The Night the Earth Stood Still - Prophecies of the Messiah
Introduction:
There is a ton of material and arguments about this religious figure called “the Messiah” in the world today; it's spectrum ranges from truth to heresy. My objective is to lay out all the ancient texts in lay-terms to show that ANYONE may find out the who’s, what’s, where’s, and why’s of the Messiah.
What is a Messiah?
“Messiah” is Hebrew for “Anointed One”.
There are several anointed one’s in the old testament. Priests, high priests, and kings were anointed as sign of office also as a sign of the Holy Spirit being upon them. King David was anointed and many times was referred to as “the Lord’s anointed.”
But the scriptures made it clear that there was an Anointed One coming, that was mightier than David, wiser than Solomon, holier than the high priest! He would save the Jews and the Gentiles from their transgression, He would unite us with Yahweh, and He would issue in the Messianic Age, in which all the nations will be at peace; nature and animals would be at peace with man and each other, and there would be no more death.
Mere man cannot achieve these things.
What is God’s purpose for the Messiah?
Understand this first: Adam and Eve sinned and would have to die for their transgression. They gave birth to all humanity each person sinning as their first ancestors had. Each would have to die for their sin.
The only way for us to be redeemed was for someone to die in our place, but none of us could take someone else’s judgment because each of us had to bear our own. A sinless man would have to die in our place. That could only be God in human flesh! Enter the Messiah:
The first messianic prophecy was given by Yahweh-God himself, right after Adam and Eve first sinned in the Garden. As a matter of fact, Adam just sinned then, when questioned by God, blamed God for it. But Yahweh is incomprehensibly merciful and gave them a promise of redemption rather than striking them them dead.
And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel. – Genesis 3:15
Which is more important:
A cancer that is killing the mortal body, which is dying second-by-second anyway, or a cancer of the soul, which will result in eternal judgment?
God had to address the greatest issue in humanity first; not wars, crime, injustice, poverty, or death. He had to deal with the Great Separator, Sin.
His recreation of the world would mean nothing if men still skulked about in the shadows with corrupt hearts. Since the fall of man, the environment has NEVER been the issue, it has always been Man’s corruptible nature. So how shall we know the Messiah and from where shall He come?
What is the parameters of the Messiah?
Please take the short time necessary to understand the following list. The Messiah is not a Marvel superhero that you can take or leave if you wish. He is either real and deserves your devotion or He is a fictitious fragment of some long dead sage.
Timing and Locations and Coming:
Pay attention to the green text (or italics if for some reason the color is not detectable) compared to the red (normal text); Also these are not in order in any form or fashion.
He will come in mighty power and devouring flames to judge the rebellious humans. He shall gather His saints – Ps 50:3-9
He will return in the Day of the Lord and fight His enemies and rescue His people. He will land on the Mount of Olives, in the evening and split it in half, making a valley for the Saints in Jerusalem to escape through – Zech 14:1-8
He shall come from the south-east of Jerusalem, wearing glorious apparel stained with crimson – Isa 63:1-2
He will be ordained from His mother’s womb – Isa 49:1
He will be born in Bethlehem of Judea – Mic 5:2
He would come far in the future of ~1270 BC, when Israel entered their land the first time – Num 24:17
He would come in the year ~30 AD – Dan 9:24
He will start His ministry in Galilee – Isa 9:1-2
He will be brought up from Egypt – Hos 11:1
He will be praised as He enters Jerusalem in triumph, and riding a foal of a female donkey – Ps 8:2, 118:25-26; Zech 9:9
He will be given by God, and born of a virgin like a normal baby. He will be called GOD-WITH-US – Isa 7:14, 9:6; Jer 31:22
About Him:
He will come from Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, and David – Gen 12:3, 18:18, 22:18, 26:4, 28:14, 49:10, Isa 11:1; Jer 23:5, 33:15
He will be God’s Son, and our Lord – Ps 2:7,11; 110:1; Isa 40:10
Cornerstone (guidestone) of Zion (God’s Temple) – Isa 28:16 (1 Pet 2:6-8)
He will be righteous, a seal of promise to humanity, and a light to the Gentiles – Isa 42:6
A witness, a leader and commander to Humanity – Isa 55:4
He will love righteousness and abhor wickedness. He will be a great prophet, greater than His fellow prophets. He will be worshipped. – Deut 18:15,18; Ps 45:6-7,11
He is eternal – Ps 102:24-27; Mic 5:2
He will be the God of the Gentiles also – Deut 32:43; Ps 18:49, 19:4, 117:1; Isa 11:10, 42:1, 45:23, 49:6; Hosea 1:10, 2:23; Joel 2:32
He will have the Spirit of the Lord, and of wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and of the fear of the Lord – Isa 11:2
He will be zealous for the Lord and the Temple – Ps 69:9
Deeds and Events:
Satan would harm him, but He would destroy Satan – Gen 3:15
He will have a forerunner and would come suddenly to the Temple of Jerusalem – Mal 3:1
He will save those that wait on Him and obey Him, yet judge those who spurn Him – Isa 25:9; Ps 50:22-23
A caravan of gentile rulers of the East will bring Him gifts – Ps 72:10,15; Isa 60:3
He will perform miracles on the blind, deaf, mute, lame, and captive – Isa 35:5-6, 42:7, 53:4
He will preach righteousness and truth – Ps 2:7, 78:2; Isa 2:3, 61:1; Micah 4:2
He will be rejected by the Jewish and the Gentile masses – Ps 2:1, 22:12, 41:5, 56:5, 69:8, 118:22-23; Isa 6:9-10, 8:14, 29:13, 53:1, 65:2
He will be persecuted – Ps 22:6, 35:7, 12, 56:5, 71:10, 109:2; Isa 49:7, 53:3
He will be betrayed by a close friend – Ps 41:9, 55:13, Zech 13:6
He will be betrayed for a meager sum of 30 pieces of silver, which will be thrown into the Temple and then be given to the potter – Zech 11:12, 13
His flock will be scattered – Zech 13:7
He will be falsely accused and tried, but he will not speak – Ps 2:1-2, 27:12, 35:11, 38:13, 109:2; Isa 53:7
He will be mocked, beaten, and scourged – Ps 22:7-8, 16, 35:15-21, 109:25; Isa 50:6
He will pray for his enemies – Ps 109:4
He will cry out to the Lord – Ps 22:1, 31:5
His belonging will be divided as spoil – Ps 22:18
He will ascend into Heaven and wait till God’s timing is right – Ps 16:11, 24:7, 68:18, 110:1, 118:19
He will save Judah and Israel and will be called THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS – Jer 23:6
He alone, shall judge the wicked of the world – Isa 63:3-6
Death and Resurrection:
He will be punished for our crimes. – 2 Sam 7:14; Isa 53:4-6, 12; Dan 9:26
He will die in the prime of life, voluntarily, and alongside criminals – Ps 18:4-6, 40:6-8, 89:45, 102:24
He will be crucified and pierced but not one bone will be broken. They will offer Him gall and vinegar – Ps 22:14,17, 69:21, 34:20
He will be buried in a rich man’s tomb – Is 53:9,12
He will be resurrected– Ps 16:8-10, 30:3, 41:10, 118:17; Hos 6:2
Office and Dominion:
He will be a Prince among His people – Eze 34:24
God will give Him all of creation to rule, and it will be eternal – Dan 2:44, 7:13-14; Ps 2:6-8, 8:6, 110:1-3, 45:6-7, 72:8
He will rule from David’s throne in Jerusalem, with, righteousness, justice, and fairness. He will be a fair and just King, avenger, savior – Isa 9:7, 32:1, 35:4
Everyone will obey Him – Gen 49:10
He will be like Melchizedek, king and high priest at once – Ps 110:4; Zech 3:8
He will carry His government on His shoulders. He will be wonderful, an adviser, a champion/hero God, everlasting father, Prince of Peace. He alone will found His kingdom on justice and order. All nations will gather to Him – Isa 9:6-7, 66:18
Total prophecies collected: 51
Who is the Messiah
The Messianic prophecies are like a jigsaw puzzle; many different pieces but only one way they fit together. There have been several people claiming to be the Messiah in Jewish history, but their legitimacy, or lack there of, is plain to see:
“The most basic reason for the Jewish denial of the messianic claims made on Jesus’ behalf is that he did not usher in world peace, as Isaiah had prophesied: “And nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore” (Isaiah 2:4). In addition, Jesus did not help bring about Jewish political sovereignty for the Jews or protection from their enemies.
“A century after Jesus, large numbers of Palestinian Jews followed the would-be Messiah, Simon Aroha, in a revolt against the Romans. The results were catastrophic, and the Jews suffered a devastating defeat. In 1665-1666, large segments of world Jewry believed that Shabbetai Zvi, a Turkish Jew, was the Messiah, and confidently waited for Turkey’s sultan to deliver Palestine to him. Instead, the sultan threatened Shabbetai with execution and the “Messiah” saved his life by converting to Islam.” - Jewish Virtual Library, "The Messiah"
The Jews looked for a messiah of their own creation. They overlooked the passages which said he would die, be buried and resurrected, and that Jerusalem would be destroyed and that the nation would accept a false-prince for a short period. They only looked for a military and political leader to satisfy their earthly needs. Lest you self-righteously judge the Jews for being callous and carnal, humanity has always wanted a “god” that would help us with our financial and material problems, but shunned the characteristics that mattered most like, righteousness, pure justice, and real love that both rewards and disciplines.
I will cut to the chase and ask the eternal question right up front: Is Jesus Christ really the Messiah?
Well, there are many who say that the Bible/God’s Word never calls Jesus, the Christ/Messiah, but that is not so. Keep in mind God says, “...by the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established.” – Deut 19:15b
An angel testifies that Jesus is our Savior and of the Holy Spirit – Matt 1:20-21
Gabriel testifies that that Jesus will be Son of God – Luke 1:31-35
Elizabeth testifies that Jesus is Lord – Luke 1:43
The Holy Spirit, through Zacharias, testifies that Jesus is our Salvation – Luke 1:67-80
An angel testifies that Jesus is the Messiah and savior – Luke 2:11
Holy Spirit Testifies that Jesus is the Messiah – Luke 2:26
Simeon Testifies that Jesus is God’s salvation – Luke 2:29-32
Peter testifies that Jesus is the Messiah, Son of God – Matt 16:16
Twice God says Jesus is His beloved Son – Matt 3:16; 17:5
Remember I said notice the green/italic text in the big list above? Those were all fulfilled by Jesus in His thirty-something years on Earth. Many of which He had no control over, like where and to whom He was born, the coming of the Magi, or John the Baptist proclaiming that all should repent.
According to my research, Jesus Christ fulfilled 40/51 prophecies. In other words, He fulfilled 78% of the requirements of the Messiah, and the remaining 22% pertain to the End Times/Day of the Lord, Millennial Kingdom, and Eternal State, which we are clearly nearing but not yet in.
Before you think this is some small feat. Consider the probabilities of one man fulfilling these prophecies:
Professor Peter W. Stoner was Chairman of the Departments of Mathematics and Astronomy at Pasadena City College and Chairman of the science division at Westmont College. In his book, Science Speaks, Professor Stoner outlines the mathematical probability of one person in the first century fulfilling just eight of the most clear and straightforward Messianic prophecies.
Josh and Sean McDowell quote Stoner in their book, Evidence That Demands a Verdict: “We find that the chance that any man might have lived down to the present time and fulfilled all eight prophecies is 1 in 1017 (1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000).”
In case you’re wondering, the Mega Millions had a $1.6 billon jackpot in October 2018, and the odds of winning it were merely 1 in 302,575,350. Stoner went on to calculate the probability of one person fulfilling 48 prophecies: 1 in 10157.
The red/normal text remains unfulfilled and pertains to Jesus’ Second Advent and the Messianic Kingdom. The epistles and the Book of Revelation of Jesus Christ reveal that we are in the dispensation known as the Church Age, a brief period before God turns His whole attention back to Israel. Praise God that He is not done with Israel, for many will be saved.
Jesus told us that that He came for one reason:
Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. – Luke 24:46-47
Paul explains why Jesus’ first advent was absolutely necessary:
When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break. Still, everyone died—from the time of Adam to the time of Moses—even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did.
Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come. But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin.
For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.
Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. – Romans 5:12-18 NLT
This is why Humanity needs a Messiah, and looking at the unmistakable evidence Jesus is that Messiah...
What will you do with this information now?
“Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision!” – Joel 3:14a
A decade or perhaps an hour from now you will die, and in that moment you will leave all your earthly goods and prestige behind and you will stand before the Holy and Just Yahweh-God. He will judge you on only one category, what crimes, trespasses, sins have you committed. And you will be sent to Hell and eternal separation from God, love, light, comfort, ect.
God’s Word says,
“For since the creation of the world His (God's) invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they (the unsaved humans) are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” – Romans 1:20-21
One of the topics Jesus taught on most was Hell. He wants us to know that Hell and Judgment is real. Why? Because He wants us to turn to Him and receive life.
But if you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior and repented of your sins while on Earth, it is an entirely different story.
Jesus will take the judgment stand in your place, and God will judge you by Jesus’ righteousness, and you’ll be acquitted and given eternal life and pleasure in God’s joyous presence. That is why Jesus will be called YAHWEH Tsidkenu (The LORD Our Righteousness). We are not righteous but He will be our righteousness.
Be honest with yourself and please stop deceiving yourself into Hell.
Can you still deny Jesus the Messiahship after all this unmistakable evidence? Do you still reject Him?
Or will you take Jesus’ free gift; a full pardon for your sins? We all need His mercy and grace.
The signs of the End Times, the storm clouds of the Great Tribulation, are on the horizon.
Jesus is coming for His remnant Church to take us to Himself in the clouds, an event called the Rapture. Be ready!
