Yeshua is the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53

Yeshua is the Suffering Servant
by David Ben-Ariel

"The suffering servant of Isaiah 53 is the Jewish nation," according to traditional Jewish misunderstanding.

Some Jewish people are self-righteous enough to consider themselves worthy of atoning for mankind, but only One from the Jewish nation - Yeshua - qualifies, having died and been resurrected, atoning for many, seeing his spiritual descendants, since He is alive. How else could someone who died - as the The Suffering Servant did (Israel is still alive - remember Am Israel Chai? The Nation/People of Israel lives), see the travail of His soul was well worth the sacrifice?

Isaiah 53:
1 "Who has believed our report? (most of Israel and Judah - professing Christianity - haven't believed the report and either reject Yeshua or accept a Gentilized version)
And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
2 For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him,There is no beauty that we should desire Him.
3 He is despised and rejected by men, A Man (not a nation, a man) of sorrows and acquainted with grief.And we (collective Israel, especially Judah) hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He (one man) was despised, and we (Israel/Judah) did not esteem Him.
4 Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we (collective Israel/Judah) esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted (and curse His holy Name).
5 But He was wounded for our (Israel/Judah) transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,And by His stripes we (Israel/Judah) are healed.
6 All we (Israel/Judah) like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.
8 He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living (just as Daniel foresaw He went "missing"); For the transgressions of My people (the sins of Israel and Judah - they can't be their own savior) He was stricken.
9 And they made His grave with the wicked (Am Yisrael Chai - Israel has never died or God's Word would have been broken to the Fathers)—
But with the rich at His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth.
10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin (something Judaism denies possible but God's Word and Yeshua prove true), He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days (having been resurrected to see and enjoy his spiritual seed), And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.
11 He shall see the labor of His soul,and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant (One Savior) shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities (which Judaism denies but the Bible teaches).
12 Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death (Israel and Judah never died), And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many (which Judaism denies but the Bible teaches), And made intercession for the transgressors (as our resurrected High Priest in Heaven, at the right hand of the Ancient of Days)."

Remember Moses lifted up the snake on the pole in the wilderness and all who looked to it were saved? "...the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all...". Yeshua knew it foreshadowed His death.

John 3:14
"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up...".

Yeshua took all the sins of Israel and Judah and the world upon Himself on the stake as THE Suffering Servant, crucified for all mankind - ONE whose life meant more than all, died that the nation might live, as the High Priest prophesied in His day:

John 11:50
"... it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish."

The entire nation wasn't crucified, wasn't upon the pole, but Yeshua is the One who we're to look up to and perceive that He is the Pierced One who is our Lord and Savior, our Priest and King, the One who has died in our stead:

Genesis 22:13
"Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son."

Joseph's brethren were also blind to his identity his first appearance before them. The second time their eyes were opened to recognize His revealed identity.

Zechariah foresees Judah and Jerusalem will learn to look up and recognize the ram Yeshua as the Firstborn Son of God and Savior-King of Judah and mourn their former rejection of Him and prepare for His imminent arrival to liberate Jerusalem and save klal Yisrael, as encouraged by the Two Witnesses (in the spirit of Elijah) who announce the coming of our King (Zech. 12:8, Matt. 23:39).

Zechariah 12:10
10 "And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn."

Come Lord Yeshua! Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the LORD!

Obey Christ and the Pharisees!

Excerpts from a Sabbath-keeping Church of God forum:

If you want to obey Christ, then follow Christ's command to DO as the Pharisees said to do and respect their God-given authority.

Yeshua clearly said the Pharisees - however imperfect- sit in Moses' Seat (even though He was aware they rejected Him at that time). Yeshua clearly said DO AS THEY - the Pharisees - SAY.

shall we obey everything the Pharisees have to say? even when they place burdens upon others which are part of their own tradition and not the law of God? certainly not!

The Pharisees alone have the right to proclaim and determine the holy days/dates from Moses' Seat. He didn't disagree with them on their observances of Passover/Shavuot, and where He did disagree was made evident. He clearly disagreed with the Sadducees (who too many in the Church still follow), since the Pharisees strongly disagree with their observance of Shavuot. Yeshua sided, like Paul did, with the Pharisees - all things considered.

The Pharisees
Who isn't aware of the sins of the Pharisees? Especially the Accuser of the Brethren? But does that mean the truths they teach, even if they don't live them, are no longer true?

You speak of the "Jews" as though they are still sitting in Moses' seat. Aren't the "Jews" the ones who deny Messiah came in the flesh?

The Jews - specifically rabbinic Judaism, the continuation of the Pharisess - do still sit in Moses' Seat and will continue to do so UNTIL Shiloh comes, the King of the Jews, and regathers all 12 tribes and reigns. The Scriptures are plain and clear.

Did the general Jewish rejection of Yeshua catch Christ by surprise? Or the Father? Did God make a mistake in Genesis where He said the scepter will not depart from Judah until Shiloh comes and regathers the people? Yeshua is not on King David's throne yet, He has not regathered the people, and is not yet reigning as King of the Jews, the King of Israel.

Do you think the Pharisees accepted Yeshua at the time He acknowledged their God-given authority? Did that stop Him from upholding God's Word that the scepter would remain among JEWS? No. Like Paul, He knew it all had a purpose, was part of the plan being worked out.

I have more than answered every objection, every argument, every twist and turn possible since some appear driven to shamefully wrest authority from the Jews on these matters (specifically proclaiming the holy days/dates) rather than submit to the Word of God, the government of God that has ordained the Jews responsible for these matters.

Passover and Pentecost Differences Settled!

The Oracles of God
God's empowered the Jews - despite themselves - to preserve His Word. They are the only people on Earth that God has blessed and ordained to fulfill such a calling! God will not retract His Word or renege on this gift and responsibility that He's graciously bestowed upon Judah.

The apostle Paul was inspired to write for the record - after Yeshua's death and resurrection - that "the oracles of God" were committed to the Jews. The sacred calendar is clearly a part of "the oracles of God" (Ex. 12:2; Lev. 23:4). The purpose of the sacred calendar is for the Jews to determine and declare when the holy days of God are to be observed.

Jesus clearly revealed which Jews were responsible for these holy matters. Jesus declared that "the scribes and the PHARISEES sit in Moses' seat" of AUTHORITY (Matt. 23:2). God has ordained that the Jews preserve His Word on the Law, Prophets and Writings - despite themselves (Rom. 3:2-3). God will not renege on giving Judah this special calling and precious gift (Gen. 49:10, Rom. 11:29).

1John 4:
4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
2 By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God,
3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.

What if the Jews, specifically the Pharisees whom God has chosen, are less than perfect? Does it make God's purpose for them null and void? Paul answers: "GOD FORBID!"

Romans 3
1What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision?
2Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.
3For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?
4God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.

Romans 11
28 Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

Who is currently sitting in Moses' seat? I've never given this issue much thought, but it occurs to me that followers of Christ are currently sitting there -- anyone who follows after Christ. We have the authority because Christ gave us this authority.

The Jews are currently sitting in Moses' Seat - just as God has ordained and Christ confirmed. I have given this much prayerful thought and study and the Scriptures are clear and consistent on it. God has not given any authority to fickle Church of God groups to proclaim or determine the holy days/dates - He gave that responsibility to the Jews, even though God knew, as Yeshua and Paul knew, many of them would be temporarily enemies of the gospel.

no human, or organization of humans (including the "Jews") have authority over us. Christ is our intercessor to the Father, and no other.

Acts 15 reveals there is a proper Church of God authority, and the Bible clearly reveals the Jews have GOD-GIVEN authority over us to bless us with the proper days/dates for the holy days. God has ordained it. Those who love and obey God submit to this fact and don't have a problem with it. Of course Yeshua is our intercessor, that is non sequitor and nobody has said otherwise.

The biblical record reveals God has only authorized the Pharisees to chair "Moses' seat" and judge with his authority on these matters.

Psalm 60
Judah is My lawgiver.

Psalm 108
Judah is My lawgiver.

Those who would attempt to usurp their God-given position would do well to remember Gamaliel's advice about fighting against God. God has clearly given certain responsibilities to His Jewish servants to fulfill and that's what they'll continue to do until the King of the Jews reigns in Jerusalem with these honors.

Genesis 49
10The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.

Beware the Big Lie of Sunday!

If you and me see the seventh day as the Sabbath, and so many "Christians" see it as the first, where does the contradiction come from?

There is no contradiction in the Bible, but there definitely is a clear contradiction between professing Christians who turn their back on the biblical seventh day Sabbath to keep their traditional pagan Gentile Sunday, following Roman wolves in sheep's clothing instead of following the Jewish Shepherd and Savior, Yeshua.

Any honest observer sees both the Bible and history testify to the truth of the seventh day Sabbath, as opposed to the big lie of Sunday, deceived and/or dishonest "Christians" notwithstanding.

Mark 7:

7 And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.

8 For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men...
9 He said to them, "All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition."

1 John 2:4-6

4 He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments [rather than traditional error], is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. 6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

The Sabbath

Which Day is the Christian Sabbath?
By Herbert W. Armstrong

Does it make any difference WHICH day we observe—or whether we keep it? Does the Bible establish SUNDAY as the LORD’S DAY? Was the Sabbath given for the Jewish people only—while Christians are commanded to keep SUNDAY as the LORD’S DAY?

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 1 But Does It Make Any Difference?
Chapter 2 Who Made and Established the Sabbath?
Chapter 3 God—Not Moses—Gave the Law
Chapter 4 A Special Eternal Covenant
Chapter 5 Which Day for Gentile Christians?
Chapter 6 Why Israel and Judah Made Slaves
Chapter 7 Is Sunday Mentioned in the New Testament?
Chapter 8 The Amazing Truth About Christian Fellowship

The Plain Truth about Herbert W. Armstrong & the Worldwide Church of God
Do You Prefer TRADITION Over Truth?
Is The Plain Truth Too Strong?