For centuries, people have been waiting for the appearance of a deliverer sent by God, who was supposed to descend to the sinful earth and save mankind. More than once in history, those who called themselves such a savior were announced, but people were always disappointed. In Judaism and Christianity, the one who was supposed to give salvation to the nations was called the messiah.
Who is called the messiah
Translated from the Aramaic "messiah" literally means "king" or "anointed one." The Jews, who were considered the chosen people, sacredly believed in the word given by the prophets. It said that God would someday send them a blessed Savior, the true king of mankind. Christians believe that this deliverer was Jesus Christ. It is characteristic that "Christ" in translation from Greek also means "messiah".
It is customary to call the Messiah the Anointed One, since the anointing with oil, that is, olive oil, was part of an ancient ceremony. In ancient times, this rite was carried out when another monarch was enthroned or ordained as Jewish priests. The ancient Jews firmly believed that the true king, who is a descendant of King David, would be sent by the Creator in order to free the Jews from oppression and power from other nations.
But there is also a broader understanding of God's purpose. Even in those ancient times, religiously minded people believed that the arrival of the Messiah was necessary for the realization of the salvation of mankind given by God. But from what exactly did people need to be saved? According to biblical tradition, a person needs to be saved because he fell into sin. This made it impossible to implement the divine will leading to goals that a mortal man, with all his will, cannot comprehend.
Savior of mankind
And yet, individual interpreters of Scripture have tried to explain what the ultimate goal of creation is. It turns out that it consists in establishing the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. The Fall violated the plans of the Creator, after which hell reigned on earth. The coming of the coming Savior was just supposed to restore the previous state of affairs and create the Kingdom of God instead of the earthly hell.
It is assumed that the one who will be sent to earth for the salvation of mankind is not able to indulge in sin, but must be in complete harmony with the Divine nature. The Deliverer must be a perfect being, just like the Creator himself. He could not be born in sin, and the earthly life of the Messiah should be a model of righteousness.
In the Christian religion, it is believed that the coming of the Messiah is divided into two stages. The Savior first appeared on earth in the image of Jesus Christ two thousand years ago. In the distant future, the timing of which cannot be precisely determined, a second coming is inevitably expected. This time Jesus, Christians are convinced, will finally establish the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.