The Prophecies of Jesus Christ’s 1st Coming (continued)

THE MESSIAH’S BIRTH PROPHECIES

The scribes and Jewish religious leaders knew the time that the Messiah’s ministry would come on the scene, right to the year, just as they knew the town he would be born in. Daniel 9:24-26, “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore [margin: build again Jerusalem] and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince [reference to the Romans] that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary [this happened in 70A.D.]; and the end thereof shall be with a flood [prophetic term in the Bible for an army], and unto the end of the war, desolations are determined.” From this prophecy the Jewish leaders and teachers of the Law knew the Messiah was coming-down to the exact year of the start of his ministry. In prophecy one prophetic year is equal to 360 prophetic days. One prophetic day is equal to one normal year. In verse 25 where it says “from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build [rebuild] Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks:…” This commandment to restore Jerusalem and the temple is the very same commandment spoken of in Ezra 1:1-11 and II Chronicles 36:22-23. This commandment is dated as having gone out in 457BC, the first year of Cyrus the Persian and is recorded in Ezra 1:1-3, which states “Now in the first year of Cyrus the king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus the king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, ‘Thus saith Cyrus the king of Persia, The Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah…”

Now lets figure this out. It is really simple. 7 weeks + 62 weeks = 69 weeks. 69 weeks times 7 [converting weeks to days] = 483 days. 483 prophetic days = 483 years. Going 483 years forward in time from 457 B.C. is done by subtracting 457 from 483 which = 26. But since there is no year zero, you add 1 to the 26 giving you 27 A.D., the year Jesus started his ministry. By this calculation his death was in the spring of 31 A.D. Some disagree, making their calculation dating from another decree from another later Persian king to go and rebuild the wall, received by Nehemiah. But dating from the later decree doesn’t really fit the instructions found in Daniel 9:25. So in the year 27 A.D. Jesus was walking up to John the Baptist to get baptized. If the scribes had been on the ball, they would have known to be on the lookout for him. Isn’t this amazing? The Creator God inspired these prophecies to be penned many hundreds of years in advance of their being carried out, from the year of the start of Jesus ministry, to the eventual destruction of the Romans in 70 A.D., it all happened. In verse 26, the word “prince” is referring to the Roman prince, and not the Prince of Peace. Verse 27 takes us up to the beginning of the tribulation when a world superpower will step onto the scene in Jerusalem after the Jews have built a temple or tabernacle and restarted the “morning and evening” sacrifices. Verse 27 states that this “he”, referring to the leader of this restored Roman system, will cause “the sacrifice of oblation to cease…” stopping the evening and morning sacrifices being carried out by the Levitical priesthood yet to be set up by the Jews sometime in the near future [they’re working on setting this all up right now].

THE MESSIAH’S BIRTHPLACE FORETOLD, AS WELL AS WHO HE WAS BEFORE HE WAS BORN AS A HUMAN

Micah 5:2, “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall be come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” So we see Bethlehem is prophecied to be the birthplace of the Messiah, and everybody in the world knows Jesus of Nazareth was born in Bethlehem, whether they’re Christian or not. The Arabs know it, the Jews know it. The Christmas story has been carried far and wide. But few know where to spot this prophecy, penned many hundreds of years before the event. It also identifies the Messiah as “having been from of old, from everlasting. John in John 1:1-11 identifies the one who was born as Jesus of Nazareth before his human birth as the one referred to in the Old Testament as the Lord God or the Lord, or YHVH, and called him the Word of God, which in the Greek is called the Logos. When born of Mary, the Word or Logos became God the Son. God the Son, along with God the Father and the Holy Spirit-the Triune God-Three-in-One-has existed forever. Matthew 2:1-6, “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is he that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him [all the ruling class worried they’re going to lose their jobs?]. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea: for thus it is written by the prophet, ‘And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.’” John 1:1-11, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness of that Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John bare witness of him, and cried saying, ‘This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.’” This is an amazing description of who Jesus was and is, having “been from of old, from everlasting”.

THE MESSIAH’S VIRGIN BIRTH

Isaiah 7:13-16, “And he said, ‘Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel [Hebrew for “God with us”]. Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good. For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.” Before Jesus was born, both the northern kingdom of Israel, and the southern kingdom of Judah had lost their kingly rulers, Israel in 721 B.C. to the Assyrian empire, and Judah to king Nebuchadnezzar, king of the Babylonian empire. Neither line of kings was restored in the land of Palestine from these dates onward. Another thing, the Jews refused to believe that Jesus was born of a virgin, therefore they called him a bastard, but it is a historic fact that king Herod believed, so much so that he had all the infant boys from two years and under killed in all the land surrounding Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Let’s turn to Matthew 1:18-25; 2:1-18 and see the fulfillment of this prophecy, and some more. Matthew 1:18-25, “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost [“Ghost”, middle English, taken from the German word Gheist, which directly translates to the word “Spirit”. Greek: Spirit]. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publik example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS [that is SAVIOR (probably the meaning of the Hebrew name Joshua, which was the Hebrew equivalent for the name Jesus)]: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, ‘Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel’, which being interpreted is, God with us. [Isa. 7:13-16, which we just read.] Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: and knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.” Matthew 2:1-18, “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is he that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.'’ When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea: for thus it is written by the prophet, ‘And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.’ Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said ‘Go and search diligently for the child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.’ When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother [notice Mary and Jesus had now moved from the manger or sheepfold to a house (some scholars believe this manger was no more than one of the local smelly caves used as sheepfolds)], and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way. And when they departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, ‘Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee 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 into Egypt: and was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, ‘Out of Egypt have I called my son.’ [Numbers 24:7-8] Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet [Jeremiah 31:15], saying, ‘In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.’ But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, ‘Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child’s life. And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judea in the room of this father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts 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 [margin: that is, Branch or Separated one].’” Micah 5:2, “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler of Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting” [“whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting” i.e. Jesus is God, YHVH, as we have just seen, and in John 1:1-11.]. Zechariah 3:8, “Here now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH.” Zechariah 6:12-13, “And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord: Even he shall build the temple of the Lord; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.” Jesus will be King of kings upon his return, and is even now our High Priest, fulfilling part of Zechariah 6:13. Hebrews 4:14-16, “Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” John 7:42, “Hath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem…” Numbers 24:7-8, “He shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters, and his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted. God brought him forth out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of a unicorn: he shall eat up the nations his enemies, and shall break their bones, and pierce them through with his arrows.” [Remember in a passage that contains both prophecies of the Messiah’s first and second coming in the same passage, the first coming prophecy for this study will be bolded, while the 2nd coming part will be in plain text.]

Isaiah 9:2, 6-7, “The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined…For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder [cf. Zechariah 14:9]: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. [Who was, is, Jesus of Nazareth? Was he just another human being like the rest of us? Isaiah was told by God to call him “Wonderful Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Jesus was and is God, the second person of the Godhead.] Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.”

JOHN THE BAPTIST FORETOLD

Isaiah 40:3-5, “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, ‘Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the rough places plain [or a plain place]: and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.” Verse 3a applies to Jesus first coming, as we shall see, and was fulfilled by John the Baptist. Verse 3b-5 applies to the 2nd coming. To see how those verses are fulfilled, turn to the other study in this section, “Prophecies of Jesus Christ’s 2nd Coming.” Again, the Jews were very confused by these prophecies that combined prophecies of both the 1st and 2nd coming of the Messiah within one prophetic text. They overlooked the elements of his first coming and what it was for because in many instances, as you see, the 2nd coming descriptions overshadowed in glory the first coming descriptions. As well, in their circumstances under Roman dictatorship, they wanted a physical-military savior, not someone who would save them from their sins. They hungered for and desired to have the basic freedoms they had enjoyed under the two kingdoms, the House of Israel and the House of Judah-the basic freedoms we now enjoy as Americans, Britons and Europeans in our respective democracies. So the Jews basically overlooked the humble descriptions of their Messiah’s first coming. Let’s turn now to Matthew and see how verse 3a was fulfilled. Matthew 3:1-5, “In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, ‘Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias [Isaiah], saying, ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’ And the same John had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts [Lev. 12:22] and wild honey.” John 1:23-27, “He said, ‘I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord’, as said the prophet Esaias. And they which were sent were of the Pharisees. And they asked him, and said unto him, ‘Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not the Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet?’ John answered them, saying, ‘I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not: he it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, who’s shoe latchet I am not worthy to unloose.”