sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah. (Jeremiah 22:24–30, emphasis mine) That pretty much sums it up, doesn’t it? None of Coniah’s seed would ever prosper on the throne of David. (“Coniah” is the same king called “Jechonias” and “Jechoniah” in other parts of the Scripture.) Yet the Bible is perfectly clear that someday Yeshua will very much prosper and rule from the throne of David. Take a look at the previous chart once more, and you will find that Coniah (Jechonias)is one of the kings listed by Matthew. His father, Jehoiakim, is one of our four infamous missing kings. If Jeremiah 22 is to be taken at face value, then Yeshua’s physical line could not have come through Joseph in Matthew 1. It must have come through Mary, the daughter of Heli, as given in Luke 3. The Daughter of Heli Okay, so we have evidence that shows which list is not the lineage of Yeshua. Is there any other confirming evidence to show that Luke 3 is in fact the lineage of Yeshua through Mary? I believe there is. Luke 3:23 states that Yeshua was the “supposed” son of Joseph, the son of Heli. The word translated “the supposed” is from the Greek nomizo, which means “as was the custom” in the sense of a legal custom. In other words, Joseph was the legal father of Yeshua, not his literal father. In this case, Joseph, the legal father of Yeshua, represented his wife Mary in the lineage, while Heli was in fact Mary’s father. Remarkably, we have at least one historical source which may confirm that Mary was the daughter of Heli. This source, which is in some dispute, comes from the Talmud and references Mary as the daughter of Heli. Due to the graphic nature of the quote I didn’t feel comfortable reproducing it here. With an Internet search, you can investigate and decide for yourself. (The source is the Talmud, Haggigah 77:4, as referenced by John Lightfoot’s Commentary on the New Testament from the Talmud and Hebraica, chapter 3, “Exercitations upon the Evangelist St. Luke.”)
Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. (Matthew 1:23, emphasis mine) For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell. (Colossians 1:19) I don’t know about you but this kind of beautiful symbolism makes me want to stand up and say “Hallelujah”—Praise be to YHWH! In the next chapter we will follow the clues of Matthew 1 to Zerubbabel, a little-known hero of the Second Temple era. Buried in the history of this eleven-generation-removed grandfather of Yeshua is an overlooked prophecy about a curse, a promise, and the coming Messiah.
“Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto YHWH. On the first day shall be an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto YHWH: on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto YHWH: it is a solemn assembly; and ye shall do no servile work therein.” —Leviticus 23:34–36 “On the eighth day ye shall have a solemn assembly: ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer a burnt offering, a sacrifice made by fire, of a sweet savour unto YHWH: one bullock, one ram, seven lambs of the first year without blemish: their meat offering and their drink offerings for the bullock, for the ram, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the manner: and one goat for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, and his meat offering, and his drink offering.” —Numbers 29:35-38 Chapter 12: Of Superstitions, Heroines, and April Fools “Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars’ hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.” —Acts 17:22–23 Any investigation of the number 13 in biblical or secular history would be incomplete without looking at the superstitions surrounding it. We’re all familiar with the fear and “bad luck” associated with this number around the world. What’s the deal? Why 13? With all the biblical symbolism pointing to the Messiah, what makes this number so infamous?