The word “Messiah” comes from a Jewish background, stemming from the Hebrew word, “mashach” which means “to pour”.  In the Israelite monarchy, the connotation with the noun “the messiah” linked to royalty, and in this case the king himself was called “the anointed one”.  It also was used when speaking of sacred objects and even used to describe the nation of Israel because it was called by God.  It is important for us to remember that during this time period, the word “messiah” was not connected to anything more than a real life human being.  It simply referred to the kings that were the guardians of God’s house (the temple; Zion).

In Psalms 2:1-7, the reference to kingship and the nation of Israel continues to be seen as God says “I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill” (6) and finishes with “You are my son; I have begotten you” (7).  This shows that, according to white, the king was seen as God’s adopted son through the act of anointing.  In 2 Samual 7:1-17, the Lord (speaking of the king) says, “He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever” (13) and “Your house and hour kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever” (16)”.  It is important to note that the term “forever” is not to be taken literally; as there is a fall in the kingdom predicted in the future.  Isaiah 11:2 says, “The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him” when speaking about the king, and White also says that in this book we learn that the act of anointing showed God’s outpouring of His spirit on the king.

So, we can conclude from each of these Bible passages that the early Israelite understanding of the term “messiah” was referring to the king, and the strength from God projected over the nation of Israel.  Even after the falling of the throne of David, people began to reinterpret the king’s powers from God but the destiny for Israel from God still remained intact.

In Contrast, 1 Enoch takes a different approach from God’s side and focuses on his revelations during certain monumental moments.  One example is the “birth” of Satan, which Enoch recalled as the rebellious angels challenging God and being banished from heaven.  Showing that the age of righteous and evil were legitimate, we can connect 1 Epoch to the further idea of “eschaton”, or “the last”, signifying the end of one age and the beginning of a new age.  At this time, we are now anticipating a “golden age” on earth.  Another factor added on through apocalyptic thought is the “combat myth”, in which “the forces of God in heaven are at war with the evil power” (White, 29); God’s eschatological triumph is His final victory.  Further apocalyptic ideas could be examined through the concept of dualism, comparing things like (again), good and evil or light and dark.  As a result, it is harder to pinpoint a single person as the messiah.

I think that all of these biblical texts would have heightened messianic expectations in this later apocalyptic period because they were in a world of darkness, searching for the light to save them.  After watching kings triumph and then be defeated, they needed something more reliable and longer lasting.  Because they did not have one single “deliverer”, according to White, they still needed a true messiah delivered from God.  There was no “ultimate victor or ruler in the cosmic struggle” (White, 31).  However, adding Jesus to the picture gave the people of Israel another beacon of hope that they might just find their messiah in; the Son of Man was coming in the clouds (Daniel 7:13).