The consequence of the first promise and others was the expectation of a personal Restorer as a Person. There are two hints of this in the patriarchs - in Adam and Lamech. Adam says of the first son: "Man was acquired by God" (Gen. 4:1). Of course, he could say this for joy: the first son for him was almost like God. But in spite of this, in this exclamation it can be seen, although not quite clearly, the hope in the seed of the woman as in the Deliverer, for in it one can see a religious tone and some relation to one's misfortune. A similar hint can be seen even more clearly in Lamech, who says of his son Noah: "This will give us rest from our works, and from the sorrow of our hands, and from the earth, which the Lord God has cursed" (Gen. 5:29). What kind of waiting is this? Some say that he was named so afterward, because he invented the plow. But what kind of rest is this for the earth? It was much calmer when its bowels were not torn apart. No, this must be recognized as an expectation of the Messiah, which in the course of time became clearer and more definite.

The second promise was given after the flood (Gen. 9:26-29). From this promise one can see the lofty Shem's destiny and conversion to God. Therefore, the thought in this passage should be that this will become a special object of God's blessing. This prophecy is extremely indefinite; there is only one trait in him, and that is that in the descendants of Shem the true religion will be established. Thus, the restoration of the human race is now assimilated not to humanity in general, but to the tribe of Shem, a branch of humanity, and therefore this promise is more particular than the one that precedes it. However, how few traces of clear concepts are in it! Judging by what the Patriarch, who was vouchsafed several Theophany and who already lived at the end of the first and at the beginning of the second world, utters it, we must again take this story as a small fragment of what may have been fully preserved in oral tradition.

The third promise is given to Abraham: "Truly I will bless thee... (Gen. 22:17-18). From that time on, the preparation of the human race took on two forms: in relation to the Gentiles and to the Jews. This promise may therefore be more particular than the previous one. For this blessing is no longer given to the whole tribe of Shem, but to one branch of it, the tribe of Abraham. "They will be blessed" means that they will receive the mercy they need, that is, they will be enlightened and cleansed from sins: this is the essence of blessing! Some interpreted this to mean that the descendants of Abraham would be very happy and would be held up as an example in this respect, so that instead of saying, "This is a happy man," they will say, "This is a descendant of Abraham." But such a meaning is forced and not at all natural. Everything else in this promise is simple and clear. Two methods of preparation will follow: one for the Jews, and the other for the Gentiles. The pagans were prepared in the same way as before; but the method of preparation of the Jews has its own peculiarities.

Let us follow in the footsteps of this Divine economy. The Jews continued a series of prophecies; the prophecies given to Adam, Noah, and Abraham now became wider, clearer, more perceptible, more instructive, and, gradually increasing at last five hundred years before the birth of Christ, completely ceased. We have seen that Adam was given prophecy indefinitely, in the seed of the woman: according to this the Messiah had to be sought in the whole human race; Noah, more specifically, in the seed of Shem; the origin of the Messiah must therefore be assumed from one part of the human race; Abraham - even more definitely: limited to his descendants alone. But in all its features their image of the Messiah is still indecisive. Then he began to appear more clearly and definitely. Jacob, before his death, blessing his children, said to Judas: "Judas, your brethren will praise you... (Gen. 49:8-10). The features of this prophecy are as follows: first, the promise is limited and determined by the fact that of the twelve sons of Jacob, only Judas is promised the blessed seed. Secondly, to Jewish particularism is added and refers the feature of universalism: and to Him is the expectation of tongues, or: To Him is the collection of tongues (Gen. 49; 10. 28; 3). Thirdly, the future Messiah comes out of the indefinite crowd of humanity, appears as a special, indivisible Being, a Person - in the name of Shilog (Reconciler). Whatever meaning is given to this name, it all contains the meaning of tranquillity, reconciliation. However, how this Shilog will work, and how the nations will receive rest through Him, is not yet seen.

A few years passed, and Moses appeared. At the end of his life, he gives the Jews a prophecy in relation to himself, and therefore the Messiah appears to Him as a prophet: "A prophet," he says, "from thy brethren, as me, the Lord thy God shall raise up for thee" (Deuteronomy 18:15). Here is the new side of the Messiah, the prophetic side, which reveals the way in which all the blessings on the human race will flow from Him. Since the Messiah is called a prophet, and the duty of a prophet is to legislate, to teach religion, it means that the future Messiah will benefit people by imparting the law to them and by teaching them the knowledge of God and reverence for God. A prophecy is also given through Balaam: "A star shall shine from Jacob, and a man shall arise from Israel" (Num. 24:17). Balaam uttered this prophecy unwittingly, and therefore it is dull, mixed with the general features of the glory of Israel.

From Moses to David, a number of prophecies seem to be lost; but new and more definite ones begin with David. David himself prophesies about the Messiah and presents Him in various ways: first, as a King set over Zion (Psalm 2:6), triumphing over those who plot vain (Psalm 2:9); secondly, he sees Him in humiliation and poverty (Psalm 108; 22-23. 40; 10. 26; 8, 9,10. 68; 22, 21, 11); thirdly, he ascends to heaven and beholds Him, who is placed by God the Father, as the Eternal King, as a Priest after the order of Melchizedek (Psalm 109); fourthly, then He descends to earth and sees Him ruling over the nations (Psalm 109; 2, 3, 6). In general, the Messiah appears in David from all sides: from the Divine and human sides; in a glorious and miserable state; he also describes in detail all His blessings... Here, in the prophetic psalms, the Messiah is presented especially as King and Lord; it also speaks of His eternal and eternal priesthood; the whole vastness of the prophetic view is concentrated, one might say, in the seed of David and his son Solomon. Thus the promised Deliverer is first the son of Adam, then of Shem, then of Abraham, still more of Judah, and finally of David. It is noteworthy that these prophecies are all taken from the special events that happened to David, and are adapted to them, so that they have two sides: one relating to David or his son, the other belonging to the Messiah proper (of this nature are other predictions left by the prophets, properly so-called).

The prophets who followed David spoke about the Messiah even more clearly; each of them makes some new addition, adding the features of the Messiah not so much external as internal, spiritual. Thus, Isaiah presents the Messiah as suffering (Isaiah 53:1-10), full of wisdom and the Spirit of God (Isaiah 2; 2-5. 1; 21), the King of Peace (Isaiah 2; 4. 11; 12. 9; 6. 11; 6-9), and so on. Joel predicts the grace-filled outpouring of the Holy Spirit as a result of the merits of the Messiah (Joel 2:28-29); Malachi inspires the Jews that the Messiah is coming to punish the Jews (Mal. 3:1-3). This is an addition to the previous prophecies from the moral side. There are also additions from the physical and, so to speak, geographical side. For example, Isaiah adds that the Messiah will come from the Virgin - from the root of Jesse (Isaiah 7:14); Micah brings Him out of Bethlehem (Micah 5:2); Haggai says that He will appear at the second temple (Haggai ch. 2); Daniel correctly defines the time of His coming as weeks (Dan. 9:22-24). The distinguishing feature of these predictions is that they do not have such an adjustment as is seen in the prophecies of David. David takes from himself the circumstances of his life and applies them to the Messiah. The prophets, on the contrary, do not remove the traits from themselves, but from the fate of the entire Jewish people. For example, Isaiah speaks of the birth of the Messiah from a Virgin, on the occasion of the attack on the Judean king Ahaz by two hostile kings - Pekah, king of Israel, and Raasson, king of Syria (2 Kings 16; 5).

Five hundred years before the birth of Christ, the prophecies about the Messiah ceased. The reason for this is that the Jews were given time to comprehend these prophecies themselves, to discuss them, to compare them with each other, and thus to prepare themselves morally for the reception of the Messiah, to which they were later urged by John the Baptist.

Thus, the first preparation of the Jews consisted in prophecy. This series of prophets, appearing through the ages, may be likened to the series of predecessors announcing the coming of kings; each of them proclaimed the same thing that John the Baptist finally exclaimed: "He who is coming... Fortify me... repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand" (Matt. 4:11:2). This preparation had its effects, but it had more perverse effects, that is, the Jews rejected the Messiah, and the greater part of them based this on prophecies, on the concept of the sensual Messiah drawn from them. Does not the fault of such a misunderstanding of the Jews fall on the prophecies? Was it not necessary, as a result of the prophecies, to represent the Messiah sensually, as the Jews do to this day? The question is very important, because its misinterpretation resulted in terrible phenomena: the death of the God-Man and the fact that the whole nation remains in disastrous hardness to this day. But is there anything true in the Jews' reproaches against prophecy? Is not the Messiah depicted in the prophets as an earthly king? And this image, if it exists, is it such that the Jews could still expect such a king?

It is true that the Messiah in some places of prophecy is presented in sensual features, for example, as a king and victor (Psalm 2; 3-8. 44; 18. 71; 8-11. Mich. 5; 7-8; especially Isa. 60; 6. 61; 5), a benefactor of one of the Jewish people (Isa, ch. 60). But should the Jews confine themselves to these prophecies? No! they are indecisive. There are places in which the Messiah is presented, first, to the suffering (Isaiah 53; 2-5); secondly, those who reject the majority of the Jews and bring prosperity only to a certain pious remnant of the sons of Judah (Isaiah 61; 1-7), a king of peace (Psalm 2; 6, 2, 4, 5), a priest of Jehovah (Isaiah 45; 23. 56; 7). Although there are fewer of these features, they are clear and decisive.

The rejection of the Jews is clearly spoken of especially by the last prophets: Malachi predicts that the Messiah will make an analysis and then pour out blessings on the worthy.

They felt it themselves, but they did not reconcile it as they should; for their agreement they admitted two Messiahs: the humiliated and the glorious. But they would reconcile them in the best way if they recognized in one and the same Person two states: the humiliated and the glorified. The particularism (from the Latin "partial", "private" - disunity, fragmentation - ed.) of the Jews with the universalism (the belief in posthumous liberation from sin, the salvation of all people - ed.) of the entire human race can also be reconciled by the fact that those of the Jews who accepted the Messiah really received an advantage over other peoples, for Jesus Christ appeared among the Jews; of them the Apostles, of whom the first Church, is a very important advantage! From the sensual side, the Messiah was depicted more often and more clearly, because the condition of the Jewish people demanded it; moreover, sensual benefits were among the blessings He bestowed upon the human race. This followed in Christianity, although not soon.

Now we see clearly that the Christian peoples have become dominant and rule almost the whole world. If there are now powerful peoples outside of Christianity and remain unsubjugated to Christians, it is only because of the latter's condescension towards them. In this way, the sensual side of the prophecies about the Messiah came to pass. Of course, the Christian powers owe their power and prosperity to other causes; but even this cannot be denied, it is impossible not to prove with a minister of France, that the power of states is largely owed to Christianity. It is true that this duality of the Messiah gave rise to sensual conceptions of Him, but it is inevitable for the reasons we have given above, and does not give the Jews any right to excuse themselves and justify themselves for not accepting the Messiah, nor to complain about the prophets or Jehovah. It does not give them the right to the latter, because, judging by their mental and moral condition, they could not understand (could not understand - ed.) the image of the Messiah as the King of the moral and spiritual kingdom, and that therefore a prophecy of this kind would not have a beneficial effect on them; does not give the right to the former, because they were not supposed to accept the Messiah according to prophecies alone. His life and deeds were supposed to arouse faith in them, for the prophets prophesied that the Messiah would work miracles. In the present state it is even impossible for the Jews to judge the Messiah by prophecies, for where is the second temple at which He is to appear? The tribe of Judah, from which He was to come, was mingled with the rest; the scepter and the lawgiver have already been taken away; There are no traces of Bethlehem anymore. And even before it was difficult to judge by prophecies alone. For example, it was said that the Messiah would come from the tribe of David, but the tribe of David was numerous; how can the Jew recognize the Messiah according to this prophecy? The Messiah would come from Bethlehem, but there were many people in Bethlehem; will come from Virgo, but from which one? Again, the Jews could not recognize the Messiah from this prophecy. Thus, it was in vain that the Jews rejected the Messiah, acknowledging His miracles as the work of Beelzebub; in vain do they continue to cherish political dreams about Him. If only these dreams had taken place when the Jews had not been rejected. For it would be quite different if they accepted Jesus, and it was not impossible to receive Him. Then, at least partially, the sensual expectations of the Jews would have been realized. Jesus Christ, entering Jerusalem for the last time, wept: "Oh, if thou, O Jerusalem, knew the day of thy visitation," He said, "how many blessings thou wouldst receive!" Without a doubt, sensual misfortunes, for they are opposed to sensual misfortunes: not one stone will be left upon another, said the Saviour; the enemies will go around you and besiege you, and so on. Consequently, the first good would have been that Titus and Vespasian would not have approached Jerusalem, and the Jews would have been free from Roman slavery; and this would give everything a different and better look. So here is the first preparation consisting of prophecies! These are his actions on the Jews and the consequences!

The second preparation consisted of transformations. Providence decreed that all the almost famous Old Testament persons foreshadowed the Messiah and made a series of preparations. Were there really transforming persons in the Old Testament? There were and are many doubts about this question. But the basis for this kind of preparation lies in the very nature of things. Jesus Christ is the ideal of all mankind; in Him was expressed in a small form all that was and is the best in mankind; as a result, kings, prophets and other Old Testament men bore on themselves in parts those features which should all be concentrated together in the future Messiah. Thus, the suffering David represented the suffering Christ, and so on. This series of transformations, these events and circumstances of the persons on whom the fate of the Jewish people depended, Providence arranged in such a way that there was an exact harmony between them and the future Messiah. Thus, the prophet Jonah was swallowed up by a whale miraculously, or in whatever way; he could have been there for one day, three or more, but Providence decreed that he should be there for three days. From this came the transformation of Christ's three-day stay in the tomb. A similar feature is found in the institution of the Passover lamb, which was the center of all Old Testament rites. In one way or another, to cook it, to boil it or to bake it was a completely accidental matter. But Providence decreed that this lamb clearly expressed the great Lamb – Jesus Christ. The command not to break the bone is clearly a deliberate feature, for it departs from the usual way of eating meat. Thus, this is the basis of the prophecies! This is the way in which Providence arranged everything on this basis. In fact, he is assured by Jesus Christ Himself and the Apostles, who often reveal the features of the Messiah in many Old Testament men.