EVERY MESSIANIC
PROPHECY FULFILLED
This booklet is a continuation of our last booklet entitled MESSIANIC PROPHECIES. There is more material than we could look at in one little booklet, and there is more that needs to be said. It is our purpose in these two booklets to point out that every Old Testament prophecy with regard to the Messiah was fulfilled to the last detail. We will not be able to look at every prophecy, but I hope we will look at enough of them to show that the Lord did everything, and his adversaries did everything to him, that was foretold should take place.
In Micah, chapter five, the prophet foretold where the Messiah would be born. He would come from Bethlehem Ephratah in the tribe of Judah. We already talked about that. On and on, generation after generation, the prophets added to the prophecies of the Messiah. When he appeared, there should have been no doubt as to who he was.
Born at the Right Place
The Lord was born where it had been prophesied that he would be born.
Matt. 2:3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judea: for thus it is written by the prophet,
6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the
least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
Born at the Right Time
He was born at the exact time he was prophesied to be born. Four hundred years before he was born, God had set the date when he would appear. Before we get to that, we need to back up just a bit.
When God brought Israel into the land of Canaan, he promised them great blessing if they kept the law, and great trouble if they rebelled. They did rebel, and in chapter 29 of his prophecy, Jeremiah told them their entire nation was about to be carried away to Babylon. But in verse 10 of that chapter, he told them they would be there seventy years, and then God would bring them home again.
Jer. 29:10 For thus saith the Lord, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.
God is always true to his word. They were carried away to Babylon, and they were held there for seventy years, and as the seventy years were coming to an end, Daniel was studying his Bible. He learned from the prophecy of Jeremiah that they would return after seventy years.
Dan. 9:2 In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of years, whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.
God kept that promise; he brought them home during the reign of Cyrus, the king of Persia. (Today Persia is called Iran; the Allies imposed the name change on them after World War One.) Ezra recorded the fulfilment of that prophecy.
Ezra 1:1 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,
2 Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, the Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.
How Did Cyrus Know
The Bible does not tell us how Cyrus knew God had charged him to build him a house at Jerusalem. It is likely that one of the Jewish prophets, perhaps Daniel or Ezekiel, showed him the passage.
In the close of that same ninth chapter of Daniel, God revealed the precise time the Messiah would appear, and he pointed to that passage in Ezra to mark the time to begin the countdown.
Dan. 9:25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself; and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week; and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolation.
The Exact Time
Daniel indicated that, in order to calculate the time “unto the Messiah the Prince,” they should begin their count with “the going forth of the commandment to restore and build Jerusalem.” The second verse in the book of Ezra records that commandment.
He began by saying there would be seven weeks. Those were seven weeks of years, not weeks of days. That is forty-nine years. And he says “the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.”
Every prophecy God ever made either has been fulfilled, or it will be fulfilled in its time. That prophecy was fulfilled, and Holy Spirit devotes two entire books, Ezra and Nehemiah, to the record its fulfillment.
They returned to the land under the leadership of Zerrubabel, and they spent the next forty-nine years rebuilding the city. If you are interested, you might go to those two books and read of those troublous times when the city of Jerusalem was being rebuilt. Sanballat and Tobiah and Geshem the Arabian did everything in their power to trouble them and stop the work.
Then, there would be threescore and two weeks. Do the math. A score is twenty; so threescore weeks of years (3 times 20 times 7) is 420 years. Add those other two weeks of years (2 times 7) and you get 434 years. Add those first 49 years (7 weeks of years) when the city was being rebuilt, and you get 483 years. That brings us to the beginning of that seventieth week, and it brings us precisely to the beginning of the Lord’s public ministry. Then he mentions one more week in verse 27.
27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week.
Exactly Seven Times as Long
That adds up to 490 years (70 times 70). That is exactly seven times as long as they were in Babylon. It is amazing how precise the Bible is, how precise its prophecies are, and how precise the fulfilment.
That brings us to the time when the Messiah was to “be cut off, but not for himself.” That is, he was cut off for our sins—not for any of his own.
He was cut off in the midst of that seventieth week. The Lord’s public ministry lasted three years and part of a year. It was in the midst of that final week that he “caused the sacrifice and the oblation to cease.” The sacrifices and oblations of the Law Service ceased—that is, they ceased to be of any benefit—when that one great antitypical sacrifice was offered. They did not need the type when the Great Anti-type appeared.
The Old Testament offerings were only types. They only represented that one true sacrifice that was to come. There was no need for the typical sacrifices when the one and only true sacrifice had been offered.
The Book of Fulfilled Prophecy
All the prophetic markers were falling into place. Matthew is the book of fulfilled prophecy. Matthew spent most of his book recording the life of Christ, and pointing out how, event by event, he was fulfilling prophecy.
Those seventy weeks of years began with the decree of Cyrus, and they continued through the public ministry of the Lord. They embraced his entire ministry—and came to an end. If we find the Messiah, we will find him in that seventieth week—or we will not find him.
The Old Testament prophets foretold that the Messiah would be of the seed of Abraham (Gen. 22:18), of the tribe of Judah (Gen. 49:10), and of the house of David (Psa. 132:11). In 70 A. D., The Romans burnt Jerusalem to the ground—and all the genealogical records with it. That happened forty years after the Lord was crucified and rose again. God would not allow those genealogical records to perish until there had been an abundance of time to check them out and make sure that Jesus fit all the genealogical requirements to fulfill the prophecies of the Messiah. Then the Romans burnt them all.
The only records that remain are those preserved by Matthew and Luke.
God saw to it that the genealogy of the Messiah was established, and he saw to it that nobody who came along later could present a viable claim. If somebody should appear today, claiming to be the Messiah, there is no way to demonstrate his identity by the genealogical records. They burned along with the city of Jerusalem almost two thousand years ago. God knows what he is doing—and if the occasion calls for it, he will use a Gentile army to do his will.
Nobody Else Fits the Pattern
Again, it is amazing how every prophecy of the Messiah was clearly fulfilled in the life, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Any serious student of the Bible must sit in wide-eyed, slack-jawed amazement at how all the pieces fit in place—how the Lord Jesus Christ fits the pattern of the prophesied Messiah—and how nobody else could ever fit.
We have to be just as amazed at how the Bible—and the facts of history—completely shut down any other claim that might be made.
He Would be Virgin Born
Perhaps, the greatest of all the prophecies was that the Lord would be virgin born (Isa. 7:14). He was not Joseph’s son—he was the Son of God.
Isa. 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel.
Matt.1:22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
Joseph and Mary Fled into Egypt
The angel warned Joseph to take Mary and the baby Jesus and flee into Egypt and stay there until the death of Herod. Hosea foretold that hundreds of years before,
Hos. 11:1 When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my Son out of Egypt
Matt. 2:13 And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.
14 When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:
15 And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.
The Slaughter of the Babies
Herod was so determined to do away with anybody that might be a threat to his throne that he ordered the massacre of every baby from two years old and under. Jeremiah told about it hundreds of years before the time (Jer. 31:15).
Matt. 2:17 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying,
18 In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.
John the Baptist
That very last prophecy of the Old Testament points to John the Baptist. It has to be significant that God gives this as the very capstone of the Old Testament, and especially the capstone of Old Testament prophecy.
Mal. 4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
Those are the last two verses in the Old Testament. It was proper that this should be the very last prophecy in the Old Testament. God was about shut up the entire nation in judicial darkness. There would be no more prophets for the next four hundred years.
The sign that the four hundred years of darkness were coming to an end was the ministry of John the Baptist. That was the sign they should have been watching for.
They had to wait four hundred years until the prophecy was fulfilled, but like every prophecy, when the time came, it was fulfilled to the last detail.
Isa. 40:3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our Lord.
4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain.
Luke 3:4 As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth;
6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
John the Baptist appeared abruptly on the scene with his message of repentance. But if the Jews had been paying attention to their own prophets they should have expected him. We pointed out a moment ago that Daniel prophesied the time the Messiah would appear. The time had arrived; they should have been looking around trying to identify the messenger.
The Lord’s Public Ministry
At the very beginning of the Lord’s public ministry, everything was finally coming to a head. And God had John the Baptist stationed at the Jordan River to point to the Lord and identify him.
What more could they ask for? There was that man of God pointing to the Lord and telling them, “Here he is; for hundreds of years you have been waiting for him, and now he is here. Behold him—look at him.”
John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
Just before that one once-and-for-all sacrifice was offered to take away the sin of the world, John the Baptist came to prepare the way of the Lord before him. Matthew pointed out that the ministry of John the Baptist was the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy.
Matt. 3:1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea,
3 And saying, Repent ye; for the kingdom is at hand.
3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
And again, eight chapters later, the Lord confirmed what John the Baptist had said. John was the forerunner of the Lord; he was the forerunner of the Messiah— the forerunner of the Savior.
God sent John before the Lord to proclaim his coming. And he had him stationed at Jordan to point him out when he appeared. God was making it as simple, and as clear, as it needed to be. He was removing any excuse anybody might have had to ignore him, or to ignore his message.
Matt. 11:7 And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?
8 But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses.
9 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.
10 For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
John Identified Himself
Lest there should be any doubt, John identified himself as the fulfilment of Isaiah’s prophecy.
John 1:23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.
Matt. 17:10 And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?
11 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.
12 But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them.
13 Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.
John came preaching that the kingdom was at hand—the Messiah had arrived. The Lord came to Jordan to be baptized by John, and he began methodically fulfilling every prophecy that had been made with regard to his ministry. He fulfilled every prophecy down to the least detail.
Stroke by stroke, the prophets painted his picture. By the time he came on the scene, they had provided sufficient information for anybody to identify him—if they wanted to.
The Lord Pointed out
that he was Fulfilling Prophecy
From time to time, lest they might miss the point, the Lord took time to point out that what they were observing had been foretold years before. Immediately after he was baptized, the Lord announced that he was fulfilling prophecy. Listen to what he told the people just after he was baptized.
Luke 4:17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,
18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.
21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
Four thousand years of prophecy were coming to a head; but they were not listening.
All The Details Fit
The Lord was born in Bethlehem, he grew up in Nazareth, and he preached all over the land, but his primary residence seems to have been in Capernaum. Isaiah talked about that.
Matt. 4:13 And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:
14 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,
15 The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles;
16 The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.
The Manner of His Ministry
The prophets not only foretold the place where he would be born, and the exact time when he would appear, they foretold the manner of his ministry. He would be kind and gentle; he would not break the bruised reed, nor quench the smoking flax. He was gentle and compassionate to grieving sinners. Isaiah talked about that.
Isa. 42:1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold, mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I will put my Spirit upon him; he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.
2 He shall not cry nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.
3 A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench; he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.
Matt. 12:18 Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.
19 He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets.
20 A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.
21 And in his name shall the Gentiles trust.
He Was No Compromiser
It was prophesied that he would most often be kind and gentle in his preaching, but he was no mushy-headed compromiser. Isaiah prophesied of the hypocrisy of the people, and he could be harsh, when the occasion called for it—especially when the religious elite came after him.
Matt. 15:7 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,
8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
The prophets not only identified the major facts of his life and ministry; they supplied an abundance of details. The prophetic picture was amazingly detailed.
The Parables
The mass of people rejected his message. It is customary to say that the parables were given to illustrate and clarify the gospel message, but that is not the case. They clarified the message to some, but it was their purpose to obscure the message to others. There were those God already delivered over to judgment, and he did not intend for them to understand. Isaiah prophesied of that. Hundreds of years before the fact, he prophesied that the people would not believe. They would not believe, because God had already passed judgment on them, and blinded their hearts.
Isa. 6:9 And he said, Go, and tell this people; Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.
Matt. 13:14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
15 For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
John 12:38 That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?
39 Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again,
40 He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.
41 These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him.
Healing the Sick
The Old Testament prophets foretold that he would heal the sick, and, true to his word, he traveled over the land, casting out devils, healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, and raising the dead.
Matt. 8:16 When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick.
17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.
He Was Forsaken by His Own
For all their boasted courage, the night he was betrayed, all the disciples took tail and ran. Zechariah said they would.
Mark 14:27 And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.
His Triumphal Entry Into Jerusalem
The prophets foretold of his triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
Matt. 22:1 And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples,
2 Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me.
3 And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them.
4 All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet,
He Would Come Riding on an Ass’s Colt
Zechariah prophesied that he would come to Zion (Jerusalem) riding on an ass’s colt, and it happened just the way he said it would. The disciples were seeing prophecy fulfilled before their eyes, but they did not realize they were doing the very things the prophets said they would do. Later they would look back and realize what they had witnessed, and what they had done.
Matt. 21:5 Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.
John 12:14 And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written,
15 Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass’s colt.
16 These things understood not his disciples at the first: but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him.
The Disciples Did Not Know
The disciples did not realize they were fulfilling prophecy, but they finally figured it out.
John 12:16, These things understood not his disciples at the first; but when he was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him.
Every prophecy Must Be Fulfilled
Not only did he tell them that what they were witnessing had been foretold, he told them that every last thing that had been prophesied would be fulfilled. It would be fulfilled to the last detail. Not one prophecy would fail.
Luke 24:44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.
The companion text to that is John 19:28.
“After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.
The Lord was hanging on the cross. He was about to give his life as the ransom price of his people. But he did not give up the ghost until he could have ticked off every prophecy that applied to him, and he knew that every last prophecy had been fulfilled.
The Adoration of Babes and Sucklings
David foretold the praise he would receive from babes and sucklings at his triumphal ride into Jerusalem (Psa. 8:2).
Psa 8:2 Out of the mouths f babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.
Matt. 21:15 And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; they were sore displeased,
16 And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?
They Stumbled and Fell
When the mob came to arrest him, we are told that they went backward and fell to the ground. That was foretold too.
Psa. 27:2 When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.
John 18:6 As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward and fell to the ground.
Gambling for His Clothing
It had been prophesied that they would gamble for his very clothing (Psa. 22:18).
Matt. 22:17 I may tell all my bones; they look and stare upon me.
18 They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.
Matt. 27:35 And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.
The soldiers did not break his legs
After he was crucified, the soldiers came around and broke the legs of the two others who were crucified with him, but they did not break the Lord’s legs. That was foretold as well .
Psa. 34:20 He keepeth all his bones; not one of them is broken.
John 19:36 For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken.
Thirty pieces of silver
Jeremiah foretold that the Lord would be betrayed, and he foretold the exact price for which he would be betrayed.
Matt. 27:3 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.
5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.
6 And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood.
7 And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in.
8 Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day.
9 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value;
10 And gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord appointed me.
Three Days and Three Nights
It was prophesied that he would be in the grave three days and three nights.
Matt. 12:38 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee.
39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:
40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
His Resurrection from the the Dead
There is no other event that was more often foretold than the crucifixion and resurrection of the Lord.
Over and again, he foretold his death and resurrection, and the disciples, somehow, seemed unable to grasp what he was saying.
Matt. 26:31 Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.
32 But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.
We might multiply proof texts showing that the foretold his death and resurrection, and the disciples just could not get it. But this article is becoming too long, and I will leave it at that.
His Ascension Back to Heaven
He foretold, not only, that he would rise from the dead, but that he would ascend to heaven, and be seated at the right hand of the Father.
John 16:28 I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world; again, I lave the world and go to the Father.
Acts 1:10 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two me stood by them in white apparel;
11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken from you shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
Mark 16:19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.
The Lord’s Return
His final prophecy is that he is coming back again. Perhaps, there is no other prophecy more precious to the Lord’s people than this one. The Lord went away, but he is coming back the same way he went away. He went away in a cloud, and he is coming back in the clouds.
1 Thess. 4: 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first.
17 Then we shich are alive and remain shall be caught up with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
That last promise is so sweet and precious to our soul that we are tempted to go on for another twenty pages. But that would be too much like the preacher who never knows when enough is enough, and he goes on till he wears out his congregation. Rather than do that, I will close out with ever so much left unsaid.
THE END