COPYRIGHT WARNING

365 Prophecies: Prophecy 137

The two appearances of the Messiah foretold: Once as a sacrifice for sin, a second for Salvation.

Old Testament Prediction:

Psalms 102:13-16 You will arise and have mercy on Zion; For the time to favor her, Yes, the set time, has come. For Your servants take pleasure in her stones, And show favor to her dust. So the nations shall fear the name of the LORD, And all the kings of the earth Your glory. For the LORD shall build up Zion; He shall appear in His glory.

New Testament Fulfillment:

Hebrews 9:24-28 For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another—He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.

John 14:2-3 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

Luke 21:24 And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

Revelation 12:5 She (Israel) bore a male Child (Jesus) who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God (Resurrected) and His throne.

Revelation 12:10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.”

Application:

This prophecy from Psalms 102:13-16, has two parts. One to be fulfilled earlier, the other—much later, at the end of the age.

First: You will arise and have mercy on Zion
Second: He shall appear in His glory

Earlier Fulfillment: The Messiah will appear at Zion (Jerusalem) to bring the mercy of God. The Messiah will come to offer His life for the sins of the world.

Later Fulfillment: The Messiah will return in the last days, to appear in Glory, to rule and reign over the whole earth—forever.

In many of the Old Testament prophecies of the Bible, there is an earlier as well as a later fulfillment of the prediction made.

An example of this is found in Isaiah Chapter 61:

Isaiah 61:1-62 “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, And the day of vengeance of our God…”

Compare Isaiah’s words, to those spoken by Jesus when He came to the synagogue at Nazareth and quoted from this verse found in Isaiah 61:

Luke 4:16-20 So Jesus came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.” Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.

Notice that Jesus omitted the text: And the day of vengeance of our God…

Why?

At Jesus’ first arrival on earth, He was coming “to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD,” as the suffering servant of God—the Lamb who would lay down His life for the sins of the world. At Jesus’ second appearing on earth, at the end of the seven-year tribulation, He is coming to proclaim: “the day of vengeance of our God,” as King of kings and Lord of lords.

When Jesus finished reading the words of Isaiah Chapter 61, He rolled up the scroll and handed it back to the attendant. As He sat down, the eyes of all those in the synagogue were transfixed on Jesus. Then He said these words:

Luke 4:21 Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.

Those who had heard Jesus speak in the synagogue were utterly astonished. The words of these prophecies from Isaiah Chapter 61, could only be fulfilled by the coming of the Messiah. By stating that this prophecy had been fulfilled as Jesus spoke, He was claiming to be the Messiah. Jesus said that He would fulfill the first part of Isaiah 61, the acceptable year of the Lord, during his first arrival and then the day of vengeance of our God, at His return.

Jesus revealed something to us that was hidden in verse 12 of Isaiah 61: There were two parts to the fulfillment of this prophecy.

Isaiah 61:2 (First) To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, (Later) And the day of vengeance of our God…

Part one: to fulfill the Acceptable year of the Lord, the time when God would pardon the sins of anyone who came to Jesus and believed upon Him as their Savior.

Part two: would be fulfilled at the end of the seven-year Tribulation (the time of vengeance) when Jesus would return to earth with His church (Revelation 19) and rule over the whole earth for one thousand years as absolute King and Lord.

This example from Isaiah 61, which is partially fulfilled in Luke Chapter 4, demonstrates that there can be an earlier fulfillment as well as a later fulfillment of the same prophecy.

Matthew Chapter 24 is also an example of an earlier and later fulfillment of the same prophecy. In Matthew Chapter 24, Jesus foretells the coming destruction of the temple in Jerusalem that occurred in 70 A.D. The disciples had brought Jesus to the temple to show Him the building. While the disciples are focussed on the material structure of the temple building, Jesus opens their eyes to the world of the Spirit—where the temple is merely a component in a much larger plan that God has for the whole world.

Matthew 24:1-3 Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

Jesus informs His disciples that not one stone shall be left upon another in the temple, that will not be thrown down. The Lord is predicting the future destruction of the temple that took place just 38 years later. (See The Predictions of Jesus). The disciples wanted to know when these things would take place. Jesus reveals the details of this future destruction, by describing the events immediately preceding the Tribulation—as well as the specific details that will take place during this unprecedented—seven year period of human history.

1. Religious deception.
2. Wars, rumors of wars, famine, pestilence, earthquakes.
3. The Abomination of Desolation in the Temple.
4. Persecution and death for those who receive Jesus.
5. The gospel preached all over the world.
6. The wrath of the antichrist against Israel.
7. The return of Jesus with His church at the end of the seven year Tribulation.

There is an earlier and a later fulfillment within the text of this single verse of scripture.

Part one of Jesus prophecy from Matthew’s gospel, took place in 70 A.D., as Israel was destroyed by the Roman army. The second installment would take place much later, upon the arrival of the antichrist. The final portion of Jesus prophecy from Matthew 24, will not be fulfilled until the seven year Tribulation period is concluded.

This prophecy (Prophecy 137), from Psalms 102:13-16, is an advanced look into the detailed and precise events which will occur as a part of both appearances of Jesus, on the earth, as the world’s Savior and King.

First, to put away all sins by His death and resurrection.
Second, to appear at the end of age, to set up the kingdom promised to David that will never end.