People commonly think of all messianic prophecies as referring to one Messiah. Christians identify that person exclusively with Jesus, while Jews identify him just as exclusively with an endtime David. Neither group appears to allow room for the other’s point of view. While there may indeed be only one Messiah, we nevertheless find that all messianic prophecies aren’t equal. When we examine them for what they actually say—not for what we assume they say (or for what manuals and chapter headings say)—we begin to see the need for a complete reevaluation of this subject. If we believe the scriptures, we must give them precedence over people’s opinions.
We then indeed discover that each theological position has distinct merit and that neither possesses the whole truth. While an actual messianic mission of an endtime David consists of a preparatory work that precedes the coming of Jehovah to reign on the earth, the mission of redeeming his people from their sins is the work of Jehovah himself. Characterizing the mission of Jehovah’s endtime servant is the temporal work of gathering Israel’s tribes, rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem, and reestablishing the political kingdom of God on the earth. When a people of God are thus prepared to receive him, Jehovah comes and his millennial reign of peace begins.
