Messianic Judaism's Response:

What about the overwhelming evidence that He HAS met and will continue to meet everyone of those conditions until His return?

See: Ten Prophecies Fulfilled by Yeshua; Ten More Prophecies Fulfilled by Yeshua; How Can Yeshua be the Messiah?; and Evidence that Jesus is the Son of God, to mention just a few!

As far as "rebuilding the Temple is concerned, please read Will There Be a Third Temple?

Reference His gathering all Jews back to the Land of Israel: When Israel became a nation once again in 1948, Jews from all around the world started returning to Israel! The prophet Ezekiel said that the Jews would return, rebuild and repopulate their fallen cities. In 1948, there were about 600,000 Jews living in Israel. Today there are about seven million! Many more Jews throughout the world are returning to Israel each year.

The Bible predicted that just before the Messiah's Second Coming, the Jewish people would be regathered and established as a nation in our ancient homeland, which has miraculously occurred within the past fifty years (see Isaiah 49:8-13, Isaiah 43:1-8, Isaiah 11:11-12, Zechariah 10:8-12, Ezekiel 36:24-32).

The Bible predicted that right before Messiah's Second Coming, the entire world would turn against the regathered state of Israel, and a united nations task force would invade (see Zechariah 12:2-3, Jeremiah 30:7). It isn't too hard to see how this prophecy could easily come to pass in the current political climate.

The Bible predicted that prior to Messiah's Second Coming, God would begin to revive us spiritually and the Jewish people would start turning to Yeshua. We believe that the Messianic Jewish movement is the beginning of the fulfillment of this prophecy (see Jeremiah 32:36-44, Isaiah 59:18-21, Ezekiel 37:1-29, Joel 2:28-32).

Reference His ushering in an era of world peace, and end all hatred, oppression, suffering and disease. The hatred, opression, and wars will end upon His Second Coming! (See The Signs of Christ's Return.) Before leaving this earth to return to his Father, Yeshua Ha'Mashiach plainly stated that he would come back again.

John 14:1-3 "... And If I go", said he, "... I will come again."

It seems Rabbi Simmons has unwittingly noted futuristic prophecies, which will happen once Yeshua returns to rule and reign for a thousand years. Yeshua provided an outline of his second coming in Matthew 24. Also see A Biblical Investigation into the Mystery of the Rapture; and the Book of Revelation.

Reference His spreading universal knowledge of the God of Israel, which will unite humanity as one: Micah was one of the prophets who predicted Him: Micah 5: ² "But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity." ³ Therefore He will give them up until the time when she who is in labor has borne a child. Then the remainder of His brethren will return to the sons of Israel. ⁴ and He will arise and shepherd His flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD His God. And they will remain, because at that time He will be great to the ends of the earth.

Isaiah 9:6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

Two thousand years ago Yeshua, the Final Sin Sacrifice, fulfilled the prophecies and offered His life in exchange for ours. NOBODY has touched the world in such a profound way - so much that people were willing to (and DID) die for Him. In Luke 21:33, Jesus said that regardless of what happens to the world, His words will never be forgotten. Here we are 2000 years later and the words of Jesus are all around us: There are 2 billion Christians worldwide and the Bible is most circulated book in the world. Of all the people who have ever lived, can you think of a single person who could have made this claim more effectively than Jesus - that his words would never be forgotten?

Luke 21:33 - Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

In Isaiah 49:6, the prophet speaks of a servant of God who would be a light to Gentiles so that God's salvation could reach the ends of the earth. Christians and Messianic believers believe that Jesus is the fulfillment of this promise. The followers of Yeshua helped spread Christianity about 2000 years ago. Christianity is unique in that it is among the first evangelical religions in history, and the first to be taken to people all over the world. Christians believe that salvation, forgiveness of sins and eternal life in heaven are available to anyone who accepts Yeshua Ha'Mashiach as their Savior: "That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." - Romans 10:9-10.

Isaiah 49:6 - "It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth."

When He returns, the entire earth will bow down to worship Him!

Messianic Judaism's Response:

Yeshua is the ONLY ONE who ever did or ever could embody the personal qualifications of the Messiah!

See: Qualifications of Messiah in a Nutshell; Evidence that Jesus is the Son of God; So You Don't Believe Yeshua is God?; Who Does Messiah Say He is: Man or God?

• A prophet: Messiah was to be a prophet like unto Moses: See Deuteronomy 18:15,18-19; John 7:14-19,40-46; and Acts 3:22-26. See also Ten End Time Prophecies. Yeshua performed many miracles (i.e., He raised people from the dead, made wine from water, and was resurrected, just as He Himself predicted). He offered many prophecies - many of which have come true already, and some which are yet to be fulfilled, such as the coming "rapture". He also has fulfilled the first four Biblical feasts.
  
  
• A descendant of David: The Old Covenant says that the Messiah would be a descendant of Abraham through Isaac through Jacob through Judah, of the house of David. He was born of an extremely rare bloodline that includes many of the fathers of Israel. (See geneaology from Abraham to David in Matthew 1.) He was born in Bethlehem; a descendant of David, traced back to Abraham. (Matthew 1; Matthew 2:6; Micah 5:2.) Also see Qualifications of Messiah, in a Nutshell.
  
  The careful Bible student is likely to conclude that Matthew and Luke present two different genealogies. Following through the genealogies, one will notice that there are some names which are common to both, but also, a great number of differences. Matthew begins at the patriarch Abraham, and works his way to Yeshua the Messiah. Luke begins at Yeshua, and works his way back to Adam. There are two genealogies, with two distinct purposes. Matthew, it appears reveals the genealogy of Joseph, and Luke, presents the genealogy of Mary.
  
  Matthew, penning his gospel with the Jews in mind, sets out to establish Yeshua's qualifications to be the Messiah through Joseph's genealogy. Thus, beginning with Abraham, he maps the Lord's genealogy through David, and the kings which followed. He presents Jesus' royal lineage (through the males) through "...Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Yeshua..." Luke, writes to the Gentiles with a view toward the humanity of Messiah. The concept of one being both God and man would seem strange and foreign to those accustomed to Greek and Roman gods. Thus, Luke begins at Yeshua, and follows the genealogy of Mary, passing through the patriarchs, ending with the very first man, Adam.
  
  If Luke is tracing the genealogy of Mary, why does he cite Joseph's name? Today, it would be politically incorrect to map a woman's genealogy through her husband, however, in Luke's day, it was proper and correct. Luke follows Mary's genealogy, beginning with the name of Joseph, her husband, Heli's son-in-law (in legal terms, his son by marriage). How can Yeshua have a genealogy without having a biological father? Very simply, in legal terms, Joseph was Yeshua's father (look at it as a step-son who has all the rights and privileges of an adopted son). Thus, the genealogy of Joseph was legally applied to Yeshua. There is no contradiction.

• Be Torah observant: Our Savior, Yeshua, was a Torah observant, tallit wearing, synagogue attending, feast-keeping, kosher Jew! Please read the Brit Hadashah! He was predicted by, and succeeded, Moses; and He was foreshadowed throughout the Tanach. He went up against the rabbis because they weren't following God's Word. They had become totally rabbinical, and this is what Yeshua came to do away with. He taught as one with authority because, as God Incarnate, He HAD the authority!
  
  Yeshua was circumcised according to Jewish law (Luke 2:21, Lev. 12:2-3), and redeemed according to Jewish law (Luke 2:22-23, Num. 18:15). Yeshua's parents made the 140 mile (225 m.) round trip to Jerusalem every Passover (Luke 2:41) in observance of Deut. 16:16. It was at the age of twelve that Yeshua stayed behind an extra three days to learn from the Temple teachers (Luke 2:46). Although He already understood the Torah well (Luke 2:47), His attitude of listening and questioning indicates love of the Hebrew scripture and respect for the teachers. He also respected the Temple itself, calling it His Father's (Luke 2:49). His disciples were Jews (John 1:47, Matt. 20:25-26) and they called Him 'Rabbi' (John 4:31). They sought Him because they believed the Torah and the Prophets (John 1:45). A Pharisee who had not yet come to faith in Him also addressed Yeshua as 'Rabbi' (John 3:2), as did a crowd of people (John 6:25).
  
  Yeshua's disciples spoke Hebrew (John 1:38, 41) and so did He, as well as Chaldean, a closely-related language brought back by the Jews from their captivity in Babylon (Matt. 27:46). In the sermon on the mount He affirmed the authority of the Torah and the Prophets (Matt. 5:17) even in the Kingdom of Heaven (Matt. 5:19-20). He regularly attended synagogue (Luke 4:16) and His teaching was respected by the other congregants (Luke 4:15). He taught in the Jewish Temple (Luke 21:37) and if He were not a Jew, His going into that part of the Temple would not have been allowed (Acts 21:28-30).
  
  Although He differed with some of His contemporaries on how to keep the commandments (Matt. 12:12), He did not disagree on whether to keep them, saying such things as,"if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments," (Matt. 19:17). When He healed someone of leprosy, he instructed him to,"show yourself to the priest and present the offering that Moses commanded..." (Matt. 8:4, Lev. 14).
  
  Yeshua not only taught others how to live a Jewish life, He lived it Himself. The outward signs of this were such things as wearing tzitzit (tassles) on His clothing (Luke 8:43, Matt. 14:36, Strong's # 2899) to serve as a reminder of the commandments (Num. 15:37-39). He observed Passover (John 2:13) and went up to Jerusalem (Deut. 16:16). He observed Succot (John 7:2, 10) and went up to Jerusalem (John 7:14). He also observed Hanukah (John 10:22) and probably Rosh haShanah (John 5:1), going up to Jerusalem on both those occasions as well, even though it isn't commanded in the Torah.
  
  The inward sign of His Judaism was a circumcised heart (Deut. 10:16, 30:6).
  
  When faced with temptation, Yeshua answered from the Hebrew Scripture (Matt. 4:2-10, Deut. 8:3, 6:16, 6:13). When teaching, He taught from the Hebrew Scripture (Matt. 22:42-45). When admonishing, He quoted from the Hebrew Scripture (Mk. 7:6-13).
  
  Yeshua self-identified as a Jew (John 4:22) and as King of the Jews (Mk. 15:2). From His birth to His last Passover seder (Luke 22:14-15), Jesus LIVED as a Jew and DIED as a JEW!

Messianic Judaism's Response:

You are grasping at the proverbial straws and trying to play a word game in order to try to prove your weak, nonsensical point:

• According to the 70 Jewish rabbis who worked on the Septuagint translation of the Old Covenant, the Hebrew word "almah" (Isaiah 7:14) is translated "parthenos" meaning virgin. Furthermore, the word "almah" is used just seven times in the Old Covenant and refers every time to what can only be a virgin. So when you say "almah" is mistranslated, you are disagreeing with traditional Jewish thought. Even if the word almah in Isaiah 7:14 meant "a young woman" - in the context of the Tanakh it always referred to "a young woman of unsullied reputation," which is why the Jewish translators of the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Tanakh prepared 200 years before Yeshua's birth, rendered this word into Greek as parthenos, "virgin". This is also the word used at Matthew 1:23.
  
  There are hundreds of Jewish and Gentile Bible scholars who believe that the prophet Isaiah was predicting the virgin birth of the Messiah. A list of the Jewish scholars alone would include such names as Dr. Sanford C. Mills, Milton Lindberg, Dr. Arthur W. Kac, Dr. Henry J. Heydt, Dr. Leopold Cohn, Dr. Jacob Gartenhaus and Dr. David L. Cooper. All of these eminent Jewish theologians believe that the Hebrew word "almah" is best translated by the word "virgin." In Isaiah 9:6, you will find a description of this special child who was born to a virgin: "For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on his shoulders; and his name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace." A child will be born who will be called "Mighty God"? Jewish commentators did not dispute the Messianic nature of this prophecy until modern times. As proof, let me cite the paraphrase of this passage given in Targum Jonathan: "And there was called His name from of old, Wonderful, counselor, Mighty God, He who lives for ever, the messiah in whose days peace shall increase." (Targum of Isaiah)
  
  And by the way, since Miriam (Mary) was a virgin, her hymen was broken from within - which allowed Yeshua to have a sinless nature. Miriam knew this when she questioned, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?" (Luke 1:34; cf. Matt. 1:23; Gal. 4:4; I Tim. 2:15).
  
  
• How convenient that the Orthodox types would think that Isaiah 53 refers to the Jews because "Israel is repeatedly called, in the singular, the "Servant of God" and that THEY would be the ones "bruised, crushed", etc. How convenient to try to use supposed grammatical errors to a world that mostly doesn't know Hebrew from Vulcanese!
  
  Isaiah 53: ⁵ But he was wounded because of our crimes, crushed because of our sins; the disciplining that makes us whole fell on him and by his bruises we are healed. ⁶ We all like sheep went astray; we turned, each one, to his own way: yet Adonai laid on him the guilt of all of us.
  
  HOW, pray tell, can anyone be "healed" by the bruises of Israel or the Jews? Has the world been healed by our sufferings? Hardly. If anything, anti-Semitism keeps rearing its ugly head ever higher and more viciously. People haven't learned anything from the past. We are sinful creatures, prone to sinning. The world has become more awful and decadent than ever. People are totally out of control. Children no longer obey their parents. Abortions are commonplace. Terrorism is keeping the world hostage. Homosexuality is being pushed on us like never before - and starting to be accepted as "normal". All of God's Commandments are being ridiculed; "right" is now "wrong" and vice versa. These days you run the risk of being murdered just because somebody doesn't like your looks. Has the suffering of us Jews done anything, whatsoever to make the world a better place? If you think it has, you are seriously deluding yourself!
  
  Just exactly HOW did Adonai lay on the JEWS the "guilt of all of us"? If that were true, what are you going to do about it? Furthermore, if the suffering Servant of Isaiah 53 is "Israel" as Rabbi Simmons claims, HOW can the servant die as a substitute for the sins of Isaiah's people - Israel? That would mean that Israel is dying as a substitute for the sins of Israel...which doesn't make sense! Again - you are grasping at straws!

Messianic Judaism's Response:

Messianic belief is based on GOD's revelation!

Yeshua was foreshadowed throughout the Old Covenant. See: Isaiah 53; Ten Prophecies Fulfilled by Yeshua; Ten More Prophecies Fulfilled by Yeshua; How Can Yeshua be the Messiah?; Israel: Don't Say "I Didn't Know"!; Where is the Sacrificed Lamb of Passover?