Prophecy Study 01 - The Messiah

 

Isaiah 9: 6  For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: …

 

Psalms 2:7 ¶  I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.

 

The Bible is not an ordinary book. The very Words contained in it are eternal.  When God speaks, the meaning stretches from eternity to eternity.  It is the only source of 100% accuracy in prediction and prophecy.

All throughout the Bible, a Messiah  was promised to Israel.  Israel longed for the coming of this Deliverer throughout the Old Testament.  His appearance was the desire of every male Israelite and every Israelite woman desired to be the mother of the Messiah.

Finally the Messiah came at God’s appointed time, but a very tragic thing happened. His own people did not recognize Who He Was.  They delivered Him to Gentile rulers and He was executed.

But this was not the end of God or His Righteousness, but is the most phenomenal love story ever told in heaven or earth.  This love story reaches past Israel to the entire world, and stretches throughout eternity.

 

I. The Messiah Was Predicted By Moses Before Israel Inhabited the Land

 

Moses Predicted that “That Prophet” would come, and the people were commanded to hear His Words:

Deuteronomy 18:16  According to all that thou desiredst of the LORD thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not.

Deuteronomy 18:17 And the LORD said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken.

Deuteronomy 18:18  I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.

Deuteronomy 18:19  And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.

 

When the Jews wanted to know who John the Baptist was, they referred back to “That Prophet” predicted by Moses or maybe Elijah?  Elijah had been predicted to show before Messiah (Malachi 4:5-6)

John 1:19 ¶  And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?

John 1:20  And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.

John 1:21  And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.

 

When the Jews wanted to know who John the Baptist was, John referred back to Isaiah’s Prediction:

 

John 1:22  Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?

John 1:23  He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.

John 1:24  And they which were sent were of the Pharisees.

John 1:25  And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet?

II. Isaiah’s Messianic Prophesy States that the One coming Is The True God

 

Isaiah 40:2  Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD’S hand double for all her sins.

Isaiah 40:3 ¶  The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD <03068>, make straight in the desert a highway for our God <0430>.

 

03068 יהוה Y@hovah yeh-ho-vaw’ - from 01961; n pr dei;

LORD 6510, GOD 4, JEHOVAH 4, variant 1; 6519

Jehovah =" the existing One"

1) the proper name of the one true God

1a) unpronounced except with the vowel pointings of 0136

 

0430 אלהים ‘elohiym el-o-heem’ - pluralof 0433; n m p;

God 2346, god 244, judge 5, GOD 1, goddess 2, great 2, mighty 2, angels 1, exceeding 1, God-ward + 04136 1, godly 1; 2606

1) (plural), 1a) rulers, judges,1b) divine ones, 1c) angels, 1d) gods

2) (plural intensive-singular meaning), 2a) god, goddess, 2b) godlike one, 2c) works or special possessions of God, 2d) the (true) God, 2e) God

 

John told the Pharasees that theOne coming was greater than himself

 

John 1:26  John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not;

John 1:27  He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose.

 

Isaiah’s prophecy then stretches out to future events – Events Still Now In The Future

 

Isaiah 40:4  Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:

Isaiah 40:5  And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

 

III. Earlier Isaiah Had Prophesied That The One Coming Would Be A “God  Man”

 

Isaiah 9:6  For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

 

IV. Isaiah Had Also Prophesied That The God Man Would Be On The Throne of David

 

Isaiah 9:7  Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

 

How Could There Be A God/Man Coming That Would Take David’s Throne?

 

V. Proverbs Predicts That The One Coming Will Be The Son of God

 

Proverbs 30:4 Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son’s name, if thou canst tell?

Look At The Way Christ Announced That He Was The Son of God

 

John 3:12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?

John 3:13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

John 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

John 3:15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

John 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

John 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

John 3:20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

 

How Could The Messiah Be The God/Man That Would Take David’s Throne And Be Called Almighty God and The Son of God?

 

VI. The Messiah Predicted In Psalms As “Begotten of the Yahweh” and “My King Upon My Holy Hill of Zion”

 

Psalms 2:1 ¶  Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?

Psalms 2:2  The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed <04899>, saying,

Psalms 2:3  Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.

Psalms 2:4  He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.

Psalms 2:5  Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.

Psalms 2:6  Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.

Psalms 2:7 ¶  I will declare the decree: the LORD <03068> hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.

Psalms 2:8  Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.

Psalms 2:9  Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.

Psalms 2:10 ¶  Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.

Psalms 2:11  Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

Psalms 2:12  Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

 

03068 יהוה Y@hovah yeh-ho-vaw’ - from 01961; n pr dei;

LORD 6510, GOD 4, JEHOVAH 4, variant 1; 6519

Jehovah =" the existing One"

1) the proper name of the one true God

1a) unpronounced except with the vowel pointings of 0136

04899 משׁיח mashiyach maw-shee’ akh

from 04886, Greek 3323 Mεσσιας; n m;

anointed 37, Messiah 2; 39

1) anointed, anointed one

1a) of the Messiah, Messianic prince

1b) of the king of Israel

1c) of the high priest of Israel

 

Now We Have A “God/Man” Called “Almighty God” As Well As The “Son of God”, Who Would Take The Throne of David, And Now He Is “Begotten of Jehovah” As Well As “My King Upon My Holy Hill of Zion.”  How Can This Be?

 

VII. Now Back In Isaiah We Have The Messiah Rejected By Men, Executed, And Bearing The Iniquities Of Us All

 

Isaiah 53:1 ¶  Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?

Isaiah 53:2  For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

Isaiah 53:3  He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Isaiah 53:4 ¶  Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

Isaiah 53:5  But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Isaiah 53:6  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Isaiah 53:7  He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

Isaiah 53:8  He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

Isaiah 53:9  And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

Isaiah 53:10 ¶  Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

Isaiah 53:11  He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

Isaiah 53:12  Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

 

Can Anyone Explain How The “God/Man” Called “God Almighty”, “Begotten of Yahwah”, Who Would Take The Throne of David, And Also Called  “My King On My Holy Hill of Zion” Be Rejected By Men, Executed, and Thereby “Bear The Iniquities of Us All” ?

 

VIII. The Isaiah Prophesied The Messiah Will Be Born Of A Virgin

 

Isaiah 7:14  Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Isaiah 7:15  Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.

Isaiah 7:16  For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.

Isaiah 7:17 ¶  The LORD shall bring upon thee, and upon thy people, and upon thy father’s house, days that have not come, from the day that Ephraim departed from Judah; even the king of Assyria.

 

 

Now It Is More Confusing Then Ever.  How Can The “God/Man” Called “God Almighty”, and  “Begotten of Yahwah”, Take The Throne of David, And Also Be Called  “My King On My Holy Hill of Zion” As Well As Be Rejected By Men, Executed, and Thereby “Bear The Iniquities of Us All”.? Now, On Top Of All This, He Will Be Born of A Virgin?

I Have To Hear How All These ImpossibleProphesies Could Possibly Be Reconciled!

 

IX. The Angel Gabriel Appeared To A Virgin

 

Luke 1:26 ¶  And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,

Luke 1:27  To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.

Luke 1:28  And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

Luke 1:29  And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.

Luke 1:30  And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.

Luke 1:31  And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.

Luke 1:32  He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:

Luke 1:33  And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

 

Now We Have A Miraculous Virgin Birth – A Son Called Jesus, The Son of God, Who Will Have The Throne of David For Ever. 

But This Does Not Explain This Dilemma.

How Could A Virgin Can Have A Son, Or How A Son That Is To Be Born Be The “Son of the Highest”, Let Alone How He Could Grow To Be An Eternal King?

 

Mary Could Not Understand This Either

 

Luke 1:34  Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?

 

Now All Is Clear.

Luke 1:35  And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

 

1. The Holy Ghost Will Miraculously Make Mary Conceive

2. The Son Will Be A Man Because He Has A Human Mother

3. The Son Will Be The “Son of God”, Because God Is His Father

4. But How Can God Be His Own Son? – Look Back At The Passage:

 

Luke 1:35  And … therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

What Part of This Special Event Is Called “The Son of God”?  -

“The Holy Thing Which Shall Be Born”

You See Christ Is Truly The God/Man.

He Is All God, Because God Is The Father, And He Is All Human Because He Had A Human Mother.  He Is The Son of God, Because The Baby Born Between God And Mary Will Be The “Son of God” Because God Is His Father.

It Is Not His Deity That Is The Son of God, But His Humanity. He Had To Be God To Take On The Iniquity of Us All, And Human To Give His Life. 

His Kingdom Will Come About Through Prophecy Just As His Birth

 

X. What Is The Role Of The Son of God In His Appoearance?  Let’s Look Again At This God/Man

 

John 1:1 ¶  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 1:2  The same was in the beginning with God.

John 1:3  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

John 1:4  In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

John 1:5 ¶  And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not…..

 

Christ Is The Light In Darkness, And When The Darkness Did Not Comprehend The Revelation:

 

John 1:14  And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,)full of grace and truth.

 

Just As Another Person’s Thoughts Are Invisible To Us Until He Opens His Mouth And With Words Reveals His Thoughts….. So

 

God Was Invisible To Fallen Man, And Then The “Word” Was Born of the Virgin Mary, And Reveals The Father Through His Word, Thereby Reveals The Father To Us.

 

Hebrews 1:1 ¶ God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,

Hebrews 1:2  Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

Hebrews 1:3  Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

 

XI. How Did This God/Man Function On Earth?

 

Philippians 2:6  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

Philippians 2:7  But made himself of no reputation<2758>, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

Philippians 2:8  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

 

2758 κενοω kenoo ken-o’-o - 2758 κενοω kenoo ken-o’-o - from 2756; TDNT-3:661,426; v

make void 2, make of none effect 1, make of no reputation 1, be in vain 1; 5

1) to empty, make empty

1a) of Christ, he laid aside equality with or the form of God

2) to make void

2a) deprive of force, render vain, useless, of no effect

 

An Example of His Kenosis orEmptying” of Some of His Godly attributes in Order to Fulfill God’s Will Is Found When He Was Tempted

 

Matthew 4:2  And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.

Matthew 4:3  And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

Matthew 4:4  But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

 

If you were starving, could the devil tempt you to perform a miracle and have food appear?

 

Matthew 4:5  Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,

Matthew 4:6  And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Matthew 4:7  Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

 

If you were on a high pinnacle, could the devil tempt you to jump off?

 

Matthew 4:8  Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;

Matthew 4:9  And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

Matthew 4:10  Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

Matthew 4:11  Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

 

This one would not be offered to us, but will be offered to the Antichrist to come.

 

Why Would These Not Be A Temptation To A Mere Human?  Because We Do Not Have These Powers To Perform Miracles.

 

But, Of Course, The God/Man Did Have The Power To Perform Miracles, Thus Skipping His Performance For God’s Will Concerning All These Temptations.

But He Laid Aside His Godly Powers And Faced The Devil Relying On The Holy Ghost And The Word of God, As A Man Is To Do On This Earth.

 

Christ, Himself Explained This:

 

John 14:10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.

 

Today, We Are To Imitate This Extraordinary Characteristic Of The God/Man.  But How Could A Mere Man Imitate Christ?  By Letting The “Mind of Christ” Be In You.

 

Philippians 2:1 ¶  If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,

Philippians 2:2  Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

Philippians 2:3  Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.

Philippians 2:4  Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

Philippians 2:5  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

 

This Is God’s Sign To The World For This Age – Next Lesson We Will See This Same Kind Of Sign In The Old Testament.

 

John 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

Because Christ Was Faithfull, Now…

 

Philippians 2:9  Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:

Philippians 2:10  That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

Philippians 2:11  And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

 

What Is God’s Will For Us – How Can We Put On The Mind of Christ?

 

1 John 3:16  Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

1 John 3:17  But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

1 John 3:18  My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

1 John 3:19  And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.

1 John 3:20 ¶  For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.

1 John 3:21  Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.

1 John 3:22  And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

1 John 3:23 ¶  And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.

1 John 3:24  And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.

 

If We “Put On The Mind Of Christ” Then We Have:

 

1 John 3:1 ¶  Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

1 John 3:2  Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

1 John 3:3  And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

 

There Is A Terrible Tribulation Coming To The Earth Soon, But We Can Be Assured:

 

John 14:1 ¶ Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

John 14:2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

John 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

 

An Ancient Jewish Wedding Illustrates John 14:1-3

Let me begin with the ceremony of a traditional Jewish wedding. There are three parts to the Hebrew wedding: Schadchan - matchmaking, Erusin - the decision of the date for the wedding and Nesuin - the consecration.

 

 

The Schadchan: In those days the children were totally dependent on their parents. Usually they were young when the matchmaking began. A thirteen year old boy - Bar Mitzvah age today and a girl at her puberty.) They had no right to choose their own mate. We see in Genesis 24, for example, where Abraham sent his servant to his relatives to find a bride for his son Isaac:

The Erusin: The date was chosen. The Ketubah was written. The contract was signed. The dowry decided - all these were rights to protect the bride, not the groom.

The Nesuin: "the carrying-on".

A reception took place. There would be a procession where they would be carried on a chair. The whole community took part. Immediately, the bride and groom would return to the home he prepared. The father had a party going on and he gave them his blessings. They would consummate the marriage and the sheet would be held up to seal the covenant with blood.

This example of a Jewish wedding could be easily seen in the 14th chapter of the book of John.

 

“An Ancient Jewish Wedding” By Courtesy of: Messianic Rabbi Gennady Livshits

 

1 Thessalonians 4:13 ¶  But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

1 Thessalonians 4:14  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

1 Thessalonians 4:15  For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

1 Thessalonians 4:16  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

1 Thessalonians 4:17  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

1 Thessalonians 4:18  Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

1 Thessalonians 5:1 ¶  But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.

1 Thessalonians 5:2  For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.