Lamb of God

Prophecies Concerning Messiahs Birth Immanuel

“ Therefore the Lord Himselfshallgiveyou a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. ” (Isaiah 7:14)

This prophecy speaks of a man born of a woman, but independently of man, a biological impossibility.

But as God created the universe out of nothing and man from the dust of the ground, He could certainly bring about a virgin birth.

Immanuel Fulfilment

Six months after Elizabeth’s conception God sent the angel Gabriel to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin named Mary. Entering her home, Gabriel greeted Mary, telling her to rejoice! She was highly favored, the LORD was with her and she was blessed among women.

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Mary was shaken by the angel’s visitation and confused by his greeting; but the angelic visitor reassured Mary, saying that he had come with a message from God.

Mary would conceive and give birth to a Son. His name would be JESUS. He would be great and called the Son of God. The LORD God would give Him the throne of His ancestor David and He would rule over Jacobs’s house forever.

Mary believed the message but struggled to comprehend how it could be accomplished. Gabriel explained that the Holy Spirit would come upon her and she would conceive by the power of God.

Then Gabriel told Mary that her relative Elizabeth had conceived a son and she was now six months pregnant; even though she was old and everyone had thought she was barren.

Mary knew that her reputation would be at stake, but asking no questions, she humbly surrendered to the plan and purpose of God.

Witnesses Elizabeth And John

Soon afterwards, Mary visited Elizabeth her cousin. At the sound of another greeting, the baby jumped for joy in Elizabeth’s womb and she was filled with the Holy Spirit. Before Mary could share her news, Elizabeth already knew that she had been chosen to be the mother of the LORD.

She declared that Mary was blessed among women and the fruit of her womb was blessed. She marveled at the privilege of Marys’s visit and said those things promised to her would come to pass; because she had believed.

Prophecies Concerning A Forerunner

The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
“Prepare the way ofthe LORD;
Make straight in the desert
A highway for our God. ” (Isaiah 40:3)

“Behold, IsendMy messenger,
And he will prepare the way before Me.
And the Lord, whom you seek,
Will suddenly come to His temple,
Even the Messenger of the Covenant,
In whom you delight.
Behold, He is coming ”
Says the LORD of hosts. (Malachi 3:1)

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Prophecies concerning a forerunner, who would precede the coming of Messiah and prepare His way, were well known among Jews. After the time of the prophet Malachi, no other prophets had appeared in Israel and there was a period of silence lasting about 400 years.

Then John the Baptist came as God’s messenger, to prepare the people of Israel for the promised Messiah.

Prophecies Concerning A Forerunner Fulfillment

From 37 B.C. to 4 B.C. Judea, Samaria, and Galilee were governed by Rome. Herod the Great, half-Idumaean and half-Israelite, was appointed under Roman patronage and ruled as king over Judea.

The Jews deeply resented the Roman occupation and hated the ruthlessly ambitious King Herod. Their only hope for liberation was centered on God’s prophecies of a Messiah; a King who would reign over Israel forever on the throne of David.

During the time that King Herod was ruling in Judea, there was a certain priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. He and his wife were righteous Jews, who loved God and kept the requirements of the Law.

They had no children, as Elizabeth was barren and they were both old. One day, when Zechariah’s division was serving at the temple in Jerusalem, he was chosen by lot to burn incense to the LORD. This was a great honor, something that a priest could only do once in his career.

At the hour that the incense was offered and the people were praying outside the Temple, Zechariah was startled by the sudden appearance of an angel, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.

He would go before Messiah in the spirit and power of Elijah; to turn the people back to God and prepare them for His coming.

But Zechariah, temporarily forgetting God’s supernatural ability to fulfill His promises, looked at his natural circumstances and struggled to believe this incredible announcement.

The angel said that his name was Gabriel and that he had been sent by God. Because Zechariah had doubted his message, he would be mute until the promise was fulfilled.

Witnesses

The people waiting outside wondered why Zechariah was taking so long in the temple. When he came out he could not speak to them and they perceived he had seen a vision.

Witnesses Fulfillment

After Zechariah had completed his days of service at the temple, he returned home. Later his wife Elizabeth conceived and she withdrew for the first five months of her pregnancy.

When it was time for her to give birth, she had a boy and on the eighth day, they came to circumcise him. Everyone expected the baby to be named Zechariah, but Elizabeth said that his name was John.

Her relatives and neighbors were surprised; as it was the custom to name a child after a relative and no one in the family had that name. As Zechariah was deaf and mute they made signs to him, to find out what he would like the baby to be named.

Zechariah asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” Immediately Zechariah was able to talk again and began praising God. Everyone living in the Judea area was filled with awe at these events and wondered what this child would be; because the hand ofthe LORD was with him.

Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, declaring that God’s promise to send a Saviour from the family of David was now being fulfilled.

John would be called the prophet of the Highest because he would go before the LORD to prepare His way; giving knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of their sins.

The child grew and became strong in spirit. He lived in the desert until he came out to preach to Israel.

Prophecies Concerning Messiah’s Earthly Ancestry

Seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

“Blessed be the LORD,
The God of Shem,
And may Canaan be his servant.
May God enlarge Japheth,
And may he dwell in the tents of Shem;
And may Canaan be his servant.” (Genesis 9:26-27)

After the flood, when the earth was dried, God told Noah and his family to leave the ark. He also instructed him to bring out all the living creatures. Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and made a burnt offering.

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The sacrifice was pleasing and acceptable to God. He promised that He would not curse the earth again and destroy all living things with a flood.

He blessed Noah and his sons Shem, Ham, the father of Canaan, and Japheth; the fathers of three new nations after the Flood, populating the earth.

The Promised Messiah – Prophecies Fulfilled

Noah planted a vineyard and after becoming drunk on the wine, he lay uncovered in his tent. Ham looked at his father’s nakedness; but Shem and Japheth walked backward with a covering for their father, turning their faces to avoid seeing him.

Afterward, Noah blessed his sons Shem and Japheth. As Ham had already been blessed by God, Noah cursed him indirectly by cursing his son Canaan.

Shem is given precedence over Noah’s other sons and it was God’s choice that Messiah would come from the line of Shem, the Semitic race.

“I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
And will curse him who curses you;
And in you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:2-3)

God commanded Abram, a descendant of Shem, to leave his country, his family, and his tribe, for a land that He would show him. God blessed Abram and promised that he would become the father of a great nation.

Abram obeyed God and eventually became the father of the Jewish nation. God changed Abrams’s name to Abraham, meaning father of many nations. He is also the father of Ishmael and the Arab peoples, as well as people groups, descended from children borne to him by Keturah.

It was God’s foreordained plan that Messiah’s nationality would be Jewish and that He would be a blessing to all the nations on earth.

But God said to Abraham, “Do not let it be displeasing in your sight because ofthe labor because of your bondwoman. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called.” (Genesis 21:12)

Now Abraham had a firstborn son named Ishmael, who had been borne to him by his wife’s Egyptian handmaid Hagar. But there was enmity between Sarah and her son, and Ishmael and Hagar. So Sarah insisted that Abraham send them away.

Of course, Abraham loved Ishmael and was troubled about this. Then God spoke to him directly instructing him to listen to his wife. He would bless Ishmael and make him into a great nation.

The Promised Messiah – Prophecies Fulfilled

But it was His sovereign choice that the messianic line would continue through Isaac, the son of the promise.

“I see Him, but not now;
I behold Him, but not near;
A Star shall come out of Jacob;
A Scepter shall rise out ofIsrael,
And batter the brow of Moab,
And destroy all the sons of tumult. ” (Numbers 24:17)

Isaacs’s wife Rebekah was pregnant and her babies struggled together in the womb. So Rebekah asked the LORD what was happening. He told her that there

When Abraham and his wife Sarah were old, God promised them a son. Sarah miraculously conceived when she was well past the age of childbearing and Isaac was born.

Now Abraham had a firstborn son named Ishmael, who had been borne to him by his wife’s Egyptian handmaid Hagar. But there was enmity between Sarah and her son, and Ishmael and Hagar. So Sarah insisted that Abraham send them away.

Of course, Abraham loved Ishmael and was troubled about this. Then God spoke to him directly, instructing him to listen to his wife. He would bless Ishmael and make him into a great nation. But it was His. sovereign choice that the messianic line would continue through Isaac, the son of the promise.

“I see Him, but not now;
I behold Him, but not near;
A Star shall come out of Jacob;
A Scepter shall rise out ofIsrael,
And batter the brow of Moab,
And destroy all the sons of tumult. ” (Numbers 24:17)

Isaacs’s wife Rebekah was pregnant and her babies struggled together in the womb. So Rebekah asked the LORD what was happening.

He told her that there were two nations in her womb. One person would be stronger than the other and the older would serve the younger.

Esau was the first twin to be born and then Jacob, who grasped his brother’s heel. Esau grew and became a skillful hunter in the fields. But Jacob was a quiet man, dwelling in tents.

Esau despised his firstborn rights and sold them to Jacob for a bowl of stew He also married Hittite women who believed in many gods, causing his parents great distress.

When Isaac was dying, Rebekah encouraged Jacob to trick his father into giving him the firstborn blessing. This caused enmity between the brothers.

Fearing for Jacobs’s life, Rebekah sent him to her brother Laban in Haran. Yet it was God’s will that His promises to Abraham and Isaac would be inherited by Jacob, not his firstborn son Esau.

Jacob married Leah and Rachel, the daughters of Laban. Children were also borne to him by Rachel’s maidservant Bilhah and Leah’s maidservant Zilpah.

Jacobs’s life was very difficult, but God’s blessing was continually upon him. He changed Jacobs’s name to Israel, meaning ‘Prince with God.’

“ The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
Nor a lawgiver from between his feet,
Until Shiloh (Messiah) comes;
And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.” (Genesis 49:10, Author’s note)

In his last days, Jacob gathered his twelve sons around him and spoke to them individually. Beginning with his firstborn Reuben, he declared what would happen to them in the future.

Jacob praised Judah greatly, saying that he was like a mighty lion and would rise to leadership over the twelve sons. In blessing Judah, he predicted that a royal line would rise from his descendants and rule until Shiloh (Messiah) came.

Jacob also blessed and praised Joseph, the son who had been betrayed by his brothers. Joseph had developed great strength of character and the Mighty God of Jacob had been his protection.

He described Joseph as being separated to serve God’s holy purposes. God had selected Jacob’s son Judah, whose name means ‘Praise’. It was God’s choice that the Messiah King would come from the tribe of Judah.

Son Of David

Of the increase of His government and peace

There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this. (Isaiah 9:7)

There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, Anda Branch shall grow out of his roots. (Isaiah 11:1)

Led by Joshua, the children of Israel invaded Canaan, conquered the people, and took possession ofthe land. Each tribe of Israel received a portion of the land as their inheritance.

Under the godly leadership of Joshua, the Israelites were faithful to the God of Israel. After Joshua’s death, Israel was led by judges and during this period the Israelites turned from God’s law.

Everyone did what they considered to be right by their standards. For nearly four centuries there were repeated cycles of rebellion against God, leading to defeat by their enemies and then a return to God.

Samuel was the last judge and the first prophet. During his godly leadership, there was a transition from judges to kings. The Israelites no longer wanted God to reign over them; they wanted to be like the other nations and have a king to rule over them.

Saul was anointed by Samuel to be the first king of Israel. But, although His outward appearance was impressive, he was not fully obedient to God’s commandments. Eventually, God regretted that He had made Saul king.

God told Samuel to take anointing oil and go to Jesse the Bethlehemite; because He had chosen a king from one of his sons. From the many tribes of Judah, God chose David, the youngest son of Jesse; to be the anointed king of Israel and an ancestor of Messiah, the Eternal King.

Saul had lost God’s blessing and was jealous of David’s anointing. There was enmity between them throughout the remainder of Saul’s reign. The king continually persecuted David, until he died in battle with the Philistines.

The future king had to live as a fugitive, fighting for his survival. Yet David would not harm Saul, even when he was allowed to do so.

David was a courageous warrior and he gathered many followers during his years of exile. The LORD sees what is inside the heart of man and He knew that David loved Him wholeheartedly.

After Saul’s death, David was anointed by the men of Judah as their king. He reigned over them in Hebron for seven and a half years. Then he was anointed as king over all the tribes of Israel. From Jerusalem, David reigned over all of Israel and Judah for thirty-three years.

Fulfillment And Evidence

Jews kept meticulous records and all public registers were carefully preserved. Two genealogies are recorded in the Bible concerning Jesus’ birth.

Matthew’s Gospel records Jesus’ genealogy from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and traces His legal inheritance line through David’s son Solomon.

Luke’s Gospel records Jesus’ genealogy from Joseph, all the way back to Adam, and His royal bloodline through Nathan, another son of David.

It could be that Matthew traced Joseph’s line and Luke traced Mary’s line. Joseph and Mary were most probably of the same tribe and family, according to Jewish Law (Numbers 36:8).

The First Prophecy Concerning Messiah

Seed of a Woman

“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, emphasis added)

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God had told Adam and Eve that they could eat the fruit from every tree in the Garden of Eden, with one exception. He warned them not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that was in the middle of the garden; if they ate its fruit they would die.

He also questioned God’s motives for the restriction; saying that He knew their eyes would be opened when they ate and they would become like God, knowing good and evil.

Satan initiated the temptation to disobey God and ignore His warning, and listening to Satan’s skillful lies led to rebellion against God’s commandment. Because of what he had done, the serpent was cursed by God.

He also declared that there would be enmity between Satan and the woman; and between Satan’s seed and the woman’s Seed.

Her Seed would eventually defeat Satan’s seed, but Satan would cause Him great suffering. As Biblical society was strictly patriarchal and generations were traced through fathers and sons, the phrase ‘her Seed’ is unique.

Prophecy Concerning A Sacrificial Lamb

The Lamb of God

And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for
Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” (Genesis 22:8, emphasis added)

Adam and Eve sinned against God when they rebelled against His commandment. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree ofthe garden you may freely eat; but of the tree ofthe knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Genesis 2:16-17, emphasis added).

Sin and death entered humanity through their disobedience and man’s nature became evil. Adam and Eve were ashamed of their nakedness and hid from God’s presence.

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The serpent, Satan’s tool, was cursed by God for instigating their sin. God also made a promise to Satan, that a Deliverer would come and destroy his evil works.

God did not excuse Eve’s sin because she was deceived. He said that she would conceive and bear children in pain. And her husband would rule over her.

God cursed the ground because of Adam’s sin. Thorns and thistles sprang up in the earth and Adam would experience heavylabourin providing food from the fields. Then he would eventually die and return to the dust of the earth from which he was made.

Yet God also showed Adam and Eve mercy. They had tried to cover their nakedness, but their self-efforts were inadequate. Before banishing them from the Garden of Eden, God made them clothing from animal skins; the first shedding of blood to provide covering.

The two sons of Eve brought offerings to God. Cain was a farmer and brought some of the produce of his toil. Abel was a shepherd and in faith, he offered a sacrificed lamb, the firstborn of his flock.

Abel’s offering was accepted by God. But God did not respect Cain and his offering. So Cain was very angry and, turning in enmity against Abel, he lured his brother into a field and murdered him.

He would be sacrificed to make sinners righteous before God, enabling them to have an intimate relationship with Him. Him and restoring what was lost by sin in the Garden of Eden.

God commanded Abraham to take his son Isaac and go to the land of Moriah, and offer Isaac there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that God would show him. So Abraham obeyed and went to the place God had told him about, a three-day journey.

Abraham told his servants to stay with the donkeys, while he and Isaac went to worship God. Then Abraham made a remarkable statement of faith, he said that they would return.

As God had promised to create a nation through Isaac, Abraham reasoned that if he had to kill his son, God would bring him back to life.

The young man Isaac carried the wood for the burnt offering; Abraham carried the fire and the knife. As they went off together, Isaac asked his father where the lamb was for the sacrifice. And Abraham said that God Himself would provide the lamb for a burnt offering.

At the place God had appointed, Abraham built an altar and placed the wood on top. Then he tied Isaac and laid him on the wood. Just as Abraham was reaching for his knife, the Angel of the LORD called his name and commanded him to stop.

Then Abraham saw a ram caught in a bush by its horns and he sacrificed it as a burnt offering, instead of Isaac.

Abraham had passed an extreme test of faith in not withholding his son, proving that he trusted God completely and would fully obey His commandments. Therefore God promised to bless him and give him many descendants.

In this literal event, there was also a picture of a future event. The Messiah, Lamb of God, would be a burnt offering for the sins of all mankind.

“Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. ” (Exodus 12:13).

Pharaoh had obstinately refused every command of God to release the Israelites from their slavery in Egypt. As he continued to resist God, the series of warning plagues in Egypt became increasingly severe.

God sent Moses with a final warning. Every firstborn of the people and animals in the land of Egypt would die, but all the children of Israel would be saved from this disaster. Yet even then, Pharaoh would not relent.

God gave Moses instructions that would separate and preserve the children of Israel from God’s judgment. Every man should take a healthy male lamb for his family.

At twilight, on the fourteenth day ofthe first month, they were to kill the lamb and daub some of its blood on the doorposts of their houses. The meat was to be roasted and eaten with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. They were to eat it in a hurry, dressed ready to leave.

God would pass through the land of Egypt that night and kill all the firstborn animals and people. He would also bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. But when He saw the blood of the lamb on the houses He would pass over and the plague would not destroy them.

God ordained that the Passover feast was to be celebrated annually, and the story of God’s protection and deliverance was to be faithfully related to each new generation.

After the LORD went through the land and killed the firstborn, Pharaoh released the children of Israel. Moses led them out of his kingdom, to serve the LORD God of Israel.

Afterwards, Pharaoh regretted that he had released his former slaves and pursued them to the Red Sea. But God miraculously parted the waters and made a way through the sea for His people to cross over.

When they were safely on the other side, He brought the waters back together, drowning their enemies.

This actual event, when the blood of a lamb on the wooden doorposts of the Israelite’s houses saved them from death, was also a picture of a future event.

The atoning blood of the Messiah, shed on the wooden cross of His crucifixion, would separate and preserve from judgment all those who believed in Him, securing their eternal salvation.

Fulfillment

When Zechariah’s son John finally burst onto the scene, prepared for his unique role, and filled with the Holy Spirit, there was an excited and fervent messianic expectancy among the people.

Eager crowds flocked to hear his fearless and fiery message of repentance, and many were baptized by him.

The Jewish leaders sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask John who he was, and he told them that he was not the Messiah, or Elijah, or the Prophet.

Under further pressure to identify who he was, John the Baptist claimed that he was the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy. He said I am:

The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
“Prepare the way ofthe LORD;
Make straight in the desert highway for our God.” (Isaiah 40:3)

Then the Pharisees questioned his authority to baptize. John answered that he baptized with water; but there was One standing among them who came after him, yet was higher in rank and he was not worthy to untie His sandals.

John was witnessing the pre-existence of Jesus. He was six months older than his cousin, yet he stated that Jesus was before him.

Witness John The Baptist

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” ( John 1:29, emphasis added).

Immediately after Jesus’ baptism, He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and nights and afterwards, He was hungry.

The tempter came to Him, saying, that if He was the Son of God, He should turn the stones into bread. But Jesus said: “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. (Matthew 4:4, Deuteronomy 8:3)

Then the devil took Him to Jerusalem and put Him on top of the temple there, and said, “If You are the Son ofGod, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands, they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’’ (Matthew 4:5, Psalm 91:11, 12)

Jesus answered, “It is written again, ‘ You shall not tempt the LORD your God.”’ (Matthew 4:7, Deuteronomy 6:16)

Then the devil took Him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world. He said that he would give them all to Jesus if He would fall and worship him.

Jesus said, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve. (Matthew 4:10, Deuteronomy 6:13)

Then Satan left Jesus, and angels came and took care of Him.

Adam had failed when tested, but Jesus triumphed over temptation. Just as the lamb for the Passover feast had to be spotless, Jesus remained undefiled by sin. He resisted and defeated Satan with the Word of God.