God in the voice of his prophets throughout the Old Testament of the Bible proclaimed several messianic prophecies, announcing the Savior the Lord Jesus. Through this article we present them to you in detail, do not forget to enter!
messianic prophecies
The messianic prophecies that God proclaimed throughout the old covenant were intended to announce the fulfillment of his divine plan in the person of a Messiah. The qualifier of Messiah has its origin in the Hebrew word mashíaj, to define a person who is anointed by God.
Thus, the messianic prophecies made reference to the hope of the arrival of a king with divine anointing, who would descend from the lineage of David. This Messiah announced by God would come to liberate the Jewish people from foreign slavery and would restore the kingdom of Israel for all eternity.
The fulfillment of many of the messianic prophecies for Christian doctrine would be established in the new covenant of grace. Through the birth, life and work, passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God.
In this sense we invite you to enter the article, It is finished: What is its true meaning?, from the last words that Jesus exclaimed in agony just before giving up his spirit. What was it that Jesus finished executing on the cross of Calvary?
In the biblical new testament it can be seen how the apostles and disciples of Jesus establish and teach about the messianic nature of the Lord Jesus Christ. Basing his message on the resurrection of Jesus and the fulfillment of the prophecies about the Messiah.
The Messianic prophecies that are about to be fulfilled are those that refer to the second coming of the Messiah, the establishment of his eternal reign and the great judgment of God.
Messianic belief in other doctrines
Three of the monotheistic doctrines in the world have at their foundation the belief in a Messiah, these are: Christianity, Judaism and Islam. In the first place, Christian doctrine recognizes Jesus Christ as the Messiah sent and anointed by God, who is the foundation of his faith.
The term anointed derived from the Hebrew word mashíaj or mesías is equivalent in the Greek language to khristós. This Greek word was widely used in the Septuagint version of the Bible and the New Testament, later Latinized to the word Christ.
In judaism
For Christians, Jesus is anointed, so that Jesus is the Christ and the definitive Messiah of God is then Jesus Christ. But, on the part of the doctrine of Judaism and despite the fact that Jesus is a Jewish descendant, they do not recognize him as the long-awaited Messiah.
Therefore, the Jews consider that the messianic prophecies have not yet been fulfilled. According to the Jewish eschatological study, the coming of the Messiah will happen together with the fulfillment of different concrete events that have not yet happened.
For the Jews, events such as the return to the Promised Land, the restoration of the Temple, the time of peace and the time when the knowledge of God spread throughout the earth. They have not yet been fulfilled or no one has been able to fulfill them, so the Jews see Jesus of Nazareth as a false messiah and the one who has caused the most damage to his doctrine.
In islam
For its part, Islam points to Jesus or Isa as he is named in the Koran as the greatest holy prophet and servant of God, but without divine nature. So despite his belief in a Messiah, this himself is not Jesus.
However, for Islam, Jesus is a prophet who announces or indicates the time of the arrival of an era of Justice. Currently there are some important Shaykhs of Islam who assert that they are living the last times of the coming of the Messiah or Mahdi.
But the non-recognition of Jesus Christ as the Messiah sent by God was also prophesied in the scriptures:
Isaiah 19:13 (NIV): The bosses of Zoan have become fools; the chiefs of memphis they were fooled. The cornerstones of its peoples have caused Egypt to lose its way.
But, the word of God tells us that:
Psalms 118:22 (NASB): The stone that the builders rejected has come to be the main corner stone.
1 Peter 2:7-8 1(NIV):7 To you believers, this stone is precious; but to unbelievers--the stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone-, 8 y also a stone of stumbling and a rock that causes to fall». They stumble by disobeying the word, for which they were destined.
But those predestined to believe in the word of God and in what He prophesied, we must build our faith on solid foundations. Being Christ Jesus the main stone of that construction:
Ephesians 2:20-22 (NIV): 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone.
Definition of prophecy
Before getting to know the purpose of the messianic prophecies and having already talked about what the figure of the Messiah means and the messianic belief. It is necessary to discern about the definition of what a prophecy is, in this sense the following concepts can be mentioned:
- It is a gift or talent of a supernatural nature that allows, through divine inspiration, to transmit or make known events to come.
- It corresponds to the action of proclaiming or pronouncing predictions inspired by God.
- It consists of making a future prediction by virtue of signals and the fulfillment of events.
In relation to these definitions, we invite you to meet the men that God used to transmit the prophetic message to his people. Through the article, The prophets: Who were they? Minors, majors and more.
In the Bible, the term prophet refers to the Greek word profētēs as a translation of the Hebrew word nāḇîʾ or nabí, which refers to a messenger or spokesman for God. But, in the sacred scriptures we also find the warning of the existence of men who carry a message that does not come from God.
The Bible defines these men as pseudo-profētēs or pseudo-prophet, that is, false prophets. So it is convenient that you can read the article about the false prophets: How to take care of them?
The Purpose of Messianic Prophecies
Messianic prophecies are part of the biblical category that specifically establishes the predictive character of the word of God. And according to the testimonies that we find in the Bible, the purpose of the prophecies can be glimpsed from four main orientations:
Demonstrate the character of God
The prophecies demonstrate the nature and character of God, who is unique, genuine, infinitely wise and unalterable in his word.
Numbers 23:19 (NIV): God not like mortals: don't lie or change your mind. When he says a thing, he does it. When you make a promise, you keep it.
They point out that everything is subject to the will of God
The prophecies have the purpose of establishing and demonstrating that everything is subject to the will of God.
Isaiah 46:9-10 (ESV):9 Remember what has happened since ancient times. I am god, and there is no other; I am god, and there is no one like me. 10 me I announce the end from the beginning; I announce the future long before. I say: My plans will be realized; I will do everything that I propose.
God is the only author of the facts in history
God announces his prophecies so that when they are fulfilled, it is demonstrated throughout history that He is the only author:
Isaiah 48:3-5 (NIV): 3 However, God declares: -Me I made known the facts of the past before they happened; and such as advertised these facts were fulfilled. 4 as i knew that you they have the head traditional hard than iron and bronze, 5 I announced all this to you long before; so they couldn't say that a false god did it.
They establish specific criteria in the identification of the Messiah
Messianic prophecies are intended to establish the specific criteria for truthfully identifying the Messiah. That is to say descendant of the lineage of David according to the flesh, but declared Son of God according to the Spirit of holiness:
Romans 1:2-4 (NKJV): 2 that he had already promised through his prophets in the holy scriptures, 3 I write to you about your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who descended from David according to men, 4 but who according to the Spirit of holiness was declared the Son of God with power, by his resurrection from the dead.
The signs of the fulfillment of the messianic time
Some of the Old Testament messianic prophecies announced signs that would indicate the time of the Messiah's arrival. The fulfillment of these prophecies specifically are perhaps the most decisive in the recognition of Jesus Christ as the true Messiah announced.
Let's see next, what were these signs announced in the Old Testament. As well as the biblical testimony of its fulfillment in the New Testament.
Messianic prophecy of the removal of the scepter
By Jewish tradition transmitted from generation to generation, the time of the arrival of the Messiah would be indicated by two signs that would have to be fulfilled first. These two signs are defined in the old testament and are:
- The removal of the scepter that identifies the tribe of Judah: This scepter refers to the tribal staff ordained by God, indicated in the Bible verse Numbers 17:2.
- And the baton would also be removed: This baton represents the symbol of power or government domain.
Genesis 49:10 (NKJV): The scepter will not be taken from you, Judah; Nor the symbol of power from between your feet, until Shiloh comes and the peoples gather around him.
In this biblical quote that indicates the two signs to be fulfilled first, it uses the word Shiloh as an identification of the Messiah. This word can be derived from the Hebrew words Shîlôh or Shîlô that indicate rest, tranquility or peace.
Jewish and Christian interpreters from past centuries designate Shiloh as the Messiah, the peacemaker, the true king, the owner of the scepter, the one who brings rest and the one who brings peace. As for the scepter or the tribal rod, it was the symbol of the judicial or legislative power in the Jewish people.
As long as the scepter remained in place, the Jewish people could, even while in captivity, exercise government within their community. In other words, they could apply their laws and even impose corporal and capital punishment.
With the Jews under the rule of the Roman Empire, the emperor instituted the figure of procurators in the regions under his charge. With this Roman decree, the right of the Jews to legislate on their people and to administer capital punishment was taken away.
Fulfillment of messianic prophecy
So Judah's scepter was being removed, fulfilling the messianic prophecy of Genesis 49:10. From this Roman decree the Jewish Sanhedrin was deprived of the right to decide on life or death.
So when the time came for the trial against Jesus, the Sanhedrin could not sentence him to death, as they wanted. Then the Jewish leaders take him to the procurator Pilate, who, despite finding no crime in Jesus that deserved death, decides:
Luke 23:24 (NKJV): Pilate's sentence was to do what they asked for;
So evident was the fulfillment of the word of God that even Jews of the first centuries of the Christian era recognized that the scepter had been removed. Regarding this, there is a verbatim quotation from one of the main rabbis who lived approximately in the eleventh century, with the following exclamation:
"Woe to us, since the scepter has been removed from Judah, and the Messiah has not come”
That is why Stephen, the first martyr of Christianity, tells the Jewish Supreme Board when he was persecuted for believing in Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah:
Acts 7:51 (NLT): -stubborn people! You are pagans at heart and deaf to the truth. ¿They will forever resist the Holy Spirit? That it's what your ancestors did, and you too!-
This is because in truth the Messiah had already come, the scepter had been taken from Judah, but the Jews ignored God's message. And on the contrary, they demanded from the Roman procurator the sentence of death for the Son of God, the Messiah, the one sent by him.
Let us learn the lesson and let us not be stiff-necked in ignoring the messianic prophecies. Which God in his infinite wisdom provided as testimony to the deity of Jesus Christ.
Messianic prophecy of the destruction of the temple
One of the signs given by God for the fulfillment of the messianic time is that his envoy, the Messiah, would enter the temple in Jerusalem. About this sign one of the messianic prophecies can be quoted in the following verse from the Hebrew script of the Old Testament:
Malachi 3:1 (ESV): The Lord Almighty says: –I will send my messenger to prepare the way for me. Mr, who you are looking for, suddenly going to enter his temple. ¡The messenger of the alliance that you want is here!-
Fulfillment of messianic prophecy
Regarding the fulfillment of this prophetic sign, one of the New Testament biblical testimonies is the visit of Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem:
Matthew 24 (NIV): 24 Jesus came out of the temple, and as he was leaving, his disciples approached and began to draw his attention to the temple buildings. two Jesus told them: - Do you see all this? Well I assure you that not one stone will be left on top of another here. everything will be destroyed-.
Let us remember that the temple was destroyed in the year 70 of this era, just as Jesus prophesied. Since that year and to date the temple has not been built again, so that the arrival of the Messiah has already happened, and it is our Lord Jesus Christ.
Messianic prophecy of Daniel, the sixty-nine weeks
The Bible tells us that the prophet Daniel on one occasion while praying begging God for forgiveness of his sins and that of the people of Israel, experienced a vision with the angel Gabriel. The angel announces that God has heard his prayer and that the decree has come out from heaven that will put an end to sin to make way for eternal justice.
The time of fulfillment of this messianic prophecy revealed to Daniel and said by the same angel was 79 or 72 weeks:
Daniel 9:24-25 (NASB): 24 Seventy weeks have been decreed over your people and over your holy city, to end the transgression and also to end sin and also to atone for iniquity, to bring everlasting justice, to seal the vision and the prophecy, and to anoint the holy of holies. 25 You must know and understand that from the issuing of the order to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with square and moat, but in times of trouble.
After 72 weeks the same prophecy says the Messiah will be put to death and that later a prince would destroy Jerusalem and the temple of God, Daniel 9:26.
According to the bibliological study, Christian theology has come to determine that these weeks of Daniel's vision are made up of years. And that each week has an equivalent of seven years, just as each year is made up of 360 days.
Fulfillment of messianic prophecy
According to these calculations, the 79 weeks would be around 483 years. Which contextualize Jesus as the Messiah of this prophecy, let's see the following:
- Time of decree: During the reign of the Persian king Artaxerxes in approximately 445 BC (Nehemiah 2:1-8).
- After seven weeks, that is, 49 years, the prophecy is placed in the year 396 BC, coinciding with the restoration of the city of Jerusalem.
- Sixty-two weeks after seven, something very decisive happens regarding the messianic prophecy in Daniel's vision.
As already said, with the 79 weeks in total, some 483 years passed, coinciding with the year 32. The year in which the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem took place:
Luke 19:30 (NIV): "Go to the village opposite, and as you enter it, they will find a donkey tied up that no one has ridden. Untie him and bring him here.
19: 35: They took him, well, to jesus. Then they put their blankets on top of the donkey and helped Jesus to mount. 36 As he went, the people spread their cloaks on the road.
Confirming in the same way the prophecy of the prophet Zechariah about the arrival of the Messiah in Jerusalem:
Zechariah 9:9 (ESV):be very happy, city of zion! ¡¡Sing for joy, city of Jerusalem! Your king comes to you, just and victorious, but humble, riding on a donkey, in a burrito, calf of a donkey.
Fulfillment of Messianic Prophecies in the New Testament
The New Testament represents in a great variety of its texts a biblical testimony of the fulfillment of the prophecies proclaimed in the Old Testament. In this opportunity we bring to review the fulfillment of the messianic prophecies.
Indicating the biblical citation of the proclamation of the messianic prophecy in the Old Testament and its fulfillment reported in the New Testament, reviewing the passage.
Fulfilled prophecies about the birth of the Messiah
Following are the proclamation and fulfillment of some messianic prophecies regarding the birth of Jesus:
Proclamation:
Genesis 3:15 (NLT): -I will make you and the woman enemies; I will put enmity between their offspring and yours. A son of his will crush your head, and you will bite his heel-.
Compliance:
Galatians 4:4 (NIV): But, when it came the day appointed by God, he sent his Son, who was born of a woman and submitted to the law of the Jews.
Proclamation:
Isaiah 7:14 (NASB): Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will name him Emmanuel.
Compliance:
Matthew 1:18b (NLT): But before the wedding took place, while i was still a virgin, became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Luke 1:31-35 (NLT): 31 You will conceive and you will give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.
1:34-35: -But how can this happen? Mary asked the angel. I am a virgin. 35 The angel answered:The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. Therefore, the baby that will be born will be holy and will be called Son of God.
Proclamation:
Psalm 2:7 (NIV): I will proclaim the decree of the Lord: -You are my son-, He told me; –today I have begotten you-.
Compliance:
Matthew 3:17 (KJV 1960): And there was a voice from heaven, saying: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am pleased
Acts 13:33 (ESV): He has fulfilled us, that we are the descendants. This he has done by resurrecting Jesus, how is it written in the second psalm:You are my son; I have begotten you today. "
Fulfilled prophecies about the divinity of the Messiah
Following are the proclamation and fulfillment of some messianic prophecies regarding the divine nature of Jesus:
Proclamation:
Micah 5:2 (NLT): But you, O Bethlehem Ephratah, are just a small village among all the people of Judah. Nevertheless, In my name, there will come out of you a ruler for Israel, whose origins come from eternity.
Compliance:
John 17:5 (ESV): Now therefore Father, give me in your presence the same glory that I had with you since before the world existed..
Proclamation:
Psalm 110:1 (NIV): Hymn of David. My God said to my lord the king:-Sit to the right of my throne until I defeat your enemies-.
Compliance:
Luke 2:11 (NIV): Today a savior has been born in the people of David, who is the Messiah, the Lord.
Luke 20:44 (NIV): 44 –If David calls the Messiah Lord, how can the Messiah be a descendant of David??-
Proclamation:
Psalm 110:4 (NIV): God has sworn an oath, and he will keep it: "You are a priest foreveras was Melchizedek."
Compliance:
Hebrews 5:5-6 (NIV): 5 Christ No. became chief priest because he wanted it that way, but God chose him and gave him that honor. It was God whoever He said to him: - You are my Son; From today I am your father-. 6 In another part of the Bible also He said to him: - You are a priest forever, as Melquisedec was.-.
Proclamation:
Isaiah 33:22 (NKJV): The Lord is our judge. The Lord is our legislator. The Lord is our King, and he himself will save us!
Compliance:
John 5:30 (NIV): – my father sent me, y he tells me how I should judge to the people. That is why I judge correctly, because I do not do what I want, but what my Father commands me to do..
Fulfilled prophecies about the ministry of the Messiah
Biblical testimony of what God proclaimed in his messianic prophecies can also be found on the ministry of the Messiah. Following are some of the fulfilled prophecies concerning his ministry:
Proclamation:
Isaiah 40:3 (NKJV-2015): A voice proclaims: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; straighten the highway in the wilderness for our God!
Compliance:
Matthew 3:1-2 (NKJV 2015): 3 In those days John the Baptist appeared preaching in the desert of Judea 2 and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!-.
John 1:23: John said, "I am the voice crying in the wilderness"Make straight the way of the Lord”, as the prophet Isaiah said. "
Proclamation:
Isaiah 9:1 (ESV): But there will not always be darkness for the one who is now anguished. in the early days the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali were afflicted, but in the last times the way of the sea will be filled with glory, to the other side of the Jordan, in Galilee of the Gentiles.
Compliance:
Matthew 4:12-13: Jesus begins his ministry 12 When Jesus heard that John was in prison, he returned to Galilee, 13 but he withdrew from Nazareth and settled in Capernaum, a maritime city in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,
Proclamation:
Isaiah 35:5-6 (NLT): 5 Y when he comes he will open the eyes of the blind and unstop the ears of the deaf. 6 The lame will jump like a deer, and those who cannot speak will sing for joy! Springs will sprout in the desert.
Compliance:
Matthew 9:35: Jesus went through all the cities and villages of that region, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the kingdom; and healed all kinds of diseases and ailments.
Messianic prophecies to be fulfilled
The messianic prophecies to be fulfilled are subject to future events to happen as proclaimed by God through his word. Three key events are expected on these prophecies:
- The Second Coming of the Messiah: The proclamation of this prophecy can be read in the biblical texts, Daniel 7: 13-14, Zechariah 14: 4-8.
- The Eternal Reign of the Messiah: According to the messianic prophecy written in Isaiah 9:6-7, 1 Chronicles 17:11-14.
- God's Judgment: According to the messianic prophecy written in Psalms 50:3-6
"The heavens will declare his justice, for God is the judge."
