#1203 Seeing Red Part 8 A Little More

 

So, one thing that becomes clear over the last several posts, is that the Messiah has a lot of prophecy to fulfill, and I only touched on some of it. Some believe that Christ fulfilled about 300 prophecies in His first coming alone, and I would imagine from reading the Major and Minor prophets, along with the rest of the O. T. and New Testament prophecies given by Jesus and His disciples, that there is an equal if not greater number yet waiting for His second coming. Like I said, I am barely scratching the surface but I wanted to touch on some of these before I start the New Testament. Here is an interesting link below for more on O. T. prophecies concerning Jesus, with some helpful charts.

Prophecies from Got Questions. org

Let's look at Daniel for a moment, an interesting book that starts with four young Jewish boys who are being taken to Babylon, to be turned into Babylonians, but they remain faithful to God even in a pagan environment. The book provides some interesting historical accounts that also give us marvelous images. Though the faith of his three friends led them toward the displeasure of a very powerful and proud earthly king, yet they did not bow to an idol, as the true Sovereign, God, does not approve of this. They were willing to die for the truth, but even in the fire God was with them. Later in Daniel we switch from the history of what happens with him and his three friends living in Babylon to prophecies of things yet to come, and there are a lot, but he does give a fascinating prophecy about Messiah's coming in Daniel 9. For more on that I will give a link below the verses.

Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?”

They replied, “Certainly, Your Majesty.”

25 He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”

26 Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!”

So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, 27 and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them. Daniel 3: 24-27

…23At the beginning of your petitions, an answer went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are highly precious. So consider the message and understand the vision: 24Seventy weeks are decreed for your people and your holy city to stop their transgression, to put an end to sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy Place. 25Know and understand this: From the issuance of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, until the Messiah, the Prince, there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks. It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of distress.… Daniel 9: 23-25

Daniel 9 and the 70 weeks broken down

Jesus also refers back to two other Old Testament figures during His ministry, one being the prophet Jonah and the other Solomon. These are both types, Christ being greater than both, but Jonah's time in the great fish was also symbolic of Christ's sign of being buried and then rising on the third day.

38 Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.”

39 He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here. 42 The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now something greater than Solomon is here. Matthew 12: 38-42

…18On account of this, the Jews demanded, “What sign can You show us to prove Your authority to do these things?” 19Jesus answered, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up again.” 20“This temple took forty-six years to build,” the Jews replied, “and You are going to raise it up in three days?”… John 2: 18-20

Remember, Who did the tabernacle represent?

Let's move on to Micah, where they learned that Messiah would come from Bethlehem, the place of David.

1Now, O daughter of troops, mobilize your troops; for a siege is laid against us! With a rod they will strike the cheek of the judge of Israel. 2But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come forth for Me One to be ruler over Israel— One whose origins are of old, from the days of eternity. 3Therefore Israel will be abandoned until she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of His brothers will return to the children of Israel.… Micah 5: 1-3

…4And when he had assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. 5“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: 6‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah, for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of My people Israel.’ ”… Matthew 2: 4-6

More on Micah 5

In Zechariah we see again the prophecies about Christ, the righteous Branch, and removing iniquity.

…8Hear now, O high priest Joshua, you and your companions seated before you, who are indeed a sign. For behold, I am going to bring My servant, the Branch. 9 See the stone I have set before Joshua; on that one stone are seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave on it an inscription, declares the LORD of Hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day. 10On that day, declares the LORD of Hosts, you will each invite your neighbor to sit under your own vine and fig tree.’ ”… Zechariah 3: 8-10

More on Zechariah 3

Finally we come to Malachi, the end of the Old Testament, where we are told of the coming of Jesus' forerunner John the Baptist, a preacher who would call men to repent and prepare the way of the Lord.

“I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty.

2 But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, 4 and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years.

5 “So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners among you of justice, but do not fear me,” says the Lord Almighty. Malachi 3: 1-6

More on Malachi 3