This is a simple and thought out questions to Christians. What do you think of the concept of the Jewish Messiah?
1:1. Seed of David through Solomon
The Messiah will be a biological descendant of King David from the branch
that goes through Solomon, since Solomon is the one who built the Temple
(highlighting added for emphasis throughout this document unless otherwise
noted):
2Samuel 7:12-16 – (12) When your days will be completed and you will lie with your
forefathers, then I shall raise up your seed after you, that which will issue from your loins, and I shall establish his kingdom. (13)He shall build a Temple for My sake, and I shall make firm the throne of his kingdom forever. (14) I shall be to him
a Father, and he shall be to Me a son; so that when he goes astray I will chastise
him with the rod of men and with afflictions of human beings. (15) But My mercy
shall not move away from him as I removed [it] from Saul, whom I removed from
before you. (16) And your dynasty and your kingdom shall be confirmed before
you forever; your throne will remain firm forever. [See also Isaiah 11:1; Jeremiah
23:5, 30:9, 33:15; Ezekiel 34:23-24, 37:24-25.]
1Chronicles 22:9-10 – (9) Behold a son will be born to you; he will be a man of
peace, and I shall give him peace from all his enemies around about, for Solomon will be his name, and I shall give peace and quiet to Israel in his days. (10) He shall build a House in My Name, and he shall be to Me as a son, and I to him as a Father,
and I shall prepare the throne of his kingdom forever. [See also 1Kings 8:15-20;
1Chronicles 17:11-15, 28:3-7.]
2. Spiritual and Political/Military Leader of Israel
The Messiah will be steeped in Torah, an authority who will influence all of
Israel to follow Torah in an environment created by his spiritual leadership:
Isaiah 2:3 - And many nations shall go, and they shall say, "Come, let us go up to
the Lord's mount, to the House of the God of Jacob, and let Him teach us of His
ways, and we will go in His paths;" for out of Zion shall the Torah come forth, and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
Isaiah 11:2 - And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, a spirit of wisdom and
understanding, a spirit of counsel and heroism, a spirit of knowledge and fear of
the Lord
The Messiah will defeat and conquer the enemies surrounding Israel. As an
ordinary mortal, a "flesh & blood" human being, he lives/will live in a world of 4
recognizable realities of military requirements and political alignments. He
will have to deal with these realities, and emerge victorious within the
constraints that they engender. Nevertheless, his political leadership will be
well recognized throughout the world, and his political influence will manifest
itself in a universal peace, as is suggested by Isaiah in this metaphorical
allusion:
Isaiah 11:6 - And a wolf shall live with a lamb, and a leopard shall lie with a kid; and
a calf and a lion cub and a fatling [shall lie] together, and a small child shall lead
them.
Daniel 7:14 -He has been given dominion, honor, and kingship, so that all peoples, nations, and tongues will serve him; his dominion is an eternal dominion that will
never be removed, and his kingship will not be destroyed.
3. Married with Children
Although marriage and children are not stated pre-requisites for being the
Messiah, there is a clear indication that the Prince, who is the Messiah/King,
[see Ezekiel 34:23-24, 37:24]
4
will have children (via marriage) at some point
in time during his reign, and they will be entitled to inherit his property:
Ezekiel 46:16-17 – (16) Thus says the Lord God: "If the Prince gives a gift to any of his sons, it is his inheritance to remain in their possession; it is their property by inheritance. (17) But if he gives a gift of his inheritance to one of his servants, then
it shall be his [the servant's] until the year of liberty, and then it returns to the
Prince; only to his sons shall his inheritance belong.
4:The Coming of Elijah to Herald the Messiah’s Arrival
Elijah the prophet will precede the Messiah and "pave the way" for his arrival,
heralding the commencement of the messianic era:
Malachi 3:23[4:5] – Behold, I will send you Elijah the Prophet before the coming of
the great and awesome day of the Lord
5: Building the Third Temple in Jerusalem
The Third Temple will be built by the Messiah; perhaps he may not literally do
the brick and mortar work, but it will be done when he begins his reign on the
throne of David. The presence of the Third Temple is envisioned in what is,
perhaps, one of the most detailed and vivid descriptions of the messianic era
to be found in the Hebrew Bible - Chapter 37 in the Book of Ezekiel:
Ezekiel 37:26-28 – (26) And I will form a covenant of peace for them, an everlasting
covenant shall be with them; and I will establish them, and I will multiply them, and
I will place My Sanctuary in their midst forever. (27) And My dwelling place shall
be over them; and I will be to them for a God, and they shall be to Me as a people.
(28) And the nations shall know that I am the Lord who sanctifies Israel, when My Sanctuary is in their midst forever. [See also Isaiah 33:20; Ezekiel Chapters 40-48.]
Later on, in Chapters 40-48, Ezekiel provides detailed descriptions of the
Third Temple and the ritual services to be held within its walls
6: In-Gathering of the Jewish Exiles to the Promised Land
The Messiah will repatriate the Jewish people from the Diaspora to the
promised land of Israel in preparation for the repair of the schism that
followed Solomon's reign:
Isaiah 11:12 - And he [Messiah] shall set up a banner for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. [See also Isaiah 43:5-6; Jeremiah 16:15, 23:3; Ezekiel 37:21-22;
Zechariah 10:6-10.]
7: Reunifying Judah and Israel into One People
The messianic agenda calls for the restoration of a unified kingdom for the
people of Israel:
Ezekiel 37:22 - And I will make them into one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel, and one king shall be to them all as a king; and they shall no longer be as
two nations, and they shall not be divided into two kingdoms anymore. [See also
the "lead-in" to the above verse - Ezekiel 37:16-21; Isaiah 11:13.]
The Messiah will accomplish this and reign over a reunified Kingdom of Israel:
Ezekiel 37:24 – And My servant David shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd; and they shall follow My ordinances, and observe My statutes,
and do them.
8: Establishing World Peace
The Messiah will be recognized as a fair judge and peacemaker, and in the
messianic era, disputes between countries will be settled through peaceful
means and not by war:
Isaiah 2:4 - And he [the Messiah] shall judge among the nations, and he shall
reprove many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, and they shall not learn war anymore. [See also Isaiah 11:6-8; Micah 4:3-4.]
9: Bringing about the Universal Knowledge of God
A universal knowledge of God will prevail, and this will put an end to
destruction and violence:
Isaiah 11:9 - They shall not harm and not destroy on all of My holy mountain; for the land shall be as filled with the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea bed. [See also Jeremiah 31:33[34]; Zechariah 14:9.]
10: Realizing the Resurrection of the Dead
This is foretold in Ezekiel’s vision of the “dry bones”:
Ezekiel 37:12-13 – (12) Therefore, prophesy and say to them, So says the Lord
God: Lo! I open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves as My people, and bring you home to the land of Israel. (13) Then you shall know that I
am the Lord, when I open your graves and lead you up out of your graves as My people. [See also Isaiah 26:19; Daniel 12:2.]
Though, according to Daniel’s vision (12:2), most of the dead, but not all, will
come back to life. The righteous will live in bliss, and the wicked will live in
misery.
Sorry about the long post. Judaism has no anti-messiah concept. There have been figures to claim to be the Messiah which from looking at Jewish text point other wise.
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Originally Posted by janitor
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