The prophets rightly understood that the Messiah was to suffer and die. Isaiah wrote, "But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement for our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed" (Isa. 53:5). The prophets also understood that He would be exalted and glorified: "Lift up your heads, O ye gate; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory will come in" (Ps.m24:9). Their problem, however, related to the chronology of these events, and then to the fact that the description of suffering and glory for the Messiah appeared incongruous-absurd, incompatible, inappropriate. Yet, the biblical truths were undeniably clear. The Messiah must endure intense suffering and death. In addition, the Messiah must also experience great exaltation and glory. The ancient prophets could not comprehend the releation of these two events to one another. It was as though they looked down the corridor of time and saw two prophetic mountain peaks. The first was the suffering Messiah, the second the glorious Messiah who would follow. For them, the width of the valley between the two peaks was undiscernible. They had no concept of the church age, which spanned the two peaks and has already lasted almost two millennia.
Since ancient Jewish sages were at a loss on how to reconcile the incongruity of suffering and glory and the time sequence of these events, for some of them, at least, there could be but one solution. There must be two Messiahs. One they chose to call Messiah Ben Joseph (Christ, the Son of Joseph). The other they called Messiah Ben Davis (Christ, the Son of David). The reasoning that brought them to such a conclusion is clear. In the Old Testament Scriptures, they saw a portrait of a Messiah who would be rejected, suffer, and die. Since Joseph was rejected, sold into slavery, suffered, but eventually delivered his brethren from famine, they said there must be a Messiah Ben (Son of) Joseph-the suffering Messiah. However, they had a second portrait. This one portrayed a glorious Christ who would deliver His people and reign in kingly majesty. He was named after Israel's greatest king. They called Him Messiah Ben (Son of) David- the glorious Messiah. The first century Jewish leaders could not bring themselves to accept the irrefutable fact that their Scripture spoke not of two Messiahs but of one Messiah who would appear two times- first to redeem and second to judge and reign - with death, resurrection, and an undertermined period of time in between. He came and suffered - that is history. He will come again and be exalted - that is prophecy.
Excerpt from "The Pre-Wrath Rapture of the Church" by Marvin Rosenthal
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