Jewish Messiah

QUESTION: Was Jesus the Jewish Messiah?

ANSWER:

There are many prophecies in the Old Testament books of the Bible concerning the Jewish Messiah. However, Jewish people in general do not believe that Jesus Christ was their long-awaited Messiah. Jewish rejection of Jesus, as their Messiah, was foretold in the Psalms. Christians, on the other hand, believe that Jesus was, and is, the Jewish Messiah.

Though Jesus Christ was crucified around 30 A.D., the four Gospels of the New Testament and the book of Acts record the events of Jesus' life following His resurrection from the dead and ascension in to heaven. Revelation (the last book of the New Testament) is the Christ's revelation of the events which shall come to pass just prior to, and upon, His return to earth.

The Old Testament contains numerous prophecies about the Messiah, which were fulfilled during and following Christ's incarnation on earth 2000 years ago. The Old Testament also contains any prophetic shadows and types of Christ through Jewish celebrations (such as the Passover), holy artifacts and edifices (such as the ark of the covenant and the tabernacle), and the historical accounts of the lives of the Jewish patriarchs and heroes. In this way, every book of the Old Testament clearly identifies Jesus Christ as the Jewish Messiah. To learn more about Messianic Prophecies, read this article.

To further illustrate: Jesus Christ was of the lineage of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and a direct descendant of King David (see the Gospels of Matthew and Luke in the New Testament). In the Old Testament, God promises Abraham that through his seed, all of the nations of the earth will be blessed. God also promised King David that his kingdom would be established forever. Jesus Christ was and is the fulfillment of both of those prophecies. Jesus Christ will return to establish His kingdom on earth.

Jesus Christ was the sinless, spotless "Passover" Lamb of God, slain to atone for the sins of all mankind, because He lived a sinless life. It is no longer necessary for man to keep God's commandments perfectly; Jesus was the only man who could, and did, do that. It is no longer necessary for men to offer animal sacrifices to receive forgiveness for sins. Jesus Christ sacrificed His life so that sinful man might be reconciled to God.

By believing that Jesus Christ died to pay the penalty for our sins, any human being (regardless how evil our sins) can receive forgiveness from God, enter God's presence (the "Holy of Holies"), and escape the judgment of Almighty God.