[Peter Eddington] So what should we talk about this afternoon? The U.S. election? I'm sure you're all curious as what the outcome will be. But no, I'm not going to talk about the upcoming U.S. election. I know you're very disappointed. And no, I'm not going to talk about Halloween. Mr. Phelps did a very good job laying that out for us. Instead, I'm going to talk about Jesus Christ. Imagine that, if you're at church services this afternoon. There's no other person in history, whose life has raised so many questions than that of Jesus Christ. His life, teachings, His works, were of such a nature that even His disciples and His followers were often confused by Him, and what they expected from Him.

A clear example of this comes at the end of the Gospel of Luke in chapter 24. Let's take a look at Luke 24 for a moment. See, after Jesus was crucified, His followers were crushed and confused. They thought He would be the Messiah, who would destroy the tyranny of Rome and restore the kingdom of Israel right then and there. Notice what He said to His disappointed followers. Luke 24:25, "Then He said to them,” Jesus said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ who had suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” And then verse 27, "So beginning, going all the way back at Moses and all the Prophets, expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself."

So, He went back through all the old books, the scrolls, and said, "This one's about me. This one's about me. This one's about me. This one's about me." And it's kind of a little ding that goes off in everybody's head there as He's talking to them. Verse 44, "Then He said to them, ‘These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which are written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me. And so He opened their understanding,” verse 45, “that they might comprehend the Scriptures.”

And so, what was written in the law, in the Prophets, in the Psalms concerning Jesus. Maybe we should take notice too. In the sermon today, we're going to take a look at how the prophets spoke concerning Jesus Christ, how they foretold His birth, His life, suffering, death, and resurrection. It's all written in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms concerning Him. During this time of year, in our society, there's more focus than usual upon Jesus Christ because of the upcoming Christmas holiday. We know Jesus was not born in December, and that Christmas is based upon pagan traditions. And so, we do not participate in those celebrations. But we do not have to shy away from discussing His life and purpose.

In the time we have here, we're going to look into the ancient Scriptures and examine just nine prophecies of the Messiah in the Old Testament. The New Testament, the New Testament writers themselves cite Messianic prophecies from the Old Testament more than 130 times. And by some estimates, the Old Testament contains 300 prophetic passages that described who the Messiah is and what He will do. Three hundred different passages, and of these 60, are major prophecies. We'll just look at nine of what… We could probably come up with a list of at least 40 exact things that were said would be of the Messiah or like the Messiah. So we asked the question, is it possible that the Old Testament accidentally predicted the Messiah? What are the chances of these prophecies being fulfilled in one person? A skeptic might argue that there is a possibility. So you're saying there is a chance, however remote. But the mathematical odds that all these prophecies could have converged by chance in the events of the life of Jesus are staggeringly minute, zero, basically, mathematically, to the point of eliminating any such possibility.

The coming of the Messiah was a miraculous event planned and announced ahead of time by the Almighty. So let's just examine nine from a list of many, many Old Testament prophecies that show the Messiah who was to come. The title of today's sermon is simply "Nine Proofs Jesus is the Messiah." Not that He was, that He is the Messiah. And as we consider each of these points, keep in mind, these proofs were recorded centuries before Jesus appeared, before He was declared to be the Messiah, centuries. And all these prophecies could not have converged upon the first-century world by chance or coincidence.

Now as we go through each of them, think on why it is important for us to be familiar with and know what Scripture reveals here to you and me. Why should you care? Why should you care about these nine that we'll go through today? Well, actually, what we're about to uncover is no small matter. It's of eternal significance, as Jesus Himself said to His disciples. So let's just go through them here. Number one, the Messiah would be born of a virgin. Okay. So nothing, you know, earth-shattering there. But as we go through these, I hope you'll learn something and start to understand why we're covering these. The Messiah will be born of a virgin.

So here's the Old Testament citation. Isaiah 7:14, "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign,” it’s from God, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son." Notice there's a capital S here. “The virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” More than most others, this prophecy has caused seemingly unending debate. Skeptics asked, "Was it fulfilled in Isaiah's time, or was it for a later time?" Many skeptics say that it was fulfilled during Isaiah's lifespan. Well, in the book of Matthew, we see definitively that it was for a later time and was about the birth of Jesus from a virgin woman. So the New Testament citation is Matthew 1:22-23.

Matthew 1:22, "So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying," verse 23, “'Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they should call His name Immanuel,’ which is translated, ‘God with us.’" And as we go through these points of study, often there are additional Scripture references we could turn to in the New Testament that say exactly the same thing. But for brevity, we'll usually just look at one or two for each. But the point is well made in any case here, the Messiah would be born of a virgin, which is, in and of itself, miraculous.

Number two, the Bible prophesied the exact year the Messiah would appear. Did you know that? The Bible prophesied the exact year the Messiah would appear. And this particular prophetic proof of the Messiah takes a little bit of mathematics to figure out but it's not too difficult. We're going to go to Daniel 9. The Old Testament citation is from the Seventy-Weeks Prophecy. And as Daniel prayed, as recorded in this chapter, the angel Gabriel appeared to him to bring an announcement. And Gabriel tells Daniel about 69 sevens or period of 483 years, which we climax in the Messianic age. The Bible prophesied the exact year the Messiah would appear. And this is why the Jews were looking for a Messiah at around the time Jesus came on the scene. Even the Roman authorities were looking for Him.

It's an amazing prophecy in Daniel 9:25 that gives a specific year the Messiah would appear. And the angel Gabriel revealed this information to Daniel approximately 580 years before its fulfillment. Daniel 9:25, "That from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, that shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall." So a total of 69 weeks. And the word translated weeks, he had literally means sevens. You know, the seven days in a week. He's talking about 69 sevens in the original language. And while it could mean seven day weeks, it's not the case here.

Daniel had been specifically praying earlier in the chapter about a period of 70 years. You've heard the Seven-Weeks Prophecy, right, which was 70 years. In this answer to his prayer, he is told of a period of 70 sevens, clearly meaning 77th of years in this context. That is 77 year periods. But here in this verse, we have 7 plus 62, giving us 69 of those 7-year periods. That is a total of 483 years, 69 times 7, 69 you know, prophetic weeks or 7s. And those 483 years are from a decree to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem we're told. And it says that that would be the year when the Messiah would appear on the scene, the Messiah, the Prince. And so, now we see why the Jews were in eager anticipation of their Messiah at the time of Jesus's ministry.

Now, here's a little bit of history to add to the equation. After Jerusalem's destruction by the Babylonians in 586 BC, the Babylonian Empire was later succeeded by the Medo-Persian Empire. And the Medo-Persian empires kings issued three different decrees about rebuilding Jerusalem, and they're recorded in the Bible. One was by Cyrus in 538 BC. And you can read about that in Ezra 1, and one by Darius in 520 BC, describing Ezra 6. But then in Ezra 7, there's one issued by Artaxerxes, Longimanus. That was in 457 BC. It's in Ezra 7. And that's the one that points specifically to when Christ's ministry would begin because that's the only decree that talks about the walls of Jerusalem being rebuilt. And we read Daniel 9:25, that's when the walls also would be rebuilt. And that's exactly what was in the edict from Artaxerxes, that the walls of the city of Jerusalem would have to be rebuilt as well. There's no question that God was involved in the giving of this decree. Because in Ezra 7:27, this is exactly what is said.

Ezra 7:27, "Blessed be the Lord God of our fathers, who has put such a thing as this in the king's heart,” it was directed by God, that decree. And it is from this decree that we to date the commencement of the 483 years of the Seven-Weeks Prophecy of Daniel 9, leading to the appearance of the Messiah. Now if you count 483 years, from 457 BC, the date of the decree, it brings us to AD 27. That was a very significant year. That was the year Jesus was baptized and began His ministry, AD 27. Now, looking at a New Testament citation, there's not an exact citation in the New Testament that we can turn to but instead we know the year when Jesus began His ministry and when His mission became public, and that was AD 27. If the Messiah was to come, He would have to arrive on the scene just when Jesus did in the exact year. Yes, the Old Testament, prophesied the exact year Messiah would appear. So think about that one as well.

Number three, the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. The Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Here's the Old Testament citation. Micah 5:2, "But you, Bethlehem Ephratah, 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 going forth are from old, from everlasting." So this is some being that is live forever is going to be born in Bethlehem to be the ruler. So, once again, it's a supernatural prediction in birth. So, in agreement with the thought that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, we find definitively that Jesus was born there, though He grew up in Nazareth. That's why He's called Jesus of Nazareth. And secondly, the chief priests and scribes cited this verse in Micah 5:2 in support of the idea.

The Jews were acquainted with many of the prophecies about the Messiah, the chosen, or the anointed one. And they firmly believe the Messiah will be a strong and glorious earthly King, who would deliver them from the Roman oppresses. That's what they were hoping for, and that their kingdom would once again be restored. Let's look at a New Testament citation. Matthew 2, if you want to turn to Matthew 2. Just read the first six verses here. Matthew 2:1, "Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, 'Where is He whose been born King of the Jews? For we're seeing His star in the East and have come to worship Him.'" Verse 3, "When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when Herod had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. And so they said to him," verse 5, “In Bethlehem” that's where He's supposed to be born, “In Bethlehem, for thus it is written by the prophet,” of course, the prophet Micah. And that's a quote, verse 6, "But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a Ruler, who will shepherd My people Israel."

But notice King Herod in verse 3, who ruled Judea under the Romans, he clearly understood that the Messiah the Jews expected would be another king, and that's a rival to himself. These prophecies about the Messiah were well-known, even amongst the Roman leadership. Notice verse 16 here of Matthew 2, "Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; he sent forth and put to death all the male children who are in Bethlehem and in all his districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.” And so, as Micah predicted, the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem. And so King Herod tried to eliminate the child. And that's, of course, when the family fled to Egypt for a while. There are other New Testament Scriptures citations for this as well if you'd like to do a search for the term Bethlehem and, you know, they'll pop up there in your Bible tools. Yes, the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.

Number four, the Messiah would come riding on a donkey. The Old Testament citation is Zechariah 9:9. I'll read it to you. "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King," capital K, once again, "is coming to you; He is just and having salvation,” so this is a King that will offer salvation, but “lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.” And let's look at the New Testament citation in Matthew 21 now. Matthew 21:1, "Now when they drew near Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, 'Go into the village opposite, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me. And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.''"

Verse 4, "All this was done that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by the prophet, saying: ‘Tell the daughter of Zion, “Behold, your King is coming to you lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.”’ So the disciples went, they did what Jesus commanded them. They brought the donkey and the coat, laid the clothes on them, and set Him on them.” So even just down to the smallest details, how Christ would ride into Jerusalem, not too long before His crucifixion. So Zechariah 9:9 then came to be understood as a messianic prophecy, the Messiah would come riding on a donkey.

Number five, the Messiah would be forsaken. And the Old Testament citation is quite long but let's read some of the pertinent verses in Psalm 22. The Messiah would be forsaken. Psalm 22:1, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" And these are passages that we often read at Passover time, right? "Why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, and from the words of My groaning? O My God, I cry in the daytime, You do not hear; and in the night season, and I'm not silent."

Notice verse 7, the description here. "All those who see Me ridicule Me; they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, 'He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him; let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!’" You know, they’re saying, "Let this God save Him. He believes in that God, let His God save Him." Verse 13, "They gape at Me with their mouths, like a raging and roaring lion. But I'm poured out like water, and My bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it has melted within Me." Verse 15, "My strength is dried up like a potsherd and My tongue clings to My jaws; You've brought Me to the dust of the earth, for dogs have surrounded Me; the congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; I can count on My bones. They look and stare at Me. And they divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots."

The first half of Psalm 22 here is the Psalm of a righteous sufferer, someone who did not deserve to suffer. He was derided by His enemies and felt forsaken by God. So what's the New Testament citation? Let's turn to one of them in Matthew 27. Matthew 27, notice verse 35, Matthew 27:35, "Then they crucified Him," which, of course, involves piercing His hands and His feet, right? "And divided His garments," just like was prophesied in the Psalms, "casting lots that I might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet: ‘They divided My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.’"

Verse 39 of Matthew 27, "And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads," in other words, shooting their lip. Verse 43, "He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if you will have Him, for You said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing.” Let His God save Him. Exactly what was said in Psalm 22. In Verse 46. "At about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’” The Messiah would be forsaken.

Number 6, the Messiah would be the rejected cornerstone. The Messiah would be the rejected cornerstone. Here's the Old Testament citation in Psalm 118:22-23. Psalm 118:22, let me read it to you, "The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord's doing." It is marvelous in our eyes because this is something ordained by God. The New Testament citation is in Matthew 21:42. Let's turn to Matthew 21, look at verse 42. “Jesus said to them, 'Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?” He said, "Haven't you read that? Don't you realize He's talking about Me," he says because the disciples were in disbelief. And you can read almost the exact quote of this in Mark 12:10 and Luke 20:17, Jesus Christ is the cornerstone or structure or foundation that binds together, that holds together, the entire structure of the Church, the household, the building of God.

Notice how Peter put it in Acts 4, we'll read verses 8 through 12. Acts 4:8, "Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, 'Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: ‘If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well.'" See, he was miraculously healed, this man. He was miraculously healed. Verse 10, "let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This," talking of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, "is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’" And then Peter concludes with, "Nor is there salvation in any other," there in verse 12, "for there is no other name under heaven, given among men by which we must be saved.”

The concept of Jesus Christ being the chief cornerstone released directly to us, as members of the Church of God, as part of the household of God. Let me just read one more passage share with you, Ephesians 2:19, about the chief cornerstone because directly it relates to us here today, in Ephesians 2:19-22. I'm going to read Ephesians 2:19. "Now, therefore," Paul tells the Ephesians, "you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,” just as prophesied, right, “in whom the whole building,” verse 21, "being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,” so the Church is known as the temple of the Lord, "in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit." And so Christ being the chief cornerstone is the chief cornerstone of this very fellowship that we're a part of. It was prophesied hundreds and hundreds of years before it happened. The Messiah was prophesied to be the rejected cornerstone of the household of God.

Number seven, the suffering servant of Isaiah 53 was the prophesied Messiah. The suffering servant of Isaiah 53 was the prophesied Messiah. Now, the last part of Isaiah 52 and the first part of Isaiah 53, give a very, very detailed description of what would happen to the Messiah. And over the centuries, and even millennia now, Isaiah 52:13 through Isaiah 53:12 has been a very contentious passage between Jews and Christians. Remember, the Jews don't believe the Messiah has come yet. They're still waiting for the Messiah. So they say, is Isaiah talking about Israel? Is it about the Messiah or is it about someone else? And because of this and also because the passage has been so influential, many Jewish people when reading it, have come to believe that Jesus was the Messiah.

Let's read a few key verses from this passage that is known as the suffering servant or the sin-bearing servant. Isaiah 52:13, "Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently; He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high." This is talking about a God. Verse 14, "But just as many were astonished at you, so He's visage was marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men." This is someone that would be beaten so that He would be unrecognizable. Isaiah 53:1, "Who has believed that report? To whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” Who is this about?

Verse 2, "For He shall grow up before Him must as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there's no beauty that we should desire Him." Instead, it's just going to look like anybody else, nothing special. You wouldn't even, like, recognize Him in a crowd as being someone out of the ordinary. Verse 3, "But He's despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him." Verse 4, "Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted."

And verse 5, "But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our sins; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the sin of us all." Is this someone from Isaiah's time? "He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened up His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter." He’d be known as a Lamb of God, right? "And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened up His mouth.” He let them take Him.

Verse 9, "They made His grave with the wicked— but with the rich at His death, because He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make your soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand." Verse 12, "Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He has poured out His soul unto death, He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." So this is a very detailed description as we know of what would happen to Jesus. And it gives us specifics of His crucifixion and the fact that our sins will be forgiven through Him.

So let's look at a New Testament citation. Matthew 8:16, "When evening had come, they brought to Jesus many who were demon-possessed, and He cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who was sick." Notice verse 17, Matthew 8:17, "That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, 'He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.’" We just read that, right, in Isaiah. And there are numerous passages here in the New Testament that like this, refer back to Isaiah 52 and 53.

Here's just one more, John 12. John 12:37-38. John 12:37, "But although Jesus had done many signs before them, they still did not believe in Him, that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled,” John 12 and 13, I think I'm reading here. “The word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which was spoken” and this is a direct quote from Isaiah 53:1, "Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of Lord been revealed?" A direct quote from Isaiah 53:1. That because of these parallels between Isaiah and the New Testament, with a connection between the Old Testament prophecies and Jesus Christ had directly made, many Jews have come to see the Jewish faith challenged.

And some then even to stop believing that Jesus of Nazareth was indeed the Messiah. One such example of this is Jay Sekulow. Mr. Sekulow is an American lawyer. He's a radio and television talk show host and a media personality. He has been Chief Counsel of the American Center for Law and Justice, ACLJ, since 1991 for almost 30 years, the lead counsel there. and he was a member of President Trump's legal team during the impeachment trial. He served as lead outside counsel for Trump's impeachment trial in the Senate. You may have seen him on the news at the time, Jay Sekulow. Well, he grew up a Jew, a very devout Jew. Let me read to you some excerpts from a piece written by Mr. Sekulow on the Jews for Jesus website. So you can imagine what that website is all about, Jews that have decided to believe in the Messiah, that Jesus was the Messiah.

So the title of the story is "Jay Sekulow: How a Jewish Lawyer from Brooklyn Came to Believe in Jesus." He's actually telling his own story. It's by Jay Sekulow. And if you ever want to look it up, it's jewsforjesus.org. But let me read you a couple of… It's a long piece. Let me read you, you know, three or four paragraphs from what he says.

He said, "I enrolled in Atlanta Baptist College with a competitive determination to out-study and outsmart ‘all the Christians.’ I did well in my pre-law studies, and attacked the mandatory Bible classes with a cynical confidence, certain that it would not be difficult to disprove ‘their’ idea that Jesus was the Messiah. I met a guy named Glenn Borders, whom I immediately labeled a ‘Jesus freak.’ But Glenn took his religion seriously." And actually became quite good friends, I think. Oh, yeah, “He was a good friend.” There we go. "It was partly due to a friendship that my competitive attitude toward the Bible courses I was taking changed to N attitude of genuine curiosity. Glenn suggested I read Isaiah 53. My mind was boggled by the description of the ‘suffering servant’ who sounded so much like Jesus. I had to be misreading the text. I realized with relief that I was reading from a King James Bible, After all, that's a ‘Christian’ translation. So the first thing I said to Glenn after I read was, 'Okay, now give me a real Bible.' I grabbed the Jewish text. The description seemed just as clear… It still sounded like Jesus in the Jewish Bible, but there had to be a logical explanation."

So further down the article, "I began to research the passage and I started to look for rabbinic interpretations. That's when I began to worry. If I read the passage once, I'm sure read it 500 times. I look for as many traditional Jewish interpretations as I could find. A number of them, especially the older ones, the earlier ones, described the text as a messianic prophecy. Other interpretations claimed the suffering servant was Isaiah himself, or even the nation of Israel, but those explanations were an embarrassment to me. The details in the text obviously don't add up to the prophet Isaiah or the nation of Israel. Did I ask the rabbis? No, I didn't ask the rabbis. I read what rabbis had written over the years, beginning with ancient times, but frankly, I wasn't too impressed, and not with anyone I've met lately."

Then he says, "I kept looking for a traditional Jewish explanation that would satisfy, but found none. The only plausible explanation seemed to be Jesus. My Christian friends were suggesting other passages for them read, such as Daniel 9." Well, we went through Daniel 9 about 483 years right? "As I read, my suspicion that Jesus might really be the Messiah was confirmed." This is just one example of many devout Jews, who have come to see the suffering servant of Isaiah to actually be a prophecy that was fulfilled in the first century by Jesus of Nazareth, which, of course, we all believe. It's a very, very powerful testimony to the veracity of the Bible and God's direction over the course of history. And the prophecies of the suffering servant cannot be denied as to who they're referring to.

And this should greatly strengthen all of our understanding and faith in the Scripture we have before us. There is no denying who Jesus was. Okay, see a donkey. That's a little one, right? But you start to add all these up. You start to realize, this is serious stuff. Yes, the suffering servant of Isaiah 53 was the prophesied Messiah.

Number 8, the Messiah would be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver. This one's simple enough. The Messiah would be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver. So Jesus had rebuked the current leadership of Israel for being false shepherds, yet the true Shepherd, Jesus Himself, was rejected by His people, and valued as lowly and worthless as a slave. The price of a slave was just 30 pieces of silver. Here's the Old Testament citation Zechariah 11:12-13. Zechariah 11:12, "Then I said to them, ‘If it was agreeable to you, give me my wages; and if not, refrain.’ So they weighed out from my wages thirty pieces of silver." Zechariah 11:13, "The Lord said to me, ‘Throw it to the potter,’ —that princely price they set on me. So I took the pieces pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord for the potter."

Okay. The New Testament citation is almost word for word. Matthew 26:14, "Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests," in verse 15, "and said, ‘What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?’ And they said, ‘How about thirty pieces of silver?’" Quite a coincidence, right? Matthew 27:9-10 spells it out again. Matthew 27:9, "Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, ‘And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the value of Him who was priced, whom they are the children of Israel priced, and gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord directed me.’" So that man is purchased to go by a field, not just any field, one that belonged to a potter. Very specific. The Messiah would be betrayed for the price of a slave for 30 pieces of silver for the potter's field.

And now, number nine, my last one, the Messiah would be pierced. The Messiah would be pierced. Here's the Old Testament citation in Zechariah 12:10, "And I will pour on the house of David, on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced." This is God talking. “Then they will look on Me whom they pierced.” It's a capital M. “Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourn for his only son, and grieve for Him is one grieves for a firstborn.” So here in Zechariah 12, we find a prophecy of Judas victory over the nation's, a victory possible because God has extended His protection to them. But it also talks of a Spirit of grace as they look on God Himself whom they have pierced. It's a prophecy of the Messiah and the grace to come upon the descendants of King David, and ultimately the Spirit of grace to fall upon all nations, the Spirit of grace, the offer of salvation to eventually be offered to all.

New Testament citation, now let's look at one in John 19. John 19:33, "When they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs," which was the normal thing done to someone who's been crucified. They would finally die after you broke their legs and they couldn't get up and breathe anymore. But He's already dead. So they didn't break his legs. Verse 34, "But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out." And verse 36 of John 19, "For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled. Firstly, ‘Not one of His bones shall be broken.’" We read that in Psalms 34:20, earlier. “And secondly another Scripture says, ‘They shall look on Him whom they pierced.’" That was from Zechariah 12:10. The Messiah would be pierced and bleed to death. And as we know from the symbols of the Passover, this is vital and extremely significant. The Messiah could not die on the cross of asphyxiation or organ failure. He had to shed His blood. And so we have looked at just nine prophecies of the Messiah, of which there are many more.

Why should you care? Our belief in our Savior is no small matter. The historic proof of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection is a cornerstone of our faith. And it was all prophesied ahead of time. On this, hinges our entire belief in salvation, eternal life, and on these hinges our belief in all of the future prophecies of our Messiah. Let's be reminded of the miraculous event that resulted in the Word of God dwelling here on earth, to live, die, and be resurrected, that our sins may be forgiven, and that we too may be resurrected to mortal life in the future.

Jesus is pictured as the one who is returning to rule the nations of the entire earth, the first time He came to atone for sin. That's not what the Jews expected. Many are still looking for Him. Many thought He would rule the first time. But it was not to be and it's not what was actually prophesied. But the second time He comes, it will be to rule. The prophecies about Him being a King will to come to pass. You can count on it. You must count on it. We must know it and we must believe it.

Jesus Himself gave us specific prophecies in the Gospels and in the book of Revelation, which show what conditions will be like when he returns. And you can read about the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and all of that, right? We know what things will be like, shortly before Christ's return, the Great Tribulation, the heavenly signs. We will not know the exact day or the exact hour but we will know the general season. We will know when His return is imminent because of the prophecies He laid out ahead for us, just like when He came the first time. We can read prophecies of what it'll be like when He returns the second time. We must know and believe these prophecies too and we must be ready. Jesus' second coming to rule the world from Jerusalem is perhaps the most important picture of Christ in the Bible because this is the Jesus Christ that the entire world will meet sometime in the not too distant future.

I want to read you Revelation 11:15. Revelation 11:15, "The seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, 'The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord Jesus Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!’" It is prophesied that Jesus will take His rightful place as ruler of the earth when He returns as the saving Messiah, not as the suffering servant. Where will you find yourself at that point? We ask ourselves, "Will we be found faithful and so doing?"

Jesus preached the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, of the world-ruling Kingdom He will establish when He returns. We are preparing as firstfruits to be in that Kingdom. We must fully grasp the future prophecies of Jesus Christ and His Kingdom, and have faith and trust in those as well. Jesus Christ is King. He is worthy to rule the entire earth and He will rule. He's the earth maker and the creator of life itself. He took complete responsibility for His creation by coming to earth to die for us at our sins. Why should you know this and care about it? He did not fail the Old Testament prophecies of His first coming, fulfilled them down to the letter. And He will not fail to complete His mission to return as prophesied to reward the saints with eternal life in the resurrection and to establish His Kingdom of peace over the whole earth. You can count on Him.