The Riches OF GRACE
“hath appeared to all men.” Titus 2:11
Robert W. Reed
February 2004
Messiah
“. . . We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.”
John 1:41
+ Messianic Prophecies +
The Messiahship of Jesus Christ is assuredly confirmed throughout the Bible. There are over three hundred prophecies in the Old Testament that were literally fulfilled in the New Testament by Christ himself. Detailed prophecies of Messiah’s birth, ministry, miracles, life, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension were written down in the Scriptures many years beforehand. It is an established fact in the Old Testament that Messiah would come forth. The real Messiah could be recognized by biblical qualifications only found in God’s Holy Word. No one except the Son of God could have fulfilled these prophecies. The test of true prophecy is its literal fulfillment.
“Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” John 5:39
According to John 1:41, Jesus Christ is declared to be the Messiah, “. . . We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ,” and in John 4:25, “The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.” The word Messiah means “anointed one.” The Hebrew word Messiah and the Greek word Christ means “anointed.” The word Messiah is used only four times in the Scriptures. (Daniel 9:25, 26, John 1:41, John 4:25). Over the centuries many have claimed to be the Messiah, so how would anyone recognize the real Messiah? The answer to this is the Biblical qualifications found in the Old Testament. This must be the standard in identifying Messiah, for there are many Messianic prophecies.
Messiah’s Manifestation
There are many promises in the Scripture that speak of the coming of Messiah. There are three in particular that I want to point out and they are the manner, place, and time of Messiah’s manifestation.
First: The manner of His manifestation is seen in 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.” According to the text, the Messiah must be born of a virgin, that is, a spiritual birth. Please note the word sign in the verse. This shows that something miraculous would take place. It is not miraculous for a young woman to give birth; but, it is miraculous for a virgin to have a child. According to the Scriptures, Messiah’s birth would be like no other (Matthew 1:18-25, Luke 1, Luke 2).
Second: The place of His manifestation was written down 700 years before Messiah’s birth in Micah 5:2, “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.” Micah pinpoints the exact birthplace of Messiah to be in Bethlehem of Judea. There are two Bethlehems in ancient Israel, one can be found in Judah (I Samuel 16:4) and the other in Galilee (Joshua 19:15). The following Scriptures will clearly show His birth to be in Bethlehem of Judaea; Matthew 2:1-6, Luke 2:1-7, John 7:42.
Third: The time of His manifestation is seen in Daniel 9:25-26, “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. 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.” The seventy weeks of Daniel are a time table dating the coming of Messiah. These verses clearly show the first advent of Christ. According to the text, the Messiah had to arrive and die (cut off) before the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple (Malachi 3:1, Zechariah 11:13, Haggai 2:7). The angel Gabriel plainly informed Daniel as to the time Messiah should appear. The prophecy was written down 500 years before the coming of Messiah.
Messiah’s Ancestry
Gen. 3:15 Messiah would be the seed of the woman Gal. 4:4
Gen. 22:18 Messiah would be the seed of Abraham Gal. 3:16
Gen. 21:12 Messiah would be the seed of Isaac Heb. 11:17, 19
Gen. 28:14 Messiah would be the seed of Jacob Mt. 1:2
Gen. 49:10 Messiah would be of the tribe of Judah Rev. 5:5
Jer. 23:5-6 Messiah would be of the seed of David Mat. 1:1-10
Messiah’s Ministry
Not only was Messiah’s birth plainly spoken of in the Old Testament, but His earthly ministry is mentioned as well. For example, He would be preceded by a forerunner, Matthew 3:1-3, “In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” The Old Testament passages are Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3. His anointing by the Holy Spirit is given in Psalms 45:5 and fulfilled in Luke 3:21-22. As Messiah began His public ministry, He spoke of His commission to preach the gospel in Luke 4:17-18, “And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.” Here He quotes from Isaiah 61:1-2. His Galilean ministry in Matthew 4:12-17 was prophesied in Isaiah 9:1-2. The fact that Messiah would come forth performing miracles and healing is found in Matthew 11:2-5, “Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.” This prophecy is found in Isaiah 35:3-6. These miracles identify Christ as the true Messiah. For He alone could bring about a supernatural restoration, that is, a reversal of the curse of sin that had brought much sickness and pain to this world. Our Lord’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem is recorded in Matthew 21:1-5 which was prophesied in Zechariah 9:9. Please note that particular details are attended to by our Lord in fulfilling the prophecy of Himself, for He finds both the ass and colt tied in a certain village. His entry into the temple is recorded in Luke 19:45-48 and prophesied in Malachi 3:1-3. So, every aspect and detail of His ministry was written down beforehand.
Messiah’s Mission
According to Matthew 1:21, the Messiah came into this world to save sinners, “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.” This is clearly brought out in I Timothy 1:15, “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.” The Messiah came to provide salvation through His death on Calvary’s cross. It was through His blood that the new covenant was established, (Matthew 26:28). In Isaiah 52:12 – 53:12, we see Messiah presented as the suffering servant, for it shows His nature and work. There are numerous Scriptures that point to the real purpose of His coming. Here are just a few:
John 13:18-21 His Betrayal Psalm 41:9
Isaiah 53:8 His Trial Matthew 27:1-2
Psalm 22:14, 16-17 His Death Matthew 27:31
Acts 2:31 His Resurrection Psalm 16:10
Acts 2:33-34 His Ascension Psalm 68:18
Acts 2:32-34 Seated in Heaven Psalm 110:1
No one in Jewish history meets these qualifications other than Jesus Christ. If he is Messiah, then there is no other and in Him only is there salvation. If he is not Messiah, who then measures up to the standard of Old Testament Scriptures? Please remember, only the Son of God could fulfill these prophecies.
“And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day.” Luke 24:44-46
"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” Acts 16:31
Victory Baptist Church
Pastor Robert W. Reed
14473 Bellingrath Road
P.O. Box 257
Coden, Alabama 36523
(251) 873-4422