The first prophecy is that Messiah would be preceded by Elijah.
5 “See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. 6 He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.” Malachi 4:5-6
God was exhorting the Israelites to turn their hearts back to Him or else He would strike the land with destruction. Elijah was the Old Testament prophet who confronted King Ahab and Israel when they turned away from worshiping God and were worshiping Baal. This prophecy means that God would send a prophet that would precede the Messiah and pave the way for Him. He would exhort the Israelites to follow Messiah. This verse was fulfilled in the New Testament.
11 Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence,[d] and violent people have been raiding it. 13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. 14 And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. Matthew 11:11-13
The second prophecy is similar to the first, Messiah would be preceded by a messenger.
3 A voice of one calling:
“In the wilderness prepare
the way for the Lord[a];
make straight in the desert
a highway for our God.[b]
4 Every valley shall be raised up,
every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
the rugged places a plain.
5 And the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
and all people will see it together.
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” Isaiah 40:3-5
This was fulfilled in the book of Luke in the New Testament:
2 during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:
“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.
5 Every valley shall be filled in,
every mountain and hill made low.
The crooked roads shall become straight,
the rough ways smooth.
6 And all people will see God’s salvation.’”[a]
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.
5 Every valley shall be filled in,
every mountain and hill made low.
The crooked roads shall become straight,
the rough ways smooth.
6 And all people will see God’s salvation.’”[a]
7 John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers!Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 9 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”
10 “What should we do then?” the crowd asked.11 John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”
12 Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”
13 “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them.
14 Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”
He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.” 15 The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah. 16 John answered them all, “I baptize you with[b] water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with[c] the Holy Spirit and fire. Luke 3:2-15
From these verses it is clear that John is a prophet calling the people to prepare themselves for the Messiah that was coming.
The third prophecy is that Messiah would be a prophet.
15 The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him. 16 For this is what you asked of theLord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the Lord our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die.”
17 The Lord said to me: “What they say is good. 18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him. 19 I myself will call to accountanyone who does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name. Deuteronomy 18:15-19
This prophecy occurred during the time of Moses, he was giving the people the law that they were to obey in obedience to God. This prophecy of a future prophet was in response to their fear of death from hearing the voice of God or of seeing His fire.
The fulfilment of this prophecy is found in the gospels, or the first four books of the New Testament. Also this verse in Acts:
22 For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. 23 Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from their people.’[a] Acts 3:22-23
What is a prophet? This is the dictionary definition of a prophet: A person regarded as an inspired teacher or proclaimer of the will of God. Looking back at the life of Jesus we can definitely see that he was a prophet. Even other religions, such as the Muslims agree that Jesus was a prophet.
The fourth prophecy is that Messiah would be called a Nazarene. There is no place in the Old Testament where Messiah is literally referred to as a Nazarene, the word Nazarene is derived from the Hebrew word "nester" which means "branch", "flower", or "offshoot".
A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might,
the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord— Isaiah 11:1-2
8 “‘Listen, High Priest Joshua, you and your associates seated before you, who are men symbolic of things to come: I am going to bring my servant, the Branch.9 See, the stone I have set in front of Joshua! There are seven eyes[b] on that one stone, and I will engrave an inscription on it,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will remove the sin of this land in a single day. Zechariah 3:8-9
The fulfillment of this prophecy would be found in Matthew.
23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene. Matthew 2:23
We know that Jesus is a branch from the line of King David and in Hebrew he would be called "Nazar", Matthew extends this word to Nazarene.
In the fifth prophecy Messiah would bring light to Galilee.
Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—
2 The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned. Isaiah 9:1-2
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned. Isaiah 9:1-2
This is fulfilled in Matthew:
12 When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee.13 Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— 14 to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:
15 “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles—
16 the people living in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned.”[f]
the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles—
16 the people living in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned.”[f]
17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Matthew 4:12-17
Jesus began his ministry in Galilee. They were the first to hear his message of repentance and he called his first disciples who were fishermen in Galilee.
I will continue the prophecies of Messiah's life in the next post. If you have read through the prophecies that I have posted about Messiah's birth and life you will see that they were ALL fulfilled in Jesus. The odds are too great that these prophecies being fulfilled in one person are a coincidence. It is obvious that Jesus must be the Messiah, and if he is the Messiah what does that mean for you? Have you put your trust in him? If not, you can pray a simple prayer and ask him to be the Lord of your life. There is no official prayer and you don't have to go anywhere to pray it, you can pray it where you are. Here is an example:
Heavenly Father, in Jesus' name I confess that I have sinned and ask for forgiveness. I ask that Jesus come into my heart and become my Lord and Savior. I believe Jesus died for my sins and was raised from the dead.
Thank You Father for saving me in Jesus' name. Amen.
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