Good Friday 2009

On this Good Friday it is good to reflect on some of the prophecies that Jesus Christ (Yeshua) fulfilled and thank him for the gift of eternal life.

Prophecy is found throughout the Bible. Scholars note that the Bible contains 25% prophecy. That means that at the time of its writing 25% of scripture was prewritten history. Many prophecies have come to pass, but much of God’s word is yet to be fulfilled. The Bible is composed of 66 books written by 40 different authors over a span of 1500 years. There are 20,000 lines alone in the New Testament. It is the prophetic schema of Jesus Christ. Historians generally acknowledge that the New Testament is 99.6% historically accurate. The Bible is the most accurate of all the ancient manuscripts and documents. The following are some examples of Biblical prophecies:

· The Old Testament is Yeshua (Jesus) hidden and the New Testament is Yeshua revealed.

· When Abraham offered his son Isaac to the Lord on an altar of wood it was a foreshadowing of the crucifixion of Jesus. The Father offers up his Son.

· The prophecies of Daniel were written in late 500 B.C. Daniel prophesied that a he goat would arise out of the west and that his empire would be divided into four parts. This he goat was Alexander the Great and as we know his life was cut short in 300 B.C. in Babylon and his empire was divided between his four generals. These four empires eventually solidified into two empires the Ptolemaic in Egypt and the Seleucid and eventually became the Roman Empire. Daniel prophesied the Roman Empire under which Yeshua lived.

· Jesus Christ fulfilled the following prophecies:

The Messiah would come from a virgin woman Genesis 3:15

15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring [a] and hers; he will crush [b] your head, and you will strike his heel."

Footnotes:
a. Genesis 3:15 Or seed
b. Genesis 3:15 Or strike

The Messiah would come through the line of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob Genesis 12:3

3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

The Messiah would be a descendant of Judah Genesis 49:10

10 The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs [a] and the obedience of the nations is his.

Footnotes:
a. Genesis 49:10 Or until Shiloh comes ; or until he comes to whom tribute belongs

The Messiah would be born in Bethlehem Micah 5:2

2 "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans [a] of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins [b] are from of old, from ancient times. [c] "

Footnotes:
a. Micah 5:2 Or rulers
b. Micah 5:2 Hebrew goings out
c. Micah 5:2 Or from days of eternity

14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you [a] a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and [b] will call him Immanuel. [c] Isaiah 7:14

Footnotes:
a. Isaiah 7:14 The Hebrew is plural.
b. Isaiah 7:14 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls and he or and they
c. Isaiah 7:14 Immanuel means God with us.

He would travel to and come out of Egypt Hosea 11:1

1 "When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.

He would grow up in Nazareth and would be called a Nazarene

and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: "He will be called a Nazarene." Matthew 2:23

When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked closely at him. "You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus," she said. Mark 14:67

"Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. Mark 16:6

"We have found this man to be a troublemaker, stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the Nazarene sect Acts 24:5

He would enter Jerusalem Triumphantly

9 Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. Zechariah 9:9 (Prophesied in 520 BC)

12 The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem.
13They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, "Hosanna!a]"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"[b] "Blessed is the King of Israel!"
14Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written, John 12:12-14

Footnotes:
a. John 12:13 A Hebrew expression meaning "Save!" which became an exclamation of praise
b. John 12:13 Psalm 118:25, 26

He would be crucified

14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away within me.
15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me [a] in the dust of death.
16 Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced [b] my hands and my feet. Psalm 22:14-16 (Prophesied in Before 200 BC)

31 After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him. Matthew 27:31

He would suffer no broken bones at His crucifixion Psalm 34:20

20 he protects all their bones, not one of them will be broken.

He would watch men casting lots for His clothing at His crucifixion

When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. Matthew 27:35

Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." [ Some early manuscripts do not have this sentence.] And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. Luke 23:34

He would be buried in a rich man’s tomb

9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. Isaiah 53:9 (Prophesied in 538 B.C.)

57 As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus.
58 Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus' body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him.
59 Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,
60 and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away Matthew 27:57-60

He would be resurrected

25 I know that my redeemer [a] lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. [b] Job 19:25

19 Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days." John 2:19

39 He answered, "A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth Matthew 12:39-40

1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body.
2 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb
3 and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?"
4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. 5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.
6 "Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.
7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.' "
8 Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.
9 When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons.
10 She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping. Mark 16:1-10

10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful [a] one see decay. Psalm 16:10 (Prophesied before 200 BC)

God’s Bible also gives a special promise to stiff-necked Israel that, “All Israel shall be saved!”

I wish each of you and your families a Blessed Easter. Take time to thank Yeshua for the gift of eternal life he has given us.