The incarnation, suffering, and glory of the Messiah are the primary themes of the Bible. The Messiah, Jesus Christ, is its central figure. God’s plan of salvation, His work of redemption through Christ is what the Bible calls the everlasting gospel. The good news that God would send a Messiah to suffer and rise again in glory in order to redeem mankind from his fall into sin is proclaimed from Genesis to Revelation.
Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.
1 Peter 1:18-21
God established His plan to redeem mankind before the foundation of the world. This truth is an important truth to consider from the onset of the study of the Bible. God was never and has never been taken off guard by any event in the history of His creation. He is sovereign over all the activities of His creation and knows the end from the beginning. The message of the gospel is an everlasting gospel because it was formulated by the wisdom of God before time even began. God knew what would happen to mankind and ordained all things to bring glory to Himself through the accomplishment of the good pleasure of His will through Jesus Christ.
You will not find a more glorious passage that confirms this truth than Ephesians chapter 1. Paul lays out the spiritual blessings that are given by the grace of God to the believer through the eternal plan of God.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
Ephesians 1:3-14
The gospel proclaimed in Scripture reveals to us three distinct, inseparable, and essential aspects of God’s plan for salvation: the incarnation, suffering, and glory of the Messiah.
When we place the puzzle pieces of God’s revelation in their proper context, in the light of the coming of Jesus from heaven to earth, a picture of the incarnation, suffering, and glory of Christ is revealed.
The two major divisions of people in God’s redemption plan are Israel and the Gentiles. Jesus spoke of salvation as being “of the Jews.” Paul said the gospel was “to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” This means that the accomplishing of God’s redemption plan in the Messiah would be fulfilled through Israel. When speaking of his desire for Israel to be saved, Paul writes,
For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh: Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen
Romans 9:3-5
God’s plan to redeem mankind was revealed to the Jew and will be accomplished through the Jew. This truth is essential to understanding the gospel. Through the Jewish prophets, God revealed His Word. In the giving of the Law God revealed His Holy standard required for redemption. In the service of God (the priesthood) was shown the way to His presence. Through the promises, God revealed His faithfulness to fulfill the Law, the Prophets, and the Priesthood in the person of the Messiah. When you view the Scripture in its entirety, a picture of the incarnation, suffering, and glory of the Messiah is unveiled. Jesus will reign as the King of Israel over the nations, but the Scripture taught that the Messiah must suffer before entering His glory.
Having received such a clear revelation of God, why did most of Israel fail to recognize Christ’s coming? In the coming lessons, we will look at the primary reason the Jewish leaders rejected Jesus’ claim to messiahship. Spoiler alert, they refused to accept the suffering servant passages of Scripture as literally applying to Messiah.