JOSEPH #17 | JOSEPH AND CHRIST #6 | ENDTIME SIGNIFICANCE#1
Pastor Christopher Choo
Lesson 3613
JOSEPH #17
JOSEPH AND CHRIST #6
ENDTIME SIGNIFICANCE#1
Many Old Testament accounts of people and events are prophetic.
They tell us what immediately happened in their time history with a foreshadowing of that which is yet to come - their Endtime significance for us
There are many fascinating parallels between Joseph, beloved son of Jacob, and Jesus, the Son of God, who would arrive on the stage of human history centuries after Joseph left his mark.
Here is one such lesson:
Joseph's brothers were troubled when they met him in Egypt more so when they realised he was their long-lost brother they had mistreated, rejected, and sold off as a slave.
Likewise, Jesus' fellow Jews will also be "troubled" when they encounter Jesus at His Second Coming.
When Joseph finally revealed his identity to his unsuspecting brothers, they were filled with guilt and remorse. But Joseph said "…be not grieved nor angry with yourselves." (Gen. 45:5).
When Jesus the Messiah returns at His Second Coming, the prophet Zechariah prophesised: "They shall look upon Me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn…and shall be in bitterness…"(Zech. 12:10).
This Old Testament prophet who lived and prophesied in about 600 BC, predicted that the Messiah would be rejected by His own people and be pierced and killed.
Zechariah, who immigrated from the Diaspora of the Jews, prophesied in chapter 12 about a time in the End of Days during which the people of Israel shall return to the Land of Israel. They shall be the focus of global attention, and that the hatred towards the people of Israel will intensify, which will eventually lead to many nations attacking the Jews in an all-inclusive war.
“On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who lift it will surely hurt themselves. And all the nations of the earth will gather against it.” (Zechariah 12:3-4).
God promises that in the day when all of Israel's enemies gather against the Jews, He Himself will intervene.
However, God’s intervention is going to go far beyond the physical dimension. It will also be spiritual.
Pay attention to verse 10:
“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, a spirit of grace and mercy, so that when they look on me, on Him whom they have pierced; they shall mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over Him, as one weeps over a firstborn.”
( Zechariah 12:10).
Zechariah prophesies that, in the End of Days, God shall pour out His spirit on the people of Israel and, as a result, they will look to Him and understand that they have pierced Him, which will lead to national mourning, similar to the grief of a family whose firstborn has died.
Just as rejecting the prophets sent by God was equivalent to rejecting God Himself, piercing the Messiah is piercing God Himself.
God revealed Himself to His chosen people in the form of the Messiah whom they have pierced and rejected as a nation. However, when He died, He became the sacrifice of atonement for all their sins.
The Book of Revelation echoes Zechariah's prophecy.
The return of Yeshua the Messiah and the acknowledgment of the people of Israel of their Messiah whom they have pierced and rejected are described in equally memorable words:
“Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of Him.” (Revelation 1:7).
The national repentance of a beleaguered Israel for killing their Messiah will redound to their forgiveness by God and His restoration and vindication of the Jews for rejecting Yeshua /Jesus as their Messiah.
Joseph's gracious and merciful treatment of his brothers will again be repeated by Jesus who will return to bless His brethren with rest and restoration.
