The Messiah: Revealed, Rejected, Received

by William Varner

A mysterious figure called the "Messiah" is the central theme of the entire Bible. In this book that Messianic theme is traced from its announcement in the Old Testament through its development between the Testaments to its fulfillment in the New Testament. The book also examines how Jews and Christians have continued to debate this subject down until today. There are also some studies on fascinating related subjects like the location of the Temple and the ashes of the Red Heifer. While these chapters have been written from a Christian perspective, adequate attention has also been given to Jewish concerns. The Messiah was successively revealed, rejected and received. This book explains how and why that happened. "In this book, Will Varner has opened the Scripture to provide a readable, clarifying look at Jesus, the Messiah of Israel and the Savior of the world. Jesus once asked His disciples, "Who do men say that I am? (Mark 8:27). That is still the most urgent question - who is this Jesus? You will find the answer powerfully and convincingly provided in this outstanding book. John MacArthur, Grace Community Church, Sun Valley, CA and President of The Master's College

Genres: Theology, Christian

292 pages, Paperback

First published November 23, 2004

Reviews

[Carson Wagner · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great book that could have been much better. The author is far too excited about the Jews and their customs, ideas, and history. I have nothing against dispensationalists or Jews; but I recognize that the Jews are no longer God's people, as of 70 AD. They rejected Him for the last time, and He finally rejected them back. Now, the Jews are living in a state of false worship and complete denial of the fact that the Messiah has already come. As Christians, we need to have one solitary focus: Jesus -- something that Varner completely fails to appreciate; despite the book being supposedly about Jesus.

All that being said, the book is excellent if you want to get a good grasp on Jewish history and understanding of the Messiah throughout the Old Testament, Talmud, and other writings. Other than that, I don't recommend it.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, very helpful in fleshing out more of the world in which Jesus moved, tracing the Messianic hopes of the Jews prior to His coming, and moving through history to the contemporary, encouraging us to be hopeful as we wait for His second coming, exemplifying a proper heart toward the people of Israel, and offering a biblically sound perspective of the future hope of Israel to one day receive her Messiah. Enjoyed the book a great deal; one star off just as one takes the book as a whole, the various aspects of the written word: peppered with editorial and formatting mistakes; also, I feel like it would have been worth it to do some more serious editing of all the chapters to remove repetition and give the book an overall more cohesive feel. I know that Varner gives an apology for the repetition in the intro, but he’s just acknowledging a fault in the book.

[Chase Dunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Varner attempts to trace the concept and prophesies of the Messiah through the Old Testament, yet not exhaustively. Then chronicle how those concept changes and shifted in the intertestimental period, and how the four major Jewish sects differed in their understanding of Messiah. Then finally, the idea of Messiah at the time when Jesus Christ actually came. This book hit many of the highlight passages in the OT, however I do wish prophetic Psalms were mentioned, and perhaps more NT passages as well for a more full identity of, for example, the Pauline theology of Christ (Philippians 2). Great book and I highly recommend it if you desire to enrich your Messianic theology.
P.S. Varner presents the Gospel at the end of most chapters in some shapes or form, great perk!

[Donovan Izilein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was an extremely easy book to read that explained a complicated subject well. I enjoyed it so much that I will be reading it again.

[Joshua Milligan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great summary of everything relating to the life of the true Messiah--Jesus Christ! Has some grammar and formatting mistakes, but still a great read.

[RT · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, this is a very good read. Highly recommended source for anyone wishing to begin looking into what Scripture teaches on the Messiah. My only real complaint with this book is that it’s very redundant. Granted, Varner wrote this over several years, but it’s not a book I would recommend reading through quickly due to many points being made over again.

[Cincylitigator · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book brought home some of the glory of Old Testament prophecy in ways that were new to me even after spending 25 years as a Hebrew Christian. One of the book's virtues is in helping to define that category that has challenged so many. Varner appears to be in a class of his own in combining scholarship with Godly devotion to the subject matter. While this book is very enlightening it more importantly will spark revival in your heart. Varner adds his wisdom to the exegesis, I think of his advice not to get wrapped up in unnecessary controversy over artifacts when we have the inerrant scripture before us recounting the truth. The book combines history with exegesis, archeology and theology to bring bold insights into Jesus the Messiah. There are many valuable insights here obviously the fruit of many years of dedicated study. This is not knowledge that puffs though as Varner is careful to humbly implore his readers to repentance implicitly acknowledging that all of our works are as rags in comparison to God's grace. May many be blessed by this splendid labor of love.

[Josue · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think every believer should have a solid, biblical understanding of who the Messiah is, and this is a great book to provide such an understanding. It is written by a pastor/scholar/theologian who is without a doubt qualified to write on this subject. Not only does Dr. Varner have a solid biblical understanding of who the Messiah is, but he knows the Messiah personally. I highly recommend this book.

[Ryan Wethern · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book!! I recommend this book to any Christian who wants to know more about the Messiah in the Old and New Testament. I also recommend this to any Jew who wants a good, clear understanding of a Christian's argument for Jesus as the Messiah.

[Jonathan Klimek]

"This book is an ideal read this Christmas season as we focus on the birth of Jesus the Messiah. The distinctiveness of this book is its discussion of the Messiah throughout the ages. The book explains the key Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah, the intertestamental period and its various views of the Messiah, the New Testament fulfillments of the Messiah, and even modern-day perspectives about Jesus in Judaism and Christianity." – Dr. I. Zhakevich