APO:Why we believe in the Messiah - or - In search of the Messiah

   We now want to utilize the side of the brain not used very often, or
so it seems, nowadays. I want you to use your imaginationn order to
produce a report as to the Nature of the Messiah as foretold in the
Scriptures.

   Now, I will take the role of the chief advisor, but it is important
to note that King Herod is of the nature that, if we don't produce what
he wants, we may very well be fired - in OIL!

   Let's tackle the origin of the Messiah:

   GENESIS 3:15 "Seed of Woman" GENESIS 22:18 "Seed of Abraham" DANIEL
7:13 "Son of Man" ISAIAH 7:14 "Virgin Birth" ISAIAH 9:6 "GOD HIMSELF
[Father of Eternity]" PSALM 2:7 "SON OF GOD" PSALM 110:11 "Son of DAVID
- Yet David's LORD"

   That's getting too confusing so lets tackle the BIRTHPLACE

   MICAH 5:2 "Out of thee (Bethlehem" HOSEA 11:1 "Out of Egypt --"
ISAIAH 11:1 "Branch" used Hebrew word NEHTZER which had been commonly
accepted by the religious leaders to be NAZARENE! Forget that for a
little while let's try How the people are to react towards Him ... and
He to the people... ISAIAH 8:14 "Rock of offense" - he is going to
alienate the people -PSALM 118:22 ISAIAH 28:16 "To be the Corner Stone"
ISAIAH 11:1-10 Will be Jew (Branch from Jesse) yet in Verse 10 we see
that the Gentiles will seek Him - THIS IS NOT RIGHT?! - NO JEW WOULD
COME NEAR A GENTILE. ISAIAH 25:7 The "veil" on the hearts of Gentiles
will be destroyed while a veil of disbelief will form over the hearts
of some (not all) Jews!

   We are really getting nowhere - FAST! Let's try to find HIS
ANNOINTING (function)

   Compare PSALM 22 with 72 ISAIAH 53 with 11

   Well it looks as though there might be TWO MESSIAHS - otherwise HOW
can this apply to ONE MESSIAH?!

   Zechariah 6:12-13 "Priest upon His throne" Psalm 110:4 "Priest on
the order of Melchizedek" Jeremiah 23:5 "A King"

   Now, we as the advisors to the King know that ONLY a member of the
tribe of Judah can be KING and we know that only a member of the tribe
of Levi may be a priest! How can a Messiah be from both Levi and Judah?

   Let's look at Isaiah 40:5 where HE will be the GLORY OF THE LORD and
in ISAIAH 53:1-3. He will be DESPISED AND HAVE NO BEAUTY! Then we have
Zechariah 11:12 & 13 showing that a price of 30 pieces of silver will
be paid for Him - or will it be paid for a potter's field?

   This Messiah is getting more and more confusing, isn't it? Let's
take a few more verses:

   Zechariah 13:6 shows that he will be wounded, while Psalm 22:16
shows His hands and feet pierced - while Psalm 34:20 shows that he is
"keeping His bones". How can one pierce the hands and not break a bone
- and why would the fact that His bones are not broken be so important?

   If this be the Messiah, then why in Psalm 22:1 - 8 does it show Him
being forsaken by GOD?

   NOW LET US COME BACK TO THE PRESENT

   I. The difficulties that they experienced then were due to the fact
that the "answer" had not been provided, yet. The same is with our
"difficulties" - if there is no answer to each of us. Then we must look
for answers or await the answer at HIS timing.

   MATTHEW 2:22-23 Joseph was about to return to Bethlehem. Humanly
speaking - this prophesy hinged on an odd fact of History - King Herod,
during an outrage against "those who plotted against him" and in a very
peevish mood CHANGED his will and put ARCHELAUS, the son he HATED most
to rule INSTEAD of ANTIPAS, the eldest. It was this dread of ARCHELAUS
that led Joseph to resettle in Nazareth. Here God used the spiteful
wrath of a paranoid king to bring prophesy to fulfillment.

   I PETER 2:6-8 MATTHEW 21:42-44 Here Christ is shown as the CORNER
STONE and in MATTHEW we find how He was a "rock of offense" or
stumbling block, as He is today, to those who REFUSE to believe on Him.

   LUKE 4:17-21 Here we see the Lord reading ISAIAH - yet NOT FINISHING
THE READING! WHY? - because Christ was not ready to announce the Day of
Judgement - He plans to do that on His next visit!

   MATTHEW 26:15 Thirty Pieces of Silver paid to Judas. WHY 30 PIECES?
Let's look at Exodus 21:32 where "if a person's bull should push (kill)
a manservant the owner of the bull was to pay 30 pieces of silver. In
other words a DEAD SERVANT was worth 30 pieces of silver. The price
paid reflected the contempt the leaders had toward Jesus.

   MATTHEW 27:3-10 What did Judas do with the money?

   JOHN 19:31-37 Here BOTH of the thieves crucified with Christ had
their bones broken - BUT JESUS DID NOT. The wounds of the nails pierced
flesh and not bones!
