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The
Amazing Fulfilment of Prophecy
Prophetic
Profile - Luke 24-13-27
Pastor
Jack Anderson
Introduction.
A principle that needs
to be kept in mind as we study the precious “word
of God” is that all Prophecy centres in the
person of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the
eternal Son of God.
Therefore we must never divorce
a truth from the One who is the Truth. God has set
His Son before men and He ever says to them, “
I am the way the Truth and the Life”
John 1:14 And the Word was made
flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory,
the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,)
full of grace and truth.
Everything that is said to be
truth has got to be tested against Jesus Christ
who is the Truth. For the testimony of Jesus is
the spirit of prophecy.
1. The Definition of Prophecy
Prophecy is the telling forth of the mind and will
of God. Insight and foresight are both involved
in prophecy.
2. The Dimensions of Prophecy
Prophecy forms the major part of the scriptures.
One third of the Bible is prophetic. Prophecy is
history written in advance. It is God’s way
of telling us what will happen in the future. Therefore
the believer must not be ignorant of the prophetic
word if he is to be useful and effective in the
service of God.
Prophecy, studied and understood,
will have a profound effect in the soul, and will
produce a deep concern and a real compassion for
souls. We will learn to plead with God, as Abraham
pleaded for the cities of the plain.
3. The Disclosure of Prophecy
Prophecy is a proof of deity, because God alone
knows the end from the beginning. God, alone, holds
the key of all that is unknown. Amazingly, God discloses
to us His plans and purposes for planet earth. In
Gen 18 The Lord said,” shall I hide from Abraham
what I am going to do”.
When Jesus met the two downcast
disciples on the Emmaus road Luke 24:27 And beginning
at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto
them in all the scriptures the things concerning
himself.
There are several important
chapters in the scriptures, which are basic to the
study of Prophecy. Genesis 10 and 11 show the framework
of the earth as divided into nations. Genesis 12
Introduces us to the history of the man called Abraham.
God's intention is to recover
the nations of earth through Abraham and his seed,
and recover them for blessing. This will be fulfilled
when the millennium is ushered in.
Deuteronomy 32. This chapter
contains a concise but complete history of the nation
of Israel from the time of their bondage in Egypt
to the peace and prosperity of Immanuel's Land.
The roots of prophecy are to be found in this chapter.
The ways of God through the
ages of time can only be clearly understood if careful
study is given to the key chapters in the Bible.
Then we can see THE AMAZING FULFILLMENT OF PROPHECY.
Bible Prophecy has two main
streams. There is prophecy, which relates to the
first Advent of Christ and there is prophecy, which
relates to His Second Advent.
The Lord implies this in Luke
24:26 When He says to the sorrowful disciples Luke
24:26 “Ought not Christ to have suffered these
things, and to enter into his glory”?
1. THE LORD REFERRED TO HIS
PREDICTED SUFFERING
The Sufferings of Christ speak
of His first Advent when He the Lamb of God would
offer himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sin
of the world. John 1:10 He was in the world, and
the world was made by him, and the world knew him
not. When Jesus identified who He was--the Son of
God--the response was not a welcome recognition,
it was Crucifixion on mount Calvary.
He was despised and rejected
by men! Israel failed to recognize her Messiah and
saw no beauty in Him that they should desire Him.
They cried out “crucify Him we shall not have
this man to rule over us”.
2. THE LORD REFERRED TO HIS
PREDICTED GLORY
Ought not Christ to have suffered
these things, and to enter into his glory”?
(His majesty and His Splendour)
God the Father has highly exalted
His Son to the highest place that heaven affords;
angels bow down before Him all heaven worships and
adores Him. But this same Jesus is coming again
to display His power and glory and to establish
His earthly kingdom and on that day.
Habakkuk 2:14 - the earth shall be
filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD,
as the waters cover the sea.
Sing we the king who is coming
to reign Glory to Jesus the Lamb who was slain Life
and salvation His Empire shall bring Joy to the
nations when Jesus is KING
As we take a look at prophecy,
we must keep in mind that, before ever the Bible
was given to man, God had a plan, and we must remember
it is to that foreordained plan that He is working.
The Prophet Isaiah wrote by divine inspiration:
Isaiah 46 - Remember the former
things of old: for I am God, and there is none else;
I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the
end from the beginning, and from ancient times the
things that are not yet done, saying,
My counsel shall stand, and
I will do all my pleasure: I have spoken it, I will
also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will
also do it. Here is a tremendous statement. Nowhere
in the writings of mortal man can anything like
it be found. The claims are supernatural, and therefore,
they can apply to none other than God Himself.
He declares Himself to be the
self-existent, eternal, sovereign, uncreated One,
"declaring the end from the beginning."
Where has God declared the end from the beginning?
He has told it clearly on the
pages of the Holy Scriptures. Holy men of God, guided
by the Holy Spirit, wrote of great world events
centuries before they were to come to pass. If the
prophecies were not in the Bible, the remainder
of the Book would be meaningless.
1. Prophecy that was fulfilled
at His First Advent
The first ray of light and hope
to come to the world immediately after the fall
of man was the promise of a Redeemer who would be
“the seed of a woman”
Gen 3:15 And I will put enmity
between thee and the woman, and between thy seed
and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou
shalt bruise his heel.
This first prediction is the
primary prophecy of the entire Word of God. It is
the first promise to fallen man it is the first
proclamation of the Gospel and the evidence of covenant
Grace.
It is first in a chain of Messianic
prophecies that prefigure Christ’s birth,
life, death and resurrection.
1. THE SEED OF THE WOMAN was
bruised at His heel and what a terrible bruising
it was on Mount Calvary. Genesis 3:15
But Christ will finally bruise
the serpent’s head at His second advent, inflicting
a mortal wound that will win the war over all that
is evil. Jesus will one day destroy all of Satan’s
power at the final defeat of the antichrist and
in the last days deliver a wound to Satan’s
head that can never be healed.
Hebrews 2:14 Forasmuch then as the
children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also
himself likewise took part of the same; that through
death he might destroy him that had the power of
death, that is, the devil;
Secondly the Promised Saviour
would not only be the Seed of a woman, He would
be THE SEED OF ABRAHAM
The Jewish nation began with
Abraham when God made this promise to Him.
Genesis 12:2 - And I will make of
thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and
make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
Gen 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee,
and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall
all families of the earth be blessed.
God promised to bless Abraham
Personally, Nationally and Universally; these promises
have been fulfilled in Abraham’s seed —
His
seed being Jesus Christ.
Galatians 3:16 - Now to Abraham and
his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And
to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy
seed, which is Christ.
1. THE SEED OF THE WOMAN
2. THE SEED OF ABRAHAM
3. THE SEED OF DAVID.
God made a covenant promise
to king David what is known as the Davidic Covenant.
2 Sam 7:16 And thine house and thy kingdom shall
be established forever before thee: thy throne shall
be established for ever.
Psalm 89:3 - I have made a covenant
with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant,
Psalm 89:4 - Thy seed will I establish
for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations.
Selah.
To see the fulfillment of these
promises and pledges, which God made in the Old
Test economy we have only to turn to Mat 2:1 Now
when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the
days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise
men from the east to Jerusalem,
Matthew 2:2 - Saying, Where is he
that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen
his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
Look at verse 2 - Where is he
that is born. The Seed of the Woman (Humility) Where
is he that is born King The Seed of David (Royalty)
Where is he that is born King
of the Jews
The Seed of Abraham (Nationality)
Is it not amazing how prophecy relating to the first
advent of Christ has been so wonderfully fulfilled?
God gave a sign to the house
of David Isaiah 7: 14 - Behold, a virgin shall conceive,
and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
In Luke chapter 1 - The Birth of Christ
was announced to Mary. Luke 1:31 - And, behold, thou
shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son,
and shalt call his name JESUS.
Luke 1:32 - He shall be great,
and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and
the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his
father David:
Not only was His birth predicted,
where the redeemer would come from was also predicted.
Micah 5:2 - But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands
of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto
me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth
have been from of old, from everlasting.
The amazing fulfillment of Prophecy
relating to the birth of Christ was literally fulfilled.
Prophecy that was fulfilled
at His First Advent Prophecy that was fulfilled
at His Birth Prophecy that was fulfilled at His
Death
To Israel the Paschal Lamb foreshadowed
the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the
world in Exodus 12. John 1:29; John said "Behold
the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the
world”.
The Apostle Paul --1 Corinthians 5:7
Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may
be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ
our Passover is sacrificed for us:
The Apostle Peter - 1 Peter 1:18-19 - Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with
corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your
vain conversation received by tradition from your
fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ,
as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
To Israel in the wilderness
the serpent of brass lifted upon a pole Numbers 21:8,
9 typified the lifting up of Christ upon the cross
John 3:14 Jesus said- And as Moses lifted up the
serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son
of man be lifted up:
The events leading up to the
cross where prophesied and then literally fulfilled.
1. He would enter Jerusalem on a colt. Zechariah 9:9
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter
of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you;
he is just and having salvation, lowly and riding
on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey. (NKJ)
This was fulfilled in Luke 19:35 They brought a
colt to Jesus and cast their garments upon the colt
and they set Jesus on the colt.
2. He would be Betrayed by a
Friend.
Psalm 41:9 - Yea, mine own familiar
friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread,
hath lifted up his heel against me. This was fulfilled
when Judas betrayed Christ. The one whom I kiss
is the one you are looking for. When Judas had kissed
Jesus, the Lord then said to Judas “do what
you came for”
3. He would have His Hands Pierced
Christ was also the smitten
Rock Numbers 20:11; Psalm 22:16 - For dogs have compassed
me: the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me:
they pierced my hands and my feet.
Luke 23:33 - And when they were
come to the place, which is called Calvary, there
they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on
the right hand, and the other on the left.
4. He would be Cruelly Beaten
by His Enemies
Isaiah 53:5 - But he was wounded
for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities:
the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and
with his stripes we are healed. Matthew 27:26 Then released
he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged
Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.
5. He would be Silent Before
His Accusers
Isaiah 53:7 - He was oppressed, and
he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he
is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a
sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth
not his mouth.
Matthew 27 this prophecy was fulfilled
when the chief priests and elders accused Jesus--
and He answered them not a word.
6. He would be Crucified with
Thieves
Isaiah 53:12 - Therefore will I divide
him a portion with the great, and he shall divide
the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured
out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with
the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.
Matthew 27:38 - Then were there two
thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand,
and another on the left.
The Prophetic teaching, about
His sufferings on the cross as the sacrificial lamb
was fulfilled precisely as recorded by the prophets.
In the Old Testament we find that the daily sacrifice,
which prefigured Christ as the sacrificial Lamb
of God, was in two parts.
The Morning Sacrifice, which
was offered on the third hour of the day —
nine o’clock
our time.
The Evening Sacrifice — which
was offered on the ninth hour of the day –
three o’clock our time. From nine in the morning until
three in the afternoon was precisely the time that
Jesus hung on that old rugged cross.
He offered himself to God as
the lamb without spot or blemish, fulfilling and
bringing to an end the Levitical ritual of sacrifices
that could never remove sin.
When Jesus cried with aloud
voice He said – “Father, into Thy hands
I commend my spirit, and having thus said He gave
up the ghost”. This was the precise moment
that the priest was in the holy place sprinkling
the blood upon the altar. When suddenly something
very strange happened!
The veil that separated the
holy of holies from the rest of the temple, was
rent from top to bottom by an unseen hand; thus
signifying that a new and living way was now open
into the very presence of God.
Hebrews 10: 19,20 - Having therefore,
brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by
the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which
he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that
is to say, his flesh;
We have now full freedom and
confidence to enter into the holy of holies by the
power and the virtue of the Blood of Jesus.
Calvary’s mournful mountain
climb There in worship at His feet Mark the miracle
of time God’s own sacrifice complete It is
finished hear Him cry It was for you he had to die.
The amazing prophecy relating
to His death was literally fulfilled.
Prophecy that was fulfilled
at His Birth Prophecy that was fulfilled at His
Death Prophecy that was fulfilled at His Resurrection
Paul said to Timothy, 2 Timothy 2:8 - Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David
was raised from the dead according to my gospel:
The resurrection of Jesus from
the dead is the heart of Christianity and the corner
stone of our faith, for Jesus was delivered for
our offences, and was raised again for our justification.
The resurrection is God’s
receipt that man’s debt of sin has been paid
in full. It is also the Seal of the full authority
of Jesus Christ as the Universal judge of men. Acts
17:31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which
he will judge the world in righteousness by that
man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given
assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him
from the dead.
The Lord prophesied His bodily resurrection when He cleansed the Temple John 2:18-22
- Then the Jews demanded of him, "What miraculous
sign can you show us to prove your authority to
do all this?" Jesus answered them, "Destroy
this temple, and I will raise it again in three
days."
The Jews replied, "It has
taken forty-six years to build this temple, and
you are going to raise it in three days?" They
thought that he was speaking of the edifice in which
they were gathered. But the temple he had spoken
of was his body. Matthew 12:40 - For as Jonas was three
days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall
the Son of man be three days and three nights in
the heart of the earth.
The temple of His body was dissolved
in the hour of His death, but on that wonderful
resurrection morning He took it up again as He had
said. Death could not keep its prey! He arose from
the grave with a mighty triumph over His foes! He
arose the victor from the dark domain and He lives
forever with His saints to reign.
Thank God we can say, because
of literally fulfilled prophecy, “I know that
my Redeemer liveth” He lives Triumphant from
the Grave He lives eternally to save He lives all
glorious in the Sky And he is coming by and by (Glory
to the Lamb of God)
Oh for a fresh glimpse of the
risen Lord! That we night know Him in the power
of His resurrection for this would transform our
outlook, revolutionize our lives, expand our coasts,
and multiply our fruitfulness.
Prophecy that was fulfilled
which related to God’s Covenant people Israel
We now tale a broader view of
prophecy. In Genesis 13:14-15 - The Lord promised Abraham
that his descendants would possess the land of Canaan
forever.
Lift up now thine eyes, and
look from the place where thou art northward, and
southward, and eastward, and westward: For all the
land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and
to thy seed forever.
Genesis 15 - The Lord set the boundaries
of the land when He made a covenant with Abraham
Genesis 15:18 - In the same day the LORD made a covenant
with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this
land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river,
the river Euphrates:
God’s promise cannot be
broken. Despite major dispersions and exiles from
the Promised Land, God has always brought His people
back and He always will.
In Genesis 15:13-16 - The Lord predicts
the slavery of the Israelites in Egypt He also stated
that they would remain there for 400 years, after
which they would return to the land of promise with
great possessions.
This was fulfilled in Exodus 12:40 - Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who
dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years.
Exodus 12:41 - And it came to pass
at the end of the four hundred and thirty years,
even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all
the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of
Egypt.
Moses records that the exodus
occurred on the very day that God said it would.
The Abrahamic covenant was initiated 430 years earlier.
This is an amazing fulfilment of prophecy that underscores
the accuracy and the infallibility of God’s
unerring word of truth.
Then came the Babylonian exile
when Nebuchadnezzar carried the children of Israel
into captivity and among the captives was Daniel.
After some considerable time Daniel discovered,
from reading the Prophet Jeremiah that his people
would return to their homeland, when seventy years
had been accomplished in Babylon.
They had now been 68 years in
captivity. There was just two years to go, so Daniel
gave himself to prayer—asking God to prepare
the hearts of the people for their return to the
homeland. Two years later there was the beginning
of the amazing return of the exiles to their land.
A recovery that took part in
three stages under the guidance of Zerubbael, Ezra,
and Nehemiah. But even more remarkable in Isaiah 45
God identified the king whom He would use to perform
His will — 100years before he was born. Cyrus
would issue the decree, which would release God’s
chosen earthly people from the captivity of Babylon
after 70 years in exile
Today Israel is returning from
her dispersion among the Nations, to the land, which
God promised to His servant Abraham.
Isaiah 11:11 - And it shall come
to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his
hand again the second time to recover the remnant
of his people, which shall be left, Isaiah 11:12 And
he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall
assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together
the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of
the earth.
Israel is now a nation among
the nations of the world and has survived as such,
even though her enemies continually seek to destroy
her.
Israel is in the land of her
fathers and soon God will bring His people from
the four corners of the earth to resettle in the
Promised Land.
Then all the land will be completely
restored to them, when Christ returns again. Israel
will posses the total area of the land of promise,
as given under God’s unconditional covenant
to Abraham.
Israel will be converted. Romans
11:25-26 - For I would not, brethren, that ye should
be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise
in your own conceits; that blindness in part is
happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles
be come in. And so all Israel shall be
saved: as it is written, There shall come out of
Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness
from Jacob:
Israel will then experience
great prosperity and God will judge those nations
who oppressed Israel. We read all of this in Deuteronomy
30, which is known as the Palestian Covenant, a
restatement of the Covenant, which God made to Abraham.
The promises in the covenant have been partially
and literally fulfilled and will be completed when
the King of Kings, the Messiah returns at His Second
Advent.
Then you will remember it was
while he was in Babylon that Daniel received the
vision of the seventy weeks. Each week symbolises
an important time measure a period of seven years.
The prophecy of the seventy
weeks is essential to a proper understanding of
the unfolding of end time events.
This prophecy provides an outline
of history from the time the command was given to
rebuild the walls of Jerusalem to the coming of
the Messiah and the final establishing of His Kingdom.
The focus of this prophecy is firmly fixed on the
Jews and on the holy city. Jerusalem.
Daniel 9:24 - Seventy weeks are determined
upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish
the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and
to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring
in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the
vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
(KJV)
The Beginning of the seventy
weeks is fixed when the decree went forth in 445bc
that authorised the rebuilding of the city. This
project took 49 years – 7 weeks of years to
complete. This prophecy was literally fulfilled
and is recorded in Nehemiah 2:1-8 - From this date, as
a beginning, a total of the first 69 weeks —
or
483 Biblical years reached to ”the Messiah
Prince”
Daniel 9:25 - Know therefore and
understand, that from the going forth of the commandment
to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah
the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore
and two weeks:
Daniel prophesied that the Messiah
would come and a careful calculation reveals that
exactly 483 Biblical years after Daniel’s
prophecy in 444BC, Jesus Christ entered Jerusalem
through the eastern gate and presented Himself to
Israel as their promised Messiah.
But they rejected Him. According
to Daniel’s prophecy at the end of the 69
weeks the Messiah would be cut off.
Daniel 9:26 - And after threescore
and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not
for himself:
The sixty-nine weeks of Daniel’s
prophecy was precisely fulfilled because just a
few days later, Jesus Christ the Messiah was cut
of and crucified on the cross. But He rose from
the grave and ascended to heaven to await His second
advent.
The seventieth week of Daniel’s
prophecy has yet to be fulfilled. This last week
covers the seven-year tribulation period at the
end times.
This final week of years will
culminate with the tyranny of the Antichrist, the
terror of great tribulation, and the mark of the
beast. Wars, and times of desolations will continue
until the end of the age.
When Israel rejected the Messiah,
at the conclusion of the sixty-nine weeks, God’s
prophetic clock for Israel stopped ticking and He
postponed Israel’s promised kingdom for a
period, and ushered in the dispensation of Grace
to reach the Gentiles.
Israel’s rejection of
her Messiah led ultimately to the reconciling of
the Gentiles, because of their acceptance of salvation
through the atonement of Christ on the cross. During
the interval, between Daniel’s sixty-ninth
and seventieth weeks, God, in His great love and
mercy, has instituted an edifice that He calls the
Church.
He has called and commissioned
His Church to witness to the world, His great offer
of Salvation. It is not the business of the church
to adapt Christ to men, but men to Christ.
To His Church He has made some
wonderful promises that He is fulfilling and will
fulfil to the glory of His Name. Matthew 16:18 I will
build my church; and the gates of hell shall not
prevail against it.
The triumphant Christian does
not fight for victory; he celebrates a victory already
won. Only by desertion can we be defeated. With
Christ and for Christ victory is certain. Romans 8:37
- Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors
through him that loved us.
The Lord has also given to His
Church the Promise of His coming to take her home
to heaven. John 14:3 - And if I go and prepare a place
for you, I will come again, and receive you unto
myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
Christ intends to present His
church to the Father someday "without spot
or blemish" made perfect by the precious blood
of the Lamb of Calvary.
CONCLUSION
The Amazing fulfillment of Prophecy
1. Should encourage us to study
the prophetic word that we might seek to know the
mind of God
2. That we, might have light,
on the pathway of the future.
2 Pet 1:19 We have also a more
sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that
ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a
dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star
arise in your hearts:
3. That we might have Comfort
and Hope
Dr. Wilbur M. Smith suggests
that there are three different attitudes one may
take toward the future.
The first is indifference, the
second is fear and the third is hope.
No intelligent person would
take the first, no one needs to be ensnared in the
second, but all can possess the third.
There is comfort and hope for
all believers who love and study the Bible.
The Apostle wrote,
For whatsoever
things were written a foretime were written for
our learning, that we through patience and comfort
of the Scriptures might have hope (Romans 15:4).
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