Join us in this episode as we dive deep into the concept of Messianic prophecy, exploring how the New Testament writers used the Hebrew Bible to reveal Jesus as the fulfillment of Israel’s divine destiny. Rabbi Schneider unpacks the often-misunderstood nature of prophecy, clarifying that much of it was not about predicting future events, but about imbuing Jesus’ life with meaning through shared historical patterns and experiences.
The way the New Testament writers are using the Hebrew Bible oftentimes is not to say that Yeshua fulfilled a predictive word, but that rather Jesus brought Israel’s destiny into fulfillment in himself. Welcome, beloved, to season two in our series on messianic prophecy. This is now the third episode in this series. If it seems like I’m belaboring some points here, the reason that I am is because I think much of the church, many of us don’t understand the nature of what we are calling messianic prophecy. Many people, when they think of messianic prophecy, they think of predictions about the future that Jesus fulfilled. But as I’ve been saying, much of messianic prophecy is not about Jesus fulfilling predictive prophecies. Let me give you a new example of this today. We’re going to the life of David, and I’m going to the Gospel of John, chapter number 13. I’m going to begin reading at the 18th verse. Jesus is speaking here. Hear the word of God. Jesus says that the scripture may be fulfilled, he who eats my bread has lifted up his heel against me. Now what is going on here is that Jesus is speaking about how Judas betrayed him, but Yeshua gives an example from the Hebrew Bible that took place in the life of David. And in David’s life, David said about what was happening to him personally, David Melech, the king of Israel, he said, he who eats my bread has lifted up his heel against me. When David said this, David was not thinking about Yeshua most likely. David was not making a prediction that the Messiah would be betrayed by one of his friends. Rather, David was just talking about what happened in his own life. David’s own friends betrayed him. So David said, he that’s been my friend, he’s betrayed me. Now, Jesus… when Judas betrayed him, took that scripture and said that it had been fulfilled in him. That the scripture Yeshua said may be fulfilled, he who eats my bread is lifted up, is healed against me, Jesus was quoting from Psalm number 41. And so the question becomes, well, I’m not really understanding why the New Testament writers could take that Psalm that David wrote and apply it then to Jesus, saying that Jesus fulfilled it when David didn’t even see it as a predictive word. And that’s my whole point. The way the New Testament writers are using the Hebrew Bible oftentimes is not to say that Yeshua fulfilled a predictive word, but that rather Jesus brought Israel’s destiny into fulfillment in himself. That the same thing that happened to Israel historically happened to Jesus in his own life. And the same thing that happened to many of Israel’s key figures like Moses and here David happened in Jesus’ own life that Yeshua, being Israel’s divine representative, repeated the same things that Israel and the key members of Israel went through in their history and in their lives today. He experienced the same thing in his own life. And then as Israel’s divine head died on the cross for the sin of Israel and the sin of the world, therefore filling Israel’s history up with meaning in himself. You see, when the New Testament writers speak about how Jesus fulfilled many scriptures in the Old Testament, They’re not saying that Jesus once again fulfilled the prediction, but how Jesus filled it up with meaning. You see, the early readers of the Torah and the Tanakh before Jesus came, they didn’t perceive that many of the scriptures that Jesus applied to himself and the New Testament writers applied to Jesus, they didn’t perceive that those scriptures, when they originally read them, the Hebrew people, were messianic prophecies. This is why we read these words in the book of Luke, chapter 24. Jesus is speaking to his disciples and apostles. “‘O foolish men!’ and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken. All things which are written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled. Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.” In other words, buried deep beneath the surface, there were prophecies that pointed to Jesus that weren’t evident at the time they were written. This is why Jesus had to show his apostles how many of the events that took place in the Hebrew Bible and in the lives of the prophets of the Hebrew Bible were actually foreshadows of his own life and ministry. And as such, He fulfilled them. This is why the apostles said later, after Jesus brought them on a journey through the law of Moses, the prophets and the Psalms, the disciples afterwards said this in Luke 24, 32. We’re not our hearts. burning within us, while he was speaking to us on the road, while he was explaining the scriptures to us. In other words, Jesus opened up the Bible. You see, the prophecies in the Hebrew Bible about the Messiah, many of them were not blinking like neon lights saying, this is a messianic prophecy. but rather it took the Holy Spirit highlighting them to those that were now seeing them through the eyes of Yeshua to see how ultimately these scriptures found their final aim in Mashiach, in Yeshua HaMashiach himself. Let me show you how mysterious Messianic prophecy is from a slightly different angle. I’m going to the Gospel of John now. I’ll be reading from the 11th chapter, and I’ll be reading about something that took place in the life of the high priest Caiaphas during the time of Jesus. What is happening here? I’m going to read you the scripture, but let me kind of give you context for it. What is happening here is that there’s all this controversy going on, obviously, about Jesus and people are calling for him to be crucified and put to death. And Caiaphas says to his followers, listen, you guys don’t understand. Jesus needs to be put to death because it’s important that one man die for the sake of the whole nation. You see, there’s this principle within Judaism that a righteous one can atone for the sins of the wicked. And so somehow Caiaphas understood that Jesus’ death would atone for the sin of Israel, even though Caiaphas didn’t understand that Jesus was the Messiah. So I’m reading now from the book of John, chapter number 11. I’m beginning here. And I’m reading verse 49. But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, you know nothing at all, nor do you take into account that it is expedient for you that one man die for the people and that the whole nation not perish. Now listen to this. Now this he did not say on his own initiative, but being high priest that year, listen now, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but in order that he might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. You see, Caiaphas didn’t even know that he was prophesying. But because he was high priest, the spirit of Elohim, the Ruach HaKadosh was upon him. And so he spoke forth this divine principle that a righteous one can die in the place of the wicked. It’s the principle of substitutionary sacrificial atonement. It’s the whole thing that separates our faith in Messiah from all the other faiths in the world. We have a righteous one, a Sadi, Yeshua HaMashiach, that died in our place. And because Yeshua, The righteous one died in the place of the wicked. The wicked now go free and are declared righteous before God. The high priest didn’t even know he was prophesying, and yet he was being moved by the Holy Spirit. So much of prophecy is buried in the Bible. It was even buried in the mind of the high priest. He didn’t even know that he was prophesying. But when Yeshua came, And the Holy Spirit came. He anointed us to see his life in the entire Tanakh.
SPEAKER 01 :
You’re listening to Discovering the Jewish Jesus with Rabbi Schneider and he’ll be right back. But first, did you know that this program is available in Hebrew, Russian and Spanish? If you know somebody who speaks one of these languages, now’s your chance to share the blessing. To access the language version that’s right for them, just go to discoveringthejewishjesus.com and click the watch forward slash listen tab and choose an available alternate language channel right there. Go into the world and preach the gospel to all creation. We take that command very seriously through our online media platforms, TV, radio, and overseas festivals. We’re sharing the truth of the gospel with people of all different nations, tribes, and tongues. And if the Lord has put a burden on your heart to support us, would you please give financially today at discoveringthejewishjesus.com. And now back to the second half of today’s lesson.
SPEAKER 03 :
There’s another type of prophecy that we’ve not yet highlighted sufficiently, and it’s called typological prophecy. What I mean by typological prophecy is this, that sometimes the nature of prophecy is that a prophecy is initially fulfilled, and then it gets fulfilled again in a more intense way. In other words, there are prophecies in the Hebrew Bible that were fulfilled. They were predictive prophecies. They were prophecies that spoke about something that would happen in the future. And those prophecies were fulfilled in the future during the time that the Tanakh was written or sometime after that before Yeshua came. They were fulfilled, but these typological prophecies are not just fulfilled once, but they’re fulfilled again and find their ultimate fulfillment in the person of King Jesus and in His ministry. So, for example, I spoke last time about the book of Isaiah, chapter number 7, verse number 14. Now, this is very important because we, as believers in Yeshua, oftentimes quote this verse, but yet traditional rabbis will come down on Jewish believers like myself or even Christians that would quote this verse to a rabbi, and they would say, you don’t know what you’re talking about. That verse didn’t apply to Yeshua. That verse didn’t apply to Jesus. That verse applied to the son that Isaiah was going to have. Some believe it was about the son that the king of Israel, Ahaz, was going to have. They say that scripture was already fulfilled. What was happening in the original historical context of Isaiah chapter 7 is that Judah was being faced by enemies. And a word was given to Isaiah that a son would be born, a child would be given. We would call his name Emmanuel, God is with us. And before this one reaches the age of being able to know the difference between good and evil, all Judah’s enemies would be defeated. Let me read the scripture to you. Isaiah 7, 14. Now, this scripture is quoted in the book of Matthew. chapter 1, verse 23, in reference to the birth of Jesus, that Jesus is born, that the sign has been given, the Virgin has conceived, given us a child, and this child that’s been born to us is called Emmanuel, meaning God is with us, that Matthew says the ultimate fulfillment of this scripture is in the person and the birth of Messiah Jesus. But again, just to educate, traditional rabbis would say that’s a total misuse of the scripture. What you’re saying has no weight. That scripture didn’t apply to Jesus at all. That scripture applied to the son that Isaiah was going to have. And again, some say it was to the son Ahaz, who was the king of Judah at the time, was going to have. Now, Isaiah did have a son. Ahaz did have a son. And so again, they would say that scripture is done. There’s no more prophecy that we should be waiting to be fulfilled anymore. But this is what I mean by typological prophecy. Some prophecies are originally fulfilled in some way, in a measurable way, even in a full way, but they’re not ultimately fulfilled in the fullest way until Messiah comes and accomplishes his life and ministry’s purpose. Now, just to give you a side note here, the Hebrew word here for virgin, once again, Isaiah 7, 14, therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign, behold, a virgin. The Hebrew word there for a virgin is Alma. And oftentimes traditional Jewish rabbis will make a case that that word Alma does not mean virgin. It means young maiden. It can be translated either way. The point is when you look at Israel’s history, You find that Israel’s history that began with Abraham, the first believer, how was his son born, his promised son? How was Isaac born? Isaac, beloved one, was born, listen now, supernaturally. Abraham was 100 years old. Sarah was 90 years old, way past the age of childbearing. I mean, it was scientifically 100% impossible for Sarah to have a child, but God supernaturally begins His redemptive plan through the birth of Isaac. And Isaac comes into the world when his mother is 90 years old, totally supernaturally. Jesus takes that event, fills it up to the fullest of meaning, typologically fulfills it. What began in one way It’s fulfilled in the greatest way. And in the same sense, Isaiah 7, 14, whether you want to translate it young woman or virgin, it’s the same thing. Jesus fulfilled it. He fulfilled Israel’s destiny. Typological prophecy is being fulfilled. What happened in the Hebrew scripture? What happened with the birth of Isaac, what happened with the birth of Isaiah’s son or Ahaz’s son is ultimately fulfilled in the person of Yeshua the Messiah. Let me give you another example of typological prophecy. I’m going to the book of Daniel now, chapter number 11, and we’re gonna be looking together there in verse number 31. Hear the word of God. This is Daniel prophesying to us of the coming of what we call the Antichrist or the Anti-Messiah, one that will arise that will oppose the Messiah and the powers of the Lord. Daniel says this, once again, 1131. Forces from him, this anti-Messiah, will arise, desecrate the sanctuary fortress, and do away with the regular sacrifice. And they shall set up the abomination of desolation. The abomination of desolation. Now, this term, the abomination of desolation, is used by King Jesus in the book of Matthew, chapter 24, verse number 15. Jesus says this. Therefore, when you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through the prophet Daniel, know he’s going to continue to say that it’s the end of the time. He’s about to return. So how is this typological prophecy? And where do we hit a bump when we speak of this to traditional rabbis? Traditional rabbis tell us that this prophecy that we just spoke of from the book of Daniel, chapter number 11, was already fulfilled with the person of Antiochus Epiphanes IV, who in approximately 168 BCE, went into the Jewish temple, desecrated the temple, sacrificed a pig, the most unholy animal on the planet, to the pagan deity of Zeus. This literally happened after Daniel’s prophecy, Antiochus Epiphanes IV arose. He went into the sacred Jewish temple. He desecrated it. He sacrificed a pig to Zeus there. And traditional Judaism teaches this is the abomination of desolation, which it was. That happened before Yeshua. So how then does Yeshua now say that before his return, the abomination of desolation will take place? It’s because, beloved, this prophecy in Daniel will be fulfilled again in the earth when the Antichrist arises, builds a temple in Jerusalem, and that becomes his home base through which he’s trying to reign over the world. Ultimately, God’s going to break in, judge him. The fire of God is going to eradicate evil from the earth and Messiah Jesus will reign. Beloved, typological prophecy is prophecy that was fulfilled before Jesus came, but it will be fulfilled again ultimately through Yeshua Jesus and by his ministry. Shalom Yedidim, that’s Hebrew for beloved friends. I hope and pray that you are blessed and strengthened by today’s program. I want you to consider this. Those of you that are already financially supporting the ministry, do you know that there are many people who are not supporting the ministry financially? And yet because of those of you that are supporting us, people today, they were strengthened, they were blessed, and perhaps many were even saved. We get testimonies of people that have come to the Lord for the first time through this ministry all the time. So those of you that are financially supporting us, I want you to know this ministry is bearing a lot of fruit and the church is being built all over the earth because of you. For those of you that are being blessed by this ministry and strengthened, I want to ask you today, would you too become a monthly partner of Discovering the Jewish Jesus? I want to thank you for your love and for your financial support.
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Thank you, Rabbi. And friends, if the Lord is leading you to financially support Discovering the Jewish Jesus with the gift of any amount, please call us. Our number is 800-777-7835. You can also give online. Our website is discoveringthejewishjesus.com. And I want you to know when you become a new monthly partner with us, we’re going to make sure to send you your very own shofar as a thank you. In scripture, the shofar, the ram’s horn, it was sounded to call God’s people to attention, to repentance and to victory. It announces the Lord’s presence and it’s a beautiful symbol of awakening. reminding us that God is still calling us to prepare our hearts for the Messiah’s return. And when you partner with us today, know that you’re doing just that. You’re helping us to shout out the gospel so people can be saved and be prepared for the Lord’s return. So don’t wait. If you feel that He’s leading you to give, I want to encourage you to respond today and let this shofar be a lasting reminder of your partnership in reaching people for the kingdom. You can give online at discoveringthejewishjesus.com or you can give by calling 800-777-7835. You can even text us. Just text the keyword give to the phone number 88777. Thank you for supporting us. We love you and God bless you. Here’s Rabbi with the Aaronic Blessing.
SPEAKER 03 :
In the book of Numbers, chapter 6, we find a personal blessing from God our Father. This blessing should touch our hearts because it’s so personal. Father God wants to intimately bless you, so receive his blessing into your life today with gladness and an open heart.
The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift you up with his countenance. And the Lord give you, beloved one, his peace. God bless you and shalom.
SPEAKER 01 :
I’m your host, Dustin Roberts, and this program is produced and sponsored by Discovering the Jewish Jesus. Join us again tomorrow when Rabbi Schneider examines the eternal nature of King Jesus. That’s coming up Friday right here on Discovering the Jewish Jesus.
