"Thus says Yahweh of hosts: 'In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man (Yehudi, Judahite), saying, 'Let us go with you, for we have heard that Elohim (God) is with you''" (Zech.8:23, NKJV).

We can only understand the proper meaning of this prophecy by first understanding what the "ten men from every language of the nations" means and what it means to "grasp the sleeve".

To "take hold of the kanaf (skirt, sleave)" is a Middle Eastern idiom meaning to 'beg' or 'entreat'. The woman with an issue of blood (permanent period), unable to speak to Yah'shua (Jesus), took hold of His tzitzit or tassels on the edge of his robe because she was begging Him to heal her. Yah'shua (Jesus) knew exactly what her tugging meant and healed her instantly becausen of her emunah (faith) (Mk.5:30).

Zechariah, like Isaiah and other Hebrew prophets, saw the glorious days of restoration of the remnant and the importance of a spiritual Israel and the fullness of the emunah (faith) free of man-made tempels and doctrines. In the early days of the New Covenant many nations visited Jerusalem, the City of Shalom (Peace), seeking the True Emunah (Faith) which had been foreseen by the nevi'im (prophets) and was fulfilled in the Messiah.

But let us return to the number 10 - why has this been chosen? 10 represents completeness of order, or a whole ordered compliment, such as the Ten Devarim (Words/Commandments) which summarise and represent in simple form the full compliment of Torah mitzvot (commandments). Ten in this context does not therefore represent 10 literal people but the whole of a particular linguistic group who cling onto the robe of the Yehudi begging to be taken along. Why would these people from every linguistic division want to do cling on to a Yehudi and who is the Yehudi?

Firstly, this is not a reference to modern Jews, whether Messianic or not because Judaism as it is known today did not exist in those days and was only referred to prophetically as the "synagogue of Satan" (Rev.2:9; 3:9) because it was - and still is - a counterfeit of the true assembly of Judahites who accept Messiah Yah'shua (Jesus) as their King. Today's passage is a complimentary prophecy to Isaiah:

"It shall be that I [Yahweh] will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come and see My glory" (Isa.66:18, NKJV).

Who then, is the Yehudi or Judahite spoken of by Zechariah? This can be understood on two primary prophetic levels:

• 1. It is YAH'SHUA (Jesus), who is the "Lion of the Tribe of Judah" (Rev.5:5):

  "Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father's children shall bow down before you. Judah is a lion's whelp (cub); from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion; and as a lion, who shall rouse him? The scepter (rulership) shall not depart from Judah, nor a Torah-giver (lawgiver) from between his feet, until Shiloh (Yah'shua the Messiah/Jesus Christ) comes; and to Him shall be the [required] obedience of the people" (Gen.49:8-10, NKJV).

• 2. It is all those of the New Covenant House of Israel - first Ephraim toward whom Yahweh acts as the spiritually adult lion (after Shiloh has come) and then Judah as the "young lion", whelp or cub:

  "For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, and like a young lion (whelp) to the house of Judah" (Hos.5:14, NKJV).

Those clinging to Yah'shua (Jesus) the Yehudi's skirt/sleave represent people of every nation, kindred and tongue hungry for the true Besorah (Gospel). They will come to Yah'shua's (Jesus') true talmidim (disciples) and cling to their tzitzitt (tassels) because they will perceive that they have something of immense worth that they don't. They will beg them to share the emet (truth) with them so that they too can know the living Elohim (God), His Messiah, and His Torah (as represented by holding on to the tzitzit on the edge of the garments).

In the light of these truths there is no way that today's passage can either be referring to modern non-Messianic Jews (who are in dire apostacy) or just to Messianic Jews (who mix the Besorah/Gospel with many false Judaic traditions), the latter of whom are a relatively new phenomenon and movement. The Yehudi here is Yah'shua the Messiah (Jesus Christ), and indirectly all those spiritually regenerated or reborn by Him who have tiztzit (that is, are Torah-obedient). We are all, therefore, symbolically "a Yehudi" on a lower level by virtue of our union with Messiah no matter what our racial or linguistic origin or even Israelite tribe, and people will come in droves and cling by proxy to Him viâ our tzitzit (tassels) as the Light of Messiah shines through us until they are able to stand alone in Him and freely unite in the Shavu'ot covenants.

The same kind of symbolic language can be seen in the illustration of the seven women of Isaiah:

"And in that day seven women shall take hold of one (a) man, saying, 'We will eat our own food and wear our own apparel; only let us be called by your shem (name), to take away our reproach.' In that day the Branch of Yahweh shall be beautiful and glorious; and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and appealing for those of Israel who have escaped" (Isa.4:1-2, NKJV).

• 1. The Man is Yah'shua (Jesus), the Branch (Zec.3:8; 6:12), and the seven women represent the complete Body of Messiah (Messianic Israel), the number 7 also representing completeness (like 10, though this specifically refers to order) and spiritual perfection - this is therefore a picture of the Mystical Marriage of Messiah;

• 2. A patriarchal marriage between a man and seven women in the last days that will be characterised by the women taking the initiative in asking for marriage as well as offering to provide for their own upkeep because of the value and scarcity of men with a goodly name.

As we have clearly seen elsewhere, the leadership rôle of Judah ended with the first coming of Messiah and the first apostles and passed to Joseph-Ephraim, so today's passage cannot, if it were referring to the descendents of Judah, be pointing beyond this time. The symbolism, however, does point to a particular Judahite or Yehudi as opposed to many or a 'representative example', a Man who will gather the total sum of those of other languages represented by the number 10 for each language who are willing to adhere to Him viâ His tzitzit, a Man who can only possibly be Yah'shua the Messiah (Jesus Christ) Himself and by extension, His anointed representatives.

This Millennial Kingdom, in which the partitioning of an extended Holy Land in Ezekiel 47-48 delineates the future territories of the restored Twelve Tribes, also includes a territory for the 'Prince', the Josephite Prime Minister, of which Joseph of Egypt was a type on multiple layers layers, or chief executive officer of Yehudi King Yah'shua (Jesus):

The invitation to all is to go with the Yehudi, our Messiah, by clutching onto his sleeve/robe by the tzitzit as a testimony that we are fully relying on Him as the Living Torah!