Originally I wanted to talk about the nature of man, but before we get to that I want to swing back around and talk about the Messiah.  The Messiah isn’t meant to be a fancy title.  It’s not an empty platitude.  It’s not meant to be a historical title we profess belief in so we can be saved.  There’s a richness and depth of beauty there.  The Messiah tells a story of God and the deeply personal nature of His being and His love for us.  The Messiah is anointed by the Father to gather all things, whether in heaven or in earth, into the communion of the Father, Son, and Spirit.  The messiah isn’t an innovation of God that’s born out of the appearance of sin and death.  The messiah is an outflow of the Trinitarian life that’s always been.  It’s the Father communing with mankind through the Son in the Spirit.  Out of the eternal communion in the Trinity, the Father gives himself wholly to us through the Son, in the Spirit, and that completes us.  We are complete through the self sacrificial love thats always been.  

The Messiah is the central figure in the Spirit of Prophecy.  Just as Jesus says the scriptures speak of him, since Jesus is the Messiah, the Spirit of Prophecy speaks of the Messiah.  The Hebrew Word for Messiah means anointed one.   The Greek word for Messiah is Christos.  In English it points to a savior or hoped for deliverer. Theres many anointed figures in the Old Testament, like the king of Israel, and the highpriest, the prophets, but they were all shadows pointing to “the anointed one”.  The one who would come as the fulfillment of all the anointed figures in the Old Testament.  

The Old Testament records the messiah as a hero figure.  He’s a champion for the people.  He comes to make war against injustice, tearing down the kingdom of darkness that oppresses people, establishing the kingdom of heaven in its place.  The Old Testament records the messiah as savior and liberator.  Someone anointed by God to deliver mankind from their bondage and oppression, just as Moses delivered israel from Egypt.  The prophecies of messiah said he will be a king possessing a rulership thats eternal, and that his eternal reign provides justice and a righteous life for the people. 

When we talk about a righteous life we’re not talking about the lower worlds ideas of perfect political systems, or perfect obedience and perfect laws, or people following laws perfectly.  What we’re talking about is a communal of perfect love.  The righteous life is a beautiful life.  It’s the perfect communion of love that is the Father, Son, and Spirit.  Where we live and move and have our being in their communion, and their perfect union and community with one another, fills all things.  

It’s well known that the Messiah would be a king since it was prophesied that he would be of the seed of David according to the flesh.  But David speaking in Psalm 110 describes the Messiah as both king and priest by saying “thou art a priest forever after the order of melchisedek”.   David describes the messiah as King in verse 1 of psalm 110 when he says, “the Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make your enemies thy footstool”.   Thats the verse Jesus quotes when he asks the Pharisees whose Son is the Christ, which means messiah, so Jesus asks the Pharisees, whose Son is the Messiah.  The Pharisees respond by saying the Son of David, and Jesus, the king of the gotcha’s, says, then how does David call Him Lord if he’s David’s Son?  Jesus is making the point that yes the messiah is of the seed of David as it pertains to the flesh, but the Messiah is the Son of God, the Lord from heaven.  David calls the messiah Lord, because the messiah, though after the seed of David concerning his flesh, is preferred before David, because he is before David.

When the scriptures say Jesus is the Son of God.  It means that his humanity was never conceived of a corruptible seed.  His humanity was NOT conceived in Mary from an earthly Father, it was conceived from heavenly Fathers incorruptible seed.  Thats what the virgin birth is about.  Jesus is the Lord from heaven.  He was Lord prior to the days of his flesh, and he is Lord in the days of His flesh.  There’s never a time when he isn’t Lord.  As Hebrews says the Son of God has neither beginning of days or end of life.  He’s eternally begotten of the Father.  His generation is outside of time.  Thats how the messiahs reign is unending; that’s how he establishes a life of everlasting communion with the Father, in the Spirit. 

The Messiah is described as the Son of God, and as a king and priest after the order of Melchisedek for a reason.  The King of Israel, particularly David and Solomon are shadows of the messiahs ministry.  David was a wartime King.  He was a mighty warrior delivering His people from their oppressors.  David didnt build the temple, Solomon built the temple.  God told David that his son Solomon would build the temple because of the abundance of blood that was shed in the earth under David’s reign.  Solomon built the temple so the tabernacle of God would be with them.  Both David and Solomon are prophesying that when the messiah comes he will war against that which oppresses his people.  He will build a temple, so he can tabernacle with His people, to serve them with justice and provide them with a beautiful life.

If you look at the priestly order of Melchisedek.  Melchisedek makes an appearance in Genesis 14, and he’s introduced as the King of Salem and priest of the Most High.     He’s both King and Priest.  Hebrews 7 says Melchisedek is by interpretation King of righteousness, which is a title given only to God.  Jeremiah 23 talking about the branch of David, the Messiah, says his name is Yahweh our righteousness.  Hebrews 7 goes on to describe Melchisedek as King of Salem, which is King of Peace; without earthly father or mother as it pertains to the nature of his being, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life, for he is like the Son of God. 

The King of Peace(shalom) establishes the reign of his peace, by giving an offering, because thats what priests do.  A priest is someone who makes an offering for the people.  But because Melchisedek isn’t just a priest he’s also a king, his offering is in the likeness of King David and King Solomon.  His offering saves his people by warring against that which afflicts them.  And his offering also builds a temple that establishes an everlasting communion with God. 

Hebrews says the highpriest must make an offering for the people.  We know no mere man can make an offering for the sin of the world because their body and blood is born of a corruptible seed, having an earthly father.  As Hebrews says a mere earthly priest would need to first make an offering for their own sin, before they can offer for the people.  Jesus didnt need to make an offering for himself because he’s the Lord from above.  He’s without sin, not because he did everything right, even though he did do everything right.  It’s more like Jesus did everything right because he’s without sin.  Jesus was without sin because he wasnt conceived of a corruptible seed like any ol man.  He was conceived of a virgin.  He has no earthly Father.  So as it pertains to his nature he is the fullness of divinity, having neither earthly father or mother, the Son of God.  But as it pertains to His priesthood he received his humanity from Mary.  A body was prepared for him, by the Holy Spirit, in the womb of the Virgin Mary, so he could have something to offer for the sin of the world.  

Jesus was anointed by the Father from the beginning when the Father brought him forth from His bosom to make the worlds.  Hebrews says it was fitting, since Jesus was appointed heir of all things from the beginning, that in the fullness of times the Father would prepare a body for His Son, bringing His Son forth from His bosom, anointing him as Messiah, knowing he’s the brightness of his glory, the exact representation of His person, knowing that death can’t hold Jesus because he’s the exact expression of the Fathers nature.  The Father gave us the Son so Jesus can offer his flesh for the sin of the world; that in him shedding his incorruptible blood; that is the blood of God, he would enter into the very death that was holding us, first waging war against sin, and then raising up a temple in the body of his resurrection. 

This is how Jesus makes his people whole.  This is how he establishes the kingdom of Heaven in the earth.  He does justice in the body of his flesh.  He’s establishes His kingdom by building his temple.  Thats how he establishes righteousness and serves people with justice.  He puts off the body thats oppressed by death, and builds a body for himself by the power of his indestructible life, so we can dwell with him in flesh that’s been deified, and have communion with the Father and Spirit, through his humanity.  

Thats why Jesus is depicted in Revelation 19 coming on a white horse.  He’s coming as Messiah to do justice and wage war against the serpent, and Babylon, and the death that’s oppressing His creation.  Revelation 19 says his eyes are a flame of fire, on his head is many crowns; he has a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.  He’s clothed in a vesture dipped in blood, thats the sacrifice that wars, and his name is called The Word of God.  And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

The apostle Paul speaking in 1st Tim 6 about the appearing of our Lord Jesus on the last day, says, Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords.  Paul says Jesus is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.  Jesus can’t be king of kings and lord of lords if there is a king above him, or a Lord before him.  

Isa 44:6  Thus saith Jehovah the King of Israel, and its Redeemer, Jehovah of hosts; I am first, and I am last; and beside me there is no God.” Psa 47:2  For the LORD most high is terrible; he is a great King over all the earth. 

Amplified 1Sa 8:7  And the Lord said to Samuel, Hearken to the voice of the people in all they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not be King over them. 

It was always Gods plan to be King himself.  His plan was never to rule through a lesser being.  The scripture says God cant repent.  He didn’t say well these guys don’t want me to be king so I’ll let someone else be king.  The reign of Jesus can’t be the reign of God if Jesus isnt light from light, true God from true God. 

Heb 1:8  But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. 

Rev 21:3  And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.  

Who is the tabernacle of God?  John says, And the word was made flesh and tabernacled amongst us, and we beheld his glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father.  It’s the Word who tabernacles amongst us.  It’s the Word, that is the only begotten of the Father, that will be with us as our God.  

Rev 21:6  And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
Rev 21:7  He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

This is Jesus talking.  He’s talking about the communion of the Trinity.  Christ is all in all.  He and the Father and the Spirit are mutually indwelling one another.  The Son is our God, along with the Father and the Spirit.  We are given wholly to the Father, nothing held back, through the Son, in the Spirit.  And the Father gives Himself wholly to us, nothing held back, through the Son in the Spirit.  The Father communing all of Himself to the Son in the Spirit.  The Son communing all of himself to the Father, in the Spirit.  And Jesus in us, and us in him, caught up in the everlasting communion of the Father, Son, and Spirit.