~ Jesus Christ is the Messiah of the Scriptures ~
Announcement ~ Beginning next week Abundant Life Now will feature an additional weekly post. Each of these posts will feature an aspect of a selected prophecy which was fulfilled in the Messiah—Jesus Christ. The reasoning for this additional series of posts is outlined below.
Scripture ~ The Scriptures are full of prophecies regarding the coming Messiah. “Listen to this, O house of Jacob, you who are called by the name of Israel and come from the line of Judah, you who take oaths in the name of the Lord and invoke the God of Israel — but not in truth or righteousness — you who call yourselves citizens of the holy city and rely on the God of Israel — the Lord Almighty is His name: I foretold the former things long ago, My mouth announced them and I made them known; then suddenly I acted, and they came to pass. For I knew how stubborn you were; the sinews of your neck were iron, your forehead was bronze. Therefore I told you these things long ago; before they happened I announced them to you so that you could not say, ‘My idols did them; my wooden image and metal god ordained them.’ You have heard these things; look at them all. Will you not admit them?” (Isaiah 48:1-6).
Date ~ One of the incredible aspects of these prophecies about the coming Messiah is that they were prophesied between about 400 b.c. and over 1,400 b.c.
Messiah ~ Jesus Christ while on earth proclaimed that He was the Son of God—the Messiah. In one passage He spoke of four witnesses to this reality. “If I [Jesus Christ] bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true. There is another who bears witness of Me [John the Baptist is the first witness mentioned in this passage], and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true. You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved. He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light. But I have a greater witness than John's; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish — the very works that I do — bear witness of Me [second witness], that the Father has sent Me. And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me [third witness]. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form. But you do not have His Word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me [fourth witness mentioned in this passage]. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life. I do not receive honor from men. But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you. I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive. How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God? Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you — Moses, in whom you trust. For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?” (John 5:31-47).
Truth ~ The prophetic Scriptures present truth. “For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’ And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:16-21).
Quantity ~ There are well over 400 prophecies about the Messiah in the Scriptures. Each week beginning next Saturday we will look at one aspect of a prophecy about the Messiah—one each week during the coming months. (We will not look at them all.)
Procedure ~ Below are explanatory notes regarding these serial postings.
(1) Each Saturday ALN posts an example of a Hebrew Scriptures prophecy (or foreshadowing) related to the coming Messiah which was fulfilled in the birth, life, death, or resurrection of Jesus Christ.
(2) While extensive it will not be a complete list—there are hundreds of prophecies of the coming Messiah which have been fulfilled by one man—Jesus Christ at His First Coming.
(3) It is important that there are many more prophecies of the Messiah, yet unfulfilled, which Christians believe will be fulfilled at the time of His Second Coming. A particularly relevant Scripture verse in this regard is: “Do not despise prophesies” (1 Thessalonians 5:20).
(4) These posts will typically consist only of Scripture—which speaks for itself. Sometimes italicized or bold font will be used by ALN for emphasis.
(5) The numbering of these fulfilled prophecies of the Messiah is used to differentiate individual posts. It is not chronological (either by time of the prophecy or by sequence in the life of the Messiah). The posting sequence will, for the most part, be in the order that the prophecies appear in Scripture.
(6) Because of the chosen methodology (#5 above) we will find many specific prophecies repeated multiple times throughout the Scriptures.
(7) These serial posts are in addition to our regular Tuesday ALN postings on random topics.
(8) Subscription to ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog is simple—just use the link on the left sidebar. Once subscribed you will not miss future posts.
~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW
