Messiah
Qualifications for the Messiah
The first of many references to the Messiah is recorded in Genesis 3:15. The L-rd cursed the serpent that had been possessed by Lucifer himself.
And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He will bruise you on the head, and you will bruise him on the heel.
This is a strange reference because the man has the seed and the woman has the egg. However G-d means what he says and he said her seed. (More on this later.)
The Messiah's genealogy is very, very important.
In Genesis 22:18 we read that the Messiah was to be a descendant of Abraham.
" And in your seed all the nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice."
It is to pass through Isaac,
Genesis 21:12 But G-d said to Abraham, 'Do not be distressed because of the lad and your maid; whatever Sarah tells you, listen to her, for through Isaac your descendants will be named.
The line would pass through Jacob.
Genesis 28:14 Your descendants will also be like dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the north and to the south; and in you and in your descendants will all the families of the earth be blessed.
In Genesis 49:10 we learn that
"The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes, and to him will be the obedience of the peoples."
In Isaiah 11:1-2,10 we learn that the Messiah will be from the house of Jesse.
"And there will come a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch will grow out of his roots: And the spirit of the L-RD will rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the L-RD,And in that day there will be a root of Jesse, which will stand for an ensign of the people; to it will the Gentiles seek: and his rest will be glorious."
In Second Samuel 7:12-13 we learn the line will pass through David.
"When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come from you and I will establish his kingdom. He will build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever."
So the field of qualified candidates has been narrowed down. Only someone who can prove they descend from Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Jesse, and David is a possibility. Some one from say the tribe of Levi would not be a possibility.
The place of Messiah's birth.
Micah 5:2. "But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity."
Here we see the ruler will come out of Bethlehem. Now we are really getting narrow in our field of candidates. Someone born in Jerusalem, only 5 - 10 miles away from Bethlehem, would be disqualified.
It is interesting to note that this Messiah/ruler will have been around from eternity past! (More on this later).
Born of a virgin.
In Isaiah 7:14 we read the words of the prophet. "Therefore the L-rd himself will give you a sign: Look, a virgin will be with child and will bear a son and she will call His name Immanuel." If Isaiah had said a young woman would conceive it would be no sign at all, young women do that every day. But to say a virgin, now that is quite a sign! This is a real miracle! It also helps us to understand Genesis 3:15 too. If a virgin gave birth, then the seed referred to in Genesis 3:15 would not be from a man but must somehow be supernaturally implanted by G-d.
Isaiah also tells us here that she will call him Immanuel, meaning G-d with us! This is an earth shaking statement. As we compare it with Micah 5:2 (see above) both prophets are indicating the Messiah will be G-d himself.
A forerunner would precede him.
Malachi 3:1 "Behold, I will send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me: and the L-rd, whom you seek, will suddenly come to this temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom you delight in: Look, he will come, said the L-RD of hosts."
Isaiah 40:3 "The voice of him that cries in the wilderness, You prepare the way of the L-RD, make straight in the desert a highway for our G-d."
The odds that any one person could meet all of these qualifications are astronomical. But there are more detailed qualifications to come. We invite you to read on.
Aspects of His Ministry.
He would be a prophet like Moses.
Deuteronomy 18:15,18-19 The L-RD your G-d will raise up to you a Prophet from among you, from your brothers, like me; to him you will listen...I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account.
He would be anointed by the Spirit of G-d.
Isaiah 11:2 "And the spirit of the L-RD will rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the L-RD;"
Isaiah 61:1-2 "The Spirit of the L-rd G-D is on me; because the L-RD has anointed me to preach good news to the meek; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the L-RD, and the day of vengeance of our G-d; to comfort all that mourn;"
He was to be a priest according to the order of Melchizedek.
Psalms 110:4 "The L-RD has sworn, and will not repent, You are a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek."
He would be G-d's Son
Psalms 2:7 "I will declare the decree: the L-RD has said to me, You are my Son; this day have I begotten you."
Proverbs 30:4 "Who has ascended up into heaven, or descended? who has gathered the wind in his fists? who has bound the waters in a garment? who has established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if you can tell?"
He would be the redeemer of the gentiles as well as the Jews.
Isaiah 42:1-6 "Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his law the islands will put their hope." This is what G-d the L-RD says-- he who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it: "I, the L-RD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, (NIV)
He would enter Jerusalem in a specific manner.
Zechariah 9:9 "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: Look, your King comes to you: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding on an ass, and on a colt the foal of an ass."
He would come suddenly on the defilers of the Temple.
Malachi 3:1-3 "Look, I will send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me: and the L-RD, whom you seek, will suddenly come to this temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom you delight in: behold, he will come, said the L-RD of hosts. But who may abide the day of his coming? and who will stand when he appears? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap: And he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he will purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer to the L-RD an offering in righteousness."
He was to possess an unusual zeal for the L-rd.
Psalms 69:9 For the zeal of you house has eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached you have fallen on me.
Much of his teaching was to be done in parables.
Psalms 78:2 I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:
He would perform many miracles.
Isaiah 35:3-6 Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, "Be strong, do not fear; your G-d will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you." Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. (NIV)
He would be a stumbling stone to His people
Isaiah 8:14-15 and he will be a sanctuary; but for both houses of Israel he will be a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare. Many of them will stumble; they will fall and be broken, they will be snared and captured." (NIV)
His brothers would reject Him.
Psalms 69:8 I am become a stranger to my brothers, and a foreigner to my mother's children.
Isaiah 53:3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Psalms 118:22 The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.
As if these prophecies aren't enough, G-d was extremely detailed in describing the death of the Messiah. Please read on.
The Events of His Death
He would be betrayed by a friend.
Psalms 41:9 Yes, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.
He would b forsaken by His disciples.
Zech 13:7 "Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, And against the man, My Associate," Declares the L-RD of hosts. "Strike the Shepherd that the sheep may be scattered; And I will turn My hand against the little ones." (NAS)
He was to be "sold out" for thirty pieces of silver.
Zech 11:12 I said to them, "If it is good in your sight, give me my wages; but if not, never mind!" So they weighed out thirty shekels of silver as my wages. (NAS)
The price of His betrayal would be given to buy a potters field ( as a burial place for the poor.)
Zech 11:13 Then the L-RD said to me, "Throw it to the potter, that magnificent price at which I was valued by them." So I took the thirty shekels of silver and threw them to the potter in the house of the L-RD. (NAS)
He would be mocked, spit on, and beaten.
Micah 5:1-2 Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops: he hath laid siege against us: they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek. But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
Isaiah 50:6 I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.
Psalms 22:7-8 All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head saying, He trusted on the L-RD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.
The details of His death were announced.
Psalm 22 My G-d, my G-d, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me,so far from the words of my groaning? O my G-d, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,by night, and am not silent. Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;you are the praise of Israel. In you our fathers put their trust;they trusted and you delivered them. They cried to you and were saved;in you they trusted and were not disappointed. But I am a worm and not a man,scorned by men and despised by the people. All who see me mock me;they hurl insults, shaking their heads: "He trusts in the LORD;let the LORD rescue him.Let him deliver him,since he delights in him." Yet you brought me out of the womb;you made me trust in you even at my mother's breast. From birth I was cast upon you;from my mother's womb you have been my G-d. Do not be far from me,for trouble is near and there is no one to help. Many bulls surround me;strong bulls of Bashan encircle me. Roaring lions tearing their prey open their mouths wide against me. I am poured out like water,and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax;it has melted away within me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd,and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death. Dogs have surrounded me;a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones;people stare and gloat over me. They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing. But you, O L-RD, be not far off;O my Strength, come quickly to help me. Deliver my life from the sword,my precious life from the power of the dogs. Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;save me from the horns of the wild oxen. I will declare your name to my brothers;in the congregation I will praise you. You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel! For he has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help. From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear you will I fulfill my vows. The poor will eat and be satisfied;they who seek the L-RD will praise him--may your hearts live forever! All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the L-RD, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, for dominion belongs to the L-RD and he rules over the nations. All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him--those who cannot keep themselves alive. Posterity will serve him;future generations will be told about the L-rd. They will proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn--for he has done it. (NIV)
His hands and feet would be pierced.
Psalms 22:16 For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.
Not one of his bones was to be broken.
Exodus 12:46 In one house will it be eaten; You will not carry any flesh abroad out of the house; neither will you break a bone.
Psalms 34:20 He keeps all his bones: not one of them is broken.
He was to suffer thirst and be given vinegar to drink.
Psalms 22:15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and you have brought me to the dust of death
Psalms 69:21 They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
He would be buried among the wealthy.
Isaiah 53:9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
The purpose of His Death
He would make an end of sin and provide reconciliation with G-d.
Daniel 9:24 Seventy weeks are determined on your people and on your holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
He would bear the sins of the world and make intercession for transgressors.
Isaiah 53 Who has believed our message?And to whom has the arm of the L-RD been revealed? For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot,And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. He was despised and forsaken of men,A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face, He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He Himself bore,And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray,Each of us has turned to his own way; But the L-RD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him. He was oppressed and He was afflicted,Yet He did not open His mouth;Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers,So He did not open His mouth. By oppression and judgment He was taken away;And as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the living, For the transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due? His grave was assigned with wicked men,Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence,Nor was there any deceit in His mouth. But the L-RD was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days,And the good pleasure of the L-RD will prosper in His hand. As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied ;By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many,As He will bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great,And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death,And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many,And interceded for the transgressors. (NAS)
His Resurrection and Ascension
His body would not even begin to decompose
Psalms 16:10 For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. (NKJV)
Proverbs 30:4 Who has ascended up into heaven, or descended? who has gathered the wind in his fists? who has bound the waters in a garment? who has established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if you can tell?
He would be raised from the dead.
Psalm 2 Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the L-RD and against his Anointed One. "Let us break their chains," they say, "and throw off their fetters." The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, "I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill." I will proclaim the decree of the L-RD: He said to me, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery." Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the L-RD with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. (NIV)
He would ascend to the chief place of honor with G-d to make intercession for us.
Psalms 68:18 You have ascended on high, you have led captivity captive: you have received gifts for men; yes, for the rebellious also, that the L-RD G-d might live among them.
Psalm 110:1-4 The L-RD said to my L-rd, "Sit at My right hand,Till I make Your enemies Your footstool." The L-RD shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion. Rule in the midst of Your enemies! Your people shall be volunteers In the day of Your power; in the beauties of holiness, from the womb of the morning,You have the dew of Your youth. The L-RD has sworn And will not relent,"You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek." (NKJV)
His Future Glory
He shall be King and reign from Zion
Psalm 2:6 Yet have I set my king on my holy hill of Zion.
Psalm 24:7-10 Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The L-RD strong and mighty, the L-RD mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is he, this King of glory? The L-RD Almighty-- He is the King of glory. (NIV)
Isaiah 9:6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given: and the government will be on his shoulder: and his name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty G-d, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Zech 8:20-23 Thus says the L-RD of hosts, "It will yet be that peoples will come, even the inhabitants of many cities. And the inhabitants of one will go to another saying, 'Let us go at once to entreat the favor of the L-RD, and to seek the L-RD of hosts; I will also go.' So many peoples and mighty nations will come to seek the L-RD of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the L-RD." Thus says the L-RD of hosts, "In those days ten men from all the nations will grasp the garment of a Jew saying, 'Let us go with you, for we have heard that G-d is with you.'" (NAS)
It seems impossible that anyone could meet all of these qualifications. Yet G-d's Holy Word assures us that the Messiah would indeed fulfill all of these qualifications. Many others He will fulfill as Yeshua Ben David when He returns. Keep in mind G-d cannot lie and He means what He says. Anyone who only fulfilled a few of these qualifications would not be the Messiah but an imposter.
The question is this Has any one ever fulfilled all of these prophecies? We offer the answer to this question on the following pages.