A King Foretold
A great and mighty message from prophets of old;
The birth of the Messiah they clearly foretold.
A baby in a stable, born in Bethlehem town,
Would someday rule the nations with an eternal crown.
Descended from Abraham; King David’s royal heir;
The “Lion of Judah,” the virgin would bear.
To Egypt they would flee to escape a jealous king.
Then they’d return to Joseph’s home; he’d be a Nazarene.
God’s Spirit was upon him, he would be the promised One,
Yet many would reject him as God’s only Son.
He’d heal the lame, and speak the truth, and teach of love not strife.
For those who would believe in him,
He gave eternal life.
He’d be a man of sorrows, rejected and despised.
And they would pierce the One who could open their eyes.
They wouldn’t understand that first the servant had to be,
And so he would be beaten and hung upon a tree.
A rich man’s tomb would be the place, his body they would lay;
But God would raise his son from the grave on the third day.
He’d show himself to hundreds who would see him and believe;
And, then ascend to make a place for us to receive.
The Prophets: Prophecies of the First Coming of Christ
The Old Testament contains more than 300 direct prophecies regarding the first coming of the Messiah, all made hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus and specifying details such as:
- The location of His birth (Micah 5:2)
- The virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14)
- The family’s flight to Egypt (Hosea 11:1)
- His lineage (Isaiah 9:7, Genesis 49:10, Numbers 24:17, and many more.)
- The slaughter of the innocent children by Herod (Jeremiah 31:15)
- Entry into Jerusalem on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9) and the date of that entry (Daniel 9:25)
- Betrayal by a friend (Psalms 41:9)
- He would be despised, rejected and beaten. (Isaiah 53:3-5)
- His trial (Isaiah 53:7-8)
- Crucifixion (Zechariah 12:10, Psalm 22:16)
- Bones would not be broken (Psalm 34:20)
- Placed in the grave of a rich man (Isaiah 53:9)
- Resurrection (Psalms 16:10)
These are just a few. What is significant about these is that each and every prophecy regarding the first coming of the Messiah was fulfilled to the letter in Jesus Christ. The mathematical probability of any one man fulfilling just 48 of these is 1 times 10 to the 157th power!1
Why is this significant? First, there is no other “prophet” or “religion” that can make this same claim. The prophecies themselves were well documented hundreds of years before the birth of Christ, and their fulfillment has been well documented in not only the Bible itself, but in the works of other secular historians of the time, such as Josephus. Statistically speaking, it is impossible that Jesus of Nazareth could not be the promised Messiah.
Second, it is important because there are also many prophecies in the Bible about the second coming of Jesus Christ to this earth. Over the years, many in the church have tried to suggest that these prophecies are “allegorical” in nature – that we can’t expect them to be fulfilled literally. If, in fact, each of the prophecies of the first coming of Christ (over 300) were literally fulfilled, can we not expect that the prophecies about his second coming will also be literally fulfilled? The Bible has no history of allegorical fulfillment of prophecies, and thus it is not logical to expect that those related to what is perhaps the most significant event in the Bible – the second coming – would be allegorized. (For more on the prophecies concerning the second coming of Christ, see the message for “How”.)
Related Devotional
Resources
The following websites contain specific references to the prophecies of the first coming of Jesus as well as references to the fulfillment of those prophecies.
The Prophecies of Jesus Christ’s 1st Coming
The Historical Christ – Yeshua The Mosiach
The Messianic Time Table According to Daniel the Prophet
Did Jesus Fulfill Old Testament Prophecy?
Citations:
Music and lyrics by LuAnne Barnet. Copyright (c) 2004 LuAnne Barnet. All Rights Reserved
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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