Messianic Judaism - The Torah and the Testimony Revealed

The denial of Isaiah 7:14 as Messianic is not the predominant view of 1st century Judaism, and in fact did not become a dominant view until the time of Rashi about 1000 years after the arrival of the Messiah Yeshua. Rambam’s generation was the last to hold to the traditional views of the Messianic passages; but after Rashi, Judaism no longer taught the Messianic passages as referring to the Messiah, but to Israel, or to some other rendition, because these passages described too perfectly, Yeshua, as that Messiah. It was latter Judaism’s attempt to remove the pictures of Yeshua out of the Messianic passages of Scripture, and out of the Talmudic passages, that described what He would look like, and what events would accompany His arrival.
In the early centuries BCE it was thought that King Hezekiyah was this Messiah, but his government had an end, and peace was sporadic throughout his reign, whereas Isaiah 9:7 states that Messiah’s Government will never end. Also, the Isaiah 7:14 prophecy states, "a virgin ‘shall’ conceive" in the "future" tense, but King Hezekiyah was born 9 years prior to the giving of the prophecy, among several other reasons why King Hezekiyah was eventually discounted as that Messiah by the time of 1st century Judaism.
Concerning the word "virgin" it comes from the Hebrew word "almah", which refers to a woman who has never had sexual relations with a man. It has been argued by the unbelieving that the word "almah" just means young woman. However, when the word "almah" was translated into the Greek language in the Septuagint, it was translated "parthenos" which also refers a woman who has not engaged in sexual relations. Likewise, the word for virgin in the "Ugaritic" language, which is the cognate language (equivalent language) to Hebrew, also refers to a woman who has never engaged in sexual relations.
The dominant word for young woman in Hebrew is "na’arah". Na’arah means specifically "young woman" regardless of her sexual status, whereas in the case of the word "almah", meaning virgin, it just happens that the vast majority of virgins are young women with the focus being their sexual status, rather than their age.
In Genesis 24:43 when Avraham’s servant is praying concerning how to identify the bride that Yahuweh would choose for Isaac, the servant uses the word "almah", which clearly means "virgin" in this passage.
Finally, Yahuweh says that the conception that this "almah" experiences in Isaiah 7:14, will be given as a "sign", the word of which comes from the Hebrew word "ot" which means "signal", or "miraculous occurrence", or some other thing that causes something, or some activity, to stand out as separate or different from what is standard or normally expected.
For example, "ot" is what is used to refer to the miraculous judgments that Yahuweh brought against Pharaoh in Egypt through Moshe. It was also used in Genesis to describe the sun and the moon in the sky that would be used to "signal" the seasons and appointed times and celebrations of the redemptive calendar (Pesach through Succot). It can also be used to describe a banner that identifies a tribe or city, etc"
So if an "alma" conceiving in this passage were just referring to a young woman becoming pregnant by her husband, this would not "signal" anything, for this is the way of all women. It’s what they do. And likewise, all men must enter the world through this process. But what women do not do is become pregnant without having sexual relations.
For it does not say, "and a ‘young woman’ shall conceive" which is "normal" for a woman to do; but that "a virgin" shall "give birth", which is "ot", a "signal", something "not normal", something "miraculous", something "that stands apart" and that is not part of a person’s normal expectations.
The really "ot" thing to me about the debate in our advanced technological age where virgins can now give birth through artificial insemination is how my people who do not believe can "conceive" how a virgin can give birth today through modern technology, but that somehow, Yahuweh, who created the whole universe cannot cause a virgin to give birth to a son 2000 years ago through His supernatural "technology".
To further advance the absurdity people’s faith in man’s technological "miracles", and lack of faith in Yahuweh’s miracles, is that today man has even devised a way to surgically allow a man to give birth to a child by attaching a fertilized egg on the large intestine of the man. Man can cause a man who has no womb or ovaries to give birth to a child through technology? But Yahuweh cannot cause a virgin "woman" with a womb and ovaries to give birth? I am truly sad about those who find it difficult to believe that Yahuweh can do this.
If the Messiah Yeshua had been born of Yoseph’s intercourse with Miriam, then Yeshua would have just been another man like anyone else, but because He was born of a virgin, He was of divine nature - the very Son, and only begotten Son, of Yahuweh.
You can read more about what ancient Judaism taught in our study entitled, "What Judaism doesn’t tell about Messiah" which can be found on our website at: www.tntrevealed.org
I also highly recommend the book, written by Rachmiel Frydland entitled, "What the Rabbis Know about Messiah", the publication of which made the study recommended on our website above possible.

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