Messiah Arriving from Brooklyn

Tikkun Global

Jerusalem, Israel

On a street mural in downtown Jerusalem, one can see a painted slogan, "The Messiah is arriving from Brooklyn." – המשיח מגיע מברוקלין - Together with the slogan is the logo of the Rebbe from Lubavitch (the name Lubavitch refers to a town in Belarus).

Is Messiah from Brooklyn? Have we been mistaken all these years about who the Messiah is and how he is to come? Not really. Let's look at a few scriptures from the biblical Prophets:

The Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem, not Brooklyn.

מיכה ה':1

וְאַתָּ֞ה בֵּֽית-לחם אֶפְרָ֗תָה צָעִיר֙ לִֽהְיוֹת֙ בְּאַלְפֵ֣י יְהוּדָ֔ה מִמְּךָ֙ לִ֣י יֵצֵ֔א לִֽהְי֥וֹת מוֹשֵׁ֖ל בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וּמוֹצָאֹתָ֥יו מִקֶּ֖דֶם מִימֵ֥י עוֹלָֽם׃

Micah 5:1 - But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, little among the thousands of Judah, out of you will come forth to me the one to be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from days everlasting. 

And then the Messiah was to enter Jerusalem riding a donkey.

זכריה ט':9

 גִּילִ֨י מְאֹ֜ד בַּת־צִיּ֗וֹן הָרִ֨יעִי֙ בַּ֣ת יְרוּשָׁלִַ֔ם הִנֵּ֤ה מַלְכֵּךְ֙ יָ֣בוֹא לָ֔ךְ צַדִּ֥יק וְנוֹשָׁ֖ע ה֑וּא עָנִי֙ וְרֹכֵ֣ב עַל־חֲמ֔וֹר וְעַל־עַ֖יִר בֶּן־אֲתֹנֽוֹת׃ 

Zechariah 9:9 - Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!  Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; he is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.

And then the Messiah must be pierced by his own people.

זכריה י''ב:10  -  וְשָׁפַכְתִּי֩ עַל בֵּ֨ית דָּוִ֜יד וְעַ֣ל ׀ יוֹשֵׁ֣ב יְרוּשָׁלִַ֗ם ר֤וּחַ חֵן֙ וְתַ֣חֲנוּנִ֔ים וְהִבִּ֥יטוּ אֵלַ֖י אֵ֣ת אֲשֶׁר־דָּקָ֑רוּ וְסָפְד֣וּ עָלָ֗יו כְּמִסְפֵּד֙ עַל־הַיָּחִ֔יד וְהָמֵ֥ר עָלָ֖יו כְּהָמֵ֥ר עַֽל־הַבְּכֽוֹר

Zechariah 12:10 - And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for

his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.

And he must die right before the destruction of the Second Temple.

דניאל ט':26

וְאַחֲרֵ֤י הַשָּׁבֻעִים֙ שִׁשִּׁ֣ים וּשְׁנַ֔יִם יִכָּרֵ֥ת מָשִׁ֖יחַ וְאֵ֣ין ל֑וֹ וְהָעִ֨יר וְהַקֹּ֜דֶשׁ יַ֠שְׁחִית עַ֣ם נָגִ֤יד הַבָּא֙ וְקִצּ֣וֹ בַשֶּׁ֔טֶף וְעַד֙ קֵ֣ץ מִלְחָמָ֔ה נֶחֱרֶ֖צֶת שֹׁמֵמֽוֹת

Daniel 9:26  -  And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah will be cut off, and is not; and the people of the prince to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, and till the end of war desolations are determined.

And then he must rise to sit at the right hand of God in the heavens.

תהילים ק''י:1

לְדָוִ֗ד מִ֫זְמ֥וֹר נְאֻ֤ם יְהוָ֨ה לַֽאדֹנִ֗י שֵׁ֥ב לִֽימִינִ֑י עַד־אָשִׁ֥ית אֹ֝יְבֶ֗יךָ הֲדֹ֣ם לְרַגְלֶֽיךָ׃ 

Psalm 110:1 - YHVH said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.”

And then he must come in the clouds of heaven having received all power and authority.

דניאל ז':13 - 14

וַאֲרוּ֙ עִם־עֲנָנֵ֣י שְׁמַיָּ֔א כְּבַ֥ר אֱנָ֖שׁ אָתֵ֣ה הֲוָ֑ה וְעַד־עַתִּ֤יק יֽוֹמַיָּא֙ מְטָ֔ה וּקְדָמ֖וֹהִי הַקְרְבֽוּהִי׃  וְלֵ֨הּ יְהִ֤יב שָׁלְטָן֙ וִיקָ֣ר וּמַלְכ֔וּ וְכֹ֣ל עַֽמְמַיָּ֗א אֻמַיָּ֛א וְלִשָּׁנַיָּ֖א לֵ֣הּ יִפְלְח֑וּן שָׁלְטָנֵ֞הּ שָׁלְטָ֤ן עָלַם֙ דִּֽי־לָ֣א יֶעְדֵּ֔ה וּמַלְכוּתֵ֖הּ דִּי־לָ֥א תִתְחַבַּֽל׃ 

Daniel 7:13-14 - Behold, one like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought him near before him.  Then to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which will not pass away, and his kingdom which will not be destroyed.

And then he must come down, leading the armies of heaven to destroy all the nations that will attack Jerusalem.

זכריה י''ד:3 - 4

וְיָצָ֣א יְהוָ֔ה וְנִלְחַ֖ם בַּגּוֹיִ֣ם הָהֵ֑ם כְּי֥וֹם הִֽלָּחֲמ֖ו בְּי֥וֹם קְרָֽב׃  וְעָמְד֣וּ רַגְלָ֣יו בַּיּוֹם־הַ֠הוּא עַל־הַ֨ר הַזֵּתִ֜ים אֲשֶׁ֨ר עַל־פְּנֵ֥י יְרוּשָׁלִַם֮ מִקֶּדֶם֒ 

Zechariah 14:3-4 - Then YHVH will go forth and fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle.  And in that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east.

And then he will set a worldwide kingdom of peace and prosperity from Jerusalem.

ישעיה ב':2 , 4

וְהָיָ֣ה בְּאַחֲרִ֣ית הַיָּמִ֗ים נָכ֨וֹן יִֽהְיֶ֜ה הַ֤ר בֵּית־יְהוָה֙ בְּרֹ֣אשׁ הֶהָרִ֔ים וְנִשָּׂ֖א מִגְּבָע֑וֹת וְנָהֲר֥וּ אֵלָ֖יו כָּל־הַגּוֹיִֽם׃ …  כִּ֤י מִצִּיּוֹן֙ תֵּצֵ֣א תוֹרָ֔ה וּדְבַר־יְהוָ֖ה מִירוּשָׁלִָֽם׃  וְשָׁפַט֙ בֵּ֣ין הַגּוֹיִ֔ם וְהוֹכִ֖יחַ לְעַמִּ֣ים רַבִּ֑ים וְכִתְּת֨וּ חַרְבוֹתָ֜ם לְאִתִּ֗ים וַחֲנִיתֽוֹתֵיהֶם֙ לְמַזְמֵר֔וֹת לֹא־יִשָּׂ֨א ג֤וֹי אֶל־גּוֹי֙ חֶ֔רֶב וְלֹא־יִלְמְד֥וּ ע֖וֹד מִלְחָמָֽה

Isaiah 2:2-4 - Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the Lord’s house will be established on the top of the mountains and will be exalted above the hills; and all nations will flow to it… For out of Zion will go forth the law, and the word of YHVH from Jerusalem.  He will judge between the nations and rebuke many people. They will beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation will not lift up sword against nation, neither will they learn war anymore.

I don't see how Isaiah, David, Micah, Zechariah, and Daniel could all be wrong. It is not reasonable to proclaim that the Messiah will come from Brooklyn. In any case, it is an important question worth investigating to come to the right conclusion.  

Let's summarize those biblical prophecies about the Messiah mentioned above:

1. Born in Beth Lehem – Micah 5:1

2. Enters Jerusalem on donkey – Zechariah 9:9

3. Pierced by our people – Zechariah 12:10

4. Died before 2nd Temple destroyed – Daniel 9:26

5. Rise to sit at right hand of God – Psalm 110:1

6. Receives all authority in heaven – Daniel 7:13-14

7. Fights against armies that attack Jerusalem – Zechariah 14:3-4

8. Sets up kingdom of peace and prosperity – Isaiah 2:2-4

May the true prophecies of the Messiah be proclaimed to our people! They have a right to know.