With all of the focus on Israel today, I thought it might be interesting to share some of the prophecies that speak of Jesus or Yeshua, the Jewish Messiah, and our Savior.
(1) The origin and birthplace of the Messiah was prophesied. Micah 5:2 – But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past, will come from you on My behalf.
Note: Folks, Micah wrote these prophetic words about 700 years before the Lord Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem. How could he be so specific in his prophecy?
(2) In Matthew 2 we read of the fulfillment of that prophecy. Matthew 2:1-2 – Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, 2 “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and have come to worship Him.”
Note: Bethlehem referred to above, was about 5 miles south of Jerusalem. In John 7:42 we read, For the Scriptures clearly state that the Messiah will be born of the royal line of David, in Bethlehem, the village where King David was born.
- He was born to be a ruler in Israel.
- In Luke 23:3 when Pontius Pilate asked Jesus if He was the king of the Jews, He affirmed the title.
- In John 8:58 Jesus declared, “…before Abraham was even born, I AM!” The Jewish people understood Him to be saying that He was from eternity.
(3) In Genesis 3 we have the first declaration of His birth, ministry, and victory.
- Genesis 3:15 – And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike His heel.
- Galatians 4:4 – But when the right time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman, subject to the law.
- Matthew 27:62-63 – The next day, on the Sabbath, the leading priests and Pharisees went to see Pilate. 63 They told him, “Sir, we remember what that deceiver once said while He was still alive: ‘After three days I will rise from the dead.’”
- 1 John 3:8 – But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil.
Note: The most notable of these confrontations between Jesus and Satan was when our Lord was tempted in the wilderness following His baptism. Be sure to read Luke 4:1-12.
(4) It was prophesied that the Messiah would be a descendant of Abraham. Genesis 12:1-3 – The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. 3 I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”
Note: The genealogy found in Matthew 1:1-17, 15:21-28, we read of this prophecy’s fulfillment. Also, note that Jesus ministered to Gentiles too. Acts 9:5, 15 says that He ministered to more than just Jews. Saul, later renamed Paul, was to “bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.” Jesus Christ was sent to be the Savior for the whole world.
(5) It was prophesied specifically that the Messiah would come from the tribe of Judah. Genesis 49:9-10 – Judah, my son, is a young lion that has finished eating its prey. Like a lion he crouches and lies down; like a lioness—who dares to rouse him? 10 The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from his descendants, until the coming of the one to whom it belongs, the one whom all nations will honor.
In Matthew 1 and Luke 3, we have a listing of the ancestors of Jesus, which clearly states He would be a descendant of Judah, and He was recognized as such.
(6) In 2 Samuel 7:12-13, we are told that the Messiah would be from the house or family of David: For when you die and are buried with your ancestors, I will raise up one of your descendants, your offspring, and I will make his kingdom strong. 13 He is the one who will build a house—a temple—for my name. And I will secure his royal throne forever.
Its fulfillment is found in Luke 3:31 – Eliakim was the son of Melea; Melea was the son of Menna; Menna was the son of Mattatha; Mattatha was the son of Nathan; Nathan was the son of David.
Check the following Scriptures – Psalm 89:30-38; Isaiah 9:1-7; Matthew 1:1; Luke 1:31-38, 69; Acts 2:30, 13:23; Romans 1:2-3; 2 Timothy 2:8; Revelation 3:7, 22:16.
(7) It was prophesied that the Messiah would be born of a virgin. Isaiah 7:14 – All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).
This prophecy is fulfilled in Matthew 1:18, 22-23 – This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit…All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through His prophet:23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”
Please note that Isaiah prophesied almost 600 years before Jesus was born. How could he have known that a virgin, engaged to Joseph, would conceive by the power of the Holy Spirit and give birth to a son? It is a God-thing.
Isaiah 9:6-7 says, For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!
Please note that the translators of the Jewish Bible use the term “young woman” rather than “virgin”; but culturally, the Hebrew word Almah almost always referred to a young woman, which in Isaiah’s day implied virginity. Without a doubt, Mary fulfilled this prophecy about the birth of the Messiah.
(8) We have already referred you to Isaiah 9:5-7 where we are told that the Messiah would be GOD IN THE FLESH. We see this prophecy fulfilled in several places in the New Testament. Matthew 1:1 – This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of David and of Abraham…
John 1:14 – The Word became human and made His home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen His glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.
There is so much more we could share of prophecies referring to Yeshua as the Messiah and fulfillment in the coming of Jesus in the New Testament. We will save them for a future edition of the Weekly.
God bless you,
Pastor Leonard
