The identity of the Messiah as represented by the emblems of the 12 tribes of Yisrael corresponding to their blessings from Yakov (Jacob)

         Since its inception as a nation in the Bible as per God's eternal plan, Israel was composed of people of many tribes who were all called "Jews". Some groups of people in the world tend to mistake Jews to mean only people of 1 tribe which is the tribe of Judah whence the area around Jerusalem got its ancient name of Judea but anyone who has read the Bible will understand that there is not 1 but 12 tribes. These 12 tribes got their respective blessings from Yakov (Jacob) whence their emblems indicating their portions in the world and their corresponding blessings which also translates into the regions in Israel where they later settled down after the Canaanites were defeated under Moses and Joshua after him by the Jewish people and their lands divided by lots to eternally become those of the Jewish people. However, what many people do not realise is that the story of the Bible is recounted by the very symbols representing their corresponding blessings including the identity of the Jewish Messiah. From this point onwards, I will mention the names of the individual fathers of he Jewish tribes and their symbols and how that matches the Bible's story perfectly into which the story of the Jewish Messiah is also indelibly interwoven like a seamless tapestry.

1) Reuben:  

                  The firstborn son of Leah whose name means "See...a son". The title and corresponding emblem given to him by Jacob based on his behaviour is "water" for Jacob said that Reuben's behaviour was as unstable as water when he slept with Bilah his father's concubine. However, this symbol of water gives us a key to understanding the nature of the Earth before God set it in order. In the beginning, the Earth was without form and void and the Spirit of God hovered above the waters (Genesis 1:2)". In essence, when the Earth was without form, the one who brought order to it was the Spirit of God so this corresponds perfectly to the nature of the Earth in the book of Genesis - the first book of the Bible.

2) Simeon:  

                  Simeon is the 2nd child born to Leah, Jacob's wife. His name means "He has heard" in reference to God which was the name given to him by Leah. His emblem is the "sword" which becomes apparent when Yakov decided to curse his anger wherewith he slew Dinah's lover Shechem and his tribespeople in anger for forcing Dinah Yakov's daughter to sleep with him when they were circumcised and in pain. The sword emblem given to Simeon fits in perfectly the prevalent nature in humanity before the flood starting from Cain and Abel to men slaying one another prior to the Genesis flood and represents the same in the chronological order of events in the Bible after the formlessness of the Earth in the 1st part of Genesis.

3) Levi:

                Levi is the 3rd child born to Leah and Jacob meaning "joined, attached or connected". Levi is the priestly tribe as God gave the law to Moses a Levite and from Levi's lineage we have Aaron and the other priests. For both Simeon and Levi, their portions of land were with the other tribes, the idea behind this is that all of Israel would know the Law of God and this would be taught to them from the Torah or the Pentateuch (the first 5 books of the Old Testament). Hence, Levi's emblem is a censer indicating his priestly role among all of Israel's tribes which incidentally happens to be the exact same position of the books of the law after Genesis hence chronologically perfect as well.

4) Judah:

               Judah is the 4th son of Leah and Jacob meaning "Praised" and the emblem given to him by his father Jacob based on his nature is a lion, this is also indicative of the royal lineage of kings that were to descend from the tribe like David, Solomon etc. Judah in essence, is the kingly tribe representative of royalty among all the tribes of Israel and sure enough, the Messiah would be a descendant of the tribe of Judah and chronologically after the books of the law, we see the judges followed by the period of the Kings of Israel like David, Solomon and others.

5) Dan: 

               Dan was born to Jacob and Bilhah (Raichel Jacob's second wife's maid when Raichel realised that she was barren) when Raichel gave her to Jacob as wife. When Dan was born, Raichel made Bilhah to lie down on her lap and give birth to Dan as if he was her own child as competition to Leah's children. Dan's emblem is a snake meaning a judge but when we see the order of the tribe chronologically, we see the falling away of the Jewish people after the time of Judah and the kings to sin against God. Hence "snake" represents the period of "falling away" of the Jewish people when they sinned against God.

6) Napthali:

 

            

            Napthali was the second son of Jacob and Bilhah, Raichel's maid when Raichel realised her barrenness. "Napthali" means "my struggle, my strife". His emblem derived from the blessing as given to him by Jacob was that of a stag. The imagery of a stag represents an exile as stags are known for their rapid and swift movements and this fits in perfectly with the Babylonian exile of the Jewish people during the time of Nebuchadnezzar in the Biblical chronology.

7) Gad:

         Gad was born to Jacob and Leah's maid Zilpah and his name means "troop" and the emblem given to him by Jacob based on his blessing to him was a shield. In the Biblical timeline, Gad represents the time of the prophets when Israel was still in exile that God was not done with the Jewish people, that God is faithful to fulfill his promises regarding the restoration of Israel to their own land and the preservation of a remnant from all the lands where they had been scattered which is the sign of the promise of the Messiah's coming. Hence Gad's emblem of a shield represents God's infallible hand of protection of his Jewish people and the promise of the birth of the Messiah. The Jews were therefore restored to their own land after the exile.

8) Asher: 

      Asher was the second child born to Jacob and Zilpah, Leah Jacob's wife's maid who was given to Jacob's hand in marriage and like his brother Gad, Asher too was born by Zilpah her maid lying on Leah's thighs as if he were her own child. "Asher" in Hebrew means "Happy" and the symbol given to him by Jacob is that of an Olive Tree which represents abundance and prosperity. However, the Messiah is represented as an Olive branch hence in the Biblical chronological order of events, Asher's position corresponds perfectly with the coming of the Messiah, the meaning of his name "Asher" meaning "happy" also fits in perfectly with the birth of Yeshua Hamashiach the Messiah in 6 BC in Beit-lehem (Bethlehem) when the Gospels record that angels declared the glory of God and sang his praises proclaiming the same to the shepherds in the fields with the coming of the Newborn King.

9) Issachar:  

     

             
                   Jacob's ninth son born to him and his wife Leah, his name from "Ish" meaning "man" and "Sakar" meaning "hire" hence Ishsakar or "man of hire". The emblem given to him by Jacob based on his corresponding blessing was that of a donkey representing strength and wisdom. Chronologically, we see that Yeshua came to Jerusalem riding on the colt of an ass in the Gospels and the circumstances of the donkey being chosen by Jesus to ride to Jerusalem are also given in the Gospels where the apostles are told to explain to the owner that the master (Yeshua) has need of him (the donkey).

10) Zebulun: 

                     Jacob's tenth son born to him and Leah, his name means "One who dwells". The emblem given to him based on Jacob's blessing to him is a "ship". Chronologically, in the Biblical timeline and more specifically in the New Testament Gospel accounts, this implies the handing-over of the Meshiach (Yeshua) to the Romans (as represented by the "ship" emblem of Zebulun) who were Gentiles to be crucified for the sins of Israel and all of humanity which is chronologically perfect in Jesus' life after his coming to Jerusalem on a donkey.

11) Joseph:

                           Joseph was born to Jacob and Rachel when God saw Rachel's barrenness and wanted to bless her when she entreated God prayerfully for a child. The life of Joseph has amazing parallels with the life of Jesus' Christ on its own and the emblem given to Joseph was a "sheaf of grain" symbolising abundance and fullness. Joseph had 2 sons in Egypt through his Egyptian wife Asenath who bore Joseph 2 sons - Manasseh and Ephraim. "Manasseh" means "causing to forget" which symbolises the New Covenant through Messiah which is an extension of the Old Covenant and not a replacement of it as Jesus said that He came to fulfill the law, not to abolish it. Joseph's second' son "Ephraim" means "fruitful" or "doubly fruitful", this fits in perfectly with Yeshua's words in John 10:16 "I have other sheep who are not of this fold (Israel), them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd". Hence, the New man in Christ is a mix of Jew and Gentile believers in Yeshua which would be nothing short of life from the dead as per Romans 11:15 when the Jewish people accept Yeshua as their Messiah as testified by the apostle Paul. 
                       Interestingly we see that the emblem given to Joseph is that of a sheaf of wheat and this is symbolic of the feast of firstfruits when a sheaf of wheat would be lifted up to God as a sacrifice, even so was Yeshua lifted up on the cross as a sacrifice for the sins of all of humanity including those of Israel. This emblem of a sheaf of wheat fits in perfectly with Yeshua's crucifixion on the cross in the hands of the Romans which was and is a part of God's great Redemptive plan for humanity. This was again foretold by Yeshua of himself regarding his crucifixion in John 12:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

12) Benjamin:

                             

       

            The 2nd last son born to Jacob and Raichel when Joseph was sold into captivity by his brothers when they grew jealous of Joseph and the love that Jacob had for him as the son of his most favourite wife - Rachel. The blessing given to him is represented by the image of a ravenous wolf symbolising strength and warrior prowess and the name Benjamin means "Son of the Right Hand". While this was the smallest tribe in Israel, the name of the tribe "Son of the Right Hand" fits in perfectly with the chronology of events in Yeshua's life with his Resurrection and being caught up to the Right Hand of the Father symbolising strength and authority.

13) Dinah:
                 Finally, the final daughter of Jacob and Leah whose name means "Justified or vindicated" meaning that in Messiah' Yeshua's new and living way through the cross and resurrection, we have forgiveness of sins, redemption and Eternal life. 

     If you are reading this as a Christian, I hope that this has edified your faith in the Lord and in His Word being a reflection of the events in the Old Testament but also in the life of Yeshua our Mashiach. If you however, are a Jew, I would like to encourage you to ponder on the deeper meaning of the emblems given to the Jewish tribes from Asher onwards all the way up to Dinah. Mashiach has already come and is soon going to return, the imagery given by the emblems of the Jewish tribes from Asher are indeed a perfect match for the life of Yeshua than any other historical figure implying Yeshua is the long-awaited Jewish Mashiach.