COPYRIGHT WARNING

The Prophecies of the Messiah: Prophecy 1

Immediately after the fall of man, God promises a Savior—who will make the redemption of all people possible.

Old Testament Prediction:

Genesis 3:15a “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.”

New Testament Fulfillment:

Luke 1:35 “And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.”

Matthew 1:18-20 “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.“

1 John 3:8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

Hebrews 2:14-15 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15. and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Application:

The creation of man is a great mystery. How we came to the earth and the reason for our existence, are two of the most extraordinary questions of mankind. Many scientists today will tell us that we are a cosmic accident. In the beginning there was nothing and then suddenly a tiny, densely compacted mass of energy exploded into a universe. Stars formed, Galaxies clustered, planets took shape and man evolved from a single cell—over billions of years. This all happened as a result of millions of fortuitous accidents.

The Bible is unique in that it offers mankind an intellectual answer that makes sense. In the beginning, an intelligent Being of unlimited power, created the heavens and the earth. Through infinite wisdom, God assembled all the necessary components of the universe, adjusted them to allow for life, and brought forth all living things upon the earth.

And then, we have the human species with a thinking mind, self aware—seemingly unlimited in what he can learn and accomplish. From the day of our birth we know instinctively that we exist in this universe for a purpose.

We understand that in order for something to exist of complexity, it must have originated from an intelligence. The universe is the most complex structure that has ever existed. The power and engineering required to make such a domain, is incalculable.

Man himself is a wonder of inexplicable precision. A body made of organic material—yet fully self contained and able to sustain life forever, if assembled properly. The human mind, existing within a material brain, yet fully transcendent of any physical matter. Software, within hardware. A human being is a wonder of technology that could not possibly exist by any mishap or coincidence. Man clearly lives for a purpose, we are made for a reason.

The Bible describes man as fashioned by God and similar to Him in many ways: Self aware, possessing the abilities of creation, emotion, love, and destruction. Man is like God in that he has been given the privilege of self determination. Man can choose, and many options does he have. God gave man the choices of trust, love, and obedience to God. Man may also act independent of His Creator, disobey and deny Him His rightful place.

Adam was created on the earth as the first man, and subsequently made a wrong choice. Adam’s unfortunate decision to disobey God, caused a defect in the perfection of man, which brought about sin and death to all of his descendants.

This first prophecy of the Bible, is God’s immediate response to man’s loss of perfection, eternal life, and fellowship with God.

The prophecies of this book are a description of how God has made it possible for the descendants of Adam to be redeemed. God would send His Son, perfect and eternal. He would be born on the earth as a human being—arriving as the second Adam. If the Messiah could remain sinless and offer His life in exchange for all human lives, God would have a righteous basis to grant the forgiveness of all sins to any person who would receive it. Jesus died on a Roman cross as a part of this plan of God. Wicked men moved to put Jesus to death, but God planned and purposed every event. Before the universe existed, God planned every second of time so that He could justify everyone who would receive Jesus as their Savior.

How and why this plan of redemption works, is the subject of this publication. It is important to understand that God saves all people, for all time, in precisely the same way. Immediately after Adam sinned against God, the Lord quickly promised a Savior. Every person who has come into the world since Adam, looking forward to the promise of this first prophecy; a Savior, as the remedy for their sins—God imparts salvation to that person. Whether looking ahead to the coming of the Messiah, or looking back to the time when He was crucified and rose from the dead, all people, for all time, are saved by the sacrifice of the Messiah. This is the preeminent and foremost fact of this first prophecy in the Bible.

There are 365 prophecies in this book which encompass the entire plan and purpose of God; to redeem all people, for all time. These prophecies were given in advance of their fulfillment so that the reader would understand that they came from a reliable source. Only a Being—transcendent of time, space, and matter, could have detailed knowledge of events on earth, long before they took place.

Deuteronomy 4:35 To you it was shown, that you might know that the LORD Himself is God; there is none other besides Him.

Romans 4:17 …God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did…

God has provided a way for all people to be saved, regardless of how good or bad they are and He has validated His plan by the use of prophecy. Since it is by human words that we communicate with each other, it is by words that God has communicated His plan to us. God has spoken to unique men and instructed them what to write—regarding the coming of the Messiah. All of these prophecies have been fulfilled in the arrival of Jesus Christ, as recorded in the narrative of the New Testament.

When we compare what God has said, regarding the coming Messiah, with what Jesus has said and done in the New Testament, we find that both the promise and the fulfillment are a perfect match. No other person in the history of the world can make this claim.

A plan formulated before time existed

It is interesting that Jesus is spoken of as the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world in the book of Revelation chapter 13, verse 8. In a distant eon of time, immeasurable by human comprehension, before God created the universe, before He formed man on the earth, the Son of God would be the instrument whereby God could vividly display the wonder of His infinite Love.

In this first prophecy of the Bible, the amazing love of God is placed into action immediately after the sin of Adam. Not wanting any person to be lost, the Lord announces that the fail-safe plan He had instituted before all creation, would now go into effect.

According to the prophecy of Genesis 3:15, it is by “her Seed” (Eve), that this prophecy would be fulfilled. A future descendant of Eve (Mary) will bring the Messiah into the world. By using a capital “S” in the word Seed, the intent here is that this future Seed of Eve spoken of in Genesis 3:15 will be God in human flesh. This flesh will be supernaturally imparted to the virgin who will give birth to the Messiah, without the aid of a human father.

How sin is imputed

According to Hebrew tradition, it is through the father that sin is transmitted to a baby, not through the mother.[1] If God were to implant the Seed of His own Son in the body of a human being, that Seed would be the Son of God. The Messiah would be both God and Man together in a single human body.

Early church Theologian and Philosopher, Augustine, wrote that sin passed to a baby through the father.[2]

Today, Medical Science confirms that a Fetus does not receive its blood supply from the mother but from the father. An Ovum begins to produce its own blood supply immediately after the father’s sperm penetrates the egg held in the body of the woman. An unfertilized ovum can never develop blood since the egg of the female does not contain the elements which are necessary for the production of blood.[3]

For additional information, please see Prophecy 164

According to the Bible, sin is transferred to the child through the father, not the mother.

Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—

In this, we understand the importance of God imputing to Mary, the Seed which would cause the birth of Jesus. If Joseph, or any other man, were Jesus father, this seed would pass the defect of sin to Jesus and He could not be the Savior of the world. By Jesus conception—through the Holy Spirit, He was born sinless. If He could maintain this sinless life, for all of His life, He could offer Himself for the sins of the world.

The need for a Savior

All those who are born into this world are lost and in desperate need of a Savior. This was the purpose for which Jesus came into the world as the Messiah. As the sons and daughters of Adam, we are born into the word with a nature towards sin. The Pharisees believed that because they were the descendants of Abraham, they were righteous. Jesus makes it clear that only those who experience a second, spiritual rebirth, known in the third chapter of John’s gospel as “born again,” are the children of God.[4]

In this first prophecy of the Bible, God distinguishes between those who are born of men, and the Messiah who will be born of God. It is not the purpose of God to disparage the human race, but to inform us of the truth. In our present condition as the descendants of Adam, we have no hope of eternal redemption. If God did not love all people intensely, He would not have sent His Son into the world to die for us.

John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

To destroy the devil

To Eve, God promises: from her (Mary’s) Seed shall come one who will bruise the head of satan.

“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.”

The second part of this first prophecy of the Bible, describes an attempt by satan to kill the Messiah, which will only “bruise His heel.” At the cross, satan believed that he had destroyed Jesus and his attempt at redeeming man. In reality, in fulfillment of this first prophecy, all that satan accomplished was a “bruising” of Jesus heel. When Jesus rose from the dead on the third day, He “bruised the head” of satan and dealt him a fatal and eternal blow. Jesus defeated his kingdom, all sin, and the sting of death, forever.

“…He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.”

The virgin birth, an absolute necessity

This very first prophecy of the Bible, not only promises a Savior, it predicts that this Savior will be born of a Virgin, a woman who has not conceived by the seed of man, but by the Seed of God. This would enable the Savior to bypass the inherited sin nature imparted to all human beings from Adam, and be born without sin.

The eye witness accounts of Jesus’ birth found in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, describe Mary as a virgin who had known no man. She was found to be pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit. The child within her was fully human, but also fully God; the perfect candidate to take man’s place and die for his sin.

If God did not become a human being like us, He could not die for us. If a candidate for the Messiah had any trace of sin that came from Adam, he could not be the savior of all men. The account of Jesus’ birth and life in the New Testament, describes Him as perfect and without sin. The testimony of Jesus’ sinless life, proves that He has met all the qualifications for the Messiah, the Savior of all men.

Many people deny that the Bible teaches that the coming Messiah would be born of a virgin, a conception that occurs without the aide of a human father. To deny that a supernatural birth is possible, is to ignore the very first prophecy in the Bible. Genesis 3:15 describes of a Savior who is to come, who will be born by: The Seed of a woman.

This language is clearly an indication that the Savior of the world would be born as a human being, but by a supernatural event. The conception will be caused by God’s Spirit, therefore He will be called The Holy Son of God.

Confirmed by the prophet Isaiah

Isaiah’s prophecy in chapter 7, verse 14, also speaks of a virgin who will conceive and bear a son.

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.

There is an implied meaning here in the Hebrew language, as the words “ha almah” are understood together. The Hebrew word ha (the) before the definite article, almah (virgin), implies that this not just any young woman, or just any virgin—but the virgin, implying a virgin who has previously been predicted in the scriptures, going back to the beginning. The obvious intent here is that the Seed spoken of by God in Genesis 3:15 is the Messiah who was conceived in the womb of Mary, as described by the four gospels of the New Testament.[5]

A secondary possibility of the Hebrew phrase ha almah: The ha is the sound of breath, specifically, the breath of God. It is interesting that when God changed Abram’s name to Abraham, it was the addition of ha that caused Abraham to be led and directed by the Holy Spirit. In the same way, if we apply this principle to ha almah, she is a virgin conceiving by the Holy Spirit, who gives birth to the Messiah.

The obvious virgin who this first prophecy of the Bible is speaking of, is Mary, the mother of Jesus. She is vividly described in the New Testament as being with child by the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 1:18-23 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. 20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.” 22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

The angel who brought this announcement to Joseph and Mary, told them that their Son would be the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy. The Virgin of Isaiah 7:14, who is The Seed of Genesis 3:15, is also the Holy Son of God in the womb of Mary, conceived by the Holy Spirit.

Matthew records the words of the angel to Joseph: “So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet (Isaiah 7:14), saying: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

The common criticism that the Hebrew word almah could also be translated young woman, is preposterous when the entire Hebrew sentence structure of Isaiah 7:14 is considered. Clearly the intent of Isaiah is to convey to the reader that the child this virgin would bear, would be God with us, as we examine the entire verse of Isaiah 7:12: they shall call His name Immanuel, which is translated, God with us. The subject of Isaiah’s prophecy is: God dwelling in the body of a man, conceived by a virgin, is absolutely clear. See Prophecy 165

Any Hebrew knew that a ordinary young woman could not give birth to a sinless child who was also God with us.

This fact is confirmed by the angel who spoke to Mary and Joseph, who told them that their child was the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy. The virgin” would conceive and bear a Son and He would be Immanuel, God living with us.

First: If the intended purpose of Isaiah 7:14, was to communicate to us that a young woman would bear a child, the Hebrew word: ha would not have been placed before almah. The fact that ha does exist, demands that this child will be conceived by a miraculous virgin birth.

Second: Matthew 1:18-23 proves that this disciple believed that Isaiah was writing to predict Mary’s conception of Jesus. “So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son…”

Third: When this prophecy was given by Isaiah to king Ahaz, it was described as a sign. If the object of Isaiah’s prophecy was simply a young woman giving birth, how would an ordinary young woman having a baby be a sign? Young woman give birth to babies everyday, and no one would consider any of these births a sign, unless that young woman had conceived her child without the aide of a human father.

Fourth: A virgin giving birth to a Son who would also be God with us, would be a sign indeed. It is for this reason that we would chose the translation of almah as a virgin, not simply a young woman.

By the implied text in the verse where it is written ha almah, the Hebrew meaning is clear: Isaiah is pointing us to a promise that God had previously made in Genesis 3:15—the first prophecy of the Bible. This Savior will be the seed of the woman, conceived without the aid of a human father, who will be the Messiah.

Fifth: When the Old Testament was translated from Hebrew to Greek, about 286 B.C., the Greek word used for virgin found in Isaiah 7:14 was Parthenos, which is almost always translated as a virgin.

Sixth: “If any further doubt is cast upon this verse—as to whether Isaiah is speaking of a young woman or a virgin, Isaiah clarifies the intent of his prophecy by telling us that this Son” will be; Immanuel, meaning: God with us. The child will have both the flesh of man and the Spirit of the Living God, living within Him. The Messiah will not be an ordinary child because He came to us by extraordinary events. When we combine all of the elements of this verse together, it is clear that the intent of Isaiah’s prophecy is not simply that God is with us, in the sense of His favor being upon us. The purpose of the term God with us is defined by the article before; the child will be from a virgin.

Seventh: Unless the Messiah was born by a virgin birth, He could not be the Savior of the world. The Messiah must be born sinless and remain sinless, all of His life—in order to present Himself as a sinless sacrifice for all sins. This is in conformity with the principle of the Passover Lamb from the Old Testament.

What the Jews say about Isaiah 7:14
The Talmudic translation of Isaiah 7:14 reveals that the Jews who translated and commented on Isaiah’s prophecy, believed that he was speaking of a virgin.

In the “Horae Hebraicae et Talmudicae,” the Hebrew Talmud, it is declared:

“Be not troubled, O Ahaz… Does it not seem an impossible thing to thee, that will never happen that a virgin become a mother; But I tell thee such a virgin shall bring forth a son, before the House of David perish.”[6]

It is certain that as the tradition of the elders of Israel at that time wrote in the Talmud that they believed the object of Isaiah’s prophecy was a virgin, this was the intent of Isaiah when he wrote this prophecy.

Why the virgin birth is an absolute requirement for the Messiah:

1. Salvation must originate from God, because man is helpless to save himself.
2. If the Messiah is not born of a virgin, He would Himself—be a sinner, making it impossible that He could be the Savior of all men.
3. The Messiah must be God in human flesh or His life is of insufficient worth to die for the sins of all people.

Salvation must originate from God because man is helpless to save himself.

Romans 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight….

Galatians 4:4-5 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law…

Galatians 2:16 knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ…

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

The entire body of scripture indicates that mankind is lost in sin with no hope of redemption. Therefore, there is no work that anyone can perform that is sufficient to merit their own redemption. For this reason, unless God initiates our salvation, it is otherwise impossible. The common thought among those who are uniformed, is that human beings are basically good and if our good works outweigh our bad, God will accept us into heaven when we die. Unfortunately, the Bible teaches the opposite; all men are sinners and therefore not good and incapable of self-redemption. This impossible state of man—necessitated action by God to initiate salvation.

Under a provision carried out by God, all people may enter heaven, if they follow the requirements which God has prescribed.

First, an awareness that we are all separated from God by our sins with no hope of redemption on our part. (Romans 3:23)

Second, a sincere sorrow for the sins we have committed with an honest desire and willingness to turn from those sins. (Romans 10:9)

Third, an acceptance of Jesus sacrifice on the cross as payment for the sins we have committed, and a complete trust in Him for our salvation. (1 John 2:2, 1 John 5:12)

Fourth, a willingness to follow Jesus closely and be obedient to Him for the remainder of our life. (Luke 6:46)

Three additional requirements keep those who have been saved in fellowship with God. These three points are not required for salvation; they do however, give evidence of a new life that has been changed as a result of coming into a saving relationship with Jesus.

Fifth, when sins are committed, an immediate confession of those sins to the Lord, whereby fellowship with Him is restored. (1 John 1:9)

Sixth, a constant expectation of Jesus’ promise to return to earth at any moment. The effect of an expectation of Jesus imminent return will have the result of purifying the life of those who wait for Him (1 John 3:3, Luke 12:42-44).

Seventh, to be a witness of Jesus power to change lives—declaring who He is, and what He has accomplished, so as to lead as many people as possible to a saving faith (Luke 28:19, John 4:35).

The importance of this first prophecy is understood by the principle that the Messiah cannot be the Savior of all men if He is not born of a virgin.

The virgin birth conveyed to Jesus a sinless start. If He could maintain His sinless record—all the days of His life, then He could be the Savior that God required. The sinless sacrifice is a principle that is carefully mapped out for us throughout the Old Testament scriptures.

The Lord was very specific in regards to the kind of sacrifice that could be offered for sins. In the Old Testament, there were certain qualifications that were required if He would accept the offerings that were brought. Exodus Chapter 12 describes a Lamb that was ordained to die. His blood would cover those who had sinned, protecting them from judgement and death.

The Passover Lamb was an advanced look at the arrival of the Messiah who would be the Lamb that takes away the sins of the world (See Prophecy 21).

The Lord instructed Moses in the specific manner that he was to select the Lamb for Passover and the way in which the Feast of Passover was to be conducted. These instructions were very detailed and distinct.

1. The Old Testament animals had to be perfect in order to qualify as a sacrifice that would cover sin.
2. The future New Testament sacrifice of the Messiah also had to be perfect if He would be qualified to cover all our sins.

All men are incapable of meeting the requirements for salvation because they are sinners. How could someone who is himself imperfect be able to help another who is also imperfect? By the example given to us here in the Book of Exodus, we understand that anyone who would be qualified as the Savior of all others, would himself need to be without sin. If a future candidate should arrive who would claim to be the Messiah, an evaluation could easily be made of his qualifications. If he is not without sin, a male and willing to die for the guilty, he cannot be the Messiah.

This is why it is illogical to think that any plan of man, a religious organization, or a personal attempt at approaching God—based on past good works, is possible.

The standard of God for righteousness is perfection; anything less is not acceptable. Since all men are born imperfect and they demonstrate their continued imperfection throughout their entire life, no man is good enough to meet the standards necessary to save themselves or anyone else. When a church or an individual claims that they are the way to God and that by following their doctrine or methods a person can receive eternal life, they are in error. We know this because of Prophecy 21 in which we see the standards required by the Passover Lamb of Exodus 12:

Exodus 12:5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats.’ ”

No man could save any other man unless he has been able to live a perfect and holy life himself. Since all men are sinners, no man can be saved without a Savior who is perfect.

The Passover Lamb

When a Lamb was brought to the priest at the entrance of the Tabernacle for the sacrifice of sins, he was carefully inspected for any defect or flaw. If a single blemish was detected, such as a hair which was not snow white, the Lamb would be disqualified. See Prophecy 332 for a complete study on the Tabernacle.

Jesus was presented for inspection to the world, four days before Passover. He was judged closely by those who knew Him best. It is the testimony of these men that Jesus was without sin and therefor worthy to fulfill the prophecy of the Passover Lamb and die for the sins of the world.

1 Peter 1:18-19 “…knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”

Many roads, one way

When claims are made by individuals, churches, or other organizations—in which they state that their method of salvation is the only way to heaven, we should immediately be skeptical. The Bible is very specific in that there is only “one way” that God will accept us: through Jesus Christ. Salvation is not through a religion, it is through a person. God made salvation very simple for us to understand by providing one clear and definite way to be saved. Salvation is by Jesus Christ alone.

The way that we know for certain that salvation is only possible through Jesus Christ, is that only Jesus was born without sin and lived His entire life without sin. In this first prophecy of the Bible, Jesus has met the strict requirements set forth for the Messiah. In each of the subsequent prophecies that follow, Jesus fulfilled every requirement described by the word of God. Jesus Himself declared that He was the only way to heaven:

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Jesus validated this claim by raising Himself from the dead, three days after He was crucified. His resurrection was meant as a sign to the world that all of His claims to be the only Savior of the world, are valid. We do not need to seek any other method to make it to heaven. God has provided one perfect way, all we must do is follow the way God has laid before us.

It is for this purpose that that Messiah came: to rid us of this curse of imperfection. First He must remove our record of past sins. Then He must make us perfect—forever so that we do not ever have another sin attached to our record.

Because the Messiah is described as sinless, and eternal, He has the power and the right to pay for our sins, remove them, and make us perfect.

Heaven requires perfection

Heaven is devoid of all sin. In this place of perfection no one ever breaks the righteous laws of God. In order to gain admittance into heaven our sins must first be dealt with and removed. Unfortunate for us, no human being has the capacity to remove their past sins, nor make themselves perfect.

If salvation will be possible for us, it must be initiated and accomplished by God. It is important to understand that the One who God will use to bring about our salvation, must Himself be perfect and without sin.

Many people claim that Jesus was not born of a virgin. Others claim that Isaiah 7:14 is not a prophecy of a virgin conceiving a child. Naturalists and humanists claim that a virgin birth would be a supernatural event, and not possible because such events would be classified as a miracle, and miracles are not possible.

A miracle is defined as: “An event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divine agency” (God).

The testimony of the Bible is that when the Messiah came to earth in the person of Jesus Christ, it was by the miracle of a virgin birth.

The Messiah must be God in human flesh or His life is of insufficient worth.

One of the excellent questions that is asked concerning the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, is “how could the death of one man pay for the sins of the whole world?”

The answer is: the life of this one man would have to be of infinite value.

How could an ordinary human being have a life of infinite value? He would have to originate before all other things and be the source of all that exists. This is precisely what we find in Jesus. He existed before anything else was created, and He is the source of all things which exist.

John 1:3 All things were made through Jesus, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

Colossians 1:16 For by Jesus all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.

What does Isaiah’s prophecy speak of?

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.

The results of this virgin birth is that the one who is born will be Immanuel, in Hebrew: God with us. The one born of a virgin, will be a man, He will also be God living with us. This is the answer to the riddle, how can one life pay for the lives of all men? If the life that is given is the eternal Son of God, then His life has more than enough value to pay for the lives of all other men.

Only Jesus is the Eternal Son of God, who was born of a Virgin, and lived a perfect and sinless life. He offered this perfect life as the payment for the sins of all human beings. There is no other person in the history of mankind who can make this claim, other than Jesus Christ. He is therefore, the Messiah, the Savior of all people.

This is the object of this first of 365 Old Testament prophecies. This book begins with an amazing prediction that seems impossible, and ends with the final prophecy that confirms the arrival of the One who God promised to send—who will save us from our sins.

Up until Adam’s sin, he was morally perfect. From the moment that sin entered Adam—it would permeate the entire human race and the curse of death would be upon all the descendants of Adam. One of the most profound proofs for the existence of God is the fact that sin and death exist—just as God has described them in the Bible. In Genesis chapter three, we see how sin began and the immediate response by our loving God, to put away sin and make a provision to redeem us all.

Sin and death are two curses that every human being fears and recognizes as unnatural. All of us have a deep inner sense that death is abnormal and should not occur. The fact that God describes both sin and death in the Bible—precisely as they exist in reality, is evidence that the Old and New Testament Scriptures are true. Everything that God declares about sin and the horrible consequences that come as a result of this curse is observable in the world today. The Bible is the only book in the world today that tells us the truth about the human condition.

There is a fatal flaw in human beings and all of us are aware of this defect as we observe it in ourselves and others. We have moments of intrinsic goodness, but the greater part of our lives are plagued by a constant tendency towards wrongful actions that hurt and destroy ourselves and the lives of those around us.

Incredibly, God already knew the course that Adam would take when He created him. As stated previously, the New Testament describes Jesus as: The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. This means that before the earth was created, God had determined that He would create mankind. The first man would chose to reject God’s right of rulership and sin against Him. This action would require a Redeemer to save us.

Jesus offered Himself as the Savior, before the world was made. For this reason, He is forever called; The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Revelation 13:8 …the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Jesus volunteered in eternity, to be the fail-safe plan for man when he sinned and condemned himself to an eternal death, even before Adam breathed his first breath.

This first prophecy of the Bible is a confirmation of God’s original intent to create man with the privilege of choice. When Adam made the wrong choice and condemned himself and all his descendants, God immediately intervened and offered His own Son as the payment for all of our sins, giving us the opportunity for eternal life.

This book is about this amazing and loving plan of the Living God, to send His Son to earth to redeem every person. How He did it, and what Jesus death and resurrection means for each one of us—you will discover in the personal applications that follow each of the Prophecies of the Messiah, contained within these pages.

NOTES:
[1] Shaul Magid (2008). From Metaphysics to Midrash: Myth, History, and the Interpretation of Scripture in Lurianic Kabbala. Indiana University Press. p. 238.
[2] Saint Augustine of Hippo, (De civitate Dei, XIV, 16; CCL 48, 438-439 [1-10]). See also: Schmitt, É. (1983). Le mariage chrétien dans l’oeuvre de Saint Augustin. Une théologie baptismale de la vie conjugale. Études Augustiniennes. Paris. p. 97.. See also Augustine’s: De continentia, 8.21; PL 40, 363; Contra Iulianum VI, 19.60; PL 44, 859; ibid. IV, 14.65, z.2, s. 62; PL 44, 770; De Trinitate, XII, 9. 14; CCL 50, 368 [verse: IX 1-8]; De Genesi contra Manicheos, II, 9.12, s. 60 ; CSEL 91, 133 [v.31-35])
[3] Howell’s Textbook of Physiology, Second Edition, pages 885 and 886
[4] John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
[5] Luke 1:26-35 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” 29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” 34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” 35 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.
[6] Horae Hebraicae et Talmudicae 
Hebrew and Talmudical exercitations upon the Gospels, the Acts, some chapters of St. Paul’s Epistle to the Romans, and the First Epistle to the Corinthians. New edition by Robert Gandell.
Published 1859 by University Press in Oxford .