The question as to whether or not Jesus Christ was the promised Seed is of utmost importance. Everything discussed in this book, including all the prophecies and events, past, present and future, hinge upon the appearance of the Messiah. Today, Christians proclaim Jesus was the Messiah, the Jews say he was an imposter, and Muslims make no claim of His Messiahship, but declare that he was a prophet and a righteous man.

Once, as Jesus spoke to some Jewish religious leaders about a future resurrection after which His followers would never die. They then protested “‘Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? Are you greater than the prophets, who died? Who do you think you are?’ Jesus answered … ‘Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced as he looked forward to my coming. He saw it and was glad.’ The people said, ‘You aren’t even fifty years old. How can you say you have seen Abraham?’ Jesus answered, ‘The truth is, I existed before Abraham was even born!’”¹⁶

Another time Jesus asked his disciples, “‘Who do people say I am?’ ‘Well,’ they replied, ‘some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say you are one of the other prophets.’ Then Jesus asked, ‘Who do you say I am?’ Peter replied, ‘You are the Messiah …’ Then Jesus began to tell them that he, the Son of Man, would suffer many terrible things and be rejected by the leaders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, and three days later he would rise again.”¹⁷

It should come as no surprise that even His own people rejected Him at His first appearance. Just as the angel told Daniel, even to those who first believed in Him it appeared that He had accomplished nothing at the time of His crucifixion. Such was the sentiment His followers from Emmaus expressed when recounting the events leading to His death. They said, “He was a prophet who did wonderful miracles. He was a mighty teacher, highly regarded by both God and all the people. But our leading priests and other religious leaders arrested him and handed him over to be condemned to death, and they crucified him. We had thought he was the Messiah who had come to rescue Israel.”¹⁸

The Old Testament prophets said this would happen. Writing about his people’s unbelief regarding the appearance of their Messiah, the prophet Isaiah stated, “Who has believed our message? … He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows and acquainted with bitterest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way when he went by. He was despised, and we did not care.”¹⁹ As we just studied in Daniel’s seventy-week Messianic prophecy, the “Anointed One [Messiah] will be killed, appearing to have accomplished nothing.”²⁰ But the Psalmist had already declared, “The stone rejected by the builders has now become the cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous to see.”²¹

This but follows a pattern of rejection the chosen of God have endured throughout the ages. Jacob had to flee his home only to return later to fulfill his role in laying the foundation for a clan called Israel. Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery, but though being counted as dead later reappeared to save his people from famine. Moses sought to protect his people when he killed the Egyptian, but his fellow Hebrews spurned his intentions, forcing him into 40 years of obscurity in the Midian desert. Afterward, he showed back up in Egypt and led his people out of their terrible bondage. Saul turned against David simply for successfully fighting Israel’s enemies, compelling him to live in wilderness conditions all the while fearing for his life. Subsequently, he ascended Israel’s throne. Elijah likewise fled to the wilderness after Ahab opposed his attempt to help restore Israel back to God’s favor. When the great drought ended, he weighed in on Mount Carmel to finish the mission he had started.

These were but forerunners designed to demonstrate what was to be the Messiah’s experience. It should come as no surprise that He too would first be rejected and killed, disappear at His ascension, only to return again at a later date to save His people, Israel, from their sins. So, once again we ask, Why Israel? Is it any wonder that they, too, would vanish from the history books only to resurface on the world stage at the end of time to fulfill their God-given role? As believers in the Messiah understand this pattern, it reinvigorates their own faith as they experience rejection by employers, family, friends, fellow believers, or sometimes even be tempted to think that God has given up on them. It is all part of a baptismal purging from their earthly consciousness, resulting in a more acute spiritual awareness of their calling.

Israel’s long history demonstrates a tendency to reject the One who summoned them into existence. In this whole sad, story it is He who is really the victim of rejection, something best illustrated by what happened at His first coming. Yet, miraculously, the Bible states that at His second coming a remnant of Israel will break this pattern of spurning their God and embrace Him. Then, at last, Israel’s eternal relationship with God will be consummated.

After Jesus came in fulfillment of the prophetic predictions, the apostle John wrote, “But although the world was made through him, the world didn’t recognize him when he came. Even in his own land and among his own people [the Jews], he was not accepted. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn! This is not a physical right resulting from human passion or plan [natural birth]—this rebirth comes from God.”²²

Speaking to those returning to Emmaus, Jesus said, “‘Wasn’t it clearly predicted by the prophets that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his time of glory?’ Then Jesus quoted passages from the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining what all the Scriptures said about himself.”²³ Will not anyone claiming in the future to be Israel’s Messiah need to show credentials of prior suffering, and rejection, in order to meet the expectations of the prophets?

This is the gospel Paul sought to teach the Gentile believers in Rome, “This Good News was promised long ago by God through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures. It is the Good News about His Son, Jesus, who came as a man, born into King David’s royal family line. And Jesus Christ our Lord was shown to be the Son of God when God powerfully raised him from the dead [after being rejected] by means of the Holy Spirit.”²⁴ To Paul, this was the essence of the Messiah’s mission. If He died and was resurrected to life, then all who believe in Him, though they may die, will be resurrected and spiritually speaking “never die,” just as He told the religious leaders that day.²⁵ If He wasn’t the Messiah and wasn’t resurrected, then His follower’s “faith is useless,” and they “are the most miserable people in the world.”²⁶ But those who believe know they will disappear in death only to re-appear in a future resurrection.