Andrew found Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah, which is being interpreted, the Christ." (John 1:41.) Philip said to Nathaniel, "We have found him of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." (John 1:45.) John the Baptist said, "You yourselves bear me witness that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him." (John 3:28.) The Samaritan woman said, "I know that Messiah comes, which is called Christ. When he comes, he will tell us all things. Jesus said unto her, I that speak unto thee am he." (John 4:25-26.) When she went into the city, she said, "Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did. Is not this the Christ?" (4:29.) Peter responded to the Lord, "To whom shall we go, thou hast the words of eternal life. We believe and art sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God." (John 6:68-69.) "Others said, This is the Christ. But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee? Hath not the Scripture said that Christ comes out of the seed of David and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was?" (John 7:41-42.)

This kind of discussion is found throughout the Gospel of John and it was the theme of first century preaching. Recently, I heard a man scoff at the idea that Jesus of Nazareth is the promised Messiah. He was a Jewish professor with two Ph.ds in religion, OT theology. His rejection of Jesus puts him on the horns of a dilemma—if Jesus of Nazareth is not the Messiah, then who is? The professor and all other Jews know that the Jewish Scriptures foretell the coming of a King (Messiah). Secondly, the time for the fulfillment of those promises has already passed. (I will discuss this in a moment.) If Jesus is not the Messiah, then who is? Another dilemma is that the Scriptures clearly foretell the coming of a special King and many Jews have given up looking for Him. Why? Is it because there is not another person who fits the biblical description? It is an awkward position to have Scriptures on record saying that Messiah is coming and yet not to acknowledge that he has come! Are your prophets true?

Many in the world today accept the great truth that Jesus of Nazareth is the one foretold by the prophets and by Moses in the Law. Yet, there are millions who deny the Christ. How do we show that he is the promised prophet and priest and king? I will present several lines of evidence that point directly to Jesus of the first century.

#1: A five hundred-year period. Jesus said that many would come saying that they were the Christ. (Matt. 24:23-24.) Why did many make that false claim in the first century and afterwards? Because it was the right time for the Christ to come. Today that time period has passed. The Christ cannot be someone from the twentieth or twentieth-first century. If we are going to find the Messiah, there is only five hundred years in which he may biblical be found. Why? Because the prophet Daniel foretold that the God of heaven would set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed. This would be fulfilled in the days of the Roman Empire. (Daniel 2:44.)

Daniel revealed to Nebuchadnezzar (King of Babylon) that his dream meant that there would arise after him three other kingdoms—Medo-Persian, Greek and Roman. God’s kingdom would be established during the days of the fourth kingdom. (2:40-44.) Each kingdom is ruled by kings. Though the Messiah or King (Messiah means anointed one or king) is not mentioned by Daniel, he is necessarily associated with this kingdom. This kingdom, cut out of the mountain without hands, thus of divine origin, would be established within a five hundred-year period, the time the Roman Empire existed (63 BC to 410 AD).

I find it interesting that God did not wait long after the beginning of the fourth kingdom to establish his kingdom. Rome began about 63 BC with Pompey and God established his kingdom on Pentecost, 30 AD. Ninety years within the Roman Empire, Daniel’s prophecy was fulfilled. Jesus, the King, was born at about 4 BC. Thus, within 60 years after the beginning of the Roman kingdom, God sent his Son. Andrew, Peter, John, Philip, Nathaniel, and many others were reading these Scriptures and knew the time was right for the coming of the Messiah.

"Jesus came into Galilee preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God and saying, The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent ye, and believe the Gospel." (Mark 1:14-15.)

#2: The Messiah would suffer for sins and be raised. The Jewish Scriptures were clear that the Messiah would come to suffer for the sins of mankind. This suffering would be unto death. (Isaiah 53.) The great prophet, Isaiah, wrote four "suffering servant songs." This part of the story of a coming Messiah was difficult for Jewish readers to comprehend. Do you recall the Eunuch asking Philip if the prophet was speaking of himself or of some other man? (Acts 8:34.) Obviously, there would be much in the OT that the Jews would not fully understand until later. They would naturally want their king to live, if he was coming to deliver them politically. They did not understand the spiritual nature of the Messianic kingdom.

Years later, Paul wrote to the divisive Corinthians about two conditions that must be true before one could be a follower of another person. They were: he must be crucified for you and you must be baptized in his name. (1 Cor. 1:13.)

A good question to ask concerning the promised Messiah is this one: Does anyone else fulfill the description of the suffering servant of Isaiah? He suffered for us—a substitutionary atonement. He took our place. He not only suffered (wounded, bruised, visage marred), but he was cut off out of the land of the living. He made his grave with the wicked and the rich. (53:8-9.) He poured out his soul unto death. (53:12.) Who else in history, within the days of the Roman Empire, met this description? Did Muhammed (6^th century AD), or Joseph Smith (19^th century AD), or Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama (6^th century BC), or Mary Baker Eddy (19^th century AD)? To be fair to these, most of them never claimed to be a Messiah that fulfilled the Jewish promises, but their claims to be a spokesman for God having received divine revelations supplant the place of Jesus Christ.

In Peter’s sermon on Pentecost, he referred to the resurrection of Jesus from David’s writings. He said, "My flesh shall rest in hope because thou wilt not leave my soul in Hades, neither will thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption." (Acts 2:26-27, Psalm 16:9-10.) Peter added, Let me freely speak of the Patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. Jesus was in the tomb between 24 and 30 hours. His flesh did not see corruption. That is, David was not talking about himself because he was not raised from the dead, neither could he be called "thy Holy One." This could refer to Jesus of Nazareth alone. Jesus is often called the holy one. (Acts 4:30, Luke 1:35.) Jesus himself told the apostles before it happened that he would suffer and be raised the third day. (Matt. 16:21.) Paul wrote to the Corinthians that Jesus suffered, was buried and rose again the third day, according to the Scriptures. (1 Cor. 15:1-4.)

When we look for a Messiah, we must find one that suffering unto death, was buried and rose again the third day. That Messiah would be the Holy One, not a sinner or else his death could not atone for our sins.

#3: He would be born of Abraham and David. God made promises to both Abraham and David concerning the coming Messiah through whom he would bless all nations. (Gen. 12 & 15, 2 Samuel 7.) Abraham wanted God to bless and accept Ishmael as the promised son. "O, that Ishmael might live before thee!" (Gen. 17:18.) No, the son born of Abraham and Sarah would be a child of promise and a gift from God. He would not be born of the flesh or the will of man.

The lineage of the Christ was clearly established years before Jesus came. The Jews recounted their lineage just for that reason; i.e., in the event that the Messiah came through their family. A son of Abraham would have been broad enough to include all Jews; through Isaac and Jacob would eliminate the Arabs; through David household would narrow the field; and through Judah was make it possible that the Messiah would be born of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. This is the reason that God spared this tribe when all the others were destroyed by the time of the Roman empire. Furthermore, he would be born in Bethlehem, the city of David. (Micah 5:2, Luke 2:11.) Herod demanded that the priests and scribes of Israel tell him where the Scriptures said that the Messiah would be born. They said quoted Micah saying, In Bethlehem of Judae. (Matt. 2:4-6.)

Jesus is like many of the great patriarchs who lived before him. He is like Moses, the mediator of the first covenant. He is like Isaac, a child of promise born in a special way not of the flesh but by the Spirit of God. He is like Adam in that he stands at the head of the human family as a federal head. He is the second Adam. But he bears a special relationship to David. Here are some of the ways that he is like David: both were kings over God’s people, born were born in Bethlehem, both were betrayed by close friends (Ahithophel and Judas), and they are both in the same family lineage.

One note of caution about using David’s writings as if they point only to Jesus is in order. Some of David’s writings that have been quoted by New Testament writers do not point only to Jesus. They had their first application to David. For example, David cried out concerning himself, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me? (Psalm 22:1.) Jesus repeated these words on the cross, but David did not write them as if to say that one day Jesus would say these words. Some things apply directly and only to Jesus of Nazareth, like the statement that God would not let his Holy One see corruption. Peter said that David could not be talking about himself, because David did see corruption. (Acts 2 & Psalm 16.) David did have a close friend to betray him. Jesus had an apostle to betray him. Some of David’s writings are applied to Jesus. That is to say, similar things happened to both of them. Some of the Psalms apply only to Jesus. That is, they are Messianic in that they point only to Him.

Some writers have pointed out that there are over 300 prophecies concerning the Messiah. To be fair, we should say that these include all such statements that are applied or appropriated having an earlier fulfillment. But there are many passages that point only to Jesus of Nazareth. These "prove" who the Messiah is and they are powerful and sufficient to establish it beyond doubt.

By the way, Abraham was promised a son. Jesus is called the son of David. This narrows the field concerning the Messiah. It would not be a daughter of Israel, but a son. The Jews would not have been looking for the birth of a Jewish woman, but the birth of a first born son. Note the following passages:

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given. The governments shall be upon his shoulder. He shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and the Prince of Peace." (Isa. 9:6.) Jesus is called the Son of Abraham, the Son of David, and the first-born son of Mary. (Matt. 1:1-25.)

The angel said to Mary, "And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb and bring forth a son and shalt call his name Jesus." (Luke 2:31.)

#4: A new covenant was promised. The Hebrew writer explained the necessity of a new covenant. A covenant or testament is given and comes into force after someone dies. (Heb. 9:16.) The covenants of God are all sealed by blood. Jesus’ blood is the holy blood that sanctifies the new covenant. The priesthood has been changed. There is of necessity a change also of the law. (Heb. 7:12.) All of this is based upon the promise of God through Jeremiah that he would give a new covenant. (Jer. 31:31-34, Heb. 8:8-10.)

Modern Jews who reject Christ and the new covenant must point to another Christ and covenant if the one we have is not the right one! Jeremiah described the new covenant, its nature. He would write it not upon tables of stone, but in our inward parts, upon the heart. I will be their God and they shall be my people. You will not need to tell people under this covenant, Know the Lord, for they will all know him. That is, one born of the flesh an Israelite had to be told who he was. Those born into the family of God today is born again. He must be taught first, then he is born again. Those in the kingdom will know the Lord from the least to the greatest. God will forgive our sins and remember them no more. This is what the Kingdom will be about—forgiveness and salvation.

#5: God will pour out his Spirit. Joel foretold that God would pour out his Spirit upon all flesh (Jews and Gentiles) in the last days. (Joel 2:28-32.) Peter said that the coming of the Spirit upon the apostles fulfilled that promise. There is nothing else in history that fulfills what Joel foretold. Peter said, "This is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel." (Acts 2:16f.) On that occasion, God gave spiritual gifts to establish his Kingdom to both men and women, to Jews and Gentiles. These spiritual gifts are important because they signal clearly what the Messiah’s Kingdom would be all about.

"For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." (Rom. 14:17.)

God directed the teaching and administration of His Church by the Holy Spirit through spiritual gifts. The new covenant was written on the hearts of men by the Holy Spirit, not by ink and quill. It was not written upon hard tables of stone like the Ten Commandments.

Showing that Jesus is the Messiah involves the Messianic Kingdom, the New Covenant, the coming of the Spirit in the last days, and salvation extended to all nations, Jews and Gentiles. There are many external things related to what, when, and how the Messiah and his Kingdom would come. But the "who" is also important. Jesus himself fulfilled the role of the Messiah. He demonstrated that he was the true Messiah by how he lived (sinless), how he treated people, by his miraculous deeds (showing divine power) and by raising some from the dead and being raised from the dead. One of the greatest proofs that Jesus is the Messiah is his own life!