MESSIANIC  PROPHECIES

By Rev. N. D. Pendleton

I.

     Scattered throughout the Old Testament we find what are called Messianic prophecies; that is to say, distinct enunciations having an obvious reference to the coming of the Lord into the world.

     Viewed from the standpoint of the internal sense, the whole of the Old Testament is a Messianic prophecy, inasmuch as "in its bosom" it has sole reference to the Lord and to His Kingdom.  But that which the internal sense reveals to be the supreme subject of every verse of Scripture, is by no means apparent from the sense of the letter; it only comes to the surface here and there in the form of historical prophecies, which may be, and are known to those who acknowledge no light superior to that which the letter of Scripture affords.

THE SEED OF THE WOMAN

     The first of these prophecies is that contained in Genesis 3:15, concerning the "seed of the woman" who should "bruise the head of the serpent."  This prophecy was given immediately after the fall of the Most Ancient Church, and it was indeed given in consequence of that fail.  For it was foreseen at that time that the restitution of man with God could only be brought about by an assumption of the Human by the Divine, or by a coming of the Lord into the world.  This supreme act of redemption was necessary because, by the first fall, the alienation of man from God was well-nigh complete.  The powerful sensual with this most ancient people, signified by the serpent, underwent a gradual perversion, whereby it at length became dominant over celestial things.

     The state resulting was so depraved that it became obvious that only by the Divine in the flesh could this sensual be subdued, whereby salvation would again become possible.  The appearance was that the Lord must come immediately, if the race was to be saved.  His actual coming was, however, delayed for ages, and this for an arcane reason, i.e., it was necessary that He should come in the Scripture, before He came in the flesh, and His coming in the Scripture was first accomplished at the time of which we are writing, and specifically by means of this prophecy.

     It was necessary that He should come in the Scripture before He came in the flesh, and this for two reasons of vast import.  The first was that the angels of heaven, by means of a written Scripture, might behold, as in an image, the full process of the assumption and glorification of the Human.  This was necessary to the integrity of the heavens, or to the life and faith of the angels of heaven, The second reason was that a written Word was necessary to the Lord's actual glorification, in this that that Scripture should be impressed as to every part and portion upon the natural mind of the Lord, and there serve as so many Divine Remains whereby His glorification was to be ultimately accomplished.  Thus were the Scriptures fulfilled in Him, and by their fulfilling He was glorified.

     For these reasons His actual coming was delayed for ages, or until the Scripture was finished.  In the meantime there were given verbal and inspired announcements concerning His Advent.  These served the purpose of salvation, for we are told that prior to His advent, saving faith with men consisted in the belief that He would come, and that after His advent, saving faith consisted in the belief that He had come.

PROGRESSIVE REVELATION

     A study of the several historical prophecies concerning the advent of the Lord, from the book of Genesis to that of Daniel, reveals the very interesting fact that there is an apparent progression of development of the Messianic idea, ? that from a first obscure beginning the idea grows and expands until a picture of the Messiah is presented of marvelous beauty and grandeur.  This appearance has given rise to the modern doctrine of progressive revelation, which, like all false doctrines, is based on a truth or a fact.  For in one sense of the word, revelation is progressive.  From Genesis to the Coronis there is a continued, and even more exalted, unfolding of Divine Truth.  The fatal error in the commonly accepted doctrine of progressive revelation, is, that in the several stages of its apparent development there is a more or less of what is Divine.  This is not the case.  The same Divine Truth is revealed in the most profound teaching concerning the glorification of the Human, but concealed in what is said in Genesis 3:15, concerning the "seed of the woman."   Thus a more or less of what is Divine may not be predicated by Divine revelation save in appearance.

THE NECESSITY OF SUCH PROGRESSION

     If we inquire concerning the cause of this apparent development in the prophetic announcements of the coming of the Lord, we shall find that such progression was a necessity of continued salvation.  For the prime need was that the Messianic hope should be kept alive in the minds of men, inasmuch as saving faith was dependent thereon.  As men became more and more external, it was needful that prophecy should become more open and explicit.  As men became further removed from the Perceptive state of their ancestors, the "dark sayings of old" no longer afforded an adequate basis for distinct belief.  The most ancient man and his immediate descendants were in no doubt as to the meaning of the "seed of woman" who should "bruise the head of the serpent."  But there came a time when internal perception ceased.  New prophecy adapted to the new conditions was given, and this not only for the purpose of answering to present needs, but also for the purpose of reinforcing the old prophecies.  Had this not been the case the meaning of the "seed of woman" would soon have been lost.  The Jews of later days had no perceptive understanding of this most ancient prophecy, and yet that they interpreted its meaning aright in the light of more recent prophetic announcement would seem to be the natural conclusion from Arcana Coelestia 250.  But so far as we know from historical sources, St. Paul was the first to place a Messianic interpretation on Genesis 3:15.  And this fact has caused many of the learned to conclude that this prophecy is only Messianic by interpretation or by reflected light from Christian days.  However, this view of the matter concerns us not.  Every sincere student of Christian bias must go back to the time of the fall for the original announcement concerning the advent of the Lord.  It was given at that time as a counterpoise to the fall, and was held out as the one hope of redemption.  Admittedly, as a prophecy conveying an external idea of the Messiah, it is both obscure and general.  However, two facts of vital importance are there clearly indicated, i.e., that the Lord was to be born of a woman, and that He would overcome evil.  For the perceptive man of that day and for the angels this general idea in the natural was sufficient.  For them and for the angels the whole process of the assumption and glorification was involved and expressed.  The indications are, however, clear that there were other, and possibly, more explicit prophecies contained in the Ancient Word; for we are told in the Writings that
    It was known from most ancient times that the Lord was to come into the world, and that He was to suffer death, as may appear from the fact that a custom prevailed amongst the Gentiles of sacrificing their children, believing thus to expiate themselves and make God propitious; which abominable custom they could never have practiced as of most religious obligation, unless they had received from the ancients a tradition that the Son of God should come into the world, who, as they believed, was to be made a sacrifice. (A. C. 2818)

     It is true that the conclusion that the Lord was to suffer death might be deduced from the statement that the serpent would bruise the heel of the seed of woman.  But that there were other prophetic announcements would seem clear from the statement in A. C. 3419, that "The ancients possessed doctrinals from which they knew that the Lord would come into the world and that Jehovah was in Him."  However, Genesis 3:15, is all that we have from the Ancient Word touching the matter in hand.  A vast leap as to time must be taken before we come to the Second Messianic prophecy contained in our present Word.

"UNTIL SHILOH COMES"

     Jacob when blessing his sons said of Judah: "The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes, and unto Him shall be the obedience of His people."  This prophecy belongs to the patriarchal age, and the Messianic idea naturally falls into the patriarchal conception of a governor or ruler, as a lawgiver, and it is in marked contrast with Genesis 3:15, which presents the idea in the pure symbolism of most ancient times.  The historic period is now reached, on account of which this prophecy may be regarded as the first of the strictly historical prophecies, that is, as having an external historical significance as well as a Divine celestial and spiritual import.  Here the Lord is given the name of Shiloh, which signifies the "tranquility of peace," the idea being that tranquility of peace would flow from Him as the Divine lawgiver.  In keeping with this idea, we have in the succeeding age the great work done by Moses the lawgiver, as a representative of the Lord in a superior degree.  As we shall see, the patriarchal and Mosaic conception of the Messiah was essentially the same in this that He was regarded as the Divine lawgiver.

     The natural or historical meaning of this prophecy of Jacob was that the tribe of Judah and its derivative, the Jewish kingdom, should endure until the time of the Lord's coming, and in its natural meaning, also, the prophecy was fulfilled, for it was not until after His coming that the power of the Jews as a nation was forever broken by Rome.

     But if we look for the deeper significance of the continuation of Judah's power, we shall find that that tribe and people represented the celestial kingdom of the Lord, through which the Divine power was exercised prior to the advent in the flesh.  At that time there was an influx from the Divine to men and spirits through the celestial kingdom, that is, through the angels of that kingdom; therefore, these angels are said to have "had power."  In a word, the celestial kingdom was the medium of salvation.  But inasmuch as heaven itself is not pure, and the world was become corrupt, and the world of spirits disturbed; it was necessary that the Lord Himself should come and clothe Himself with this power formerly and inadequately exercised by the angels.  It was necessary that the Lord Himself should come, and as the Divine lawgiver, restore tranquility: hence He is called Shiloh.

THE STAR OF JACOB

     However, this restoration of tranquility which was absolutely necessary to the salvation of men, involved not only the idea of giving the Law, but also combat with the hells.  This latter idea is brought forth by the third Messianic prophecy, i.e., that of Balaam, given during the Mosaic period.  Balaam, standing on Mount Peer and overlooking the camp of Israel, said: "I see Him, and not now, I behold Him, and not nigh.  A star shall come forth from Jacob, and a sceptre shall arise out of Israel, and shall break the corners of Moab, and destroy the sons of Seth." (Numbers 24:17).

     While this prophecy was given concerning the coming of the Lord, in and through Israel, yet it fell not from the mouth of an Israelite, but from one of the sons of the East, which we may regard as a Sign of the prevalence of the knowledge that the Lord would come into the world.  And, moreover, it is certain that this knowledge persisted with some even down to the time of the Lord's coming, as may appear from the story of the three wise men who beheld the star and followed it to the place where the Young Child lay.  It is also evident that in the days of Herod the "Star" overhung Bethlehem in confirmation of this prophecy of Balaam. 

     The Lord's Human essence is signified by the "Star which should arise out of Jacob."  His victory over the hells is meant by the breaking of the corners of Moab, and destroying the sons of Seth.

     In this prophecy the Lord is not characterized as a lawgiver in so many words, yet when compared, it will be found to be in perfect general accord with the former prophecy concerning Shiloh.  Here, however, the distinct idea of combat with, and victory over the hells, is added.

A PROPHET "LIKE UNTO ME"

     Only one other Messianic prophecy pertains to the Mosaic period, and its general accordance with the foregoing will at once be manifest.  Moses said: "The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the richest of thy brethren like unto me; unto Him shall ye hearken."  Many have been the surmises as to which one of the prophets is here referred to.  Since it is said that this Prophet should be like unto Moses, it is thought that the Lord Himself could not have been meant.  Yet we find this passage listed by Swedenborg in the Coronis, n. 70, and in other places under the head of prophetic announcements concerning the coming of the Lord.  Besides, it is certain that the Jews in the Lord's day regarded it as a prophecy not yet fulfilled, for on beholding certain of the miracles which the Lord did they said: "This is of a truth that prophet which should come into the world."  (John 6:14) Moreover, Peter in his first address, after the crucifixion, delivered from the porch of the temple, said: "For Moses said truly unto the fathers, a Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; Him shall ye hear in all things . . . and it shall come to pass that every soul which shall not hear that Prophet shall be destroyed from among the people." (Acts 3:22-23) Peter here, and in the following part of his address, identifies the Prophet proclaimed by Moses with the Lord Jesus Christ.

     Now, if we would seek for the true reason why Moses should liken the Messiah unto himself, we find from the Writings that it was so done because Jehovah spake with Moses face to face, or mouth to mouth, and not as to the other prophets by visions, dreams and dark sayings. (A. C. 624) Thus, this close communication of Moses with Jehovah represented the intimate union of the Human with the Divine in the Lord.  It is for this arcane reason that the Lord is thus called a Prophet like unto Moses.

     But if we fall back from this exalted truth to the natural idea, we discover that the Messianic conception, as it existed in the patriarchal and Mosaic ages, was that of a law giver, and, therefore, when it is said that the Coming One should be like unto Moses, it only describes and accentuates the Messianic conception as it then existed, for Moses was the grand type and example of all lawgivers.

     We have now reviewed the first four prophecies concerning the coming of the Lord into the world.  The first in Genesis 3:15, stands by itself as belonging to the prehistoric age, as being an excerpt from the Word of the Ancient Church, which in turn was derived from the perception of the men of the Most Ancient Church.  This prophecy, therefore, carries us back to the sunset after the first dawn, or to the first fall of man, and as we should expect, we find it couched in the most antique symbolism.  From it, therefore, as it stands in the letter, only most general ideas may be drawn i.e., the conflict between good and evil, between the Lord and the devil, as imaged in the enmity between the seed of woman and the serpent.  But when we come to the opening of the historic period we find that that which was before characterized as the "seed of woman" with no other external attribute, has now become Shiloh, the sceptre, the star of Jacob, and one like unto Moses; in a word, the Divine Lawgiver.  As in the patriarchal days the leading thought of a ruler or leader was that of a lawgiver, it follows that this idea alone would give adequate expression to the Messianic conception.  For in every age this idea clothed itself with that which was most expressive of power for good with the people.  The essential thought being that the Lord would come with power to save, that is, with power to remove evil and establish justice.  With this in view the Coming One is first called the "Seed of Woman," then a lawgiver, a prophet, an anointed one, and finally a King: each of these terms when employed simply represented the prevailing conception of that special power which it was necessary for the Lord to assume, in order that He might overcome the evil and injustice of the world.  And, in truth, all these functions were assumed by Him, and became so many instruments in His hands for the accomplishment of the Divine work of redeeming mankind from death and hell.

II.

THE PERIOD OF THE JUDGES

     During the period of the judges no open Messianic prophecy was given.  Of course, all the judges, like the patriarchs, prophets and kings, represented the Lord.  But this fact, to be known and appreciated, requires a knowledge of the internal sense, and it is therefore a different matter from the historical announcements of the coming of the Lord with which we are dealing.

     Why open revelation concerning the advent was not given during this period we are unable to say.  But the period itself is nonetheless one of the most interesting with which historians have to deal, by virtue of its remarkable, and we may almost say, unexpected contrast with the preceding period of Joshua and Moses.

     The grand and complex ecclesiastical establishment founded through the instrumentality of Moses seems to have suddenly vanished.  By the book of Judges we are introduced into another and different world from that of Moses.  There appears to be with the people of Israel an almost complete reversion to the original tribal or patriarchal condition.  If the Israelites in the days of the Judges were acquainted with the body of the Mosaic law, they show but little evidence of it.  The fact seems to be that the Mosaic establishment was largely ideal; that is to say, the efficient working was of necessity long delayed.  At any rate it is certain that during no period was it less in evidence than in the time of the Judges.  This may, no doubt, be largely accounted for by the distress of the times.  For after the brilliant conquest under Joshua, Israel was in turn all but displaced by counter conquests on the part of the former inhabitants of the land.  Woefully divided among themselves, the Sons of Israel were forced to wage an age-long warfare for their very existence.  So after all we may not be surprised to find so little of the grand ritual of Moses in practical working at this time.  Thus even Samuel the "faithful priest," who should do according to the Lord's own "heart," and who under the hand of the Lord was the founder of the Israelitish monarchy, was accustomed to go from place to place, sacrificing upon the high places in apparent contravention of the command of Moses.  These were the same high places which were afterwards so much condemned by the prophets as altogether heathen and worthy of destruction, but which, nevertheless, held their own with remarkable tenacity during all the kings down to the time of the great priestly revolution under Josiah, when they were finally destroyed, and all sacrificial worship was concentrated at Jerusalem, the place where, according to Moses, the Lord "would choose to place His name there."

"THE MESSIAH"

     It was not until the establishment of the kingdom, and then not until the kings began to fail of all that was hoped and expected of them, that we again encounter Messianic prophecy in a decisive and vigorous form.  Now, however, in place of a lawgiver we hear of an ideal King who is to come and cause justice to rule throughout the world.  This king is called the "Anointed," which is the literal meaning of the Hebrew word Messiah.

     It is true that a portion of the prayer of Hannah is accounted as Messianic, because of a reference to the "Lord's Anointed," but it is also true that Israel's ambition to have a king was then beginning to stir.  It may be noted that the trend of modern thought is to regard the true beginning of the Messianic hope as coincident with the establishment of the kingdom, but this is true only as regards the use of the term Messiah.

     The establishment of the kingdom did prepare the way for this conception of the coming one as a king.  To their king the people looked for justice and deliverance.  His power alone was equal to the task.  What more natural then, than that the Messianic conception should now fall into the kingly mould, thus that the vision of the Messiah should now be that of an ideal king ruling with judgment and justice, the one great apparent need of the time.  From the human standpoint Saul was a failure.  Even David, the great national hero, was smirched, especially in the case of the wife of Uriah.  Solomon debauched Israel with the manners and customs of Egypt, and the kings following in both Judah and Israel were but pale reflections of these.  In consequence the feeling grew that if Israel was to be saved and accomplish its mission, it was needful that the promised one should come as a king.

     The first forms of this prophecy are found in the Psalms.  Thus the priest-king is presented to view in Psalm 110; the all-concerning king, in Psalm 2; the revelating king, in Psalm 45; His universal dominion in Psalm 82; and the king of glory, in Psalm 24.

     However, the Messianic features are as yet very general compared with those which were given by the great prophets of the eighth century.  The most distinct, perhaps, is that of the Second Psalm, where it is said: "I have anointed my king upon Zion, my holy mountain. . . . The Lord said unto me, My son art Thou; I this day have begotten Thee."  Here a king conceived of Jehovah and born in time is plainly taught.

     Another notable prophecy of these times is that contained in Psalm 110.: "The Lord said unto my Lord, sit on my right hand until I make thy foes thy footstool."  The Lord Himself, quoting these words, said: "How then doth David in spirit call Him Lord. . . . If David called Him Lord, how is He his Son."  This was in answer to the Pharisees, who contended that Christ would be David's son.

     The obvious teaching both of Psalms 2 and 110 is that the Messiah was to be conceived and born of Jehovah.  And this is the first occasion when the literal sense distinctly yields this all important truth.

THE EARLIER PROPHETS

     The earlier prophets, such as Hosea, give expression to the Messianic conception, but now in a very specific way.  The general trend with these prophets has reference to the redemption of the world through Israel.  With this idea in view, Israel as a nation is often personified, and what is said concerning such a collective Israel has a decided Messianic tone, as may be seen from the following beautiful quotation from Hosea: "I will be as the dew unto Israel; he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon.  His branches shall be spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon.  They that dwell under his shadow shall return."  This passage is regarded by many as Messianic, at least in a general way, and yet the obvious reference is to a collective Israel, and in keeping with this we find that the Writings interpret it as having direct relation to the spiritual church.  However, the Newchurchman will encounter no difficulty here for he regards the whole of the Old Testament as inmostly a prophecy concerning the advent of the Lord, and, therefore, that a personification of Israel should approximate a distinct Messianic utterance, is to be expected.  Moreover, a slight elevation of the idea will convert all such passages into genuine Messianic prophecies.  Besides, all that has reference to the Israelitish or Jewish nation, also refers to the Human of the Lord, which assumed from, and was in the ultimate, a type of that nation.  When, therefore, the expressions concerning that people became individualized, the thought naturally turns to the One who came into the world through Israel and took upon Himself and fulfilled the mission of the chosen people, in the highest significance.  That is to say, the Sons of Jacob failed, and the Lord look upon Himself their appointed mission and gave it Divine accomplishment.

A COLLECTIVE ISRAEL WILL NO LONGER ANSWER

     A little later, however, Messianic prophecy becomes so distinct and emphatic, that the theory of a collective Israel, now so much advocated as an explanation of all prophecy concerning the coming of the Lord, will no longer answer.  Thus, Isaiah who may appropriately be called the great prophet of the Advent, exclaims: "Behold, 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."  And then, soon after in the ninth chapter, he breaks forth into that wonderful song of glorious meaning: "Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Father of Eternity, the Prince of Peace."

     After this explicit announcement of the birth of the Savior into the world by means of a virgin, there follows a flood of Messianic prophecy referring to the coming One and to the glory of His everlasting kingdom.  So precise do these prophecies now become that Micah foretells the very place of His birth, i.e., Bethlehem. (Micah 5:2-5.) And Malachi even announces the John the Baptist, under the name of Elijah, as the Divinely appointed forerunner of the Lord.

"THE MAN OF SORROWS"

     While the kingly idea of the Messiah prevails throughout the period of the kingdom, yet we find a notable exception in the latter part of Isaiah, where the view of a "suffering servant" or "man of sorrows" is presented.  This view is externally in such contrast with that of a royal or kingly Messiah, that many have attributed this latter portion of the book of Isaiah to the depressed period of the captivity.  But as this necessitates a second Isaiah, or another and later prophet who wrote under the name of Isaiah, we may well hesitate before accepting such an explanation.

     However, it is certain that the contrast is such as to call for some interpretation, for outwardly there is but little in common between the two conceptions.  Observe how little the following quotation calls to mind the King of Glory:

     "He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant and as a root out of dry ground: He hath no form nor comeliness; and 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; and we hid, as it were, our faces from Him.  He was despised and we esteemed Him not.  Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem Him stricken, 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; and with His stripes are we healed.  All we like sheep have gone astray.  We have turned every one to his own way; and Jehovah hath laid upon 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; and as a sheep before his shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth.  He was taken from prison and from judgment. . . . He was cut off out of the land of the living, and for the transgression of my people was He stricken, and He made His grave with the wicked, and with the rich in His death; because He had done no violence, neither was any deceit in His mouth.  Yet it pleased Jehovah to bruise Him.  He hath made Him infirm.  When thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed.  He shall prolong His days.  And the pleasure of Jehovah shall prosper in His hand. . . . Therefore will I divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He hath poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors; and He bare the sins of many, and made intercession for transgressors." (Isaiah 53)

     One can hardly fail to recognize in this description, written many centuries before the Lord came into the world, an accurate account of all those things which the Lord underwent on earth.  Indeed, those who do not believe in the Lord frankly confess that they hardly know what to make of it.  They have termed the words we have quoted as the "strangest ever penned by mortal hand."

     So wonderful is this picture, so true is its likeness to Him who came for our salvation, that it stands unique among the many Messianic prophecies, as an actual and true description of the person of our Lord.  We, of course, know what to make of concerning the everlasting reign of the Glorious King.  However, this vision of the Messiah, who was to come into the world and give Himself up unto death as a ransom for many, laid in history the ground for the actual event, and prepared the way for the anticipation of His Second Coming.

THE SON OF MAN IN THE CLOUDS

     Only one other prophetic announcement from the Old Testament claims our attention, and that, also, for its unique character stands alone among Old Testament prophecies, i.e., the Apocalyptic vision of the Son of Man in the clouds of heaven, given in Daniel as follows: "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, and they brought Him near before Him.  And there was given Him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations and languages, should serve Him; His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom which shall not be destroyed." (Daniel 7:13-14)

     It is interesting to note that the scene of this vision is laid during the exile, and in the land of the captivity.  The kingdom of Judah was now destroyed, its temple was razed to the ground, and historians tell us that at the time the book was written the hope of the Jews was transferred from earth to heaven, that in the imagination of the people all the sacred vessels of the temple were lifted up to heaven and there preserved, and that this state of mind afforded a fitting ground for this prophecy concerning the celestial Messiah, to whom now for the first time the exalted title of "Son of Man" is given.  However, this may be, it is certain that nowhere else in the Old Testament do we find the Messiah thus described as appearing in the heavens.  And it is also evident that this heavenly appearing marks the height of Messianic prophecy, and in a general way the close of the prophetic period of preparation for the actual coming.  The plane was now fully formed, the vessels were all given.  The "Seed of Woman," Shiloh, The Divine Lawgiver, The Son of God, born in time of a virgin, The King of Glory, The Man of Sorrows, and, finally, the Son of Man in the clouds of heaven:?nothing was wanting save the slow course of events which would lead to the fulness of time, when by an actual appearing of the Divine in the flesh, all these things would be fulfilled.

III.

THE BIRTH

     When at length the Babe was born, in Bethlehem, all time was divided into two halves, and this fact was significant of a great spiritual division as to state.  Not only was the restitution of man with God accomplished by this actual fulfillment of the first, and also of all subsequent Messianic prophecy, but the very relation of man to God altered, in that the Divine Human now became the medium of salvation, in place of the celestial heaven.  Now that Shiloh was come, the kingdom departed from Judah.  And this involved the stupendous fact that men should no longer worship the Divine under representative types and images, but that they should approach the Divine solely by way of the Human assumed and glorified.  For this reason direct revelation, or revelation unveiled by natural correspondences, became possible.  However, the full fruit of this possibility was borne only at the time of the Second Coming, when an immediate revelation was given.

JESUS CHRIST THE MESSIAH

     That this Babe of Bethlehem, this Jesus called the Christ, was the One concerning whom the prophets prophesied from the time of the first fall, is the supreme claim of the Christian religion.  Of this Divine fact the whole New Testament is given in evidence, every page of which bears more or less directly on the subject of the Lord's Divinity.  On several occasions He Himself refers to these ancient prophecies concerning His advent, as, for instance, when He was standing in the synagogue of Nazareth, soon after His Baptism, and was reading before the People from the book of Isaiah, the words: "The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor," and then having sat down He said, 'This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears.'" (Luke 4:10-21)

     Again of the Scripture He said: "They are they which testify of me." (John 5:39)

     And then after His crucifixion He appeared unto two of His disciples, and "Beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them, in all the Scripture, the things concerning Himself." (Luke 24)

     Besides, He frequently calls Himself the "Son of Man," and this in a way that no Jew of His day could possibly mistake His meaning.  In a word, He openly claimed to be the One whom Daniel in the clouds of heaven, i.e., the celestial Messiah.  By no other words could His Divine origin be more forcibly and comprehensively put.  But not by His mouth alone was He thus identified.  John, the Divinely appointed Messenger, on first seeing Him walking on the banks of the Jordan, said: "Behold, the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world." And soon after the disciple John said of Him: "We have found the Messiah." Repeatedly He asked His disciples: "Whom do men say that I am?"  or "Whom think ye that I am?"  and when they would answer that He was the Christ, which meant the anointed or the Messiah, He approved.  Examples such as these might by multiplied to prove that which for us hardly needs proving, save as a step in the progress of our discourse.

SECOND MESSIANIC PROPHET

     With the coming of the Lord into the world the Scripture was fulfilled, and the Messianic prophecy accomplished.  And we might suppose that the subject of our discourse was ended.  But such is not the case; for with His death on the Messianic hope and Messianic prophecy burst forth anew and with renewed vigor.  That He should suffer death was known from His own words, and it might also have been known from Isaiah's prophecy concerning the Man of Sorrows.  And yet the only satisfactory and adequate answer to His death was that He should come again.  And, indeed, He promised His disciples that He would come again on the last day, in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory, according to the strict prophecy of Daniel.  Now, around this hope and expectation of a second coming the life of the first Christian Church centered.  With the early Christians this hope was most real.  Their lived in the daily expectation of its fulfillment.  Few, if any, of them expected to die before its accomplishment.  And when the first deaths occurred amongst them they were not a little puzzled.  So important an element was this hope of a second coming in the life and faith of the Christian Church that we may measure the state and trace the fall of the Church, by the subsidence of this its vital and life-giving hope.

THE APOCALYPSE OF JOHN

     With the death of the Lord Messianic prophecy was renewed; hence the apocalypse of John, which, taken as a whole, is a Messianic prophecy concerning the Second Advent of the Lord and also a prediction concerning His Glorious Kingdom or Church to be established at that time.

     It is not without reason that a remarkable likeness is traced between the Book of Revelations and the Apocalyptic visions of Daniel, for the Messianic portions of these visions, unlike the other prophecies from the Old Testament, overleap the first and apply directly to the Second Coming, for their literal correspondential fulfillment, i.e., the coming of the Son of Man in the clouds of heaven, when interpreted, has special reference to the Second Coming, as is well known.  And it is also well known that the Lord referred to His Second Coming in the words of the prophet Daniel.  Wherefore, in the first chapter of the book of "The Revelation of Jesus Christ" we find the words, "Behold, He cometh with the clouds," and in the first vision seen by John, which is the subject of that chapter, "One like unto the Son of Man" is seen in the "midst of the seven golden candlesticks." And this is the key to the Apocalypse, and the leading idea of this Second Messianic prophecy, i.e., The Lord Jesus Christ is to come again, but strictly as the Son of Man, and in the clouds of heaven according to the original prophecy of Daniel.  That is to say, the Lord was to come again into the world, not as formerly, in the flesh, but as the Word glorified.  For such is the significance of the Son of Man in the clouds.

TWO IDEAS

     We have now traced the course of Messianic prophecy in a general way, through its many phases, from the seed of woman to Jesus Christ the Son of Man in the clouds of heaven.  And throughout this long time of prophecy, we find two ideas running parallel.  The one is that the Messiah was a man, and, therefore, human, the other, that He was Divine, and, therefore, God.  At every stage these two ideas are not equally prominent, but in the New Testament especially, their may be observed with equal distinctness, and the same may be said of the prophecies of Isaiah where the birth of a child is foretold whose name was to be called "God."

     However, it was not clearly known who this Messiah was.  To us it may seem as if anyone might learn the truth from the literal Scripture alone.  And yet there was no one daring enough to draw the only true conclusion, and this because there was not one found in heaven or on earth worthy to open the book.  There was a veil still before the eyes of men, a doubt existed, and the history of the Christian Church is the history of this doubt.  It could not be otherwise, for while Christians recognized the Lord as the Messiah and the Savior of men, still, as we are told in the Writings, the final truth concerning Him was not openly revealed to that Church.  So the question remained, the doubt continued, until after three centuries of debate a compromising answer was forged, which, on the one part, was so far from the truth that it wrought destruction, and on the other, so near the truth that it imparted to the Christian Church a vital element which enabled that Church to live many centuries, and in some sort, to serve as a medium of salvation.  We refer to the famous doctrine of the Trinity, whereby the Lord Jesus Christ was made a coequal partner with God the Father, and the Holy Spirit.  No possible phraseology could leave the question in a more unsatisfactory and doubtful state than that adopted by the Council of Nice.  Of necessity the doubt continued and the question remained until heaven should he opened, and the true answer given.  And we note with more than passing interest that when at the end of time, this opening of heaven actually occurred, that it was God-Messiah who revealed Himself.

GOD-MESSIAH

     It is true that in the progressive unfolding of that Divine Revelation which constitutes the Second Advent of the Lord that this significant title of God-Messiah was dropped and the all-comprehensive term "Lord" was adopted in its place.  It is also true that the second coming of the Lord was not a coming in Person, but in the Spirit ? the Spirit of Truth.  Yet the important fact remains that this second coming was inaugurated by a Personal appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ as the God-Messiah.  And we observe that by His Personal appearing under this title the climax of the long line of Messianic prophecy, from the time of the Most Ancient Church, is reached.  At last there is given from heaven a complete and positive identification of the long promised Messiah with the Supreme and only God.  And this is the crowning doctrine of the age.  This is the most vital and saving truth that ever came into the world.  Its giving constitutes the Second Advent, and marks the summit of Divine Revelation.  In the light of this supreme truth every former Messianic prophecy becomes luminous, and all of them are raised to one and the same plane.  The consequence is that the apparent difference between these prophecies, with which we have been dealing, vanishes.  There is but one meaning in them all.

     Here the question may be raised: Since we live under this new dispensation, in the light of which all such external distinctions have disappeared, why point to them?  Are they anything but shadows which obscure the vision?  I answer that it is useful to mark these distinctions, to observe these shadows of the Letter, if only to see them vanish when the light of internal truth shines upon them.

MESSIANIC TRUTH

     After we reach the period of that revelation of Divine Truth, by means of which the Second Coming of the Lord was accomplished, we, of course, no longer meet with Messianic prophecy, but instead we encounter a mighty stream of Messianic Truth.  Upon this stream we may steer a course, but to compass it is impossible.  We may now trace the process, and, indeed, the progress of the glorification of the Human, as it occurred both in the body of flesh, and in the body of Scripture, but to do this is beyond the limit and the purpose of this paper.  It will suffice if we have shown that on the surface of revelation there is evidence of a gradual expansion of the Messianic idea from a first obscure beginning up to a complete rational conception of the Human Divine and Divine Human God, in which apparent development, through the successive pages of Scripture, a progression is visible which may be regarded as a type and image, on the grand historic scale of the actual glorification of our Lord as a man.

THE FOUR CYCLES

     In this historic development of the Messianic idea, four general cycles are already marked.  The first, and most ancient, is embraced in the single prophecy contained in Genesis 3:15, concerning the "Seed of woman."  The second is coequal with the Jewish Church.  This cycle, leaving out of consideration the many minor phases and modifications, appears to have undergone four general stages, or, at least, the Messianic conception appears under four distinct characteristics.  1st. The Lawgiver of the patriarchal and Mosaic ages; 2d. The Anointed King, of the Period of the kingdom; 3d. The suffering servant, or Man of Sorrows, which was brought forth under the shadow of impending calamity to the kingdom, and during which period alone we find the death of the Messiah prophesied; and 4th. The "Son of Man in the clouds," or the celestial Messiah, which was given after the kingdom was swept away by the power of Babylon.

     The third cycle is coincident with the Christian Church.  It embraces the actual coming of the Lord and a second form of Messianic prophecy announcing a Second Advent in the clouds of heaven.

     The fourth cycle parallels the New Church and refers to the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ as God-Messiah, who, indeed, on the occasion of His coming, appeared in Person unto His servant, and commissioned him to write the things which should pertain to the everlasting Kingdom of God.

     If, I say, this succession of prophetic enunciations be seen and interpreted aright, it will serve to strengthen the historic basis of our faith; and also to accentuate this most important truth that the New Church, or rather its revelation, has completed the historic Messianic idea, by giving the world the crowning truth concerning the Messiah as God.  Whence arises the indisputable right of this Church to be called the crown of all the Churches, even as a matter of history.

     In conclusion, it may not be amiss to suggest that the several apparent stages of the development of Messianic prophecy in the Old Testament have a general reference to so many states of the Lord's life on earth, i.e., that the first stage, or that embraced in the prophecy concerning the "Seed of woman," is parallel to the infantile period of His life; The second, or that of the lawgiver, has general reference to the youthful stage of His development; The third, or the royal King, is significant of His entrance into power during the period of His first manhood; The fourth, or that of the "Man of Sorrows," obviously refers to His more profound temptations which followed His appearing before the world as the Messiah.  While the fifth stage, or that of the Son of Man in the clouds of heaven, has in a general way relation to His uplifting or glorification.

     But whatever may be thought of these suggestions the fact remains that there is a Divine series in this succession of prophetic announcements, having sole reference to the progressive glorification of the Lord, from its beginning to its final culmination.  In a word, when the Lord came into the world He found at hand the Divine History of His Life inwritten in the human annals of the Jewish race.  It was this inwrought History which He, in His Person, fulfilled, and in the fulfilling effected His glorification, by which event the body of flesh was laid aside in death.  And by this event also after the lapse of seventeen centuries, the body of Scripture was also laid aside, by an unveiling of the Divine Soul within.  This Divine Soul is presented to us in the celestial story of the Man who became God.

[Paper from Selected Papers and Addresses by Nathaniel Dandridge Pendleton, Late Bishop of the General Church of the New Jerusalem and President of the Academy of the New Church.  Copyright 1938; also published in New Church Life, October, 1904]