Episode 34 continues the discussion of the two Messiahs described in the Jewish scriptures and focuses on the material Messiah.

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Transcript
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The Future of the Teachings of Jesus
23. The Two Jewish Concepts of the Messiah, Part 2
The Material Messiah (Ep. 34)

Two Jewish concepts of the Messiah. It has been noted that in the Jewish scriptures the discerning reader will find two very different conceptions of a coming Messiah. The vast majority of these verses refer to a material Messiah who comes as a temporal deliverer of Israel from their enemies, and who then rules the Jewish state forever from the throne of David in Jerusalem. However, we also find another contrasting conception of the Messiah, a spiritual Messiah, who comes to deliver the world from its spiritual bondage and establish the spiritual kingdom of God on earth.

The nature and actions of the material Messiah. The last episode recounted some of the Old Testament verses that prophesied the spiritual Messiah, the one whom we now recognize as Jesus Christ. This episode reveals the nature and actions of the material ruling Messiah who is also foretold in the Jewish scriptures.

The Messiah comes as a warrior-king. The first characteristic of the material Messiah and one that clearly distinguishes him from the spiritual Messiah is that he comes as a warrior-king who brings temporal deliverance to Israel by defeating the nations who come against Jerusalem in the latter days. Following are some of the verses that make clear the fact that the material Messiah comes as a warrior, not as a man of peace:

8Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.  9You shall break them with a rod of iron, and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” (Ps 2:8,9)

4he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked. (Is 11:4)

 2For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses plundered and the women ravished; half of the city shall go into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city. 3Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. (Zec 14:2,3)

The Messiah cannot be harmed. Unlike the spiritual Messiah the material Messiah cannot be harmed by men as is revealed in the following passage from Psalms 91:10-12:

10no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent. 11For he will give his angels charge of you to guard you in all your ways. 12On their hands they will bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone. (Ps 91:10-12)

          The Messiah will come down from heaven. Also, unlike the spiritual Messiah, the material Messiah will come down from heaven as a fully developed mortal, a “son of man”­–not a helpless babe. This is expressed in the following verses:

13 I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. 14And to him was given dominion and glory and kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed. (Dan 7:13,14)

3For behold, the LORD is coming forth out of his place, and will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth. (Mi 1:3)

  1the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts. (Mal 3:1)

   The Messiah will come at a time of great trouble. The time of the material Messiah’s coming will be a time of great tribulation and destruction. This is “the day of the Lord” and “Judgment Day” for the residents of the earth. Here is what prophecy tells us:

         2But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? “For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap; (Mal 3:2)

         5Then I will draw near to you for judgment; I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow and the orphan, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the LORD of hosts. (Mal 3:5)

          1And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time; but at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. (Dan 12:1)

          The Messiah will rule the nations. After the final battle for Jerusalem is won by the conquering Messiah he will become ruler not only over Israel but also over all the nations of the earth. The remnants of the nations will voluntarily submit to the rule of the newly established Planetary Prince. He will rule from his world capital at Jerusalem. And this benign rule of the Messiah will be forever. With this establishment of a divine world government ruled by the Messiah we will finally gain world peace. Here are some verses that express these great prophecies:

 11And many nations shall join themselves to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people; (Zec 2:11)

 9And the LORD will become king over all the earth; (Zec 14:9)

16Then every one that survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, (Zec 14:16)

 4He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. (Is 2:4)

Clarification of the Messianic confusion. Thus, it is revealed that two very different types of Messiahs were prophesied by the Jewish scriptures. Most students of Old Testament prophesy have failed to clearly distinguish the one from the other, thus producing a very confused concept of the Messiah and his mission. It is clear that Jesus Christ was the spiritual Messiah. From our modern perspective and the discerning study of Old Testament prophecy the identity of the material Messiah can now be recognized. He is Melchizedek, the divine son and servant of Jesus who brought the covenant to Abraham, and who will return in the “latter days” to defeat the antichrist and rule the world forever. Melchizedek is fully discussed in Episode 32, “The Coming of Melchizedek.”

Errors resulting from this confusion. This lack of recognition that two very different deliverers or Messiahs are predicted in the Jewish scriptures, and the corresponding error of seeking to make all the Messianic passages refer to one individual, has led to critical errors. When Jesus came to the Jews they failed to recognize him as their spiritual Messiah because he did not deliver them from the Roman domination and restore the throne of David. Even many of Jesus’ followers were disappointed and confused because they falsely believed he would deliver them from the Roman domination. After his crucifixion they looked for Jesus to immediately return in power and glory to establish a worldwide and more or less material kingdom, ruling the nations from Jerusalem.

Summary. In summary, the material Messiah will be a divine personality, a high Son of God and servant of Jesus like Gabriel, who is sent to rescue the earth in its time of great distress. Unlike Jesus, he will not be born of woman but will come directly from heaven as a fully formed adult. He will be protected by angels and cannot be harmed by human beings. He will come as a warrior-king to defeat the forces of the antichrist, end the unjust rule of men, and institute the rule of God over the nations of the earth. He will become our divine Planetary Prince and will rule our world as Jesus’ vice regent forever. This coming material Messiah is Melchizedek, the divine Son of God who was High Priest to Abraham, and serves as the personal representative of Jesus to our world.

Your kingdom come; Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. The confusion that resulted from seeking to make all the Messianic prophecies refer to one individual has led to critical errors–the Jews rejected Jesus as their spiritual deliverer, and Jesus’ followers were increasingly disappointed as they looked for his immanent return to establish a divine world government. In the coming ages the spirits of the Father and Jesus will rule our hearts and Melchizedek will rule our national governments. This will bring us one step closer to God’s kingdom in heaven where the Father’s will rules both the hearts of the heavenly hosts and the divine government. We will advance towards the more complete fulfillment of Jesus’ great prayer, Your kingdom come; Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. (Mt 6:10)

 

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