SPECIAL TOPIC: OT TITLES OF THE SPECIAL COMING ONE

SPECIAL TOPIC: OT TITLES OF THE SPECIAL COMING ONE

Prophet ‒ Deut. 18:15,18 (Moses and his successor)
King
1. from the tribe of Judah, Gen. 49:10; Ps. 60:7; 108:8
2. from the family of David, 2 Samuel 7 (from Jesse, Isa. 11:1)
3. from other texts, 1 Sam. 2:10; Ps. 89:3-4; Isa. 9,11; Jer. 30:8-9; Ezek. 37:21-22; Zech. 9:9-10
King/Priest (2 offices combined; see SPECIAL TOPIC: JESUS AS HIGH PRIEST)
1. Psalm 110 (king, vv. 1-3; priest, v. 4)
2. Zech. 4:14 (the two olive trees, the two anointed ones)
  1. Zerubbabel (line of David)
  2. Joshua (line of Aaron)
Anointed One (see SPECIAL TOPIC: MESSIAH)
1. God's King, Ps. 2:2; 45:7
2. Spirit's presence, Isa. 11:2; 61:1
3. Coming One, Dan. 9:26
4. three OT leaders were anointed as a sign of God's call and empowering:
  1. kings (cf. Jdgs. 9:8,15; 1 Sam. 2:10; 9:16; 24:10; 2 Sam. 19:21; 23:1; Ps. 18:50)
  2. priests (cf. Exod. 28:41; Lev. 4:3; 6:22)
  3. prophets (cf. 1 Kgs. 19:16)
King's Son
1. the Messiah, Ps. 2:7,12
2. Israel's king as a symbol of God's reign (cf. 1 Samuel 8)
Son of Man (Dan. 7:13)
1. human, Ps. 8:4; Ezek. 2:1; see SPECIAL TOPIC: SON OF MAN
2. divine, Dan. 7:13; SPECIAL TOPIC: SON OF GOD
Special Redemptive Titles
1. Suffering Servant, Isa. 52:13-53:12
2. Suffering Shepherd, Zech. 12-14
3. Cornerstone, Ps. 118: Isa. 8:14-15; 28:16; SPECIAL TOPIC: CORNERSTONE
4. Special Child, Isa. 7:14; 9:6-7; Micah 5:2
5. Branch, Isa. 4:2; 11:1-5; 53:2; Jer. 23:5-6; 33:15; Zech. 3:8; 6:12; see SPECIAL TOPIC: JESUS THE NAZARENE

The NT takes these scattered references about God's special redemptive agent and clarifies and develops them into an understanding of Jesus as God's Promised Coming One (e.g., Matt. 16:13-20; John 11:25-27). The two comings of the Messiah are the means by which these diverse functions and titles are united (see SPECIAL TOPIC: THIS AGE AND THE AGE TO COME).

For a good discussion of the distinction in the Gospels between Son of Man as authority figure versus Suffering Servant, see George E. Ladd, A Theology of the New Testament, p. 149-158.