Prophecies Concerning the Coming Messiah

Introduction To Prophecies,Covenants, and Types

Introduction

I would like to invite you on board an imaginary time machine for a journey back into history.

When we look at our world today, in spite of all the technological advances and social programs, it is a world ripped apart by strife, murder, moral breakdown of the highest magnitude, wars and rumors of wars, broken homes (divorce, child abuse, spousal abuse), and on and on the list goes. The Israeli-Arab dispute continues, yet without any real resolve. The threat of nuclear and Arab terror hangs over our heads, and yet we are helpless to solve these problems. Not only do these problems continue, but they are increasing just as the Bible warns

II Timothy 3:13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

The ‘one world orderers’ of our society see things differently. For instance, in the past several years we have seen tremendous changes in Europe, the removal of the Berlin wall, the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the opening up of Russia, the ongoing talks about peace in the Middle East. We have seen the apparent changes toward freedom that have taken place in the other communistic countries, and government officials and society as a whole see this as a sign that we are on the verge of a new era of world peace. In fact, mankind has been saying for years that what we need is an influential, powerful, charismatic leader to come on the scene to give us unity and peace. So, the world watches for such a person, to draw the world together into a new age of globalism where there will be peace.

But if we look among the world’s leaders, can we find such a person? No, not at all! The problems are just too big for any ordinary man. Scripture does, however, promise just such a Savior, and it is because of this promise that I invite you on this journey. It also warns us that in the last days three key counterfeit conditions will be prevalent:

I. The last days will be days of apostasy:

II Thessalonians 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

II Timothy 3:1-7 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, {false…: or, one who foments strife}Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

II. The last days will be days of globalism: There will be a spirit of globalism (a modern day Tower of Babel). More and more the human race will look to a one-world international system to bring peace and safety

I Thessalonians 4:13-5:4 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. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 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. {prevent: or, come before, or, anticipate, or, precede} 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: 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. Wherefore comfort one another with these words. {comfort: or, exhort} But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.

III. The last days will be days of false messiahs: This hope and search for some form of a one-world system will lead to the longing and search for someone who can come on the scene of human history and mold the world into unity and peace. The last days will be days of false messiahs, a time when the world will be looking for solutions in a great world leader until such a person arises in the form of the Antichrist, the Beast of the tribulation period

Matthew 24:5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

Matthew 24:23-24 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

Revelation 13:1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

God Preached the Gospel in the Old Testament

The Bible contains the outline of the central person of the book.

1. It has been said: "Son, you have never found the true interpretation of any passage

until you have found in it somewhere a reference to the Lord Jesus Christ."

2. Jesus made this claim when people questioned His authority"

John 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

Continuing on in John 5:

John 5:45 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is [one] that accuseth you, [even] Moses, in whom ye trust.

John 5:46 For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me.

3. Jesus once more asserted this after the resurrection. On the road to Emmaus He said:

Luke 24:25 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:.... Luke 24:27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.

I . First Clear Gospel Message Preached by God Himself. - Explains how the Redeemer will accomplish His purpose.

A. The Message: Coats of Skins

Genesis 3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

This verse is the first totally clear revelation of Calvary.

B. Setting: - Man had disobeyed God and was under sentence of death.

1. Adam and Eve were conscious of their predicament,

2. But sin had so blinded their eyes,

3. That instead of fleeing to God for help,

4. They frantically tried to effect their own salvation.

a. They imagined that they could do something to make them more presentable to God.

b. Before man fell, he was clothed in the garments of innocence,

5. But no sooner had he sinned,

a. than he had lost this covering

b. And discovered that he was shamefully naked.

Genesis 3:7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they [were] naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

6. The fig leaf aprons, however, were wholly inadequate, and might as well been poison oak.

a. Now Adam and Eve knew deep down in their hearts that their aprons were wholly inadequate,

b. because if they had believed that they were adequate,

c. They would not have continued to hide from God.

C. The Lord to the rescue. - While they were hiding, God was looking for them with a demonstration of grace.

a. The Lord rejected their vain attempts to cover their guilt,

b. and we read of His marvelous message of redemption and grace:

Genesis 3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

E. Adam is a Type of Christ

Romans 5:14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.

F. Double type.

1. The moment that God killed the animal in the garden,

2. Adam stopped being the type of Christ, and became the sinner that needed atonement.

3. The innocent lamb, that God killed to produce the coats of skins then became the type of Christ dying on the cross for His people.

G. Pattern for all salvation. -

1. As God took a sacrificial animal, (probably a lamb) and slew it before Adam's eyes - and wrapped the bloody skins around his naked body,

2. God laid down an eternal, divine principal, from which there is no deviation.

3. With this action, God laid down the tree eternal rules acceptable for atonement for sin.

1. It must be God's gift and His work alone. The animal

was God's gift and not the work of man. A beautiful type

of Christ - the Perfect Lamb of God. It was the Lord

alone who furnished the skins to cover Adam and Eve. They

did nothing. The only sacrifice God would accept must be

God's work and God's free gift. Our first parents didn't

even have to put the coats of skins on themselves. Even

this was done by God.

2. It must be by the death of an innocent substitute. The

animal that God slew to provide the skins had no part in

Adam's sin. It was an innocent victim. Man could not

atone for his own sin, because it's penalty had been

declared in the book of Genesis:

Genesis 2:17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

a. If one single day had passed without this provision of a substitute, they would have died on the very day that they fell.

b. So before that first day was ended, God came to them with the message of redemption.

c. On the evening of the very day Adam sinned, God came with His substitutionary lamb.

d. The record clearly suggests this, because we can read that after Adam and his wife had hid themselves, and were busy making the flimsy aprons,

e. God came in the evening of the same day to deliver them. It was at the end of the day - or "cool of the day". (Genesis 3:8)

3. It must be by the shedding of blood.

a. While blood is not mentioned in the record, it is clearly implied.

b. God could not procure the skins without shedding the blood of the animal.

c. Also notice the difference in God's covering for nakedness and sin are called "coats of skins"

KHAGORE (aprons) sometimes translated "a belt".

KETHONETH (robe) signifies a complete covering from head to

foot. The same word is used for the high priest's robe - which

covered the entire body.

Strangers to The Covenants

Ephesians 2:12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:

All the covenants with their individual features were ultimately pointing to one great promise--the coming of the Christ. Because the Gentile world did not have or know these covenants and this great promise, which is woven everywhere into the fabric of the Old Testament like a golden thread, they had no hope. Writing to the Romans, Paul said,

Romans 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

“The Scriptures we will look at in this study are some of those that deal with the lineage of Christ, the prophecies, and covenants of His first and second comings. These prophecies, as a part of that hope, form the coming Gospel of truth and remarkable evidence which authenticate the claims of Christ and shows us the Gospel in the Old Testament.

The Old Testament, written over a period of 1000 years and written several hundred years before the time of Christ, contains some three hundred prophecies of the coming Messiah. The fact these prophecies were written at least two hundred years before Christ is proven by the Septuagint [LXX], the Greek translation of the Old Testament written in 200 B.C., and by the Dead Sea Scrolls, some of which are dated over 200 years before Christ as well. All of these ancient prophecies were fulfilled in the one person of Jesus Christ, and they provide solid confirmation:

For His credentials as Messiah,

For His claims as the Son of God and Savior,

For His unique life in comparison to all world religious leaders

For He and He alone is the one to whom we look for salvation and meaning in life.

The probability of all these being fulfilled in one person as merely coincidence is beyond comprehension and, for all practical purposes, mathematically impossible. The entire Old Testament, though dealing with the history of the nations and of Israel, ultimately spoke of the Messiah, the Redeemer who would come. This is evident from the following verses of Scripture:

Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill.”

Luke 24:27 “And beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.”

Luke 24:44 Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”

John 5:39 “You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that bear witness of Me;

When the person of Messiah comes on the scene is there some way we can clearly identify Him? How can we know that He is the right one and not an imposter--someone who ends up being a Hitler or the Beast as described in Revelation 13? How can we know this Jesus of the New Testament is this Deliver to whom we are to look?

The Scripture not only promises the Messiah, but it does so in such a way that we can precisely identify Him. This is an important point because many have risen who claimed to have the answers to society whether political or social, and the Bible warns us that many more will rise. How, then, can we identify this one of whom the Scripture speaks?

Using the Bible as our road map, we will climb aboard our time machine and journey back into ancient history, back to the Garden of Eden where we will begin our journey forward through the corridors of time with the Word of God to guide and illuminate our path. With the light of the Word, we will look for road signs and marks of identification to guide us on our journey in quest of finding and identifying this person of whom the Scripture speaks, the one promised to the human race as the only solution to the problems of the world--yet the one the world resists.

As we look at these road signs scattered along the highway of history, we need to note that each sign is above all else, an identifier. Many of them are also predictions, in some cases warnings, but also promises and covenants. We begin with Adam and Eve and each new sign or prophecy will add more details. This will constantly narrow the field of possible candidates until all the important factors of identification are revealed. As a result, there can be no doubt about God’s plan of salvation for mankind as well as where and in whom it can be found.

In our study, we are looking at only those signs that focus primarily on his birth or lineage, but many more focus on His life and works which further identify and prove the identity of the only one in whom we must place our trust for the salvation that is offered freely, without cost through faith.

Quickly now, let’s fasten our seat belts, and with everyone aboard, let’s journey back some 6500 years where we will arrive at a place called the Garden of Eden. The Fall of Mankind

The Garden of Eden was designed by God to be a paradise. But wait a minute! Something seems to be wrong! It is quite apparent something terrible has happened. Our map shows us that, following the suggestions of the serpent, Adam and Eve sought to live independently of God and sin entered the human scene.

Where man and woman had life, now death rules.

Where there was joy and pleasure, now pain has been introduced.

Where there was a joyous occupation with abundance, now a meager subsistence by toil and the sweat of the brow has become the rule with pain in childbirth.

Where there was perfect fellowship with God and each other, now we see alienation and fear, blaming, hiding, and attempting to cover their nakedness with fig leaves.

God shed the blood of an animal to cover Adam and Eve when they knew they were naked

The first glimpse of shedding of blood for the remission of sins

So what now?

Road Sign Number 1:
The Promised Seed (Genesis 3:15)

“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.”

In this verse, we have the sign of the promised seed. - the protevangelium, - the first flicker of the Gospel. It is only a broad generalization without a lot of detail, but, though only in embryo form, Genesis 3:15 is: (1) a prophecy, (2) a warning, and (3) a promise. But above all, it is (4) the foundation for the many promises and the beginning of many road signs that follow down the pathway of Scripture. The signs which follow will clarify and develop many details in the progress of God’s revelation of the Gospel. These added details will point us clearly to the one who is to come and to what we can expect. Observations About the Passage--Since this is the foundation of all the promises that follow, it is important to note a number of observations:

I. The promise of Genesis 3:15 is addressed to the serpent, not to mankind.

A. Begun in 3:14, it is part of a sentence of judgment passed on one who is the enemy of both God and man.

B. Though it contains, in seed form a promise for mankind, it is more directly a sentence of judgment on the serpent (clearly a reference to Satan).

C. This teaches us that God’s plan “is about God’s rule as much as about man’s need.”

II. Genesis 3:15 contains great hope for mankind as a promise - a prophecy of battle.

A.“Enmity” comes from a Hebrew word which means “to hate.”

B. A warning of great conflict and foreshadows the perpetual battle of satanic powers which will oppose mankind and God’s plan of salvation through the One who would come.

C.To be sure, Satan is a hater of mankind, especially those linked with the promised Deliverer.

III. The Battle is between the serpent and the woman, between his seed and her seed, and between a single individual and the serpent. - A Battle of the Seeds.

A. The text says, “And I will put enmity between you (the serpent) and the woman (Eve), . . . he (the seed of the woman) shall bruise you (the serpent) on the head, And you (the serpent) shall bruise him (the seed of the woman) on the heel.”

B. Adam is simply and plainly passed over. The reason for this is not given here, but as we journey through history the light of God’s revelation will both identify the serpent and show why Adam is passed over.

C. The reason is the virgin birth. Though perhaps not understood then, we have in Genesis 3:15 the anticipation of the virgin birth. Satan’s defeat and that of his seed (the unbelieving world) would come from the seed of the woman. It speaks of her seed, not his (the man’s) nor theirs (the man and the woman).

D. Deliverance would come from the woman without the aid of a man. The seeds referred to here are not defined. Later revelation will do this, but the text is suggestive by itself:

1. The seed of the serpent is a collective noun meaning “offspring,” and must refer to the children of the evil one, those who are in a spiritual sense the children of the devil.

John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

The text is obviously not talking about an offspring of snakes.

2. If “seed” must refer to a whole class and is used in the collective sense in the first half of the statement, then “seed” in the second half of the statement must be used collectively for the descendants of the woman. The enmity is one that will exist between two groups throughout history, the serpent’s and the woman’s.

3. In the last part of verse 15, however, the seed is narrowed to the singular “he” and the singular “you” which denotes a person--a particular seed who does battle with the serpent--who is Satan.

4. Two things about the seeds and enmity

a. The triumphant Seed of the Woman will crush (literally) the head of the seed of the serpent.

b. The serpent would bruise her seed on the heel, but He will be victorious

5. First Mention of birth in the Bible - Genesis 4

a. Cain’s name qana means “acquired” or “to get” - literally in Hebrew means, “I have gotten a man with the Lord”

b. Cain was not a man of faith because he brought a bloodless offering -

1. Represented seed of the serpent

2. He didn't heed God's message abot the Coats of Skins

c. His brother Abel did and it was accepted by the Lord

1. represented the Seed

2. He heeded God's message of the Coats of Skins

d. Cain murdered Abel - enmity between the two seeds

6. The promise of Genesis 3:15 soon is ignored and perverted

a. Ancient mysticism of Babylon - mother-child cult - will rise again in Tribulation

b. God needs a remnant - godly line to proclaim the Gospel of Genesis 3:15

7. This “Battle of the Seeds” is seen throughout the Bible

a. Cain killing Abel

b. Moses saved out of the Nile

c. All Jewish boys sentenced to death by Herod the Great at Christ’s Birth

d. Christ's Second Coming with His saints destrying evil - Revelation 19:11-21

8. All through the everyone else has been the seed of some man - never of a woman

9. Jesus did not have a sinful father, but was born of a virgin

10. He was God in a man’s body

Road Sign Number 2:
The Line of Seth-The Godly Seed
(Genesis 4:25-26)

“And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew. And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.

I. “Seth” is from a Hebrew word which means “to set, place, appoint.” With this name and Eve’s statement in verse 25b, it is evident this child becomes the one appointed to be the godly line, the line out of which the seed of the woman will come.

II. Who names the child? Eve does, and I think this again illustrates her faith.

A. The mention of “another offspring” in place of Abel, literally, “another seed,” takes up the promise of Genesis 3:15 and in essence, announces from which of Eve’s sons the seed would come.

B. So the line is narrowed, but note that in verse 26 we read, “Then, men began to call upon the name of the Lord.” The “then” refers to the logical consequences of the birth of Seth and the establishment of the godly line of men from which the seed of the woman would come.

C. “This stands in contrast to the ungodly line of Cain, who ‘went out from the presence of the Lord’“ (vs. 16).

III. Let’s move forward again several hundred years (at least 1656 years following creation) and maybe more if this list of the sons of Seth is not exhaustive and there are no gaps in the record. We turn next to Genesis 6 and the time of Noah, but again we see the enmity and the path of destruction and deception in human history.

Road Sign Number 3:
The Line of Noah
(Genesis 6:8 - Hebrews 11:7)

Genesis 6:8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

I. Noah was saved because he had faith in the Word of God.

A. His faith concerned an ark whereby he and his family would be saved.

B. We are saved in the very same way,

1. by faith in God's Word concerning His Son Jesus Christ, our Savior from the coming judgment,

2. The flood event was a picture and a type.

C. We can not fail to see the ark of Noah a type of the coming Redeemer, the Lord Jesus.

II. The purpose of the flood -

A. It was the purpose of Satan and his fallen angels to corrupt the human race and thereby do away with the pure Adamite stock through whom the Seed of the Woman should come.

B. This would avert their own doom and make it possible for Satan and his kingdom to keep control of planet earth indefinitely.

C. Remember the prophecy given to Satan by God that the Seed of the Woman would defeat Satan

Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

D. Five Important Facts Concerning the Protevangelium

1. It serves notice on Satan - Although he seems to have won the skirmish against the Word of God, It is only the beginning of a conflict which will end in complete victory for the Seed of the Woman.

2. It is an Illustration of Grace - This promise of victory was given soon after the fall, and before banishment from the garden. God had declared the same penalty of death, both physical and spiritual, upon their sin, and so before the poor sinner could die and be lost forever, God came with the glorious promise of redemption.

3. First Clear Mention of the Virgin Birth - Every human being born since the days of Adam and Eve is seed of Adam. The seed is always traced through the male line - with one exception. Jesus is called the Seed of the Woman. This is the only place in the Bible where a person is called "Seed of the Woman." It was Eve who fell before, and God has designed that the woman should bring forth the Redeemer.

4. Two Seeds Mentioned - The Seed of the Woman and the seed of Satan. Since the Seed of the Woman was to be a person, the seed of the serpent will also be a person.

These two seeds are later identified as Christ and the Antichrist.

5. The "Battle of the Seeds" will be finally culminated in the complete victory by the Savior.

A. The account of this begins in the book of Genesis, and ends in the book of

Revelation.

B. The person of the Antichrist is defeated and cast into the Lake of Fire at the Second Coming of Christ. (Revelation 19:20),

C. While Satan will be finally doomed to the same place later on. (Revelation 20:10) The struggle seems to be in the favor of the enemy, (notice the two brusings).

D. When the Redeemer came first it seemed a victory for Satan, because of death, (heel bruised).

E. Satan's head will be crushed, however, at the Second Coming.

Genesis 6:1 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, 6:2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they [were] fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.

III. Daughters of men and sons of God.

A. "Daughters of men" - (Hebrew, singular; the man Adam, therefore not the daughters of Cain, Seth, or men in general)

B."Sons of God" - Seth did not have a son until 235 years after Creation; and his son did not have a son until 325 years after Creation. (Genesis 5:3,6,9)

C. Where did these sons come from?

1. They could not have been sons of Seth, for these marriages took place when men began to multiply - in the very beginning of the race before Seth had sons of

marriageable age.

2. The term sons of God proves that they were the product of God, not Seth.

3. "Sons of God" were the fallen angels of I Peter 3:19; II Peter 2:4; and Jude 6:7

I Peter 3:18-22 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. The like figure whereunto [even] baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.

II Peter 2:4-5 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast [them] down to hell, and delivered [them] into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth [person], a preacher of righteousness, ringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;

Jude 1:6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.

IV. Giants and sons of God

Genesis 6:4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare [children] to them, the same [became] mighty men which [were] of old, men of renown.

A. Giants and the sons of God.

1. Giants have lived on earth and are found in many Scriptures.

2. The fact that giants have no resurrection (Isaiah 26:14) proves that giants were not ordinary men.

a. All ordinary men are to be resurrected (John 5:28-29),

b. Therefore giants must be a different class from the pure Adamites.

3. The fact that giants came only from a union of sons of God and daughters of men

a. Proves that their fathers were not ordinary men of the Adamite stock.

b. No such monstrosities have been nor can be produced from a union of ordinary men and women,

c. Regardless of how righteous the father was or how wicked the mother was.

4. God's law of reproduction from the beginning has been to every thing his own kind.

a. It is not possible then, that giants could be produced by men and women. (Genesis 1:11-12, 21,24-25; 8:19) of ordinary size.

b. It took a supernatural element, the purpose and power of Satan and his angels to make offspring of such extra size within the human species.

c. After the variation of the species, which had to do with size only, and when the giants had come into being, they reproduced others of like size.

d. The revelation we have of giants gives us the true account of what the Greek myths try and recount from hearsay.

e. Our account is of course divinely inspired.

5. The fallen angel’s sin was fornication is given in Jude 6-7, with the example of Sodom and Gomorra:

Jude 1:6-7 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. Even as Sodom and Gomorra, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

V. The Ark of Noah was a picture of the Coming Christ. -

A. It was not because Noah was alarmed at the increasing wickedness of man that he perceived that judgment was impending, and therefore sought a plan.

B. There is no hint that Noah anticipated a flood.

C. There had evidently been no rain until that time, and so an idea of a deluge was far from Noah's mind.

D. Before the flood came, instructions were given to Noah to build an ark. The idea for the salvation of Noah and his family existed in the mind of God.

1. Planned by God - As the arc was planned by God, so too was the Antitype of the arc.

a. The Lord Jesus was foreordained by God to meet the judgment of sin. (typified by the flood),

b. And make provision for the elect. Peter tells us of Christ in I Peter:

I Peter 1:20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,

c. And in the book of Revelation He is called:

Revelation 13:8 .... the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

d. Not only was the arc designed and planned by God in every detail,

1. Noah and his family were also planned for long before they were born.

2. Paul says of us, who are represented by Noah in the book of Ephesians:

Ephesians 1:3 Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly [places] in Christ:

Ephesians1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

Ephesians1:5 Having predestined us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, ......

Ephesians1:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

2. It is all of Grace -

a. Noah had no part in the planning of this mighty ship.

b. Al the blueprints and specifications were furnished by God, and no man had a hand in it at all.

c. Now all of this is in harmony with the lesson we had concerning the coats of skins. Not a detail is overlooked. Man must have no part in salvation, as we read in the book of Genesis:

6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man [was] great in the earth, and [that] every imagination of the thoughts of his heart [was] only evil continually.

6:6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

6:7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.

d. And the Word goes on to say in verse 8:

Genesis 6:8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

3. Supernatural Revelation - God gave a supernatural revelation concerning the coming judgment:

Genesis 6:13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

a. "All Flesh" - Is a synecdoche for corrupted man. (A synecdoche is a figure of speech meaning that you are stating the whole group, while only meaning a part of the group. Ex. A news commentator might say the whole town came to see the President, but he did not mean that all the nursing homes, nurseries, hospitals, etc. were emptied, but just most of the town)

1. Noah and his family were the only pure Adamite stock left on the earth.

2. The entire race had (except for Noah and his family) become a mixture of fallen angels and men, or giants.

3. Only Noah and his family had preserved their pedigree pure from Adam.

Genesis 6:9 These [are] the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man [and] perfect in his generations, [and] Noah walked with God.

4. ("Perfect" - Tamim - "without blemish" - meaning bodily perfection not moral)

b. No sooner had God announced judgment for sin than He gave a plan for escape. The same is true of Adam and Eve with the coats of skins. In the case of Noah, again God had scarcely pronounced judgment, when He announced the plan of escape:

Genesis 6:14 Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.

1. Notice the details given by God - Nothing is left up to man, the whole plan is of God, He says:

Genesis 6:15 And this [is the fashion] which thou shalt make it [of]: The length of the ark [shall be] three hundred cubits, (450 feet) the breadth of it fifty cubits (75 feet), and the height of it thirty cubits (45 feet).

2. Incidentally, modern shipbuilders tell us that these dimensions are the most ideal measurements to ensure the safest and most seaworthy craft.

a. The ark was built on dry land, miles from the nearest water.

b. Noah had no model to work from, and yet the ark had ideal dimensions for a ship accepted even by shipbuilders of today.

c. What evidence for divine inspiration! Noah believed God, as we find in the book of Hebrews:

Hebrews11:7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

3. Noah believed when there was no evidence. Remember the ark is a type of the Lord Jesus, our hope against the judgment of God, and He too, must be accepted by faith. We too only have the Word of God and it by believing that Word we are saved. We must say with Peter in I Peter:

I Peter 1:8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see [him] not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

4. It was the same in the days of Noah. He was warned of things "not seen as yet". God announced the coming of something which had never been seen before: namely rain. Evidently, before the flood, there had never been any rain. At least there is no mention of it, but the Word of God says in the book of Genesis:

Genesis 2:5 And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and [there was] not a man to till the ground. 2:6 But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.

4. Only One Door: - A most complete type of the Lord. Remember man had no part in the planning. The Lord gave all the details for the construction. The description, brief, but complete continues:

Genesis 6:16 A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; [with] lower, second, and third [stories] shalt thou make it.

Three details of the door

1. There is only one door.

a. Today that would not be allowed by OSHA.

b. Something of this size would have to be equipped with several exits, and have several life rafts, life boats and life preservers for its passengers.

c. But none of these things are mentioned, because they were completely unnecessary as we shall see God provided for the perfect safety of the occupants,

d. God Himself was with them in the ship.

2. There was no need for any safety features within the ark,

a. for it was a type of the Lord Jesus,

b. Just as God was with Noah in the ship,

c. "so God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself."

3. All can gain entrance - The dimensions of the door are not mentioned.

a. We don't know how high or wide it was.

b. This is for a definite reason since no dimensions are given, all may gain entrance.

c. No matter how great the sinner one may be,

d. there is room for him through Him, and only through Him who said:

Jonh 10:9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

VI. But God raised up man, a preacher of righteousness, whose name was Noah.

A. Noah, his wife, their sons and their wives believed God and for 120 years Noah warned of a coming judgment which

B. would clearly prove that these heroes or “men of renown” were mere flesh, under God’s authority and control, and would die--which they did in the flood.

C. So God destroyed the human race with the flood, except for Noah and his family.

D. Now it is obvious the seed of the woman would come through Noah.

E. But Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth who became the fathers of the entire human race.

F. Which one would be the godly line, the one from which the seed would come?

Road Sign Number 4:
Blessings on Shem (Genesis 9:26)

He also said, “Blessed be the LORD, The God of Shem; And let Canaan be his servant.

The wording here is unexpected. In verse 25, Noah said, “Cursed be Canaan,” but here, rather than “blessed be Shem,” he said, “blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem.” The point is that Shem’s good fortune was the product of his relationship to the Lord as his God. This is not only a prophecy and a pronouncement of blessing upon Shem and his posterity, but in it God declares that Shem’s posterity would know and serve the one true God. His descendents would become the godly seed or line. From Shem would come the Deliverer, the seed of the woman and the means of blessing to the other brothers (Gen. 9:27).

We see two key developments as we continue to look for the seed of the woman.

(1) Shem also, had many sons. So to which one do we look? The descendants of Shem became the Semitic people, many of whom dwelt in the east around the land of Shinar or Babylon.

(2) Furthermore, as time moved along, the nations revolted under the leadership of a man called Nimrod, whose very name could mean “let us revolt” (Gen. 10:8-10). “The name Nimrod ‘no doubt suggested to the Israelites that idea of rebel . . . against God’” Nimrod’s Tower of Babel became Satan’s first attempt at a one-world system of government by which man sought unity and prosperity apart from God. It was clearly an anti-God, humanistic kingdom and the first try at a United Nations.

Unfortunately, this rebellion included the Semitic people (the descendants of Shem), many of whom lived in Babylon and all of whom became involved in this Babylonian system of idolatry. History teaches us that Nimrod had a wife by the name of Semerimus who established the worship of what may be called “the mother-child cult.” This became Satan’s clever counterfeit to the promise of the seed of the woman. Here was the beginning of the “Mother of Harlots” of Revelation 17:3-6.

Again we see the enmity at work, the trail of blood and deception. Let’s move on down the corridors of time and look for more road signs.

Road Sign Number 5:
The Call of Abram and the Abrahamic Covenant
(Genesis 12:1-3)

Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Genesis 12:1-3; 13:14-17; 15:4-21; 17:1-8; 22:17-18

The whole world had fallen in with Satan’s system just as it will again in the last days and the days of the Great Tribulation as described in the book of Revelation. The world lay in humanism, pantheism, idolatry, and unbelief. But God always has his man and His remnant and, as faithful and sovereign God, He will fulfill His promises and purposes. So, God called a man by the name of Abram. How we are not told, but while Abram was in Ur of the Chaldeans, a wealthy, populous, and sophisticated pagan center of idolatry, Abram heard the call of God and believed Him.

The Abrahamic Covenant made unconditionally by God to Abraham is the foundation of prophesy in the Bible. The covenant states that God will give Abraham a land, a seed, and a blessing which would be universal and eternal.

Even in the time of King Solomon, Abraham's descendants had not received the quantity of land promiced in the covenant. Abraham will see the fulfillment of this covenant when the Seed of the Woman rules and reins in the Millennium.

As foretold in Scripture, Abram is in the line of Shem from whom the seed would come. In this text, several new tidbits of information are given.

(1) A specific portion of land is now in view, one that will become the center of the world as God views it. The seed of the woman will come out of a special parcel of land, the land of Canaan, later to be known as Palestine.

(2) A specific seed or nation is now in view, one that would come out of the loins of Abram. So we look for a nation that will arise out of the descendants of Abram.

(3) Universal blessings are promised for all the nations. Abram’s seed would become a channel of blessing to all the world. This means we look for the Redeemer and promised Seed to come from Abram’s people.

In subsequent sections in Genesis, God amplifies and enlarges on these promises, but now we know in what family and in what land we should look for the seed of the woman. We won’t look in China, in Babylon, in Assyria, in India, in Western Europe, in Italy, in Turkey, or in the Americas. No, we are to look for this Deliverer, this seed of the woman, from a small piece of ground along the Mediterranean Sea, the land of Israel.

But as we journey on down the pages of Scripture, we soon learn that Abram would be the father of a multitude. Many nations would come from Abram, so many God even changed his name to Abraham meaning “father of a multitude” (Genesis 17:4-10).

Genesis 17:4-10 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. {many…: Heb. multitude of nations}Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. {Abraham: that is, Father of a great multitude} And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. {wherein…: Heb. of thy sojournings} And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.

To whom do we look now? As we continue our trek down the pages of Scripture, we find another sign.

Road Sign Number 6:
In Isaac and His Descendants
(Genesis 17:19 & 21:12)

Genesis 17:19 And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.

Genesis 21:12 And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.

We are to look for the Deliverer in the descendents of Isaac. But wait! Isaac would have two sons and two nations would come from him. Which nation would be the channel for the seed? Would it be Esau, the father of the Edomites, or Jacob, the father of Israel?

Road Sign Number 7:
In Jacob and His Descendants
(Genesis 25:22-23 & 28:13-14)

Genesis 25:22-23 22 And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the LORD. And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.

Genesis 28:13-14 And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. {spread…: Heb. break forth}

Again, God’s road signs, placed carefully along the pages of Scripture and the corridors of time, guide us and the line is narrowed. Still, as we continue our travels, we find that Jacob had 12 sons (Gen. 35:22b-27). From which son do we look for the seed of the woman and the deliverer and source of blessing to the nations. Is it Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulon, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Joseph or Benjamin? As always, God does not leave us guessing.

Road Sign Number 8:
In The Tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10)

"The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be."

In Genesis 49 Jacob pronounces blessing on each of his sons and in the process narrows the line to the tribe of Judah. Made on his death bed, this is a prophecy of Jacob describes the future of Israel. In this prophecy, God not only narrows the field again, but broadens our expectations to look for One who will one day become a ruler in Israel. Let’s note some of the ingredients of this prophecy.

(1) Judah means praise. In this tribe, God would do that which would cause men to lift up their voice to Him in praise.

(2) “The scepter” and “the ruler’s staff” clearly refer to the right to rule or to the royal line.

(3) “Shiloh” is clearly a messianic title for “the seed of the woman, the Deliverer who would come.”

(4) “Shiloh” may mean “peaceful” or “peacemaker” after the promise of Isaiah 9:6 (cf. Eph. 2:14-17). Or it may mean, “whose it is” or “he to whom it belongs,” i.e., the right to rule.

This then is a prediction that tells us two important facts: First, Judah would become the royal line, the tribe that would rule in Israel and one day rule over the world through this Deliverer who is to come. Second, it is not saying that once Judah began to rule there would always be someone on the throne of Israel. Rather, the declaration is that the right to rule would remain in Judah and that out of Israel herself, no impostor would sit on the throne of Israel until Shiloh, the Peacemaker, comes to rule and his kingdom is established.

Now as we travel on down the pages of Scripture and history we find the tribe of Judah increases by many thousands. Again we look to Scripture to see who would be the channel?

Road Sign Number 9:
In the Family of Jesse
(1 Samuel 16:1 & Isaiah 11:1, 10)

1 Samuel 16:1 And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons.

Isaiah 11:1, 10 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:. …And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious. {glorious: Heb. glory}

Road Sign Number 10:
David and The Davidic Covenant

Covenant: II Samuel 7:10-16; Jeremiah 33:20-21; Psalms 89

Prophecy: 1 Samuel 16:12-13; Isaiah 9:6-7; 2 Samuel 7:12-16

1 Samuel 16:12-13 And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he. {of a…: Heb. fair of eyes} Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.

Isaiah 9:6-7 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. 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.

II Samuel 7:12-16 And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.

Fulfillment: Luke 1:32-33; 3:23-38, Matthew 1:1, 6-7

The Davidic Covenant is an unconditional covenant affirmed by God and promices a king, a kingdom, and a throne to the seed of Abraham. - An everlasting earthly kingdom over which David's Son will reign. This will be fulfilled eternaly beginning with the Millenium

Now we can see that the prophecies become even more precise, so we not only know in what line, but when, where, and how. When we come to the lineage and birth of the Savior, the accuracy of Scripture and its uniqueness among the religious writings of the world is absolutely incredible and intriguing! Why? What does this do for us? In these prophecies and in the lineage of Messiah we see several things:

(1) We see that which is miraculous and impossible apart from the intervention and work of a personal God in human history.

(2) We see how God kept the line of identification clear so no impostor might be mistaken for Messiah.

(3) We also see how God minutely fulfilled His Word in the face of the enmity of Satan and the sinful acts of men.

In 1 Samuel 8 the people of Israel in stubborn rebellion cried out for a king like the nations (1 Sam. 8:4-10, 19-22). It was God’s plan to give them a king, but one after His own heart who would rule under God’s authority with God ruling over the king’s heart.

The first king God chose was Saul of the tribe of Benjamin and not from the tribe of Judah as prophesied by Jacob in Genesis 49. Why? In Genesis 38:6-30 we have the account of the sin of Judah and of his illegitimate child, Perez. There was also a twin, Zera. But since Perez was the firstborn he became the seed or the royal line (Matt. 1:3; Luke 3:33). However, Deuteronomy 23:2 declares that an illegitimate son could not enter the congregation of the Lord until the tenth generation. What does this mean? It means that such a son and none of his descendants until the tenth generation could serve as king or priest.

Jesse, the Father of David was a descendant of Perez and, as you might guess, he was the ninth generation making David the tenth (cf. Ruth 4:18-22 and Matt. 1:3-6). As a result, God chose Saul until David could come of age. In the process of this, (1) thousands of the line of Judah were eliminated, (2) the line of identification was kept clear, and (3) God’s Word was not broken.

Road Sign Number 11:
The Royal Line to Pass Through David’s Son, Solomon

Prophecy: 2 Samuel 7:12-17 and 1 Chronicles 28:4-5

2 Samuel 7:12-17 “12 And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever. According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.

1 Chronicles 28:4-5 Howbeit the LORD God of Israel chose me before all the house of my father to be king over Israel for ever: for he hath chosen Judah to be the ruler; and of the house of Judah, the house of my father; and among the sons of my father he liked me to make me king over all Israel: And of all my sons, (for the LORD hath given me many sons,) he hath chosen Solomon my son to sit upon the throne of the kingdom of the LORD over Israel.

Fulfillment: Matthew 1:1, 6-7;

Second Samuel 7:12-17 declared God’s covenant with David. In this covenant (known as the Davidic Covenant) God passed the royal line through Solomon with certain unconditional promises. God assured David that his house, throne, and kingdom would be established forever. Though the house of David would degenerate and though there would be interruptions to its rule, the right to rule would remain with David’s family as predicted in Genesis 49:10, and one day it would be permanently established through Messiah (2 Sam. 7:16, cf. Lk. 1:32,33).

What happens following this is intriguing as well as miraculous because of what happens to the royal line of David through Solomon. The next prophecies (or road signs) along the course of prophetic history deal with this royal line and Messiah’s birth.

Road Sign Number 12:
Messiah to be Preceded by a Forerunner

Prophecy: Isaiah 40:3; Malachi 3:1

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

Malachi 3:1 1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.

Fulfillment: Mark 1:2-4; Matthew 3:1-3

It is predicted that Messiah would be preceded by a forerunner who would prepare the hearts of the people for the Lord. Compare Mark 1:2-4 where Mark uses Malachi 3:1 to introduce and explain the meaning and purpose of the Isaiah passage as it is fulfilled in John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ.

Road Sign Number 13:
Messiah to be Born by the Miracle of the Virgin Birth

Prophecy: Isaiah 7:13-14

Isaiah 7:13-14 And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. {shall call: or, thou, O virgin, shalt call}

Fulfillment: Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-35

Isaiah 7:13-14 announces the birth of a wondrous child through a virgin as a sign of deliverance to the whole house of David--the birth of Messiah by the miracle of the virgin birth. This passage, quoted by the angel to Joseph to explain what had happened, is included by Matthew as one of the many fulfillment prophecies regarding Messiah that were fulfilled in the conception of Mary and the birth and life of Jesus. Though this will not be a detailed explanation of this passage, I do want to emphasize a few important points.

There is a promise and judgment on the house of David (Isaiah 7:14). It is important to notice that this section is addressed to the whole house of David (vs. 13), and not to just Ahaz or the immediate situation. It becomes both a promise to the house of David and a judgment.

First, by the sign and promise of Isaiah 7:14, God is assuring the house of David that this alliance of Syria and Israel (7:1-2) would not come to pass. No impostor would ever sit on the throne of David.

Second, I believe the promise of the sign and the virgin birth was saying that the line of David which had spiritually degenerated would be replaced by One who was not degenerate, though still in the royal line of David and with all royal rights to the throne. God would set aside the physical line of the merely human and degenerate house of David, which would become even more degenerate during the reigns of the kings to come. This will become even more evident when we get to the curse of Jeconiah.

Finally, the sign guaranteed the deliverance of God’s people and the final establishment of David’s throne though the birth of this marvelous child called Immanuel, which means, “God with us.” No impostor would take the right of rule away from David’s line.

Road Sign Number 14:
The Royal Line Cut Off and Cursed, Yet the Promise Preserved

Jeremiah 22:28-30 Is this man Coniah a despised broken idol? is he a vessel wherein is no pleasure? wherefore are they cast out, he and his seed, and are cast into a land which they know not? O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD. Thus saith the LORD, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah.

This verse clearly shows the royal line was to be cursed and cut off. Included in the royal line of David through Solomon was Jeconiah (or Coniah). The curse clearly states that no physical seed of Coniah could ever occupy the throne of David. This means the royal line of David through Solomon was cut off. God saw to it that this prophecy was carried out by the following conditions:

(1) The captivity of Babylon and the nations that followed Babylon which would rule over Israel with the result that no one would be able to sit on the throne of Judah or of David. The nations following Babylon were Medo-Persia, Greece and finally Rome.

(2) This condition has been maintained by what the New Testament calls “the times of the Gentiles,” the period of Gentile domination that will continue until the second advent of Messiah according to Luke 21:24.

Road Sign Number 15:
The Time of Messiah’s Birth

The Prophecy: Daniel 9:24-27 “ Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. {finish: or, restrain} {make an…: or, seal up} {prophecy: Heb. prophet}

Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. {be built…: Heb. return and be built} {wall: or, breach, or, ditch} {troublous: Heb. strait of}

And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. {but…: or, and shall have nothing} {desolations…: or, it shall be cut off by desolations}

And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. {the covenant: or, a covenant} {for the…: or, with the abominable armies} {the desolate: or, the desolator}.”

Fulfillment: Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:29-38, the Triumphal Entry.

Daniel 9:24-27 add several more important facts about the Messiah: (1) This passage tells us when Messiah will appear on the scene. It obviously anticipates His birth. (2) It tells us that after His appearance, Messiah will be rejected by His people, and (3) that Messiah will be cut off temporarily, an obvious reference to the cross.

Verse 25 refers to a specific time for the coming of Messiah. The seven weeks with the sixty-two weeks combine to make 69 weeks of years (483 years) until the coming of Messiah. The starting point for the 483 years was the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem. This is a reference to the decree given in the time of Nehemiah in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes in 445 B.C. (Neh. 2:1-8). After this, Messiah would appear on the scene.

The words “until Messiah the Prince” refer to a time when Messiah would be manifested as the prince of Israel. The point of manifestation is debated, but it most likely refers to the triumphal entry of Christ into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday when He presented Himself and was recognized by the people as Messiah prince. This would be around A.D. 30-33, so the time of His birth as the Immanuel of God would have to be around A.D. 0-4.

By the way, though somewhat debated, it is a believed that at the time of Christ’s birth there was an air of expectancy among godly Jews who still had the hope of Messiah.

1. 70 weeks of Daniel - A prophecy map

Daniel reveals 70 “weeks” (70 x 7 = 490 years) of time from his day until God completes His plan for the Jews (Daniel 9:24-27). The events of the 1st 69 “weeks” (483 years) ended at Christ’s triumphal entry. Since the Jews rejected Christ, a gap occurred between the 69th and 70th week. This “church-age” gap is now almost 2,000 years. The final week (7 years, Daniel 9:26b, 27) will yet be fulfilled when God resumes His plan for Israel and judges the world (The 7-year Tribulation).

2. The Rapture

Definition: Christ returns in the air to take believers to heaven at the end of the church age and before the Tribulation (living and dead believers are given new bodies).

Key Passages: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Corinthians 15:51-57; Revelation 3:10

3. The Tribulation

Definition: The Tribulation is a 7-year time of unequaled war and supernatural disaster during which the Antichrist asserts himself as the world ruler and God resumes His plan of bringing many Jews to salvation.

Key Passages: Daniel 9:26b, 27; 11:36-45; 12:9-13; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3; 2 Thessalonians :1-12; Matthew 24, 25; Ezekiel 38, 39; Revelation 4-18

4. Second Coming of Christ

Definition: Christ returns to the earth, ending the Tribulation. He comes to judge the Antichrist and the world, and to rescue the many Jews who turn to Christ as Messiah.

Key Passages: Zechariah 12, 14:1-15; Matthew 14:29-31; 2 Thessalonians 2:8; Revelation 19:11-21

5. The Millennium

Definition: The Millennum is the 1,000 year period on earth following the Tribulation in which Christ rules and the Old Testament promises to Israel are fulfilled. At the end Satan is loosed to rebel once more (Revelation 20:7-9). He is judged, and then all unbelievers are finally judged (Great White Throne - Revelation 20:10-15).

Key Passages: Old Testament prophecies of the kingdom (Isaiah 60-66 etc.) Revelation 20

6. The Eternal State

Definition: The eternal condition of all believers as they enjoy the new heavens and new earth. Key Passages: Revelation 21:1-22:5

Road Sign Number 16:
The Place of Messiah’s Birth

Prophecy: Micah 5:2-3

“ But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. {everlasting: Heb. the days of eternity}Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.

Fulfillment: Luke 2:1-7; Matthew 2:1-6

The Micah prophecy was well known by Israel and when the men from the east came seeking the one born King of the Jews and inquired of His birth, the religious leaders told Herod precisely where He was to be born, in Bethlehem.

This is an exellent example of Double Prophecy. The King came the first time, and will come again, after the tribulation to gather the remnant of Isreal, and then fulfill the Abrahamic and Davidic covenants.

Road Sign Number 17:
The Celestial Announcement of Messiah’s Birth

Prophecy: Numbers 24:17

Numbers 24:17 “I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth. {smite…: or, smite through the princes of}.

Fulfillment: Matthew 2:1-2

Matthew 2:1-2 1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

The question of the Magi in Matthew 2:2a, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews” and their stated reason in 2b, “For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him,” is presented by Matthew as another identifying evidence that this Jesus of whom he was writing is truly the long awaited Deliverer of Old Testament expectation. In fact, the overall purpose of Matthew is to present Jesus as the fulfillment of many Old Testament prophecies to prove that Jesus is the Deliverer and long awaited Messiah. This is evident by the ten fulfillment quotations he employs in presenting Jesus as the expected Messiah.

The prophecy of Daniel’s seventy weeks in Daniel 9 would cause great anticipation for the coming of the King at this time. It is not without significance David was well known as a “wise man” in the royal courts of Babylon. Since the Magi were astrologers, the sign of the star was highly significant. This with their evident knowledge of some of the Old Testament prophecies brought them to Jerusalem.

Matthew affirms the supernatural birth of the King by noting the reference the Magi make to the star. Morgan writes, “It was an extraordinary and special movement in the stellar spaces, designed to lead these men to Christ” [G. Campbell Morgan, The Crises of the Christ, p. 98]. Such a significant display in the heavens would cause no little stir among those who were looking for the coming of a king. That there was at this time a universal expectation of a world deliverer is both asserted and denied. In either case the Magi were evidently acquainted with the Old Testament prophecies, and because of the stellar manifestations which they say, had come to Jerusalem to seek out the Messiah of Israel.

We have another mark of identification and a fitting one on which to conclude. It is one with interesting points of application for us to think about.

Matthew tells us the Magi came “to worship Him.” In what sense did they come to worship Him? I believe they came to worship Him as God. While the verb used here could refer to the homage one pays to men or to God, it was generally used of God. This is further supported by the fact that in the New Testament this verb, proskuneo, denotes exclusively worship addressed to God or to Jesus Christ as God. If this were not the case, why would these Magi bother to come to a tiny nation to worship its new ruler? No, the supernatural occurrence along with the prophecies of the Old Testament pointed Him out to them as the Deliverer of the Old Testament and they came to worship Him.

Matthew also shares this story with us because it highlights another important issue and one of contrast. It draws the reader’s attention to the apathy and disinterest of the religious leaders of Israel and the hatred and actions of Herod. Though they knew where Messiah was to be born, the religious leaders couldn’t be bothered, and Herod sought to kill the child. Again, Scripture draws our attention to the struggle and enmity of Genesis 3:15 continuing the battle between the spiritual and the carnal, the godly and the worldly, and faith versus unbelief.

The magi were seeking the King; Herod was opposing the King; and the Jewish priests were indifferent to the King. The priests knew the Scriptures, but ignored them. Isn’t it sad how much people can know of the Word of God and at the same time how little it often affects their lives. “Such is the appalling gulf between religious belief and practice.” They would not even take the time to go to worship Him themselves. This illustrates how we can know the Bible, yet fail to appropriate it by faith so that it changes our objects of worship; indeed, so that it changes us to make us like the Lord Jesus.

Conclusion

In summary, what are the marks of identification of the Deliverer who would and now has come?

A male child, a son (Gen. 3:15; Isa. 9:6)

A child born in the line of Shem, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Jesse, David, and Solomon.

A physical descendant of David and legal heir to the throne through Solomon, yet not a physical descendant through Jeconiah.

A child born of a virgin in circumstances which validate the fact of a virgin birth as seen in Matthew 1 and Luke 1.

A descendent of David, son of Jesse, but not until the tenth generation after Perez.

Born around 4 A.D. in accordance with the prophecy of Daniel 9:24f.

One who would be preceded by a forerunner who would prepare the way as did John the Baptist (Mal. 3:1; Mark 1:1-4).

Born in Bethlehem of Judea (Mic. 5:2).

Born of circumstances that would identify Him as the Savior and the Star of David, the long-awaited Deliver (Luke 2:9-14; Num. 24:17; Matt. 2:1-9).

One whose life would also fulfill the many other Old Testament prophecies regarding Messiah.

One Who will return at the end of the Tribulation period and fulfill the covenants made with Abraham and David

God has given us these clear marks of identification (road signs) that we might not be misled into believing the false claims of the various religious leaders who have and will rise on the scene of human history. It behooves us to know these great prophecies and to remember our Lord’s warning in Matthew 24:4-5

And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. May the fact and truth of these