Prophecies on Jesus Christ
Johan Malan, Mossel Bay, South Africa (October 2016)
In the Old Testament there are various prophecies on the first and second coming of the Messiah (Jesus Christ). During His first coming He was the suffering Messiah, but at His second coming He will come as Judge and King to reward His saints, judge His enemies and rule as King on the restored throne of David. The following are the most important prophecies about Him:
“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel” (Isa. 7:14). It is definitely a supernatural, divine sign if a virgin gets pregnant, as that is certain proof that the child was not conceived by a mortal, sinful man. That is the reason why Jesus should also be called the Son of God. The angel said to Mary: “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David” (Luke 1:31-32). Joseph – during the same time, before the consummation of their marriage – received a similar message about his pregnant betrothed: “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matt. 1:20-21).
These things happened in fulfilment of the prophecy in Isaiah 7:14. In reference to this prophecy, Matthew said: “So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: Behold, the virgin shall be with Child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name IMMANUEL, which is translated, God with us” (Matt. 1:22-23).
Through the prophet Micah, God announced that His Son would be born in Bethlehem: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting” (Mic. 5:2). As the Word of God (the Logos) Jesus is eternally self-existent; but in the fullness of time He left His heavenly glory, put on the image of a lowly servant, and was born in Bethlehem as a human being (John 1:1-14). Everything happened exactly as God had ordained. King Herod was highly disturbed when the wise men from the East told him that they wanted to present gifts and bring honour to the King of the Jews whom they had heard would be born during that time: “When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. So they said to him, In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting” (Matt. 2:3-6).
The Lord warned the wise men not to return to Herod to inform him about the whereabouts of the Child, so they returned to their own country via another way. After they had departed, Joseph was also instructed to move out of Bethlehem with the Child:
“Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him. When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, "Out of Egypt I called My Son” (Matt. 2:13-15). Herod was infuriated after discovering that the wise men had deceived him, and he ordered that in Bethlehem and its surroundings all the male children of two years old and under were to be put to death (Matt. 2:16-18). Shortly afterwards Herod himself also died, and the Lord ordered Joseph to move back to Israel: “Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, ‘Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child’s life are dead’” (Matt. 2:19-20).
Their return from Egypt was the further fulfilment of an Old Testament prophecy which was first fulfilled during Israel’s exodus from Egypt. The Lord says: “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son” (Hos. 11:1). When Israel were slaves in Egypt the Lord called them from there to take possession of their inheritance in the Promised Land. A long time after that, Jesus also sojourned in Egypt, after which God called His only-begotten Son to return to Israel and be prepared to become the Saviour of Israel; thus enabling them to become a Messianic people under the leadership of Jesus, the Messiah/King, who will rule from the restored throne of David. However, when Joseph learned that Herod was succeeded as king by one of his most violent and tyrannical sons he decided to move further north to Galilee where he settled in the city of Nazareth (Archelaus ruled in Jerusalem until 6 AD):
“But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee. And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene” (Matt. 2:22-23).
The King of Israel would appear in a very lowly character: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zech. 9:9). In the New Testament we read the following on the fulfilment of this prophecy: “All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: Tell the daughter of Zion, behold, your King is coming to You, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Matt. 21:4-5).
Jesus expects the same lowliness and loyalty from His followers: “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matt. 11:29-30). He also says to them: “And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:27-28).
Isaiah 53 contains one of the most remarkable prophecies on the suffering Messiah who would take the penalty of our sins upon Himself: “Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. He was despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isa. 53:1-6). His substitutionary death on our behalf is the only atonement for sin which is accepted by the Father.
Psalm 22 also describes aspects of Jesus’ suffering during His crucifixion: “Be not far from Me, for trouble is near; For there is none to help. Many bulls have surrounded Me; strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me. They gape at Me with their mouths, like a raging and roaring lion. I am poured out like water, and all My bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It has melted within Me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death. For dogs have surrounded Me; the congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots” (Ps. 22:11-18). All these prophecies were literally fulfilled during the crucifixion of Jesus.
During His first coming the Lord Jesus did the monumental work of atonement, He trained His disciples and commanded them to proclaim the gospel in all the world after being filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8; Luke 24:46-49). He also promised to return again – this time not as a lowly Servant but in glory as the mighty King and Judge of the living and the dead. He also knew that the apostate Jewish people will fully accept Him when He returns (Matt. 23:39). On the day of His ascension, two angels confirmed the surety of His return: “… as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven” (Acts 1:10-11).
He will return as King of kings and Lord of lords (Rev. 19:16). On that day the kings of the earth and their armies will be deployed in Jerusalem to fight against whom they will believe to be the enemies of Jerusalem, having been deceived by the Antichrist to try and defend their new world order against its prophesied destruction by the Son of God (Rev. 19:19-21; Zech. 14:12-13; 2 Thess. 2:8). The Lord warns in a Messianic Psalm that the nations will expedite their own downfall, should they dare to make war against the Son simply because the rules and principles of the Christian faith are not acceptable to them:
“Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, let us break their bonds in pieces and cast away their cords from us. He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The LORD shall hold them in derision. Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, and distress them in His deep displeasure: Yet I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, You are My Son, today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel. Now therefore, be wise, O kings; be instructed, you judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him” (Ps. 2:1-12).
Biblical prophecies mention two phases of Christ’s second coming, i.e. His secret coming like a thief in the night to take away His bridal congregation, and His public coming when every eye shall see Him. He will first come for His saints (John 14:2-3), and on the second occasion He will come with His saints (Col. 3:4; Zech. 14:5).
From the parable of the ten virgins it is evident that the Bridegroom will come at midnight when few people are awake and waiting for His return. Those who are ready with oil in their lamps (a description of a life under the guidance of the Holy Spirit) will suddenly be taken away by Him when He comes. A very important biblical principle is emphasised in this way, viz. that the judgements of the tribulation are not meant for the true church of Christ, and that is why they have to be taken away before the hour of trial will come upon the world (Rev. 3:10). Four thousand years ago, the Lord said to Abraham that the righteous will not be destroyed with the wicked (cf. Gen. 18:23-33). In view of this assurance, God said that He would not destroy Sodom if there were only ten righteous people in the city. That is why He first ensured that Lot and his family flee from the doomed city shortly before Sodom was destroyed in divine judgements (Gen. 19:12-26). The same principle also applied in the case of Noah and his family. They were safely in the ark before the wicked people were destroyed in the Flood (Gen 7:1-24).
These two judgements are a prophetic warning of what will again happen in the end-time’ i.e. the rescue and safekeeping of believers before all sinners will be judged and destroyed in God’s judgements during the seven years of tribulation (Matt. 24:21-22; Isa. 13:9). Paul said we should expect God’s Son from heaven, “even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come” (1 Thess. 1:10). We know that we are not destined for God’s wrath in the lake of fire, but neither are we destined for His wrath during the great tribulation. The Lord Jesus said: “Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:36). “All these things” refer to the disasters and distress that will befall humanity during the great tribulation (Luke 21:8-11, 25-27), as well as the powerful deception by the Antichrist and his henchmen (Matt. 24:4-5, 11, 24).
The Lord Jesus likens the end-time with the days of Noah and Lot when apostasy, violence, materialism and homosexuality were the order of the day. Nobody heeded the warnings of Noah and Lot, and they just continued from bad to worse until the Lord intervened by way of the most severe judgements. However, His wrath was not poured out upon believers, and so will it be again in the end-time when He will first come for His bride and remove her to a place of safety. It is possible that in the same family there may be saved as well as unsaved members. Those who are not saved and ready when He secretly comes for His bride, will remain behind and have to go through the tribulation period. Such people will have to make a new commitment to the Lord if they are backsliders; if they are not backsliders but people who have never been saved, they will have to surrender themselves to the Saviour for the first time:
“And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise, as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed. … I tell you, in that night there will be two people in one bed: the one will be taken and the other will be left. Two women will be grinding corn together: the one will be taken and the other left. Two people will be in the field: the one will be taken and the other left” (Luke 17:26-30; 34-36).
“Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming” (Matt. 25:13). The Lord has a wonderful calling and destination for all true believers on earth – both Jews and Gentiles – but then we must make spiritual progress so that we will certainly reach the destination to which we were called. Many of the Israelites who were liberated from Egypt, never reached their destination in the Promised Land because, along the way, they fell into sin and unbelief. Paul says: “Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it” (Heb. 4:1-2). They were not forgetful hearers who failed to react spiritually to the word.
The Word of the Lord should not only be intellectually embraced but also with the heart, by faith. When there is no commitment by faith to the Lord Jesus and His promises, the person in question merely has a superficial form of godliness in which he only confesses the Lord with his lips – his heart (the seat of the inner, spiritual man) is still cold and unregenerate. Jesus said to Israel: “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honour Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” (Matt. 15:8-9). Commandments of men are denominational dogmas and creeds which do not necessarily lead to a life-changing encounter with the Lord Jesus as Saviour, the vital aspect of faith being absent.
The big problem of the end-time, “modern” man is that he considers everything by using rational arguments. The religion of such people is only a thin layer of veneer which was pasted onto an unbelieving heart and a sceptical spirit; therefore, such people only have an outward form of godliness, and are completely unable to testify about the regenerative power of the Spirit (2 Tim. 3:5). It was with a view to the prophesied end-time apostasy that the Lord Jesus asked the pertinent question: “… when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8). Changed opinions alone cannot transform a person spiritually and render him a true believer. He first has to invite the Lord Jesus into his heart and life to cleanse him and quicken him spiritually. Amidst a surrender of this nature the Holy Spirit will convict him of all the sins which separate him from the Lord. The moment when he confesses and forsakes these sins, he obtains forgiveness, the Lord renews his heart (1 John 1:9) and makes home within it (John 14:23).
It is a pity that many people will only after the rapture discover the fact that they only practised a dead form of godliness without faith; consequently, the promise of the rapture will not apply to them and they will remain behind – having already received the power of delusion to believe spiritual lies (2 Thess. 2:9-12). It will be of no avail to them to try and justify themselves because of their baptism, confirmation, attending church services for many years as a matter of routine, or even preaching and demonstrating other spiritual “gifts”, while in fact there may not have been any personal relationship between them and the Lord Jesus (Matt. 7:21-23).