Christianity began with the belief that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah. As far back as the eighth century B.C., the prophets of the Old Testament expressed their conviction that some day a leader would arise in their midst, and under his guidance a kingdom of justice and righteousness would be established on earth. During the centuries that followed, this belief was modified in various ways but was never completely abandoned. Three different stages can be noted in the development of the messianic idea: prophetic messianism, apocalyptic messianism, and revolutionary messianism. All three concern the earthly establishment of the kingdom of God, the ultimate goal of history or the final realization of the divine purpose in regard to the destiny of the human race. The three types of messianism differ from one another in respect to the time and manner of their accomplishments.
Prophetic messianism taught that the earthly kingdom of God would be reached with the coming of the Messiah, or anointed one. He would be an actual king who would reign over the Israelite nation and direct its affairs in such a way that the evils in society would be overcome and peace and happiness would be the lot of all.
When Saul was chosen as the first king of Israel, supposedly he was anointed with oil by the prophet Samuel in the presence of a multitude of people. This important ceremony symbolized the hope that this anointed one would be the Messiah under whose leadership the divine purpose would be realized. Saul’s reign was a disappointment, and when things were going rather badly, David was chosen to be king in place of Saul. In many respects, David’s reign was more successful. Later generations looked back upon it as a kind of golden age in the history of the Israelite people. The hope for the coming of the Messiah was emphasized more and more in the teachings of the prophets. Because so many of Israel’s kings had been disappointing in what they did, the prophets talked about the coming of an ideal king who would appear in the future and do for his people that which other kings had been unable to do. This king, they said, would be like King David. Later, they maintained that he would be a descendant from the line of David, an idea expressed in the writings of the prophet Isaiah.
The course of Hebrew history over the centuries did not fulfill the prophets’ hopes. Instead, one disaster after another overtook the nation. After the death of King Solomon, Israel was divided into a northern and a southern kingdom, and each kingdom went through a series of tragic experiences. In 722 B.C., the northern kingdom was taken captive by the Assyrians. A century and a half later, the southern kingdom suffered a similar fate at the hands of the Babylonians. Eventually, a Hebrew state was restored for a time, but conditions were far from ideal. Internal strife was present, and the nation was under a constant threat of destruction from foreign enemies. Under these conditions, prophetic messianism began to wane, and apocalyptic messianism appeared in its place.
The dominant characteristic of apocalyptic messianism was a conviction that the kingdom of God would not come about by a gradual transformation of society under the leadership of a great and good king. Rather, it would be brought about by a sudden supernatural intervention. When the right time arrived, God would act, bringing punishment to all the forces of evil and establishing his kingdom as a dwelling place for the righteous for all time to come. This event, referred to as the coming of the Day of the Lord, what in the Old Testament is referred to as the Day of Yahweh, was described as a great catastrophic event, an end of the world and the ushering in of a new age. Although there are variations in the different apocalyptic texts, some of these writings convey the idea that the Messiah will be a heavenly being who will descend to earth and inaugurate the new era. His appearance will bring destruction to the wicked and deliverance to the righteous. A resurrection of the dead and a judgment of all the people who have lived on the earth will occur. After the wicked have been completely destroyed, a new heaven and a new earth in which only justice and righteousness prevail will exist.
Apocalyptic messianism was especially meaningful in times of crises, which for the Jews meant most of the time. The Book of Daniel in the Old Testament was written primarily for those who were suffering persecution from the Syrians under Antiochus Epiphanes during the period that preceded the Maccabean wars. In New Testament times, the Roman government persecuted the Christians, and the Book of Revelation did for the Christians of that day what the Book of Daniel did for the Jews of an earlier date: assure those who were suffering for their faith that although the evil forces in the world were then in the ascendancy, the time was not far distant when God would intervene and bring an end to the reign of evil by establishing a kingdom of righteousness in which those who had proved faithful through all of their trials and afflictions would dwell forever in peace.
