Messianic Prophecies
—In the Old Testament
This lesson looks at the value of the Old Testament prophecies about Christ. The Old Testament is a sourcebook of prophecies "written aforetime" which are one of the great evidences that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.
1 What we have learned in the series thus far
If we were deprived of the Old Testament, we would lack wisdom that leads to salvation, words which God breathed for our profit, so that we may be equipped completely to serve him.
Looking more closely at the question, "What Would We Miss?" we appreciated that we would miss the historical facts that the Old Testament records for us, because they shed much light upon the meaning of New Testament scripture, and underpin our faith in the New Testament’s integrity. Now we continue:
The Prophetic Testament
The Old Testament is prophetic, in the predictive sense, in two main ways:
- Holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit (2Peter 1:19-21) and they prophesied about Christ. For example, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John refer to many prophecies that Jesus fulfilled [ see list ].
- Various people and things in the Old Testament were 'types' which symbolically foreshadowed Christ and his church.
2 Predictions About Christ
The writings of the Old Testament prophets testified of Jesus Christ. Jesus himself made that claim (John 5:39,46). On the Emmaus Road he expounded the Old Testament concerning himself (Luke 24:27).
Philip and Nathanael knew that Moses and the prophets spoke about the Christ (John 1:45).
The Old Testament scriptures were the scriptures used by the first gospel preachers:
- Peter (Acts 2:16 ff)
- Philip (Acts 8:32-35)
- Paul (Acts 17:2,11)
- Apollos (Acts 18:28)
In this series we include, as a useful study reference, a detailed chart giving you a comprehensive list of the numerous prophecies that Christ fulfilled.
3 Types and Shadows of Christ
People and things in the Old Testament symbolically foreshadow Christ and his new way. Here are just a few examples:
- The Law a shadow of good things to come (Heb10:1)
- Sabbath foreshadowed eternal life (Colossians 2:16-17 Hebrews 4:9)
- Melchizedek a priest and king typified Christ (Hebrews 7:17)
- Blood sacrifices pointed to the cross (Hebrews 9:22-23)
- Baptism typified (1Corinthians 10:1-4 1Peter 3:20-21)