MATTHEW

Overview of the Old Testament Predictions and

The Inter-Testament Histories

By Johnny Tatum

PART 2: DO THE JEWISH SCRIPTURES REVEAL THIS PERSON?

 

As shown throughout the Old Testament, people were looking for the One Who Was To Come. From the beginning of human history, and as time went on, more and more was revealed about this Person—

Messiah!

 

Let us take a brief historical walk, considering when and how situations led to Messiah coming into the world.

GENESIS

ADAM

The first time we hear about the One Who Was To Come was after Adam and Eve fell. Interestingly enough, when God spoke to Satan, He said—

There is going to be Someone come, and He is going to crush your (Satan's) head; this Person will come from the seed of Eve. (Genesis 3:15)

I do not know about you, but I read the seed of Eve (a woman), and that does not make sense to me. A woman does not have a seed; a man has a seed! So from the very beginning — from the first mention of the One Who Was To Come — we know that:

There was something supernatural about the way Messiah was to come into the world.

From a later revelation, we learn Messiah was to be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14). Thereafter, people began looking for the One Who Was To Come.

I believe that even when Eve gave birth to Abel, she thought he was the One Who Was To Come; he was not.

SETH

The genealogy narrows. We learn Adam's son, Seth, continued the messianic line—

When Adam had lived one hundred and thirty years, he became the father of a son in his own likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth. (Genesis 5:3)

SHEM

And through Shem, following Noah, the One Who Was To Come would come as evidenced by Noah's blessing—

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem; and let Canaan be his servant. May God enlarge Japheth, And let him dwell in the tents of Shem; And let Canaan be his servant. (Genesis 9:25-27)

ABRAHAM

During the time of Abraham, we learn more about the One Who Was To Come. God tells Abraham—

There will be One Who Is To Come; He will come through Abraham; and He will bless all the nations of the earth. (Genesis 12:2-3)

The One Who Was To Come was to be a descendant of Abraham.

 

A Note About Genealogies:

From the very beginning, genealogies were important. For the world to know the One Who Is To Come, we have to know exactly who Messiah was to be.

 

ISAAC, JACOB, JUDAH

We know that the One Who Was To Come was to be a descendant of Adam. That is pretty obvious because all mankind comes through him. Then the genealogy narrowed to Seth, Shem and Abraham.

Next, we learn Messiah was to come through Isaac [in distinction of Ishmael] (Genesis 17:19-21), through Isaac's son, Jacob (Genesis 25:23), and then through Jacob's son, Judah (Genesis 49:8-12).

 

A Closer Look:

During the time of Abraham, we learn that the One Who Was To Come would be involved in some kind of sacrifice. How? Abraham tells Isaac—

God will provide the Lamb for the burnt offering. (Genesis 22:8)

 

EXODUS

We learn more about the One Who Was To Come in the book of Exodus.

While in Egypt, the firstborn of each Israelite [and Egyptian] household was redeemed by the blood of the slain Passover Lamb applied to the doorpost. (See Exodus 12:1-13.)

We learn that yes, the One Who Was To Come — Messiah — was to be the sacrificial Lamb. We also learn that blood is necessary for forgiveness of sins.

Application: Only those individuals who take the blood of the perfect Lamb and apply it are redeemed. Everyone else dies.

 

LEVITICUS

We learn more about the One Who Was To Come in the book of Leviticus.

The worshipper would bring a male animal [without defect] to the Tabernacle to be sacrificed. Before the animal was sacrificed, the individual would lay their hand on the head of that animal (see Leviticus 1:4). Why was that done? To symbolically transfer the worshipper's sins to that animal — when the animal was slayed, it was killed in the place of that individual.

What do we learn about the One Who Was To Come?

Messiah is the substitute sacrifice of life and blood for sinners.

 

NUMBERS

We learn more about the One Who Was To Come in the book of Numbers.

A bronze serpent was set upon a standard so when any man looked upon the serpent, he lived (see Numbers 21:5-9).

What do we learn about the One Who Was To Come?

Messiah was the One who was to be lifted up.

 

Application:

Anyone who looks upon Messiah in faith is redeemed—

Then the Lord said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he shall live. And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived. (Numbers 21:8-9)

How do you apply this for yourself? Simply look upon Messiah Jesus; acknowledge to God:

I confess I am a sinner and I deserve to go to hell because of my sins. But I believe that when Messiah Jesus — the One Who Was Lifted Up — died on the Cross, He was paying the penalty for my sin, and when He rose again, He rose to give me eternal life.

"As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life." (John 3:14-15)

 

DEUTERONOMY

There was something extremely important in the book of Deuteronomy that we might slide over.

The time sequence about when the One Who Was To Come would come.

This time sequence is as follows:

Prediction

Historical Fulfillment

1. The Israelites would go into the Land.

Exodus from Egypt/Journey in the Wilderness to the Promised Land

2. The Israelites would be taken out of the Land.

Exile to Babylon

3. The Israelites would go back into the Land.

Return from Babylon

4. The One Who Was To Come would come.

Jesus of Nazareth born in Israel [in 4/5 B.C.]

5. The Israelites would be out of the Land for a long time.

Dispersion from the Land [from 70 A.D. to 1948 A.D.]

6. The Israelites would be restored to the Land.

Return to the Land [in 1948 A.D.]

 

So from the book of Deuteronomy, we know that the coming of Messiah would occur—

after:

and before:

therefore:

The Jewish Scriptures prove Messiah has already come!

 

MOSES, JOSHUA

Exactly what happened under the leadership of Moses and Joshua? The Israelites had been in slavery in Egypt for 400 years. Moses (the first prophet of God) led the exodus of the Israelites out of Egypt (see Exodus 12:37-51), but Joshua led (delivered) them into the Promised Land by conquering the Canaanites (see Joshua 1:1-12:24).

What do we learn about the One Who Was To Come?

Messiah was to be a Prophet and a Deliverer.

 

TIME OF THE JUDGES

Then there was a long period of the judges (military and civil leaders), when—

Every man did what was right in his own sight. (Judges 17:6)

The nation of Israel progressively went down hill — spiritual, moral and political decline — because of willful and deliberate sin, idolatry and apostasy.

 

TIME OF THE KINGS

SAUL

During the transition of judges [from Samuel to his sons] over Israel, the Israelites demanded Samuel appoint a king to rule—

We want a king to judge us like all the nations! (1 Samuel 8:5)

In 1 Samuel 9-10, we are introduced to the first king over Israel, King Saul, who ruled for 40 years. He was a total failure, to put it kindly, and that was his best quality -sic!

DAVID, SOLOMON

Upon Saul's death, the people's choice was to be replaced by God's choice, David. In 2 Samuel, we read of King David's 40-year reign over Israel.

The Davidic Covenant (see 2 Samuel 7:1-17) presented more information about the genealogy of the One Who Was To Come. Again, the lineage was narrowing down. We already know the One Who Was To Come was to be a descendant of Adam, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Judah. We now learn the line was to go through David and then through David's son, Solomon.

We also know that the One Who Was To Come was to be a Deliverer and a Prophet; we now learn:

Messiah was to be a King.

 

A Picture:

The rule of God's anointed One, King David, is a picture of the eternal Kingdom where the new King will reign.

 

Solomon ascended the throne and ruled as king over Israel for 40 years.

REHOBOAM

Solomon's son, Rehoboam, blew it. Under his reign, the Land was divided into the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah.

The northern kingdom had a new line of kings, beginning with Jeroboam I; that line was not connected to the lineage of the One Who Was To Come. However, the southern kingdom continued to be ruled by the line of David, beginning with Rehoboam; that line was connected to the lineage of the One Who Was To Come.

Thereafter, there was trouble for the northern kingdom. About 722 B.C., Israel was taken captive by Syria. Simultaneously, however, the little kingdom of Judah continued on with the royal line.

 

Next:

Matthew Overview, Part 3: WHAT DO THE PROPHETS SAY ABOUT THIS PERSON?

Back To: Matthew Series Page

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