Countdown to Faith &

Countdown to Faith in Yeshua Hamashiach (Jesus is Messiah)

I have added one of my most recent books Countdown to Faith below (after the Having Confidence article). If the spaced out format is a bit annoying please just email us at churchofgodslove4@gmail.com and we will email the book in pdf format. Following Countdown to Faith is the special Countdown to Faith in Yeshua Hamashiach (Jesus is Messiah) version which I can also email in pdf or Word format for you to freely distribute to friends in or from Israel.

ARTICLE

Having Confidence

The Philistine army stood on one mountainside and the Israelites stood opposite on another. There was a valley between them. A champion went out from the Philistine camp named Goliath. He was approximately nine feet tall. He had a bronze helmet on.  He had a bronze coat of armor weighing approximately 60kg. He had bronze armor on his legs and a bronze javelin between his shoulders. Just the iron spearhead of his spear alone weighed approximately 7kg.

 Goliath’s taunt

This essay is about having confidence and being a confident people as Christians.  Now picture yourself on Israel’s mountain as the giant Goliath cries out with words to the following effect: why have you even bothered to come to fight us? Choose a man for yourself and let him come down to me. If he is able to kill me, we will be your slaves, but if I am able to kill him you will be our slaves. I defy the armies of Israel this day – give me a man to fight (1 Samuel 17:8-10 paraphrased).

 The Israelites in response were dismayed and greatly afraid (v11).  They lacked confidence they could succeed against the giant. Many of us faced with the same situation would have too. People lack confidence for all kinds of reasons, including having various failures and setbacks in life such as failed relationships and job losses, or simply having to face their buck teeth or bald head in the mirror every day. Also when we are faced with new situations, such as living in a new town or country, starting a new job, learning to drive, or going to a new school we may struggle with confidence. Many Christians also lack confidence in sharing their faith.

 Whatever area we might lack confidence in, here is Goliath taunting not only Israel, but us, saying “why have you come out to line up for battle? I defy the armies of Israel this day.” We all have our ‘Goliaths’ to slay. Incidentally, my email address used to be slewgoliath@picknowl.com.au. Perhaps you could adopt a confident sounding email address as a Christian, because I believe God wants us to be a confident people. How about icandoallthings@thruchrist.com? Just listen, for example, to the confidence of the apostles Paul (in the context of enduring hard trials) and John in the following Bible verses:

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13)

 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. (1 John 5:14)

 Confidence is a characteristic God wants His people to possess.

 You might find it hard to have confidence because every day the thing that causes your lack of confidence confronts you. It was the same for the Israelites facing Goliath.  Verse 16 says they had to face him taunting them morning and evening for forty days, but according to verse 24, they just ran away.  It wasn’t until the little shepherd boy, David, came on the scene that confidence was seen in Israel. David enquired “who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (v26).

 Knowing who we are

If we want more confidence the first tip for having it arises from this confident statement of David’s in verse 26. We must know who we are and what or who we stand for, as David did.  He realized he was special, as indeed were all his people.  Just like David, we are children of the living God, the Creator of the universe. We are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, God’s own special people that we may proclaim the praises of Him Who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9).

 David had this initial confidence, but then people came along wanting to dampen it. His older brother in anger accused him of deserting his sheep and of having pride and insolence (1 Samuel 17:28). David was not deterred. King Saul heard of his confidence and sent for David. David said to him “Let no man’s heart fail because of [Goliath]; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” David sincerely believed that Saul was God’s anointed king and so when King Saul, the highest one in the land, began to try and discourage him by basically saying “you are but a youth and he a man of war from his youth” (v33) this must have been a great test of his confidence.

 Would we have the confidence to continue now if someone we respected was putting us down and lifting up the opposition? What if a Women’s Weekly survey announced that we were the worst dressed in the land, or the Queen of England, as her custom is toward citizens of the Commonwealth, omitted to send us a letter for reaching 100 years because she honestly did not think we would make it, or our Pastor said, “it is impossible these days to successfully evangelize – let’s just hold the fort”? Would we lose confidence and give up?

 Saul said David could not fight Goliath, but David said:

Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them … The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.

1 Samuel 17:34-37

 Face your Goliath’s with God Almighty

We learn two more things from this about building confidence. David had developed confidence because he had not run away from the difficult situations in his life, namely the bear and the lion. He faced them, trusting in His God.  We will not develop confidence if we are always running away from challenges.  There comes a time when we must hold our ground and meet the challenge head on.

 Further, by trusting in God to get him through tough situations, David had built a strong faith in His God. He was sure of his God. These ‘trusting God experiences’ had prepared him for facing Goliath.  The more we build our faith by trusting in God, in doing things His way, and through prayer, the more prepared and confident we will be to face the hurdles on our path too.

 The story continues, but now David’s confidence is tested to the ‘max’ as he actually faces the giant Goliath in battle and hears the threatening words “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!” (v44). David so confidently responds:

You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you … that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands (v45-47).

 We see one further reason here why David could be so confident and why we can – we serve a mighty God, the God of the armies of Israel. Just read the Bible accounts of their amazing victories against impossible odds, where they suffered no loss of life, and where the enemy facing them mysteriously ran away or were destroyed (e.g. see 2 Chronicles 20). We serve a powerful God whose Son, His express image, also revealed His power and love in remarkable ways.

 Test your armor

We probably all know how the story ends. David slew Goliath with a single sling stone. God was with him. David was a very confident young man because of his faith in God, but there was one thing about fighting Goliath that he was not confident about. He did not want to wear King Saul’s armor which Saul had offered him. It’s been said that the reason why he did not want to wear it was because it was too big for him. But that is not the reason given in the scripture. The reason given is because he had not tested it (v38-39). He had not practiced with it.

 Maybe when it comes to the Christian faith we are not confident because we have not tested it wholeheartedly. We should not believe just because our parents believe or because someone else we respect believes. We should believe because we have personally searched the scriptures as the Bereans did to see if it is true that Jesus really is the prophesied Messiah/Savior and Son of God.

 Maybe we have not even really practiced the Christian faith.  We might have gone to church a lot, or think we know the Bible very well, but maybe we haven't personalized the Word of God in our lives, or maybe we are not very experienced in the use of the spiritual armor God has given us. This armor is mentioned in Ephesians chapter 6 and includes the girdle of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God, and prayer and supplication.  If we have not practiced with our armor, we will lack confidence in using it, as David did with respect to the armor King Saul offered him. 

 The source of confidence

The Israelite soldiers standing on their mountain with the Philistines and Goliath taunting them were a lot like this. They had never trusted and relied totally on God as David had, and so they lacked confidence. However, finally, in the end they found their confidence. Verses 51-52 say:

And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. Now the men of Israel and Judah arose and shouted, and pursued the Philistines …

 Why were they now so sure of themselves? It was because young David had showed them the way. They followed their great new leader who had given them every reason to be confident.

 That is what God is inviting all of us to do – to follow our great leader, the Lord Jesus Christ, and to have confidence because we have such a great captain, master, and leader. He healed the broken hearted, set the captive free, made the lame to walk again and caused the blind to see. He is able to carry us through.

For when we were still without strength, in due time, Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:6-8)

 And now He is seated at the right hand of God on high in majesty watching over us and willing us on. So we can be confident in all things. Amen

Introduction

If you find the Bible hard to understand and even more difficult to believe, you are not alone. You are in good company.

One day a high ranking government official from Ethiopia was reading from the scriptures whilst passing through the desert in his chariot on his return from worshipping in Jerusalem. Not only was he experiencing an actual desert, but he was facing a dry desert of understanding. He was struggling to understand the Bible.

Philip the evangelist recognised the man’s difficulty. So Philip asked him, Do you understand what you are reading? The Ethiopian Eunuch replied, How can I, unless someone guides me? He then asked Philip to sit with him in his chariot.

Here was a humble man, a man of great authority (Acts 8:27) and probably great learning too, willing to listen to a stranger. Acts 8:32-33 says:

The place in the Scripture which he read was this:

“He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He opened not His mouth. In His humiliation His justice was taken away, And who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth.” (a quote from Isaiah 53:7-8)

The Ethiopian had an enquiring mind and wanted to understand deep spiritual truths, so he asked Philip, whom does the prophet say this of, himself or of some other man? Then Philip explained Isaiah was prophesying about Messiah. The Ethiopian would have understood Isaiah’s prophecy was made about 700 years earlier, and he also may have been aware how Jesus had recently been crucified, without protest, like a lamb going to the slaughter. So Philip, beginning at Isaiah 53:7-8, preached the good news of salvation through Christ. The light switch came on for this man, and he was so moved at an oasis in the desert to know Jesus and experience the Lord’s salvation he exclaimed, See here is water, What hinders me from being baptized?

Philip, realising the Ethiopian Eunuch had truly been enlightened about who Jesus was, could not deny the man’s faith-filled request to give his life to Jesus. The Eunuch commanded the chariot to stand still and Philip took him down into the water and baptized him. Acts 8:39 says the man went on his way rejoicing – full of joy.

Humility was the key to this man’s great joy. He acknowledged the Bible did not make sense to him and could not make sense to him unless he was guided. He was willing to hear what the man of God had to say. It so enlightened his eyes and filled his heart that his life was changed forever.

This book likewise provides guidance so you can know for a fact Jesus is the Son of God and that you can entrust your eternal future to Him. May God grant you humility and understanding as we now count down my top ten extraordinary Bible prophecies undeniably fulfilled by Jesus Christ about 2000 years ago.

May you experience Jesus Christ, His teachings, and great promises as a blessed oasis in whatever deserts you may be experiencing in your life.

Let the countdown begin! 

Number 10 – The Messiah/Christ would be rejected by His own people

The words ‘Messiah’ and ‘Christ’ both mean ‘the Anointed One’.  Jesus lived in Israel in the first century when Israel was labouring under Roman rule. His people longed for the One anointed by God to bring in a glorious golden age of peace and prosperity.

Each nation has its own heroes or heroines, men and women who have done great things. As humans we tend to take great pride in their achievements. Somehow just being a citizen of the same country causes us to feel a part of what they have achieved. When, for example, successful Olympians return home, many line the streets excited to see those who have thrilled their hearts. In New Zealand, we recently celebrated an America’s Cup win and such jubilant celebrations occurred. We celebrate those who have contributed greatly to our nation. We honour them. We praise them. We remember them. We feel good ourselves because of them.

The prophecy that Messiah would be rejected by His own people is therefore a very strange one indeed. Why would people reject their greatly anticipated Saviour? Why would they reject such a great Saviour? And oh what a great Saviour Jesus was! Never has there been a person whose actions and character were so great they even mirrored the Almighty Creator’s. Jesus publicly walked on water, calmed storms, restored the lame and blind, healed all kinds of sicknesses and diseases, raised the dead, forgave sins, taught with great authority and showed deep compassion. His achievements make those of an Olympic athlete pale by comparison. As Hebrews 1:3 says, He was the brightness of God’s glory and the express image of His person.

These great things Jesus did were also expected by first century Israelites who yearned in their hearts for Messiah to come. The Old Testament prophets had predicted many of them. Jesus met these expectations. He couldn’t go anywhere without crowds following Him. Some were even ready for Him to take His rightful place as King and were pushing Him to do so (John 6:15). Surely, he would be given the highest place of honour by His people.

Even understanding how great Messiah would be however, more than one of the prophets predicted this great Saviour would be rejected by His own people. I ask you, how could anyone even dream such a great Saviour would be rejected, let alone predict it? What a bold and unusual prediction! The scripture below written about 700 BC provides one example of this kind of prophecy:

He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.   Isaiah 53:3

How did Isaiah come up with this very strange idea? Was he hearing directly from God who had also said to Him “… new things I declare, before they spring forth I tell you of them” (Isaiah 42:9)

Just as Isaiah predicted, Jesus was indeed rejected by His own people. The apostle John wrote He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him (John 1:11). Not only was Jesus rejected, He was rejected out of hand, in a dramatic way, in a way that rubbed salt into His wounds. The apostle Luke writes:

And they all cried out at once, saying, “Away with this Man, and release to us Barabbas” ... Pilate, therefore, wishing to release Jesus, again called out to them. But they shouted, saying, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!” Then he said to them the third time, “Why, what evil has He done? I have found no reason for death in Him. I will therefore chastise Him and let Him go.” But they were insistent, demanding with loud voices that He be crucified. And the voices of these men and of the chief priests prevailed. So Pilate gave sentence ... And he released to them the one they requested, who for rebellion and murder had been thrown into prison; but he delivered Jesus to their will.       Luke 23:18-23

We see Jesus was rejected with great passion. Jesus was rejected with great hostility. Jesus was rejected by the rulers, the chief priests and the people. They demanded with loud voices He be crucified. In light of Jesus’ loving nature and kind deeds His rejection made no sense. In light of the extraordinary and fearful power Jesus had often demonstrated, His rejection showed unusual bravery by his persecutors. Jesus’ rejection could not have been more shameful or complete. In preferring Barabbas, a rebel and a murderer, Jesus’ people were showing absolute contempt for Him. Indeed, the prophecy was fulfilled.

As we continue the countdown of the greatest fulfilled prophecies of Jesus the Messiah watch carefully for the sure hand of God in the book I call ‘the miracle book’ – the Bible.

Number 9 – There would be an unusual darkness over the earth connected to the mourning of an only son

The apostle Matthew, an eyewitness, records that while Jesus was on the cross:

… from the sixth hour until the ninth hour [mid-day to three in Hebrew time] there was darkness over all the land. Matthew 27:45

Luke writes:

Now it was about the sixth hour and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. Then the sun was darkened … Luke 23:44-45

This was an extraordinary darkness, as it was not only the middle of the day when it went dark for three hours, it was also Passover time. At this time of the year there is always a full moon and the moon is on the side of the earth away from the sun. The moon needs to be between the sun and the earth for there to be an eclipse of the sun, so it is impossible at Passover time for a solar eclipse to occur. Adding to the mystery of this event is the fact solar eclipses only last a few minutes, not three hours!

Now, put yourself in the shoes of the Israelites who were there and who understood why Jesus was being crucified. Some of them had even called for His crucifixion. Some had witnessed or heard of Jesus’ miracles. Many knew Jesus was special and He’d been handed over by the priests because of envy. They were also aware of Jesus’ claim to be the Son of God. Now picture them when the sun goes dark in the middle of the day for three hours while Jesus is hanging on the cross with the words This is Jesus the King of the Jews written above His head (Matthew 27:37).

Do you honestly believe they were thinking this was just an eclipse? Do you think they are thinking this is just a coincidence when it first goes dark? How about ten minutes after the sky darkens? How about three hours later? I very much doubt it. I wonder whether their minds turned toward other examples of unusual darkness in the Bible and whether they feared this was another time when God’s judgment and wrath were about to fall, as it was on those previous occasions.

In Exodus 10:21, God brought a plague of darkness on the land of Egypt because Pharaoh would not let His people go. It was such a terrible plague of darkness it was described in Exodus 10:21-23 as a darkness which may even be felt and one that lasted for three days. It was followed by the sacrifice of lambs, the blood of which saved God’s people when they put it on their door posts as a sign of faith and an act of obedience.

I wonder whether some witnessing the darkness while Jesus, the Son of God, suffered on the cross would have called to mind the words of the prophet Amos. Indeed, Amos prophesied of the terrible judgment about to come upon the northern tribes of Israel in his day. He predicted an unusual darkness and connected the time to the mourning of an only son. God told Amos to proclaim the end for them and to proclaim there would be many dead bodies everywhere (Amos 8:1-3).  He then uttered these interesting words in verses 9-10 that surely have some relevance to the world-changing day of Christ’s crucifixion during the feast of Passover:

And it shall come to pass in that day," says the Lord God, "That I will make the sun go down at noon, And I will darken the earth in broad daylight. I will turn your feasts into mourning, And all your songs into lamentation; I will bring sackcloth on every waist, And baldness on every head; I will make it like mourning for an only son, And its end like a bitter day. (my emphasis)

Certainly, many witnessing the dark sky at Jesus’ crucifixion would have seen this as a bad omen of impending doom or judgment for Israel, just as the darknesses of the past had been. They would have been right too, as the end of an era had come for Israel. The veil of their sacred temple was torn in two that bitter day. The old covenant was finished and great death and destruction for Israel was to follow in A.D. 70 when the Romans demolished Jerusalem, just as Jesus prophesied (Luke 19:41-44; Matthew 23:34-39, 24:15-22).

For those however who knew Jesus, they would have reflected upon this unusual darkness quite differently. Perhaps they would have remembered Jesus’ words:

I am the light of the world. He who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.

As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light – lest darkness overtake you.

But now there was only darkness! The greatest light that had ever graced the earth, a light far greater than the sun, the Lord Jesus Christ, had been darkened.

This prophecy of darkness at midday causing a mourning like a mourning for an only son comes in at number nine in my countdown because it was a bold prophecy about a supernatural event. It was also witnessed by many and recorded both in the Bible and by secular historians. In light of the many witnesses it would take a brave or foolish person to testify in writing of this event, soon after it occurred, if it didn’t actually occur. It would take an even more foolish person to be prepared to die for what he taught and believed, especially if he knew for a fact it wasn’t true. It is believed Matthew, who wrote of the darkness, was indeed martyred for his preaching of Christ. This darkness did occur.

The secular historian Thallus, who wrote around A.D. 50, gave an account of world history in three books. We only know of the existence of Thallus’s work because of surviving parts of a work by Julius Africanus who lived about A.D.160-240. He was a Christian chronographer who wrote a five volume history of the world to A.D. 217. In one surviving part of his work he refers to this strange three hour darkness occurring during Jesus’ daytime crucifixion, writing in his third book:

… Thallus calls the darkness an eclipse of the sun – wrongly in my opinion.

Neither historian casts doubt on the darkness having occurred. They just have different explanations for the darkness. Africanus was rejecting a naturalistic explanation, pointing out Thallus’s view was unsatisfactory because an eclipse of the sun was not possible during Passover time. 

Thank God, as we shall see below, the great Light of the World shone again and still brings light to many whose lives were previously darkened by all kinds of sin and destructive emotions.

Number 8 – The Messiah would be born in   Bethlehem

The prophet Micah about 700 years before Jesus was born predicted where Messiah would be born. It’s interesting he did not choose a big city like Jerusalem, or a holy city like Jerusalem. It’s interesting he did not predict an important city of the world. Rather, Micah prophesied a little town called Bethlehem:

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting. Micah 5:2

Indeed, the New Testament in Luke 2:4-7 records Jesus was born there. What was the population of Bethlehem at the time Jesus was born? The best estimates say between only 300 to 1000 people. There would have been thousands of towns and cities in Israel, so the chances of correctly predicting the correct place of the Messiah’s birth were very low. Yet, the prophet’s prediction proved to be true.

Matthew 2 shows the people of Jesus’ day expected the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Evil plans were even in place to kill the infants born in Bethlehem. King Herod wanted no opposition. They did not take Bible prophecies lightly and they were right in not doing so. Nor should we!

God has planned things ‘to a T’. When we consider what the word Bethlehem means we see God works with great order and purpose. Bethlehem means House of Bread. Why is that significant? Think about Jesus and bread. Jesus said He was the Bread of Life and the Bread from Heaven. He was famous for feeding the 5000 with bread. He said: 

… “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.” And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. … Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.  For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.  As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.”  John 6:32-33, 53-58

Jesus wants to be the bread of eternal life for you and me. He wants us to feed upon Him every day by relying on Him as we would rely upon our daily bread. Remember the tree of life in the garden of Eden? Before Adam and Eve sinned, they were eating from this tree of life and they would have never died as long as they ate from this tree. After they sinned God would not let them eat from this tree anymore, and of course one day their lives ended because of sin.

The good news is there is nothing stopping you or me today and every day seeking our daily sustenance from the new tree of life, Jesus, the Bread of Life, and living forever with God. Listen carefully again to what Jesus said in John 6:57-58:

As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.

Another important thing about Bethlehem being the predicted place of Jesus’ birth was it was the same town where Israel’s most famous and respected king, King David, was born. It was also prophesied the Messiah would come through David’s family tree. David was also the king who was the most powerful. He won the greatest battles, but also suffered the most. King David’s life foreshadowed and pictured Jesus’ life in many interesting ways. David means beloved, and God said of Jesus, this is my beloved Son. Both were shepherds (Jesus in the spiritual sense). Both were doubted and mocked by their people, brothers and by rulers – Saul in David’s case and Pilate and Herod in Jesus’ case. However, both were also loved by the poor and those hated by society. People in high places were jealous of them and tried to kill them. Neither of them had a hand laid on them by their enemies without their consent. Both faced what looked like impossible situations, but brought salvation for their nation in unexpected ways. No one thought David would bring the giant Goliath down and save his nation with the unusual method of a single sling shot. Not even Christ’s disciples expected Him to be resurrected and bring salvation for all through the surprising way of a single sacrifice at the cross. David is Israel’s most loved king. Jesus is the King of Kings. As kings they both suffered terrible betrayal by those close to them and experienced great suffering, but they were both restored. Jesus was raised to sit at the right hand of God. David provides a great prophetic picture (or type) of Jesus, as do many Old Testament characters in detailed, miraculous and amazing ways. I’d encourage you to Google Joseph or Moses as types of Christ.

Numbers 10, 9, and 8, bold, strange and interesting prophecies in the countdown, were fulfilled ‘to a T’! The Bible proved true and accurate. We can trust Bible prophecy. Did you hear the exciting prophecy for our future in John 6:58 quoted above? He who feeds or totally depends on Jesus will live for ever. This may also sound strange to your ears. You have not heard of anyone living forever. Everyone dies. Yes, that’s true. However, this prophecy is to be fulfilled for all those who put their trust fully in Jesus as Lord and Saviour. Just as Jesus was raised from the dead to live forever, so too will all those who trust and depend on Him as their daily food.

Number 7 – It would be God’s plan for the Messiah to suffer and die

Not only would the good, loving and powerful Messiah be rejected by His own people, but even more surprisingly, the prophets predicted it would be God who planned He suffer and die!

Listen, the prophets were human beings like you and me. They wanted and needed a Saviour too. They would have grown up with great hopes for their Messiah. They had great hopes for their nation. They hoped Messiah would permanently save them from their enemies. Strangely, however, more than one of them prophesied it was God’s will for Messiah to suffer and die. For example, Isaiah 53 prophesied:

Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. … All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. … Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief.  Isaiah 53: 4,6,&10a (my emphasis)

Psalm 22, written about 1000 BC is a Psalm predicting Jesus suffering, death and great victory over death. Psalm 22 opens with the distressing words Jesus cried on the cross, My God, My God, why have YOU (my emphasis) forsaken Me?

Jesus, by His own words, agreed with the prophets:

He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” Matthew 26:39  (my emphasis)

 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Matthew 27:46 (my emphasis)

And so number seven in our countdown of the greatest prophecies of our Messiah also came to pass. It was a horrible and terrible thing for Jesus. It was not horrible for us though. It was the best thing. By Jesus voluntary sacrificial death to pay for our sins we can, through faith, be accepted by God.

Oh how awful it was for Christ to have to suffer God’s wrath for our sin. Oh how awful it was for Him to be forsaken by God whom He had been in unity with since eternity past. Who would have believed God would plan such a thing? Who would have believed such a prophecy? It appears no-one did. Not even Jesus’ disciples understood it or believed it despite Jesus telling them several times. Who could have made such a prophecy unless they were inspired by the God who declared in Isaiah 46:9b-10:   

… I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done …

As surprising and horrible as this fulfilled prophecy was, we should not forget the Bible also predicts terrible things will happen to anyone who does not have faith in Christ and obey the gospel. One of these prophecies says:  

… since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.  These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.

                                                                     2 Thessalonians 1:6-9

This too may sound like an unusual and disturbing prophecy, but I hope you can see from our countdown so far (and the countdown ahead which you may have taken a sneak peek at already) even the strange and horrible prophecies of the Bible have come to pass.

When will this Thessalonians prophecy be fulfilled? Verse 10, below, tells us at the Second Coming. It also gives us one of the many beautiful and lovely prophecies left to be fulfilled for believers who obey the gospel:

… when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed.

Oh what a great and glorious day ahead for believers – the Second Coming. God fulfilled the first four amazing prophecies of the countdown. So too will this glorious prophecy be fulfilled in God’s good time. As 2 Peter 3:9 says, the Lord, is not willing that any perish, but that all should come to repentance. I am very thankful for God’s great patience as I surely needed it as indeed we all do.

As we continue the countdown, my deep prayer for you is your faith in the Bible as God’s word will be built stronger and stronger and you will have a strong and burning desire to live not by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the God who loves you so much He did not even spare His only begotten Son, but ordained from ages past He should suffer and die in your place because of sin.

Number 6 – The Messiah will have a connection with two donkeys just before His bloody death

This prophecy comes into my top ten at number six because of its great age and because it is one of the earliest predictions of the Messiah’s death. Genesis 49:8-12 says:

Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father’s children shall bow down before you. … 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. Binding his donkey to the vine, And his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, He washed his garments in wine, And his clothes in the blood of grapes. His eyes are darker than wine, And his teeth whiter than milk.

In this chapter, we see Jacob (later renamed Israel) is blessing his sons before he dies. We see from verse eight that Jacob’s son, Judah, will be highly praised, and one from Judah will be worshipped. We see from verse 10 Judah will be the ruling tribe when Shiloh comes. Shiloh is believed by both Jewish and Christian theologians to be the Messiah, and indeed, a ruling Messiah. We also see in verse 11 the Messiah will have a donkey and a donkey’s colt just before He washes His clothes in wine and the blood of grapes.

Now it is very interesting what we read about Jesus in Matthew 21:1-2. He asked for two donkeys for His final entry into Jerusalem just before the crowds welcomed Him as a king into Jerusalem and just before His clothes were covered in blood at the cross.

Further, just as the prophecy predicted, Judah was indeed the prominent tribe in Israel when Jesus came, and Jesus was from the tribe of Judah. Could it be Genesis 49:11’s mention of washing his clothes in wine and the blood of grapes is a poetic way of prophesying the Messiah would die a bloody death? I am certain it is.

This prophecy makes my top 10, not only because of its great age, but also because it is not well known. Many Christians have heard of the prophecy of the donkeys in Zechariah 9:9 which says:

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.

Few, however, would have noticed the earliest prophecy of the donkeys in Genesis 49.

True it is, as critics might say, anyone could have organised two donkeys. However, only someone very special could have generated the type of response Jesus received while riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. Chapter 21 of Matthew goes on to describe this Triumphal Entry of Jesus. Everything in this chapter cries out King Jesus. The red carpet so to speak was rolled out before Jesus as the multitudes spread their clothes and leafy branches along the road in front of Jesus riding the donkey. This is reminiscent of King Solomon, the son of King David, riding on David’s mule as he was being enthroned king of Israel. The crowds then cried out Long live King Solomon! Now the crowds cried out to King Jesus, Hosanna to the Son of David. In the parallel account in Luke’s gospel, Luke records them crying out, Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord (Luke 19:38). Next, Jesus by His actions shows His kingly authority by driving out the unrighteous dealers from His Father’s house, the temple, and by healing the blind and the lame there.  Even the children are recorded in Matthew 21 as declaring Him to be the Son of David. Everything cried out King! Jesus, also, by way of the cross, was on his way to being raised up (resurrected) to sit on David’s throne being exalted to the right hand of God (Acts 2:30-33).

This prophecy also makes my top ten because it tells us of a great ruler who humbles Himself because of His great love for us. Not only does he sit lowly on a donkey, but much more than that, He humbles Himself to die a bloody death.

This kind of humble Messiah who walked among us is one who we can love and fully trust in because He understands our weaknesses and pain and all the hard things we go through. Hebrews 4:15 puts it well:

For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 

It is because He understands what we go through that I believe He inspired the apostle John to write the following beautiful prophecy:

And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. Revelation 21:4

I hope you know you can trust this prophecy. I pray it gives you true hope for the future and something great to live for.

Number 5 – The Messiah, God manifest in the flesh, would lay down his life willingly and silently like a lamb

Isaiah 53:7, the very prophecy the Ethiopian Eunuch was reading, says:

He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.

This little word yet is a very important word in this verse. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth, The Messiah was to be greatly provoked, but He would do nothing about it. Who do you know who takes mistreatment from others so quietly and calmly? It’s a very rare and special person who behaves as Jesus did under provocation.

Consider also the extent of the horrible provocation He received. Lies were told about Him at His trial. Some said he told people not to pay taxes to Caesar. This was a lie. They tore His clothes, spat in His face, struck Him with the palms of their hands and mocked Him saying prophesy who struck you. This was all at the hands of the priests. Yet Jesus stayed silent.

When Pilate gave Jesus a chance to speak, Pilate was amazed He would not speak up for Himself. Hear the further fulfilment of this prophecy in Matthew 27:12-14:

And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He answered nothing. Then Pilate said to Him, “Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?” But He answered him not one word, so that the governor marveled greatly.

At the hands of the soldiers leading him to be crucified he was the victim of much physical brutality and further disgraceful mocking. Yet Jesus continued to remain silent. Matthew 27:26-31 says:

… and when he [Pilate] had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified. Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole garrison around Him.  And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”  Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head.  And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified.

Even on the cross the provocation continued. Some mocked, He saved others, himself he cannot save. Again Jesus was not provoked. Rather, He prayed, forgive them, for they know not what they do. What love, what self-control!

Don’t forget who Jesus is and the power He has. He said He could have called 12 legions of angels to His aid. That’s perhaps 72,000 angels. If we had the power and resources Jesus had at our disposal, could we show such meekness and self-control?

The apostle Paul was inspired in 1 Corinthians 13:5 to write love is not provoked and the apostle John wrote in 1 John 4:8  … God is love. Surely Jesus showed the pure love of God by not lifting a finger or even saying a word against those provoking Him with their evil behaviour.

This prophecy enters my top 10 at number five because who could have predicted a suffering Saviour who would bear His abominable treatment silently like a lamb when He clearly had the power to stop it? This prophecy shows us the loving character of God. God’s love is greater than His miracles. The apostle Paul says it well in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3:

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

Love is the more excellent way. It seems Isaiah had a good understanding of the true character of the Messiah as regards His self-control and sacrificial love. Jesus was in human flesh, so this was not easy, but true love was the winner. The prophet predicted that under the greatest provocation Messiah would be self-controlled and not sin. He knew in advance the one John the Baptist called the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Who do you know like Jesus? Are you easily provoked to sin or to retaliate when people upset you? Call on Christ, the Lamb of God, if you are.

If we can believe this prophesy was fulfilled, how much easier is it to believe the future prophecy that one day in our future we will sin no more. There will be no sin in our lives or in the lives of those around us. We should be able to believe this. Why? Because there won’t be any provocation. There will be no Tempter (Satan) and no human flesh with its sinful inclinations. The fact Jesus didn’t sin under maximum provocation is amazing and glorious. We should be able to believe there will be a world without sin and pain, especially in a world with no devil and no flesh.

During this countdown to the greatest prophecy Jesus fulfilled I hope you are enjoying hearing how reliable and trustworthy the Bible is. May your belief in the future prophecies I have shared grow and also your desire for a world without sin, sorrow, pain and death. I pray your belief in and desire for God Himself will be strengthened as we keep counting down.

Number 4 – The very time of year the Messiah would be sacrificed as a perfect sacrifice was predicted

There are two predictions here – the time of year Jesus would be killed and the fact His death would be a perfect sacrifice. This prophecy is a prophecy by type – a typological prophecy giving us a picture of the Messiah before time. Wonderfully, the Old Testament is filled with these.

To clearly understand what I mean by a typological prophecy, we have to go back about 3,500 years to Egypt and the ten plagues God used to cause Pharaoh to let the enslaved Israelites depart from Egypt.

Exodus 12:3-7,12-13 & 46 describe the Jewish Passover feast and provide us a strikingly marvellous prophetic picture of Jesus the Lamb of God saying:

Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: ‘On the tenth of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb … a lamb for a household.  … Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight. And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it. … ‘For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord.  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. …  In one house it shall be eaten; you shall not carry any of the flesh outside the house, nor shall you break one of its bones. (my emphasis)

We notice from these verses every Israelite needed a lamb’s sacrifice to save their firstborn. The Bible tells us if it were not for the sacrifice of Jesus, none of our children will be saved. Indeed, no one will be saved. Acts 4:12 says of Jesus, Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

The lamb had to be a male. Jesus was a male.

The lamb had to be unblemished, spotless. It had to be a perfect lamb, with no deformities, discolouration, abnormalities or broken bones. Jesus was the perfect anti-type of this lamb because He was unblemished in the sense He never sinned. John 19:32, interestingly, also tells us when the soldiers came to check if Jesus and those crucified next to Him were still alive the two thieves were, but Jesus was already dead. The soldiers to speed up the death of the two thieves broke their legs. They had no need to do the same to Jesus. This prophetic type could therefore be fulfilled to a ‘T’. None of the Lamb of God’s bones were broken.

The whole assembly of Israel had to kill the lamb. When Pilate asked whether the crowds wanted him to release Jesus or Barrabas, the whole assembly cried out for the crucifixion of Jesus.

The blood of the Passover lambs had to be smeared on the wooden doorposts of the Israelites houses for the death angel to pass by their house and spare their firstborn. Jesus’ blood, the blood of God’s only begotten Son, was smeared over a wooden cross for the salvation of all.

The Israelites had to have faith in the saving blood of the Passover lamb and show their faith by their action if they were to save their children. In other words, they had to apply the blood to the doorposts. We too must have faith in the saving blood of Christ if we and our children are to be saved and we must show our faith by our action (James 2:18). The blood must be applied to our hearts.

Deuteronomy 16:2 also says the Passover feast had to be celebrated in the place where the Lord chooses to put His name. When Jesus was sacrificed, that place was Jerusalem where the temple of God was. Indeed, Jesus was crucified there in fulfilment of this type.

Yes, Jesus perfectly fulfils this brilliant Passover type, so much so that the Apostle Paul refers to Jesus in 1 Corinthians 5:9 as Christ our Passover.

Jesus, if He truly was to fulfil this type had to be sacrificed at Passover time. Luke 22:15 tells us He was:

Then He said to them, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer …

Hebrews 10:12-14 shows us what a great and perfect sacrifice He was:

 But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.

It’s interesting that even the High Priest Caiaphas, not long before Jesus’ death prophesied Jesus would die as a sacrifice for Israel:

And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish.” Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.  John 11:49-52

Indeed it was prophesied Messiah would die at Passover time, but when we think about it, it was a very bizarre time for the Messiah to be killed. Passover was Israel’s greatest religious celebration, indeed a celebration remembering how God saved them through the blood of lambs. What a strange time! When they should be worshipping God, they kill the one some were calling the very Lamb of God!

It was also an unusual time because Matthew 26:3-5 tells us Jesus’ enemies did not even want him to be killed during the Passover feast:

Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him. But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.” (my emphasis)

So, even against His enemy’s wishes, Jesus is killed by Roman crucifixion at Passover. What’s even more bizarre is the very ones who did not want Him to be killed at Passover cause Him to be killed at this time.

However, it was not a strange time to God or Christ Himself who knew just what that Passover feast way back in Egypt about 3,500 years earlier pointed to or symbolized. They knew it was always pointing to the great day when Jesus would be our Passover to save all who believe.

It was not a strange time to Jesus either because He had declared no one would take His life from Him, but rather He would lay it down at the right time (John 10:17-18). Many had tried to take His life earlier, but He did not let them as He had to die at the appointed time of Passover to bring God’s great salvation to the world.

Don’t you marvel how God is in control of history! Even the Romans in Jerusalem, without knowing it, did what God wanted them to do at the right time. We’ve seen the religious leaders did not want Jesus to be killed at Passover, yet they strangely helped it occur then. Also, Pilate, the Roman governor, didn’t even want to kill Jesus, but he did it! You can surely see why this fulfilled prophecy comes in at number four in my countdown.

It all happened this way because God had ordained it so. God is in control of history. God is in control, and He can work your life and my life out for good as well. He will do things at the right time in your life if you just give your life to Him and trust Him. Wait for Him. God’s timing is best. He knows best.

Jesus died at the appointed time. God has also appointed a day when Jesus will come back. Will we be ready? We don’t know the day or the hour, but God knows as He has appointed the day. Perhaps you’ve asked why He’s taking so long. I encourage you just to thank Him for doing so because if Jesus had come before the day you were born you would have never seen the light of day. But don’t delay, accept God’s offer of salvation while you can.

Just as the appointed time for Jesus’ Passover sacrifice came, so too will the prophesied appointed day of judgment for mankind: Acts 17:30-31 says:

Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.

Hebrews 9:27-28 also proclaims:

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.

Will we stand in the judgment with our families? The answer to this comes down to Christ and our relationship with Him. He must be our Passover lamb. We must be covered by His blood. Are you trusting in His saving blood and not in your own goodness?

The writer of Ephesians reminds us:

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. Ephesians 2:8-9

Number 3 – The Messiah would be born of a virgin

Isaiah 7:14 prophesies:

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

Luke 1:26-31 records the fulfilment:

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to … a virgin betrothed to … Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” … “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.

The reason I include this prophecy as high as number three in my countdown of the greatest prophecies Christ fulfilled is because it is fulfilled in such an amazing and miraculous way.

Firstly, the prophecy may not seem a very great prophecy as it’s not uncommon for virgins to conceive upon their first sexual experience. Those who first heard the prophecy may have simply understood it this way, as I believe a careful reading of chapters 7 and 8 of Isaiah identifies the virgin as Isaiah’s wife and the child as Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. No big deal, nothing special, you might say - a woman falling pregnant the first time she gets physically close to her husband, which indeed in those days was commonly the first time she had been so close to any man. This would, however, be a big deal today as many have forgotten or ignore the fact God wants us to remain virgins until marriage.

As unusual as it might seem for a virgin to marry today and conceive though, this prophecy goes much further than that. We saw in Luke 1:26-31 above Jesus’s birth was a supernatural birth and it fulfilled this prophecy in a miraculous way. Mary the virgin, whom the Bible calls blessed, conceived Jesus by the Holy Spirit fertilising her egg! Joseph, the man she was only engaged to, was not involved. Amazing! Who would predict such a thing?

The prophecy says the virgin’s child shall be called Immanuel. Again, you might think, no big deal, nothing special, many babies are called Immanuel.

This prophecy gets even more interesting when we consider what the name Immanuel means. It means God with us. Jesus was not given the birth name, Immanuel. Whilst Jesus was not given the name, millions since the day of His birth, including millions today call Him ‘God with us’. Indeed, the Holy Scriptures do as well. The apostle Thomas was one example of someone close to Jesus who called him God. John 20:27-28 says:

Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”

The apostle Paul also called him God with us in 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. (my emphasis)

Jesus said Himself, if you have seen Me, you have seen the Father (John 14:9) and He expected all to honour Him just as the Father is honoured (John 5:23). We as Christians today commonly call Him God with us.

We see from this, it’s the meaning of a name Bible writers give primary importance to and not the actual name, since Jesus was not named Immanuel. I urge you to remember the importance of a name’s meaning because one day you might meet a Christian who will insist you must use the correct Hebrew name for Jesus – Yeshua (or something similar). Or they will insist you must use the name Yahweh or Jehovah for God. They will say or imply you are not a true Christian, or are lacking as a Christian, if you don’t use the right names. Jesus, at a time when you would most expect Him to use Yahweh or Jehovah (if it were so essential) didn’t even call His Father by this name when he cried out from the cross. He said, Eloi or Eli. Remember, Jesus/Yeshua means Saviour. What matters most is He is your Saviour. Just be sure Jesus born of the virgin Mary, as prophesied and fulfilled, is your personal Saviour.

Another reason this prophecy comes in so high in my top 10 is because it makes the unbelievable prediction God would come to us fully human, accepting the physical limitations, weaknesses and sufferings of a human body and experiencing everything we do, except the guilt of personal sin.

God with us in human flesh! What a prophecy? Who could have predicted this? Who would have believed this? Some religions see the idea of God associating in such a close way with our humanity as repulsive. The Gnostic philosophers, for example, could never accept this concept. Indeed, one would have to admit, it is hard to imagine how the holy and high Creator of all things could stoop so low. What a humiliation for one so majestic and one so pure not only to be in human flesh (often sweaty and smelly), but also to suffer the absolute humiliation and suffering of the crucifixion experience.

In light of such an amazing prediction coming to pass just as the ancient prophet prophesied, I urge you to consider the chances of another prophecy (perhaps even more amazing) being fulfilled in your future. The apostle John writes in 1 John 3:2 that instead of God becoming very much like us, we shall incredibly become very much like Him:

Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.  (my emphasis)

Number 2 – The way Messiah would die was predicted (by crucifixion)

We have already seen it was successfully predicted Messiah would be an Israelite from the tribe of Judah. Israelites, however, did not use crucifixion to put people to death. So, why on earth would any Hebrew prophet predict someone would die by crucifixion? What’s even stranger though is the fact crucifixion was not invented by any nation as a method of putting people to death until after the prophets wrote. It is therefore very interesting how the Bible predicted the Messiah would die by crucifixion.

When we consider how many ways a person can actually die, the magnificence and significance of this prophecy about the way Messiah would die hits home even more. Just Google, as I did, how many ways to die. Six million is given as a conservative estimate. Gun shot, drowning, stabbing, disease, accident, heart attack, brain tumour, strangulation, death by rampaging elephants, old age – you name it – even death by vending machines. McHenry’s Stories For the Soul (Hendricksen Publishers) reports 14 men (no women) dying a year because they angrily shake vending machines, which in turn fall on them crushing them to death.

Despite there being innumerable ways a person can die, yet only one way a person will actually die, the prophets correctly predicted the very way Jesus died. There are many aspects to a death by crucifixion. The victim is brutally beaten. It is one of the most horrible deaths imaginable. It’s a very slow, bloody and painful death. The person’s body is exposed to the elements. Thirst is experienced. The hands and feet are nailed to a wooden cross. The joints of the body are stretched. The person’s heart is placed under enormous stress as it takes effort to breath. The person’s ribs are exposed as their hands are stretched above them. It’s a very public and humiliating death. Mockery is involved. The person dies naked. The person is lifted up high. The authorities, judges and rulers must be involved.

Incredibly, whilst the Bible did not use the word crucifixion (since it had not been invented), you will see from the very ancient prophecies below, which pre-dated Jesus’ death by hundreds of years, many aspects of death by crucifixion were accurately predicted by the prophets.

We previously saw how the death of the Passover Lamb foreshadowed the death of Christ, the Lamb of God. In Exodus 12:6-7 we noticed how the blood of the Lamb had to be dabbed on the wooden doorposts. This correctly announces Messiah would die a death where His blood would be splattered over a wooden frame such as the cross.

Consider also how wonderfully prophetic in a typological way the story in Moses’ time of the bronze serpent being lifted up in the wilderness is:

...  And the people spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread.” So the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died. Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord that He take away the serpents ...” So Moses prayed ... Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.” So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.  Numbers 21:4-9

The significance of this story in terms of being predictive of Jesus way of death is seen in the New Testament scriptures of John 3:14-5 & 12:32-33:

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.  … “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.”  This He said, signifying by what death He would die. (my emphasis)

Notice also the predictions of aspects of death by crucifixion in the following verses:

Just as many were astonished at you, So His visage [appearance] was marred more than any man, And His form more than the sons of men. Isaiah 52:14 (gross disfigurement due to beatings and whippings)

But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes [whip marks] we are healed. Isaiah 53:5 (wounds, bruises, whipping)

He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken. Isaiah 53:8 (judges and rulers involved)

But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised by the people. All those who see Me ridicule Me; They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, “He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him; Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!” Psalm 22:6-8 (mocking, public humiliation)

Many bulls have surrounded Me; Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me. They gape at Me with their mouths, Like a raging and roaring lion. … For dogs have surrounded Me; The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. Psalm 22:12-13,16a (death by mob mentality)

I am poured out like water, And all My bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It has melted within Me.  My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death. Psalm 22:14-15 (bones out of joint stretched on cross, heart like wax, a draining death being exposed to elements, great blood loss, thirst)

They pierced My hands and My feet; I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots. Psalm 22:16b -18 (hands and feet pierced, bones counted with ribs exposed, public humiliation, no clothes).

I stand in awe of the Bible and how God used His prophets to tell the future. I stand in awe of God.

As we’ve seen throughout this book, the Bible predicts wonderful and terrible things for our future and the future of the earth. Can we take them lightly now we have seen how trustworthy the Bible is just from the few examples of great prophetic fulfilment shared in this book?

The apostle Peter predicted:

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore … looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation … 2 Peter 3:10-15

You’ve seen how reliable the Bible is at predicting the future so you can believe the great and terrible things mentioned in these verses.

Now we are up to number one in the countdown. Don’t you agree though this fulfilled prediction that Messiah would die by crucifixion because of His love for us should be enough spiritual food for us now and indeed forever. What a loving God we have! What a loving Saviour we have to suffer what He suffered on the cross. 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 says He didn’t suffer it for His sake, but for ours:

For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.

Jesus went through the beatings, for us. He had his hands and feet pierced for us. He suffered the humiliation and public shame, for us. He was stripped for us so we could be clothed with His righteousness. His blood poured out for our forgiveness. Jesus did it all for you and me.

Romans 10:13 pleads, whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

 Number 1 – The Messiah would be resurrected to eternal life

Finally, we come to what I believe is the greatest fulfilled prophecy about Jesus Christ – my number one. Everything written above about fulfilled prophecies is of zero importance if Jesus did not fulfil this one. Everything anyone preaches about the Bible is useless if Jesus never fulfilled the prophecy I give number one position to. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, and even 2, the fulfilment of the crucifixion prophecies, are of no importance if Jesus never fulfilled the prophecy we are about to consider.

Without this number one, ten through to two are like Adam without Eve, bread without butter, a car without an engine, India without curry, New Zealand without the All Blacks. If Jesus never fulfilled it, we should give up on going to church, forget about God and just eat, drink and be merry until the day we pass on forever. 1 Corinthians15:14,17-19 expresses this perfectly:

And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. …  And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!  Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.  If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.

The prophets did not leave the crucified Jesus buried in the tomb. Praise God, they also predicted he would rise again so we too can have a solid hope of resurrection to eternal life. What a prophecy! Would you make such a bold prophecy? If I predicted I would rise from the dead three days and three nights after dying never to die again would you believe me? I seriously doubt it. If you predicted a famous personality was to rise from the dead never to die again days after they died I wouldn’t believe you either. Why, because apart from Jesus Christ, who in history do we know has been worshipped century after century in all nations for fulfilling this very thing? Nobody. Who in history that you know of was witnessed alive by over 500 eyewitnesses (1 Corinthians 15:1-5) and seen returning to heaven (Acts 1:9-11). Nobody; no one but Christ.

Therefore, this prophecy is a most amazing prophecy about something that just does not happen and that the Christian faith wholly depends on. Did you know the resurrection of Christ is not only the most important thing for a Christian’s hope, it’s also one of the greatest pieces of evidence the Christian faith is true? Just think of the weaknesses of the apostle Peter and the other apostles in the days before they saw Christ alive from the dead. Peter was so cowardly he denied Christ three times. The Bible said all the apostles forsook Jesus when Jesus was arrested. It wasn’t only Thomas who at first doubted Jesus was resurrected. The Bible tells us none of them believed until they saw Jesus alive. These men were not exactly men you would have expected to be able to start the worldwide movement of Christianity – the most influential religion ever.

Given their obvious weaknesses, we therefore need to ask ourselves, how did they found such a great religion? If they never actually saw Jesus alive from the dead, but rather just made the story up, do you think they would have devoted their lives and lost their lives for Christ’s cause. Of course not! My firm conclusion is they must have found their strength by actually seeing Christ raised from the dead just as the prophets predicted.

Let’s take a look then at the prophecies of Messiah’s resurrection:

Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope. For You will not leave my soul in Sheol [the grave], Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption [decay].   Psalm 16:9-10 

Acts 2:30-32 quotes this as a prophecy of the resurrection as follows:

Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. This Jesus God has raised up … Acts 2:30-32

In Psalm 22, in the verses following the prophecies of Christ’s crucifixion which we saw in the last chapter, there is the following resurrection prophecy. The one whose hands and feet were pierced in verse 16 testifies of God’s deliverance:

But You, O Lord, do not be far from Me; O My Strength, hasten to help Me! Deliver Me … You have answered Me. I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will praise You. You who fear the Lord, praise Him! All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, And fear Him, all you offspring of Israel! For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; Nor has He hidden His face from Him; But when He cried to Him, He heard. Psalm 22:19-24  (my emphasis)

Similarly, we have seen several crucifixion prophecies in Isaiah 53. The latter verses of the chapter also give hope of the Messiah’s resurrection:

Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death …  Isaiah 53:10-12  (my emphasis)

Jesus, Himself, was not shy about predicting his own death and resurrection. He gave the resurrection as the key sign He truly was who He claimed to be:

So the Jews answered and said to Him, “What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?”  But He was speaking of the temple of His body.  Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.  John 2:18-22

But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Matthew 12:39-40

Jesus, in yet another prediction of His own resurrection, foretold He had the authority to rise again:

Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.  No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father. John 10:17-18

Matthew 27:62-64 shows us Jesus’ bold resurrection prediction was well known:

… the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, saying, “Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise.’  Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead.’ So the last deception will be worse than the first.”  

The powerful witness of the apostles in establishing the greatest religious movement ever, was largely due to them witnessing Christ alive from the dead and being empowered by the living Christ and the Holy Spirit. If you can believe Jesus is the Son of God, that He died for your sins and was resurrected the third day, believe also the prophecy for the future that you too can be raised to glory at the day of Christ’s second coming. 1 Corinthians 15:20-23 puts it so invitingly, this way:

But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.

Believe the Holy Bible and its prophecies my friends and brethren. Believe, and show your belief is true by your actions. Great will be your reward in heaven! Is the hope of the resurrection yours?

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. John 3:16

Conclusion

So we have reached the end of the countdown. A great many more fulfilled Bible prophecies could have been shared, but I think you get the idea. Let us praise God for the inspiration He gave the prophets so we can know for a fact the Bible is His word and we can trust it fully and put our lives in His eternal care. Let us praise Jesus for fulfilling the prophecies to a ‘T’ – exactly.

We have also seen through this countdown the greatest prophecies the Bible has made for the future. There will be a world without sickness, pain, sadness, suffering and death. There will be a world without sin – the great cause of sickness, pain, sadness, suffering and death. There will be a world where all will live joyfully. One day, all believers will be raised from the dead, glorified and made like Christ. Jesus will come again to judge all. Every knee will bow to Him and every tongue will confess He is Lord. There will be a new heaven and a new earth.

I pray you have grasped how Jesus Christ fulfilled some of the strangest and boldest prophecies imaginable, prophecies no one could make without God’s inspiration. May you also believe wholeheartedly in the great unfulfilled prophecies of the Bible destined to come to pass at the end of the world. The end may be closer than you think. Perhaps the world is on the brink now.

After understanding how Jesus had fulfilled the ancient Messianic prophecies the Ethiopian Eunuch came to wholeheartedly believe Jesus is God’s Son. So without hesitation he asked what hindered him from being baptized?

A great man was humbled by the undeniable Word of God. A literal refreshing oasis was found in the dry desert. An oasis of understanding was found in a spiritual desert. The Eunuch went down into the water and the scripture said he came up rejoicing.

If your faith has similarly been stirred up by the Holy Spirit, what hinders you from now giving your life to Christ? If your desert of understanding the Bible has been watered and is now blooming, may you also be humbled by the authoritative and undeniable Word of God. May your heart rejoice that your eyes are now opened to the great truth you have a loving Creator who died for you and rose victorious from the grave so you can have the assurance of eternal life with Him.

Please contact the author if you would like to be guided further in your understanding, or if you would let nothing hinder you from giving your life to Christ and being baptized.

The End

If interested in having further materials emailed about fulfilments of prophecy by Yeshua I can email you articles on Psalm 22, Isaiah 42 and 53. Here too are some links to relevant sermons:

https://youtu.be/nt78OWDpFXs God’s unmistakeable fingerprint on the Bible (Psalm 22)

https://youtu.be/syZ-JEfcMzE    Kiss the Son (Psalm 2)

https://youtu.be/hDyiJpgMHdQ  Kiss the Son (Psalm 2) Pt 2

https://youtu.be/93Efgtjzm80      Who can stand when Christ appears?

2020 Published by David B. Kidd

Tauranga New Zealand 

The author can be contacted at +64 75444164 or +64 2041283124

Scripture from New King James Version Copyright 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved (*Jesus and Christ changed to Yeshua and Messiah)

Countdown to Faith in Yeshua Hamashiach

10  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1  Faith?

Countdown of the greatest fulfilled prophecies

about Yeshua Hamashiach

                                                           by David Kidd

I have written this short book to you in the heartfelt hope you will give serious consideration to Yeshua/Jesus being your promised Messiah. I love your God, the God of Israel, and as a Christian I apologise for the terrible harm done to Israelites by people falsely claiming to be Christians. One thing I have in common with Judaism is my belief in the benefits of Shabbat.

This book considers the fulfilment of some of the strangest but most important prophecies ever made in the Hebrew Holy Scriptures. The predictions seem crazy, but they are incredibly fulfilled in the life of just one person. Please, do read on.

Scripture from New King James Version Copyright 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved

Introduction

If you find the Holy Scriptures hard to understand and even more difficult to believe, you are not alone. You are in good company.

One day a high ranking government official from Ethiopia was reading from the scriptures whilst passing through the desert in his chariot on his return from worshipping in Jerusalem. Not only was he experiencing an actual desert, but he was facing a dry desert of understanding. He was struggling to understand the Holy Scriptures.

Philip the evangelist recognised the man’s difficulty. So Philip asked him, Do you understand what you are reading? The Ethiopian Eunuch replied, How can I, unless someone guides me? He then asked Philip to sit with him in his chariot.

Here was a humble man, a man of great authority (Acts 8:27) and probably great learning too, willing to listen to a stranger. Acts 8:32-33 says:

The place in the Scripture which he read was this:

“He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He opened not His mouth. In His humiliation His justice was taken away, And who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth.” (a quote from Isaiah 53:7-8)

The Ethiopian had an enquiring mind and wanted to understand deep spiritual truths, so he asked Philip, whom does the prophet say this of, himself or of some other man? Then Philip explained Isaiah was prophesying about Messiah. The Ethiopian would have understood Isaiah’s prophecy was made about 700 years earlier, and he also may have been aware how Yeshua had recently been crucified, without protest, like a lamb going to the slaughter. So Philip, beginning at Isaiah 53:7-8, preached the good news of salvation through Messiah. The light switch came on for this man, and he was so moved at an oasis in the desert to know Yeshua and experience the Lord’s salvation he exclaimed, See here is water, What hinders me from being baptized?

Philip, realising the Ethiopian Eunuch had truly been enlightened about who Yeshua was, could not deny the man’s faith-filled request to give his life to Yeshua Hamashiach. The Eunuch commanded the chariot to stand still and Philip took him down into the water and baptized him. Acts 8:39 says the man went on his way rejoicing – full of joy.

Humility was the key to this man’s great joy. He acknowledged the scriptures did not make sense to him and could not make sense to him unless he was guided. He was willing to hear what the man of God had to say. It so enlightened his eyes and filled his heart that his life was changed forever.

This book likewise provides guidance so you can know for a fact Yeshua is the Son of God and that you can entrust your eternal future to Him. May God grant you humility and understanding as we now count down my top 10 extraordinary Bible prophecies fulfilled by Yeshua Hamashiach about 2000 years ago.

May you experience Yeshua Hamashiach, His teachings, and great promises as a blessed oasis in whatever deserts you may be experiencing in your life.

Let the countdown begin!

Number 10 – The Messiah would be rejected by His own people

The words ‘Messiah’ and ‘Christ’ both mean ‘the Anointed One’. Yeshua lived in Israel in the first century when Israel was labouring under Roman rule. His people longed for the One anointed by God to bring in a glorious golden age of peace and prosperity.

Each nation has its own heroes or heroines, men and women who have done great things. As humans we tend to take great pride in their achievements. Somehow just being a citizen of the same country causes us to feel a part of what they have achieved. When, for example, successful Olympians return home, many line the streets excited to see those who have thrilled their hearts. In New Zealand, we recently celebrated an America’s Cup win and such jubilant celebrations occurred. We celebrate those who have contributed greatly to our nation. We honour them. We praise them. We remember them. We feel good ourselves because of them.

The prophecy that Messiah would be rejected by His own people is therefore a very strange one indeed. Why would people reject their greatly anticipated Saviour? Why would they reject such a great Saviour? And oh what a great Saviour Yeshua Hamashiach was! Never has there been a person whose actions and character were so great they even mirrored the Almighty Creator’s. Yeshua publicly walked on water, calmed storms, restored the lame and blind, healed all kinds of sicknesses and diseases, raised the dead, forgave sins, taught with great authority and showed deep compassion. His achievements make those of an Olympic athlete pale by comparison. As the New Testament in Hebrews 1:3 says, He was the brightness of God’s glory and the express image of His person.

These great things Yeshua did were also expected by first century Israelites who yearned in their hearts for Messiah to come. The Old Testament prophets had predicted many of them. Yeshua met these expectations. He couldn’t go anywhere without crowds following Him. Some were even ready for Him to take His rightful place as King and were pushing Him to do so (John 6:15). Surely, he would be given the highest place of honour by His people.

Even understanding how great Messiah would be however, more than one of the prophets predicted this great Saviour would be rejected by His own people. I ask you, how could anyone even dream such a great Saviour would be rejected, let alone predict it? What a bold and unusual prediction! The scripture below written about 700 BC provides one example of this kind of prophecy:

He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.   Isaiah 53:3

How did Isaiah come up with this very strange idea? Was he hearing directly from God who had also said to Him “… new things I declare, before they spring forth I tell you of them” (Isaiah 42:9)

Just as Isaiah predicted, Yeshua was indeed rejected by His own people. The apostle John wrote He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him (John 1:11). Not only was Yeshua rejected, He was rejected out of hand, in a dramatic way, in a way that rubbed salt into His wounds. The apostle Luke writes:

And they all cried out at once, saying, “Away with this Man, and release to us Barabbas” ... Pilate, therefore, wishing to release Yeshua, again called out to them. But they shouted, saying, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!” Then he said to them the third time, “Why, what evil has He done? I have found no reason for death in Him. I will therefore chastise Him and let Him go.” But they were insistent, demanding with loud voices that He be crucified. And the voices of these men and of the chief priests prevailed. So Pilate gave sentence ... And he released to them the one they requested, who for rebellion and murder had been thrown into prison; but he delivered Yeshua to their will.       Luke 23:18-23

We see Yeshua was rejected with great passion. Yeshua was rejected with great hostility. He was rejected by the rulers, the chief priests and the people. They demanded with loud voices He be crucified. In light of Yeshua’s loving nature and kind deeds His rejection made no sense. In light of the extraordinary and fearful power He often demonstrated, His rejection showed unusual bravery by his persecutors. Yeshua’s rejection could not have been more shameful or complete. In preferring Barabbas, a rebel and a murderer, Yeshua’s people were showing absolute contempt for Him. Indeed, the prophecy was fulfilled.

As we continue the countdown of the greatest fulfilled prophecies of Yeshua Hamashiach watch carefully for the sure hand of God in the book I call ‘the miracle book’ – the Bible.

Number 9 – There would be an unusual darkness over the earth connected to the mourning of an only son

The apostle Matthew, an eyewitness, records that while Yeshua was on the cross:

… from the sixth hour until the ninth hour [mid-day to three in Hebrew time] there was darkness over all the land. Matthew 27:45

Luke writes:

Now it was about the sixth hour and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. Then the sun was darkened … Luke 23:44-45

This was an extraordinary darkness, as it was not only the middle of the day when it went dark for three hours, it was also Passover time. At this time of the year there is always a full moon and the moon is on the side of the earth away from the sun. The moon needs to be between the sun and the earth for there to be an eclipse of the sun, so it is impossible at Passover time for a solar eclipse to occur. Adding to the mystery of this event is the fact solar eclipses only last a few minutes, not three hours!

Now, put yourself in the shoes of the Israelites who were there and who understood why Yeshua was being crucified. Some of them had even called for His crucifixion. Some had witnessed or heard of His miracles. Many knew Yeshua was special and He’d been handed over by the priests because of envy. They were also aware of His claim to be the Son of God. Now picture them when the sun goes dark in the middle of the day for three hours while Yeshua is hanging on the cross with the words This is Yeshua the King of the Jews written above His head (Matthew 27:37).

Do you honestly believe they were thinking this was just an eclipse? Do you think they are thinking this is just a coincidence when it first goes dark? How about ten minutes after the sky darkens? How about three hours later? I very much doubt it. I wonder whether their minds turned toward other examples of unusual darkness in the Holy Scriptures and whether they feared this was another time when God’s judgment and wrath were about to fall, as it was on those previous occasions.

In Exodus 10:21, God brought a plague of darkness on the land of Egypt because Pharaoh would not let His people go. It was such a terrible plague of darkness it was described in Exodus 10:21-23 as a darkness which may even be felt and one that lasted for three days. It was followed by the sacrifice of lambs, the blood of which saved God’s people when they put it on their door posts as a sign of faith and an act of obedience.

I wonder whether some witnessing the darkness while Yeshua, the Son of God, suffered on the cross would have called to mind the words of the prophet Amos. Indeed, Amos prophesied of the terrible judgment about to come upon the northern tribes of Israel in his day. He predicted an unusual darkness and connected the time to the mourning of an only son. God told Amos to proclaim the end for them and to proclaim there would be many dead bodies everywhere (Amos 8:1-3).  He then uttered these interesting words in verses 9-10 that surely have some relevance to the world-changing day of Yeshua’s crucifixion during the feast of Passover:

And it shall come to pass in that day," says the Lord God, "That I will make the sun go down at noon, And I will darken the earth in broad daylight. I will turn your feasts into mourning, And all your songs into lamentation; I will bring sackcloth on every waist, And baldness on every head; I will make it like mourning for an only son, And its end like a bitter day. (my emphasis)

Certainly, many witnessing the dark sky at Yeshua’s crucifixion would have seen this as a bad omen of impending doom or judgment for Israel, just as the darknesses of the past had been. They would have been right too, as the end of an era had come for Israel. The veil of their sacred temple was torn in two that bitter day. The old covenant was finished and great death and destruction for Israel was to follow in A.D. 70 when the Romans demolished Jerusalem, just as Yeshua sadly, but correctly, prophesied (Luke 19:41-44; Matthew 23:34-39, 24:15-22).

For those however who knew Yeshua, they would have reflected upon this unusual darkness quite differently. Perhaps they would have remembered Yeshua’s words:

I am the light of the world. He who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.

As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light – lest darkness overtake you.

But now there was only darkness! The greatest light that had ever graced the earth, a light far greater than the sun, Yeshua Hamashiach, had been darkened.

This prophecy of darkness at midday causing a mourning like a mourning for an only son comes in at number nine in my countdown because it was a bold prophecy about a supernatural event. It was also witnessed by many and recorded both in the Bible and by secular historians. In light of the many witnesses it would take a brave or foolish person to testify in writing of this event, soon after it occurred, if it didn’t actually occur. It would take an even more foolish person to be prepared to die for what he taught and believed, especially if he knew for a fact it wasn’t true. It is believed Matthew, who wrote of the darkness, was indeed martyred for his preaching of Messiah. This darkness did occur.

The secular historian Thallus, who wrote around A.D. 50, gave an account of world history in three books. We only know of the existence of Thallus’s work because of surviving parts of a work by Julius Africanus who lived about A.D.160-240. He was a Christian chronographer who wrote a five volume history of the world to A.D. 217. In one surviving part of his work he refers to this strange three hour darkness occurring during Yeshua’s daytime crucifixion, writing in his third book:

… Thallus calls the darkness an eclipse of the sun – wrongly in my opinion.

Neither historian casts doubt on the darkness having occurred. They just have different explanations for the darkness. Africanus was rejecting a naturalistic explanation, pointing out Thallus’s view was unsatisfactory because an eclipse of the sun was not possible during Passover time. 

Thank God, as we shall see below, the great Light of the World shone again and still brings light to many whose lives were previously darkened by all kinds of sin and destructive emotions.

Number 8 – The Messiah would be born in   Bethlehem

The prophet Micah about 700 years before Yeshua was born predicted where Messiah would be born. It’s interesting he did not choose a big city like Jerusalem, or a holy city like Jerusalem. It’s interesting he did not predict an important city of the world. Rather, Micah prophesied a little town called Bethlehem:

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting. Micah 5:2

Indeed, the New Testament in Luke 2:4-7 records Yeshua was born there. What was the population of Bethlehem at the time Yeshua was born? The best estimates say between only 300 to 1000 people. There would have been thousands of towns and cities in Israel, so the chances of correctly predicting the correct place of the Messiah’s birth were very low. Yet, the prophet’s prediction proved to be true.

Matthew 2 shows the people of Yeshua’s day expected Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Evil plans were even in place to kill the infants born in Bethlehem. King Herod wanted no opposition. They did not take prophecies of the Holy Scriptures lightly and they were right in not doing so. Nor should we!

God has planned things ‘to a T’. When we consider what the word Bethlehem means we see God works with great order and purpose. Bethlehem means House of Bread. Why is that significant? Think about Yeshua and bread. He said He was the Bread of Life and the Bread from Heaven. He was famous for feeding the 5000 with bread. He said: 

… “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.” And Yeshua said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. … Then Yeshua said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.  For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.  As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.”  John 6:32-33, 53-58

Yeshua Hamashiach wants to be the bread of eternal life for you and me. He wants us to feed upon Him every day by relying on Him as we would rely upon our daily bread. Remember the tree of life in the garden of Eden? Before Adam and Eve sinned, they were eating from this tree of life and they would have never died as long as they ate from this tree. After they sinned God would not let them eat from this tree anymore, and of course one day their lives ended because of sin.

The good news is there is nothing stopping you or me today and every day seeking our daily sustenance from the new tree of life, Yeshua, the Bread of Life, and living forever with God. Listen carefully again to what Yeshua said in John 6:57-58:

As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.

Another important thing about Bethlehem being the predicted place of Yeshua’s birth was it was the same town where Israel’s most famous and respected king, King David, was born. It was also prophesied Messiah would come through David’s family tree. David was also the king who was the most powerful. He won the greatest battles, but also suffered the most. King David’s life foreshadowed and pictured Yeshua’s life in many interesting ways. David means beloved, and God said of Yeshua, this is my beloved Son. Both were shepherds (Yeshua in the spiritual sense). Both were doubted and mocked by their people, brothers and by rulers – Saul in David’s case and Pilate and Herod in Yeshua’s case. However, both were also loved by the poor and those hated by society. People in high places were jealous of them and tried to kill them. Neither of them had a hand laid on them by their enemies without their consent. Both faced what looked like impossible situations, but brought salvation for their nation in unexpected ways. No one thought David would bring the giant Goliath down and save his nation with the unusual method of a single sling shot. Not even Yeshua’s disciples expected Him to be resurrected and bring salvation for all through the surprising way of a single sacrifice at the cross. David is Israel’s most loved king. Yeshua is the King of Kings. As kings they both suffered terrible betrayal by those close to them and experienced great suffering, but they were both restored. Yeshua was raised to sit at the right hand of God. David provides a great prophetic picture (or type) of Yeshua, as do many Old Testament characters in detailed, miraculous and amazing ways. I’d encourage you to Google Joseph or Moses as types of Yeshua Hamashiach.

Numbers 10, 9, and 8, bold, strange and interesting prophecies in the countdown, were fulfilled ‘to a T’! The Holy Scriptures proved true and accurate. We can trust the prophecies of scripture. Did you hear the exciting prophecy for our future in John 6:58 quoted above? He who feeds or totally depends on Yeshua will live for ever. This may also sound strange to your ears. You have not heard of anyone living forever. Everyone dies. Yes, that’s true. However, this prophecy is to be fulfilled for all those who put their trust fully in Yeshua as Lord and Saviour. Just as Yeshua was raised from the dead to live forever, so too will all those who trust and depend on Him as their daily food.

Number 7 – It would be God’s plan for the Messiah to suffer and die

Not only would the good, loving and powerful Messiah be rejected by His own people, but even more surprisingly, the prophets predicted it would be God who planned He suffer and die!

Listen, the prophets were human beings like you and me. They wanted and needed a Saviour too. They would have grown up with great hopes for their Messiah. They had great hopes for their nation. They hoped Messiah would permanently save them from their enemies. Strangely, however, more than one of them prophesied it was God’s will for Messiah to suffer and die. For example, Isaiah 53 prophesied:

Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. … All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. … Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief.  Isaiah 53: 4,6,&10a (my emphasis)

Psalm 22, written about 1000 BC is a Psalm predicting Yeshua’s suffering, death and great victory over death. Psalm 22 opens with the distressing words Yeshua cried on the cross, My God, My God, why have YOU (my emphasis) forsaken Me?

Yeshua, by His own words, agreed with the prophets:

He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” Matthew 26:39  (my emphasis)

 And about the ninth hour Yeshua cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Matthew 27:46 (my emphasis)

And so number seven in our countdown of the greatest prophecies of our Messiah also came to pass. It was a horrible and terrible thing for Yeshua. It was not horrible for us though. It was the best thing. By Yeshua’s voluntary sacrificial death to pay for our sins we can, through faith, be accepted by God.

Oh how awful it was for Yeshua Hamashiach to have to suffer God’s wrath for our sin. Oh how awful it was for Him to be forsaken by God whom He had been in unity with since eternity past. Who would have believed God would plan such a thing? Who would have believed such a prophecy? It appears no-one did. Not even Yeshua’s disciples understood it or believed it despite Him telling them several times. Who could have made such a prophecy unless they were inspired by the God who declared in Isaiah 46:9b-10:   

… I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done …

As surprising and horrible as this fulfilled prophecy was, we should not forget the New Testament also predicts terrible things will happen to anyone who does not have faith in Messiah and obey the gospel. One of these prophecies says:  

… since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Yeshua is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Yeshua Hamashiach.  These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.

                                                                     2 Thessalonians 1:6-9

This too may sound like an unusual and disturbing prophecy, but I hope you can see from our countdown so far (and the countdown ahead which you may have taken a sneak peek at already) even the strange and horrible prophecies of Holy Scripture have come to pass.

When will this Thessalonians prophecy be fulfilled? Verse 10, below, tells us at the Second Coming. It also gives us one of the many beautiful and lovely prophecies left to be fulfilled for believers who obey the gospel:

… when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed.

Oh what a great and glorious day ahead for believers – the Second Coming. God fulfilled the first four amazing prophecies of the countdown. So too will this glorious prophecy be fulfilled in God’s good time. As 2 Peter 3:9 says, the Lord, is not willing that any perish, but that all should come to repentance. I am very thankful for God’s great patience as I surely needed it as indeed we all do.

As we continue the countdown, my deep prayer for you is your faith in the Holy Scriptures as God’s word will be built stronger and stronger and you will have a strong and burning desire to live not by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the God who loves you so much He did not even spare His only begotten Son, but ordained from ages past He should suffer and die in your place because of sin.

Number 6 – The Messiah will have a connection with two donkeys just before His bloody death

This prophecy comes into my top ten at number six because of its great age and because it is one of the earliest predictions of the Messiah’s death. Genesis 49:8-12 is amazing. Its surprising prediction of part of the gospel story may not be so familiar to you. It contains one of the earliest predictions of Jesus’ life-giving work at the cross.  It says:

Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father’s children shall bow down before you. Judah is a lion’s whelp [cub]; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion; And as a lion, who shall rouse him? 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. Binding his donkey to the vine, And his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, He washed his garments in wine, And his clothes in the blood of grapes. His eyes are darker than wine, And his teeth whiter than milk.

In Genesis 49, we see Jacob blessing his sons before he dies. Judah, will be highly praised and take the prominent place among the tribes of Israel (v8). Judah is likened to a lion (v9). Judah will be the ruling tribe until Shiloh comes and when Shiloh comes (v10). Shiloh is believed by both Jewish and Christian theologians to be the Messiah, and indeed, a ruling Messiah who people obey. The Messiah will have a donkey and a donkey’s colt just before He washes His clothes in wine and the blood of grapes (v11).

Now it is very interesting what we read about Yeshua in Matthew 21:1-2. He mysteriously arranges two donkeys for His entry into Jerusalem just before the crowds welcomed Him as a king and just before His clothes were covered in blood at the cross. Yeshua was from the tribe of Judah and was referred to as The Lion of the tribe of Judah in Revelation 5:5.

Further, just as the prophecy predicted, Judah was indeed the prominent tribe in Israel up until the time in history Yeshua lived and also at that time. Could it be Genesis 49:11’s mention of washing his clothes in wine and the blood of grapes is a poetic way of prophesying the Messiah would die a bloody death? I am certain it is.

This very early prophecy, made impressively even before Judah and his brothers were established as tribes in Israel, is perhaps not as well-known as the prophecy of the two donkeys in Zechariah 9:9, quoted in Matthew 21:5, which says:

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.

Critics may well try and downplay the splendour of this prophecy by suggesting anyone could have arranged two donkeys and claimed to be Messiah. However, only someone very special could have generated the type of response Yeshua did whilst riding a donkey into Jerusalem.

Chapter 21 of Matthew describes what has become known as this Triumphal Entry of Jesus. Everything in this chapter cries out King Yeshua, the one who shall have the obedience of the people. The red carpet so to speak was rolled out before Yeshua as the multitudes spread their clothes and palm branches along the road in front of Him riding the donkey. This is reminiscent of King Solomon, the son of King David, riding on David’s mule as he was being enthroned king of Israel. The crowds then cried out Long live King Solomon! (1 Kings 1:38-40).  Now the crowds cried out to King Yeshua, Hosanna to the Son of David (Son of David being perhaps Yeshua’s favourite title for Himself). In the parallel account in Luke’s gospel, Luke records them crying out, Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord (Luke 19:38).  

Next, in Matthew 21:12-14, Yeshua by His actions also shows His royal authority by driving out the unrighteous dealers from His Father’s house. He then demonstrates His Messianic power by healing the blind and the lame there.  Even the children are recorded in Matthew 21 as declaring Him to be the Son of David. Everything cried out King! By the way of the cross to His death, Yeshua was on His way to being raised up (resurrected) to sit on David’s throne being exalted to the right hand of God (Acts 2:30-33).

This gospel prophecy is also extraordinarily special because it tells us of a great ruler who humbles Himself because of His great love for us. Not only does He sit lowly on a donkey, but much more than that – He humbles Himself to die a bloody death on our behalf. This was a death He didn’t deserve because He was so pure – as white as snow (perhaps a fulfilment of Genesis 49:12 – his teeth [being] whiter than milk).

This kind of humble and committed Messiah who walked among us and died for us is one who we can love and fully trust in because He understands our weaknesses and pain and all the hard things we experience. Hebrews 4:15 puts it well:

For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 

It is because He understands what we go through that I believe He inspired the apostle John to write the following beautiful prophecy:

And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. Revelation 21:4

I hope you know you can trust this prophecy which was divinely inspired by the Father. I pray it gives you true hope for the future and something great always to live for.

Number 5 – The Messiah, God manifest in the flesh, would lay down his life willingly and silently like a lamb

Isaiah 53:7, the very prophecy the Ethiopian Eunuch was reading, says:

He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.

This little word yet is a very important word in this verse. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth, The Messiah was to be greatly provoked, but He would do nothing about it. Who do you know who takes mistreatment from others so quietly and calmly? It’s a very rare and special person who behaves as Yeshua did under provocation.

Consider also the extent of the horrible provocation He received. Lies were told about Him at His trial. Some said he told people not to pay taxes to Caesar. This was a lie. They tore His clothes, spat in His face, struck Him with the palms of their hands and mocked Him saying prophesy who struck you. This was all at the hands of the priests. Yet Yeshua stayed silent.

When Pilate gave Yeshua a chance to speak, Pilate was amazed He would not speak up for Himself. Hear the further fulfilment of this prophecy in Matthew 27:12-14:

And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He answered nothing. Then Pilate said to Him, “Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?” But He answered him not one word, so that the governor marveled greatly.

At the hands of the soldiers leading him to be crucified he was the victim of much physical brutality and further disgraceful mocking. Yet Yeshua continued to remain silent. Matthew 27:26-31 says:

… and when he [Pilate] had scourged Yeshua, he delivered Him to be crucified. Then the soldiers of the governor took Yeshua into the Praetorium and gathered the whole garrison around Him.  And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”  Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head.  And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified.

Even on the cross the provocation continued. Some mocked, He saved others, himself he cannot save. Again Yeshua was not provoked. Rather, He prayed, forgive them, for they know not what they do. What love, what self-control!

Don’t forget who Yeshua is and the power He has. He said He could have called 12 legions of angels to His aid. That’s perhaps 72,000 angels. If we had the power and resources Yeshua had at our disposal, could we show such meekness and self-control?

The apostle Paul was inspired in 1 Corinthians 13:5 to write love is not provoked and the apostle John wrote in 1 John 4:8  … God is love. Surely Yeshua showed the pure love of God by not lifting a finger or even saying a word against those provoking Him with their evil behaviour.

This prophecy enters my top 10 at number five because who could have predicted a suffering Saviour who would bear His abominable treatment silently like a lamb when He clearly had the power to stop it? This prophecy shows us the loving character of God. God’s love is greater than His miracles. The apostle Paul says it well in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3:

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

Love is the more excellent way. It seems Isaiah had a good understanding of the true character of the Messiah as regards His self-control and sacrificial love. Yeshua was in human flesh, so this was not easy, but true love was the winner. The prophet predicted that under the greatest provocation Messiah would be self-controlled and not sin. He knew in advance the one John the Baptist called the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Who do you know like Yeshua? Are you easily provoked to sin or to retaliate when people upset you? Call on Messiah, the Lamb of God, if you are.

If we can believe this prophesy was fulfilled, how much easier is it to believe the future prophecy that one day in our future we will sin no more. There will be no sin in our lives or in the lives of those around us. We should be able to believe this. Why? Because there won’t be any provocation. There will be no Tempter (Satan) and no human flesh with its sinful inclinations. The fact Yeshua didn’t sin under maximum provocation is amazing and glorious. We should be able to believe there will be a world without sin and pain, especially in a world with no devil and no flesh.

During this countdown to the greatest prophecy Yeshua fulfilled I hope you are enjoying hearing how reliable and trustworthy the Holy Scriptures are. May your belief in the future prophecies I have shared grow and also your desire for a world without sin, sorrow, pain and death. I pray your belief in and desire for God Himself will be strengthened as we keep counting down.

Number 4 – The very time of year the Messiah would be sacrificed as a perfect sacrifice was predicted

There are two predictions here – the time of year Yeshua would be killed and the fact His death would be a perfect sacrifice. This prophecy is a prophecy by type – a typological prophecy giving us a picture of the Messiah before time. Wonderfully, the Hebrew scriptures are filled with these.

To clearly understand what I mean by a typological prophecy, we have to go back about 3,500 years to Egypt and the ten plagues God used to cause Pharaoh to let the enslaved Israelites depart from Egypt.

Exodus 12:3-7,12-13 & 46 describe the Jewish Passover feast and provide us a strikingly marvellous prophetic picture of Yeshua the Lamb of God saying:

Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: ‘On the tenth of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb … a lamb for a household.  … Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight. And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it. … ‘For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord.  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. …  In one house it shall be eaten; you shall not carry any of the flesh outside the house, nor shall you break one of its bones. (my emphasis)

We notice from these verses every Israelite needed a lamb’s sacrifice to save their firstborn. The New Testament tells us if it were not for the sacrifice of Yeshua, none of our children will be saved. Indeed, no one will be saved. Acts 4:12 says of Yeshua, Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

The lamb had to be a male. Yeshua was a male.

The lamb had to be unblemished, spotless. It had to be a perfect lamb, with no deformities, discolouration, abnormalities or broken bones. Yeshua was the perfect anti-type of this lamb because He was unblemished in the sense He never sinned. John 19:32, interestingly, also tells us when the soldiers came to check if Yeshua and those crucified next to Him were still alive the two thieves were, but Yeshua was already dead. The soldiers to speed up the death of the two thieves broke their legs. They had no need to do the same to Yeshua. This prophetic type could therefore be fulfilled to a ‘T’. None of the Lamb of God’s bones were broken.

The whole assembly of Israel had to kill the lamb. When Pilate asked whether the crowds wanted him to release Yeshua or Barrabas, the whole assembly cried out for the crucifixion of Yeshua.

The blood of the Passover lambs had to be smeared on the wooden doorposts of the Israelites houses for the death angel to pass by their house and spare their firstborn. Yeshua’s blood, the blood of God’s only begotten Son, was smeared over a wooden cross for the salvation of all.

The Israelites had to have faith in the saving blood of the Passover lamb and show their faith by their action if they were to save their children. In other words, they had to apply the blood to the doorposts. We too must have faith in the saving blood of Messiah if we and our children are to be saved and we must show our faith by our action (James 2:18). The blood must be applied to our hearts.

Deuteronomy 16:2 also says the Passover feast had to be celebrated in the place where the Lord chooses to put His name. When Yeshua was sacrificed, that place was Jerusalem where the temple of God was. Indeed, He was crucified there in fulfilment of this type.

Yes, Yeshua perfectly fulfils this brilliant Passover type, so much so that the Apostle Paul refers to Him in 1 Corinthians 5:9 as Messiah our Passover.

Yeshua, if He truly was to fulfil this type had to be sacrificed at Passover time. Luke 22:15 tells us He was:

Then He said to them, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer …

Hebrews 10:12-14 shows us what a great and perfect sacrifice He was:

 But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.

It’s interesting that even the High Priest Caiaphas, not long before Yeshua’s death prophesied He would die as a sacrifice for Israel:

And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish.” Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Yeshua would die for the nation, and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.  John 11:49-52

Indeed it was prophesied Messiah would die at Passover time, but when we think about it, it was a very bizarre time for the Messiah to be killed. Passover was Israel’s greatest religious celebration, indeed a celebration remembering how God saved them through the blood of lambs. What a strange time! When they should be worshipping God, they kill the one some were calling the very Lamb of God!

It was also an unusual time because Matthew 26:3-5 tells us Yeshua’s enemies did not even want him to be killed during the Passover feast:

Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and plotted to take Yeshua by trickery and kill Him. But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.” (my emphasis)

So, even against His enemy’s wishes, Yeshua is killed by Roman crucifixion at Passover. What’s even more bizarre is the very ones who did not want Him to be killed at Passover cause Him to be killed at this time.

However, it was not a strange time to God or Messiah Himself who knew just what that Passover feast way back in Egypt about 3,500 years earlier pointed to or symbolized. They knew it was always pointing to the great day when Yeshua Hamashiach would be our Passover to save all who believe.

It was not a strange time to Yeshua either because He had declared no one would take His life from Him, but rather He would lay it down at the right time (John 10:17-18). Many had tried to take His life earlier, but He did not let them as He had to die at the appointed time of Passover to bring God’s great salvation to the world.

Don’t you marvel how God is in control of history! Even the Romans in Jerusalem, without knowing it, did what God wanted them to do at the right time. We’ve seen the religious leaders did not want Yeshua to be killed at Passover, yet they strangely helped it occur then. Also, Pilate, the Roman governor, didn’t even want to kill Yeshua, but he did it! You can surely see why this fulfilled prophecy comes in at number four in my countdown.

It all happened this way because God had ordained it so. God is in control of history. God is in control, and He can work your life and my life out for good as well. He will do things at the right time in your life if you just give your life to Him and trust Him. Wait for Him. God’s timing is best. He knows best.

Yeshua died at the appointed time. God has also appointed a day when He will come back. Will we be ready? We don’t know the day or the hour, but God knows as He has appointed the day. Perhaps you’ve asked why He’s taking so long. I encourage you just to thank Him for doing so because if Yeshua had come again before the day you were born you would have never seen the light of day. But don’t delay, accept God’s offer of salvation while you can.

Just as the appointed time for Yeshua Passover sacrifice came, so too will the prophesied appointed day of judgment for mankind: Acts 17:30-31 says:

Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.

Hebrews 9:27-28 also proclaims:

And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Messiah 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.

Will we stand in the judgment with our families? The answer to this comes down to Messiah and our relationship with Him. He must be our Passover lamb. We must be covered by His blood. Are you trusting in His saving blood and not in your own goodness?

The writer of Ephesians reminds us:

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. Ephesians 2:8-9

Number 3 – The Messiah would be born of a virgin

Isaiah 7:14 prophesies:

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

Luke 1:26-31 records the fulfilment:

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to … a virgin betrothed to … Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” … “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Yeshua.

The reason I include this prophecy as high as number three in my countdown of the greatest prophecies Messiah fulfilled is because it is fulfilled in such an amazing and miraculous way.

Firstly, the prophecy may not seem a very great prophecy as it’s not uncommon for virgins to conceive upon their first sexual experience. Those who first heard the prophecy may have simply understood it this way, as I believe a careful reading of chapters 7 and 8 of Isaiah identifies the virgin as Isaiah’s wife and the child as Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. No big deal, nothing special, you might say - a woman falling pregnant the first time she gets physically close to her husband, which indeed in those days was commonly the first time she had been so close to any man. This would, however, be a big deal today as many have forgotten or ignore the fact God wants us to remain virgins until marriage.

As unusual as it might seem for a virgin to marry today and conceive though, this prophecy goes much further than that. We saw in Luke 1:26-31 above Yeshua’s birth was a supernatural birth and it fulfilled this prophecy in a miraculous way. Mary the virgin, whom the Bible calls blessed, conceived Yeshua by the Holy Spirit fertilising her egg! Joseph, the man she was only engaged to, was not involved. Amazing! Who would predict such a thing?

The prophecy says the virgin’s child shall be called Immanuel. Again, you might think, no big deal, nothing special, many babies are called Immanuel.

This prophecy gets even more interesting when we consider what the name Immanuel means. It means God with us. Yeshua was not given the birth name, Immanuel. Whilst He was not given the name, millions since the day of His birth, including millions today call Him ‘God with us’. Indeed, the Holy Scriptures do as well. The apostle Thomas was one example of someone close to Yeshua who called him God. John 20:27-28 says:

Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”

The apostle Paul also called him God with us in 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. (my emphasis)

Yeshua Himself said, if you have seen Me, you have seen the Father (John 14:9) and He expected all to honour Him just as the Father is honoured (John 5:23). We as Christians today commonly call Him God with us.

We see from this, it’s the meaning of a name Bible writers give primary importance to and not the actual name, since Yeshua was not named Immanuel. I urge you to remember the importance of a name’s meaning because one day you might meet a Christian who will insist you must use the correct Hebrew name for Jesus – Yeshua (or something similar). Or they will insist you must use the name Yahweh or Jehovah for God. They will say or imply you are not a true Christian, or are lacking as a Christian, if you don’t use the right names. Yeshua, at a time when you would most expect Him to use Yahweh or Jehovah (if it were so essential) didn’t even call His Father by this name when he cried out from the cross. He said, Eloi or Eli. Remember, Yeshua/Jesus means Saviour. What matters most is He is your Saviour. Just be sure Yeshua born of the virgin Mary, as prophesied and fulfilled, is your personal Saviour.

Another reason this prophecy comes in so high in my top 10 is because it makes the unbelievable prediction God would come to us fully human, accepting the physical limitations, weaknesses and sufferings of a human body and experiencing everything we do, except the guilt of personal sin.

God with us in human flesh! What a prophecy? Who could have predicted this? Who would have believed this? Some religions see the idea of God associating in such a close way with our humanity as repulsive. The Gnostic philosophers, for example, could never accept this concept. Indeed, one would have to admit, it is hard to imagine how the holy and high Creator of all things could stoop so low. What a humiliation for one so majestic and one so pure not only to be in human flesh (often sweaty and smelly), but also to suffer the absolute humiliation and suffering of the crucifixion experience.

In light of such an amazing prediction coming to pass just as the ancient prophet prophesied, I urge you to consider the chances of another prophecy (perhaps even more amazing) being fulfilled in your future. The apostle John writes in 1 John 3:2 that instead of God becoming very much like us, we shall incredibly become very much like Him:

Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.  (my emphasis)

Number 2 – The way Messiah would die was predicted (by crucifixion)

We have already seen it was successfully predicted Messiah would be an Israelite from the tribe of Judah. Israelites, however, did not use crucifixion to put people to death. So, why on earth would any Hebrew prophet predict someone would die by crucifixion? What’s even stranger though is the fact crucifixion was not invented by any nation as a method of putting people to death until after the prophets wrote. It is therefore very interesting how the Bible predicted the Messiah would die by crucifixion.

When we consider how many ways a person can actually die, the magnificence and significance of this prophecy about the way Messiah would die hits home even more. Just Google, as I did, how many ways to die. Six million is given as a conservative estimate. Gun shot, drowning, stabbing, disease, accident, heart attack, brain tumour, strangulation, death by rampaging elephants, old age – you name it – even death by vending machines. McHenry’s Stories For the Soul (Hendricksen Publishers) reports 14 men (no women) dying a year because they angrily shake vending machines, which in turn fall on them crushing them to death.

Despite there being innumerable ways a person can die, yet only one way a person will actually die, the prophets correctly predicted the very way Yeshua died. There are many aspects to a death by crucifixion. The victim is brutally beaten. It is one of the most horrible deaths imaginable. It’s a very slow, bloody and painful death. The person’s body is exposed to the elements. Thirst is experienced. The hands and feet are nailed to a wooden cross. The joints of the body are stretched. The person’s heart is placed under enormous stress as it takes effort to breath. The person’s ribs are exposed as their hands are stretched above them. It’s a very public and humiliating death. Mockery is involved. The person dies naked. The person is lifted up high. The authorities, judges and rulers must be involved.

Incredibly, whilst the Hebrew scriptures did not use the word crucifixion (since it had not been invented), you will see from the very ancient prophecies below, which pre-dated Yeshua’s cruel death by hundreds of years, many aspects of death by crucifixion were accurately predicted by the prophets.

We previously saw how the death of the Passover Lamb foreshadowed the death of Messiah, the Lamb of God. In Exodus 12:6-7 we noticed how the blood of the Lamb had to be dabbed on the wooden doorposts. This correctly announces Messiah would die a death where His blood would be splattered over a wooden frame such as the cross.

Consider also how wonderfully prophetic in a typological way the story in Moses’ time of the bronze serpent being lifted up in the wilderness is:

...  And the people spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread.” So the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died. Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord that He take away the serpents ...” So Moses prayed ... Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.” So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.  Numbers 21:4-9

The significance of this story in terms of being predictive of Yeshua’s way of death is seen in the New Testament scriptures of John 3:14-5 & 12:32-33:

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.  … “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.”  This He said, signifying by what death He would die. (my emphasis)

Notice also the predictions of aspects of death by crucifixion in the following verses:

Just as many were astonished at you, So His visage [appearance] was marred more than any man, And His form more than the sons of men. Isaiah 52:14 (gross disfigurement due to beatings and whippings)

But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes [whip marks] we are healed. Isaiah 53:5 (wounds, bruises, whipping)

He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken. Isaiah 53:8 (judges and rulers involved)

But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised by the people. All those who see Me ridicule Me; They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, “He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him; Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!” Psalm 22:6-8 (mocking, public humiliation)

Many bulls have surrounded Me; Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me. They gape at Me with their mouths, Like a raging and roaring lion. … For dogs have surrounded Me; The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. Psalm 22:12-13,16a (death by mob mentality)

I am poured out like water, And all My bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It has melted within Me.  My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death. Psalm 22:14-15 (bones out of joint stretched on cross, heart like wax, a draining death being exposed to elements, great blood loss, thirst)

They pierced My hands and My feet; I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots. Psalm 22:16b -18 (hands and feet pierced, bones counted with ribs exposed, public humiliation, no clothes).

I stand in awe of the Holy Scriptures and how God used His prophets to tell the future. I stand in awe of God.

As we’ve seen throughout this book, the Holy Scripture predicts wonderful and terrible things for our future and the future of the earth. Can we take them lightly now we have seen how trustworthy the scriptures are just from the few examples of great prophetic fulfilment shared in this book?

The apostle Peter predicted:

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore … looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation … 2 Peter 3:10-15

You’ve seen how reliable the Holy Scriptures are at predicting the future so you can believe the great and terrible things mentioned in these verses.

Now we are up to number one in the countdown. Don’t you agree though this fulfilled prediction that Messiah would die by crucifixion because of His love for us should be enough spiritual food for us now and indeed forever. What a loving God we have! What a loving Saviour we have to suffer what He suffered on the cross. 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 says He didn’t suffer it for His sake, but for ours:

For the love of Messiah compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.

Yeshua went through the beatings, for us. He had his hands and feet pierced for us. He suffered the humiliation and public shame, for us. He was stripped naked for us so we could be clothed with His righteousness. His blood poured out for our forgiveness. Yeshua did all this and more for you and me.

Romans 10:13 pleads, whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Won’t you call on Him!

Number 1 – The Messiah would be resurrected to eternal life

Finally, we come to what I believe is the greatest fulfilled prophecy about Yeshua Hamashiach – my number one. Everything written above about fulfilled prophecies is of zero importance if Yeshua did not fulfil this one. Everything anyone preaches about the Bible is useless if Yeshua never fulfilled the prophecy I give number one position to. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, and even 2, the fulfilment of the crucifixion prophecies, are of no importance if Yeshua never fulfilled the prophecy we are about to consider.

Without this number one, ten through to two are like Adam without Eve, bread without butter, a car without an engine, India without curry, New Zealand without the All Blacks. If Yeshua never fulfilled it, Christians should give up on going to church, forget about God and just eat, drink and be merry until the day we pass on forever. 1 Corinthians15:14,17-19 expresses this perfectly:

And if Messiah is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. …  And if Messiah is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!  Then also those who have fallen asleep in Messiah have perished.  If in this life only we have hope in Messiah, we are of all men the most pitiable.

The prophets did not leave the crucified Yeshua buried in the tomb. Praise God, they also predicted he would rise again so we too can have a solid hope of resurrection to eternal life. What a prophecy! Would you make such a bold prophecy? If I predicted I would rise from the dead three days and three nights after dying never to die again would you believe me? I seriously doubt it. If you predicted a famous personality was to rise from the dead never to die again days after they died I wouldn’t believe you either. Why, because apart from Yeshua Hamashiach, who in history do we know has been worshipped century after century in all nations for fulfilling this very thing? Nobody. Who in history that you know of was witnessed alive by over 500 eyewitnesses (1 Corinthians 15:1-5) and seen returning to heaven (Acts 1:9-11). Nobody; no one but Yeshua Hamashiach.

Therefore, this prophecy is a most amazing prophecy about something that just does not happen and that the Christian faith wholly depends on. Did you know the resurrection of Messiah is not only the most important thing for a Christian’s hope, it’s also one of the greatest pieces of evidence the Christian faith is true? Just think of the weaknesses of the apostle Peter and the other apostles in the days before they saw Yeshua alive from the dead. Peter was so cowardly he denied Yeshua three times. The Bible said all the apostles forsook Yeshua when He was arrested. It wasn’t only Thomas who at first doubted Yeshua was resurrected. The Bible tells us none of them believed until they saw Yeshua alive. These men were not exactly men you would have expected to be able to start the worldwide movement of Christianity – still the largest religion today.

Given their obvious weaknesses, we therefore need to ask ourselves, how did they found such a great religion? If they never actually saw Yeshua alive from the dead, but rather just made the story up, do you think they would have devoted their lives and lost their lives for His cause. Of course not! My firm conclusion is they must have found their strength by actually seeing Yeshua raised from the dead just as the prophets predicted.

Let’s take a look then at the prophecies of Messiah’s resurrection:

Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope. For You will not leave my soul in Sheol [the grave], Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption [decay].   Psalm 16:9-10

Acts 2:30-32 quotes this as a prophecy of the resurrection as follows:

Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Messiah to sit on his throne, he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Messiah, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. This Yeshua God has raised up … Acts 2:30-32

In Psalm 22, in the verses following the prophecies of Messiah’s crucifixion which we saw in the last chapter, there is the following resurrection prophecy. The one whose hands and feet were pierced in verse 16 testifies of God’s deliverance:

But You, O Lord, do not be far from Me; O My Strength, hasten to help Me! Deliver Me … You have answered Me. I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will praise You. You who fear the Lord, praise Him! All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, And fear Him, all you offspring of Israel! For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; Nor has He hidden His face from Him; But when He cried to Him, He heard. Psalm 22:19-24  (my emphasis)

Similarly, we have seen several crucifixion prophecies in Isaiah 53. The latter verses of the chapter also give hope of the Messiah’s resurrection:

Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death …  Isaiah 53:10-12  (my emphasis)

Yeshua, Himself, was not shy about predicting his own death and resurrection. He gave the resurrection as the key sign He truly was who He claimed to be:

So the Jews answered and said to Him, “What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?” Yeshua answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?”  But He was speaking of the temple of His body.  Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Yeshua had said.  John 2:18-22

But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Matthew 12:39-40

Yeshua, in yet another prediction of His own resurrection, foretold He had the authority to rise again:

Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.  No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.  John 10:17-18

Matthew 27:62-64 shows us Yeshua’s bold resurrection prediction was well known:

… the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, saying, “Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise.’  Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead.’ So the last deception will be worse than the first.”  

The powerful witness of the apostles in establishing the most influential religious movement ever, was largely due to them witnessing Messiah alive from the dead and being empowered by the resurrected living Messiah and the Holy Spirit. If you can believe Yeshua is the Son of God, that He died for your sins and was resurrected the third day, believe also the prophecy for the future that you too can be raised to glory at the day of Messiah’s second coming. 1 Corinthians 15:20-23 puts it so invitingly, this way:

But now Messiah is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Messiah all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Messiah the firstfruits, afterward those who are Messiah’s at His coming.

Believe the Holy Scriptures and its prophecies my Hebrew friends and brethren. Believe, and show your belief is true by your actions. Great will be your reward in heaven!

Is the hope of the resurrection yours?

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. John 3:16

Conclusion

So we have reached the end of the countdown. A great many more fulfilled prophecies about Messiah from the Hebrew Scriptures could have been shared, but I think you get the idea (and you can search out many more of these on-line yourself). Let us praise God for the inspiration He gave the prophets so we can know for a fact the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament are His word and we can trust them fully and put our lives in God’s eternal care. Let us praise Yeshua Hamashiach for fulfilling the prophecies to a ‘T’ – exactly.

We have also seen through this countdown the greatest prophecies the New Testament has made for the future. There will be a world without sickness, pain, sadness, suffering and death. There will be a world without sin – the great cause of sickness, pain, sadness, suffering and death. There will be a world where all will live joyfully. One day, all believers will be raised from the dead, glorified and made like Messiah. Yeshua Hamashiach will come again to judge all. Every knee will bow to Him and every tongue will confess He is Lord. There will be a new heaven and a new earth.

I pray you have grasped how Yeshua Hamashiach fulfilled some of the strangest and boldest prophecies imaginable, prophecies no one could make without God’s inspiration. May you also believe wholeheartedly in the great unfulfilled prophecies of scripture destined to come to pass at the end of the world. The end may be closer than you think. Perhaps the world is on the brink now. Only God knows.

After understanding how Yeshua had fulfilled the ancient Messianic prophecies the Ethiopian Eunuch came to wholeheartedly believe Yeshua is God’s Son. Without hesitation, he therefore asked what hindered him from being baptized?

A great man was humbled by the undeniable Word of God. A literal refreshing oasis was found in the dry desert. An oasis of understanding was found in a spiritual desert. The Eunuch went down into the water and the scripture said he came up rejoicing.

If your faith has similarly been stirred up by the Holy Spirit, what hinders you from now giving your life to Yeshua Hamashiach? If your desert of understanding the Bible has been watered and is now blooming, may you also be humbled by the authoritative and undeniable Word of God. May your heart rejoice that your eyes are now opened to the great truth you have a loving Creator who died for you and rose victorious from the grave so you can have the assurance of eternal life with Him.

Your Messiah has come. His hand is outstretched right now toward your hand of faith.

The End

Please contact the author at churchofgodslove4@gmail.com if you would like to be guided further in your understanding, or if you would let nothing hinder you from giving your life to Messiah and being baptized.

If interested in having further materials emailed about fulfilments of prophecy by Yeshua I can email you articles on Psalm 22, Isaiah 42 and 53. Here too are some links to relevant sermons:

https://youtu.be/nt78OWDpFXs God’s unmistakeable fingerprint on the Bible (Psalm 22)

https://youtu.be/syZ-JEfcMzE    Kiss the Son (Psalm 2)

https://youtu.be/hDyiJpgMHdQ  Kiss the Son (Psalm 2) Pt 2

https://youtu.be/93Efgtjzm80      Who can stand when Christ appears?

2020 Published by David B. Kidd

Tauranga New Zealand 

The author can be contacted at +64 75444164 or +64 2041283124

Scripture from New King James Version Copyright 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved (*Jesus and Christ changed to Yeshua and Messiah)