Athen's Library

The messianic prophecies in Genesis 49

January 2008

There are two messianic prophecies found in Genesis chapter forty-nine.  The first is found in verse ten and the second is found in verses twenty-two through twenty-four.  Orthodox Rabbinical writings on this subject assure us that the prophecies in the Old Testament point out two distinct individuals and two distinct Advents; known to them as Messiah ben Joseph and Messiah ben David.  Messiah ben Joseph a suffering servant who becomes a great general but dies on the battlefield halfway through a seven year war.  Messiah ben David a descendant of Judah, who takes the throne of David and rules the world with a rod of iron.

About that period Messiah was expected. By many he was looked for to come as a mighty monarch. The Jews had boasted to the Gentiles of his coming, and had dwelt largely upon the great deliverance which he would bring them, that he would reign as king, and put down all authority. Every kingdom and nation would bow to him, and the Jewish nation would reign over them. They had the events of the first and second comings of Christ confounded together.  4aSG 115.

Even John the Baptist, who under the direction of the Holy Spirit had proclaimed “Behold the Lamb of God”, was uncertain as he heard about the works of Christ.  And so John sent two of his disciples to Jesus to ask ...Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?  Matthew 11:3.  The answer that Jesus gave is so simply profound many of us overlook it.  Jesus did not give a yes or no answer, but rather said go and tell John that you witnessed the blind receive their sight, the lame made to walk, the leper made clean, the deaf to hear, dead brought back to life and the good news preached to the poor.  In actuality Jesus was saying, John, for thirty years you have studied the prophecies of messiah, now here are the deeds, to which prophecy do they belong.

Messiah ben Joseph

Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall: The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him: But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)  Genesis 49:22-24.

The phrase from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel is our key as we study the prophecy of Messiah ben Joseph.  The words from thence tell us it is a location, but equally important is the account of Joseph the fruitful bough.  From thence, from this account, from this story and from this place (Egypt) we will be able to definitively establish the identity of Messiah ben Joseph.  What are we supposed to find from this location and story line?  A Messiah, an Advent of Deity for the purpose of bringing salvation to mankind.  But in this case we are looking for The shepherd, the stone of Israel.

Jesus said I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.  John 10:11.  Jesus is the stone the builders rejected.  Also according to Matthew it is Jesus who fulfills the prophecy of Hosea 11:1.  And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.  Matthew 2:15.  There are many parts in the story of Joseph that have parallel applications in the life of Jesus.  Remember when Joseph sent everyone out of the room except his brothers while he made himself known unto them.  How is it that he made himself known to them?  According to the covenant God made with Abraham, Joseph was circumcised when he was eight days old.  And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.  Luke 2:21.  (The rite of circumcision is so important, in that it bestows upon the recipient certain blessings and protections established in the covenant between Jehovah and Abraham and his seed.  Any son of Israel, who failed to perform this rite upon his own son not only deprived that child from receiving these blessings and protections, but also hindered the ability of Jehovah to send angels to intercede and protect in the perilous times in his own life.)





 You see it is Jesus that fits the prophecy for Messiah ben Joseph.  Yet the majority in the nation to whom He was sent, rejected Him. Why?  Because they did not want the Suffering Servant, they wanted the Conquering King.  John the Baptist and even Jesus’ own disciples had been indoctrinated with the prevailing idea that it was time for the Lord to lift the yoke of oppression from their shoulders and make them the head instead of the tale.

Like the Saviour’s disciples, John the Baptist did not understand the nature of Christ’s kingdom. He expected Jesus to take the throne of David; and as time passed, and the Saviour made no claim to kingly authority, John became perplexed and troubled. He had declared to the people that in order for the way to be prepared before the Lord, the prophecy of Isaiah must be fulfilled; the mountains and hills must be brought low, the crooked made straight, and the rough places plain. He had looked for the high places of human pride and power to be cast down. He had pointed to the Messiah as the One whose fan was in His hand, and who would thoroughly purge His floor, who would gather the wheat into His garner, and burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. Like the prophet Elijah, in whose spirit and power he had come to Israel, he looked for the Lord to reveal Himself as a God that answereth by fire.  DA 215.

Messiah ben David

The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.  Genesis 49:10.

The sceptre shall not depart from Judah.  This part of the verse is very important because it names Judah as the tribe from which Messiah will be born.  (The term from thence does not imply linage, and as such does not disagree.)  Nor a lawgiver from between his feet.  The word lawgiver allows us to see the vessel, Messiah ben Joseph from whom, Messiah ben David will appear.  Jesus is the lawgiver; it was He who spoke the law from Sinai, and it was He who authored the ceremonial law in order to redeem mankind.  Until Shiloh come.  Until Messiah ben David, the Son of Messiah ben Joseph comes.  This is the King of the Stone Kingdom that smashes the Image on the feet.  And unto him shall the gathering of the people be.  After striking the image on the feet, the Stone Kingdom grows to become the Mountain of the House of the Lord and soon fills the whole earth.

But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.  Micah 4:1.

Again it is a time in this world’s history when Messiah is expected.  Paul addressing a misunderstanding concerning the soon return of Jesus, wrote 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;  2 Thessalonians 2:3; thus showing his familiarity with the twelve hundred and sixty day prophecy which we now know spanned from 538 AD until 1798 AD, (reckoned as a day for a year).  Those of us, who are familiar with this prophecy, know that it exists within a larger prophecy, the twenty-three hundred day prophecy of Daniel.  It is this larger prophecy, the twenty-three hundred day prophecy which spanned from 457 BC to 1844 AD that gives the complete timeline of the First Advent.  Since both of these dates, 1798 and 1844, are past we can conclude that we are truly living at a time when Messiah is expected.

As the message of Christ’s first advent announced the kingdom of His grace, so the message of His second advent announces the kingdom of His glory. And the second message, like the first, is based on the prophecies. The words of the angel to Daniel relating to the last days were to be understood in the time of the end...  DA 234.

The message telling the world of the advent of Messiah ben Joseph announced the kingdom of grace.  Unfortunately as we have learned, it was given by those who were looking for the advent of Messiah ben David.  The reason for this is they had the events of the two confounded together.  Now we are living in the day when Messiah ben David should be announced, but the message is being given by people who are looking for the Return of Jesus.  The reason for this is we have crammed together all of the events that make up the Second Advent into one single event, allowing ourselves to only see the return of our Blessed Redeemer.

And the second message, like the first, is based on the prophecies.  Our biggest deficiency in understanding the Second Advent is we have not returned to prophecy.  Let us look at the importance of the prophecy that points out the year 1798.  Reviewing our core doctrines we will remember that the legs of iron on Nebuchadnezzar’s image represent pagan and papal Rome.  Pagan Rome gave way to papal Rome in 538 AD and the truth was cast down for twelve hundred and sixty years until the pope was taken prisoner in 1798.  Next in order after Rome, according to Nebuchadnezzar’s image; are the feet of iron mixed with clay.  As each succeeding kingdom came into power, the preceding kingdom lost power and faded into history.  The demise of the power wielded by papal Rome proves that we are presently living in the time represented by the ten toe kings.  And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.  Daniel 2:44.  This is the event that is looming on the horizon.  Are we prepared?  Remember at the First Advent the people were looking for a King to rule the world, but they had the events of the first and second comings of Christ confounded together.  Now we are anticipating the Second Advent, but it does not begin with the return of Jesus, rather it begins with the advent of Messiah ben David, the King of the Kingdom that shall never be destroyed.  This is the very kingdom that Jesus told us to pray for when He taught us to pray.  Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.  Matthew 6:10.  The Return of Jesus is just one of the many components that make up the Second Advent, and no matter how much we dwell upon, pray for or preach the Return of Jesus, we will not be able to change the order God has given to these events.

Many have asked, isn’t it enough that we believe in the Second Advent the way we have been taught?  To this I must answer no, because you have been taught a two dimensional view of the Second Advent which is basically this,  when God’s church reaches a certain point of purity and prays diligently enough, Jesus will return to take His children home.  Unfortunately this is not the case.  Remember we have been told And the second message, like the first, is based on the prophecies.  This is a critical piece of information, and by using this as the key that it is, we will find that the events of the Second Advent can be seen three dimensionally by viewing them through the events of the First Advent.  

Now let’s put this all into perspective.  At the time pointed out in prophecy for the first major event of the First Advent, God’s people were disappointed because they had confounded together the events of the First and Second Advents.  Jesus the good shepherd was accepted by the minority (Christians) because the majority refused to give up their expectations for the Conquering King.  At the time pointed out in prophecy for the last major event of the First Advent, God’s people were disappointed because they had confounded together the events of the First and Second Advents.  Jesus’ coming to judge the dead was accepted by the minority because the majority refused to give up their expectations for the Return of Jesus as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  We have repeated the history of Israel.  Only by using our key of allowing the events of the First Advent to expand our understanding of the Second Advent can we keep from continuing along this path.  By viewing the Second Advent through the history of the First Advent, we see that the major event that was expected in 1844 will actually take place at the end of the Second Advent.  If for the period of Second Advent, the Return of Jesus is its major ending event, what is its major beginning event?

In explaining why Jesus came to live and die for us Paul wrote, For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.  Hebrews 9:16.  The only reason to write a last will and testament is if there is something to leave.  As King of the original King (Adam) of this world, as heir to the throne of David and as recipient of the promises made to Abraham, Jesus has much to leave His heir.  Jesus came into this world born of a bondservant, Mary.  His royal linage could not be negated or tainted by this bondage, but this bondage would keep Him from taking the throne Himself, because the only way to freedom was through death.  After His death Jesus must live in exile until His Son by right of His inheritance restores Adam to the rightful position of King of planet Earth, and who then reaffirms his allegiance to his King and Creator Jesus.

Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.  Acts 3:21

Father and Son

And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.  Genesis 3:15.

In this first messianic prophecy we find the terminology, and her seed.  Hidden in this phrase we find Father and Son.  You see women produce fruit; Jesus, the fruit of Mary’s womb, is the repository or the vessel which contains the seed of the woman, it is this promised seed who will bruise the head of Satan.  Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.  John 5:19.  Jesus the Only Begotten Son of God follows in His Fathers foot steps and begets an Only Begotten Son of His own. It is not until this Child is born that the legal definition of the term and her seed is complete, not until this Child arrives on the scene can we expect the head of Satan to be bruised.

Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.  1 John 2:22-23.

The Spirit explained to me that this verse is often misrepresented.  I was told this verse says anyone who denies that Jesus is the Father or anyone who denies that Jesus is the Son is antichrist.  By teaching the Second Advent in a manner that does not accommodate the Advent of Messiah ben David, we deny that Jesus is the Father and thus place ourselves under the banner of antichrist. 

Yours to help teach this Gospel of the Kingdom

Athen Slawson