Friday, November 27, 2009
I Shall Know Him
(Zechariah 12:8-13:1)
The chorus to a familiar hymn exalts,
I shall know Him, I shall know Him;
And redeemed by His side I shall stand.
I shall know Him, I shall know Him--
By the prints of the nails in His hands.
Those words, so familiar to American Christians, take on an interesting aspect in relation to Jews at a yet future day. The Bible teaches that at the close of the seven-year tribulation period, Jesus will return with the armies of heaven. A great battle will ensue—the Battle of Armageddon—in which the enemies of God and the Jew will be soundly defeated (8, 9). Jesus, Israel’s rejected Messiah, will deliver the Jews from the armies of Antichrist. It will be at that point that the Jewish nation will recognize that Jesus Christ, the crucified One, is indeed their Messiah (10).
Verse 10 has long been a point of angst among conservative Jews. Almost all Jewish authorities recognize the verse as distinctly Messianic, but they wrestle with understanding the pronoun use in the verse. Note carefully that Jehovah is speaking. Note also that Jehovah says, “they shall look upon me whom they have pierced…” Jews are troubled at the concept of God being pierced. As one reads the verse, the focus changes from the first person “me” to the third person “him,” further confusing the matter. What’s the solution? Jesus, the pierced Messiah, is God in the flesh! And one day the Jewish people will recognize Him for whom He is; and they will mourn in heartfelt repentance (11 and Mt. 24:30). Aren’t you glad you know Him today?
