Yeshua is the Branch!

As you all know by now, many of "our" people are drawn to Judaism, which does not believe that Yeshua is the Messiah.  They insist that Yeshua's NAME is never mentioned in Tanach, and therefore, he is a fake.

Well, Scripture proves otherwise! Consider this:

We all know that Immanuel is a title - "El is with us" - which is a requirement of the Messiah. But Zechariah 6:12 makes it clear the actual "name of the branch" is YEHOSHUA, which 500 years later was truncated in Hebrew to Y'shua.

"In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up to David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell in safety: and this is the name by which she shall be called, 'YHWH our righteousness' [YHWH Tzidqeinu]" (Jeremiah 33:15-16).

"Behold, the days come, saith YHWH, that I will raise to David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice upon the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell in safety: and this is his name by which he shall be called, 'YHWH our righteousness'" (Jeremiah 23:5-6).

However, neither one of these verses reveals to us the name of the Branch. They merely state that the coming Messiah - known as the "Branch" - would be a righteous king, a descendant of King David, and that he would be the one responsible for bringing salvation to the Jews and to the rest of the tribes of Israel.

Now let us turn to a short account from Zechariah, in which YHWH instructs the prophet to crown the then current High Priest, Joshua.

"Take of them of the captivity, even of Heldai, of Tobijah, and of Jedaiah, who are come from Babylon, and come thou the same day, and go into the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah; Then take silver and gold, and make crowns, and set them upon the head of Joshua [Yehoshua] the son of Josedech, the high priest; And speak to him, saying, Thus speaketh YHWH of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The Branch; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of YHWH: Even he shall build the temple of YHWH; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both" (Zechariah 6:10-13).

The word translated "Branch" in all these verses is the same Hebrew word, tzemach. Therefore, there is identity between the "Branch" in Jeremiah 23, Jeremiah 33 and Zechariah 6. In this short drama, we find Joshua (Yehoshua) the High Priest performing in the starring role of the Branch. Essentially the scripture is saying: "Look at the man (Yehoshua) whose name is the Branch." In other words, the current High Priest of Judah in the days of Zechariah, Joshua (Yehoshua), has the same name as the one who would become the "Branch."

In Zechariah 6:10-13, we also discover many very interesting prophecies about the Branch. The Branch will grow up out of his place. The Branch will build the temple of YHWH; the Branch will bear the glory; the Branch will sit and rule upon his throne; the Branch will be a priest upon his throne; and, the Branch will have a counsel of peace with YHWH.

Zechariah 6: 12 and tell him, 'YHWH-Tzva'ot says: "There is coming a man whose name is Tzemach [Sprout]. He will sprout up from his place and rebuild the temple of YHWH.

Most seem to be unaware of what YHWH said to the prophet Ezekiel in Ezekiel 34:11-12: 11 For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: "I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. 12 As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness."

When YHWH says "when He is with them," in verse 12, He is saying, in essence, "I will be Immanuel," as the meaning of Immanuel is"YHWH is with us." And the only place we read that name Immanuel is in Isaiah 7!

(Written by Andrew Gabriel Roth)