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Fascinatingly, R’ Saadiah Gaon (among other sages) has said that the Jewish people may be redeemed immediately if they simply repent - even before the appearance of Mashiach ben David. But if they do not repent, Chevlei Mashiach (Great Tribulation) will come upon them: “The Holy One, blessed be He, will set up a ruler over them, whose decrees shall be as cruel as Haman’s, thus causing Israel to repent, and thereby bringing them back to the right path” (Sanhedrin 97b).
As for Rambam’s view of Mashiach ben David (i.e., the traditional Jewish view), it is said that he will restore the Bet Hamikdash (Temple), regather the exiles of Israel, cause all goyim (nations) of the earth to be united in peace, put an end to sin and evil, raise the dead (techiyat hametim), and set up a blissful utopia headquartered in Jerusalem. In that day, 'the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea' (Habakkuk 2:14)
Two Messiahs or One?
Does the Tanakh give evidence of two Mashiachs or one? Is it possible that the portrayal of the Mashiach as riding a donkey, lowly and humble (Zechariah 9:9) and the portrayal as one coming in great triumph "in the clouds" (Daniel 7:13) refer to the same person? Could it be that one Mashiach would come twice: first as ben Yosef to atone for the sins of Israel and the nations (the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53), and second as ben David to bring judgment upon the unjust and to 'restore the kingdom back to Israel'?
Yeshua as ben Yosef indeed came first and suffered and died for the sake of Israel (and the nations) in the war against ultimate evil. Moreover, after his death, great calamity and tribulation indeed broke out in Israel, as the Second Temple was destroyed and the nation was forced into the long period of galut (exile). In fact, ever since he was pierced for Israel, no Temple has ever stood on Moriah, the place where he was offered up to make atonement for their sins.
Yet Yeshua as ben David will completely fulfill the Messianic expectation as espoused by Rambam and the other Jewish sages. He will come again to restore the Bet Hamikdash (Temple) and set up his kingdom upon the earth. Moreover, he will unite all the goyim (nations) in peace, raise the dead (techiyat hametim), and set up his throne in Jerusalem. In that day, 'the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea' (Habakkuk 2:14).
As Messianic Jews, we believe that Yeshua is both Mashiach Ben Yosef (the suffering servant - at His first coming) and Mashiach Ben David (the reigning King - at His second coming) [see Isaiah 52:13-15 - 53:12, Psalm 22]). He is also the Anointed Prophet, Priest, and King as foreshadowed by other m’shichim in the Tanakh. Like so many other prophecies given in the Scriptures, the prophecies concerning the Mashiach are “dual aspect” - with both a near and a far meaning, an “already but not-yet” fulfillment.
David Brown writes:
It is very common for Jewish objectors to point that “Jesus has not fulfilled all the prophecies,” and to scorn the suggestion that some prophecies are for a later time and are to be fulfilled at the “second coming.” The fact is, however, that prophecies about Messiah are of two seemingly mutually-exclusive types, as though they were talking about two different Messiahs. Jewish scholarship refers to Messiah ben-David and Messiah ben-Yosef. One is the positive, victorious Messiah who ushers in a kingdom of peace, the other is a suffering servant (as in Isaiah 53). The popular tendency is to think only of ben-David and ignore ben-Yosef, but the Messianic/Christian view accounts for both in one person. Interestingly, these two prophetic strains are named for David and Joseph, both of which suffered first and emerged victorious in the end. Joseph is introduced to us with dreams of grandeur, but he was lost to Israel – actually considered dead – before his dreams came true. Eventually however, he had a “second coming” when he came back into the lives of his brothers who once rejected him. Then they bowed down to him and he became the savior of his people by providing for them in a time of famine. David also, though anointed as King in his youth as far as God was concerned, was rejected by the current King and lived as a fugitive for many years before he finally became the quintessential King of Israel. Both of these historic figures, which Jewish tradition has recognized as being prototypes of Messiah, arrive amid promises, are pushed down, and finally emerge in glory. Shouldn’t the ultimate Messiah follow the same pattern?
Joseph Prefigures the Suffering Savior
In this connection, it is helpful to consider the life of Joseph as the archetypical pattern for the “other son” (ben acher) who would be the fulfillment of Mashiach ben Yosef:
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