Appendix IV: The Shame-filled Trauma of the Mashiach

In the first century the Messianic believers (both Jew and Gentile) knew what was involved in the association of the idea of "shame" in relation to that which was involved in the trauma of Roman sentence and crucifixion.

Powerful evidence both overlooked and ignored by Jewish scholars for twenty centuries points to Yeshua ben Yosef as the fulfilment of first century CE widespread Messianic expectation. Astonishingly, this remarkable evidence comes not from pagan secular sources, but from their own sacred writings of the Intertestamental Period (circa the conclusion of the prophet Malachi's ministry to the arrival of Yochanan, the Essene baptiser). Indeed, the truth included in these largely forgotten documents is staggering! Its time for Jewish rabbis to repent of their ignorance about (and hostility toward) the carpenter Rome crucified, and the Jews stoned to death, 2000 years ago.

The Chinese Expected the Appearance of the "Holy One"   The Chinese philosopher, K'ung Fu-Tze, better known to us as Confucius, predicted the coming of the God-Man but knew he would not be found in China. The Chinese recognised that He would come from the regions west of China. They also knew that He would be due around the period (in their historical assessment) of the Roman Occupation of Judaea. They hoped He would make His appearance in India. Notice what the sage had to say: "The Holy One must be sought in the West." Verbally handed down from father to son, "by the year 64 after the Christian Era, the Emperor Mimti, we are told, under the influence of this expectation sent messengers westward into India, that there they might enquire for the long-predicted Holy One of Confucius" (Du Halde's China, Vol. I., 360,361; Le Compte's China, 118,200).

"From the cowardice that shrinks from new truth,

From the laziness that is content with half truth,

From the arrogance that thinks it knows all truth,

O God of Truth, deliver us"

- Ancient Prayer 

Millions of Christians celebrate the birth of "Jesus" the Nazarene on December 25th -- although ALL authorities agree that he was not born anywhere near that date.

With the fall of Mohammed Reza Pahlavi -- the Shah of Iran -- and his subsequent death in exile in 1980, the world's oldest existing monarchy, stretching back in time 2500 years, came to an abrupt end. The Ayatollah Khomeini's tumultuous rise to power cast the rapidly developing world power of Iran into chaos. At the time, historical commentator and news correspondent, William Forbis noted:

"[T]his momentous event..contains the seeds of economic depression in the West from loss of Middle Eastern oil, and even the seeds of war, should the Soviet Union make a grab for Iran's oil and its warm-water ports, or should Iran ally itself with some of the Arab countries in a holy war on Israel" (William H. Forbis, Fall of the Peacock Throne, 1980, vii)

We very often hear the accusation: "The Jews killed Jesus Christ!" Yes, 2000 years ago some of the Jewish people, as political enemies of the Kingdom of God and subjects of Rome, rejected their Messiah Yeshua, known erroneously by the Christian masses as "Jesus." Yeshua was handed over to the Romans by a political (not religious) Sanhedrin and crucified for treason. The Procurator (or, prefect) of Judaea, Pontius Pilatus, ensured the titulus on the cross (or, more correctly, the tree) spelt out His crime precisely: treason. "This is Yeshua the Nazarene King of the Jews." Our Lord Yeshua was accused of making Himself king without Caesar's appointment (Mt 27.37; Mk 15.26; Lk 23.38 cf Jn 19.15b). In Roman eyes, Yeshua had challenged the authority and seat of Rome. Crucifixion was the cruel punishment especially designed for rebels and revolutionaries who dared to defy the Roman Emperor

"Matthew records that from noon until 3 pm on the day of Mashiach’s crucifixion there was darkness over all the land (Mt 27.45). Was this an eclipse of the sun?"