The Everlasting Hatred (10 page)

For centuries, both Jews and Christians have recognized the parallel between Joseph's experiences and those of the Messiah.

Of course the Israelites have not fully recognized the identity of the one this symbolizes, but some rabbis who lived before Jesus was born did theorize that their must be two Messiahs that are to come. They recognized that there are two different portraits of the Messiah painted in Bible prophecy. One is a conquering king who will come in great power and glory to deliver Israel from a great holocaust and set them up in the kingdom promised to their fathers. This Messiah they called the Son of David.

The other portrait predicts the Messiah will come as a lowly servant who will suffer for the transgressions of His people. This Messiah they call the Son ofJoseph because of the obvious parallels.

What is not
yet
recognized by Israel is that there is only one Messiah who comes at two different times. The first time He comes as the suffering servant. The second time as the conquering king of David's seed.

Just look at the parallels between Joseph and Jesus:

Joseph was rejected by his brothers and sent to die at the hands of the Gentiles.

Jesus was also rejected and turned over to the Gentiles for crucifixion.

Joseph was received and given great honor and glory among the Gentiles.

Jesus also has been received and honored among the Gentiles.

While among the Gentiles, Joseph had children who were later included in the covenant blessings of Abraham, Isaac, and Joseph.

Jesus has also been given children among the Gentiles who have been adopted into the covenants of Israel.

When great calamity came upon the world, the only salvation for Joseph's brothers was through the very one they had rejected. He who was thought to be dead “came back to life” and saved them.

In the same way, Bible prophecy predicts that a tribulation will sweep the whole world and only Jesus will save Israel when they turn to Him. As it is predicted, “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.”
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When Joseph's brothers came seeking help and later acknowledged their sin, Joseph forgave and saved them and settled them in his kingdom.

When Jesus' brothers, the Israelites, acknowledge their sin and seek Him in the last days, He is going to save them and settle them in the kingdom He promised them.

The Book of Genesis gives the complete record as to just who God's chosen people are through Abraham. Now stop and think about this for a moment. The Bible teaches as much by the amount of space given to a subject as it does by what it says.

God took only eleven chapters to record the account of mankind from his creation until the call of Abraham. This covers perhaps thousands of years. But God took from chapter twelve to chapter fifty—a period of about three hundred years—to cover the creation and establishment of His chosen people. To those who believe the Bible, this should speak volumes about the importance God places upon these people.

Genesis ends with a careful accounting of the descendents of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Jacob's sons, and all their families as they go into Egypt.

The many genealogies that the Bible records usually bore most readers. There are many genealogies. Almost all of these genealogies are records of the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The important question is, why are there so many? Why such a careful record of these people—particularly if they are ultimately to be rejected and abandoned, as a Christian sect known as Preterists teach today.

More importantly on this issue, Muslims believe that the Israelites never were God's chosen people. They believe Allah sent the Prophet Mohammad to correct this falsification created by Jews and Christians. Muslims say Ishmael and his Arab descendants were cheated out of their proper inheritance, since he was Abraham's firstborn son. As we will see, the Koran teaches that “the people of the Book”
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falsified the original revelation and made themselves the heirs of God's covenants.

The verse I quoted from Exodus 3 at the beginning of this chapter sets the record straight. God spoke to Moses from out of the burning bush when calling him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt: