The New Book: “The Prophecies of the Messiah,” is a 4,042 page treatise on the 400 Old Testament Prophecies that Jesus fulfilled in the narrative of the New Testament. at Amazon Kindle eBooks.

A Personal Application

There are countless books on the subject of Bible Prophecy. Most former publications are centered on the study of prophecies which concern the last days of earth.

This book is about how the Hebrew prophecies that Jesus fulfilled, are personally applied to your life.

Most people do not realize that everything that Jesus fulfilled, also has a wonderful principle behind it. These illustrations are not simply dry prophecies with a scholarly explanation, but real hard facts of life, which enhance and encourage anyone who will read them.

Most of the text of this book is devoted to encouraging the reader in their everyday life. As the Messiah, Jesus displayed such stunning wisdom in all of the circumstances of His life—the wise will study and emulate Him in all He said and did.

Even if you know very little about the Bible and find the entire subject of Christianity a mystery, the Prophecies of the Messiah will bring both into clear view. The practical points of the Messiah’s prophecies, give us wisdom in how to live a life that is full of peace, hope, and contentment. The life that the Messiah has displayed for us during His short time on earth, reveals a manner of living that is in complete opposition to the world in which we live. The Messiah shows us how wrong the world is in the way that it views human beings and how they are treated.

It is the way in which Jesus spoke to people and the manner in which He treated those that He met, that is of greatest interest. In this, we observe how God feels about us and the tender care and compassion that He has for all people.

The Messiah reveals a life that is founded on a new beginning, a life that this world could never impart to us. In the world, once you have failed, you are often set aside and forgotten. The Messiah shows us how failure is not the end of our life, it is an opportunity for a wonderful new beginning. The way that the Messiah has chosen for us—He has also prepared. This is a path that is guided by His wisdom, comforted by His compassion, and directed by His knowledge of all that is ahead. It is in the Prophecies of the Messiah that we find this way into a new life.

In matters of personal relationships, Jesus was a master a grace, mercy, and love.

See Prophecy 187

On every occasion when a person came to Jesus with a great need, He always showed them mercy. We see this vividly illustrated with the woman caught in the act of adultery, in John 8:3-11. Though the law clearly called for her and the man to be stoned to death, Jesus drove away all her accusers and showed great mercy to this woman.[1]

When the two blind men, in Matthew 9:27-30, asked Jesus for mercy, He touched their eyes and restored their sight.

Jesus constantly reminded the Scribes and the Pharisees that the heart of God’s law was mercy. Even when His own disciples broke the law of the Sabbath and harvested grain as they walked through a wheat field, Jesus did not condemn them, since their need for mercy was greater than the law.

Hosea 6:6 For I desire mercy and not sacrifice…

Jesus never lowered the requirements of the Law of God, He showed us what its true purpose was. All of God’s law was designed to benefit man and be a blessing, not to prevent us from obtaining the necessities of our life. If you have a need, you can be confident that Jesus is able to meet that requirement. If you have sinned and feel that you cannot possibly be forgiven, Jesus will forgive you. The forgiveness that He offers is not a temporary relief from guilt but a total cleaning of the conscience and absolute peace for the soul.

In the future earthly kingdom in which Jesus will rule, no one will hurt or kill anyone—ever again. There will be universal justice, fairness and righteousness over the whole earth. Jesus’ authority will be absolute and final, and no one will have the ability to take peace or righteousness from the earth ever again.

Go and learn

Whenever the Rabbis were teaching their students and it was apparent that a student was missing the true meaning of a verse, the Rabbi would say: “Go and learn.” What he meant by this was that the student needed further study to gain the true intent of that particular scripture. Jesus may have been a little sarcastic in His remarks to the Pharisees, who were often void of all understanding when it came to the word of God and how to rightly apply it to a given situation.

Matthew 9:13 But go and learn what this means: “I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

In the Hebrew language, mercy is hesed, which is “love by covenant.” It is a love which is exercised in the real and practical terms of action towards another person. If someone is hungry, mercy is shown to that person and we give them food. Unlike the Pharisaical law of the Sabbath, no matter what day it is, a hungry person is given food. A person caught in a terrible abusive marriage does not need the pastor’s recitation of the divorce and adultery clause of the law; that person needs mercy. A woman caught in the act of adultery, with a large group of stone throwing angry men, does not need a lecture on adultery. Someone needs to save her from the horde who is seeking to take her life. After the mob is gone, Jesus tells the woman that she is not to sin in this regard again.

This verse that Jesus quotes from, in Matthew 9:13 above, was spoken by the prophet Hosea (6:6). It was addressed to those who were pretending to love God by rituals but had no true heart in following after Him. By using this verse in the presence of the Pharisees: “Go and learn,” Jesus may have been implying that they were the very same people whom Hosea was addressing in his condemnation of the Hypocrisy of certain people during Hosea’s ministry. Those who heard Hosea’s words were like the Pharisees who were concerned with only the outward appearance and the external keeping of the law. They had neglected the more important matter: a changed heart, which should always comes first.

We can lead people closer to God by our kindness and mercy or we can push them away by our self righteousness and condemnation. What most people need during a time a distress is our mercy. Show love and be kind and you will find that people will respond to the love of God which transcends all human failure.

See Prophecy 332

If we are as loving, graceful, and merciful as the Lord—whom we claim to follow, then those who come into contact with us will be attracted to Jesus by our good nature—which we have received from the Lord. As seasoning makes food taste good, we make the taste of Jesus interesting and desirable when people observe in us the very nature and behavior of Jesus, in great love, graciousness, and mercy.

In knowing how to answer those who come against us with evil intents, Jesus displayed remarkable wisdom.

See Prophecy 142

Psalms 110:1a The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”

Matthew 22:41-45 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?” … If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his Son?”

The fact that Jesus is both David’s son and his Lord is confirmed by Jesus’ question to the Pharisees: “How can the coming Christ, the Messiah, be both David’s Son and his Lord?”

When Jesus asks this question of the religious leadership of Israel, no one was able to answer Him. This is because it was generally accepted by the Jews that Psalms 110:1 was speaking of the Messiah. If the Messiah is both a son and Lord, He must also be God and man. The idea that God could be dwelling within the person of Jesus Christ, was a reality that was totally unacceptable to the leaders of Israel. Yet, this is exactly what David was predicting when he penned Psalms 110:1.

As Jesus presents their own scriptures, which clearly prove that the Messiah will be both a human being—as He is David’s descendant—and the Lord of heaven, the Pharisees are confounded. They realize that Jesus is claiming to be the one whom David speaks of. As a result, these men are perplexed as to what they should do with Jesus. He accurately interprets David’s true intent when He wrote this Psalm—Yet the reality that Jehovah could be standing before them in the form of a man, was beyond their ability to accept or comprehend.

In making God known so that any person could easily comprehend what He is like and what He desires for our life, Jesus display of God’s true nature and heart, is unparalleled.

See Prophecy 226

Until Jesus came in fulfillment of the Messiah, no one had ever seen God face to face. Moses had earnestly desired to see the face of God but was told by Him: No man can see My face and live.

Exodus 33:18-19 And Moses said, “Please, show me Your glory.” Then the Lord said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.”

Jesus came as God, veiled in human flesh, with the full intensity of God’s glory hidden within Jesus. If Jesus had removed the veil of His flesh to reveal to the world His full glory, the light of that glory would have consumed every person on the planet.

When Phillip asked Jesus to show him the Father, Jesus said: He who has seen me has seen the Father. In other words: “Phillip, if you have seen me, you have seen God” (John 14:8-10, above).

If you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus. If you want to hear the words of God, listen to Jesus. The fullness of God is revealed in Jesus Christ, not in a mystical way but literally dwelling within Jesus. The mystery of the ages is that God could dwell within the body of a man.

1 Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.

We might consider how it is possible that the eternal God could become a human being. Not that it is too hard for Him, but how unreasonable it is for Him. Why would He bother? He has no need of us. He is not lacking in anything. He has no requirement for human fellowship. What was His reason for becoming one of us and dying in such a horrendous manner?

It must be that He could do nothing else.

Everything that is good and right and perfect, is complete in God. He can only perform those things that are a part of His perfect nature. He created the universe for the specific purpose of making an environment whereby He could display His great power and all of His wonderful attributes.

We imagine that because the universe is so immense and contains so much space with such a great number of possibilities for life, that there must be life in places other than earth. We are thinking as a man thinks, not as God thinks. God was not interested in seeding the universe with life; He was inspired to display His Glory to one specific creation, on one single planet.

Scientists generally agree that the environment necessary to make life possible is extremely rare and require a tremendous balance of certain conditions in order for life, as we know it here on earth, to be possible.

The Book of Romans describes the fact that God is known and understood by the things He has made.

Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead…

With this in mind, it is reasonable to conclude that the purpose of life on earth, with its existence dependent on many finely tuned absolutes, is for the express purpose of displaying the power, beauty, order, design, and love of God.

This morning, I took a walk in the sunshine here in Paradise Valley, Arizona, where I live on occasion. I was awestruck by the tremendous beauty and wonder of living on a planet with such a perfect environment for my absolute enjoyment. People everywhere are consumed by their electronic gadgets and other material goods, while the greatest wonder is a bright sunny day against a deep blue sky, painted with green trees, majestic mountains and the vast diversity of life. The existence of God is displayed before us in everything that surrounds us—constantly. We know that the creator of iPhone exists because we are holding one in our hands. In the same way, on a much grander scale, we know that God exists because we see the work of His hands, as we observe His mighty creative power, while living on His earth.

Jesus said: “If you want to know what God is like, look at Me, listen to Me, and watch what I do.”

Jesus controlled every circumstance of His life. The time when He would be announced as the Messiah, the day of His death, the day He would rise, and the specific circumstances for how He would suffer and die.

Prophecy 24
Prophecy 36
Prophecy 96

One of the most extraordinary Prophecies of the Messiah, describes the circumstances which surround His brutal treatment. Despite being beaten beyond recognition as a human being, Hebrew prophets: Moses, and David reveal that not one of the bones of the Messiah shall be broken…

When the Roman soldiers came to break the legs of Jesus in order to hasten His death, they found that He was already dead. These men unknowingly became instruments in fulfilling the three prophecies of the Old Testament which specifically state that the bones of the Passover Lamb could not be broken.

It seems that this specific aspect of the Messiah’s death is of particular importance to the Lord, as it is reported in three different prophecies. Upon examination of the circumstances surrounding this event, we can see why.

The purpose of these many Old Testament predictions is to validate the identity of the one who is the true Messiah. The source who revealed to us that that the legs of the Messiah would not be broken would have to know in advance that there would be two other men who were also being crucified on the same day. He would need to know that the crucifixion of the Messiah was going to happen on Passover, the day before the Sabbath. As a result of the specific day in which this would take place, the bodies of these men could not remain on their crosses past 6 p.m., on the day of their execution. The only way to make certain that the condemned could be removed before the beginning of the Sabbath at 6 p.m., was to accelerate their death by breaking the lower portion of their legs at the shin bone, so that lifting themselves to breath would be impossible.

The fact that both criminals would have their legs broken, while those of the Messiah would be left intact, is a remarkable piece of information, considering that in about 90 percent of all crucifixions, the executioners did not break the legs of those on the cross.[2] The author of this prophecy knew in advance that this particular crucifixion would occur just before the start of the Jewish Sabbath which would require the legs of the crucified to be broken, yet leave the bones of the Messiah unbroken. These specific facts were in direct fulfillment of Exodus 12:46, Numbers 9:12, and Psalms 34:20.

“Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.”[3]

This specific detail allows us to understand that the fulfillment of this prophecy was extremely difficult. The fact that every event did occur perfectly as Moses and David wrote, calls for our consideration. When Jesus fulfilled the words of these three prophecies precisely, this reality leaves us with no other conclusion except—He is the person these prophecies were written for.

Exodus 12:46 and Numbers 9:12 were written 1,500 years before Jesus was born. Psalm 34:20 was written 1,000 years before Jesus was born.

In order for any person to be the true Messiah, He would have to fulfill the requirements of the Passover Lamb. When God told Moses what the specific details for the sacrifice were, He had in mind the time when His Son would come to earth 1,500 years later and be our Passover Lamb. God included the details of this procedure in His instructions to Moses in both Exodus and Numbers—in anticipation of the time when Jesus would arrive. The fact that the legs of the Messiah would not be broken, while those of the two men would, is an extraordinary revelation. To fulfill this requirement Jesus knew that He would have to die before the Roman soldiers came to break the legs of the two other men. In order to accomplish this, Jesus would need to have power over life and death, so that He could command His spirit to depart His body, before the soldiers came to break His legs.

Jesus had to know every detail in advance

How is it possible to write in describing these explicit details unless the author had actually seen the events take place before they happened? This is truly an incredible prediction when we consider the extreme difficulty in causing the many specific details required to bring about this prophetic fulfillment.

Jesus was not a helpless condemned man dying on a cross with no control over anything that happened to Him. He not only told Moses to write this prediction, 1,500 years before these events took place, He controlled the specific way in which He died to insure the precise outcome. Jesus exhibits stunning control over all these circumstances—so that His bones would not be broken, in fulfillment of these three prophecies.

Let us imagine for just a moment that the timing of any one of the events concerning the crucifixion had been altered in the slightest. Let us say that the beating that Jesus received by scourging was just slightly more severe. The pressure from the strikes against His body just a little harder. What if the soldier beating Jesus with the scourge had hit a vital organ with the metal pieces of the scourge, causing it’s failure? Jesus may have died before He even made it to the cross. What if Jesus did not have the ability to control the precise moment that His Spirit departed His body? He would still be alive when the soldiers came to break the legs of the other men, and His legs would have also been broken. These simple changes in the entire process would have invalidated Jesus claim to be the Messiah—for the prophecies specifically state that the legs of the Messiah cannot be broken.

One of the stunning calling cards that undeniably identifies Jesus as the promised Savior, is the fact that the Roman soldiers did not break His legs to hasten His death. Jesus was in complete control of the precise moment that He died. He said in advance that He had the power to lay His life down when He wanted to, and He had the power to take it back again in resurrection three days later.

“No one takes My life from Me, but I lay it down when I chose. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it back again. This command I have received from My Father.”[4]

This book takes the events of the Messiah’s life and personally applies them to your own life. There is a wealth of knowledge and wonderful personal applications in the 3,000 pages of “The Prophecies of the Messiah.”

See the book web site: The Prophecies of the Messiah

NOTES:
[1] Leviticus 20:10
[2] Koskenniemi, Erkki; Kirsi Nisula and Jorma Toppari (2005). “Wine Mixed with Myrrh (Mark 15.23) and Crurifragium (John 19.31-32): Two Details of the Passion Narratives”. Journal for the Study of the New Testament (SAGE Publications) 27 (4): 379–391. doi:10.1177/0142064X05055745. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
[3] John 19:33-34
[4] John 10:17-18, Author’s translation.

Categories: Jesus is the Messiah

Tags: Jesus is the Messiah, The Prophecies Jesus Fulfilled