“Him Whom They Have Pierced”

Well, happy Feast of Trumpets! Do you know how many times I kept running that through my head? Because I've gotten up here before and said other Holy Days and things like that. It is an amazing time of the year, an exciting time of the year, of course, to be back into God's Holy Day season. It seems like some year... We were at lunch and I was just saying how thankful I am that God gives us these days. Because it doesn't matter what we're doing in our life, doesn't matter what jobs or school we're going to, these days come on our calendar. He's given them to us and then we are here to honor Him and to give Him the proper glory and worship as our great God in heaven. I want to thank everyone who helped out and made this day possible with the flowers and the music. A lot of hands came together to make this work and so thank you for everyone's ability to help out. And I know others help out on other Holy Days and locally in the congregations and so just thank you for everybody's work today.

We know this Holy Day that we are in the midst of represents an amazing time to come when our Lord and Savior will return this earth and establish a righteous and equitable rule on this planet.

We've heard messages about that already. We've heard... We probably have done some personal study leading up to this. Intertwined with the symbols symbolism of this day is a wonderful aspect of the deep relationship that God has with his people. As mentioned earlier, on the day of Christ's return, God's people who have diligently followed him will be resurrected in that first resurrection, as Scripture says, a better resurrection. And this isn't just a resurrection to join him into the clouds and to play harps and to run to stare into his face for all of eternity. Like some wonder if that's what our future would hold. No, this is a resurrection to join Jesus in establishing the kingdom of God on this earth and how desperately this earth needs his reign. We will have jobs and roles given to us to help in the establishment of the kingdom and to spread God's laws and teachings which have never been fully implemented worldwide. As Revelation 20 states, and we've looked at, we will be given roles as kings and priests to serve in teaching those living God's desired way of life. At the beginning of the book of Acts, we find the disciples asking Jesus a very focused and heartfelt question just before he ascended back to heaven for the last time. It's a question that if we didn't have the Old Testament writings to understand, we would be challenged to understand why they would ask this question.

Please open your Bibles to Acts 1 and verse 4.

Acts chapter 1 and verse 4.

Jesus is with his disciples, and it says, And being assembled together with them, he commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which he said, You have heard from me, for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. Of course, a reference to the upcoming Feast of Pentecost that would occur just a few days after this encounter with Jesus, and he said, Be there. The Holy Spirit will be poured out. But notice chapter 6. Therefore, when they had come together, they asked him, saying, Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? I want you to go back a few thousand years ago. Imagine being in Christ's presence. Imagine being one of his disciples, walking with him, being taught by him to see the miracles that he performed. There's no doubt in your mind that he is the Messiah. He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. So, here they are with their heart pricked to ask this question. Is it time? Will you restore the kingdom to Israel?

I can only imagine how heartfelt they were asking this. This wasn't just a trivial question they were throwing out. They really desperately wanted to know this answer. This could have seemed like a strange question to ask, unless you had reason to believe that a mighty king, the Messiah, was prophesied to return and, by his hand, grant freedom and re-establish God's people as the nation of Israel. They knew that this was a prophecy. They had read it. They had memorized it themselves. And now, here they are asking, is this the time? Those of the Jewish faith today continue to wait for the promised Messiah because the kingdom has not yet been restored to Israel.

They do not look to his second coming because they do not believe he came for the first time. After all, he was not the Messiah that they were expecting. Why did the disciples ask the question that they asked? What would lead them to believe that a Messiah would come to restore the kingdom to Israel? In the time that we have together this afternoon, I'd like to answer these questions and explore the scriptures related to the prophesied Messiah. Ever since the nation of Israel and later followed by the nation of Judah went into captivity, there has been a desire to reunite and regain the prominence they once had as a nation. The small remnant that remained and went back to the promised land after their 70-year captivity, they had a desire to rebuild the temple, to re-establish formal worship of the one true God, and to regain the blessings that God had poured out on them prior to their captivity. They wanted this so desperately that they were willing to enact additional laws and traditions to put a hedge around their worship of God and to avoid backsliding or to fall further out of God's favor. And they established their faith in God, sending the promised Messiah, who would free them from their bondage and re-establish them as God's one and only holy nation. Let's look at some of these passages where they drew their hope from. Let's first look in Isaiah 9 and verse 2.

Isaiah 9 and verse 2. And we'll look through a few of these passages.

Isaiah 9 and verse 2, it says, the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Appreciate that. This is Hermannette in the first part of the service this morning. That light that Christ is going to bring, the light of truth that we have in our lapses, the source of light that God has allowed us to see. It says, the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Those who have dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined. You have multiplied the nation and increased its joy. They rejoice before you according to the joy of harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. So it's a time of rejoicing. It's a time of celebration. It's a time of having light, not darkness. For you have broken the yoke of his burden. They've been freed and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressors, as in the day of Midian. And notice verse 6, for unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called wonderful, counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, and of the increase of his government and peace, there will be no end. Upon the throne of David and over his kingdom, to order it and to establish it with judgment and justice. From that time forward, even forever, the zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this.

Leading up to Jesus's first encounter with mankind as God in the flesh, the Jews at the time, they looked forward to this prophecy being fulfilled. They wanted their king to come. They were looking for a king. Nobody knew when he was going to come on to the scene, but they desperately wanted this. They wanted a re-establishment of God's people and a Messiah who would lead them. Let's continue a few chapters forward. Isaiah 11 and verse 1. We'll see another prophecy that they held close to their hearts. Isaiah 11 and verse 1.

There shall come forth a rod from the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. His delight is in the fear of the Lord, and he shall not judge by the sight of his eyes, nor decide by the hearing of his ears, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth. He shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of his loins, and thankfulness the belt of his waist. Their focus was on this coming, strong Messiah who would strike the Romans and judge with equity. They would be free. They would have freedom to worship the one true God. They wouldn't have to worry about this government, or this war, or this army. They wouldn't have to have any fears anymore of being rejected because they had finally been re-embraced by their Messiah. This is what they look forward to. Let's look in the book of Jeremiah, Jeremiah 23 and verse 3. Jeremiah 23 verse 3, another Messianic prophecy.

But I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries, where they have driven them, and bring them back to their folds. And they shall be fruitful and increase. I will set up shepherds over them who will feed them, and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, nor shall they be lacking, says the Lord. Behold, the days are coming, and they're saying, hallelujah, bring those days on, God. The days are coming, says the Lord, that I will raise to David a branch of righteousness. A king shall reign and prosper and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. In his days, Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell safely. Now this is his name, by which he will be called the Lord our righteousness. We find a similar thought in Jeremiah 33 and verse 14. Very similar. As a reminder, and to repeat this promise, Jeremiah 33 and verse 14.

Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, that I will perform that good thing, which I have promised to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah. They hung onto it because it was a promise from God. In those days, and at that time, I will cause to grow up to David a branch of righteousness, and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. And in those days, Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell safely. And this is the name by which she will be called the Lord our righteousness. The Lord our righteousness must be understood as Jesus is our righteousness.

This is what that passage means, as we also see in 1 Corinthians 1 and verse 30. The Jews of Jesus' time knew their ancestors had sinned, and they brought on to the nation God's wrath and punishment. So they believed if they did their part that God would be their righteousness and re-establish them as a nation. For another passage, the last one we'll look at with this frame of mind is Zechariah 9 and verse 9.

Zechariah 9 and verse 9. This opening of this passage fits so much for today, and what we are doing, what this day symbolizes, was shouting with rejoicing, with noise. Zechariah 9 verse 9, Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you! He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey. We know that this actually played out, and this prophecy was fulfilled when Jesus, a few days before his crucifixion, rode into Jerusalem on a donkey colt. But the next verse is what the Jews looked forward to, but a prophecy that will still be fulfilled in the future at Jesus' second coming. Verse 10, I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem. The battle bow shall be cut off. He shall speak peace to the nations. His dominion shall be from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth. As for you also, because of the blood of your covenant, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit. Return to the stronghold, you prisoners of hope. Even today, I declare that I will restore double to you. Who doesn't want double? Right?

He's saying, I will restore double. There's no doubt from these passages and many others. There's too many to read in one sermon to share with you. The Jews constantly looked forward to a time when they would be restored as God's holy nation. And as we can see why the disciples and others who understood that Jesus was the Messiah thought he would restore Israel and put down the ruling authority of the Roman government. This was not just a pipe dream or some fantasy that they were clinging to. This was a promise from God. And they had their mind on the desire and hope that this day would come during each of their lifetimes. But while some understood who Jesus was, many others rejected him as the Messiah. He was not the ruling king they expected would come. Many found it difficult to reconcile with other messianic references the coming conquering king that this man, Jesus, was not the actual Messiah. To the Jewish leadership, he seemed like a threat.

They didn't seek to follow him, but instead seeked to kill him.

Gary Petty wrote a book entitled Plato's Shadow, and I'm going to read a few passages from it detailing this aspect of the hostility that Jesus faced. It says, The Sadducees found Jesus as baffling as the Pharisees did. The popularity of Jesus presented a threat to the prestige and power of the priestly and aristocratic Sadducees. There was a little room in their perspective or in the Pharisaical messianic vision for a carpenter from Galilee who spent more time deriding them for their faults than denouncing the Romans and setting up the kingdom of God on earth. They wanted a king that would come and just tear apart the Roman Empire, get rid of Caesar, remove their oppression, get rid of paying taxes.

How could this carpenter from Galilee be the Messiah? In fact, he's the one telling us we're wrong and we know that we're right. Gary Petty goes on to say, People were confused about the mission and role of Jesus in fulfilling God's plan for Israel. Some individuals concluded that he was the resurrection of his famous cousin, John the Baptist, whom Herod had killed. Others thought he was a virgin, Jeremiah, or one of the Old Testament prophets. Mr. Petty concludes a little bit later in this the last part I'm going to read from. It says, During the century before Jesus, the Jews fervently longed for the Messiah to save Israel from their oppressors. And then he goes to quote the Jewish Encyclopedia, which states, Not until after the fall of the Maccabean dynasty, when the authoritarian government of Herod the Great, his family, and the increasing and the increasing tyranny of the Roman Empire had made their condition ever more unbearable, did Jews seek refuge in the hope of a personal Messiah. They yearned for the promised deliverer of the house of David, who would free them from the yoke of the hated foreign usurper, who would put an end to the impious Roman rule and would establish his own reign of peace and justice in its place. This, in this way, their hope became gradually centered in the coming of the Messiah.

Another resource that I'd like to share is from the website, jewfaq.org. It's a similar, I think, it's the same one that Mr. McGuire also quoted from. This website is set to answer questions about Jews and Judaism in plain English. And so that's why it's an FAQ. And there's an article entitled, The Messiah, that I'll read a passage from. There are, and this is their current thinking today. This is Jewish thought today. There are a wide variety of opinions on the subject of when the Messiah will come. So not that he, when he will come a second time, they're saying when he will come the first time. Some of Judaism's greatest minds have cursed those who try to predict the time of the Messiah's coming, because errors in such predictions could cause people to lose faith in the Messianic idea or in Judaism itself. This actually happened in the 17th century when Shabbat Siyev claimed to be the Messiah. When Siyev converted to Islam under the threat of death, many Jews converted with him. Nevertheless, this prohibition has not stopped anyone from speculating about the time when the Messiah will come. Although some, it goes on to say, although some scholars believe that God had set aside a specific date for the coming of the Messiah, most authority suggests that the conduct of mankind will determine the time of the Messiah's coming. In general, it is believed that the Messiah will come in a time when he is most needed because the world is so sinful, or in a time when he is most deserved because the world is so good. For example, each of the following have been suggested as a time when the Messiah will come. And then it lists six of these, maybe, possibilities. It goes on to say, if Israel repented a single day, then maybe the Messiah would come. If Israel observed a single Sabbath properly, maybe the Messiah would come. If Israel observed two Sabbaths in a row properly, so now they're raising the ante a little bit. Or 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. Again, this is from jewfacu.org and an article entitled, The Messiah. Different ideas, different theories, because they continue to look for their Messiah to come. So it's very well documented that Jewish teaching denies that Jesus Christ was God in the flesh and that he was their Messiah. But this isn't the end of their story. Scripture records a future time when the people of Israel and their descendants will acknowledge that Jesus was their Messiah and they will grieve the fact that in effect they turned their back on him. Let's look at Hosea 5 in verse 14.

Hosea 5 in verse 14. The prophet records, For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, and a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will tear them and go away. I will take them away, and no one shall rescue. I will return again to my place, till they acknowledge their offense. Then they will seek my face, and their affliction they will earnestly seek me. The prophet is saying, There is a time when those who have denied Jesus Christ as their Messiah will acknowledge that he was the one prophesied from the beginning, the one who came to them, the one who loved them, the one who taught them, the one who corrected them.

They will acknowledge him. Going on into the next chapter, chapter 6 and verse 1, commentaries and theologians view that this is a continuation from chapter 5 and verse 15, the same thought just into a new chapter. Hosea 6 verse 1, it says, Come and let us return to the Lord, for he has torn, but he will heal us. He has stricken, but he will bind us up. After two days, he will revive us. On the third day, he will raise us up, that we may live in his sight. And notice, let us know, let us pursue. These are those action words that you know I love to cling on to. Let us know, let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord. His going forth is established as the morning. He will come to us like the rain, like the ladder and former rains to the earth.

Our own UCG Bible commentary shares this on this passage. It says, Being raised up in Hosea 6 and verse 2 is parallel with a humbled and repentant Israel emerging in verse 1 around the time of Christ's return. From this terrible punishment described at the end of chapter 5, so the period of punishment to which Hosea refers is not of his own day, rather God enables him to look down through the ages to the end time. The book of Revelation mentions a coming period of three and a half years of horror unparalleled in human history. The first part of this period is a time of punishment on Israel called Jacob's Trouble or the Great Tribulation. It is followed by the Day of the Lord, of which Isaiah 34 verse 8 states, For it is the Day of the Lord's vengeance, the year of recompense, for the cause of Zion, introduced by dramatic heavenly signs, the Day of the Lord would thus seem to be the final year leading up to Christ's return. So finally, in this very difficult time, Israel will recognize their need to pursue the knowledge of the Lord, as Hosea 6 and verse 3 states. It will be a very difficult time as they are nearly brought to destruction.

When Jesus came the first time, he fulfilled the spring festivals as a tie-in to the latter rains, and when he comes the second time, he will fulfill the fall festivals, another tie-in to the former rains. And because of the great pressure that will be applied to Israel, they will finally acknowledge their sin and seek the face of their Messiah. Let's also consider Zechariah chapter 12 with this thought in mind. The nations of the world at this time will come up against Israel during the tribulation and as crazy as it seems against Jesus Christ himself. We've looked at Matthew chapter 24, where Jesus himself talks about the end times, the difficulties that will go on. He says, talking about, do not be deceived, do not be tricked to know what is going on.

There's going to be false Christs. People are going to say, he's over here, he's over there, and he says, don't get caught up on all this. In fact, the lies are going to be so deep that the nations will want to fight against Jesus upon his second return. Notice again, Zechariah 12 in verse 1. The burden of the word of the Lord against Israel. Thus says the Lord, who stretched out the heavens, lays the foundations of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within himself. God himself is declaring himself as the creator God and the one who will bring these earth-rattling end-time events to pass. Verse 2, Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, that when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem, and it shall happen in that day, we know when we see that phrase, in that day, it's referencing the tribulation, or the end of the tribulation, upon Christ's return. And it shall happen in that day, that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples. All who would heave it away will surely be cut into pieces. They're going to fight Israel. They're going to try to destroy God's people, and he's not going to allow it. Notice, though, all the nations of the earth are gathered against it.

Talking about an unbalanced battle, right? Unfair odds. But notice in verse 4, In that day, says the Lord, I will strike every horse with confusion, and its rider with madness. I will open my eyes on the house of Judah, and will strike every horse of the people with blindness. And the governors of Judah shall say in the heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength, and the Lord of hosts, their God. And notice verse 8, In that day, the Lord will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem. The one who is feeble among them in that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, and the angel of the Lord before them. It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. Finally, Israel will recognize who the Messiah is. Through God's might, not Israel's, God will deliver the nation from the hand of the armies that come up against Israel. He will destroy the attacking armies and put down these national forces. And through this deliverance, the inhabitants of Israel will finally recognize by whose hand they have been delivered and recognize their mistake in rejecting the Messiah when He first came to them as God in the flesh. Notice verse 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. Israel and the Jews alive at that time will finally realize they rejected the first coming of the Messiah as part of His atoning suffering and death. And they will finally recognize that Jesus Christ was indeed the true Messiah, the very one they worshiped as their God. So it's not hard to see, going back to that introductory passage we read, that introductory question that Jesus's disciples shared with Him when they asked if He would restore the kingdom of Israel as He was with them. They knew the prophecies. They knew a time would come when He would restore them. And they all hoped desperately that that time they would be able to see with their own eyes. As we begin to close out this message on this special day, I'd like to remind us all of the amazing time that is to come and that this Holy Day pictures. The Lord of Lords and the King of Kings will return to this earth, as we've heard about already today. And with Him, He will usher in a new way of life and prosperity this world has yearned for. Let's look at Ezekiel 36 in verse 18.

I thought about diving into all the different ways that the Pharisees and the Sadducees tried to trip up Christ. All the ways that they mocked Him, all the ways that they tried to stone Him and kill Him, all the ways that they rejected Him. But I thought it would be more fitting to go back to why they had the Spirit within them. We could talk about their pride, we could talk about their arrogance, we could talk about how they hoisted more laws upon God's people and made it a burden that they themselves couldn't even do and practice fully.

But they believed in their heart of this coming King. They just missed the mark. They didn't understand who was before them. They didn't fully understand why Christ would come the way He did to provide the opening for them and for the rest of humanity to be at one with God.

And when we see this day unfolded that we are part of today, that we're commemorating, that we look forward to so desperately, that's remember the way that God is going to work all of this out. Ezekiel 36 in verse 18 shares some insight to this day. He says, Therefore I purged out my fury on them for the blood they had shed on the land and for their idols for which they had defiled it. So I scattered them among the nations and they were dispersed throughout the countries. I judged them according to their ways and their deeds.

When they came into the nations wherever they went, they profaned my holy name. And when they said of them, these are the people of the Lord and yet they have gone out of His land. But notice, But I had concern for my holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations wherever they went. Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God, I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for my holy name's sake, for which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went.

And I will sanctify my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. And the nations shall know that I am the Lord, says the Lord God, when I am hollowed in you before their eyes.

For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out from all countries, and bring you into your own land. This is a promise from God again. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean. I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. I will take out the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you will keep my judgments and do them.

Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers. You shall be my people, and I will be your God. I will deliver you from all your uncleanness. I will call for the grain and multiply it and bring no famine upon you. And I will multiply the fruit of your trees and the increase of your fields, so that you need never again bear the reproach of famine among the nations.

And notice, then you will remember. Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good. And you will go yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and your abominations. Not for your sake do I do this, says the Lord God. Let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel. A time is coming when our Lord and Savior will return and will right the wrongs that man has lived our lives by and put into place as a sampling of what this day will be like as it is ushered in and to share some encouragement as we begin this fall holiday season.

Let's close in Isaiah 11 and verse 6.

Isaiah 11 verse 6. It's a passage I think that every feast site we go to or for tuning in online that will be able to have read to us at this next feast of tabernacles. It's one of the favorite ones of the kids. I remember being a kid on the blanket hearing this part and all of a sudden my ears perk up because you know what? I wanted a lion. I wanted a wild animal that I could only see at the zoo and I wanted to have it as my pet. I think so many of us wanted this and we want it for our children. We want it for our grandchildren. We want a time of peace and safety that they've never had on this earth. It's so sad that as parents we have to warn our children from a very young age to not get into a stranger's car, right? I remember my mom telling me this and sharing these things with me and saying, don't even get in if they have a puppy or if they say they got candy for you. Don't even get in if you know them, if I haven't told you to get in their car.

It's sad that we have to teach our children at such a young age how to look out for themselves. This is the world that Jesus is going to fix. This is the world that you and I are going to have an opportunity to help with. Those who have gone before us, we'll get a chance to see again, to work alongside, to fix the wrongs. And it won't be by our might, it will be by our Lord and Savior's. And so as we exit out of this day and as we take time to just consider the breadth of what we've heard here, what we've heard previously on other days, similar to this one, what we'll hear on the Day of Atonement and on the Feast of Tabernacles in the Eighth Day, these days, as I shared with Detroit this past week, are about us.

These days include us. These days bring us along with Jesus and our God to the future.

Our Father wants so much to include us in His plan. And it's not just so, again, we can sit on clouds and play harps and stare into the face of God, right? It's so that we can work side by side, hand in hand, with our elder brother and our Father to change this world.

What an amazing opportunity that we have been invited to be part of as we continue to run our race and finish it to the very end. And we get to this beautiful passage in Isaiah 11 and verse 6 of what the end result will finally look like. The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young one shall lie down together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play by the cobra's hole, and the weaned child shall put his hand into the viper's den. They shall not hurt nor destroy, in all my holy mountains. For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, who shall stand as a banner to the people. For the Gentiles shall seek him, and his resting place shall be glorious. God speed the fulfillment of this most glorious day.