At the top of the Messianic Seal is a representation of the Menorah, the seven-branched golden candelabrum used to light the Tabernacle and Temples of Yahweh. The priest lit the Menorah in the Sanctuary every evening and serviced it every morning, replacing the wicks and refilling fresh olive oil into the cups, enabling it to continue shining night and day. (Lev. 24:1-4)
The Menorah of the Tabernacle was an amazing piece of work, beyond the scope of human ability to produce. "All of it shall be one piece of hammered work of pure gold" said Yahweh. Considering its intricate shape with seven branches decorated with the shapes of almond blossoms and flowers, it would truly be beyond the ability of man to beat out of a single piece of pure gold. It was only possible because the Creator of Heaven and Earth who ordered its creation also enabled men of flesh and blood to bring it forth by His Spirit according to the Divine Plan. It is thus a fitting symbol of God's written light to His people, the Torah, which can only be "hammered" out - wrought in human flesh - by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is likewise a fitting symbol of God's light to the nations, His people Israel who, despite the limitations of their fallen flesh, are empowered by the guiding hand of Providence to be a testimony of His faithfulness throughout all ages to all the Earth. Thus, as we look at the Menorah as the first part of the Messianic Seal, we immediately identify in it an attitude of profound respect for the Torah, and identification with the heritage and people of Israel. (See Exodus 25:31-40, 35:30-35; Ps.119:105, 130; Prov. 6:23; Zech. 4:6; Rom. 8:4; Isa 42:6; 49:3, 6)
The Fish
Some of Yeshua's foremost men were fishermen. Indeed, Yeshua spent a good bit of time catching and eating fish with them, and when He called them into His service He said; "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men." With these words Messiah identified a new kind of fish for His disciples to catch, namely, men to populate the Messianic Kingdom. Yeshua drove the point home on numerous occasions by performing great miracles involving fish - such as multiplying a few fish to feed 5,000 people or filling the boat of his disciples with so many fish it almost sank from the volume of the catch! Clearly, these amazing experiences with Yeshua made a deep and lasting impression on His disciples. This fish metaphor with which the disciples were made so dramatically familiar, brings a personal touch of good humor to the solemnity of the Messianic Seal, echoing as it does, the purposeful and joyous fish joke of their closest Friend and Savior. (See Mar. 1:17; Matt. 14:19-21; Luke 5:4-7)
So how did this symbol of the fish get from there to Gentile bumper-stickers in the twenty-first century? As we see in the Messianic Seal, the fish was used as a symbol of the catch of men of all nations, that is, the object of the "Great Commission," from the earliest days of the Faith. From those early beginnings the fish as a Christian symbol eventually migrated to Rome. This symbol became so popular among Gentile Christians, in fact, that by the middle of the second century Clement of Alexandria was suggesting that all his readers should include the sign of the fish in their personal seals, identifying them as Christians. The Greek spelling for the word fish, ICHTHUS, was incorporated into the meaning of the symbol, providing the first five letters of the words that spell in Greek: "Jesus, Christ, God, Son, and Savior." (See Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 1:8)
The eye of the fish in some renditions of the Messianic Seal is the Hebrew/Aramaic letter corresponding to our letter 't' - which forms the shape of the Cross upon which our Savior died for men of all nations. Truly, the fish symbol of the Messianic Seal conveys a picture of the great Kingdom catch of Gentile humanity, and the Grace inherent in the Cross of Messiah by which that otherwise doomed multitude are graciously hauled into the Savior's boat!
The Seal of the House of David
The two elements of the Messianic Seal already discussed, namely, the Menorah and the Fish, are arranged in the ancient apostolic graphic to be interconnected by a third symbol, namely, the symbol known to many today as the Star of David. It is as if the Fish is caught by its tail on the Menorah, with the Davidic Sign forming the crucial connection point. Amazing! In this manner what appears to many as two opposites are brought together in a supernatural harmony - Law and Grace, Israelites and Gentiles. Truly, the agency of this seemingly impossible unity represented as the focal point of the Messianic Seal is worthy of our highest consideration. What is the significance then, of this central feature of the Messianic Seal?
While the Star of David is thought of today as the national symbol of Israel, such is not the case so far as its origin is concerned. If the Menorah is the historic national symbol of Israel, comparable to the American Eagle as a symbol of the United States, then the Star of David would compare most closely, but not exactly, to the Presidential Seal. The Star of David in its original usage in Israel is the Royal Seal of the House of David. Even its very design says as much. It is formed of two interlaced, equilateral triangles or DALTHA, that is, the letter ‘D' for David. This design harkens back to the prophetic word, fulfilled in the rise of the Davidic "star" to rule the house of Jacob. "A star shall come forth from Jacob, and a scepter shall rise from Israel .." This "star" refers very specifically to King David, who fulfilled the prophetic qualification of the verse, "...who shall crush through the forehead of Moab." Indeed, it was David who fulfilled this prophecy. According to the inspired record; "he defeated Moab ..And the Moabites became servants to David, bringing tribute." (Numbers 24:17; 2 Samuel 8:2)
The Star of David is therefore appropriately called the "Shield of David" (Magen David) because according to Hebrew tradition this seal appeared on King David's armaments, under which sign he subdued Moab, and the rest of Israel's enemies on every side. Being a sign of Davidic authority, it was the symbol used as the Royal Seal by the King and dignitaries of the Davidic House to seal official documents. In fact, there is some archaeological evidence of this. The ancient Star of David was unearthed in the city of Sidon in the form of a seal ring bearing the shape of the familiar six-pointed star, which has been dated from the seventh century BCE.
The Davidic Seal is mentioned in the Talmud in a very interesting reference. King Solomon, David's son and successor, is said to have had authority over wicked spirit forces by the power invested in the emblem on his ring, there referred to as "The Seal of Solomon." Apparently even the invisible enemies of the Davidic Kingdom gave way before the divinely conferred authority represented in that royal symbol. As with Solomon, it is no stretch of the imagination to assume that the Davidic Seal, and the authority it represents, was passed down through the generations of the Davidic House, till the generation of the coming of Messiah and beyond. (Gittin 68)
Considering Yeshua's Davidic lineage and fulfillment of Messianic prophesies, it should not surprise us to find the Seal of the House of David used as an important symbol by early Messianic believers to represent the Davidic King of Kings. In keeping with this, the Encyclopedia Judaica notes that the Davidic symbol was used by early "Judeo-Christians." This likely refers to the early Messianic Jews who provided the root of the "Christian" faith, to whom the Davidic heritage of the Messiah was a vitally important theme. (Encyclopedia Judaica, Subject: Magen David).
Modern commentators on the meaning of the Messianic Seal generally stop with the Messiah in their assessment of the Davidic symbol's meaning within the larger Messianic Seal. However, from the point of view of the first century Messianic believers, there was a fuller dimension of meaning to its symbolism which is today being overlooked. From their Hebraic perspective, the House of David, identified by its Seal for centuries before the coming of Messiah, was by eternal covenant to forever furnish the guardians of Davidic House and Kingdom interests in Israel. It was the Davidic family legacy to provide righteous spiritual leadership in Jacob. Indeed, the House of David as a family was at the center and root of the events bringing Messiah onto the scene and establishing and maintaining the Messianic Community. Mary and Joseph and all their family were of the House of David. Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist, was a relative of Mary, so also likely had Davidic blood, meaning her son John did too. These and other relatives of Yeshua were all key players in the rise of the Davidic House to its honored destiny of producing the Messiah and Savior of the world. Realize this: Yeshua, of the House of David, is the Davidic Messiah, not by way of His divinity, but by way of His lineage as a MAN. As a man, He spent 30 years being molded and shaped within the Davidic family into which He was born, being prepared in his humanity for His awesome Messianic destiny.
This unique role of the Lord's Davidic family in support of His Messianic mission did not simply cease with His ascension to the right hand of the Father. After Messiah's departure, his brother James, another key descendant of the House of David, was elevated to the principle earthly position of leadership within the Messianic Community - surpassing the authority of any other single apostle. By what overarching authority do we see the Twelve surrendering the presidency of the Jerusalem Mother Assembly to none of their number, but rather, to James, the Lord's brother? The Seal of the House of David at the center of what is today called the Messianic Seal, gives us the answer. None of that is to say that the Seal of David in this context does not stand for the Messiah. It most certainly does. However, it likely originally stood for Him as bearing the Family Seal as Head of the House of David, other members of which House were very much involved in bringing forth the Messiah, and remained very much involved in overseeing the daily business of His Messianic Administration. He was recognized as the Reigning King of Israel within the Messianic Community - His relatives in the flesh and fellow-members of the House of David therefore had a primary covenantal responsibility to uphold Messiah's House and Kingdom, even as the family members of all the Davidic kings had done in each of the Davidic administrations throughout the history of Israel. (See 2 Samuel 7:16, 25-29; Psalm 122:5; Jer.21:12; 33:26; Matt.1:1,20; 9:27; 13:55; Lk. 1:29, 30-36; 2:4; Acts 12:17; Acts 15:13-21; 21:12; 1 Cor. 15:7; Gal. 1:19)
The strong identification of the Davidic Seal specifically with the Davidic House soon fell out of public view. The reason for this is very simple. The Romans and later, the Roman Church, conducted multiple campaigns against the House of David, hunting them down for extermination. This drove the surviving members of the House of David underground, and the true meaning of the Seal of the House of David with them. Therefore, after the Biblical times we have been focusing on, we find the Shield of David coming into use in a much more varied way by Jews, Christians and Moslems, even being utilized at times as a symbol of the occult. In modern times the Magen David became strongly identified with the aspirations of the Jewish people for a national homeland in Israel, emerging as such with the Zionist movement of the nineteenth century. In the twentieth century Nazi Germany utilized the sign of a yellow Magen David to mark millions of Jews as subjects for persecution and even death. Presently, the Magan David is prominently known as the central symbol of the Israeli National Flag. This use of the Shield of David is in keeping with the general modern usage of the symbol. However, as we have seen, it does not well reflect the original meaning of the Davidic symbol, since the secular government of Israel, with respect, is clearly not Davidic.
As for the meaning of the Seal of the House of David within the Messianic Seal - that seems quite clear. Law and Grace brought together. Israelites and Gentiles joined into one. All through the concrete outworking of Yahweh's covenantal promises to David, as fulfilled in the Davidic Administration of Yeshua the Messiah, King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
This symbol was found in what is thought to be the place of the Last Supper on some ancient pottery which proves to be that thr Jewish faith and Christian was never supposed to be seperated , but sadly it was. Judaism does not need Christianity to explain its roots , but we need them This is why I call myself A Judeo- Christian.