1 by 1 on your contradictions. I am and will respond. And I think others will too. In fact I have seen some responses to your contradictions. be patient! We will get to them, or I will if others don't! But don't lay many of them at once...
Okay, let's examine Isaiah 9:6 carefully.
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."
You said:
"The first interesting note to consider before examining this verse closely is this: The Jews have never believed that the Promised Messiah would be a man who was equal to God. It would seem that if that was what was being prophesized in the OT, the Jews more than any gruop of people would know about it. "
I say:
Don't you see, the Jews have misinterpreted the scriptures. That's why they missed Christ. Hundred's upon hundred's of prophecies Christ fulfills and yet the Jews don't see it. And let me tell you, they have made many mistakes in different sects of Judiasm about Messiah. Especially Isaiah 53! In fact one sect of the Jews thought one of their Rabbi's that just died was the Messiah. The majority of Jews are blinded to Messiah. They were then and they are now.
Also, you have used in some of your arguments that the Jews misunderstood what Christ was saying in the New Testament scriptures. So let's stay consistent. One one hand you say that they should no better about the scriptures than any other group, and on the other they misinterpret Christ's words. Are the Jews an authority on scripture or not? I'm telling you they were not, for the most part. They think they are, but their not! They know of them but don't understand them (for the most part), just as you!
You said:
"So the bottom line is this: Even if Jesus (Pbuh) is the one being referred to in Isaiah 9:6 (despite a few glaring problems), the verse itself was not promising a man equal to God but a great and mighty man, just as Muslims believe. The evidence is clear from the Hebrew Text which was described above and more than anything the understanding of the Jews themselves who had this verse leading up to the coming of Jesus Christ (Pbuh). "
I say:
You know, maybe you, or the Muslims, whichever might apply, have misinterpreted the scriptures. In fact, you look at Isaiah 9:6, one verse and try to disprove it! You haven't! You discount some interpretation of some words and through this try to discount the whole verse or all the scriptures. You can't take one verse apart from all the others of hundreds that go with it.
Are you sure of your misinterpretations as you bring up anyway? Or does someone interpret them for you, like maybe some Jew or Muslim denying Christ? Do you know Hebrew? Maybe your arguments of misinterpretation are flawed? Have you done the interpretations yourself or are you relying on someone else for your arguments?
Secondly, the Jews, as apparantly you, are missing the two different tracts Isaiah speaks about Messiah. It speaks of him as King of Kings and Suffering servant. Jews want to look at only the King of Kings prophecies and not the suffering servant one's. That's a big mistake! The Jews of Christ's time wanted to overturn the Roman government. They were never looking for a spiritual savior (suffering servant)! That's a gross misinterpretation of the scriptures on their part. They always needed a sacrificial, substitutionary atonement from their sins. Read the Torah!
In fact the Jews are trying to rebuild their ancient temple again today. They know they need their sacrifices for atonement, and since 70 years after Christ or so, they have not have a temple to do them in as God commanded. That's why they have such a drive to rebuild it! And just as the scriptures say they would! So the Jews know they need a sacrificial system. They just ignore Jesus as being the fulfillment of the scriptures as the ultimate one. So they know they need one, but ignore when they get one. They are confused!
So you continue not to disprove anything about the scriptures but just cloud them with smoke screens. And you know what's a laugh, you argue the scriptual fulfillment of Christ as a disbelieving Jew does. I find that ironic!
Hope I addressed your concerns!
God Bless You,
Steve |
