INTRODUCTION
Immediately following the introduction of sin and its destructive influences
into the human race through Adam’s sin, God promised a Savior in Genesis
3:15. From that foundational promise there is a scarlet thread of promises
that runs through the Old Testament that repeat and give more information
about this Deliverer. And, Scripture not only promises the Messiah, but
it does so in such a way that we can precisely identify Him.
Two week ago we began a journey through the Old Testament following
these Road Signs with the purpose of showing that they lead us to and precisely
identify Jesus as this Messiah - the Christ.
Why have we done this?
-
To encourage Christians by giving them evidence that their faith in Jesus
is well placed.
-
To convince seekers that their quest is over resulting in them placing
their trust in Jesus.
"I am the way, the truth, and the life."
John
14:6 (NKJV)
Let’s review the Road Signs that we have already seen:
Road Sign #1 - The Promised Seed (Gen.
3:15, NKJV, 1450 BC)
Road Sign #2 - The Line of Seth - the Godly Seed (Gen.
4:25-26, NKJV, 1450 BC)
Road Sign #3 - Blessings on Shem (Gen.
9:26-27, NKJV, 1450 BC)
Road Sign #4 - The Call of Abram (Gen.
12:1-3, NKJV, 1450 BC)
Road Sign #5 - A Specific Parcel of Land is Designated
(Gen. 12:5-7, NKJV, 1450 BC) NOT COVERED
Road Sign #5 - In Issac and His Descendants (Gen.17:19,
NKJV, 1450 BC)
Road Sign #6 - In Jacob and His Descendants (Gen.
25:22-23, Gen.
28:13-14, NKJV, 1450 BC)
Road Sign #7 - In the Tribe of Judah (Gen.
49:10, NKJV, 1450 BC)
Road Sign #8 - In the Family of Jesse (1
Sam. 16:1, NKJV, 1000 BC; Is.
11:1, 10, NKJV. 700 BC)
Road Sign #9 - In the Person of David (Isaiah
9:6-7, NKJV, 700 BC; 1
Sam. 16:12-13, 2
Sam. 7:12-16, NKJV, 1000 BC) (Actually
covered in PART 2)
 Road
Sign #10: In the Person of David
"So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with beautiful
eyes and a handsome appearance. And the LORD said, 'Arise, anoint him;
for this is he.' Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the
midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David
from that day forward. And Samuel arose and went to Ramah." (1
Sam. 16:12-13, NKJV, 1000 BC)
This Road Sign was given about 1,000 B.C.
God assured David that his house, throne, and kingdom would be established
forever. Though the house of David would degenerate and though there would
be interruptions to its rule, the right to rule would remain with David’s
family, as predicted in Genesis
49:10 (NKJV), and one day it would be permanently established through
Messiah.
The next road signs along the course of prophetic history deal with
this royal line and Messiah’s birth.
Road
Sign Number 11: The Place of Messiah’s Birth
"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.
Therefore He shall give them up, Until the time that she who is in labor
has given birth; Then the remnant of His brethren shall return to the children
of Israel." (Micah
5:2-3, NKJV, 700 BC)
Luke tells us that the Micah prophecy was well known by Israel. When the
men from the east came seeking the one born King of the Jews and inquired
of His birth, the religious leaders told Herod precisely where He was to
be born -- in Bethlehem.
Road
Sign Number 12: Messiah to be Born by the Miracle of the Virgin Birth
"Then he said, 'Listen now, O house of David! Is it too slight
a thing for you to try the patience of men, that you will try the patience
of my God as well? Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold,
a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name
Immanuel.'" (Is.
7:13-14, NASB, 700 BC)
In this passage Isaiah announces the birth of a wondrous child through
a virgin as a sign of deliverance to the whole house of David -- the birth
of Messiah by the miracle of the virgin birth.
This passage, quoted by the angel to Joseph to explain what had happened,
is included by Matthew as one of the many fulfillment prophecies regarding
Messiah that were fulfilled by the conception of Mary and the birth and
life of Jesus (Matt.
1:18-25, NKJV). We are to expect precisely what we find in the Gospel
accounts of the birth of Jesus.
Remember we said that the prophecies of the birth of the Messiah are
so precise that they tell us how (that the Savior would come through
the miracle of the virgin birth), they tell us where He would be
born (Bethlehem), and they even tell us when!
Road
Sign Number 13: The Time of Messiah’s Birth1
“Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy
city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement
for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision
and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy place. So you are to know and
discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem,
until Messiah the Prince, there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks.
Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing,
…“ (Dan.
9:24-27, NKJV, 535 BC)
Daniel 9:24-27 adds several more important facts about the Messiah:
-
This passage tells us when Messiah will appear on the scene.
It obviously anticipates His birth.
-
It tells us that after His appearance, Messiah will be rejected by His
people. And that Messiah will be cut off temporarily, an obvious reference
to the cross.
Verse 25 refers to a specific time for the coming of Messiah:
-
The seven weeks with the sixty-two weeks combine to make 69 weeks of years
(483 years) until the coming of Messiah.
-
The starting point for the 483 years was the decree to restore and rebuild
Jerusalem. This is a reference to the decree given in the time of Nehemiah
in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes in 445 B.C. (Neh.
2:1-8, NKJV).
After this, Messiah would appear on the scene.
The words “until Messiah the Prince” refer to a time when Messiah would
be manifested as the prince of Israel. The point of manifestation is debated,
but it most likely refers to the triumphal entry of Christ into Jerusalem
on Palm Sunday when He presented Himself and was recognized by the people
as Messiah prince. This would be around A.D. 30-33, so the time of His
birth as the Immanuel of God would have to be around A.D. 0-4. (4-0
BC?)
By the way, though somewhat debated, it is a believed that at the time
of Christ’s birth there was an air of expectancy among godly Jews who still
had the hope of Messiah. One of the reasons was this prophecy given 600
years before.
Road
Sign Number 14: Messiah to be Preceded by a Forerunner
"'Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will
clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come
to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight,
behold, He is coming,' says the LORD of hosts." (Malachi
3:1, NKJV, 430 BC)
It is predicted that Messiah would be preceded by a forerunner who would
prepare the hearts of the people for the Lord. Sound like anyone familiar
in the New Testament?
Mark uses Malachi 3:1 to introduce and explain the meaning and purpose
of the Isaiah passage as it is fulfilled in John the Baptist, the forerunner
of Christ. And remember this prophecy was given over 400 years before Jesus’
birth.
These are just a few of the Old Testament prophecies regarding the birth
of Messiah that Jesus fulfilled. He also fulfilled
numerous prophecies related to the Life, Death, and Resurrection of this
Promised Deliverer. And you will notice from your handout that all
these prophecies were given at least 400 years before Jesus was ever born!)
CONCLUSION
As we come to the end of our journey to Bethlehem I want to draw your
attention to some other seekers who traveled far to find the Christ child
- The Wise Men. One reason that Matthew shares this story with us is because
it contrasts the apathy and disinterest of the religious leaders of Israel
and the hatred and actions of Herod.
Though they knew where Messiah was to be born, the religious
leaders couldn’t be bothered; and Herod sought to kill the child. Again,
Scripture draws our attention to the struggle and hatred of Genesis 3:15,
continuing the battle between the spiritual and the carnal, the godly and
the worldly, and faith versus unbelief.
The Wise Men were seeking the King; Herod was opposing
the King; and the Jewish priests were indifferent to the King.
The priests knew the Scriptures, but ignored them. Isn’t it sad how
much people can know of the Word of God and, at the same time, how little
it often affects their lives. We can know the Bible, yet fail to appropriate
it by faith so that it changes our object of worship.
God has given us these clear marks of identification (road signs) that
we might not be misled into believing the false claims of the various religious
leaders who have and will rise on the scene of human history. It behooves
us to know these great prophecies and to remember our Lord’s warning in
Matthew
24:4-5 (NKJV):
"And Jesus answered and said to them, 'See to it that no one
misleads you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’
and will mislead many."
What is your response to these Road Signs?
Have you been indifferent to the truth of God’s Word?
 You will never
find your way as long as you insist on following your own Road Signs.
Have you been seeking the truth?
If so, I believe
that you have found the truth and are ready to place your trust in Jesus
Christ as your Savior.
I
invite you to do that now.
Notes:
1See also: “Seventy
Weeks Prophecy - God’s Calendar For Israel” |