Messianic Prophecy. Part 5

Messianic Prophecy. Part 5.

Friday, October 19, 2007

For us, Messianic Prophecy is the study of the Old Testament prophecies about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, with particular emphasis on Christ’s work on the Cross.

Point 1. The New Testament scriptures, which are all God-breathed just like the Old Testament, dogmatically state that the Old Testament scriptures point to Christ and His work on the cross.

JOH 5:46 “For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me.”

The apostles made the same use of the Old Testament as the LORD did to apply the prophecies to Christ who came, lived, died, and rose again according to the Scriptures.

We have seen over and over again that when the N.T. talks about Christ fulfilling O.T. prophecy, it talks in terms of the sufferings of Christ followed by the glories.

LUK 24:26 “Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?”

REV 5:12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.”

The New Testament is in a position to give us the best view possible concerning Messianic Prophecy, since it was written by Jewish eyewitnesses near in time to the Old Testament.

Jesus took the liberty of applying certain Scriptures to Himself.

Luke 4:13-21 - Jesus, visiting His home town synagogue, read from ISA 61:1-2a and when He finished reading, told those assembled that they were staring at the One who fulfilled that Messianic prophecy.

John the Baptist was himself the subject of Old Testament prophecy.
Ex: ISA 40:3-5, fulfilled in
Matt 3:3; and also MAL 3:1, fulfilled in Matt 11:10.

Point 2. The N.T. provides an exact map for finding those elements of O.T. prophecy which are most strongly Christological (teach the O.T. saints about the Person of Christ) and Soteriological (teach the O.T. saints about the salvation work of Christ on the Cross).

The first form turns out to be the speeches given by Peter and Paul to the Jews in the book of Acts.
Ex: Peter’s Pentecost day speech in Acts 2:22-39, and Paul’s speech to King Agrippa in Acts 26.

The second form will be the direct statements in the Gospels that a certain event fulfilled the Scripture.
Ex: Luke 4:16-21 when Jesus read ISA 61:1-2a and declared it to have been fulfilled by Him.

You are on solid ground for treating an Old Testament verse as Messianic prophecy when the New Testament declares that verse to be Messianic prophecy!

These New Testament Jews are the best interpreters of the Old Testament prophets. They were the eyewitnesses of the coming of the Expected One, the only Savior of the world.

Micah 5:2-4 is Messianic; Matthew tells us so, MAT 2:6.
ISA 9:1-7 is a great Messianic prophecy, on account of MAT 4:12-16.
JOH 19:35-37 shows that the Passover lamb is a type of the Messiah.

EXO 12:46 “It is to be eaten in a single house; you are not to bring forth any of the flesh outside of the house, nor are you to break any bone of it.”

After the murder of his fellow deacon Stephen, Philip went to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the gospel which such power there that a great number of people came to Christ.

In God’s fantastic plan, this Ethiopian just happened to be reading Isaiah 53, which gives the gospel with such clarity and detail.

This is incontrovertible proof that ISA 52:13 - 53:12 is Messianic and points directly to our Lord Jesus Christ.

ROM 15:21 but as it is written, “They who had no news of Him shall see, And they who have not heard shall understand.”
JOH 12:38 This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet which he spoke: “Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”

MAT 8:17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: “He Himself took our infirmities and carried away our diseases.”
1PE 2:24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.

1PE 2:25 For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.
1PE 2:23 and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;

ACT 8:32-33 Now the passage of Scripture which he was reading was this: “He was led as a sheep to slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He does not open His mouth. In humiliation His judgment was taken away; Who will relate His generation? For His life is removed from the earth.”

1PE 2:22 who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth;
MAR 15:28 [And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And He was numbered with transgressors.”]

LUK 22:37 “For I tell you that this which is written must be fulfilled in Me, ‘And He was numbered with transgressors’; for that which refers to Me has its fulfillment.”

What is absolutely breathtaking about the Bible study of this Ethiopian is the fact that in Isa 53 there are 24 parallel statements about our Savior.

The exact center of these 24 parallels is ISA 53:7b.
He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter. As a LAMB!

The Lamb is the unifying factor that ties together the Old Testament sacrifices with the Old Testament predictions of the Savior.

MAR 14:12 On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb was being sacrificed, His disciples said to Him, “Where do You want us to go and prepare for You to eat the Passover?”