Habakkuk

When Jacob blessed his sons, his blessings were also prophecies about each son's descendants. Through time these prophecies were fulfilled. From the first born to the last, Jacob blessed his sons. (Genesis 49:1-27) 

 

However, Judah would receive the lion’s share of the blessings. 

”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.” 

Jacob’s blessings and predictions provide further evidence of God’s supernatural power to foretell the future of His people and to reveal it to whom He desires. Jesus Christ came from the lineage of Judah, and there are many prophecies that have been fulfilled in Jesus. So has all the prophecies Jacob announced in Judah's blessing been fulfilled by Jesus Christ to this date? That I cannot say, but what I do believe is that there is a prophecy mentioned by Jacob that few if anyone has before recognized, and I plan on proving it. 

 

Strong’s Concordance translates the Hebrew word, “Shiloh”, as “tranquil” in English. Another word for tranquil is peace. Undoubtedly, this is referring to the Messiah soon to come. In Isaiah 9:6, He is given the epithet, “The Prince of Peace.” We also find, in Isaiah 52:7, a glorious description of the “Shiloh,” in this expression: “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bring good tidings, that proclaims peace.” In Isaiah 66:12, He promises to “…extend peace to her like a river…” This theme continues in the statement from Isaiah 54:13,”…great shall be the peace of your children.” 

 

Jesus Christ has many names: Savior, Prince of Peace, Counselor, Everlasting Father, and many more. Genesis 49:10 focuses on the epithet Shiloh, or Peace. Almost 500 years after Jacob blessed Judah, when the Israelites defeated enough of Canaan Joshua had the Tabernacle moved to Shiloh. 

Now the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of meeting there. And the land was subdued before them.

(Joshua 18:1) 

It wasn’t long before the name Shiloh became synonymous with the Tabernacle. 370 years later, after David replaced Saul as King, it was obvious the religious leaders knew exactly what Jacob's prophecy was pointing to. We do not see any realization mentioned in the Scriptures as to whether or not Samuel figured it out, but we do know Nathan did, because God told him to tell David that HE would not remove the Kingdom from his family.

“And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.”

 (2 Samuel 7:16) 

Eventually the town of Shiloh would be abandoned and the Tabernacle itself would be replaced by Solomn’s Temple. Yet through ancient writings we can get a glimpse of what the Jewish scribes thought about Shiloh. What we learn is that the word Shiloh became synonymous with the Messiah they look forward to.

  

“Until Shiloh comes”: this alludes to the King Messiah”

Midrash Genesis Rabbah 98.8, ibid 99.9

“The Messiah’s name is Shiloh” 

Midrash Lamentations Rabbah I.16.51

Targums are ancient Aramaic translations and paraphrases of the Hebrew Bible, and they are well known for referring to, “Shiloh”, as a name for the Jews promised King, and Messiah. They understand that, on the day a successor from David’s lineage sits upon the throne as King of Israel, that person will be the “Messiah, the son of David”. They all agree that the Messiah will ultimately be the culmination of the royal line coming from David. Many of the Jewish writers, both ancient and modern, agree that the word, “Shiloh”, in Genesis 49:10 refers to the coming Messiah.

“Until the Messiah comes whose is the Kingdom”

Targum Onkelos

“Until the time King Messiah shall come, whose is the kingdom”

Targum Jerusalem

“Until the time King Messiah shall come whose is the kingship”

Targum Neofiti I

“Until King Messiah shall come, the youngest of his sons”

Targum Ps. Jonathan or Jerusalem I

 Rashi ad loc., Sanhedrin 98b B.T.; Midrash Genesis Rabbah 98.8; 99.8; Tanchumah Vayehi 10; Midrash haGadol I.735-739; Journal of Philology Vol. XIV [1885] pp.4-22; Zohar in Gen. fol. 32. 4. & in Exod. fol. 4. 1. & in Numb. fol. 101. 2. Bereshit Rabba, fol. 98. sect. 85. 3. Jarchi & Baal Hatturim, in loc. Nachmanidis Disputat. cum Paulo, p. 53. Abarbinel. Mashmiah Jeshuah, fol. 10. 1. R. Abraham Seba, Tzeror Hammor, fol. 36. 4. & 62. 2.

The world was created for the sake of the Messiah. What is this Messiah’s name? The school of Rabbi Shila said: His name is Shiloh, for it is written: until Shiloh comes. (Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 98b, Rabbi Johanan)

Kings shall not cease from the house of Judah – until the time of the coming of the King Messiah, to whom all the dominions of the earth shall be subservient. 

(The Search for the Messiah, Page 100, Dr. Mark Eastman)

 

 Sadly, these same religious teachers were so busy searching the Scriptures to justify their man made traditions, that they failed to see HIM when HE was standing right before them. Time and time again they refused to accept the truth, even when it was right before their eyes. Jesus said it best when HE told them,

“You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.

John 5:39

The scepter, Jacob mentioned in his blessing to Judah, would now be in the hands of a leader of Judah until 6 A.D. This date is of extreme importance when speaking of the fulfilled Messianic prophecy I am unfolding for you to see. 

 

For the next 1050 years or so, the scepter of power to practice capital punishment will be in the hands of the Judean people. Whether it be as a united Kingdom under David and Solomon, as a divided Kingdom with the Southern vs the Northern Kingdom, or during captivity, the leaders of Judah would exercise their right to execute citizens for crimes without any other power stopping them. Yes, both the Babylonian and the Persian rulers allowed Judah to practice law and meet out justice as their laws dictated. 

 

Now to get the year correct I need to go to the writings of Flavius Josephus, in his work, the Antiquities of the Jews. He writes that the following events took place 37 years after Augustus Caesar defeated Antony in the battle of Actium. The battle of Actium took place in 31 B.C. Add 37 years and we have 6 A.D. 

 

WHEN Cyrenius had now disposed of Archelaus's money, and when the taxings were come to a conclusion, which were made in the thirty-seventh year of Caesar's victory over Antony at Actium, 

(Antiquities of the Jews Book 18 chapter 2 section 1) 

So 6 A.D. is the year, and Josephus tells us something else; 

NOW Cyrenius, a Roman senator, and one who had gone through other magistracies, and had passed through them till he had been consul, and one who, on other accounts, was of great dignity, came at this time into Syria, with a few others, being sent by Caesar to he a judge of that nation, and to take an account of their substance. Coponius also, a man of the equestrian order, was sent together with him, to have the supreme power over the Jews. 

(Antiquities of the Jews Book 18 chapter 1 section 1) 

Even the esteemed Erwin Ramsdell Goodenough, who was a scholar in the study of the influence of Greek culture on Hellenistic Judaism, wrote that it’s his belief that the Romans removed the power of execution from Judea.

 

The Greeks in Cyrene were allowed by Augustus, in a decree of 6 B.C., full judicial rights in everything short of the death penalty - this was reserved to the Roman governor, according to the customary provincial administrative. It would logically follow historical precedents that the Jews would also lose the ius gladii (literally, "the right of the sword", i.e., the legal right of a group of people to exercise capital punishment). This took place for the Jews in A.D. 6, when their land became a Roman province. 

It seems to me that God allowed these facts to be found so that we could connect them with what Josephus wrote about later.  The fact that history proves Rome did indeed remove the power of executing citizens once an area became a province of Rome, just adds secular proof to what we already know is fact from the Scriptures. This little historical fact buttresses my theory even more. 

 

If anyone wondered, now you know the reason why, 23 years later, the Jewish religious authorities sent Jesus to Pilate to be executed. They told Pilate it was unlawful for them to put anyone to death. 

Then Pilate said to them, “You take Him and judge Him according to your law.” Therefore the Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death,”

(John 18:31)

 

So in 6 A.D. We see part of Jacob's prophecy being fulfilled. In essence Judah is losing their power to execute citizens for the first time since David became King. The scepter has officially been removed. What did Jacob tell his son? 

”The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh Comes;”

 (Genesis:49-10) 

So where is Shilo, the Messiah? Well, let's read one more passage in Josephus's book 

”As Coponius, who we told you was sent along with Cyrenius, was exercising his office of procurator, and governing Judea, the following accidents happened. As the Jews were celebrating the feast of unleavened bread, which we call the Passover, it was customary for the priests to open the temple-gates just after midnight.”

(Antiquities of the Jews Book 18 chapter 2 section 2) 

Interestingly, he writes about the Passover feast which takes place at the exact time the new procurator (Governor) will be in town. The very week the Scepter of Judah would be removed, a 12 year old Jesus would be entering Jerusalem with HIS parents to celebrate the Passover Feast. The very age Luke tells us jesus was his Gospel; 

His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know I but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day’s journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances. So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.” And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them.  

(Luke 2:41-50) 

Another aspect of my theory is that until Rome made Judea a Province, it still had a King. Thus when Jesus was much younger upon returning from Egypt, Matthew was warned in a dream not to settle Judea, but instead go to Nazereth. An interesting thought comes to mind, would Achelaus have sought to kill the Child? 

Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child’s life are dead.” Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee. And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, “He shall be called a Nazarene.”

(Matthew 2:19-23)

So if Jesus’ life was in danger when they returned from Egypt, because Herod the Great’s son was on the throne, it goes without saying they would never feel comfortable taking Jesus into Judea for any reason. Especially not to Jerusalem where Archelaus was presiding as king of Judea. So even if they wanted to attend the Passover, they would probably not bring Jesus with them. However, it was big news that Herod’s son was removed from power, and even bigger news that Rome was not appointing any other descendant of Herod to be King. Thus for the first time in about 40 years Judea would be free of a King they despised. However, now they had to deal with the Governor of Rome. Under which, for the first time in Israel’s existence as a nation, the people of Judea would not have the right to perform capital punishment. They lost the Scepter, a symbol of absolute power over everything, including life.

 So I repeat, in 6 A.D we see a very important part of Jacob's prophecy being fulfilled. One that will play a significant role in GOD’s plan to offer mankind a chance at forgiveness of our sins and eternal Salvation. What did Jacob tell his son Judah? 

”The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet,  Until Shiloh Comes;”

 (Genesis 49:10)

Shiloh has come, and no one recognized HIM. Had the Jewish Scholars been doing their work, they would have known that their Messiah was in their presence. Least of all, the moment they lost their scepter, they should have been looking for HIM. How many times did Jesus perform miracles in the presence of the Pharisees, the Sadducee, and the Scribes, just to be accused of doing the miracles with Satan's help. Had they done their homework, they would have been like the Magi, who took a 4 Month journey to follow a star to Bethlehem. Unfortunately, as we would eventually learn, the Jewish Religious leaders were no better than Herod the Great. They cared more about losing their power, thus they would eventually conspire to kill their Messiah. 

 

When Jesus healed the Leper in Mark's gospel, he told the man; 

“See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” 

(Mark 1:40-45) 

Up until Jesus walked amongst men, only three people in the history of the Bible were ever cured of leprosy. Moses, his sister Miriam, and later Naaman, the commander of the Syrian army. Moses told the Priests what must be done if one is cured of leprosy, so when the man Jesus healed of leprosy showed up, they should have had a clue then. Yet, they were no more ready for their Messiah that day, than the Scholars who were baffled by Jesus's understanding of the Scriptures when he visited the Temple at 12 years old. 

 

When I first read the account of Jesus in the Temple at 12, I was baffled as to why it was even added. After all, writing what a child did is something modern scholars do, not ancient ones. They knew that nothing a child does was worth wasting precious parchments on. Why was that? Well, because what a person accomplishes as an adult is what matters. Yet, this account was added for one purpose. It fulfilled a prophecy that Jacob told us would happen almost 2000 years earlier. 

 

We know of the many prophecies of the coming Messiah from His birth to His Crucifixion. Other than His birth and His Temple visit at 12, there were five other incidents recorded of Jesus' childhood. As for His birth, we know it was prophesied He would come. Plus, it was not unique to Jesus to write of his birth, since the Scriptures frequently recorded the birth of a child. Maybe not in such detailed fashion, but mentioned just the same. Plus, we know that in the times before Jesus, God or a Prophet told parents that a child would be born to them. Isaac, Samson, Samuel, and John the Baptist come to mind. Thus, mentioning a child's birth is not unique. 

 

However, as for recording incidents of a childhood moment, we do have a few. Ishmael, Isaac, Joseph, and Samuel all had moments recorded that took place when they were young children. Solomon was a young teen when God visited him. Yet none of those childhood moments were prophesied ahead of time, but they did involve prophecies of things that would take place at some future time.  

 

As I pointed out, there are five moments other than His birth that are recorded about Jesus' childhood. The time He was dedicated at the Temple on His 8th day for His ceremonial circumcision. Another time was after Mary's purification when they took Jesus to the Temple to offer a sacrifice to GOD, because Jesus was the first male to open Mary's womb. At this time Simeon had his prophecy fulfilled also. Then the time when Herod decided to murder all the children, Joseph was warned by an angel of the Lord to take Him to Egypt, thus fulfilling a prophecy, "Out of Egypt I called My Son". (Matthew 2:13-15) The fourth time was after Herod died, Joseph was again contacted by an angel of the Lord in a Dream and told to take the child and His mother back to Israel. They went to Nazareth, fulfilling the prophecy that, "He shall be called a Nazarene". (Matthew 2:19-23).  

 

With the five times Jesus was mentioned before he ever came to the Temple at twelve satisfactorily explained as fulfillments of specific prophecies, or fulfillment of a Mosaic Ceremonial Law, we come to His visit at twelve years old. So, the only explanation we can come up with for why Luke mentioned Jesus visiting the Temple at twelve, was specifically to prove that a HUGE prophecy by Jacob had been fulfilled. There is no other logical explanation. 

 Mind you, there are thousands and thousands of commentaries, and Lord knows how many millions of times His visit to the Temple has been mentioned in Sermons throughout Church history. As for finding no evidence of anyone ever stumbling upon this valuable nugget, I did find that John Darby, who in the late 1800’s wrote in his commentary on the New testament that believed the verse referred to Jesus being born in 6 B.C., but we now know that he was off on Christ’s birth by more than 10 years. 

 

I for one am baffled that more scholars have not delved into this passage and why it’s offered. Some may argue with me that I am way off base. However, there is more evidence pointing to me being correct, then there are for many incidents we are told are fulfillments of prophecy. Many of which have little evidence other than a small passage in the Scriptures. By the way, I do not dispute any of them. I believe all the prophecies that are mentioned as fulfilled to be true. This is just one more, but it's a huge one that so many, if not all scholars seem to want to ignore, or at least never even considered to investigate. Especially since the evidence has been before us since not long after the Temple itself was destroyed in 70 A.D. 

 

When I consider the reason that an event which took place during Jusus' childhood was recorded in the Gospels, I can only surmise that they were mentioned so that we would know a Prophecy from God was fulfilled. I am sure that between His mother and his many brothers that there were many stories told about when the God Child was young. Things He may have done that baffled many. After all, we all have read or heard stories that claim to be true about Jesus. One famous incident was when He was a young boy and he saw a bird fall to the ground dead, So He picked it up and brought it back to life. Yet, without Scriptural proof, it is just a fake story. 

 

Unless a story about the childhood of Jesus is mentioned in the Scriptures, we have no way of verifying it. So, I for one ignore them. Well, I for one am convinced that the incident of Jesus in the Temple at twelve years old is recorded because, like all the other incidents of His childhood, they either fulfilled a prophecy or to record HIM following a Ceremonial Law. All of which HE had to fulfill, or follow, to become the unblemished Lamb of Life, Who would take our sins with HIM to the cross as an eternal sacrifice of our sins. 

One may ask, “Why none of the Gospel writers told us, or why none of the Epistles mentioned it when they obviously mentioned others.” The best response I can offer is that there are many moments in the Bible we now recognize as prophecies mentioned in Old and New Testaments. For this reason we are told to be students of the WORD, and always be ready with reason for our faith.  

 

Maybe this is one for the apologetics to use as a defense against those who want to argue over historical things not mentioned outside the Scriptures. It would not be the first time we have been able to use secular works to prove that certain incidents in the Scriptures took place. Well for this one, we have a few sources outside the Scriptures that work in conjunction with them to back up my theory by filling in historical gaps the Bible is silent on. The ancient Jewish historian, Josephus, and his writings compiled in, "The Complete Works of Flavius Josephus", gives us proof the World agrees with Scripture. Historical proof that Jesus entered the Temple at twelve, at the same time the Scepter of Judah was removed. Plus there are secular historical writings that confirm it was a normal procedure for Rome to remove the power of life and death from the rulers of areas they annexed as Provinces. 

”The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh Comes;” (Genesis:49-10) 

I pray that those who have ears to hear will listen to His voice and call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Amen