In a recent sermon we tackled the subject of "what's so great about biblical prophecy?" and we concluded that biblical prophecy is miraculously accurate which shows us we can trust God's word.
Here are a few prophecies for you to check out:
- Prophecies about Jesus Christ
- God will raise up a Saviour - a man not a nation - to undo the devil's work (Genesis 3:15)
- Jesus will:
- Be descended from Abraham (Genesis 12:7; 13:15 - see Galatians 3:16 for an interpretation of this)
- Belong to the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10)
- Be descended from David (2 Sam 7:12-13; Jeremiah 23:5-6)
- Be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2)
- Be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14)
- Have no physical descendants (Isaiah 53:8)
- Never sit on David's throne and rule Judah (Jeremiah 22:30)
- Rule forever (Isaiah 9:6-7; 2 Sam 7:12-13)
- Prophecies about his life
- The King will:
- Be preceded by a herald (one like Elijah) clearing His way (Isaiah 40:1-5; Malachi 4:5) [Note: this was fulfilled by the ministry of John the Baptist (see Mark 1:1-8; Matthew 17:9-13)]
- Teach gentiles (non-Jews) the way of salvation in Galilee (Isaiah 9:1-2)
- People will rejoice when they see him riding on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9 see Mark 11:1-10)
- Bless the nations (Genesis 12:3)
- Bring peace between the generations (Malachi 4:6)
- The messiah will:
- Suffer greatly (Psalm 22:15-17; 53:3-5)
- Be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12-13)
- His disciples will desert him (Zechariah 13:7)
- His enemies will cast lots for his clothes (Psalm 22:18)
- Be silent before his accusers (Isaiah 53:7)
- People will grieve for the one they pierced (Zechariah 12:10)
- He will die like a criminal (Isaiah 53:9)
- Yet he will be sinless (Isaiah 53:9)
- He will be buried in a rich mans grave (Isaiah 53:9)
- His death will cleanse people from sin and impurity (Zechariah 13:1; Isaiah 53:5)
- Rise from the dead (Isaiah 53:10-11)
- Rise after 3 days (Hosea 6:1-3)
- The Holy Spirit will be poured out after he dies (Joel 2:28-32) [see Acts 2:1-41 for an interpretation of this].
- Prophecies about his death
Remember: Biblical prophecy is not a thing of the past. These prophecies are still relevant because they concern a living King whose past has everything to do with our present and far future.
Rev. Dr. Mark Duggan
Published in the Bramley Baptist Church Magazine, Jan-Feb 2007