In his book The Handwriting on the Wall, Dr. David Jeremiah tells the story of Leopold Cohn. He was a Jewish man born in Berezna, Hungary, in 1862. Cohn became a rabbi. The focus of his studies centered on the Messiah’s identity and  coming. He wanted to know when the scattered people of Israel would be regathered to the Promised Land under the Messiah’s rule. His search led him to the prophecy of the seventy weeks from Daniel 9:24-27.

 

On the basis of verses twenty-five and twenty-six specifically, Cohn concluded that the Messiah has already come. This new conviction confounded Cohn and created conflict with other rabbis. Eventually, Cohn took his family and left Hungary for the United States. Maybe that was because he wanted to immigrate to land of religious freedom, or because one fellow rabbi had told him that while he didn’t know where the Messiah was, he thought Cohn should look in New York City! Maybe both of those reasons are right. At any rate, once in NYC, on one Sabbath morning Cohn walked past the open door of a building that was adorned with the cross as well as a sign, written in Hebrew, that said “Meeting for Jews.” He entered. Found a seat. Heard the preacher proclaim that Jesus Christ is the Messiah. He was given a New Testament in Hebrew. Back home around eleven that morning, Cohn opened the book and began reading at the beginning. “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ [Yeshua the Messiah], the son of David, the son of Abraham” Matthew 1:1. He read until one-o’clock the following morning, at which time Rabbi Leopold Cohn committed himself to Jesus of Nazareth as the Jewish Messiah. In due time, Cohn bought a stable, cleaned it out, set up some chairs, and began to hold his own gospel meetings. That was the first outreach of what was to become Chosen People Ministries. All started because a rabbi read Daniel nine.