The Sign of the Messiah

1. Page 1 of 21 The Sign of the Messiah The Tanakh�It�s all about the Messiah The Tanakh� A shadow of good things to come Understanding how the Tanakh teaches us about death and resurrection The Sign of the Messiah

2. Page 2 of 21 It�s All About the Messiah Yeshua identified the source of the Gospel Luke 24:27, 44-48�And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself�Then He said to them, "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me." And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Messiah to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things.

3. Page 3 of 21 It�s All About the Messiah John 5:46�For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. John 5:39�You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. The Tanakh (Old Testament) says, �It�s all about Yeshua!� Psalm 40:6-8�Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; My ears You have opened. Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require. Then I said, �Behold, I come; In the scroll of the book it is written of me. I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart.� Rav Shaul (Paul) said the proclamation of the Gospel is found in the Tanakh. Romans 1:1-2�Paul, a bondservant of Yeshua Messiah, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures� Hebrews 4:2�For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them�

4. Page 4 of 21 It�s All About the Messiah The Sum of it All? Revelation 19:10�And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, "See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Yeshua. Worship God! For the testimony of Yeshua is the spirit of prophecy." 

5. Page 5 of 21 The Tanakh�s Shadows How does the Tanakh teach us about the Messiah? Colossians 2:16-17�So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or Sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, the substance/body is of Messiah. The substance is of Messiah Anatomy of the shadow of things to come Why shadows? So that the Holy One could reveal His plan in His own time (Ephesians 3:1-13) Messianic prophecy�Snapshots of salvation! Here a little, there a little (Isaiah 28:9-10).

6. Page 6 of 21 Shadows of Death Why does the Tanakh need to teach us about death? Before there can be resurrection, there must be death. People, who for all intents and purposes should have died. Moses, Isaac, Jonah The Places of Death Wilderness Caves Pits The deep Hints of Death Isaac, The Egyptian youth, Joseph

7. Page 7 of 21 Resurrection�The Sign of the Messiah The Torah�s shadows as taught by the Messiah Matthew 12:38-40�Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered saying, "What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?�. . .But He answered and said to them, "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." What should have happened to Jonah? Life, Death and the Number Three�The most important hermeneutic advice you need to know. This is the Torah�s shadow/picture of resurrection�life from the dead. The sign of Jonah is the sign of the Messiah This sign is not unique to Jonah!!! Every Messianic figure is known by the Sign of the Messiah�Resurrection!

8. Page 8 of 21 Resurrection�The Sign of the Messiah Our working definition of the Sign of the Messiah�As you read the Torah, anytime you see 1) pictures of resurrection, 2) pictures of renewed life as a result of deliverance from impending death and 3) pictures of victory and renewed life as a result of death, we know the Torah is about to give us a teaching concerning the Messiah. I call these The Sign of the Messiah, and they are especially strengthened when coupled in some manner with the number three. Jonah, who was in the belly of a great fish, should have been dead. But on the THIRD day he came forth ALIVE! Truly, death was swallowed in victory! The first LIVING things (plants, grass, etc.) were created on day THREE!

9. Page 9 of 21 Resurrection�The Sign of the Messiah The Torah's picture of the RESURRECTION of the Messiah is found in the Holy Days. The Holy Day that is a shadow of Yeshua's RESURRECTION is the THIRD Holy Day, the Day of the Omer Wave Offering (Leviticus 23)! The offering of the barley sheaves on the day after the Sabbath that occurs during the week of unleavened bread is a prophetic picture of the resurrection of the Messiah. The Akeida (binding of Isaac) found in Genesis 22�Abraham was supposed to offer Isaac as an olah (whole burnt offering). Although Adonai prevented him from actually sacrificing Isaac on the THIRD day, the manner in which the Torah relates the story hints that Isaac died and was RESURRECTED. That's why Hebrews 11:17-19 records that Abraham received Isaac from the dead through RESURRECTION figuratively!

10. Page 10 of 21 The Sign of Moses Exodus 2:1-10�The Story of Moses� Birth Pharaoh's death decree. What was supposed to happen to Moses? How long did Moses' mother hide him? Where did Moses� mother hide him? What did the daughter of Pharaoh do by taking Moses out of the Nile River? Like Jonah, Moses should have died. This is the Sign of Moses, which is the Sign of the Messiah! So what does it teach us about the Messiah? Messiah will die and be resurrected Death of male babies at Messiah�s birth

11. Page 11 of 21 Resurrection�The Sign of Joseph Genesis 40�The story of Joseph�s imprisonment The Sign of the Messiah doesn�t always occur directly in the life of the Messianic figure (remember this). What Sign of the Messiah is evident in this story? What is the Messianic significance of the occupations of the Baker and Cup-bearer? According to Isaiah 53, Yeshua, although innocent, was incarcerated as a criminal. How does this fact thematically relate to Joseph�s life? What is the Messianic significance of the fact that the Torah concentrated on the story involving Joseph�s incarceration with two criminals?

12. Page 12 of 21 Resurrection�The Sign of Joseph How is the fact that one criminal received life while the other received death thematically related to Yeshua�s execution? How was the baker executed in Genesis 40? Now do you see that Joseph�s life was a prophetic shadow of the work of the Messiah? And this was only one story from his life! But more importantly, remember the major clues that caused us to probe this story for Messianic significance�Life, Death and the number three! Notice the intricate detail the Torah gives us! Paul understood this Hebrews 11:17-19� By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, "In Isaac your seed shall be called," concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.