Wednesday: Old Testament Prophecies of Jesus: Part II
Daily Lesson for Wednesday 20th of November 2024
Jesus said to the religious leaders: “ ‘You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me’ ” (John 5:39, NKJV). What an incredible claim to make about Himself!
Estimates vary, but some scholars argue that Jesus of Nazareth fulfilled hundreds of Old Testament prophecies. Whatever the amount, the odds against one man’s fulfilling even a few of them, much less them all, are staggering. Every now and then someone will use an image like this: imagine filling an area the size of Texas with coins two feet high and painting one coin pink and then mixing them all up.
Image © Lars Justinen at Goodsalt.com
Then give a blindfolded person one chance to pick the pink coin. What are the odds that, with one pick, he or she would get the pink one?
No question—Christ’s birth, life, and death were predicted by the Old Testament, stunning evidence of His identity as the expected Messiah. John points to these Old Testament texts again and again to make that very point about who Jesus was, and also, why we should believe in Him and accept the salvation He offers.
What do each of the following passages from John’s Gospel reveal about Jesus as a fulfillment of Messianic prophecy?
John 12:13, Psalms 118:26
John 12:14-15; Zechariah 9:9
John 13:18, Psalms 41:9
John 19:37, Zechariah 12:10, Zechariah 13:6
How firmly grounded are you in what you believe? If someone were to challenge you on why you believe in Jesus as the Messiah, what answers could you give? Where would you go, and why, to help defend that faith?
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It is easy for us to look at these prophecies and their fulfillment with the "Aha! Therefore God exists" frame of mind. We must remember that we Christians are already predisposed to believing this. Because our purpose for being here is to present Jesus to those who do not already believe (that is what spreading the Gospel is all about), it is important to think how to make this meaningful to unbelievers.
With this in mind, I am reading the relevant chapters in C S Lewis's book, "Reflections on the Psalms". Chapters 10, 11, and 12. I am still reading and am being illuminated by what I am finding here. It is still too early for me to provide a summary (and I am very busy today - I have to take my youngest grandson for his first driving test). So, I have included a link to a free copy of the book in various formats.
I will try to provide a reaction comment later in the week, but if anyone else has the time to read these chapters and comment before I do, I will be very happy. I would really like to see some "out-of-the-box" thinking on this topic because the messianic prophecies are part of the key to Jesus's credibility as the Messiah.
Here is the link to the free version: Faded pages: "Reflections on the Psalms". It comes in several formats including pdf.
Good Happy Wednesday 😀 🌞 🌄 Morning, Mr Maurice Ashton.
I would kindly inquire where the "a link to a free copy of the book in various format" is ???
Click on "Reflections in the Pslams" which is in his post.
Is not it reassuring that The Son of God had a plan, a plan to redeem a fallen world. The Father and Son planned far enough in advance to make it known beyond a shadow of a doubt what to expect. We know from Old Testement reading that He told us His plan. Then it was evidenced that some knew the plan. Harod went to the priest to find out where Jesus was born. And I do believe that Zachriah and Elizebeth knew the plan. And Anna at Christ birth must have known the plan also. And several others that were not mentioned knew the real plan. It would behove us to know the plan for us to come.
I started reading Chapter X. Second Meaning. Right off the bat C.S.Lewis tells us what we believe. Is that not brainwashing? However I believe he is right. We do believe that the Psalms contains a two fold significance or second meaning if you prefer. I shall read the rest of chapter X in my due time. Thank-you Maurice for pointing that out today and before with your verses in Psalm chapter 22.
I do believe that if we study the Scriptures with the counsel of the Holy Spirit, Who gives clarity and understanding and meaning to the same; we can discern truth from error. We must, however not tread on grounds that are unfamiliar too long, therefore gaining information that has no relevance to our growth in Christ. Of course "Knowledge is Power" but that Power should come from He who gives it wisely.
🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏
Faith is something very personal. Faith involves relationships. The relationship involves experience. The experience requires evidence. The very root of the word is unquestionable. Faith is to believe in something that you can't see! The best evidence must be the change that faith has done in a person's life.
Hello JC! Faith is indeed personal and involves a relationship. There has to be a reason for faith and the greatest reason is a relationship that has been tried and tested over time.
Christian Singer and Songwriter, Michael Card, put it this way in his song, "That's What Faith Must Be";
Thank you, Tim - this is a beautiful statement of/for/about faith!
There are many who do not believe in the Bible. Providing Biblical proof does not mean anything whether it comes from the New Testament or the Old.
Asking the Holy Spirit to guide us, it's important for us to study the scriptures, learning all we can, so that when the Spirit urges us to speak to a seeking soul, we will be prepared to answer.
Our Church is extremely blessed in that we believe in the historicist interpretation of prophecy. Although I've been an Adventist for 44 years, the majority of my friends are not. Three days ago one of them sent me a link to watch a prominent Baptist preacher explain the 70 week prophecy of Daniel 9.
I jotted down just a few of the many expressions and phrases used in the presentation. They were as follows; I think, must be it sounds like, I don't know, if this is the case, I don't understand, it must be, I am thinking, probably, that's what I think, it sounds like, I don't know, maybe, and might be, are just a sample. Needless to say, I wasn't convinced with all the speculation.
I don't want to come across as "a know it all", but if you are someone who believes in the historical interpretation of prophecy consider yourself extremely blessed of God. You can't argue with history. What we believe just makes too much sense!
Hello Alfred! Yes the Historicist hermeneutic of prophecy makes the most logical sense. It is the method that the Reformers believed because it was the only model until the Counter-Reformation by the Jesuits brought out the Preterist and Futurist methods to "muddy the waters" and deflect attention from Rome. The Futurist hermeneutic is the most popular in Evangelical Christianity along with some sprinkling of Preterism. Prophetic timelines are all conjecture and speculation using those methods. In that respect the Counter-Reformation succeeded.
My first exposure to prophecy before becoming Seventh-day Adventist was Hal Lindsey's book, "The Late Great Planet Earth." It didn't make any sense to me. It was like trying to beat a square peg into a round hole. When I first learned the Historicist Method it clicked, and made perfect sense.
I woke up this morning with the song
Hark the Herald Angels Sing in my head
which has sooo much of a synopsis on the recent Sabbath School lessons.
A lot of the Christmas hymns tell not only about Jesus's birth, but of the Gospel as well, especially in the verses past the first
Thanks Maurice for the link,I'll get time in the morning to go through it tomorrow.
Where is the link?
In Maurice’s comment above.
Prophecies – are they more important or relevant than the Word of God? When focusing on His prophecies, do we discount the importance of learning to trust His Word? The Scriptures contain many more statements warning, encouraging, teaching the Hebrews how to remain faithful then there are prophecies.
Does focusing on 'understanding prophecies’ diverge from fully understanding the practical, but spiritually based, implications contained in the Word of God? Since we believe that “Jesus is the fulfillment of Messianic prophecy” – what do we do with that? Where do we go from here? Do we engage in what we know?
I consider everything contained in the holy Scripture focusing on God’s teachings and admonitions toward increasing faith in His Word to be of equal value as His prophecies. The prophecies and His Word are useless unless they are applied purposefully toward the strengthening of ones commitment to remain faithful to our God in practical ways.
Hello Brigitte! Prophecies are an important part of the Word of God. Jesus prophesied that He was returning to the Father in John 14. In John 14:29 He gave the reason why He told them. Prophecy, rightly understood confirms the veracity of the Word of God, and solidifies our faith. It is not any more or less important than any other scripture. We are to live by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God. (Matthew 4:4) If only every Christian did that, there would probably be more people won to Christ. 2Tim. 3:16 says all scripture... that pretty much covers it all. Prophecy not excluded.
I believe in the Scriptures - I wouldn't be here if I didn't, but I feel I need to play devil's advocate a bit here. The pink coin illustration works very well until you remember that all the prophecies and fulfillments are in one book. And to many people, that is not convincing. They would argue that of course the prophesies were fulfilled because the New Testament writers wrote about Jesus to make it all work. They don't trust either Testament as reliable. And while they might believe Jesus existed, they don't believe the Bible truly reflects who He was.
Now I don't agree with that and there are certainly arguments to support trusting that the accounts are accurate, but even if they are, so what? Does it really matter? Does it change our lives? That's the true proof that can never be countered.
I can defend the faith until I'm blue in the face, but I tend to agree with what Maurice has said many times. If my life doesn't show changes, why would anyone care how "true" my proofs are?
I thank God for the word of prophecy. It strengthens my faith and gives me reason to believe.
I think we have enough “direct and obvious” Messianic prophecies to believe in Jesus. Nevertheless, I also feel that we sometimes exaggerate some scriptures to become prophecies and I find that this does not increase faith; it only creates room for doubt to an objective mind. The council to neither add nor subtract from the Lord’s instruction may not be any less relevant now and here than when it was first given.
Thank you to everyone that has emphasized the need to have all this studying translate into beautiful lives of the saved, Amen.