שמע ישראל ה 'הוא האלוהים שלנו הוא אחד

Shema Yisrael Adonai Elohaynu Adonai Echad
"Hear Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One"

Identifying the Mashiach (Messiah)

Note: This is part four of a longer study. In order to correctly understand this page understanding what came before is essential. Please return to part one and read the from the beginning: Part One

Our Adon Y'shua HaNatzrati warned:

King James Version (KJV): Luke 21:24 And they [the Jews] shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

Its important to appreciate that these words were spoken over thirty years before the destruction of the Holy City and Beit HaMikdash (the Temple) at a time when the Zealots and others still believed restoring the Kingdom to Israel was possible in their lifetimes. This was an astounding statement for our Adon (Master) to make! While the Israelites were trying to remain optimistic, while the talmidim of Y'shua were still hoping he would restore the Kingdom to Israel and take up the mantle of Mashiach, here was their rabbi explaining that not only would he not be fulfilling the Messianic prophecies as they hoped, but that very dark times lie ahead for the people! He revealed to them that they would be persecuted until the end of the Times of the Gentiles. The to matters even more difficult, he admitted that even he didn't know when Goyim rule would end (Mark 13:32)!

As we have seen the primary function of Mashiach according to the Tanakh is the restoration of Israel and yet Y'shua was clear that he had no intention accomplishing this messianic requirement!

We are in a similar situation today. Nicene Christians are promised a Rapture, a way of escape when there is none offered! Like the first century talmidim of Y'shua, Rome is coming to seek and to destroy and we are not going to escape. Hard sayings but ones we need to accept and be prepared for.

Rex Mundi: The Antichrist

We now turn our attention to the end of the Gentile Times, just prior to the advent of the Mashiach. Of these times Adon Y'shua warns us:

John 5:41: "I [Adon Y'shua] don't collect praise from men, 42 but I do know you people -- I know that you have no love for God in you!
43 I have come in my Father's name, and you don't accept me; if someone else comes in his own name, him you will accept....

The Rise of Heresies

At this point his hearers could still have received his message and accepted the Kingdom through repentance. They refused however and so this "if" is now a certainty: "when the other comes...". This other will be Rex Mundi (Global Potentate), the one Y'shua's talmidim call Antichrist, Son of Perdition, the Man of Sin; this will be the man Prophet Daniel calls the "Little Horn" and "the prince who is to come." This man must precede the coming of Y'shua as HaMashiach.

As always Prophet Y'shua and the other New Testament prophets speak harmoniously with the earlier Hebrew Neviim (prophets). Like Daniel they warn that Rex Mundi will appear prior to the coming of Mashiach. Had the elders of Israel accepted Y'shua the now dawning events would not have had to happen. Now they must and we need to understand these things and spiritually prepare what is coming.

Among the New Testament Prophets Paul and John share the most detailed information on the end of the Age.

Like the other Jews, following the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash ("House of the Holy") in 70 CE the talmidim of Y'shua were dispersed throughout the Roman Empire and beyond. Without an established headquarters and structure the Way began to fragment into various sects:

CJB:I Corinthians 1:10 Nevertheless, brothers, I call on you in the name of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah to agree, all of you, in what you say, and not to let yourselves remain split into factions but be restored to having a common mind and a common purpose.
11 For some of Chloe's people have made it known to me, my brothers, that there are quarrels among you.
12 I say this because one of you says, "I follow Sha'ul"; another says, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow Kefa"; while still another says, "I follow the Messiah!"
13 Has the Messiah been split in pieces? Was it Sha'ul who was put to death on a stake for you? Were you immersed into the name of Sha'ul?
14 I thank God that I didn't immerse any of you except Crispus and Gaius - 15 otherwise someone might say that you were indeed immersed into my name.

Some of these sects sought to maintain the Halakha (Way/Law) taught by Y'shua but others, sometimes to divert persecution, sometimes out of ignorance of the teachings, sometimes for political advancement, worked to merge the Way sect of Messianic Judaism with the religious influences they encountered.

As the Messianic talmidim spread abroad more and more Goyim (Gentiles) joined the growing Jewish reform movement. Without clear doctrinal leadership this combination of chaotic influences lead to the various heresies that are referenced in the second and third chapters of the Book of the Revelation and elsewhere.

Different factions of the talmidim were soon debating and dividing themselves into cultic sects, each group believing theirs to be the true Way and often declaring anathemas on those who did not conform to their dogmas. This factionalism was threatening to destroy the entire movement! Something had to be done.

As time passed it seemed that no one could say for certain what the original teachings of Adon Y'shua were! Soon the majority of talmidim were Goyim who had little to no knowledge of Torah. Their beliefs reflected this ignorance. The various sects became less and less Jewish and increasingly more Pagan, both in appearance and in beliefs as converts began drawing teachers to themselves who reflected their own beliefs, cultures and interests (II Timothy 4:3). This turn of events was completely understandable but it was terribly destructive to the Way.

The authors of the books of the B'rit Hadashah are clear this was happening, but everyone pointed the figure at the others, believing themselves immune to this trend. Tradition began replacing Torah.

In time the various teachers divided into two major sects, the Gnostics (who focused on more Eastern orientated monist interpretations) and those in league with Rome (who embraced Roman universalism and corporate structure). A persecuted minority continued holding to the Way for quite some time but they were greatly outnumbered and eventually outlawed.

Adon Y'shua's emissary Paul was frequently forced to confront these developing heresies however human are short-lived creatures and soon he and the other emissaries went the way of all flesh.

I describe the rise of the Universe Church Elsewhere in some detail however as is generally known Constantine adopted the outer form of the Way for his Universal Religion and with the might of the Roman Empire behind him Gnosticism in its diverse forms, Roman Paganism and the Nazarene Way of Messianic Judaism came under fire and all but expired. Judaism survived but remained a persecuted minority.

But we are getting slightly ahead of ourselves.

On the heels of Adon Y'shua's execution rumors began to spread that the Master hadn't actually died! Luke 24:39 references an example of this.

Furthermore the Gnostics began to teach that Y'shua had not been here in the first place! They said he was a spirit, a shade or apparition.

The talmidim were confused. What was the truth? They knew he had taught the Kingdom message and so many began trying to determine when and how he would implement it. The resurrection offered hope that perhaps even now Y'shua would act as expected. As reports of the resurrection spread throughout the communities the conviction that he would soon return and take up the messianic mantle and establish the Kingdom began to spread. This was after all the principle role of the Mashiach. But as time passed and the Kingdom was not restored the people began to lose hope. perhaps the P'rushim had been right about Y'shua! He was not Mashiach! Where was this kingdom!

Of all the emissaries of Y'shua Paul was the most knowledgeable by far. He had been expertly trained in the Torah by Gamaliel himself (Act 22:3). If anyone could answer these questions it would be Paul.

The One Who Will Come In His Own Name

Paul well understood from the Tanakh that without restoring the Kingdom there was no way the Master could have been the Mashiach. He also understood that hysteria and unsubstantiated claims would eventually destroy their movement. In order to establish the Torah basis of the Movement and avoid the dangers brought by false hope, and in an attempt to combat the various false doctrines that were circulating, he wrote to those Nazarenes living in Thessalonica the following.

KJV: II Thessalonians 2:1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

Paul more literally says here that the day of the anointed is not yet at hand, clearly referring to the time of the establishment of the Kingdom they were hoping for. Calm down, Rabbi Paul says. The time is not yet ripe. Remember that Adon Y'shua said even he did not know when the Times of the Goyim would end himself. Paul's teachings on this subject displays both his knowledge of the Nevi'im (prophets) and his inspiration by the Ruach HaKodesh. Paul continues:

II Thessalonians 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

Paul here discusses this "other who will come in his own name" (John 5:41-43). He explains that (in the CJB) "... the Day will not come until after the Apostasy has come and the man who separates himself from Torah has been revealed, the one destined for doom...."

Or as the King James Version has it:

II Thessalonians 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.

The Apostate Church

This 'falling away' refers to the increasing apostasy of the Nicene Christian Church that will eventual be "vomited out" into the Tribulation Period (Rev. 3:16) and severed from the Tree of Israel (Rom 11:21) to become the foundation of Babylon the Great.

This Nicolaitan/Nicene apostasy has existed as a cancer within the Body of Y'shua since early on however it is now reaching the point where it must be removed.

As Rex Mundi arises the then sitting Catholic pope at that time will proclaim him to be "the Second Coming of Jesus." According to Malachy's (1094-1148) Prophecies the current pope will be the last. IF Malachy's Prophecies beginning with Pope Celestine II (elected in 1143) are correct, that would mean that either Pope Benedict will be the False Prophet or that he will be replaced by another who will not be consecrated as pope. Time will soon tell.

Not only will the Catholic/Orthodox Church promote this man as the Second Coming so will most of her daughter denominations and other religions.

Even the Jews will be deceived into accepting Rex Mundi... for a while.

But their Second Coming will actually the one who comes in his own name (John 5:41-43)!

II Thessalonians 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

Emissary John gives a bit more information on this man in the Book of Revelation:

Revelation 13:4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.
6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.
7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Emissary Paul continues:

II Thessalonians 2:5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now hinders will continue to hinder, until he be taken out of the way.
8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

Of special note to our present study however is the comment "And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming."

The Creeping Poison of Anomos: Rejection of Torah

"That Wicked" is literally anomos in the Greek. It is also commonly translated as "lawlessness" and refers to departure from the Torah, a violator of the Torah (to Torah-lessness).

It is vital that we understand this! All the more since most Nicene Christians believe the Torah is no longer in effect! Lets look at this context in the Complete Jewish Bible:

II Thessalonians 2:6 And now you know what is restraining, so that he may be revealed in his own time.
7 For already this separating from Torah is at work secretly, but it will be secretly only until he who is restraining is out of the way.
8 Then the one who embodies separation from Torah will be revealed, the one whom the Lord Yeshua will slay with the breath of his mouthd and destroy by the glory of his coming.
9 When this man who avoids Torah comes, the Adversary will give him the power to work all kinds of false miracles, signs and wonders.
10 He will enable him to deceive, in all kinds of wicked ways, those who are headed for destruction because they would not receive the love of the truth that could have saved them.
11 This is why God is causing them to go astray, so that they will believe the Lie.

This wicked person will turn away from the Torah of HaShem, away from the teachings of Y'shua (verse 3). We need to understand the importance placed on Torah observance here.

Emissary John warns:

I John 2:18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.

The Scriptures are clear that there will be one Rex Mundi, one man who will sit in the rebuilt Beit HaMikdash (temple) and proclaim his divinity, but understand too that the "spirit of antichrist" is the spirit of anomos and it has been active since the beginning as discussed above. Read the next verse very carefully!

I John 2:19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.

See this? These antichrists were with the emissaries, with the real talmidim, but they left rather than continue with us! These are factions I mentioned above.

Some of them became Gnostics:

II John 1:7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.

Others embraced the Nicolaitan heresies seeking to merge the Way with Paganism including the deification of Y'shua and the Ruach HaKodesh:

II John 1:9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.

Adon Y'shua has revealed the proper Torah understanding. Those accept his teachings abide in the true biblical faith of HaShem.

The Torah-less Messiah

What is the essence of these denials? Anomos. The denial and rejection of Torah as revealed by and through Adon Y'shua is the spirit of antichrist. Since the beginning the Nicene Church has sought to deny the Torah and its relevance to their followers. Some claim Y'shua 'fulfilled' the Torah thus making it irrelevant. Others claim the Torah was "nailed to the cross" and done away with. However Adon Y'shua taught otherwise!

Matthew 5:17 "Don't think that I have come to abolish the Torah or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete.
18 Yes indeed! I tell you that until heaven and earth pass away, not so much as a yud or a stroke will pass from the Torah -- not until everything that must happen has happened.
19 So whoever disobeys the least of these mitzvot and teaches others to do so will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But whoever obeys them and so teaches will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.
20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness is far greater than that of the Torah-teachers and P'rushim, you will certainly not enter the Kingdom of Heaven!

According to Paul then this sort of anomos reflects the spirit of Antichrist.

Rex Mundi will be the Torah-less Christ and the False Prophecy will be his Torah denying assistant.

The word "christ" means anointed. Antichrist is therefore one without or in violation of the anointing of Torah! Not surprisingly the Nicolaitan heresy is based on Torah-rejection (hence they outlaw "Judaizing"). Babylon the Great (Revelation 3:14-19) and her False Prophet will pronounce anomos to be holy and the world will formally accept this as Secular Humanism coupled with devotion to Rex Mundi become the global religion!

Isaiah 5:18 Woe to those who begin by pulling at transgression with a thread, but end by dragging sin along as if with a cart rope.
19 They say, "We want God to speed up his work, to hurry it along, so we can see it! We want the Holy One of Isra'el's plan to come true right now, so we can be sure of it!"
20 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who change darkness into light and light into darkness, who change bitter into sweet and sweet into bitter!
21 Woe to those seeing themselves as wise, esteeming themselves as clever.

We continue now with Paul's description of Rex Mundi:

II Thessalonians 2:9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

This lie will be revealed by his opposition to Torah and his self exaltation above all that is holy as he pretending to be God sits in the Beit HaMikdash presenting himself as God. This lie therefore is that he will convince the world that he is God incarnate and he, not the Torah, is the source of Truth. At Revelation 13:4 (quoted above) we see that the entire would will worship the Rex Mundi and accept this lie.

Here is another vitally important point to understand. We discussed previously how Mashiach must fit certain conditions, the same is true of the Son of Perdition! Rex Mundi has to "sit in the Temple of God" however the Beit HaMikdash was destroyed in 70 CE. Since that time there has been no Holy Temple of HaShem on the earth. Without the Temple the Man of Sin could not perform his biblical function. There are those who claim Antichrist has already come and gone however that can not be.

Since Mashiach comes after the "Little Horn" we know that Y'shua's return could not have happened before 1948 when Israel was restored to Eretz Israel and still will not occur until the Beit HaMikdash is rebuilt and defiled by Rex Mundi. If we read and accept the Scriptures many of the endless debates are solved.

We know Rex Mundi will be revealed before the arrival of Mashiach because the Y'shua HaMashiach will defeat him at Armageddon. Further, since only the one accepted as Mashiach is allowed to rebuild the Jerusalem Temple under Jewish halakha (law) and we know from the prophets that they will accept him as Mashiach, we can be certain that Rex Mundi will authorize the rebuilding of the Beit HaMikdash as part of his deception (lie). This tells us the central component of the lie will be his convincing the elders of Israel that he is the long awaited Mashiach.

This situation was described by Prophet Daniel:

Daniel 9:27 And he [the Rex Mundi] shall confirm the covenant with many for one week [seven years]: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

The Rex Mundi will sign a seven year treaty or covenant between Israel and it's enemies. As part of this agreement the temple will be rebuilt. He will be declared the Mashiach and make a great speech from within the newly built Temple. I discuss this aspect of the prophecies in detail elsewhere on this site so for now, the appearance of the Rex Mundi on the world scene will be the sign that the coming of the Messiah is near. When this is occurs it will be abundantly clear. What will not be clear to those immersed in anomos, those who reject Torah, is the nature of the Leader. Most will hail him and deride those of us who stand against him. While the identity of this global ruler is not yet apparent, it is likely that he is already on the scene but not yet revealed for who he truly is.

Throughout the centuries various Jewish leaders have arisen claiming to be Mashiach. For instance Simon bar Kokhba led the Bat Kokhba rebellion against Rome as Mashiach (132-136 CE). Shabbatai Tzvi (1626 - 1676) was also accepted by many Jews as the Mashiach until on September 15, 1666 he was ordered to reject Judaism and embrace Islam or die. He chose Islam. More recently Menachem Mendel Schneerson (1902–1994), the seventh Chabad Rabbi who tried to "prepare the way" for the Messiah. Many of the Lubavitcher Rebbe's followers believe him to be the Messiah still. There have been many claimants but none have attracting the following of Adon Y'shua.

According to Orthodox Jewish belief Mashiach will come. The following guidelines are offered as signs of those times. Mashiach will come:

• If Am Israel repents in a single day;
• If Am Israel observes a single Shabbat properly;
• If Am Israel observes two Shabbats in a row properly;
• In a generation that is totally innocent or totally guilty;
• In a generation that loses hope;
• In a generation where children are totally disrespectful towards their parents and elders;

A large percentage of Jewish Holocaust survivors as well as Jews not directly touched by the Shoah lost their faith in HaShem after that tragedy. It was that very generation that witnessed the bands on the Tree of Israel fall in 1948. Due in part to that tragedy religious Jews joined secular Jews in embracing Zionism (a move most Jews had rejected before this) and declared for all the world to hear: "Never Again!"

Adon Y'shua has revealed what will lead him to take up the mantle of Mashiach:

Matthew 24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

The current rise in global antisemitism will help usher in the Son of Perdition. After deceiving the majority of Jews including the nation of Israel Rex Mundi will betray them and perform the "abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet" (Matthew 24:15). With that betrayal the final three and a half years of the Tribulation will begin and "And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened."

Due to this upcoming betrayal the Jewish people will loose all hope. They will be forced to flee the cities of Israel for their lives (Matthew 24;16) and then, with one accord, they will drop to their knees and beg HaShem for deliverance (Revelation 12:1-6). Michael and his angels will assist the Jews and then as a result of their genuine repentance, to cut those three and half years short and rescue Israel, Y'shua HaMashiach will defeat all who stand against Israel.

In the next section we will look briefly at the reign of Rex Mundi and Y'shua HaMashiach will acquire their deliverance as he takes up the mantle of King of Israel.

Click Here For Part One
Click Here For Part Two
Click Here For Part Three
Click Here For Part Five
Click Here For Part Six
Click Here For The Noahide Nazarene Home Page

	The Noahide Nazarene Way
Thus Say the Prophets
Jewish Studies
Christian Studies
Thus Say the Prophets
John of AllFaith's Main Blog
AllFaith.com