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The Hidden Messiah
Michael Heiss—October 22, 2016
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We're going to be looking at what I call the hidden Messiah. What do I mean by hidden? I'm going to read to you a paragraph or two from a particular work that I have, and it will give you a feel for what Jewish thinking was in the first century A.D. as well as the first century B.C. We're talking about apocalyptic literature, which consists works written concerning the end-times and the coming Messiah.
You will be amazed how they conceived of the Messiah and they call Him the hidden Messiah. They actually understood that this Messiah could not be recognized unless God revealed Him to you.
Thus, the hidden Messiah appears many times in the apocalypses, especially in the Book of Enoch where we see the heavenly Son of man being hidden in heaven till the appointed time comes.
For the Son of man was concealed from the beginning and the Most High preserved Him in the presence of His power. Then He revealed Him to the Holy ones and the elect ones.
We also have the Ezra Apocalypse, which was sometime during the first century C.E. It also played on the theme of the hidden and revealed Messiah.
There is no way, however, that anyone could find and see the Messiah by his own efforts.
The Anointed One Whom the Most High has kept unto the end has to be revealed with the appointed time comes.
Notice how they use the phrase appointed times. They understood this.
Just as no one can explain or know what is in the depths of the sea, so no one on earth can see My Son, or those who are with Him, except when His time and day have come. The Messiah then shall begin to be revealed.
In all these writings, the Messiah is the pre-existed Being. They understood that.
Who will be revealed by God Himself and even if men do see the Messiah before He is revealed, they will not see Him as He really is until He is revealed to them by God.
That is just an introduction to what I have for us today. We will see that people didn't recognize the Messiah. They knew Him, they knew Jesus, they had seen Him, they saw Him grow up and they knew who He was as far as a human being was concerned.
But they didn't know Who He really was! Let's take a look and give an example or two.
Mark 4:35: "Now on the same day, when evening came, He [Jesus] said to them, 'Let us go over to the other side.' And after dismissing the multitude, they took Him with them, as He was already in the ship; and there were many other small ships with Him also. And a violent windstorm came up, and the waves were crashing into the ship so forcefully that it was rapidly filling up. Now He was at the stern sleeping on a cushion. And they aroused Him, and said to Him, 'Master, don't You care that we are perishing?' And after being awakened, He rebuked the wind and said to the sea, 'Silence! Be still.' And the wind died, and there was a great calm. And He said to them, 'Why are you so fearful? Why do you not have faith?' But they were afraid, and said to one another in great fear, 'Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?'" (vs 35-41).
They had been with Jesus for months; they followed Him around the countryside. They listened to His preaching, but they did not know that He was the Messiah, the Christ, the Son God, because Jesus did not reveal it to them. He didn't want them to know, at least not yet.
Mark 6:1: "And He left there and came into His own country, and His disciples followed Him. Now, when the Sabbath Day came, He began to teach in the synagogue; and many of those who heard Him were astonished, saying, 'From where did this Man get these things? And what is this wisdom that has been given to Him, that by His hands many miracles are done also?'" (vs 1-2).
We know how this was done. Remember we found out in part five from the Apostle Paul that Jesus emptied Himself, that He was a man divested of almost all of His powers as God. He was no longer God in spirit. He was God manifest in the flesh, but He was a human being.
Then we read in Isa. 50:4-6 where is says that morning by morning He instructs Me, He gives Me the tongue of the learned! That's how He could answer doctors of the law (Luke 2). That's how He had this wisdom that these individuals in the synagogue were saying, 'What is this wisdom that has been given to Him?' God gave it to Him; teaching and instructing Him morning by morning day in and day out!
So they asked, v 3: "'Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?' And they were offended in Him." They didn't recognize Him. In fact, nobody recognized Him, they just didn't know Who He was.
Among other things, whenever He did do powerful miracles, Jesus told His disciples to keep it quiet and don't tell anybody. He didn't want His notoriety to peak too soon. He was on a mission, and His mission was to be crucified in the third year of His preaching, not the first year. So, He had to tone things down.
This is where a daughter of a teacher died, and Jesus is coming to heal her; Mark 5:35: "While He was still speaking, they came from the ruler of the synagogue's house, saying, 'Your daughter is dead. Why bother the Teacher any longer?' But when Jesus heard the words that were spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, 'Do not be afraid. Only believe.' And He did not allow anyone to accompany Him except Peter and James and John, the brother of James. Now, when He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, He saw a tumult, and people weeping and wailing loudly" (vs 35-38)
Verse 39: "And when He had entered, He said to them, 'Why are you making a tumult and weeping? The child is not dead, but is only sleeping.' And they laughed at Him in disbelief. But after He had put them allout, He took with Him the father and the mother of the child, and those with Him, and went into the room where the child was lying. And taking the child by the hand, He said to her, 'Talitha, cumi'; which is being interpreted, 'Little girl, I say to you, arise!' And immediately the little girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years old. And they were filled with great amazement. Then He strictly charged them that no one should know this, and He told them to give her something to eat" (vs 39-43).
Here is Jesus charging them to keep their mouths shut and 'don't noise this abroad. You saw what I did and mum's the word.' This is what He did.
Matthew 9:27: "Now, as Jesus was traveling from there, two blind men followed, crying and saying, 'Have pity on us, Son of David!' And after coming into the house, the blind men came to Him; and Jesus said to them, 'Do you believe that I have the power to do this?' They said to Him, 'Yes, Lord.' Then He touched their eyes, saying, 'According to your faith be it to you.' And their eyes were opened. And He sternly warned them, saying, 'See that you do not let anyone know it.' But they went out and made Him known in all that land" (vs 27-31). But Jesus had instructed them to not tell, be quiet.
The demons knew Who He was, and He charged them to keep quiet.
Luke 4:33: "Now, a man who had an unclean spirit was in the synagogue; and he cried out with a loud voice, saying, 'Ah! What have we to do with You, Jesus the Nazarean? Have You come to destroy us? I know Who You are, the Holy One of God'" (vs 33-34). The demons knew! Satan the adversary knew! They knew very well Who He was! They hated Him!
Verse 35: "And Jesus rebuked him, saying, 'Be silent, and come out of him.' And after throwing him into the midst, the demon came out of him and did not hurt him in any way. Then astonishment came upon everyone, and they spoke to one another, saying, 'What message is this, that with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out?'" (vs 35-36).
So, here we see Jesus saying to be quiet and don't do this. Jesus did not want notoriety. Why is that these people did not know He was the Christ? Because He must be revealed!
Let's take a look and see why and how. John 6:44: "No one can come to Me unless the Father, Who sent Me, draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day."
Verse 65: "And He said, 'For this reason, I have said to you, no one can come to Me unless it has been given to him from My Father.'"
So, if you wonder why the Jews didn't recognize Him, why they rejected Him, they couldn't come to Him; only if the Father directed them. We'll see how Jesus used the words, 'those whom the Father has given Me.' If the Father hasn't given people to Jesus, they can't come, their minds are just blinded; there's that veil that is over their eyes, because God doesn't want them called at this time.
Remember, God is a strategic planner and thinker. Fred has pointed out in his messages that God is calling us so that during the Millennium and the Great White Throne Judgment He will have people in the form of God-beings who will be able to teach them.
As a physical, flesh and blood human being at that time, Jesus couldn't possibly teach hundreds of thousands of people. It wasn't the appointed time, yet!
Matthew 11:25: "At that time Jesus answered and said, 'I praise You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent, and have revealed them to babes. Yes, Father, for it was well pleasing in Your sight to do this. All things were delivered to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; neither does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son personally chooses to reveal Him'" (vs 25-27).
What do we have here? You really can't know the Father as the Father unless Jesus makes it known to you and explains it! Likewise, you really can't know the Son unless the Father reveals it to you, and then you can understand it. It meshes, and this was not the appointed time for the world to understand.
We will see in part seven that it wasn't the appointed time for the Jews to understand, because God didn't want them converted. He had special mission and assignment for them, and it would have been almost impossible to achieve that goal if they had been converted—believe it or not!
We found that in 1-Corinthians 1:26-28 where it Paul said that not many wise men are called. Let's now see how people could understand that Jesus was the Christ.
Matthew 16:13: "Now, after coming into the parts of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus questioned His disciples, saying, 'Whom do men declare Me, the Son of man, to be?' And they said, 'Some say John the Baptist; and others Elijah; and others Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.' He said to them… [I know, fellows, my question to you is]: …'But you, whom do you declare Me to be?' Then Simon Peter answered and said, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God'" (vs 13-16).
Jesus had never taught anybody He was the Christ, the Son of the Living God. He hadn't done that. What did Jesus say?
Verse 17: "And Jesus answered and said to him, 'Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona…'" This is Aramaic, 'Bar' is son; in Hebrew it would 'Ben.' In those days people didn't speak Hebrew anymore; scholars did, the rabbis did, Jesus did, but most Jews did not. They spoke Aramaic and the educated of them spoke Greek.
"'…for flesh and blood did not reveal it to you, but My Father, Who is in heaven'" (v 17). Peter, you're special because it is My Father Who has done this! He has revealed it to you personally! Jesus didn't. In fact, Jesus didn't even know until that time that the Father had revealed it to Peter.
Verse 18: "And I say also to you that you are Peter… [a rock, but not a huge one] …but upon this Rock… [meaning Himself] …I will build My Church, and the gates of the grave shall not prevail against it." Here we have the fact that only if God reveals it to you can you ever know that Jesus is the Christ!
We're going to take look Scriptures and read them very carefully, in John 6:28: "Therefore, they said to Him, 'What shall we do, in order that we ourselves may do the works of God?' Jesus answered and said to them, 'This is the work of God: that you believe in Him Whom He has sent.' Therefore, they said to Him, 'What sign will You perform…'" (vs 28-30). They were always looking after a sign. They didn't believe anything unless you showed them a sign of some kind. It was in their DNA.
"…'What sign will You perform, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do?'" (v 30). What will You do, Jesus? Unless you give us a reason for believing You, forget it! We're out of here!
Verse 31: "Our fathers ate manna in the wilderness, as it is written: "He gave them bread to eat that came down from heaven."' Then Jesus said to them, 'Truly, truly I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven; but My Father gives you the true Bread from heaven. For the Bread of God is He Who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.' Therefore, they said to Him, 'Lord, give this bread to us always.' Jesus said to them, 'I AM the Bread of Life; the one who comes to Me shall never hunger; and the one who believes in Me shall never thirst at any time. But as I said to you, you also have seen Me, yet, you do not believe'" (vs 31-36).
Of course they didn't believe, they couldn't believe! They saw Him, but unless God revealed it to them, they couldn't recognize Him as the Messiah. They really weren't interesting in finding out if He was the Messiah, but that's an aside.
Verse 37: "All whom the Father gives Me shall come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will in no wise cast out." Unless the Father gives the person to come to Jesus, it can't be done. It is the Father Who must lead us!
Verse 38: "For I did not come down from heaven to do My own will, but the will of Him Who sent Me. And this is the will of the Father Who sent Me: that of all whom He has given Me, I should not lose any, but should raise them up in the last day" (vs 38-39).
Jesus is emphasizing the point. Of course, they didn't get it; they didn't understand it. But it has come down to us so that we can understand it!
Verse 40: "And this is the will of Him Who sent Me: that everyone who sees the Son, and believes in Him, may have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.' Then the Jews were complaining against Him, because He said, 'I AM the Bread that came down from heaven'" (vs 40-41).
Here we come, this is the old refrain; we've heard it before, v 42: "And they were saying, 'Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? Why then does He say, "I came down from heaven"?'"
Who is this guy? We know Him. We know Joseph; he's a carpenter and contractor. We've seen his son going around with him helping him to build houses and so forth. Who is this guy who says that He came down from heaven?
- God didn't give it to them!
- God didn't open up their minds!
Verse 43: "For this reason, Jesus answered them and said, 'Do not be complaining among one another. No one can come to Me unless the Father, Who sent Me, draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day'" (vs 43-44).
Verse 46: "No one has seen the Father except He Who is from God; He has seen the Father."
Here is clear evidence that Jesus accepts only those whom the Father sends to Him. If the Father doesn't do it, Jesus can't accept them.
We're going to compare one verse from John 6 to one verse in John 17. This is a remarkable chapter in the Bible. This is truly the Lord's prayer! We always read this on the night of the Passover. We're not going to read this as a Passover prayer. We're going to read it in another context.
John 17:1: "Jesus spoke these words, and lifted up His eyes to heaven and said, 'Father, the hour has come; glorify Your own Son, so that Your Son may also glorify You; since You have given Him authority over all flesh, in order that He may give eternal life to all whom You have given Him. For this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, Whom You did send. I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work that You gave Me to do. And now, Father, glorify Me with Your own self, with the glory that I had with You before the world existed" (vs 1-5).
At this moment Jesus is thinking back as well as forward. He remembered the glory He had with God the Father. He remembered, because He was the One Who in essence said, 'Let there be light.' He was the One Who:
- dammed up the Jordan River
- split the Sea of Reeds
- held the sun and the moon back in Joshua's long day
This what this Divine Being Who was reduced to a human, and He's saying, 'Father, grant Me the glory I had with You.'
Verse 6: "I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, and You have given them to Me, and they have kept Your Word. Now, they have known that all things that You have given Me are from You. For I have given them the words that You gave to Me…" (vs 6-8).
Remember that Jesus said, 'I don't speak of Myself. The words that the Father gives Me, the words that I've heard from My Father are the words that I speak.'
Verse 8: "I have given them the words that You gave to Me; and they have received them and truly have known that I came from You; and they have believed that You did send Me. I am praying for them; I am not praying for the world, but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours" (vs 8-9).
This was important, very important, and Jesus is emphasizing it again and again! This was their appointed time. Today is our appointed time!
- not the world
- not all the Gentiles
- not all the other Israelites
- not the nations of the world
They will have their day, they will have their appointed time. But today is our appointed time.
Verse 9: "I am praying for them; I am not praying for the world, but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. All Mine are Yours, and all Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them. And I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, those whom You have given Me, so that they may be one, even as We are one. When I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. I protected those whom You have given Me, and not one of them has perished except the son of perdition, in order that the Scriptures might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to You; and these things I am speaking while yet in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in them. I have given them Your words, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world" (vs 9-14).
Verse 15: "I do not pray that You would take them out of the world, but that You would keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in Your Truth; Your Word is the Truth. Even as You did send Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, so that they also may be sanctified in Your Truth. I do not pray for these only, but also for those who shall believe in Me through their word" (vs 15-20).
Let's compare John 6:39: "And this is the will of the Father Who sent Me: that of all whom He has given Me, I should not lose any, but should raise them up in the last day."
Jesus is saying that all those whom the Father has given Him, He should not lose any! Jesus kept His Word.
John 17:12: "When I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. I protected those whom You have given Me, and not one of them has perished except the son of perdition, in order that the Scriptures might be fulfilled."
Jesus will protect all of us today the same way He protected His disciples. Sometimes we get weak, feel weak, discouraged; this happens and that happens—and it seems like the whole sky is falling in on us.
- I don't understand
- I can't make it
- I can't do it
- I'm not good enough
- somehow my prayers don't seem to get through
- I just can't seem to work up the faith
You've heard words like these. What did Jesus say in John 17:20: "I do not pray for these only, but also for those who shall believe in Me through their word." That's us!Some 2,000 years ago the Son of God prayed for us!
- Do you think Jesus of Nazareth was close to God?
- Do you think the Father heard Him?
- Do you think the father would listen to what He had to say?
Oh, you bet He would! And did!
So, if anybody ever feels lonely, or with the down in the dumps syndrome, discouraged, remember that Jesus has already prayed for you! This is the hidden Messiah! The One Whom nobody knew except those to whom God revealed it. If God the Father doesn't reveal it to people, they can't know! That's why I finally learned not to blame people outside, don't blame other nations—'Why do the heathen rage—and all of that. It is impossible for them to obey God, because God has not revealed it to them! They can live righteously in a decent way, of course. They don't have murder, lie, cheat, steal and all that. But
- they cannot come to Jesus
- they cannot understand that He is the Messiah
- they cannot come to eternal life
until He personally reveals Him! He's not going to reveal it to them until the Millennium. Until Jesus returns and we're with Him, then Jesus will have a whole cadre, His army; He'll have a millions of God-beings will be ready, willing and able to assist Him.
- then He will open their minds
- then they will know that Jesus is the Christ
Let's look forward to that time!
In part 7 we will look at why this is not the appointed time for the Jews, and what special mission God has for them, and why, if they were converted, they might not be able to fulfill that particular commission.
Scriptural References:
- Mark 4:35-41
- Mark 6:1-3
- Mark 5:35-43
- Matthew 9:27-31
- Luke 4:33-35
- John 6:44, 65
- Matthew 11:25-27
- Matthew 16:13-18
- John 6:28-44, 46
- John 17:1-29
- John 6:39
- John 17:12, 20
Scriptures referenced, not quoted:
- Isaiah 50:4-6
- Luke 2
- 1 Corinthians 1:26-28
MH:bo
Transcribed: 12/30/16
Copyright 2016—All rights reserved. Except for brief excerpts for review purposes, no part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means without the written permission of the copyright owner. This includes electronic and mechanical photocopying or recording, as well as the use of information storage and retrieval systems.
