Hi, when Miriam gave birth to Y’shua, was it a virgin birth? Some Rabbinical Jewish people have been saying the Hebrew word almah is referred to ‘young women’ and not virgin, is this true? And they are saying that Y’shua didn’t fulfill all the requirements, but wouldn’t they be fulfilled in the 2nd coming? And the Bible says that Y’shua has to be of direct linage to King David, but God is his father, could God have made Y’shua a direct linage to King David?
Dear Ashley:
1) Yes, it was a virgin birth. 2) It is true that “almah” refers to a “young maiden,” and that there is another Hebrew word that denotes a virgin, however the terms are interchangeable, and “almah” may refer to a virginal young woman. It is only when arguing from an agenda that emphasis is put upon one or the other. 3) Yahshua did not fulfill all the requirements from the Jewish perspective, essentially that the Mashiach would restore Israel to prominence and head of nations, and you are correct to interpret the completion of fulfillment in Jewish expectations and prophecy at Yahshua’s second event. This more closely patterns the Jewish thought of Messiah ben Yosef and Messiah ben David that erroneously supposes TWO messiahs. 4) Yahshua was of the lineage of David and of Aaron (the Priestly line) on His mother’s Mariam’s side. As to the virgin birth and some people’s assertion that it does not matter, it, the virgin birth had to be a necessary reality because of the doctrine of original sin (Traditional Jews do not believe in nor teach original sin but this is not biblical as many learned Jewish scholars will tell you). Adam sinned and his blood became tainted as the scriptures teach. In Adam all mankind sins. It is a medical fact that blood is transmitted by the man’s sperm and that the woman nurtures the fetus, but does not transmit blood via her eggs. Torah teaches that the life is in the blood. Adam, the father of all mankind was created without sin, and after the fall transmitted sin through his blood to all of mankind’s prodigy. Therefore, for Yahshua to enter into physical earthly life and be on par with Adam in his original state, that is without sin, He had to be born without the taint of sin that permeates humanity after Adam’s fall and this is the compelling reason for the virgin birth. Even if Yahshua had led a perfect Torah observant life He would have been infested with original sin if He had had an earthly father. Sin is passed along to mankind by virtue of the male and not the female. Eve was deceived but Adam sinned and as the corporate head of humankind he passed along sin to all mankind. Another reason is that within Joseph’s lineage from David, he counts Coniah (Jeochoim) as an ancestor, and G-d said no descendent of this evil King would ever sit on the throne of Israel. Two reasons that would disqualify Yahshua as King of Israel. From Miriam He not only enjoys the priestly line but the Davidic line without the handicap of Coniah (Jeochoim-Hope the spelling is right) that would disqualify Him from Kingship. As to the priesthood Yahshua is after the order of Melchisedec a Kong – Priest of Salem (Jerusalem to whom Abraham paid tithes and this from the Jewish perspective means that Melchisedec is greater then the Levitical priest hood since they were still in the “loin’s of Abraham.” In the Jewish sense that means they too paid tithes to Melchisedec showing Melchisedec’s superiority. YHVH Elohim makes no mistakes. Unfortunately, most Christians and unlearned Messianic Jews do not know this and can’t properly counter arguments to the contrary. That is why Christians need to know their Jewish roots to properly understand their religion and become proper apologists when confronted about doctrines.