Messiah Arriving from Brooklyn?!

Tikkun Global

Jerusalem, Israel

In downtown Jerusalem there is a spray-painted slogan, “The Messiah will come from Brooklyn.” On either side of these words is the crown logo of the Lubavitch Rebbe who lived in Brooklyn until his death in 1994. Many followers of this famous rabbi still hope he is going to rise from the dead as the King Messiah!

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 several clear prophecies regarding the Messiah, with the original source texts from the Hebrew Scriptures:

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

Micah 5:1 - But you, Bethlehem Ephrata, 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.

וְאַתָּה בֵּית-לֶחֶם אֶפְרָתָה צָעִיר לִהְיוֹת בְּאַלְפֵי יְהוּדָה מִמְּךָ לִי יֵצֵא לִהְיוֹת מוֹשֵׁל בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל וּמוֹצָאֹתָיו מִקֶּדֶם מִימֵי עוֹלָם

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

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.

גִּילִי מְאֹד בַּת-צִיּוֹן הָרִיעִי בַּת יְרוּשָׁלִַם הִנֵּה מַלְכֵּךְ יָבוֹא לָךְ צַדִּיק וְנוֹשָׁע הוּא עָנִי וְרֹכֵב עַל-חֲמוֹר וְעַל-עַיִר בֶּן-אֲתֹנוֹת

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

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.

וְשָׁפַכְתִּי עַל-בֵּית דָּוִיד וְעַל יוֹשֵׁב יְרוּשָׁלִַם רוּחַ חֵן וְתַחֲנוּנִים וְהִבִּיטוּ אֵלַי אֵת אֲשֶׁר-דָּקָרוּ וְסָפְדוּ עָלָיו כְּמִסְפֵּד עַל-הַיָּחִיד וְהָמֵר עָלָיו כְּהָמֵר עַל-הַבְּכוֹר

And He must die before the destruction of the Second Temple.

Daniel 9:26 - And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah will be cut off, and be 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.

וְאַחֲרֵי הַשָּׁבֻעִים שִׁשִּׁים וּשְׁנַיִם יִכָּרֵת מָשִׁיחַ וְאֵין לוֹ וְהָעִיר וְהַקֹּדֶשׁ יַשְׁחִית עַם נָגִיד הַבָּא וְקִצּוֹ בַשֶּׁטֶף וְעַד קֵץ מִלְחָמָה נֶחֱרֶצֶת שֹׁמֵמוֹת

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

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

לְדָוִד מִזְמוֹר נְאֻם יְהוָה לַאדֹנִי שֵׁב לִימִינִי עַד-אָשִׁית אֹיְבֶיךָ הֲדֹם לְרַגְלֶיךָ

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

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 will not be destroyed.

חָזֵה הֲוֵית בְּחֶזְוֵי לֵילְיָא וַאֲרוּ עִם-עֲנָנֵי שְׁמַיָּא כְּבַר אֱנָשׁ אָתֵה הֲוָא וְעַד-עַתִּיק יוֹמַיָּא מְטָה וּקְדָמוֹהִי הַקְרְבוּהִי :

וְלֵהּ יְהִב שָׁלְטָן וִיקָר וּמַלְכוּ וְכֹל עַמְמַיָּא אֻמַּיָּא וְלִשָּׁנַיָּא לֵהּ יִפְלְחוּן שָׁלְטָנֵהּ שָׁלְטָן עָלַם דִּי-לָא יֶעְדֵּה וּמַלְכוּתֵהּ דִּי-לָא תִתְחַבַּל

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

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.

וְיָצָא יְהוָה וְנִלְחַם בַּגּוֹיִם הָהֵם כְּיוֹם הִלָּחֲמוֹ בְּיוֹם קְרָב:

וְעָמְדוּ רַגְלָיו בַּיּוֹם-הַהוּא עַל-הַר הַזֵּיתִים אֲשֶׁר עַל-פְּנֵי יְרוּשָׁלִַם מִקֶּדֶם

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

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.

וְהָיָה בְּאַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים נָכוֹן יִהְיֶה הַר בֵּית-יְהוָה בְּרֹאשׁ הֶהָרִים וְנִשָּׂא מִגְּבָעוֹת וְנָהֲרוּ אֵלָיו כָּל-הַגּוֹיִם׃ …  כִּי מִצִּיּוֹן תֵּצֵא תוֹרָה וּדְבַר-יְהוָה מִירוּשָׁלִָם׃ וְשָׁפַט בֵּין הַגּוֹיִם וְהוֹכִיחַ לְעַמִּים רַבִּים וְכִתְּתוּ חַרְבוֹתָם לְאִתִּים וַחֲנִיתוֹתֵיהֶם לְמַזְמֵרוֹת לֹא-יִשָּׂא גוֹי אֶל-גּוֹי חֶרֶב וְלֹא-יִלְמְדוּ עוֹד מִלְחָמָה

Conclusion

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 in order to reach the right conclusion.  

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