V RaptureChrist Newsletter
January 1, 2003

There are many prophecies about the coming of the Messiah, known in Hebrew as the "Mashiach".

In Genesis 49, the Bible relates the story of the blessing given by Israel (Jacob) to his twelve sons.  To Judah he gave the blessing of a kingly line.

Genesis 49:10
The scepter shall not depart from Judah nor  the lawmaker from between his feet, until Shiloh comes, and His [is] the obedience of the peoples.

Shiloh would be the King whom people would obey.  Not only that, the above verse, as stated by Israel  to his children when he was about to die, also conveys two more prophecies about the future of his children:

   1. The scepter shall not depart from Judah.

   2. The lawmaker would not depart from Judah.

Those two conditions had to remain with the tribe of Judah until when?

Until Shiloh would come.

Shiloh, the Messiah, the future King from the tribe of Judah, had to appear before those two conditions were abolished.

Jeremiah 23:5
Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, "When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; And He will reign as king and act wisely And do justice and righteousness in the land."

Also a third event was necessary:

The king from the tribe of Judah, descendant of David as promised in the scriptures, had to be able to trace his right to the throne.  This was possible due to the fact that the Hebrews were able to trace their genealogy through the Hall of Records which was in Jerusalem.  That is the reason Joseph and Miriam went to Bethlehem as required from King Herod.  Both of them could prove they were descendants of David.  See the December Newsletter: Was Christ Born on Dec. 25?

The Hall of Records was destroyed by the Roman armies in AD. 70 when General Titus and his soldiers destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple.  See Tribulation.  

When the Jews were forced to leave Jerusalem without any records, they lost proof of their lineage, they lost authority over their land, and they lost the power to make laws -- conditions that were to remain with the tribe of Judah until Shiloh would come.  Therefore, the Messiah had to appear before AD 70 or the word of God would not be true.

Another restraint to the time for Messiah's appearance was the prophecy given to Daniel by the angel Gabriel.  This prophecy of "seventy sevens" starts when Artaxerxes gave permission to Nehemiah to rebuild the city of Jerusalem and its walls.  The prophecy also relates that Messiah would be cut off in the middle of the 70th week.  See Daniel's 70 Weeks.

The time for Messiah's birth and ministry is therefore limited by these events: the time for Messiah's appearance as stated in Daniel 9:20-27,  and the time when the tribe of Judah would lose its "scepter and lawmaker abilities."

Yeshua came into the world right at the time that was predicted by the prophecies.  He is our Savior and soon coming King.  Baruch Ha Shem for God's word is true!

The Hebrew word Shiloh comes from the root "shalah" which means "to have rest."  Therefore Shiloh means "the man of rest," the "giver of rest," or "rest bringer."

Matthew 11:28
"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.

Matthew 11:29
"Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find REST for your souls.

Rest also means peace, because it implies rest for your soul. The word Jerusalem, in Hebrew "Yerushalayim" has also the root "shalah" and means "city of peace."

Therefore, Yeshua our Messiah is also known as "the prince of peace," promising rest for your souls. 

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.

Isaiah 9:7
There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness, from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.

Shiloh was also the first town where the ark of the covenant rested when the 12 tribes of Israel started the conquest of the land of Canaan.  The Levites ministered to the Lord in Shiloh where they made a tabernacle for the ark of the covenant with the two stone tablets with the ten commandments.  

Joshua 18:10
And Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the LORD, and there Joshua divided the land to the sons of Israel according to their divisions.

Joshua 19:51
These are the inheritances which Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the households of the tribes of the sons of Israel distributed by lot in Shiloh before the LORD at the doorway of the tent of meeting. So they finished dividing the land.

Shiloh was located northwest of the Dead Sea,  in central Palestine, NNE of Jerusalem, about 10 miles north of Bethel, west of the Jordan River on the slope of Mount Ephraim. In biblical times it lay in the land of Ephraim.
 
Judges 21:19
So they said, "Behold, there is a feast of the LORD from year to year in Shiloh, which is on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south side of Lebonah."

In the Bible, Shiloh was a meeting place and sanctuary for the Israelites.  It was the first capital of  Israel for 369 years.

This secluded place was destroyed and remained forgotten until it was re-discovered by Edward Robinson in 1838.

The modern name of this area is Khirbet Seilun.

http://www.ourfatherlutheran.net/biblehomelands/palestine/
ramallah-nablus.htm

http://www.telshilo.org/