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This chapter is from a copyright book, 100 Prophecies, by Ray Konig. It is reprinted here with permission from the author. The new and expanded version of this book, now called 100 Fulfilled Bible Prophecies, is available at Amazon.com.
The 10 Bible prophecies selected for review in this chapter foretold important events involving the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, who lived about 2,000 years ago in the land of Israel.
Bible passage: Malachi 3:1
Written: About 2,400 years ago
In Malachi 3:1, the prophet, who lived about 2,400 years ago, foretold of a messenger who would prepare the way for the Lord:
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. (Malachi 3:1, KJV)
About 400 years later, as described in Matthew 11:10, Jesus proclaimed that John the Baptist was the messenger who had been prophesied beforehand.
John the Baptist helped prepare people for the ministry of Jesus. In fact, he announced that Jesus is the Son of God, and he proclaimed that Jesus is the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world:
29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
30 This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me.
31 And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water.
32 And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.
33 And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.
34 And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God. (John 1:29-34, KJV)
The death of John the Baptist is recorded in Matthew 14:1-12; Mark 6:14-29; and Luke 9:1-9. He was beheaded in about the year 30 AD, by Herod (Antipas), who was one of the sons of King Herod.
His death also was recorded by Josephus, a first-century Jewish historian, who wrote:
Now some of the Jews thought that the destruction of Herod's army came from God, and that very justly, as a punishment of what he did against John, that was called the Baptist ; for Herod slew him, who was a good man, and commanded the Jews to exercise virtue, both as to righteousness towards one another, and piety towards God, and so to come to baptism ; . . .
- Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, Book XVIII, Chapter 5, as translated by William Whiston.
Bible passage: Isaiah 61:1,2
Written: About 2,700 years ago
During his ministry about 2,000 years ago, Jesus returned to the town of Nazareth, where he grew up, and attended a service at a synagogue. During the service, as was customary, an attending person would read a selection of (Old Testament) scripture. On this occasion, it was Jesus who did the reading, and he read a passage from the scroll of Isaiah:
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, (Isaiah 61:1-2a, KJV)
When he stopped reading, he rolled up the scroll, sat down and said that the scripture was being fulfilled at that very time. He was announcing that he is the Messiah whom Isaiah had prophesied about. This event is described in Luke 4:14-21.
The words found in Isaiah 61:1-2a help to explain the nature of Jesus' ministry about 2,000 years ago, as he taught people about the gift of salvation and eternal life with God.
And, the portion of Isaiah 61:2 that Jesus did not read is understood by many Christian commentators, including Irenaeus, to be a reference to another role that Jesus will fulfill, in the future, when he returns to judge the living and the dead.
Irenaeus is a Christian who lived during the second century of this era. Irenaeus' comments involving Jesus and Isaiah 61:1,2 can be found in his work, Against Heresies, Book II, Chapter 22.
In that chapter, Irenaeus characterized the "the acceptable year of the Lord" as being "This present time, therefore, in which men are called and saved by the Lord . . . "
And, Irenaeus wrote that the day of vengeance, which is alluded to later in verse 2, refers to judgment day.
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Here is Isaiah 61:1,2 (KJV):
1The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
2To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;
Bible passage: Isaiah 35:4-6
Written: About 2,700 years ago
Centuries before Jesus began performing miracles in the land of Israel, the prophet Isaiah spoke of someone opening the eyes of the blind and the ears of the deaf:
3 Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.
4 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
5 Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. (Isaiah 35:4-6, KJV)
Note: the word dumb in this context means mute.
Aside from spiritually healing people, Jesus also performed miracles of physical healing. The New Testament records dozens of miracles that Jesus performed during his ministry about 2,000 years ago, including healing people of blindness, deafness, muteness, and lameness. Examples can be found in Matthew 9:27-31; Mark 7:31-37; Luke 11:14; and John 5:5-17.
Jesus also performed other kinds of miracles, such as the calming of a storm (Luke 8:22-25), walking on water (Matthew 14:22-33), miraculously feeding thousands of people with a few handfuls of food (John 6:5-14), and bringing Jairus' daughter back to life (Luke 8:41,42, 49-56), and bringing Lazarus back to life (John 11:1-44).
Bible passage: Deuteronomy 18:15-18
Written: As early as 1400 BC, about 3,400 years ago
In Deuteronomy 18:15-18, Moses told the Israelites that God would raise up another prophet like Moses.
After the time of Moses, God raised up a succession of prophets, including Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and Jesus. Like Moses, Jesus combined the offices of prophet, priest, leader, and deliverer. None of the other prophets combined all of those functions.
Jesus and Moses share much else in common. Here are some examples:
• Both were delivered from the threat of death as infants. During the time of Moses' birth, the Pharaoh of Egypt commanded that all Hebrew male infants be killed, because he feared that the growing Hebrew population would become a threat to his power (Exodus 1:1-22; Exodus 2:1-10). During the time of Jesus' infancy, King Herod ordered the death of male infants in Bethlehem, because he feared that one of them (Jesus) would be regarded as king instead of Herod (Matthew 2:1-16).
• Both were born during times when the people of Israel were being oppressed. During Moses' time, the people of Israel were living in Egypt, where they were being oppressed and enslaved (Exodus 1:1-22). During Jesus' time, the people of Israel were oppressed by the Romans, who ruled over a vast empire that included the land of Israel.
• Both were adopted. Moses was adopted into the Pharaoh's household (Exodus 2:1-10). Jesus was adopted by Joseph (Matthew 1:18-24).
• Both performed miracles. One example for Moses can be found in Exodus 14:21, and one example for Jesus is recorded in Matthew 8:23–27.
• Both spent part of their lives in Egypt. Moses was born in Egypt because his forefathers had left Israel during a time of famine to seek refuge in Egypt. Jesus, as an infant, was taken to Egypt for a while because his life was being threatened within the land of Israel, by King Herod.
• Both interceded with God. Moses tried to offer himself as payment for the sins of the Israelites (Exodus 32:30-33). Jesus willingly died for our sins (Romans 5:7-9; 1 Corinthians 15:3; Hebrews 9:15; etc).
Although there are many similarities, there also are important differences. Jesus is fully human and fully God. And Jesus is the mediator between man and God:
For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; (1 Timothy 2:5, KJV)
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Here is Deuteronomy 18:15-18 (KJV):
15The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;
16According to all that thou desiredst of the LORD thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not.
17And the LORD said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken.
18I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.
Bible passage: Zechariah 9:9
Written: About 2,500 years ago
In Zechariah 9:9, Zechariah gave a prophecy, one that has long since been regarded as Messianic, about a king arriving in Jerusalem in a humble way, by riding on a donkey.
About 500 years later, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, as explained in Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-38; and John 12:12-19. The Gospels contain details that indicate that at least some of the people who witnessed the event understood the significance of what Jesus was doing.
In the Gospel of Matthew, for example, people are recorded as crying out, "Hosanna to the son of David:"
8 And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way.
9 And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. (Matthew 21:8-9, KJV).
The phrase, "son of David," is a Biblical way of referring to the promised Messiah, who was to be a descendant of King David.
In the Gospel of John, people also are recorded as crying out, "Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord:"
12 On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord. (John 12:12-13, KJV)
Matthew and John refer to the prophecy in Zechariah 9:9 in their description of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem.
Zechariah 9:9 has been understood since ancient times as being a prophecy about the Messiah. This is attested to by a variety of scholars, including Alfred Edersheim, a Christian Jew who lived during the 1800s. Edersheim, who studied ancient Jewish writings, explained:
The Messianic application of this verse in all its parts has already been repeatedly indicated. We may here add that there are many traditions about this donkey on which the Messiah is to ride; and so firm was the belief in it, that, according to the Talmud, 'if anyone saw a donkey in his dreams, he will see salvation' (Ber 56 b).
- Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah.
The Talmud offers additional commentary in which some Rabbis offered their opinions about how to reconcile various prophecies involving the timing of the Messiah and the manner in which he was to arrive. They noted that Zechariah announced that the Messiah would arrive humbly on a donkey and that Daniel prophesied that the Messiah would arrive in a very different way:
R. Alexandri said: Jehoshua b. Levi propounded a contradiction: It reads [ibid. ix. 22]: 'I the Lord will hasten it in its time.' 'Hasten' and 'in its time' contradict each other. And the answer was that if they will be worthy I will hasten it, and if not, they must wait till the right time will come. The same said again that the same authority propounded another contradiction from [Dan. vii. 13]: 'Behold with the clouds of heaven came one like a son of man . . . ' [Zech. ix. 9]: 'Lowly and riding upon an ass.' And the answer was, if they will be worthy he will come with the clouds of heaven, and if not, he will come upon an ass.
- Babylonian Talmud, Tract Sanhedrin, Chapter XI, as translated by Michael L. Rodkinson.
As reflected in this part of the Talmud, there was a sense of puzzlement as to how one Messiah could arrive in two different ways. And, the solution that is being proposed in this part of the Talmud - that the Messiah's means of arrival would depend on the worthiness of people - is not found in Biblical scripture.
Christians, however, believe that there is one Messiah who is to arrive twice, fulfilling the prophecies of both Zechariah and Daniel. Jesus arrived about 2,000 years ago and announced that he was the Messiah, in part by riding a donkey into Jerusalem. And he is to return in the future, in the manner described by Daniel, when he will judge the living and the dead.
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Here is Zechariah 9:9 (KJV):
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.
Bible passage: Hosea 11:1
Written: Hosea lived about 2,800 years ago
In the book of Matthew, the author provided examples as to how important events in the history of Israel are reflected in the life of Jesus.
One example that Matthew provided is found in Matthew 2:15, which alludes to another Bible passage, one that was written centuries beforehand:
When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt. (Hosea 11:1, KJV)
During ancient times, when the nation of Israel was in its infancy, the Israelites left their homeland, which had been struck by famine. Escaping the threat of death, they migrated to Egypt. Generations later, the Israelites returned to the land of Israel.
When Jesus, who literally is the son of God, was an infant, Joseph and Mary took him to Egypt, to elude a threat of death from King Herod. After Herod's death, Jesus and his family returned to the land of Israel.
Bible passage: Isaiah 9:1,2
Written: About 2,700 years ago
In Matthew 4:12-17, Matthew wrote about a part of Jesus' public ministry that took place in Galilee. In doing so, Matthew cited an Old Testament passage found in the book of Isaiah:
1 Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations. 2 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. (Isaiah 9:1-2, KJV)
Although Jesus was born in Bethlehem, he was raised in Nazareth, which is a town in the northern part of the land of Israel, within the region of Galilee. Jesus also lived in Capernaum, which also is in Galilee, during part of his ministry. During the time of Jesus, Galilee was home to many Gentiles.
Bible passage: Isaiah 9:6,7
Written: About 2,700 years ago
In Isaiah 9:6,7, which was written about 700 years before the time of Jesus, Isaiah prophesied that there would be a "son" who would be called "mighty God."
Isaiah also prophesied that this person would reign on the throne of King David and that his reign would be everlasting.
Christians acknowledge that Jesus is the fulfillment of this prophecy. Jesus is fully human and fully God, he is the "son" and he is the "mighty God." As a person, he is a descendant of King David (Luke 3:21-32). And, as God, Jesus is able to reign forever.
The teachings of Jesus, which are explained in the New Testament of the Bible, shape the lives of hundreds of millions of people throughout the world. The New Testament also says that Jesus will return in the future, to judge the living and the dead, and that his kingdom will have no end.
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Here is Isaiah 9:6,7 (KJV):
6For 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.
7Of 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.
Bible passage: Isaiah 53:1-4
Written: About 2,700 years ago
God gave the prophet Isaiah, who lived about seven centuries before the time of Jesus, many prophecies about the Messiah. Among them was a prophecy that the Messiah would be rejected. One example can be found in Isaiah 53:1-4.
Although Jesus was acknowledged as being the Messiah by some people, he was rejected by many others.
Jesus was rejected at various times during his ministry, including by people within the town of Nazareth, where he grew up, and by many religious leaders in Jerusalem, where he was crucified by the Romans.
The prophecy of rejection in Isaiah 53:1-4 is part of a broader prophecy that begins in Isaiah 52:13 and extends through Isaiah 53:12, which has been regarded as Messianic prophecy throughout history, even by non-Christian sources of commentary about the Bible.
In the Talmud, for example, which includes opinions from Rabbis about many Old Testament passages, a part of Isaiah 53, specifically Isaiah 53:4, is alluded to during a Rabbinic discussion about the Messiah:
What is his [the Messiah's] name? . . . The Rabbis said: His name is 'the leper scholar,' as it is written, Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him a leper, smitten of God, and afflicted.
- Babylonian Talmud, Tract Sanhedrin, Chapter XI, as translated by H. Freedman.
The compilation of the Babylonian Talmud was completed sometime around the fifth or sixth century AD, about 1,500 years ago. Many other sources of commentary, throughout the centuries, also have described Isaiah 53 as being Messianic prophecy, including this example from a Rabbi named Moshe Alshekh, who lived during the 16th century:
I may remark, then, that our Rabbis with one voice accept and affirm the opinion that the prophet is speaking of the King Messiah,
- as quoted in The Fifty-Third Chapter of Isaiah According to the Jewish Interpreters, Volume II, Chapter XXXVII.
There also are other prophecies in the Bible that foretold that the Messiah would be rejected, including one found in Daniel 9:24-26.
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Here is Isaiah 53:1-4 (KJV):
1Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?
2For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
3He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
Bible passage: Daniel 9:24-26
Written: Daniel lived more than 2,500 years ago
The prophet Daniel lived more than 2,500 years ago, during a time when the Babylonians had destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple. He delivered a prophecy of what would happen afterwards. Part of that prophecy can be found in Daniel 9:24-26, which described a series of events that included the rejection of the Messiah:
1. First, there would be a decree to rebuild Jerusalem.
2. Then, Jerusalem would be rebuilt.
3. Then, an anointed one - the Messiah - would be "cut off," which is a phrase that is used in the Bible to refer to a rejection by means of separation, isolation, or death, etc. The phrase also is used in Isaiah 53:8, in regards to the Messiah:
He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. (Isaiah 53:8, KJV)
4. And then, Jerusalem would be destroyed again.
These events later happened, in the same order in which they are described in Daniel 9:24-26:
1. After the Medes and Persians had conquered the Babylonians about 2,500 years ago, they assumed control of a large empire, which included the land of Israel. After the conquest, the Jews were given permission to rebuild Jerusalem, which was still in ruins after having been destroyed earlier by the Babylonians.
2. The Jews rebuilt Jerusalem and the Temple.
3. Then, about 2,000 years ago, Jesus announced that he is the Messiah. Many people rejected Jesus and he was executed by the Romans.
4. About 40 years after Jesus was executed, the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple.
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Here is Daniel 9:24-26 (KJV):
24Seventy 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.
25Know 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.
26And 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.