Jesus is the Jewish Messiah
Jesus is the Jewish Messiah. Here is the evidence that proves he is.
Judaism from the time of Moses until the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD was a Religion that had ritual sacrifice (animal sacrifice and burn offerings) as a key element. Animal sacrifice was a core, formalized component of ancient Jewish religious practice, rooted in the Torah and structured around the Temple in Jerusalem. It was not an improvised ritual; it was a regulated sacrificial system defined my God with defined theological purposes, procedures, and limits.
“Then you shall bring the bull before the tent of meeting. Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the bull. Then you shall kill the bull before the LORD at the entrance of the tent of meeting, (Exodus 29:10-11 ESV)
“If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer a male without blemish. He shall bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the LORD. He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him. (Leviticus 1:3-4 ESV)
“If one person sins unintentionally, he shall offer a female goat a year old for a sin offering. And the priest shall make atonement before the LORD for the person who makes a mistake, when he sins unintentionally, to make atonement for him, and he shall be forgiven. (Numbers 15:27-28 ESV)
There are many many more verses regarding the instructions for animal sacrifice and burnt offerings in the Old Testament. It was a system structured around the commands of God, not something made up by the people. The sacrifice of the animals and the burnt offerings were meant to make atonement for the sins of the people against God. However, since the destructoin of the Jweish Temp in 70 AD, the Jewish people have not been able to carry out sacrifices.
Jesus is the Lamb of God. He is the ultimate sacrifice and atonement for the sins of all of mankind. For forty years after the crucifixion of Christ, until the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 AD by the Romans, God did NOT ACCEPT the sacrifices of the Jewish people. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, no others sacrifies were needed. Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice to atone for our sins.
The Talmud is a large collection of ancient Jewish writings compiled by rabbis, preserving centuries of stories, debates, and teachings. Books within the Talmud describe four signs that God no longer accepted the sacrifices of the Jewish people after the crucifixion of Jesus in 30 AD.
- The Lot for the Lord Did Not Appear in the Right Hand
• On Yom Kippur, the High Priest cast lots to choose between the two goats.
• A favorable sign was when the lot marked “For the Lord” was drawn with the right hand.
• According to Yoma 39b, for 40 years before the Temple’s destruction, this never happened.
- The Crimson (Scarlet) Strap Never Turned White
• A crimson thread tied to the scapegoat symbolized Israel’s sins.
• If the sacrifice was accepted, the thread was believed to turn white (Isaiah 1:18).
• The Talmud in Yoma 39b, states that for 40 years before 70 AD, the thread remained red.
- The Western Lamp of the Menorah Went Out
• The westernmost lamp (ner ma’aravi) in the Temple menorah was said to burn continuously as a sign of God’s presence.
• Despite receiving the same amount of oil, it traditionally stayed lit longer than the others.
• According to Shabbat 22b and Yoma 39b, during those 40 years, it ceased to remain lit.
- The Temple Doors Opened by Themselves
• For the 40 years before 70 AD, the massive doors separating the Temple court from the Holy Place reportedly opened on their own, without human assistance.
• This symbolized that the people were no longer separated from God and now had direction access to him.
• In Yoma 39b Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai is quoted as rebuking the doors, citing Zechariah’s prophecy in Zechariah 11:1 that foretells of the Temple’s destruction.
As a side note is the significance of the 40 years that the signs remained in place; from the crucifixion of Christ until the destruction of the Temple. The number 40 carries deep symbolic and theological significance in both Judaism and Christianity, functioning as a marker of testing, transition, judgment, and preparation for divine action.
More details on God rejecting the sacrifices of the Jewish people after the crucifixion of Jesus.