The Messiah

The Messiah—the Redeemer (Savior)

His birth

“A virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Immanuel. Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil and choose the good.” (Isa 7:14-15)

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given.” (Isa 9:6)

“There shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots.” (Isa 11:1)

“Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch (苗裔), and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.”
(Jer 23:5)

“In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness (公義的苗裔) to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land.” (Jer 33:15)

He said, “I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH (我必使我僕人大衛的苗裔發出)” (Zech 3:8)

His ministry

In the land of Naphtali and Zebulun, and in Galilee, the people that walk in darkness shall see a great light. “Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation (但那受過痛苦的,必不再見幽暗), when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations. The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.” (Isa 9:1-2)

“I will give to Jerusalem one that bringeth good tidings.” (Isa 41:27)

“Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench (將殘的燈火,他不吹滅): he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.” (Isa 42:1-3)

“I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people (作眾民的中保), for a light of the Gentiles; to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.” (Isa 42:6-7)

“I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.” (Isa 42:16)

“I will preserve thee and give thee for a covenant of the people (作眾民的中保), to establish (復興) the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages (使眾人承受荒涼之地為業), that thou may say to the prisoners, Go forth, to them that are in darkness, Show yourselves (顯露吧!). They shall feed in the ways and their pastures shall be in all high places. They shall not hunger nor thirst, neither shall the heat nor sun smite them, for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them.” (Isa 49:8-10)

“Behold, my servant shall deal prudently (行事必有智慧), he shall be exalted and extolled and be very high. As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man (他的面貌比別人憔悴), and his form more the sons of men (他的形容比世人枯槁). So shall he sprinkle (洗淨) many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him (要向他閉口), for they shall see that which had not been told them (未曾傳與他們的,他們必看見); they shall consider that which they had not heard (未曾聽見的,他們要明白).(52:13-15)

“The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek. He hath sent me to bind up (醫好) the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all that mourn, to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes (賜華冠與錫安悲哀的人,代替灰塵), the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness (憂傷之靈), that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.” (Isa 61:1-3)

The Lord told Zechariah to take gold and silver from three captives who were back from Babylon and make crowns and set on the head of Joshua the high priest, and say to Joshua, “Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, ‘Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH (那名稱為大衛苗裔的); and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord. Even he shall build the temple of the Lord; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne.’ ” (Zech 6:12-13) The prophesy here refers to Jesus Christ building the church and serving as the high priest in the kingdom of the Lord. Apparently, Joshua the high priest points to Jesus Christ in a figurative sense.

His suffering

“For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant and as a root out of a dry ground. He hath no form nor comeliness (他無佳形美容). When we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. We hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised (他被藐視,好像被人掩面不看一樣), and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken (我們卻以為他受責罰), smitten of God and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him (因他受的刑罰,我們得平安); with his stripes we are healed (因他受的鞭傷,我們得醫治). All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth. He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter; as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment (因受欺壓和審判,他被奪去). Who shall declare his generation? For he was cut off out of the land of the living; for the transgression of my people was he stricken. He made his grave with the wicked (人還使他與惡人同埋), and with the rich in his death (誰知死的時候與財主同葬), because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief. When thou shall make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed (後裔), he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul (看見自己勞苦的功效) and shall be satisfied. By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the great; he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he hath poured out his soul unto death and he was numbered with the transgressors (他也被列在罪犯之中). He bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors.” (Isa 53:2-12)

His salvation

“And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people (立作萬民的大旗); to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious (他安息之所大有榮耀). And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people…he shall set up an ensign (豎立大旗) for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.” (Isa 11:10-12)

“ ‘It is a light thing that thou should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved of Israel. I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou may be my salvation unto the end of the earth.’ Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One, to him whom man despise, to him whom the nation abhor, to a servant of rulers, ‘Kings shall see and arise; princes also shall worship (下拜), because of the Lord that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee.’ Thus saith the Lord, ‘In an acceptable time I have heard thee (在悅納的時候,我應允了你); in a day of salvation I have helped thee.(Isa 49:6-8)

His reign and righteous judgment

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end; upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom, to order (治理) it and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever (從今直到永遠).” (Isa 9:6-7)

“The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the lord, and shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge after the sight of his eyes (不憑眼見), neither reprove (斷是非) after the hearing of his ears. But with righteousnesss shall he judge the poor and reprove with equity for the meek (謙卑人) of the earth. He shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breadth of his lips shall he slay the wicked. Righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins (脅下的帶子).” (Isa 11:2-5)

“Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation. He that believe shall not make haste. I will also lay judgment to the line (以公平為準繩) and righteousness to the plummet (以公義為線鉈). Your covenant with death shall be disannulled (廢掉) and your agreement with hell shall not stand.” (Isa 28:16-18)

“Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment.” (Isa 32:1)

“Until the spirit (聖靈) be poured upon us from on high, then judgment shall dwell in the wilderness and righteousness remain in the fruitful field. The work of righteousness shall be peace, and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance forever. My people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings and in quiet resting places.” (Isa 32:15-18)

“Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people. Behold, thou shall call a nation that thou know not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the Lord thy God and for the Holy One of Israel, for he hath glorified thee.” (55:4-5)

His glory

“I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days (亙古常在者) did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream (有火像河) issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.” (Dan 7:9-10)

His return

"And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time (二次伸手) to recover the remnant of his people…he shall set up an ensign (豎立大旗) for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.” (Isa 11:11-12)

Daniel in a vision saw the Lord return to inherit His kingdom. “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days (亙古常在者), and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.” (Dan 7:13-14)

“But who may abide the day of his coming? And who shall stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap (漂布之人的鹼). And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.” (Mal 3:2-3)