejected of men; he was persecuted by the leaders in Israel; he
was betrayed for thirty pieces of silver, and he suffered an ignominious
death.
Peter (Kepha) was one of the disciples of Jew who served the
law. At Pentecost immediately following the Passover, at which
time Jesus (Yahshua) was slain, Peter and the other disciples
were waiting at Jerusalem; and at that time the prophecy of Joel
above quoted was fulfilled. At that season there were in Jerusalem
a great many Jews from various nations, who spoke various tongues.
These Jews observed Peter and the others, all unlearned men, speaking
in different languages; and were amazed. Those who scoffed, and
did not want to believe, said: “These men are drunken.” But Peter
replied to them in these words: “These men are not drunken, but
what ye now see here is a fulfillment of what the Prophet Joel
said referring to the prophecy, and tells his hearers that now
they see its fulfillment. This of itself qualifies Peter as a
competent witness. He marks the fulfillment of the proceeds to
testify; and his testimony definitely identifies the Redeemer
and the Messiah, to wit:
Please read scriptures: Acts 2:22-34,41
Here then is the testimony all of which, based upon the prophecies,
identifies Yahshua (Jesus) of Nazareth as the Messiah: and there
stood about at that time and heard the testimony three thousand
other Jews who believed. This prophecy of Joel shows that God
would have others prophesy just before the final dispersion of
the Jews by the Romans. The fulfillment of this prophecy at the
proper time shows conclusively that God did endow other men with
power to prophesy, and that these Jews that were endowed to prophesy
were the disciples of Yahshua (Jesus). These were caused to make
a record of what occurred; and this record was made under the
record of YAHWEH (Jehovah) God and therefore imparts absolute
verity. It follows then that the record of the New Testament,
being in harmony with that of the Old Testament, is the Word of
God (written under the direction of Jehovah (YAHWEH).
What then does the New Testament show concerning the great question
of redemption and of the Messiah? Exactly in harmony with the
prophecies of the Old Testament it shows, to wit: That the human
race has been going into death because of Adam’s sin (Romans 5:12);
that the race must be ransomed from the grace and redeemed from
death, and tat this could be done only be the death of a perfect
man.
The further testimony is that Jesus (Yahshua), the Messiah, will
bind the devil, oust him, and establish a new heaven and a new
earth; that is to say, a new invisible ruling power and a new
visible government on earth amongst men.
Isaiah prophesied that the kingdom of Messiah will be a kingdom
of peace and righteousness:
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the
government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called
Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The everlasting Father,
The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace
there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his
kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with
justice, from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the Lord of
hosts will perform this.”—Isaiah 9:6,7.
It is recorded in the New Testament that when Jesus (Yahshua)
was born at Bethlehem with angels of heaven sang together, saying,
“On earth peace, good will toward men”; and that this good news
in due time should come to all men. This is exactly in harmony
with the words of the prophets; Isaiah prophesied that when the
YHWH’s kingdom is established, the law shall go forth from Zion
and the word of God from Jerusalem; and that them there will be
no more war, but that he who rules will rule in peace. (Isaiah
2:2-4) This same prophet prophesies: Behold, a king shall reign
in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment.”—Isaiah
32:1.
The king here mentioned is the Messiah, and the princes undoubtedly
are the same princes mentioned in Psalm 45:16 and are, to wit:
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the other prophets and holy men of
old who will be returned to earth and become the rulers amongst
the men of earth, making of the Jews (True Israel) the great nation
of earth.
