A Prophetic Sketch of the Messiah - Part 3: From the Manger to the Grave

In the second part I focused on the Biblical prophecies concerning the Messianic age.  Today we’re going to examine the lineage, location, and death of the Messiah.

The Son of David:

The first point of data appears back in the book of Genesis.  The Hebrews were promised a ruler who would reign over all the nations.  God prophesied through Jacob that this ruler would be from the tribe of Judah:

“The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his.” - Gen 49: 8-12

Later on, we learn that the Messiah will be specifically a descendant of King David and will have all kinds of divine-sounding titles:

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Of the greatness of his reign and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.” – Isaiah 9:6-7

The Child of Bethlehem:

The next thing we can know is the location of the birth of the Messiah.  We see that in the writings of the prophet Micah:

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times. He shall stand firm and shepherd his flock by the strength of the Lord, in the majestic name of the Lord, his God; And they shall remain, for now his greatness shall reach to the ends of the earth.” – Micah 5:1-3 

This indicates not just the location of the Messiah’s birth, but also something about his true origins.  Despite being born in Bethlehem, this man will be from “ancient times”.  This ought to remind us the divine title used in the book of Daniel.

“As I watched, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his throne.  His clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool. His throne was fiery flames.” – Daniel 7:9

In other words, we’d be expecting this Messiah of Bethlehem to be the same heavenly fella seen by Daniel.

The Death of the Messiah:

Now we can examine the manner of the Messiah’s death.

The book of Isaiah begins describing the Messianic age in chapter 52.  The prophet describes a time of the “redemption of Jerusalem” when “all the ends of the earth will behold the salvation of God”.  The chapter ends by describing a servant whom God will send.  It says he will be raised up high, but will be beaten beyond recognition:

“See, my servant shall prosper, he shall be raised high and greatly exalted. Even as many were amazed at him, so marred was his visage beyond that of man, and his appearance beyond that of mortals.” - Isaiah 52:13-14

Continuing in chapter 53, Isaiah describes how this innocent servant would be rejected and suffer for people’s sins:

“But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his stripes we are healed.  Like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. They made his grave with the wicked and his tomb with the rich.”  - Isaiah 53: 5-12

This is in congruity with the Daniel 9 prediction, which also said the Messiah would be rejected and slain.  It also shows that the pleasing sacrifice which Malachi said the Messiah would offer… is himself.

Lastly, we have Psalm 22.  It concludes by describing a time when knowledge of God and salvation has spread to the whole world.  But this only occurs after describing the intense suffering of a certain man.  It says:

“Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce my hands and my feet.  All my bones are on display; people stare and gloat over me.  They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.”  - Psalm 22:16-18

Recapping:

So now let’s sum up the descriptions of the Messiah we’ve established:

• The Messiah would come into the city of Jerusalem sometime in the 30’s AD. 
• He will be of the house of David.
• He will be born in Bethlehem.
• He will be divine.
• He would visit the second Temple, which would still be standing. 
• He will establish a new covenant.
• He will offer a sacrifice which is pleasing to God. 
• He will not take control of Jerusalem, but will be killed. 
• His death will involve whipping and the piercing of his hands and feet.
• Then an invading army will destroy the city and the Temple.

Next we’ll close by looking at the lasting impact of the Messiah’s ministry.

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Part 1 - Into
Part 2 - In the Fullness of Time
Part 4 - From the Rising of the Sun to its Setting