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2 Jesus, the Messiah

promised

Promises are part of our life. Parents

they promise to do something for their children. The politicians,
merchants, and friends make promises. We have all
had to wait for someone to fulfill their promise. Oh!
Sometimes we have to wait a long time! And sometimes we have been
disappointed.
Likewise, God has made promises to us. For many
centuries before the birth of Jesus, God promised that the
Messiah, the Anointed of God, was to come. He spoke to humanity about
through his prophets, describing this person and explaining
what He was going to do.
When Jesus came, many of the people who knew
These prophecies realized something very important.
They saw that the things Jesus said and did fit together.
perfectly with the prophecies. They realized that Jesus
he was the Messiah promised by God. God had fulfilled His
word!
In this lesson, you will study the different types of
prophecies that were spoken about Jesus. You will discover
the wonderful things that were announced regarding his coming.
 Jesus, the promised Messiah 29

The plan
A. The nature of biblical prophecy
B.Truths about the Messiah

The objectives
1. Mention the different types of biblical prophecies.
Identify several ways in which Jesus fulfills the prophecies.
biblical about the Messiah.

a. the nature of Biblical prophecy

Objective 1. Mencionar las diferentes clases de profecías bíblicas.

Biblical prophecies are messages that God sent to His

people through the prophets, who were their messengers. It was
through them God made the people know what
that He wanted them to do, and He made many things known to them that
they were going to happen in the future.

God inspired the prophets to write the

revelations that He gave them, which we find in the
Bible. Many of these predictions have already been fulfilled up to
in its smallest details. The Bible contains the fulfillment
history of a large number of them. On the other hand, some
those prophecies are being fulfilled right now. Others, in
change will be fulfilled in the future.

Importance of prophecies
The fulfillment of biblical prophecies allows us to know
that the Bible is what it truly claims to be: the Word of
God. Who is capable of predicting the future in
all its details, and describe everything that is to happen to
certain people in a certain place and at a certain time, hundreds of
years later?
God has confirmed the inspiration of the Bible by announcing its
purpose before the time of its fulfillment, and making that
30 Who is Jesus

everything happens just as He had announced through His

prophets.
The prophecies of the Old Testament about the coming of a
Salvador is of utmost importance to us, because
the following three reasons:
We can appreciate the life of Jesus in light of these
predictions, and deduce from there if He is actually the
Promised Savior.
2. It is much easier for us to understand through the
prophecies, who is Jesus and why did he come. He is presented before
we all his work in the past, in the present, and in the
future.
3. We can know that God does what He has promised. Thus
as the first phase of the prophecies about Jesus have
result exactly as predicted, of the same
the prophecies about the future will have their most complete
compliance.

Application
1The biblical prophecies about future events are
a)messages that the prophets received from the
spirits of the dead.
b)predictions of the future acquired through the study of the
stars.
revelations that God gave through his prophets.
2The prophecies of the coming Savior are important because
they
a) they verify that God does what He promises to do.
b)they describe the political environment of biblical times.
they contain many interesting paintings and symbols.
 Jesus, the promised Messiah 31

Development of the messianic prophecy

The prophecies about the Savior are known as
messianic prophecies. This is a title that comes from Hebrew
Messiah, which means 'the Anointed One'. The priests, the prophets
and the kings were anointed with oil, as a demonstration of
that God had chosen and set apart for His work. The Messiah
that the one who was to come would be anointed by the Holy Spirit of God
to do his work. He would be Prophet, Priest, and King. The word
Greek for Messiah is Christ. When we talk about Jesus Christ,
it is because we are calling Jesus the Messiah, the Anointed, the
fulfillment of the messianic prophecies.
The promises of a Messiah that God made to His people,
they were given very gradually, over a period of something
more than 4,000 years. Some of them described the work that
Jesus would do on Earth as our Savior. Others refer to
to his future and eternal kingdom. Likewise, there were prophecies that
they were given in messages that dealt with local situations, but
that were actually going beyond the circumstantial problem, to
to refer to the coming of the Messiah.
As time went on, God was revealing more
and more details about the Messiah, such as: the place
from his birth, how he would die, what the nature of his work would be.
In fact, some Bible scholars have come to
discover more than 300 details about the Messiah in the prophecies
from the Old Testament. God's desire was, in reality,
that everyone would have the opportunity to recognize the Messiah
when it would appear.

Application
3The title Christ means
a)the Anointed.
b)the Conquistador.
c)the Sacrifice.
32 Who is Jesus

4How did God deliver the messianic prophecies?

a)More than 4,000 years before Jesus was born
b)Gradually, over a period of 4,000 years
c)Directly to one of its prophets who lived 4,000 years ago
years

Rituals that prefigured the Messiah

The rituals of the worship of the people of God in the Old
The testaments were prophetic. God had established a system.
meticulously crafted from sacrifices, as a figure of
Messiah who would come and give his life to save mankind.
of their sins. The function of the priests was a figure of what
what Jesus would do, as the perfect priest, in favor of all the
humanity.
The entire book of Hebrews in the New Testament tells us
how Jesus fits perfectly into the prophetic picture that
offers the symbolic ritual of the Old Testament.
Around the world, we find today remnants of the rites.
and prophetic sacrifices that God instituted when man
sinned. Many religions have some of these in their worship.
signs that were meant to point to Jesus. The members
those religions should study the Holy Scriptures,
to discover the true meaning of the ritual they have
established.
 Jesus, the promised Messiah 33

Application
5Do you know any of the sacrifice rituals that are
Do they practice in their locality? What do they mean?
6We have seen that Jesus is the fulfillment of the picture.
symbolic of the rites of the Old Testament. The best way
to discover how Jesus fits into this picture is:
a)study the religions practiced in your locality.
b)learn the names of all the messianic prophets in the
Bible.
c)study the book of Hebrews in the New Testament.

B. truths about the Messiahs

Objective 2. Identify several ways in which Jesus fulfills the
Biblical prophecies about the Messiah.
The prophets of the Old Testament predicted many
important things about the Messiah. Five of these are
described in this lesson.

Human and divine

We found the first promise regarding the Messiah in the
first book of the Bible. God refers to Him as the seed
of the woman. The Messiah would be born of a woman. Adam and Eve, the
the first man and the first woman had sinned. Satan, the
enemy of God, had induced them to disobey God. This
it created a separation between them and God, and gave him authority
to Satan over them. But God promised that a
Savior who would defeat Satan and destroy his power. God him
he said to Satan:
And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between
your seed and his seed; he shall bruise you.
in the head, and you will strike him on the heel.
(Genesis 3:15)
34 Who is Jesus

Asia Armenia
Minor

Syria
Persia
Israel

Belen
Egypt

Arabia

Throughout the centuries that would follow, God made him know
to his people many other details about the Savior. He told them
that would be born in Bethlehem, in the land of Palestine. However,
he would not be an ordinary man. He was eternal. Always
had existed, but would come to earth to be born as a
human child and grow, to become a leader in Israel.
Micah prophesied:
But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too small to be among
the families of Judah, from you will come the one who
will be Lord in Israel; and his exits are from
the beginning, from the days of eternity.
(Micah 5:2)
Bethlehem Ephrathah means a town called Bethlehem near
a city called Ephrath (Genesis 35:19; 48:7; Ruth 4:11). In
Judges is also called Bethlehem of Judah (17:7). It was necessary
distinguish it because there was a Bethlehem in the territories of others
tribes of Israel (Joshua 19:15) but this Bethlehem was in Judah,
near a larger city called Ephrata.
Around 700 years before the birth of Jesus, God
he made the prophet Isaiah see that the Savior who would come would be
both human and divine. He would be born of a virgin, without a father.
human. One of its titles would be Emanuel, which means God
with us.
 Jesus, the promised Messiah 35

Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign:

Behold, the virgin will conceive, and will give birth to
light a son, and he will call his name Emmanuel
(Isaiah 7:14).
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given,
and the principality will be on his shoulder; and he will be called

his name Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,

Eternal Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).
In the gospels of Matthew and Luke, we can read how it was
the birth of Jesus. He was conceived without a human father
and was born of the virgin Mary. This happened by the power of God,
the Holy Spirit. Human and divine, He was Emmanuel: God
with us. Take note of the last words of Jesus in the
earth: "Behold, I am with you all the days, until the
"end of the world" (Matthew 28:20).

Application
7We know that Jesus is the prophesied 'Emmanuel' in the
Old Testament because He
a)born in Bethlehem Ephrath.
was conceived by the Holy Spirit.
c)he was a great wise teacher.

Sacrifice and Savior

God made several of the prophets see that the Savior
he would give his own life in sacrifice for our sins. Before
Before Jesus came, animals were sacrificed to God for the
sins of the people. The sinner carried a lamb or a goat
to the priest, to be killed and burned on the altar.
Chapter 53 of Isaiah perfectly describes what
in a way God would make the Savior a sacrifice for us
sins; but it also describes how He would live afterward.
once again. Jesus became our sacrifice for sin,
and also our Savior. The prophets had said when,
36 Who is Jesus

where, and how He would be betrayed by a close friend,

falsely accused, imprisoned, mocked, flayed
crucified and buried. Then He would rise again.

Application
8Jesus fulfilled the sin sacrifice rites in the
Old Testament because He
a)died for us.
b)he did many good works.
he taught us about God.

Prophet, Priest, King

The prophecies of the Old Testament reveal
that the Messiah would be anointed by the Spirit of God to be
our Prophet, Priest, and King. As a prophet, he would be for
we the voice of God. As a Priest, it would be our voice
before God. As King, he would be the hand of God that us
would help and guide us. He would set our standards of
life, and would establish the government of God in our lives.
When Jesus began his public ministry, he read the
next prophecy about the Messiah to the people, and made it known to them
that in Him they were witnessing its fulfillment:
The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah is upon me,
for the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to
to preach good news to the afflicted, to bind up
to the brokenhearted, to publish
freedom to the captives, and to the prisoners openness
from the prison; to proclaim the year of good
will of the Lord. (Isaiah 61:1, 2)
Prophet. Moses was a great prophet, a religious leader, and
a leader of the Jewish people around 1,400 years before
that Jesus was born. Through him, God spoke to the people.
It was he who freed them from slavery. His ministry was seen
accompanied by great miracles, which evidenced
 Jesus, the promised Messiah 37

that God himself had sent him to be the leader of his

people. Moses said:
Prophet from among you, from your brothers,
like me, the Lord your God will lift you up; to him
you will hear. (Deuteronomy 18:15)

In many ways, Jesus was like Moses. God spoke

through Him. Jesus performed many great miracles. He freed
many from the slavery of sin. In his role as a prophet,
Jesus predicted many events, including his own death.
by crucifixion, his resurrection after three days, his return
to heaven, the activities to which their followers would dedicate themselves,
the coming of the Holy Spirit, the spread of the gospel, and the
destruction of the temple of Jerusalem. All this happened, just as
Jesus had announced it. Some of his prophecies are coming true.
its fulfillment precisely at the present time. We know,
therefore, that all others will be fulfilled as well.
Priest. The psalmist wrote about the Messiah: "He swore
Jehovah, and He will not repent; 'you are a priest forever
"according to the order of Melchizedek" (Psalm 110:4). Melchizedek
he was the first priest mentioned in the Old Testament,
and apparently was chosen directly by God. The
priests of the Old Testament prayed for the people, and
they also offered sacrifices for their sins.
Jesus prayed a lot for his followers when he was in
the earth, and at this moment is praying for us. The
sacrifice that he offered for our sins was that of his own
life. Now we can turn to God for forgiveness for
intercession of Jesus, our Priest. Whenever you want that
let us turn to Him in prayer, our Priest presents us to God
our needs.
King. What a triumphant King the Messiah would be, according to the
prophecies of the Old Testament! I was going to defeat Satan, the
enemy of God and of the human race. He would overcome sin, the
disease, pain, and death itself. I would defeat the forces
of evil and would establish a kingdom of perfect justice and peace
about the earth. It would solve all the problems in the world.
38 Who is Jesus

It is no surprise, then, that people were waiting.

of his coming! The prophecy we read in Isaiah 9:6 about the
Prince of Peace, keep saying:
The vastness of his empire and peace will not have
limit, upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom,
arranging it and confirming it in judgment and in
Justice from now and forever. (Isaiah 9:7)
You will notice that, in the gospels, some call to
Jesus Son of David. It is that He was a legal heir to the throne
from David. His followers recognized in his miracles and in his
minister, all the characteristics of the wonderful kingdom that
he would establish the Messiah. There were many who wanted to do so.
King, but Jesus was not ready to establish his then.
universal kingdom. Firstly, they should be established in our
hearts and in our lives the rules and conditions for
to participate in his kingdom. We are now in a period in which
we must be inviting people to accept Jesus as
King of his life. He frees from the power of sin and Satan.
all those who receive him as King.
Jesus is the true king of the universe. The day will come when
Jesus will return to earth to establish his eternal kingdom here.
Therefore, it is extremely important that you learn everything now that
it can be about who Jesus Christ is, how his government will be, and what
it will be the part that he will have to play in his kingdom.
 Jesus, the Promised Messiah 39

Application
9Write the number that corresponds to the messianic prophecy
in front of each sentence that describes how Jesus fulfilled it.
. . . aHe predicted his own death and Human and divine
resurrection. 2) Sacrifice and
Salvador
. . . bGod gave His life for us
Prophet
sins.
4) Priest
. . . cHe was the legitimate heir to the throne. 5) King
of David.
. . . dHe prayed for his followers.
. . . eHe was the son of the Virgin Mary.
. . . fIt was conceived by the power of
Holy Spirit.
10Let's say a friend asks you: 'How do you know
"Do you think Jesus is the promised Messiah?" Circle it.
the letter that corresponds to the best answer I could give.
a)Jesus fulfilled all the messianic prophecies of the Old Testament.
Will.
b)Most religious people agree that
Jesus was a good man and a wise teacher.
c) Many prophets in the Old Testament spoke of the
Coming of the Anointed.

The messianic prophecies of the Old Testament were

like separate threads. After the coming of Jesus Christ, the
People could see that these threads were woven in a way
wonderful. In our next lesson, we will study more
about how Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
40 Who is Jesus

Check your answers

6 c)study the book of Hebrews in the New Testament.
1 c)revelations that God gave through his prophets.
7 b)he was conceived by the Holy Spirit.
2 a)they verify that God does what He promises to do.
8 a)he died for us.
3 a)the Anointed One.
9 aProphet
bSacrifice and Savior
c5) King
d4) Priest
eHuman and divine
f Human and divine
4 b)in different times, over a period of
approximately 4,000 years.
10All the statements are true. However, statement a)
it is the only one that offers the necessary test. It says that the
the life of Jesus was the exact fulfillment of the prophecies
messianic in the Old Testament.
5Your answer. The fact that people make sacrifices
they acknowledge that they have sinned and have
fear that God is angry with them.
Jesus, the promised Messiah 41