Messiah ben David
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I will strengthen the house of Judah and save the house of Joseph... They shall be as though I had not rejected them.
-Zechariah 10:6-12
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Who is Messiah ben David?
**If you haven't read about Messiah ben Joseph yet please do that first here.**
The priestly class of Hebrews had a hard time squaring the prophecies about the coming Messiah. To them it felt like they were describing two completely different people with different lives. In reaction to this they would slice writings into two different archetypes.
One for Messiah ben Joseph (called the "herb of the field" at times [Zohar Bereshit.21.234]) the pierced, suffering, merging of north and south Israel who will pay the debt of the dead to reclaim them by dying in a struggle with evil and preparing the way for Messiah ben David.
The other is Messiah ben David (called often the "plant of the field"), a future Warrior King from the line of David who will have offspring from his body and will defeat the enemies of God and build a house for God establishing his kingdom forever and become an eternal shepherd over the children of light.
Why did ancient Hebrews need to divide the two?
Ancient Hebrew Priests had a hard time dividing the details about each. One would be pierced and die and would cause mourning like as with a dead child?
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They will look on Me whom they have pierced; they shall mourn for him as one mourns for an only child.
-Zechariah 12:10
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The other would live forever as king and shepherd of the Children of Light.
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My servant David shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd... and My servant David shall be their prince forever.
-Ezekiel 37:24–25
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Table of Contents
These points, along with many others, created a perception of a complex duality in their minds. They envisioned a debt-paying Messiah who would be pierced and die to prepare the way for a conquering Messiah. The latter would end war and rule from Jerusalem over the entire globe.
As with most prophecy, the exact manner in which events will unfold remains unclear until they are fulfilled. Similarly, the role and mission of the ultimate Messiah follow this pattern, revealing their true form only in hindsight.
What is written about & what did they say about Messiah ben David?
Messiah ben David would, as mentioned up above, would be an eternal Melchizedekian Priest/King over the promised land of Abraham. He would usher in a time of peace, create a global order and reign for 1,000 years.
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A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse... The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him....
He will treat the poor fairly, and make right decisions for the downtrodden of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and order the wicked to be executed....
They will no longer injure or destroy on my entire royal mountain. For there will be universal submission to the LORD's sovereignty, just as the waters completely cover the sea. At that time a root from Jesse will stand like a signal flag for the nations. Nations will look to him for guidance, and his residence will be majestic.
-Isaiah 11:1,4,9-10
My servant David will be king over them; there will be one shepherd for all of them. They will follow my regulations and carefully observe my statutes. They will live in the land I gave to my servant Jacob, in which your fathers lived; they will live in it - they and their children and their grandchildren forever. David my servant will be prince over them forever.
-Ezekiel 37:24-25
In that day the Lord will reach out His hand a second time to reclaim the surviving remnant of His people from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush, from Elam, from Babylonia, from Hamath, and from the islands of the Mediterranean. He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; He will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth.
-Isaiah11:11-12
Here is the man whose name is the Branch, and he will branch out from his place and build the temple of the Lord. It is he who will build the temple of the Lord, and he will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on his throne. And he will be a priest on his throne, and there will be harmony between the two.
-Zechariah 6:12-13
The Messiah will rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem and gather the dispersed of Israel.
-Maimonides' Mishneh Torah (Laws of Kings and Wars 11:1)
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Messiah ben David would be the fire that engulfs the world, started from the flame of Messiah ben Joseph. A fire that will consume the Kidim/Babylon like descendants of the House of Esau. Below the delineation between Messiah ben Joseph & ben David (Referenced as Jacob) is separated out.
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And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for the LORD hath spoken it.
-Obadiah 1:18
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There are many more details about the activities of Messiah ben David but they largely dovetail into the expected actions of the returning Messiah and are better covered in that breakdown. One thing to remember is that the coming Anti-Messiah that will try to claim the throne and the worship will attempt to do or will mimic the names and agenda that is expected for Messiah ben David to accomplish. He will do it in a way that undermines and is not in the spirit of the true Messiah but regardless many will fall prey to the lie.
This is why Messiah Jesus made it clear that do not fall prey to anyone claiming to be the returning and reigning Messiah. For when he actually comes it will be like an alien invasion, from the heavens, undeniable and seen by all.
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And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in My name, saying, "I am the Christ," and they will mislead many people.
Then if anyone says to you, 'Behold, here is the Christ,' or 'He is over here,' do not believe him. For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will provide great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. Behold, I have told you in advance. So if they say to you, 'Behold, He is in the wilderness,' do not go out; or, 'Behold, He is in the inner rooms,' do not believe them. For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.
-Matthew 24:4-5, 23-27
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Read "Messiah ben Joseph"
For more information see "Messiah ben Joseph".