The Crucified Messiah

The conspiracy by the Earth’s kings to unseat God’s Son is applied by the New Testament to the plot to kill Jesus . The Second Psalm is a key messianic passage applied to Jesus several times in the New Testament. But precisely when were its predictions fulfilled, and is the Messiah reigning now on David’s Throne? Or is the world still waiting for his accession to God’s Throne at a future date? What about the “ revolt ” of nations and kings against Yahweh’s “anointed one”? Is this a prediction of a future conflict between Jesus and the government of the Earth - (Psalm 2:1-6)?

Jesus performed miracles, exorcised demons, and taught with great authority, often attracting large crowds. Nevertheless, his contemporaries failed to recognize who he was despite displays of supernatural power. In the end, only the Roman centurion on duty at Golgotha perceived him to be the “ Son of God ” when the Nazarene breathed his last.

John saw Jesus as the sacrificial “ Lamb ” in the central vision of  Revelation , the one whose shed blood purchased men from every nation. Because he gave his life to redeem humanity, all Creation proclaimed him “ worthy ” to open the “ Sealed Scroll ” and receive absolute sovereignty. His reign began when the “ Lamb ” took possession of the Scroll and began to open its “ Seven Seals .”

In the three synoptic gospels, the term “ Son of Man ” is the self-designation found most often on the lips of Jesus. It is derived from Daniel’s vision of the one “ like a Son of Man ” who received the “ dominion and kingdom ” from the “ Ancient of Days .” According to Jesus, “ All the tribes of the Earth ” will mourn when “ they see the Son of man coming on the clouds of Heaven .”

After predicting his death, two disciples began jockeying for high-status positions in his coming Kingdom. Thinking according to the ways of this world’s concepts of political power, they did not comprehend what kind of Messiah Jesus was (and remains), and therefore, what it meant to follow him “ wherever he goes .” However, in Jerusalem, he would soon demonstrate how one achieves “ Greatness ” in the Kingdom of God.

On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus explained to his disciples what it meant to be the Messiah of Israel. In the city of David, he was about to face his final confrontation with the Temple authorities which would end in his violent and unjust death at the hands of the Romans. Was not Jerusalem the appointed place where the prophets sent to proclaim God’s word to Israel were slain, where the Messiah himself must suffer rejection and death, according to the Scriptures?