Yeshua’s (Jesus’s) time on earth was predicted by many Jewish prophets in the Tanakh (Old Testament).

Micha 5:2 – “But you, Beit-Lechem near Efrat, so small among the clans of Y’hudah, out of you will come forth to me the future ruler of Isra’el, whose origins are far in the past, back in ancient times.”

Isaiah 53:12 – “Therefore I will assign him a share with the great, he will divide the spoil with the mighty, for having exposed himself to death and being counted among the sinners, while actually bearing the sin of many and interceding for the offenders.”

Proverbs 30:4 – “Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Who has cupped the wind in the palms of his hands? Who has wrapped up the waters in his cloak? Who established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son’s name? Surely you know!” 

These prophecies, taken out of the Complete Jewish Bible by David Stern, are just a few of the many Jewish prophecies about Yeshua (Jesus).

So, Yeshua, (Jesus) was prophesied about in the Jewish Tanakh (Old Testament).

These and other Jewish prophecies were the foundation of John the Baptist’s preaching.

As we learned in the last issue of the magazine, there is no “J” sound in Hebrew, so no one actually called this Jewish admonisher, “John.” He would have been called Yochannan.

Another logical, but rarely discussed fact is that he was not a member of First Baptist two blocks north of the Temple. He was not even a Baptist.

“Baptist” means immersion. Immersion is a Jewish custom dating all the way back to the book of Leviticus and it is still being practiced by some groups of Jewish people.

So next time you hear of someone being “Baptized,” you will know that they are participating a “Christian” custom with very Jewish roots.

Iris Salmins is the owner of Sites by Iris. An online marketing company that offers website, search engine optimization, social media, blogging, newsletter and Google Alert creation, training and management and Life on the Wall a fine art oil painting restoration service.