in need of Christ

Submitted by kid bertha (United States), Oct 27, 2008 at 12:16

Keith, I pray that your heart would turn from Islam and back to Christ. Following are just a few of over three hundred prophecies of the Hebrew scriptures, the old testament, foreshadowing the birth, life, and sacrificial death of the son of the creator of man, the Lord God Almighty of Israel. I will even reference the new testament versus that fulfilled these prophecies of the Hebrew prophets.

1) He would be a descendant of David. Fulfilled: Matthew 1:6,16

3) He would be born of a virgin. Fulfilled: Matthew 1:18

"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The

virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son,

and will call him Immanuel." (Isaiah 7:14)

4) He would live in Galilee. Fulfilled: Matthew 4:12–16

"Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those

who were in distress. In the past he humbled the

land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the

future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way

of the sea, along the Jordan— The people walking in

darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the

land of the shadow of death a light has dawned."

(Isaiah 9:1–2)

5) He would be rejected. Fulfilled: John 1:11

"He was despised and rejected by men, a man of

sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from

whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we

esteemed him not." (Isaiah 53:3)

6) He would enter Jerusalem riding on a donkey. Fulfilled: John 12:13–15

"Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter

of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous

and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey,

on a colt, the foal of a donkey." (Zechariah 9:9)

7) He would be executed. Fulfilled: Matthew 27:12–14

"He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open

his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and

as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not

open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was

taken away. And who can speak of his descendants?

For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the

transgression of my people he was stricken."

(Isaiah 53:7–8)

8) He would be crucified. Fulfilled: Matthew 27:38

"Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has

encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my

feet." (Psalm 22:16)

9) People would cast lots for his clothes. Fulfilled: John 19:23–24

"They divide my garments among them and cast lots

for my clothing." (Psalm 22:18)

10) He would be raised from the dead. Fulfilled: Matthew 28:5–9

". . . because you will not abandon me to the grave,

nor will you let your Holy One see decay."

(Psalm 16:10)

There are a plethora of others. See if you can find some of them.

Not only are there direct prophecies of Jesus, there are numerous "types" that point forward to him. For example, at the feast of Passover, a lamb in perfect condition had to be killed (Exodus12:3–6). This represented the sacrifice of Jesus, the "Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). Some people were also types of Jesus. For example, Abraham was told to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice on Mt Moriah near Jerusalem, just as God offered his son as a sacrifice near Jerusalem. What other "types" of Christ can you think of?

***Thought provokers

1. Read Matthew 1:18 – 3:3. List the prophecies that are quoted and read each of the passages. If you were living at the time of Jesus' birth, how many of these prophecies of Jesus would you have identified? Is Matthew interpreting the Old Testament properly? Sure he is!

2. Isaiah 53 is a famous prophecy about the suffering and death of Jesus. However, Jews interpret the prophecy as referring to Israel, the nation. How would you answer this claim?

***Further investigation

1. Read through the speeches of Paul and Peter in Acts 2, 3 and 13, and list the Old Testament prophecies that they used to prove that Jesus was the Messiah.

2. One prophecy that is not quoted in the New Testament is Daniel 9:25–27. It describes the Messiah (Anointed One) being "cut off" 69 ‘weeks' after the decree to rebuild Jerusalem. Each day of the ‘weeks' represents one year. So 69 weeks is 69

3. [Harder] Some prophecies of Jesus are quoted in the New Testament, but are difficult to find in the Old Testament.

Read Matthew 2:23. Where is the prophecy of the "Nazarene"? Read Luke 24:45–47. Where is the prophecy that Jesus would rise from the dead on the third day?

Keith,

In closing, I pray for you, and all those around the world who are not currently followers of Jesus Christ, to consider opening your mind from any preconceptions you may have of Christ, and to do some studying of your own. Enter into an intimate personal relatioinship with the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, through his devine and inspired word. Ask for the Holy Spirit to come into your life. Ask for Jesus to make you new. Repent of your sins with all your heart, and ask for Jesus to wipe your stains clean. Ask Jesus to give you a second chance in life. Confess Jesus Christ as Lord and savior of your soul. Ask Jesus to reveal his truth to you. It will set you free. - Amen

×7 = 483 years. Find out about when the decree was made and how this prophecy was fulfilled at precisely the time predicted.

"When your days are over and you rest with your

fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you,

who will come from your own body, and I will establish

his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house

for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his

kingdom forever." (2 Samuel 7:12–13)

2) He would be born in Bethlehem. Fulfilled: Matthew 2:4–6

"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small

among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me

one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are

from of old, from ancient times." (Micah 5:2)

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