Jesus as the Fulfillment of Prophecies
Examples of prophecies mentioned or quoted by New Testament writers. Jews had been expected a messiah as God had promised them whom they expected to deliver them from bondage and establish an everlasting Kingdom on earth. The coming of Jesus remained controversial. Jews dispelled the idea and did not acknowledge his messiahship. As such, they did not recognize or link him with some of the Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah. The Jews were very anointed when Jesus said that the prophecy as prophesized by Isaiah had fulfilled in him. They believed a messiah was more authoritative as opposed to the pure nature of Jesus Christ. Therefore, when it came to the writing of the New Testament, the authors tried to link the Old Testament prophets with the coming of Jesus of the Nazareth. In doing so, they have to quote and link with events that happened during the time of Jesus to show that Jesus was indeed the promised son of the living God.
Some of the Old Testament prophecies considered fulfilled are discussed below. In Deuteronomy 18:15, the scriptures talk of a prophet whom would the raised from the people of Israel. David says that God was to raise a king like him, which people were to obey and pay attention to all the time. The prophet was raised from Kinsmen, and God was to put words to his mouth to tell the Jewish people. During the time of Christ, people understand David’s message to refer to an individual who was special and unique. John 6:14, people refer to Jesus as the true prophet that was to come into the world when Jesus multiplied fish and loaves. The second quoted prophecy from the Old Testament is from Ezekiel 37:24, 25-27. Ezekiel prophesizes the person to come from the house of David that would be a servant for all. The person was to rule over Israel, the house of Juda, and the tribe of Joseph. In John 1:14, it said that God’s glory is found in the Messiah.
Fourth, Hosea 11:1, the bible says that when Israel was a child, God loved it, and from Egypt, he called his son. The verse can be a controversial one, as it might be interpreted differently. In the first place, the new testament authors quoted it to refer to Jesus, whom God saved from being killed by Herod. God sent an angel to Joseph to go and seek refugee in Egypt until he would tell the time to return to save Jesus. When Herod died, they went back. However, the original context had a different meaning of this prophecy as it referred to the deliverance of the people Israel from Egypt a land of slavery. The conservative scholar argued that the Hosea prophecy is fulfilled in Jesus (Matt. 2:13-15). Fifty, Isaiah 7:14, the bible speaks of a young woman conceiving and giving birth to a son whose name was Emmanuel. According to Jewish Tradition, the young woman was the mother of Jesus and the son Emmanuel, “God with us as” the Messiah. In matter, the verse is quoted to refer to a supernatural origin of Jesus. However, when Jesus was born, Jews of Palestine were not speaking Hebrew but Aramaic and Greek, which were the universal language. In Green, a young woman was called almah, who was not necessarily a virgin centrally with the Greek translation of the term to mean Parthenos (virgin). Thus, according to scholars, almah had nothing to do with virginity.
Sixth, Isaiah 28:16, in which the scripture said the Lord had laid a foundation stone on mount zion, is also referred to as a cornerstone. In 1 Peter 2:8, the foundation stone mention is quoted to mean Jesus. The bible further interpret the prophecies by quoting Isaiah
28:16 and Psalms 118, which contain information about the stone of stumbling or a cornerstone. Similarly, Isaiah 53:5, the text talked of a man who would be wounded on behalf of transgressors and bruised for people’s sins. The man in his name, the world would get saved. The versed is a well known example used by many Christians linked to Jesus Christ as the promised Messiah came to wash always sins of humankind. Jesus is the suffering servant who is believed to fulfill the prophecy through his painful death on the cross. As such, the verse provides a firm foundation for Christians as far as their belief in Christ is concerned. In Jeremiah 31:15, the prophet talks of lamentation and weeping and a great morning of people of Rama. Rachel wept, but no one comforted her. Matthew’s book quotes the prophecy and says it was the massacre of Herod, who killed the firstborn during the time of Jesus.
- Examples of other Old Testament texts that are not quoted by New Testament writers as prophecy, but are often taken as such by many modern Christians.
During the New Testament writing, the authors quoted some of the Old Testament prophecies that they believed were fulfilled in Jesus Christ. However, there other Old Testament process that was not quoted but Christian believe have also met. For example, Psalm 16:7-11 talks about being grateful for the almighty God for giving him joy and understanding. He further says the Lord is in his right hand. Christian tried to interpret the verse to mean the fulfillment of messianic prophecies. However, according to Peter, the process is about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Psalm 69, the scripture talks of a person who was given a gall for meat and vinegar to quench his thirst. Christians had interpreted the verse and linked it to a time when Jesus was on the cross. At this time, he was given a sponge soaked in vinegar to quench is thirst( Matt. 27-34). In the book of Zachariah 9:9, the bible speaks about Zion’s daughter, who is urged to rejoinder in preparation for a great King who is coming. The scripture describes the coming Kind as just, humble, and mounted on a donkey or a colt. The Christians have interpreted the verse to mean the self-humiliation of the Messiah. However, according to John, the gospel interprets it differently by linking it to Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem.
Consequently, Zechariah 12:10 in which the Lord says he shall pour upon the inhabitants and the descendants of David spirit of grace and supplication. The people of Israel will trust in him as they have done the same in him. Later, they shall see morn for him like one who morn and be in bitter for his son. Many Christians usually cite the versed as an example of messianic prophecies fulfilled in Jesus Christ. However, Jewish writings applied the same writing to someone known as Messiah Ben Joseph, whose family was to undergo suffering because of inequities it had committed.
- Read carefully Isaiah 7:1-20 (see Matthew 1:23). Discuss why some conclude that it is not a prophecy of the virgin birth of Jesus
In Isaiah 7:1-20, God speaks to the people of Israel who have continued to sin and give evil sacrifice. God is annoyed with their evil deeds as he says he spared them from the destruction, and now Israel has turned to sin. He further says there is no need to continue offering burnt sacrifice in the Temple because their acts have exceeded the limit. God warned them over the looming danger if they continue with corruption and hypocrisy. The rulers of Jerusalem are like those of Sodom and Gomorrah because they hardly listen to what God says. Some don’t practice what they speak. God was tired with empty sacrifices, festivals, religious gatherings, and holy days that were not Godly. It was high time for people Israel to repent their sins and be clean. They were to practice chastity by helping those who were oppressed, the orphans, the poor, and the widows. Consequently, God promised the faithful servant good things for adhering to his teachings. However, for those who will continue defying him, they were doomed to die.
In Matt. 1:23 Jesus warns the Pharisees and teachers of the law for practicing hypocrisy in the church. Teachers of the law and the Pharisees were strictly observing the Sabbath, offering sacrifices, and obeying one-tenth of the seasoning herbs. However, they were neglecting the actual teaching of God. The most important aspect of the law that were rarely observed were honesty, mercy, and justice. During this time, people were not honest at all. Many people were suffering, and the very teachers of the law and Pharisees did not give them food or clothing. They strictly observed outward teaching at the expense of inner purity.
From the above discussion of the two scriptures, one can either conclude as it the prophecy of Isaiah being fulfilled in Jesus because the teacher is talking about the same things God spoke about in the Old Testament. It should be noted that according to Christian teachings, Jesus is God. As such, when God was a warning, Israelites were with Jesus. Therefore, Jesus was repeating what they had already talked about in the Old Testament at a time, Isaiah. Primarily, the prophecy of prophet Isaiah was being fulfilled in the teaching of Jesus Christ.
Conversely, the two scriptures can also be seen as different and unrelated. In the first incidence, God was warning people of Israel of the rampant social injustice and hypocrisy. The people at that time had neglected the actual teaching of the Lord, thinking that if they offered sacrifices, God would cleanse their sins. Essentially, it is a historical event and has nothing to do with the promised Messiah. In the New Testament, Jesus is warning the Pharisees and teachers of the law who had to go astray by not obeying and adhering to the actual teaching of God. Although the message is similar to the circumstance in which it delivered is different; thus, it cannot be concluded that what Isaiah was talking about is what Jesus retaliated on.
- Explain how prophecies might have a double meaning.
Some prophetic utterances can have a double meaning. For instance, Hosea 11:1, God says when Israel was a child, he loved him and later called her out of Egypt. If such scripture is subjected to critical analysis, it can have two meaning. In the first case, God refers to Israelites, whom he delivered from Egypt. It came a time when God heard their cry and called them out of Egypt to a promised land. Therefore, God is like reminding them what he did a long time ago when they were in tire need for help, and now they are forsaking him. However, what is critical, in this case, is the choice of the world. When is Israel was “a child.” The word child is what gives a different interpretation of the prophecy. Is the child a nation or people of Israel. What God meant by when using the term? Probably he might have said something beyond Isreal.
The same verse has been interpreted to have similar meaning and implication with what is found in Matt. 2:14. Here God sent an Angel to Joseph, a foster father of Jesus Christ, to flee to Egypt to save his son from death. He was to stay there until a time God had to tell them when to go back to their motherland. In this case, the term child is suitable when it refers to Jesus Christ. However, another term Isreal remains controversial. Is Jesus Israel? The prophecy seems to have two different meanings if subjected to the rigor of reason. In the first case, God refers to people of Israel whom he had delivered from the land of slavery, and in the second scenario, the message relates to Jesus the promised Messiah.
Explain why specific prophecies are especially meaningful to you?
Despite many criticisms propagated by skeptics, some messianic prophecies remain valid and meaningful. For instance, in the book of Isaiah, the prophecy found therein in clearly describes the suffering servant of God, which is Jesus Christ. For example, before Jesus began his Galilean ministry, he read one of the prophecies, according to Prophet Isaiah, which means that all that had been prophesized in the Old Testament was true. Secondly, in the same book of Isaiah talks of a young lady who would conceive and give birth to a son named Emmanuel, and it came to pass. The painful death and resurrection of Jesus were also written in the book of Isaiah later fulfilled in the New Testament.
Prophecy is something that is inspired by God as such is not direct and needs an interpreter to unravel what it meant to the people. Skeptics may fail to understand what a prophecy means and dispel it as baseless for having any direction to what was prophesized in the Old Testament. A mean from any prophetic message can only be inferred by someone who has the gift of interpretation. In this regard, it is not a must for anyone, particularly those who the jaundiced view about God’s revelation to understand what a prophecy is all about. Bible criticism is meant to mislead those who have a strong belief in God. For example, Jewish people did not accept Jesus as a messiah despite the prove through might deeds of Jesus Christ during his ministry. On many occasions, God acknowledges the true messiahship of Jesus through a voice from heaven. Still, teachers of the law and Pharisees remained skeptical about the true identity of Jesus as the promised Messiah.
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