The Messiah Scripture Does Not Know
Why Every Claimant Before Christ’s Return Must Be Rejected
The conclusion of our previous study was unavoidable. The Old Testament does not present two different Messiahs. It presents one Messiah whose redemptive mission unfolds in two distinct comings. At His first coming, He came in humility to bear the sins of His people. At His second coming, He will return in glory to judge the nations and establish His everlasting kingdom. Together, these two comings reconcile every major Messianic prophecy found throughout the Old Testament.
The Old Testament’s Greatest Mystery — a four-part series.
Part One: One Messiah, two missions · Part Two: Moses built the pattern · Part Three: Christ unveils the mystery · Part Four: The Messiah Scripture does not know (you are here)
This conclusion carries an implication of enormous importance for the Church today. If Scripture has already revealed the complete pattern of the Messiah’s work, then no future individual who claims to be the Messiah can legitimately insert himself into that pattern. The biblical narrative has no empty space awaiting another redeemer. The One who came as the Lamb is the very One who will return as the King.
The Messiah Has Already Been Revealed
Throughout the New Testament, the apostles speak with remarkable confidence that God’s promise concerning the Messiah has already found its fulfilment in Jesus Christ. They do not present Him as one possible candidate among many, nor do they leave room for another anointed figure who will later complete what Jesus supposedly left unfinished. Instead, they proclaim that all the promises of God find their “Yes” in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20), and that there is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12).
This means that the identity of the Messiah is not an open question awaiting a future answer. The question has already been settled by God through the incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, ascension, and exaltation of His Son.
Scripture Describes the Second Coming in Unmistakable Terms
The second coming of Christ is never described as the quiet rise of an influential political leader or the gradual emergence of a global ruler. Instead, the New Testament consistently portrays His return as a public, visible, and cosmic event.
Jesus declares in Matthew 24 that His coming will be like lightning flashing across the sky. He speaks of cosmic disturbances, the sign of the Son of Man appearing in heaven, and all the tribes of the earth mourning as they see Him coming on the clouds with power and great glory.
The apostles proclaim the same expectation. Paul writes that the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a commanding shout, the voice of the archangel, and the trumpet of God (1 Thessalonians 4). John describes every eye seeing Him when He comes (Revelation 1:7). Revelation 19 presents Him riding forth as the victorious King whose appearing brings decisive judgment upon the rebellious nations.
These descriptions leave little room for ambiguity. The return of Christ is not an event that the world will mistake for the ordinary rise of another ruler. It is the climactic revelation of the glorified Son of God.
The Church Must Not Exchange the True Messiah for Another
Because Scripture speaks so clearly about Christ’s return, believers are repeatedly warned against accepting anyone who claims messianic authority before that day.
Jesus Himself cautioned that many would come in His name and that false christs and false prophets would arise, performing impressive signs in an attempt to deceive, if possible, even the elect (Matthew 24:23-27). The warning is striking because it assumes that deception will often involve counterfeit claims to messianic authority.
The safeguard Jesus gives is not secret knowledge or speculative chronology. It is fidelity to His own words. If someone claims to be the Messiah while history continues as though Christ has not visibly returned in glory, Scripture has already supplied the verdict.
A Different Messiah Is Not the Messiah of Scripture
Any future figure presented as humanity’s ultimate deliverer while the biblical signs of Christ’s return remain unfulfilled cannot be identified with the Messiah proclaimed by Moses, the Prophets, the Psalms, and the apostles.
The Messiah of Scripture has already come once.
The Messiah of Scripture will come again.
Between those two comings there is no prophetic room for another redeemer, another anointed king, or another saviour who completes an unfinished mission.
To receive such a figure would not represent a continuation of biblical hope. It would require abandoning the biblical portrait of the Messiah altogether.
Holding Fast to the Christ of Scripture
The Church therefore awaits no new Messiah. We await the return of the same Jesus who walked the roads of Galilee, bore the sins of the world upon the cross, rose triumphantly from the grave, and ascended to the Father’s right hand.
Our hope rests not in the appearance of a new deliverer but in the promise that the One who first came in humility will return in glory. The hands once pierced for our transgressions are the same hands that will rule the nations in righteousness. The Lamb who was slain is the Lion who will reign.
Every expectation of the future must therefore be measured against the Christ already revealed in Scripture. If an expectation requires us to accept a messiah other than Jesus, or to recognise a messianic kingdom established before His visible and glorious return, then that expectation is not an extension of biblical prophecy. It is a departure from it.
The Church’s confidence is wonderfully simple. We are not waiting to discover who the Messiah is. We already know Him. We are waiting for Him to appear.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I tell a false messiah from the true one?
By the manner of the coming, not by signs or chronology. Scripture describes Christ’s return as public, visible and cosmic: lightning across the sky, every eye seeing Him, the trumpet of God. If someone claims messianic authority while history continues as though Christ has not visibly returned in glory, Scripture has already supplied the verdict.
What will the second coming of Christ look like?
Never the quiet rise of an influential leader. Jesus describes lightning flashing across the sky and the tribes of the earth seeing Him come on the clouds with power and great glory (Matthew 24). Paul describes a commanding shout, the voice of the archangel and the trumpet of God (1 Thessalonians 4). John writes that every eye will see Him (Revelation 1:7).
Is there room in prophecy for another redeemer?
No. The Messiah of Scripture has already come once and will come again. Between those two comings there is no prophetic space for another anointed king or another saviour completing an unfinished mission. To receive such a figure would not extend biblical hope but abandon it.
Why did Jesus warn about false christs?
Because deception will often involve counterfeit claims to messianic authority. He cautioned that many would come in His name and that false christs and false prophets would arise performing impressive signs. The safeguard He gives is not secret knowledge or speculative chronology but fidelity to His own words.