Did you know in order for Jesus to qualify as the Messiah, He has to complete a specific job which is defined in the Bible? It is well documented that Jesus fulfilled many prophecies in the Bible, and there is no doubt because God raised Him from the dead, and He is the first of many to be resurrected – He is the Messiah. But He still has a job to do to fulfill the exclusive role as Messiah. So, what is the role of Messiah, and where are His responsibilities defined in the Bible? Keep reading to find the answers to these questions.
Most people do not realize the Bible gives specific laws the Messiah is required to do in order for that person to be the Messiah, nor do they realize that someone can be considered disqualified as Messiah if they do not fulfill all of them. According to the scriptures, the King of Israel, a.k.a the Messiah, has specific tasks to do, and if a person does those tasks, we will know He is the Messiah. All the Prophets in the Bible along with many others throughout history have been searching for this person. 1 Peter 1:10-12 says, “Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.”
This 2 Part Podcast will help you understand the difference between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit much better.
The Promise of the Messiah in the Torah
According to Paul the Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God (Romans 3:2). The Bible was written by Jews, and it is important that we look at the scriptures from a Jewish perspective. Christianity was originally a sect of Judaism, and the Jews have over 3500 years of commentary on the scriptures. They are well qualified to speak on the role of Messiah.
Around 1200 AD there was a Rabbi whose name was Moses Maimonides, and he defined what it is that most Jews today believe as the responsibilities of “the one promised by the Torah – the Messiah”. He actually wrote about Jesus and the impact He had on the world. Maimonides, a.k.a. Rambam, uses Deuteronomy 30:3-5 as a proof text which explains the role of Messiah, and how the Messiah will redeem Israel.
Deuteronomy 30:3-5 says, “then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have mercy on you, and he will gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you. If your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there the Lord your God will gather you, and from there he will take you. And the Lord your God will bring you into the land that your fathers possessed, that you may possess it. And he will make you more prosperous and numerous than your fathers.“
Today it is estimated that there are officially 16 million Jews in the world (those identifying as Jews), but according to Jerusalem Post, “Unprecedented genetic research undertaken by dozens of professors from around the world has provided evidence that almost a quarter of Latinos and Hispanics have significant Jewish DNA.” The article says that there could be as many as 200 million descendants of the Spanish and Portuguese Jewish communities around the world today. That would mean the Messiah would also need to bring all of them out of exile.
In addition, Maimonides uses Numbers 24:17-19 as proof text that the Torah promises a Messiah. He actually says this scripture refers to King David and his son King Messiah. Numbers 24:17-19 says, “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth. Edom shall be dispossessed; Seir also, his enemies, shall be dispossessed. Israel is doing valiantly. And one from Jacob shall exercise dominion and destroy the survivors of cities!”
What else did Maimonides say about Yeshua of Nazareth? To find out, listen to this teaching called “Am Yisrael 6: Rambam on Yeshua“.
What is the role of Messiah according to the Bible?
The Rabbis teach that for a person to be considered the Messiah they are:
- A descendent from King David through the line of Solomon who digs deeply into the study of the Torah. (Jeremiah 33:17-22, 2 Samuel 7:12-16, 1 Chronicles 28:5-7)
- He must observe the Torah’s commandments as prescribed by both the Written and Oral Torah that was given by Moses. He will be like Moses. (Ezekiel 37:24, Deuteronomy 18:15, John 5:46, Acts 3:21-23)
- He leads Israel to walk in the way of Torah and repairs its breaches. He will rule at a time when all people will come to acknowledge and serve one God. (Isaiah 66:23)
- The Messiah will fight the wars of the Lord. He will fight a battle in Egypt and Jerusalem (Isaiah 19, Zechariah 14)
- He will build the Temple of God. (Ezekiel 37:26 – 27)
- The Messiah will bring the children of Israel out of Exile and return them to the land of Israel (Deuteronomy 30:1-10, Isaiah 11:12)
- The Messiah will bring the resurrection of the dead, and reign as King for 1000 years. (1 Corinthians 15:50-53, Revelation 20:4)
- The Messiah will rule from Jerusalem and enforce the Torah (Micah 4:1-4, Isaiah 2:1-4)
- He will rule at a time of world-wide peace. (Micah 4:3)
- What will it be like during the 1000 year reign of Messiah, when there are resurrected and non-resurrected people living in the same city? (Ezekiel 44)
The New Covenant Promise
The New Covenant is described as a time when the entire world will know God and follow His laws and statutes. Jeremiah 31:31-40 says God will put His Torah within man, and He will write it on their hearts. No longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know God, from the least of them to the greatest. It also talks about a day Jerusalem will be rebuilt and no longer overtaken. Zephaniah 3:9 says, “For at that time I will change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech, that all of them may call upon the name of the Lord and serve him with one accord.” This is the time when the New Covenant promise is completely fulfilled.
Hebrews 9:15 says Jesus is the mediator of the new covenant, and millions of believers over the past 2000 years have been waiting for the day that Jesus will come back to fully enforce this change. Where the entire world repents, and everyone follows God’s laws and statutes. Everyone has been waiting for that day as described in Zechariah 14:7 where it says “it will be a unique day—a day known only to the Lord—with no distinction between day and night. When evening comes, there will be light.” When Jesus comes to reign as King for 1000 years as described in Revelation 20:4-15.
For more information on the New Covenant, a great resource is What About the New Covenant.
In the end, Jesus will ultimately hand this world back over to God
Paul describes what the final role of the Messiah is. He explains what will happen after the 1000 years that is spoken of in Revelation 20, after Jesus has overcome all death.
He says in 1 Corinthians 15:20-28, “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For he “has put everything under his feet.” Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.”
If you want to learn about what it will be like when Jesus will be King of the World click here.