Why the need for a second messiah?

Is Jesus Christ not enough?

According to the Bible the answer is, Yes and No.

I am well aware that this question is likely to be offensive to Christians, even blasphemous. But it's a question that need not be feared. Although the "God of all Light" is "past finding out", He nonetheless invites us to reason with Him.

After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples to discuss matters pertaining to the KINGDOM OF GOD. He gave to His disciples the task of witnessing for Him throughout the world. This episode is narrated in the opening verses of Acts.1:

[1] The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
[2] Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:
[3] To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
[4] And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
[5] For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
[6] When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
[7] And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
[8] But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
[9] And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
[10] And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
[11] Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
[12] Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day's journey.

There are several important matters to note from this passage:

1.Jesus did not deny to His disciples an earthly Kingdom of God. Instead, He implied that it would come in a manner and time of God's own choosing, not theirs. (It would have been natural for the disciples to ask about the restoration of the Kingdom in as much as it was linked to all messianic expectations, including the teachings of John the Baptist and Jesus Himself.)

2.Jesus committed to His disciples the task of witnessing, not nation building. Jesus clearly understood that God's work on earth was not finished, but neither did He commit this aspect of His messianic work to His disciples.

3.The restoration of the Kingdom to Israel is God's work alone. The times and seasons are the domain of God.

4.By the solemn affirmation of two angelic witnesses, the disciples were re-assured that Jesus Himself would return, again implying that His work IN THIS WORLD was not finished. (Although the Kingdom had not been restored, it would be in due time. Jesus would return to reign therein.)

It would be true to state that the work of Jesus was both finished and not finished.

Firstly, Jesus succeeded in the part assigned to Him by the Father.

The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ are the Gospel, but we must not forget that the Gospel has a distinct order, which is foreshadowed by types in the Jewish Temple services and festivals. A type is a symbol or sign that foreshadows something future; hence, types are prophetic. The thing or event that a type predicts is called an antitype. Jesus said, "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me". John 5:39. Jesus was referring to the Old Testament Scriptures.

Under the figure of the Lamb, Jesus offered Himself as a Living Sacrifice to atone for the world. John the Baptist recognized in Jesus the "Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29).

The Gospel is not a New Testament invention. John calls it everlasting. Revelation 14:6. Jesus is called the Lamb Who was "slain from the foundation of the world". Revelation 13:8, emphasis mine. The Gospel was foreshadowed in types throughout the Old Testament. We have to look there for a proper understanding of the Gospel.

Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament types associated with the daily sacrifice and the administration of its blood in the first of the two compartments in the Sanctuary. A lamb was the daily sacrifice. This compartment was known as the Holy Place.

Jesus did not fulfill the Old Testament types associated with the yearly sacrifice and the administration of its blood in the second of the two compartments in the Sanctuary. A goat was the yearly sacrifice. This compartment was known as the Most Holy Place. It was not His purpose to do this.

This in no way belittles the work of Jesus; rather, it gives it perspective to His wonderful accomplishments.

Secondly, Jesus did not fulfill certain unique tasks assigned to the messiah.

Most importantly, Jesus did not restore the earthly Kingdom to Israel.

In the Revelation, the Lamb is featured as having achieved through the shedding of its own blood, the right to open the seven seals and triumph over Satan and his kingdom.

The seeming limitation in the scope of redemption under Jesus stems from at least three factors:

1.God intended a two-messiah redemption.

2.Jesus lacked knowledge. Jesus acted by faith in the Father to provide Him with daily spiritual bread. Jesus had a unique relationship with the Father. Jesus depended on the Father for knowledge and direction. Jesus did not foreknow all things; He knew only what was necessary for Him to know.

3.The Jewish people failed in their acceptance of Jesus, thus limiting His ability to work with and through them.

I will now discuss each of these limitations:

GOD INTENDED A TWO-MESSIAH REDEMPTION. This is foreshadowed by types in the Jewish Temple services and festivals.

See my various studies on the Antichrist, especially "Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?".

A fuller treatment of this subject may be found in my forthcoming book Dark Messiah: The Coming of the Antichrist.

JESUS LACKED KNOWLEDGE. Jesus grew and matured in conformity to the same laws of nature that apply to you and me. He was "in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin". Hebrews 4:15.

However, by the time of His Bar Mitzvah at the age of twelve, Jesus was aware that God was His Father and that He must be about His Father's business. Luke 2:40-52. Bar Mitzvah is the celebration when a Jewish boy becomes a man and takes on the responsibilities of a man before GOD and Israel. Bar Mitzvah means "Son of the Commandments" and signifies the Coming of Age for a Jewish man. In the days of Jesus, boys had their Bar Mitzvah at the age of twelve and were, in many cases, tested on their knowledge and belief in the Temple.

Jesus matured rapidly in grace and in knowledge. Jesus was a dutiful child; He submitted to direction from Joseph and Mary (Luke 2:51). Undoubtedly, Jesus was assisted by angels in His spiritual growth. "[I]t is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone". Matthew 4:6. The Holy Spirit provided additional impulse and skill when Jesus was baptized.

In Matthew's narrative, Jesus appears to have commissioned His disciples to search for His lost brother. (See chapters 10-12.) I have discussed the characteristics and identity of this person in my study, "Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?".

According to Matthew 10,

[5] These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:
[6] But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
[7] And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

[22] And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
[23] But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come [erchomai, meaning, "to appear, make one's appearance, come before the public"].

Evidently, Jesus thought that His brother would be found sometime before His disciples had "gone over the cities of Israel", meaning within their own lifetime.

Jesus was mistaken. He acknowledged, "But of that day and [that] hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father". Mark 13:32.

The disciples vied for the position of the lost brother. "Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him. And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom. But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able. And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father". Matthew 20:20-23. Even Judas pressed for it with an awful manipulation that cost Jesus His life.

I cite this narrative to illustrate that Jesus had limitations. Even the Son doesn't know the day or hour.

Up until His resurrection, Jesus did not know whether His own sacrifice would be acceptable to His Father. "And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?". Matthew 27:46. Jesus acted in faith that it would be acceptable. Praise God for our sakes. It was!

THE JEWISH PEOPLE FAILED JESUS.

The failure of the Jews to accept the messianic claims of Jesus was anticipated in Daniel's 70 Weeks Prophecy. God made provision in advance for this failure, thus demonstrating the extent of His grace. God refuses to let go or give up on the people who are the apple of His eye.

This prophecy in Daniel 9 reads:

[24] Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy 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.
[25] Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
[26] And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
[27] And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

It is well known to most students of prophecy that the 70 weeks correspond to 70 times 7 (weeks) of years for a total of 490 prophetic years. This calculation is based upon the day for a year principle of interpretation.

The beginning point for this 490-year period is identified in verse 25 as the year of the decree to restore Jerusalem.

The 70 Weeks Prophecy is used to validate the ministry of Jesus Christ. The timing of His covenant ministry and sacrificial death harmonizes with this passage in all respects, with one exception.

This exception has become the source of division for the different schools of prophetic interpretation.

According to verse 27, "[H]e shall confirm the covenant for one week". This phrase brings us to the point of greatest intensity; a final climactic transitional phase of salvific history.

One school applies it entirely to Jesus the Christ, while the other school applies it entirely to the Antichrist.

I contend that this verse does predict the advent of Jesus Christ while likewise anticipating the second messiah. A two-messiah redemption resolves any controversy regarding this passage.

"In the midst of the week", means mid-week, or 3 and ½ years of the last of the 70 prophetic weeks. At this precise point, Jesus "caused the sacrifice and the oblation to cease" when God offered Him as the "Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." John 1:29.

In addition to making Himself a sacrificial offering, Daniel 9:27 makes it clear that the messiah would "confirm the covenant with many for one week [of 7 prophetic years]". However, Jesus confirmed the covenant for only half the required time, or 3 and ½ years of the last of the 70 prophetic weeks.

Yet, the prophecy requires a period of 7 full prophetic years for the confirmation of the covenant with the Jews.

This creates a problem. Unless the problem is resolved, it invalidates the messianic claims of Jesus.

There was an interruption in the middle of the 7 years: the death of Jesus Christ.

Yet this interruption was no mistake. God left open the possibility for national repentance in response to the public ministry of Jesus, thus precluding the need for His death. "The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit." Psalm 34:18. "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." Psalm 51:17. "For thus saith the high and lofty rholy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones." Isaiah 57:15. "For all those things hath mine hand made, and those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word." Isaiah 66:2. "He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" Micah 6:8.

If national Israel had repented, Jesus could have avoided His own death and justly seated Himself upon the throne of His glory. But as we sadly know, God's beloved Jewish people they rejected His Son.

God made provision is the Antichrist Messiah to finish the work of confirming the covenant with the Jews for the remaining 3 and ½ years of the last of the 70 prophetic weeks.

So the work of the Antichrist is critical. He must finish confirming the covenant with the Jews for the remaining 3 and ½ years in order to validate the word of God and the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus. This period corresponds to the time periods in the Book of Revelation: the 42 weeks, and the 1260 days. Only another messiah has the authority to do this.

The Antichrist Messiah will complement the work of Jesus Christ. He will not deny Jesus Christ. The Antichrist will acknowledge salvation in Jesus. The Antichrist will reaffirm the teachings of Jesus Christ. This is the meaning of confirming the covenant.

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