Bible Study Online Article
In the last couple of articles, we learned that Jacob had spoken prophecies that dealt with Joseph and his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh. We also read about the prophecies that dealt with Jacob's first three sons: Reuben, Simeon, and Levi. Keep in mind, that as we continue our journey throughout the Sacred Scriptures, we will take notice, when it comes to the prophecy fulfillment's of these five tribes. Remember that Joseph is not counted as a tribe, but his household will be recognized through his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. But we must move along, being that Jacob wasn't done when it came to his prophecies. For our attention, is now turned towards Jacob's fourth born son, Judah: "Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father's children shall bow down before you. Judah is a lion's whelp; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion; And as a lion, who shall rouse him? "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people. Binding his donkey to the vine, and his donkey's colt to the choice vine, He washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes. His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk." Now this prophecy in my opinion, is one of the most important prophecies that we will come across within the Sacred Scriptures. Often times I marvel at the fact that it garners very little attention. Sure, teachers will point to this prophecy, when they want to bring about the discussion; in regards to the Messiah, coming from the tribe of Judah. And although this is a very important fact to know, this prophecy goes much deeper than that. How so, you may wonder? This is how: for the mere fact that this prophecy actually points out the exact time, that Judah would claim top position within God's promise covenant with the Israel nation: and this prophecy also points to the time, that the Messiah will arrive for his earthly ministry. Now before we delve closer to this prophecy, in regards to Judah, I want to point out, that this in no way, conflicts with the prophecy that concerns Ephraim. Remember, that this prophecy, speaks of the exact time that Judah comes into power, and this doesn't happen until the days of David. Until then, the nation of Israel still has to endure their time that's left within Egypt, and the wilderness stage. We must also remember, that Joshua the Ephraimite, would be the one (with Caleb by his side) that leads Israel to the "promise land." It's at this point that our journey will take us into the "Conquest Stage" and then into the Israel's dark ages known as the "Stage of the Judges." This stage will have a time span of three-hundred years, and it's from this stage that we enterinto the stage known as the "United Kingdom," and it's at this stage that Judah comes into a position of power, that it will hold unto, until the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ the true Messiah. Now Ephraim drops somewhat out of the picture, until we enter into the stage known as "The Divided Kingdom" and it's at this time, that Jeroboam the Ephraimite, will lead the ten tribes that were ripped out of the hands of David's household, leaving him with the tribe of Judah and Benjamin. And it's at this point, that Judah and Ephraim begin to run royal family dynasties parallel between each other, with Judahrepresenting the promise covenant of the one true God, andwith Ephraim turning away and running from that very same God. Okay now, let's come back to were we are at, and let's take a closer look at what Jacob had prophesied to Judah: "Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father's children shall bow down before you." First: Understand that the name "Judah" signifies "praise." Second: "your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies" -- this was mostly fulfilled during the days of David, for he was known as a great conqueror. But it will be totally fulfilled during the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Third: "your father's children shall bow down before you" -- being that David ruled over all twelve tribes, this would be fulfilled during David's reign as King. "Judah is a lion's whelp; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion; And as a lion, who shall rouse him." This basically deals with Judah being compared to a lion. For a lion is courageous and strong, and puts fear within the mind and hearts of his enemies. Now understand that a "lion's whelp" is nothing more than a young lion. Notice how the scripture jumps from Judah being a young lion, to "you have gone up." This statement signifies growth, and this growth will come through the many victories that Judah will experience over its enemies. This is where this statement comes into play: "He bows down, he lies down as a lion; And as a lion, who shall rouse him." Now I'm going to cut this off, and continue the rest in the next article: "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people. Binding his donkey to the vine, and his donkey's colt to the choice vine, He washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes. His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk." This is very important, for it points to the time that Judah comes into a position of authority within the promise covenant with God and Israel. We will also connect the dots and go over some things, in regards to this statement: "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes." For we must not forget, that the city of Jerusalem was destroyed during the "captivity stage" by Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, and the tribe of Judah, was taken into captivity for seventy years. One must wonder -- with them now being captives, did they still have ownership of the scepter? Was this prophecy wrong, in its foretelling? Being that Christ, hadn't been born yet.
Jacob - The Path of Uncertainty **YOUR CURRENT BIBLE STUDY ONLINE SERIES WOULD BE HERE**
113) The Prophecy of Reuben, Simeon and Levi 114) <-CURRENT PAGE-> 115) The Tribe of Kings 116) Representation of the Scepter 117) The Importance of the Sanhedrin 118) The Gathering of the People 119) The Prophecy of Zebulun, Issachar and Dan 120) Jacob's Prophecies - Gad, Asher and Naphtali 121) Jacob's Prophecies - Joseph the Fruitful Tree 122) Jacob's Prophecies - Benjamin the Ravenous Wolf 123) The Death of Jacob 124) Jacob Goes Home 126) The Death of Joseph 127) Evolutionist And Creationist 128) Moses the Historian  CrossDaily.com Web Search where you can VOTE FOR THIS SITE & other great ones. Christian search engine, directory & voting index. You'll find Bible Study Online, chat, churches, jobs, music, reviews, software, theology, & more. See the best sites! |
|
|
|
|
|