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Overview
Messiah is the incarnated in human nature Divine Son of God portrait in the Bible. His designation with the terms Messiah (in Hebrew – Old Testament) or Christ (in Greek – New Testament) means Anointed One.
His name is Jesus, meaning the One who saves His people from sin (Matthew 1:21). It was given Him by Joseph as the angel of the Lord had bidden him. (Matthew 1:21-25).
The Son of God is human Creator who also volunteered to rescue them from sin and Satan. (John 1:3). The time of His coming, anointing by the Holy Spirit, ministry and sacrificial death were pointed out by the prophets. (Daniel 9; Isaiah 53).
So, Messiah was the promised Deliverer from the first book of the Old Testament, who will bruise serpent’s head. (Genesis 3:14, 15). For this work Christ was anointed with the Spirit of God at His baptism. (Matthew 3:16; John 1:32).
Based on their foreknowledge, God and His Son agreed to help humankind cut the chains of sin bondage. It was even before human species ever existed.
The Bible tells that this is the great mystery of God. Jesus, the Christ (Anointed or Messiah) was the Lamb slain before the foundation of this wold. (Romans 16:25; Colossians 2:2; Revelation 13:8)
Thus the first advent of the Son of God fulfilled His Messianic mission as revealed by the prophets.
So, Messiah is the description of the central and unifying person of Scriptures – fully Divine and fully human.
Table of contents
- Proclaiming the Messianic hope of deliverance
- Revealing the Messiah’s advent to patriarchs and prophets
- Discerning in Jesus of Nazareth the Messiah of prophecy
- Examples of the major Messianic prophecies
- Common questions (with answers) people ask about Messiah
- Conclusion on Messiah
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About the author
Bojko Belovsky – founder of God’s Love Gateway
My promise to you: Always genuine Christ-centered messages for your life growth now leading to eternity.
Proclaiming the Messianic hope of deliverance
Right after the fall of our first parents, God acted announcing humanity’s ultimate Deliverer from sin (Genesis 3:15). The members of the Goadhead – the Father and the Son were faithful and true to their eternal covenant.
Since then, they work to make known to humankind their unwavering love and will to save them.
God has worked trough all those sanctuaries to raise a people through whom the Messiah would come.
He was:
- Building their trust and love to Himself and each other in all His dealings with them. (Jeremiah 31:3).
- Demonstrating constantly the power of His Word and Spirit to deliver in real daily life. (Numbers 21:5-9).
- Establishing the Sanctuary and the entire ceremonial system to instill reverence and holiness, pointing to the Promised One.
All those served as object lessons for His power to deliver from the bondage of sin.
God outlined in His Word everything one needs to know about one’s salvation. This includes repentance to God and living faith in His Son.
The terms of the restored oneness between God and humanity were arranged from all eternity. Christ (the Anointed) is the Savior of every individual who lived from Adam and until His second coming.
The Son of God offered to atone with His own blood for the humanity’s transgression. So probation was granted to our first parents and all after.
Thus through faith in the power of Christ to save, they might become once more the children of God. This was the tread of human history from creation time till the incarnation of the beloved Son of God in human substance.
Revealing the Messiah’s advent to patriarchs and prophets
In the old dispensation time, Christ was giving knowledge of Himself through patriarchs and prophets.
On Mount Moriah, the glorious Messianic promise, had been confirmed to Abraham. (Genesis 22:16-18). God made His covenant with Abraham about 430 years before He gave His moral Law on Sinai.
He had confirmed and ratified it in Christ by His death. It is the very same gospel which the New Testament presents to us. For example:
And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying,
In thee shall all nations be blessed. Galatians 3:8.
Therefore, the covenant of grace in Christ is not a new truth.
There are many Old Testament prophecies, narrating Messiah’s advent. Their significance is not in their big number. Rather, it is in:
- Outlining the Messiah’s characteristics. (Isaiah 61:1).
- Time of the Anointed One appearance. (Daniel 9:23-27).
- The essence of Messiah’s incarnation in human nature. (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:21).
- What is the mission of the One sent from God. (Isaiah 49, Daniel 9:26, 27).
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Discerning in Jesus of Nazareth the Messiah of prophecy
Disciples and apostles accepted Jesus as the Messiah by the testimony of prophets over a period of centuries. (Isaiah chapters 7, 53, 61; Micah chapter 5; Acts 10:38, 39).
And it was Christ that spoke to His people through the prophets. (Revelation 19:10; 1 Peter 1:10, 11).
So the Messiah typified in the ceremonial law is the very same Christ that the gospel reveals. He came and died for our sins just as the prophecies foretold that He would.
Type met Anti-type in His life and death, and the ceremonies found their fulfillment. (Luke 4:17, 18, 21).
Speaking of the good news, the apostle Paul said:
The revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began.
But now it is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith. Romans 16: 25, 26.
The Christian world has a complete evidence about Messiah through both – the Old and the New Testament. In the one, pointing to the Anointed to come. And in the other, fulfilling the prophecies’ condition.
Coming to His own
From the beginning there have been some whose faith has reached out beyond the present to the future realities.
So, through Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and other patriarchs and prophets, God has preserved the revelation of His will.
Though given to Abraham, the promise of the world’s blessing has its ultimate meaning and fulfillment in Jesus. He was to be born as a man from a linage of the faithful people of God.
He has chosen to give to the world the promised Messiah at the time of ancient Hebrews. Therefore, He gave them the knowledge of the:
- Requirements of His laws (Moral and Ceremonial)
- Salvation through the atoning sacrifice of His beloved Son.
Thus the knowledge of God’s redemptive plan was to be preserved for the benefit of future generations.
Prophets were to be raised up, calling attention to the meaning of the sacrificial ceremonies.
Moreover, to the promise of Jehovah about the advent of the One toward whom all the ordinances of the sacrificial system pointed.
At the time of His ministry as man among men, Christ said to to the religious leaders:
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I Am. John 8:58.
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Coming as a Savior from sin
Sin made the human hearts in conflict with the principles of God’s character and will, separating them with their Maker. (Isaiah 59:2; Romans 8:7).
Thus humans were severed from God – the ultimate source of life, and brought to themselves eternal death. (Romans 6:23).
The profound truth is that no one can avoid it without the atonement of the Son of God and renewing of the heart by Divine grace.
Under the Old Testament dispensation, the typical sacrifices and offerings represented Christ.
Every time the life of a sacrificial offering was taken, they were reminded of something important. If there had been no sin, there would have been no death.
The promise of the Messiah kept the hope through the ages of idolatry and apostasy.
People with contrite hearts were praying that God would accept their offerings by faith in the coming Savior.
Through his experience of obedience and the grace of God, Abraham saw Christ and His day of sacrifice. And he was glad. (John 8:56).
Jesus had made an offering of Himself, once for all. (Hebrews 10:10). Thus through death for the sin of the world He destroyed him that had the power of death, the devil. (John 1:29; Hebrews 2:14).
Examples of the major Messianic prophecies
The examples here are some of those which Christ Himself referenced.
Covering the Messiah’s advent in Daniel’s prophecy
The message of Christ about the kingdom of God was based on the prophecy of Daniel.
Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, saying,
The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. Mark 1:14, 15.
The “time” which He said is fulfilled is from the seventy weeks prophecy made known to Daniel by the angel Gabriel. To “anoint the Most Holy” was to be done among other things through this time period. (Daniel 9:24).
70 weeks equals 490 days. In prophecy day for year principle is used. (Numbers 14:34; Ezekiel 4:6). So, it is 490 years beginning at B.C. 457 based on the following statement of Gabriel:
Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks. Daniel 9:25.
This is a period of 69 weeks, or 483 years. The decree to restore Jerusalem went into effect in the autumn of B. C. 457. (Ezra 6:14; 7:1, 9).
So, from B.C. 457 till “Messiah the Prince” are 483 years. It comes to year A. D. 27. According to prophecy, this period was to reach to the Messiah, the Anointed One.
In A. D. 27 Jesus received the anointing of the Holy Spirit at His baptism. (Matthew 3:16; John 1:32). Right after, He began His ministry and preached the message – “The time is fulfilled.”
And finally, Christ the true sacrifice offered Himself on Calvary in the spring of A. D. 31. (Daniel 9:26).
So, the prophet Daniel gave the clear connection between Messiah’s divinity and humanity. For example:
- Anointing of the most Holy (Daniel 9:24), and the advent of the Messiah the Prince (Daniel 9:25). Those attributes were used by the prophets to describe God and His Divine Son. (Isaiah 54:5, 60:9; Jeremiah 51:5; Habakkuk 1:12; Isaiah 9:6).
- The Messiah will be cut off, but not for Himself (Daniel 9:26), and cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease. (Daniel 9:27). We are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. This took way the animal’s sacrifice and offering for sin. (Isaiah 53; Hebrews 10:4-10; Romans 5:11).
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Covering the Messiah’s advent in Isaiah’s prophecy
Before His ascension, Christ explained to His disciples the prophecies concerning Himself. (Luke 24:27).
Furthermore, in the Synagogue of His own town, He claimed to be the One that Isaiah the prophet revealed. (Isaiah 61:1, 2).
And He (Jesus) came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up, and stood up for to read.
And there was delivered unto Him the book of the prophet Isaiah.
And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He hath sent Me to:
- Heal the brokenhearted.
- Preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind.
- Set at liberty them that are bruised.
- Preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
And He closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on Him.
And He began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. Luke 4:16-21.
Watch a short video portraying Jesus’ claim to be the Messiah. Learn why the people of his home town rejected him and became violent to him.
Jesus’ heels were bruised by the crucifixion nails on the cross of Calvary. Nevertheless, in the time of the most cruel torture, His severe agony came from taking the sin of the entire world of all time. (Isaiah 53:6; 2 Corinthians 5:21).
Thus on Golgotha, Christ became the Lamb of God who took the sin of the world (John 1:29). His heart was burst by the separation from God the Father caused by this world’s sin.
So, the prophet Isaiah gave the light (knowledge) of Messiah’s salvation to ancient Israel and Gentiles. (Isaiah 49:6-8; 40:5). This is the light that John the Baptist proclaimed at the time of Christ. (John 1:23).
And Jesus said about him:
Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist. Luke 7:28.
But Jesus Christ in His humanity is above all – fully Divine and fully human. He is the Promised One sent from God, coming from above. (Isaiah 61:1; John 8:42, 10:36).
Common questions (with answers) people ask about Messiah
These FAQs gather Scripture based answers. They are meant to be clear, presenting such an important matter in all aspects. Beside been factual, they carry the deeper meaning people search for.
The dominant questions cluster around:
- Messiah’s identity.
- Prophecy and proof.
- Why does the Messiah matter?
So you can understand what the Bible actually teaches about Messiah. Additionally, how to read it as part of the larger biblical story.
At its core, the Bible describes who God’s Anointed One is. Moreover, the work of God’s Spirit, preparing the person to fulfill all God as promised to fallen humanity.
People’s questions answered
What does the term Messiah mean?
In the Old Testament (in Hebrew) – Mashiach means the Anointed One. In the New Testament the Greek word corresponding to Mashiach is Christos or Christ (in English).
So, Jesus Christ means – Jesus the Messiah (Anointed One).
Who is the Messiah in the Bible?
Messiah is the incarnated in human nature Divine Son of God. He was the promised Deliverer from the first book of the Bible. (Genesis 3:15). According to it, He will have victory over sin and Satan, bruising his head.
The term Messiah is dirived from the very special work of God’s Spirit upon the person. The incarnated Son of God in human substanse was filled with the Holy Spirit, empowering Him for His mission.
Through Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and other patriarchs and prophets, God has preserved the revelation of His will to redeem humanity. He has chosen the ancient Hebrews to give to the world the promised Messiah.
The time of His coming, anointing by the Holy Spirit, ministry and sacrificial death were pointed out by the prophets. (Daniel 9; Isaiah 53).
So the Messiah (the Anointed One) typified in the ceremonial law is the very same Christ (the Anointed One) that the gospel reveals. He came and died for our sins just as the prophecies foretold that He would.
In Scriptures, Messiah is the central and unifying designation of a person – fully Divine and fully human. His name is Jesus.
What prophecies identify the Messiah?
The term Messiah came from the process of anointing with the Holy Spirit. It was initiated by God and happened as prophesied by His inspired messengers. There was no human intervention in it.
Thus God the Father prepared His Son at His baptism for His ministry to the people and the battle with sin and Satan. (Isaiah 42:1, 61:1; Daniel 9:24-26; Matthew 3:16; John 1:32; Mark 9:7).
The time of Messiah’s advent, His work and sacrificial death was fulfilled as predicted by the prophecies. (Daniel 9; Isaiah, chapters 49, 53, 61; Luke 2:30, 32; Acts 10:38, 39).
Messiah was not to use none of the means that people employ to win allegiance or command homage. His renunciation of self was foreshadowed by Isaiah, chapter 42 and 53 and portrayed in the Gospel.
Is Jesus the Messiah predicted in the Old Testament?
Jesus of Nazareth is the fulfilled Messiah according to the Old and New Bible’s Testaments. He is the Lord’s Anointed One.
This becomes evident when the Old Testament Messianic prophecies are compered with the New Testament fulfilled conditions in the person of Jesus – the incarnated Son of God in human substance.
Disciples and apostles accepted Jesus as the Messiah by the testimony of prophets over a period of centuries. (Isaiah chapters 7, 53, 61; Micah chapter 5; Acts 10:38, 39).
The New Testament presents His life, death, and resurrection as the direct fulfillment of Old Testament promises. God gave the first promise of Deliverer in the Garden of Eden after the fall. (Genesis 3:15).
As part of His redemptive plan for humanity tthe Messianic promises were renewed to patriarchs (Abraham, Jacob) and prophets (Isaiah, Daniel) through the old dispensation.
God had delivered what He promised. He provided the Lamb – His beloved Son who took the sin of the world. (Isaiah 53:6; 2 Corinthians 5:21; John 1:29, 3:15).
Conclusion on Messiah
The Bible gives prophecies and fulfillment evidence that Jesus Christ revealed in the gospel is the Son of God, the long-expected Messiah.
Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit for His ministry and redemption of our broken world.
God has initiated His plan to deliver His creation from sin and Satan by pronouncing His sentence upon him in Eden. (Genesis 3:14, 15).
The strongest proof that Christ is the promised Messiah and Deliverer is found in the prophecies of the Old Testament comparing with the history of the New.
The Spirit of God was upon Him. So, Lord’s Appointed One appeared and completed His work, fulfilling prophecies conditions.
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Where to go from here
- How To Study The Bible? – Apply these principles for clear spiritual discernment.
- Read Daniel 9 in KJV Bible – Full chapter study following this article references.
- Know God Category – Discover more of God’s trustworthiness as He delivers what He has promised .
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