Book Review – Signs And Secrets Of The Messiah – A Fresh Look At The Miracles Of Jesus By Jason Sobel

Currently, I’m leaving aside any discussion on the author or his continuationist ideas, this review is about the book.

While there is some good theology and history here, what Sobel attempts to do is tie a lot of saying, allusions, and typologies from the Old Testament into the New Testament. The biggest issue that when Sobel is attempting to tie them together he tends to just make the assertion without actually providing proof that we should view the link or better yet, that the original authors, audience, or speakers would be doing the linking. Discussion on the importance of Jesus doing His first miracle at a wedding is linked as importance to the original created order – but how? Other than the assertion there is no direct link to the first miracle being at a wedding.

Some of the worst attempts to link ideas is through kabal-like numerology in counting Hebrew words which can be a thing however, in things like his discussion of John 3, Sobel asserts Hebrew letter numbering when the original text was in Greek. Where is the discussion that we should take the original language, translate it into Hebrew, and then take the importance of the number scale into consideration? Is this what Jesus wants to highlight when He’s talking in John 3?

There is also a focus on using Yeshua for Jesus and implementing Hebrew terminology throughout the book. This seems more like brand focusing than what’s necessary. However, I will say there isn’t anything outright heretical here. There is some good points made about faith and sanctification (again, I’m leaving any discussion of continuations out of the discussion and only focusing on the book). More focus could have been done of staying within the Old Testament to show the linking that Sobel is attempting to do. If you’re looking for something along those lines G.K. Beale’s Handbook on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament: Exegesis and Interpretation is a good introductory text into that. I wouldn’t recommend this one.