Amos Darowksi
BIB329NA
Prof. Jeffrey Garcia
The Signs of the Messiah

The central theme of the Old Testament Holy Books is the coming of the Messiah and the establishment of the Kingdom of God among people. Despite their great antiquity, the Old Testament prophecies have in no way lost their actuality. They help the believing person to understand their faith more deeply and fully. To the unbelieving person, they serve as proof of the existence of God and His participation in human life. Just the fact that the prophets could prophesy the occurrences of the future, with such accuracy and with such detail, hundreds and thousands of years in advance, gives witness that God spoke through them. The goal of the Old Testament prophecies was to prepare the Jews, and through them all of mankind, for the coming of the Savior of the world, so that when He came, He could be recognized and they would believe in Him. However, the task of the prophets was difficult for several reasons. First of all, the Messiah was to be not only a great person, but at the same time God. For this reason, the prophets were faced with the task of revealing the Godly nature of the Messiah, but in such a way, that it did not give rise to polytheism, to which ancient people were so prone, Jews included. Secondly, the prophets had to show that the work of the Messiah would consist not only of the external improvements of living conditions but more importantly the goal of His coming into the world was to help people rid themselves of inner evils and to show the way to God. For these reasons God, through the prophets, gradually revealed to people the identity of the Messiah and the order of His Kingdom. In the Old Testament books, several hundred prophecies about the Messiah and His Kingdom can be found. They are scattered throughout almost all the books of the Old Testament. Additionally however, there are apocryphal sources as well from various sects and authors which help to reveal the identity and role of the Messiah. The Hebrew word mashiach ("anointed") is used in the Old Testament to identify a person in special relationship to God. The term is employed variously with respect to kings, priests, prophets and even foreign rulers. The use of the term mashiach with respect to these divinely appointed positions allow for the greater embodiment of these offices by a distinctly predicted “Anointed.” In this light, the Greater Prophet spoken of by Moses (Deut. 18:15), the unending priesthood of Melchizedek (Gen. 14:18-20), and the eternally enthroned seed of David (2 Sam. 7:12-16; 23:1-3, 5) merge within the growing development of the messianic concept.[1] The term mashiach develops gradually through out scripture and the post-exilic period to embody, by the Second Temple period, the picture of the Messiah, who would appear at the end of the age, to wage the messianic wars, defeat Israel’s enemies, restore the nation and rule on a universal scale. The Old Testament prophets had the immense task of keeping the Hebrew nation believing in One God, and to prepare the foundation for faith in the coming Messiah as a Being who had, besides the human, also a Godly nature. The prophets had to speak about the Godliness of Christ in such a way that it would not be understood by the Jews in heathen terms, that is, as polytheism. For this reason the Old Testament prophets revealed the secret of the Godliness of the Messiah gradually, in keeping with the measure of belief in One God instilled in the Hebrew nation. Isaiah, one of the most outstanding prophets in the Old Testament, includes a great number of prophecies about the Messiah. The prophet Isaiah wrote about the human nature of the Messiah, how the Messiah would be born, and what name He would be called. Isaiah also speaks of where the Messiah would do his teaching, in the boundaries of the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali, which is called Galilee; Isaiah speaks of the deeds of the Anointed one and His qualities, in particular, of His mercy and meekness. Isaiah spoke about healings, both spiritual and physical and that the Kingdom of God would be started by a “precious corner stone”. These are just a sample of what Isaiah wrote. There are various prophecies that Isaiah made regarding the anointed one and God. The concept that Isaiah lays out regarding the Anointed one begins to develop a clearer picture and forms the early Jewish view of the Messiah. The prophets gave many revelations of the Messiah, starting in Genesis, which allow us to create a clearer picture of whom to look for. However, the Second Temple Period gave us a great deal of views and concepts. Whether or not they are divinely inspired is a debatable issue however, the views that are set forth by communities and people seeking God and His Anointed one gives us an in-depth look and a better understanding of scripture. One profound non-scriptural example of the view of the Anointed one came to us very recently. It is known as “the Messianic Apocalypse (4Q521)”:

[the hea]vens and the earth will listen to His Messiah, and none therein will stray from the commandments of the holy ones.
Seekers of the Lord, strengthen yourselves in His service!
All you hopeful in (your) heart, will you not find the Lord in this?
For the Lord will consider the pious (hasidim) and call the righteous by name.
Over the poor His spirit will hover and will renew the faithful with His power.
And He will glorify the pious on the throne of the eternal Kingdom.
He who liberates the captives, restores sight to the blind, straightens the b[ent]
And f[or] ever I will cleav[ve to the h]opeful and in His mercy . . .
And the fr[uit . . .] will not be delayed for anyone.
And the Lord will accomplish glorious things which have never been as [He . . .]
For He will heal the wounded, and revive the dead and bring good news to the poor
. . .He will lead the uprooted and knowledge . . . and smoke (?)
(Michael O. Wise, translation)[2] This text comes to us from the Qumran community and it clearly shows us the beliefs that were held about the Messiah in the Second Temple period. What is more striking are the similarities between this text and the early Christians. This text contains three striking features that are significant for comparing the apocalyptic beliefs and expectations of the Qumran community with the early Christian movement. First, the text speaks of a single Messiah figure who will rule heaven and earth. Second, it mentions in the clearest language the expectation of the resurrection of the dead during the time of the Messiah. And third, it contains an exact verbal parallel with the Gospels of Matthew and Luke for identifying of the signs of the Messiah. The early Christians obviously focused on a single Messiah, a descendent of King David, whom they identified as Jesus of Nazareth. They remembered him as one who had power over the demonic spirits, over disease and death, and even over the forces of nature. The Messianic Apocalypse gives us clear evidence that the Qumran community believed in resurrection and that it was a sign of the Messiah. The striking aspect of the text and the New Testament are the latter lines of the text: “For he will heal the wounded, resurrect the dead, and proclaim glad tiding to the poor.” In both Matthew and Luke we read of a group of disciples that John the Baptist sends to Jesus while John is imprisoned. John's disciples ask Jesus, "Are you the coming one, or do we look for another?" The story is framed around the question of messianic identity, what will the signs of the true Messiah be? Jesus answers: Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have the glad tiding preached to them (Luke 7:22-23 and Matthew 11:4-5). This reply reflects a very early Christian expectation of the signs of the messianic age and the marks for identification of the Messiah. Through this Dead Sea Scroll fragment, we can see a common tradition within Judaism regarding the "signs of the Messiah." There appears to be a specific set of expectations of the Messiah and it is based off of prophetic texts and Jewish literature. In the Old Testament books, several hundred prophecies about the Messiah and His blessed Kingdom can be found. It must be understood that Messianic prophecy is not a bunch of independent prophecies of promises. There is essentially one Messianic promise, which is unfolded and elaborated on throughout the Old Testament, each passage in the Old Testament must be examined in its own context and on its own terms. So Messianic prophecy is one promise developed in a progressive series of revelations rather than several disjointed predictions. While I will not go into each prophecy made about the Messiah, it is beneficial to understand what it is we believe and why. Many Messianic prophecies are quite clear and easy to understand, especially in light of New Testament revelation. There are different types of Messianic prophecies in the Old Testament. Some Messianic prophecies are more general in nature. These prophecies might have a near or immediate application during the time period of the prophecy. Second, there are direct Messianic prophecies that speak specifically of the future Messiah and are more personal in nature. A third type of Messianic prophecy is New Testament Applications of the Old Testament. Here the language of the Old Testament leaves no indication of a specific prediction. The prophecies that were given have an unfolding and narrowing aspect to them. The example of this would be the prophecy of the identity of the Anointed one such as: coming from the seed of the woman of Shem, of Abraham, of Isaac, of Jacob, of David. And the narrowing example would be of the Messiah’s ministry and character: Seed, prophet, Priest, King, servant, and shepherd. We can see how the prophecies become specific in describing the Anointed one. We have been given many prophecies about the Anointed one, in fact several hundred prophecies that have to be fulfilled to prove that some one is the Messiah. Josh McDowell in his book, Evidence That Demands A Verdict, speaks of the probability that the Old Testament prophecies could be fulfilled in one individual:
"The following probabilities are taken from Peter Stoner in Science Speaks to show that coincidences ruled out by the science of probability. Stoner says that by using the modern science of probability in reference to eight prophecies...We find that the chance that any man might have lived down to the present time and fulfilled all eight prophecies is 1 in 10 to the 17th power. That would be 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000. In order to help us comprehend this staggering probability, Stoner illustrates it by supposing that we take this many silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas. They will cover all of the state two feet deep. Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly, all over the state. Blindfold a man and tell him that he can travel as far as he wishes, but he must pick up one silver dollar and say that this is the right one. Just the same chance that the prophets would have had of writing these eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one man, from their day to the present time."[3] The fulfillment of the prophecies is a daunting task, one that can not be accomplished by human ability. Many have claimed Messiahship, and have come up short. Jesus of Nazareth declared Himself the Messiah and attributed the predictions of the prophets to Himself. Jesus attributed the prediction of Isaiah about the Spirit of the Lord, which was to descend on the Messiah. He alluded to Isaiah’s prediction about the healing of the infirm by the Messiah. He told the Judeans that they should delve into the Scriptures, because the Scriptures witness of Him. He also said that He is the Stone, who is to sit on the right hand of the Father. Jesus Christ also said that He was the “Stone” cast out by the “builders,” alluding to the well-known prediction in Psalm 118. During the trial before Caiaphas, to the direct question of the high priest whether he is “Christ, the Son of God,” Christ answered in the affirmative and reminded him of the prophecy of Daniel about the Son of Man, and His acknowledgment served as the reason for Jesus’ condemnation to death. After His resurrection form the dead, Christ reproached His apostles for being “slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken”. In a word, Jesus Christ right from the beginning of His ministry, even to His sufferings of the Cross and after His resurrection, declared Himself the Messiah, promised by the prophets. The prophecies attested to the fact, that the main objective of the Messiah would be the defeat of the devil and his servants, the redemption of mankind from sins, the healing of their spiritual and physical ailments and reconciliation with God; that He will sanctify the faithful and establish a New Testament, and His spiritual blessings will extend to all humanity. Jesus fulfilled the prophecies of the prophets accurately, and a new everlasting covenant has been established between God and man. It is evident by scripture, the faith and martyrdom of the apostle’s that Jesus is the Christ. Clearly the fact that many more than eight of the prophecies are fulfilled in Jesus Christ makes the probability much more unfathomable. It is certainly a convincing proof that Jesus is who He claimed to be. The signs of the Messiah through out scripture and apocryphal writings are numerous. The ancient writings give us an understanding of Jewish beliefs, lifestyle and hopes. The Bible and the prophets that authored it gave us the blueprints for being children of God. Because of the prophets we have evidence for our hope. The book of Deuteronomy tells us how we should test prophets and prophecies.
If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. There are hundreds of prophecies concerning the Messiah, starting with Genesis. By studying the prophecies and examining the New Testament fulfillments of them we can judge whether they have been fulfilled. We have a litmus test for the prophecies and are told to test the prophets, this is for our own benefit, one to not be fooled and secondly to have evidence for our faith. It is amazing, the amount of writings we have about our own salvation. I am in no position to judge on the validity or divine inspiration of a text; however what we have of the apocryphal and the Dead Sea Scrolls can greatly enrich our understanding of scripture. The Messianic Apocalypse (4Q521) is a clear outline of what certain Jewish communities waited for and were expecting in respect to the Messiah. The signs of the Messiah are not always clear in scripture and we must use discernment. However, the amount of information we have, the amount of prophecies, and the proofs we have are enough to make a clear decision about the Messiah. Jesus is who He claimed to be. He is Messiah, God come in the flesh!

Bibliography

Hess, Richard S. Israel's Messiah in the Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2003.

Janowski, Bernd, and Peter Stuhlmacher. The Suffering Servant: Isaiah 53 in Jewish and Christian Sources. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Pub., 2004.

McDowell, Josh. Evidence That Demands a Verdict. San Bernardino, CA: Here's Life Publishers, 1979.

Price, Randall. "The Concept of the Messiah in the Old Testament."

Wise, Michael. The Dead Sea Scrolls: A New Translation. New York: HarperCollins, 1996.

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[1] Price, Randall “The Concept of the Messiah in the Old Testament” http://www.worldofthebible.com/

[2] Wise, Michael. The Dead Sea Scrolls: A New Translation. New York: HarperCollins, 1996. Print.
[3] McDowell, Josh. Evidence That Demands a Verdict. San Bernardino, CA: Here's Life, 1979. Print.