Today, in certain circles of world Judaism, they are already talking in all seriousness about a certain Mr. Kushner as a possible Messiah. The question naturally arises as to how we, Orthodox Christians, should treat this Jewish proposal. And just as all Orthodox Christians have always treated him - to consider him a false Messiah for a number of reasons. We will try to consider some of them here. I do not want to show hostility towards Jews of various persuasions, therefore, I will be correct and will try to rely in my text, by and large, only on the Holy Text of the Tanakh, namely on the Torah and Neviim (Ketuvim is also possible).
The word "messiah" (meshia) is Hebrew and means "anointed one," i.e. anointed by the Holy Spirit. Translated into Greek, it is written "christ." In ancient times, kings, prophets and high priests were called anointed ones, since during their consecration to these positions, sacred oil was poured on their heads, a symbol of the grace of the Holy Spirit, which they received for the successful fulfillment of the ministry entrusted to them. As a proper name, the word "Messiah" was always referred by the prophets to the special Anointed One of God, the Savior of the world.
In the Tanakh, one can count several hundred prophecies about the Messiah (therefore, it is simply impossible to make a mistake with His identity) and about His gracious Kingdom. They are scattered throughout almost all the books of the Old Testament, written from the Pentateuch of the prophet Moses and ending with the later prophets Zechariah and Malachi. The prophet Moses, King David, the prophets Isaiah, Daniel and Zechariah wrote the most about the Messiah.
The Old Testament books, as we will see, are filled with prophecies about the Messiah and His Kingdom of Grace. The purpose of the Old Testament prophecies was to prepare the Jews, and through them all of humanity, for the coming of the Savior of the world, so that at His coming they could recognize Him and believe in Him.
Our first parents, Adam and Eve, heard the first prediction about the Messiah back in Eden, immediately after eating the forbidden fruit. Then God said to the devil, who had taken the form of a serpent: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. It will bruise your head (or - crush your head), and you will bruise His heel” (Gen. 3:15).
With these words the Lord condemned the devil, comforted our forefathers with the promise that one day the Descendant of the woman would strike the very "head" of the serpent-devil who had tempted them. But at the same time the Descendant of the woman would also suffer from the serpent, who would "bruise His heel," that is, cause Him physical suffering. It is also remarkable in this first prophecy that the Messiah is called "the Seed of the Woman," which points to His extraordinary birth from the Woman, Who would conceive the Messiah without the participation of a husband. The absence of a physical father follows from the fact that in Old Testament times, descendants were always called by their father, and not by their mother. This prophecy about the supernatural birth of the Messiah is confirmed by the later prophecy of Isaiah (7:14), which we will talk about later. According to the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan (ancient interpretations and retellings of the books of Moses), the Jews always attributed the prophecy about the Seed of the woman to the Messiah. This prophecy was fulfilled when the Lord Jesus Christ, having suffered on the cross with His flesh, defeated the devil - this "ancient serpent," that is, took away from him all power over man.
The second prophecy about the Messiah is also found in the book of Genesis and speaks of the blessing that will spread from Him to all people. It was said to the righteous Abraham, when he showed extreme devotion and obedience to God by his willingness to sacrifice his only son Isaac. Then God promised Abraham through the Angel: "And in your Seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice" (Gen. 22:1).
In the original text of this prophecy the word "Seed" is singular, indicating that this promise does not refer to many, but to one specific Descendant, from whom the blessing will extend to all people. The Jews always referred this prophecy to the Messiah, understanding it, however, in the sense that the blessing should extend mainly to the chosen people. In the sacrifice Abraham prefigured God the Father, and Isaac - the Son of God, who was to suffer on the cross. This parallel is drawn in the Gospel, where it is said: "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). The importance of the prophecy about the blessing of all nations in the Descendant of Abraham is evident from the fact that God confirmed His promise with an oath. The third prophecy about the Messiah was made by the patriarch Jacob, Abraham’s grandson, when before his death he blessed his 12 sons and predicted the future fate of their descendants. He predicted to Judah: “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and to Him shall the gathering of the peoples come” (Gen. 49:10). According to the translation of the 70 interpreters, this prophecy has the following version: “until He comes to whom it is set aside (determined to come), and He shall be the hope of the peoples.” The scepter is a symbol of power. The meaning of this prophecy is that the descendants of Judah will have their own rulers and legislators until the Messiah comes, who is called here the Reconciler. The word "Reconciler" reveals a new feature in the description of His work: He will eliminate the enmity between men and God, which arose as a result of sin (About the elimination of enmity between heaven and earth the Angels sang when Christ was born: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth PEACE, good will toward men" (Luke 2:14)).
The patriarch Jacob lived two thousand years before the birth of Christ. The first leader from the tribe of Judah was King David, a descendant of Judah, who lived a thousand years before the birth of Christ. Beginning with him, the tribe of Judah had its kings, and then, after the Babylonian captivity, its leaders until the time of Herod the Great, who reigned in Judea in 47 BC. Herod was an Idumean by birth, and under him the people's leaders from the tribe of Judah completely lost their civil power. The Lord Jesus Christ was born at the end of Herod's reign.
Here it is appropriate to cite a story found in the Medrash, one of the most ancient parts of the Talmud, which says that the members of the Sanhedrin, when their right to criminal justice was taken away from them, about forty years before the destruction of the Temple (in the 30th year of the Christian era), dressed in sackcloth and tearing their hair, cried out: "Woe to us, woe to us: the king from Judah has long since become poor, and the promised Messiah has not yet come!" Of course, they spoke this way because they did not recognize in Jesus Christ that Reconciler about whom the patriarch Jacob had predicted.
It should be said that since the tribe of Judah has lost all civil power for more than two thousand years, and the Jews themselves, as a tribal unit, have long been interbred with other Jewish tribes (tribes), it is absolutely impossible to apply this prophecy of Jacob to new candidates for the messianic title, although according to the assurances of modern Jewish rabbis, they managed to completely restore one tribe - Dan. It is from this tribe, according to the conviction of the holy patriarch Jacob (Gen. 49: 16-18) - "Dan will judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel; Dan will be a serpent by the way, an adder by the path, biting the horse's heels, so that his rider falls backwards. I hope for your help, O Lord!" and all subsequent holy fathers, the adversary of God - the Antichrist - will come. Another prophecy about the Messiah that we find in the books of Moses was spoken by God to the prophet Moses himself, when the earthly life of this great leader and legislator of the Jewish people was coming to an end. The Lord promised Moses that one day He would raise up another Prophet to the Jewish people, similar to him in significance and spiritual power, and that He (God) would speak through the mouth of this Prophet. “I will raise up for you a Prophet,” the Lord says to Moses, “from among their brethren, like you; and I will put My words in His mouth, and He will speak to them all that I command Him. But whoever does not obey My words, which that Prophet speaks in My name, I will require it of him” (Deut. 18:18-19). A postscript made at the end of the book of Deuteronomy by Ezra's contemporaries 450 years before Christ testifies that among the many prophets with whom the Jewish people abounded throughout their centuries-long history, there was no prophet like Moses. Consequently, the Jewish people from the time of Moses expected to see in the person of the Messiah the greatest prophet-lawgiver.
After the death of the prophet Moses and the occupation of the Promised Land by the Jews, the prophecies about the Messiah fall silent for many centuries. A new series of prophecies about the Messiah arises during the reign of David, a descendant of Abraham, Jacob and Judah, who ruled the Jewish people a thousand years before Christ. These new prophecies reveal the royal and divine dignity of Christ. The Lord promises David through the mouth of the prophet Nathan to establish an eternal Kingdom in the Person of his Descendant: "I will establish the throne of His Kingdom forever" (2 Samuel 7:1). The descendant of King David - the Messiah must reign forever. This prophecy was fulfilled in Jesus Christ - He is the King and Lord forever.
In his second psalm, King David predicts hostility and rebellion against the Messiah from His enemies. This psalm is written in the form of a conversation between three persons: David, God the Father and the Son of God, anointed by the Father for the Kingdom. Here are the main places of this psalm.
King David: "Why do the peoples rage and the nations plot vain things? The kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His Anointed."
God the Father: "I have anointed My King upon Zion, My holy mountain."
Son of God: "I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, 'You are My Son, this day have I begotten You.'"
King David: “Keep yourselves humble to the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way” (verses 1-2, 6-7, and 12).
David writes about the Divinity of the Messiah in several subsequent psalms. For example, in the 44th psalm, David, addressing the coming Messiah, exclaims:
“Your throne, O God, is forever; the scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of righteousness. You have loved righteousness and hated iniquity; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your companions” (verses 7-8).
Revealing the difference between the Persons in God, between the anointing God and the anointed God, this prophet the foundation for faith in the Triune God.
Psalm 109 repeats the main ideas of Psalm 2 about the Divinity of the Messiah and the enmity against Him. But some new information is also reported, for example, the birth of the Messiah, the Son of God, is depicted as an eternal event. Christ is eternal, like His Father.
“The Lord (God the Father) said to my Lord (the Messiah): sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool… from the womb before the morning star your birth was like the dew. The Lord swore and did not repent: you are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek” (As Apostle Paul explains, Melchizedek, who is described in the book of Genesis 14:18, was a prototype of the Son of God - the eternal priest, see Hebrews, chapter 7).
Psalm 72 is a hymn of praise to the Messiah. In it we see the Messiah in the fullness of His glory. This glory is to be realized at the end of time, when the Messianic Kingdom will triumph and evil will be destroyed. Here are a few verses from this joyful psalm.
“All kings will bow down to Him, all nations will serve Him. For He will deliver the poor who cries, and the afflicted who has no helper… His name will be blessed forever. His name will be continued as long as the sun endures, and all families of the earth will be blessed in Him; all nations will call Him blessed” (Psalm 72:10-17).
To give the reader an idea of how extensive and detailed the prophecies about the Messiah in the psalms are, we will list these prophecies in the order of their content:
About the coming of the Messiah - Psalms 17, 49, 67, 95-97.
About the Kingdom of the Messiah - 2, 17, 19, 20, 44, 65, 71, 109, 131.
About the priesthood of the Messiah - 109.
About the suffering, death and resurrection of the Messiah - 15, 21, 30, 39, 40, 65, 68, 98.
In Psalms 40, 54 and 108 - about Judas the traitor.
On the Ascension of Christ into Heaven — 67 (“You have ascended on high, You have led captivity captive,” verse 19, see Eph. 4:8 and Heb. 1:3).
Christ — the foundation of the Church — 117.
On the glory of the Messiah — 8.
On the Last Judgment — 96.
On the inheritance of eternal rest by the righteous — 94.
The messianic prophecies of David, recorded in his divinely inspired psalms, laid the foundation for faith in the Messiah as the true and consubstantial Son of God, King, High Priest, and Redeemer of mankind. The influence of the psalms on the faith of the Old Testament Jews was especially great due to the widespread use of the psalms in the private and liturgical life of the Jewish people.
The Prophet Isaiah spoke about the human nature of Christ, saying that Christ had to be born miraculously from a Virgin: “The Lord Himself will give you a sign: behold, a Virgin (alma) will conceive and bear a Son, and they will call His name Emmanuel, which means: God with us” (Isaiah 7:14). If a woman gives birth, there is no sign in this, but a natural ability, but if a Virgin gives birth, this is truly a sign from God. By the way, most Jews have never heard of this prophecy. Why? It is not read in synagogues, apparently because of the fear that the Jews, having heard the prophecy, might believe in Christ Jesus (since there is no one else to whom it can be attributed).
In the 9th chapter, Isaiah speaks about the properties of the Infant Emmanuel “A Child is born to us, a Son is given to us; "The government shall be upon his shoulders: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6-7). Let us agree that all these epithets cannot be attributed to just an ordinary person, even from the line of David.
Isaiah predicted the preaching of the Messiah in the northern part of the Holy Land, within the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali, which was called Galilee: "The former time has made the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali to be small; but the latter time will exalt the way by the sea, the land beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those who live in the land of the shadow of death, light has dawned" (Isaiah 9:1-2). This prophecy is cited by the Evangelist Matthew when he describes the preaching of Jesus Christ in this part of the Holy Land. The land that was especially religiously ignorant (Matt. 4:16).
Isaiah uttered this prophecy, speaking on behalf of the Messiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those bound” (Is. 61:1-2). These words precisely define the purpose of the coming of the Messiah: to heal the spiritual ailments of people.
In addition to spiritual ailments, the Messiah was to heal physical ailments: “Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. Then the lame man will leap like a hart, and the tongue of the dumb will sing” (Is. 35:5-6). This prophecy was fulfilled when the Lord Jesus Christ, preaching the Gospel, healed thousands of all kinds of sick people, those born blind, and those possessed by demons. By His miracles He testified to the truth of His teaching and His unity with God the Father.
The most vivid and detailed prediction of the sufferings of the Messiah is the prophecy of Isaiah, which occupies one and a half chapters of his book (the end of the 52nd and all of the 53rd). This prophecy contains such details of the sufferings of Christ that the reader gets the impression that the prophet Isaiah wrote it at the very foot of Golgotha. Although, as we know, the prophet Isaiah lived seven centuries before Christ. We cite this prophecy here.
“Lord, who has believed our report, and to whom has the revelation been revealed? Is it the arm of the Lord? For he (the Messiah) grows up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness. When we saw him, there was no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. So we hid our faces from him. He was despised and esteemed as nothing. Yet he took our griefs and carried our sorrows. Yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement that brought us peace was upon him, and with 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 iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, but he suffered willingly, and opened not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment. But his generation, who can declare? For he was cut off out of the land of the living. For the transgression of my people he was stricken. They appointed his grave with the wicked, but he was buried with the rich, because he had committed no sin, and no deceit was in his mouth. Nevertheless it pleased the Lord to bruise him, and he gave him over to tribulation. When his soul shall make atonement, he shall see his seed prolonging life. And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see the travail of his soul, and be satisfied. Through his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many, and shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the spoil with the strong, because He poured out His soul unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." By the way, King David also described the Savior's sufferings on the cross with great vividness in his 21st Psalm. Although this Psalm is spoken in the first person, King David, of course, could not write about himself, because he could not bear such suffering. Here, as a prototype of the Messiah, he prophetically related to himself what actually related to his Descendant - Christ. It is remarkable that some words of this Psalm were literally spoken by Christ during His crucifixion. Here are some phrases from the 21st Psalm and, in parallel, the corresponding Gospel texts.
Verse 8: “All who see Me mock Me,” compare Mark 15:29.
Verse 17: “They pierced My hands and My feet,” compare Luke 23:33.
Verse 19: “They divide My garments among them, and for My vesture they cast lots,” compare Matthew 27:35.
Verse 9: “He trusted in God to deliver him.” This phrase was literally spoken by the Jewish high priests and scribes, Matthew 27:43.
Verse 2: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” — thus cried the Lord before His death, see Matthew 27:46.
In light of these prophecies about the sufferings of the Messiah, the ancient enigmatic prophecy of the patriarch Jacob, spoken to his son Judah, becomes clear:
"The young Lion, Judah, my son is risen from the prey. He bows down, he lies down like a lion and like a lioness: who shall rouse him? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and to Him shall the gathering of the people be. He bindeth his colt unto the vine, and his ass's foal unto the choice vine. He washeth his garments in wine, and his raiment in the blood of the clusters of grapes" (Gen. 49:9-11).
In this prophecy, the Lion, by his majesty and power, symbolizes the Messiah, who was to be born of the tribe of Judah. The patriarch's question about who would raise the sleeping Lion allegorically speaks of the death of the Messiah, called in Scripture "the Lion of the tribe of Judah" (Rev. 5:5). The death of the Messiah is also spoken of in the subsequent prophetic words of Jacob about washing his clothes in grape juice. Grapes are a symbol of blood. The words about the donkey and the young donkey were fulfilled when the Lord Jesus Christ, before His suffering on the cross, rode into Jerusalem sitting on a donkey.
To these ancient testimonies about the suffering of the Messiah, we should add the no less definite prophecy of Zechariah, who lived two centuries after Isaiah (500 years BC). The prophet Zechariah describes in the 3rd chapter of his book a vision of the high priest Jesus, dressed first in bloody and then in light robes. The garment of the priest Jesus symbolized the moral state of the people: first sinful, and then righteous. The vision described contains many interesting details related to the mystery of redemption.
“Behold, I bring My servant the Branch. For behold, the stone that I have laid before Jesus, on this one stone seven eyes; behold, I will engrave His image upon it, says the Lord of hosts, and I will blot out the sin of this land in one day… and they will look upon Me whom they have pierced, and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and be bitterly grieved for Him, as one bitterly grieves for a firstborn… In that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to wash away sin and uncleanness” (Zech. 3:8-9; 12:10-13:1).
As we remember, the name Branch is also found in the prophet Isaiah. It refers to the Messiah. What is remarkable is that, according to the prophecy, the cleansing of the sins of the people will take place in one day. In other words, one, specific Sacrifice will make the cleansing of sins! The second part of the prophecy, found in the 12th chapter, speaks of the sufferings of the Messiah, His piercing with a spear and the repentance of the people. All these events took place and are described in the Gospels.
No matter how difficult it was for an Old Testament person to rise to the belief in the necessity of the atoning sufferings of the Messiah, several Old Testament Jewish writers correctly understood the prophecy of the 53rd chapter of the book of Isaiah. Here are valuable thoughts on this subject from ancient Jewish books.
"What is the name of the Messiah?" asks the Talmud, and answers: "The Sick, as it is written: "He bears our sins, and is grieved for us" (Tràct. Talmud Bàbil. distinñt. Ñhålåk).
In another part of the Talmud it is said: "The Messiah takes upon Himself all the sufferings and torments for the sins of the Israelites. If He had not taken upon Himself these sufferings, then no man in the world could have endured the punishments that inevitably follow from breaking the law” (Yalkut Chadach, fol. 154, coll. 4, 29, Tit).
Rabbi Moshe Goddarshan writes in the Medrash:
“The Lord, holy and blessed, entered into the following condition with the Messiah, saying to Him: Messiah, My righteous one! The sins of men will lay a heavy yoke upon you: your eyes will not see the light, your ears will hear terrible insults, your lips will taste bitterness, your tongue will stick to your throat… and your soul will be exhausted from bitterness and sighing. Do you agree to this? If you accept all these sufferings upon yourself: good. If not, then I will destroy people - sinners - this very moment. To this the Messiah answered: Master of the universe! I gladly accept all these sufferings, only on condition that You, in my days, will raise the dead, beginning with Adam, until now, and save not only them alone, but also all those whom You proposed to create and have not yet created. To this the holy and blessed God said: yes, I agree. At that moment the Messiah gladly accepted all the sufferings, as it is written: “He was tormented, but he suffered voluntarily… like a sheep he was led to the slaughter” (from the homily on the book of Genesis).
These testimonies of Jewish experts in the Holy Scriptures are valuable in that they show what great significance the prophecy of Isaiah had for strengthening faith in the saving nature of the Messiah’s sufferings on the cross.
Speaking of the necessity and saving nature of the Messiah’s sufferings, the prophets also predicted His resurrection from the dead and the subsequent glory. Isaiah, having described the sufferings of Christ, ends his narrative with the following words:
"When His soul shall have made atonement for sin, He shall see His seed, which shall prolong life. And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied. By His knowledge shall My righteous Servant justify many, and shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong."
In other words, the Messiah after death shall be revived to head the Kingdom of the righteous, and shall be morally satisfied with the result of His sufferings.
The prophet Hosea mentions a three-day resurrection, although in his prophecy it is spoken in the plural: "In their sorrow they shall seek Me early in the morning, saying, Let us go and return to the Lord! "For He has torn, and He will heal us; He has smitten, and He will bind up our wounds. After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, and we will live in His sight" (Hos. 6:1-2, cf. 1 Cor. 15:4).
In addition to direct prophecies about the immortality of the Messiah, this is actually also evidenced by all those places in the Old Testament in which the Messiah is called God (for example, in Psalm 2, Psalm 44, Psalm 110, Is. 9:6, Jer. 23:5, Micah 5:2, Mal. 3:1). After all, God is immortal by His very nature. The immortality of the Messiah should also be concluded when we read the predictions about His eternal Kingdom (for example, in Gen. 49:10, 2 Samuel 7:13, Psalm 2, Psalm 131:11, Ezek. 37:24, Dan. 7:13). After all, an eternal Kingdom presupposes an eternal King.
The Prophet Daniel wrote down the prediction about the time of the coming of the Messiah while he was in Babylonian captivity with other Jews. The Jews were taken captive by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, who destroyed the city of Jerusalem in 588 BC. St. Daniel knew that the seventy-year period of Babylonian captivity, predicted by the prophet Jeremiah (in the 25th chapter of his book), was coming to an end. Desiring a speedy return of the Jewish people from captivity to their native land and the restoration of the holy city of Jerusalem, St. Daniel began to ask God about this often in fervent prayer. At the end of one of these prayers, the Archangel Gabriel suddenly appeared before the prophet and said that God had heard his prayer and would soon help the Jews rebuild Jerusalem. At the same time, the Archangel Gabriel reported another, more joyful piece of news, namely, that from the time of the issuance of the decree on the restoration of Jerusalem, one should begin to count the year of the coming of the Messiah and the establishment of the New Testament. Here is what the Archangel Gabriel said about this to the prophet Daniel:
“Seventy weeks are determined for your people and your holy city, to cover up the transgression, seal up sins, and atone for iniquities, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and seal up visions and prophets, and anoint the Holy of Holies. So know and understand: from the time the commandment goes forth to restore Jerusalem until Christ the Lord, there are seven weeks and sixty-two weeks. And the people shall return, and build the streets and the walls, but in troublesome times.
And after the sixty-two weeks shall Christ be cut off, and shall be no more; and the city and the sanctuary shall be destroyed by the people of the prince that shall come, and the end thereof shall be as by a flood, and unto the end of the war shall there be desolations. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week shall the sacrifice and the offering cease, and upon the wing of the sanctuary shall be the abomination that maketh desolate: and the final destruction that is determined shall come upon the desolator" (Dan. 9:24-27).
In this prophecy the whole interval of time from the decree of the restoration of Jerusalem to the establishment of the New Covenant and the second destruction of this city is divided into three periods. The terms of each period are calculated in weeks of years, i.e. — seven-year periods. Seven is a sacred number, symbolically signifying fullness, completeness. The meaning of this prophecy is as follows: seventy weeks (70 X 7 = 490 years) are determined for the Jewish people and the holy city, until the Holy of Holies (Christ) comes, Who will erase iniquities, bring eternal truth and fulfill all the prophecies. The beginning of these weeks will be the issuance of a decree on the new construction of Jerusalem and the temple, and the end will be the repeated destruction of both. According to the order of events, these weeks are divided as follows: during the first seven weeks (i.e. 49 years), Jerusalem and the temple will be restored. Then, at the end of the next sixty-two weeks (i.e. 434 years), Christ will come, but will suffer and be put to death. Finally, during the last week, the New Covenant will be established and in the middle of this week, the usual sacrifices in the Jerusalem temple will cease, and in the sanctuary there will be an abomination of desolation. Then a people will come, led by a leader, who will destroy the holy city and the Temple.
It is interesting and instructive to trace how historical events actually unfolded during the period of time designated by the Archangel Gabriel. The decree on the restoration of Jerusalem was issued by the Persian king Artaxerxes Longiman in 453 BC. This significant event is described in detail by Nehemiah in the 2nd chapter of his book. From the moment of the issuance of this decree, one should begin counting the Daniel weeks. According to the Greek calendar, this was the 3rd year of the 76th Olympiad, and according to the Roman calendar, it was the 299th year from the foundation of Rome. The restoration of the Jerusalem walls and the temple dragged on for as many as 49 years (seven weeks) because some pagan peoples living in the neighborhood of Jerusalem in every way prevented the restoration of this city.
According to the prophecy, the Messiah was to suffer for the cleansing of human sins in the period between the 69th and 70th weeks. If we add 69 weeks, i.e. 483 years, to the year of the decree on the restoration of Jerusalem, we get the 30th year of the Christian calendar. According to the prophecy, the Messiah was to suffer and die approximately during this time, from the 30th to the 37th year of the Christian calendar. The Evangelist Luke writes that the Lord Jesus Christ came out to preach in the 15th year of the reign of the Roman Emperor Tiberius. This coincided with the 782nd year from the foundation of Rome or with the 30th year after the birth of Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ preached for three and a half years and suffered in the 33rd year of our era, exactly during the period of time indicated by St. Daniel. After the Resurrection of Christ, the Christian faith began to spread very quickly, so that, indeed, the last, 70th week was the confirmation of the New Testament among many people. Jerusalem was destroyed a second time in the year 70 AD by the Roman commander Titus. During the siege of Jerusalem by the Roman legions, due to strife among the Jewish leaders, complete chaos reigned in this city. As a result of these strife, the services in the temple were very irregular, and, finally, in the temple, as the archangel predicted to the prophet Daniel, the "abomination of desolation" reigned. The Lord Jesus Christ in one of His conversations reminded Christians of this prophecy and warned His listeners that when they see in the holy place "the abomination of desolation," they should quickly flee Jerusalem, because its end has come (Matthew 24:15). This is what the Christians living in Jerusalem did when the Roman troops, due to the election of a new emperor, by order of Vespasian, temporarily lifted the siege of the city and retreated. Therefore, the Christians did not suffer during the subsequent return of the Roman army and the destruction of Jerusalem, and thus avoided the tragic fate of many Jews who remained in the city. The destruction of Jerusalem ends Daniel's prophecy about the weeks.
Here it should be mentioned that the Jewish rabbis repeatedly forbade their compatriots to calculate the Daniel weeks. The Gemara rabbi even curses those Jews who will calculate the year of the coming of the Messiah: "Let the bones of those who calculate the times tremble" (Sànådrin 97). The severity of this prohibition is understandable. After all, the Daniel weeks directly indicate the time of the activity of Christ the Savior, which is very unpleasant for those who do not believe in Him to admit.
The prophet Dan ila we also find another important prophetic testimony about the Messiah, recorded in the form of a vision, in which the Messiah is depicted as the eternal Ruler. It is recorded in the seventh chapter of his book. “I saw in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And he was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom that which will not be destroyed” (Dan. 7:13-14).
This vision speaks of the final destinies of the world, the end of the existence of earthly kingdoms, the terrible judgment of the nations gathered before the throne of the Ancient of Days, i.e. God the Father, and the beginning of glorious times for the Kingdom of the Messiah. The Messiah is here called the "Son of Man," which indicates His human nature. As we know from the Gospel, the Lord Jesus Christ often called Himself the Son of Man, reminding the Jews with this name of the prophecy of Daniel (Matt. 8:20, 9:6, 12:40, 24:30, etc.).
The prophet Micah wrote down a well-known prophecy about Bethlehem, which was quoted by the Jewish scribes when King Herod asked them where Christ was to be born.
"And you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah? Out of you shall he come forth to me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from the days of eternity" (Micah 5:2). Here the prophet Micah says that although Bethlehem is one of the most insignificant cities of Judea, it will be honored to become the birthplace of the Messiah, whose real origin goes back to eternity. Eternal existence, as we know, is the distinctive property of God's Being. Therefore, this prophecy testifies to the eternity and, consequently, to the consubstantiality of the Messiah with God the Father (let us remember that Isaiah called the Messiah "the Everlasting Father" (Is. 9:6-7).
The following predictions of Zechariah and Amos refer to the last days of the earthly life of the Messiah. The prophecy of Zechariah speaks of the joyful entry of the Messiah, sitting on a donkey, into Jerusalem:
"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion, shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, your King comes to you, righteous and having salvation, meek, riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey... He will proclaim peace to the nations, and his dominion will be from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth. But as for you, for the blood of your covenant I will free your prisoners from the pit in which there is no water" (Zech. 9:9-11).
A donkey is a symbol of peace, while a horse is a symbol of war. According to this prophecy, the Messiah was to proclaim peace to people - reconciliation with God and the end of hostility between people. The second part of the prophecy, about the release of prisoners from the pit, predicted the release of the souls of the dead from hell as a result of the atoning sufferings of the Messiah.
In the next prophecy, Zechariah predicted that the Messiah would be betrayed for thirty pieces of silver. The prophecy speaks on behalf of God, Who offers the Jewish leaders to appoint Him a payment for all that He has done for their people:
"If it seems good to you, then give Me My wages; but if not, do not give Me. And they weighed out for My wages thirty pieces of silver. And the Lord said to me, "Throw them into the treasury of the church - the great price at which they have valued Me!" “Then I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord for the potter” (Zech. 11:12-13). As we know from the Gospels, Judas Iscariot betrayed His Teacher for thirty pieces of silver. However, Judas did not expect that Christ would be condemned to death. Having learned about this, he regretted his actions and threw the coins given to him in the temple. With these thirty pieces of silver, the high priests bought a plot of land from the potter for the burial of strangers, as Zechariah predicted (Matt. 27:9-10).
The prophet Amos predicted the darkening of the sun, which occurred during the crucifixion of Christ: “And it will come to pass in that day,” says the Lord, “that I will cause the sun to go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight” (Amos 8:9). We find a similar prediction in Zechariah: “The light will cease to exist, the stars will withdraw. "This day will be unique, known only to the Lord: neither day nor night, only in the evening time will the light appear" (Zech. 14:5-9).
The predictions about the Messiah by the prophets Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi are closely related to the construction of the second Jerusalem temple. Having returned from captivity, the Jews built a new temple on the site of the destroyed Solomon's temple without much enthusiasm. The entire country was devastated, and many Jews preferred to first rebuild their own houses. Therefore, after the captivity, the prophets had to urge the Jews to build the house of God. To encourage the builders, the prophets said that although the new temple was inferior to Solomon's in its external appearance, its spiritual significance would surpass it many times over. The reason for the glory of the temple under construction would be that the expected Messiah would visit it.
“Yet once more, and it shall come quickly, I will shake heaven and earth, sea and dry land, and shake all nations, and the Desire of all nations shall come, and I will fill this house (temple) with glory, saith the Lord of hosts… The glory of this latter Temple shall be greater than that of the former” (Haggai 2:6-7). This prophecy alone is quite sufficient specifically to refute modern Judaism. For if the Messiah comes to the second temple, then He came to the second temple - the word of God could not fail to be fulfilled. But why do the Jews want to build a third temple, contrary to the prophecy about the second temple? They do not want to accept the prophecy about Christ, but want to put their own messiah, not sent by God, an impostor, who would subjugate all nations to them (made slaves of everyone except the Jews!). Is this not the racial theory of Nazism? The Talmud directly states that only Jews are people, and all other nations are animals that can be beaten, deceived and killed.
The Talmud divides all of humanity into two parts: Jews and non-Jews, the latter it calls goyim (goi, pl. goim). Every uncircumcised person is a foreigner, and a foreigner and a pagan are one and the same. Christians, as we shall see, are the object of the exclusive hatred of the Jews. Only the Jews are descended from God, all other people are descended from the devil. – “The Jews are more pleasing to God than the angels,” so that he who insults by action (slaps a Jew on the cheek) insults the majesty of God, and therefore the goy who strikes a Jew must die. As far as people are higher than animals, so far are the Jews higher than all other people. “These latter are animal seed, so that if there were no Jews, there would be no blessing on earth: no sunbeams, no rain, and people could not exist.
All the rabbis agree among themselves that non-Jews have a purely animal nature. Rabbi Moses ben Nachman, Rabbi Rashi, Rabbi Abravanel, Rabbi Jalkut and others compare the goyim to dogs, donkeys and finally to pigs. "The Jewish people alone are worthy of eternal life, while all other peoples are like donkeys," says Rabbi Abravanel. "You Jews are a completely different people, but other people are not people, because their souls come from an unclean spirit, while the souls of the Jews come from the spirit of the Holy God," Rabbi Menachem convinces his compatriots. Rabbi Jalkut reasons in the same way, saying: "Only the Jews have the right to be called people, while the goyim, who come from an unclean spirit, should be called pigs.
This view of the Jews on foreigners is well illustrated by the following story. The famous Rabbi Ben Sira was in Babylonian captivity and enjoyed the great friendship of Nebuchadnezzar. The king showed him every possible attention and once proposed to him to marry his daughter. Ben Sira said to the king: "Know, O king, that I am a child of man, and not an "animal." The king's daughter, therefore, from the Talmudic point of view, was no more than a little dog, and marriage with her could humiliate a Jew. On this main difference between a non-Jew and a Jew, who alone has the dignity of a man, the entire morality of the Talmud is based. This Talmud is a wonderful scripture, isn't it?..
"Behold a man whose name is Branch, He will grow from His own root and build the Temple of the Lord, He will also be a priest on His throne" (Zech. 6:12).
"Behold, I send My messenger (the prophet John), and he will prepare the way before Me; and the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple, and the Angel of the Covenant, in whom you delight. Behold, He comes, says the Lord of hosts" (Mal. 3:1).
God the Father calls the Messiah "the Desire of all nations," "the Branch," "the Lord," and "the Angel of the Covenant." These names of the Messiah, known to the Jews from previous prophecies, connected all the previous numerous prophecies about Christ into one whole. Malachi was the last Old Testament prophet. His prophecy about sending an "Angel" to prepare the way for the Lord, who would soon come, completes the mission of the Old Testament prophets and begins the period of expectation of the coming of Christ.
We see that the Jews, having such a rich and comprehensive description of His person and many events of His life, could without much difficulty acquire a correct faith in Him. In particular, they must have known that the Messiah would have two natures: human and divine, that He would be the greatest prophet, king and high priest, anointed by God (the Father) for these services and would be the good Shepherd.
The prophecies also testified that the important work of the Messiah would be the defeat of the devil and his servants, the redemption of people from sins, the healing of their mental and physical ailments and reconciliation with God; that He would sanctify believers and establish a New Covenant, and that His spiritual benefits would extend to all mankind.
The prophets also revealed many events in the life of the Messiah, namely: He will come from Abraham, from the tribe of Judah, from the line of King David, will be born of a Virgin in the city of Bethlehem, will preach peace to people, heal diseases, will be meek and compassionate, will be betrayed, will be innocently condemned, will suffer, will be pierced (with a spear), will die, will be buried in a new tomb, during His crucifixion there will be darkness. Then the Messiah will descend into hell and lead the souls of people out of it, after which He will rise from the dead; they also predicted that not everyone will recognize Him as the Messiah, and some will even be hostile to Him, although unsuccessfully. The fruit of His redemption will be the spiritual renewal of believers and the outpouring of the grace of the Holy Spirit on them.
Finally, the prophets op determined that the time of His coming would coincide with the loss of the tribe of Judah's political independence, which would occur no later than seventy weeks (490 years), after the decree on the restoration of the city of Jerusalem and no later than the destruction of the second Jerusalem Temple, that He would destroy the Antichrist, and come again in glory. The final result of His activity would be the achievement of justice, peace and joy.
The nature of the Messiah and the greatness of His deeds are also evidenced by the names with which the prophets endowed Him, calling Him: Lion, David, Branch, Mighty God, Emmanuel, Counselor, Prince of Peace, Father of the Age to Come, Reconciler, Star, Seed of the Woman, Prophet, Son of God, King, Anointed One (Messiah), Redeemer, God, Lord, Servant (of God), Righteous One, Son of Man, Holy of Holies.
All this abundance of prophecies about Christ in the Old Testament sacred books tells us about the great importance the prophets attached to their mission to teach the Jews to believe correctly in the coming Christ.
The Old Testament prophets prepared all the necessary conditions for the successful dissemination of the New Testament faith. Indeed, many ancient written monuments from the period of the 2nd century BC to the beginning of the 2nd century AD testify that at that time the Jewish people were tensely awaiting the coming of the Messiah. Among these written monuments, one can point to the Book of Enoch, the Sibylline Oracles, ancient parts of the Talmud, the Dead Sea Scrolls, the writings of Josephus Flavius (a Jewish historian of the 1st century AD), etc. Quoting from these sources would require too much space. Reading ancient written monuments, one can conclude that the faith of the Jews in the Messiah sometimes reached amazing strength. For example, some ancient writers called the coming Messiah the Son of Man and the Son of God, who existed before the universe, a righteous king and judge, rewarding the good and punishing the wicked (in the second part of the Book of Enoch).
Christians do not need to prove that Jesus Christ is the true Messiah. However, familiarity with ancient prophecies is very useful for everyone. This familiarity, on the one hand, enriches faith in Christ, and on the other hand, provides a means for converting doubters and unbelievers to faith. We should be grateful to the Old Testament prophets for telling us so vividly and in detail about Christ. Thanks to them, our faith in Him is established on a solid rock, and by this faith we are saved.
Supplement
Prophecy and its fulfillment in Jesus Christ. Texts and links.
1. Birth from the seed of a woman
Prophecy: "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; it shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel" (Gen. 3:15).
Fulfillment: "...But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son (the only begotten), born of a woman, made under the law..." (Gal. 4:4); (Matt. 1:20).
2. Birth from a virgin
Prophecy: "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel" (Is. 7:14).
Fulfillment: “...she was found with child by the Holy Spirit... Joseph... took unto him his wife, and knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn Son, and he called his name Jesus” (Matt. 1:18,24,25); (Luke 1:26–35).
3. Son of God
Prophecy: “...I will declare the decree: the Lord said unto me, Thou art my Son; "This day have I begotten you..." (Ps. 2:7); (1 Chron. 17:11-14); (2 Samuel 7:12-16).
Fulfillment: "And behold, a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matt. 3:17); (Matt. 16:16); (Mark 9:7); (Luke 9:35); (Luke 22:70); (Acts 13:30-33); (John 1:34,49).
4. Abraham's Seed
Prophecy: "...And in your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice" (Gen. 22:18); (Gen. 12:2,3).
Fulfillment: "The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham" (Matt. 1:1).
"But to Abraham and to his seed were the promises made. He does not say, 'And to your descendants,' as if of many, but as of one: 'And to your seed,' which is Christ" (Gal. 3:16).
5. The Son of Isaac
Prophecy: "But God said to Abraham... in Isaac your seed will be called" (Gen. 21:12).
Fulfillment: "Jesus... the son of Isaac..." (Luke 3:23,34); (Matt. 1:2).
6. The Son of Jacob
Prophecy: "I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near.
A star rises from Jacob, and a scepter shall rise up out of Israel, and shall smite the princes of Moab, and break in pieces all the sons of Seth" (Num. 24:17); (Gen. 35:10-12).
Fulfillment: "Jesus... the son of Jacob..." (Luke 3:23,34); (Matt. 1:2)
7. Tribe of Judah
Prophecy: "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and to Him shall the gathering of the people be" (Gen. 49:10), (Micah 5:2).
Fulfillment: "Jesus... the son of Judah..." (Luke 3:23,33); (Matt. 1:2); (Heb. 7:14).
8. The descent from Jesse
Prophecy: “And a shoot shall come forth from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots...” (Is. 11:1); (Is. 11:10).
Fulfillment: “Jesus... the son of Jesse...” (Luke 3:23,32); (Matt. 1:6).
9. The House of David
Prophecy: “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise up unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign, and do wisely, and will execute judgment and righteousness in the earth" (Jer. 23:5); (2 Samuel 7:12-16); (Psalm 132:11).
Fulfillment: "Jesus... the Son of David..." (Luke 3:23,31); (Matt. 1:1), (Matt. 9:27); (Matt. 15:22); (Matt. 20:30-31); (Matt. 21:9,15); (Matt. 22:41-46); (Mark 9:10), (Mark 10:47-48); (Luke 18:38-39); (Acts 13:22-23); (Rev. 22:16).
10. Birth in Bethlehem
Prophecy: “And you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the clans of Judah, yet from you shall He come forth for me that is to be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting” (Micah 5:2).
Fulfillment: “...Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea...” (Matt. 2:1); (John 7:42), (Matt. 2:4-8); (Luke 2:4-7).
11. Offering of Gifts
Prophecy: “The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring him tribute; the kings of Arabia and Sheba shall bring him gifts” (Psalm 72:10); (Isaiah 60:6).
Fulfillment: “...the wise men from the east came to Jerusalem... and fell down and worshiped Him; and they opened their treasures and presented gifts to Him...” (Matt. 2:1, 11).
12. Herod’s extermination of children
Prophecy: “Thus says the Lord: A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel weeps for her children, and refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are not” (Jer. 31:15).
Fulfillment: “Then when Herod saw that he had been mocked by the wise men, he was very angry, and sent and killed all the children in Bethlehem and in all its coasts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had ascertained from the wise men” (Matt. 2:16).
13. The Eternal Existence of the Messiah Even Before His Earthly Birth
Prophecy: “And you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the clans of Judah? Out of you shall He come forth for me that is to be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting” (Micah 5:2).
Fulfillment: “...And He is before all things (i.e. He existed before all else), and in Him all things consist” (Col. 1:17); (John 1:1–2); (John 8:58); (John 17:5,24); (Rev. 1:17); (Rev. 2:8); (Rev. 22:13).
14. He will be called Lord
Prophecy: “The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies Your footstool’” (Psalm 110:1), (Jeremiah 23:6).
Fulfillment: “For to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11). “He saith unto them, How then doth David by the Spirit call Him Lord, when he saith, ‘The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies Your footstool’? If David therefore calleth Him Lord, how is He his son?’” (Matt. 22:43–45).
15. The Messiah will be called "Immanuel" (God with us)
Prophecy: "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14).
Fulfillment: "Now all this took place that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, "Behold, the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel" (which means, "God with us"; Matthew 1:22,23); (Luke 7:16).
16. The Messiah will be a prophet
Prophecy: “I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like you, and I will put My words in His mouth, and He will speak to them all that I command Him...” (Deut. 18:18).
Fulfillment: “The people said, ‘This is Jesus, the Prophet from Nazareth of Galilee’” (Matt. 21:11); (Luke 7:16); (John 4:19); (John 6:14); (John 7:40).
17. The Priesthood of the Messiah
Prophecy: “The Lord has sworn, and will not repent, ‘You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek’” (Psalm 110:4).
Fulfillment: “Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus...” (Heb. 3:1). “So Christ also took not to Himself the glory of being a high priest, but He who said to Him, “You are My Son, this day have I begotten You”: as He also says in another place, “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” (Heb. 5:5–6).
18. The Messiah will be a judge
Prophecy: “For the Lord is our judge. The Lord is our lawgiver. The Lord is our king: He will save us” (Is. 33:22).
Fulfillment: “I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge, and My judgment is righteous, for I do not seek My own will but the will of Him who sent Me” (John 5:30), (2 Tim. 4:1).
19. The King
Prophecy: “... I have anointed My King upon Zion, My holy mountain...” (Psalm 2:6); (Zech. 9:9); (Jer. 23:5).
Fulfillment: “And they placed over His head a sign of His guilt: “This is Jesus the King of the Jews” (Matt. 27:37); (Matt. 21:5); (John 18:33–38).
20. Anointing with the Holy Spirit
Prophecy: “...And the Spirit of the Lord shall begin upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord; and he shall be filled with the fear of the Lord...” (Is. 11:2,3); (Ps. 45:8); (Is. 42:1); (Is. 61:1,2).
Fulfillment: “And when Jesus was baptized, he went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him. And behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matt. 3:16, 17; (Matt. 12:17–21); (Mark 1:10–11); (Luke 4:15–21, 43); (John 1:32).
21. Zeal in serving the Lord
Prophecy: “For zeal for your house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me” (Psalm 69:10).
Fulfillment: “And he made a whip of cords and drove them all out of the temple... and he said to those who sold doves, ‘I will take take these things hence, and make not my Father's house an house of merchandise..." (John 2:15-17).
22. The coming of the Messiah will be announced by a special forerunner
Prophecy: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God'" (Isaiah 40:3), (Malachi 3:1).
Fulfillment: "In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, 'Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand:' (Matt. 3:1-2); (Matt. 3:3); (Matt. 11:10); (John 1:23); (Luke 1:17).
23. Beginning of the Ministry in Galilee
Prophecy: “Nevertheless, the darkness will not always be where it is now thick. The former time has brought the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali to nothing: but the latter time will magnify the way by the sea, the country beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles” (Isaiah 8:22–9:1).
Fulfillment: “Now when Jesus heard that John was put in prison, he departed into Galilee. And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali… From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’” (Matt. 4:12,13,17).
24. Performing Miracles
Prophecy: “Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. Then the lame man shall leap like a hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing...” (Is. 35:5,6); (Is. 32:3–4).
Fulfillment: “And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every infirmity among the people” (Matt. 9:35); (Matt. 9:32,33); (Matt. 11:4–6); (Mark 7:33–35); (John 5:5–9); (John 9:6–11); (John 11:43,44,47).
25. The Messiah will teach in parables
Prophecy: “I will open my mouth in a parable, and utter ancient divinations” (Psalm 78:2).
Fulfillment: “All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables; and without a parable he did not speak to them...” (Matt. 13:34).
26. The Messiah must enter the temple
Prophecy: "... and the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple..." (Mal. 3:1).
Fulfillment: "And Jesus entered the temple of God and drove out all those who were selling and buying in the temple..." (Matt. 21:12).
27. Entry into Jerusalem on a donkey
Prophecy: "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion, shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, your King comes to you, righteous and having salvation, meek, riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey" (Zech. 9:9).
Fulfillment: "And they brought him to Jesus; and they threw their garments on the colt, and set Jesus on it. And as he rode, they spread their clothes on the road. And when he was come nigh unto the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began... to glorify God..." (Luke 19:35-37); (Matt. 21:6-11).
28. "Stumbling Block" for the Jews
Prophecy: "The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner" (Psalm 118:22); (Isaiah 8:14); (Isaiah 28:16).
Fulfillment: "Therefore to you who believe He is precious; but to those who do not believe, the stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner, a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense..." (1 Peter 2:7); (Rom. 9:32-33).
29. "Light" for the Gentiles
Prophecy: "The nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising" (Is. 60:3); (Is. 49:6).
Fulfillment: "For this is what the Lord commanded us: 'I have set you for a light to the Gentiles, that you may be a salvation to the ends of the earth.' When the Gentiles heard this, they rejoiced and glorified the word of the Lord..." (Acts 13:47,48); (Acts 26:23), (Acts 28:28).
Prophecies about events after the burial of Christ
30. Resurrection
Prophecy: "...For you will not leave my soul in hell, nor will you suffer your Holy One to see corruption" (Psalm 16:10); (Ps. 29:4); (Ps. 40:11, 118:17); (Hos. 6:2).
Fulfillment: "... His soul was not abandoned to hell, neither did His flesh see corruption" (Acts 2:31), (Acts 13:33); (Luke 24:46); (Mark 16:6); (Matt. 28:6).
31. Ascension
Prophecy: "You have ascended on high..." (Ps. 68:19).
Fulfillment: "... He was taken up while they looked on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight" (Acts 1:9).
32. Sit at the right hand of the Lord
Prophecy: “The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies Your footstool’” (Psalm 109:1).
Fulfillment: "Who,... when he had by himself made an atonement for our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high..." (Heb. 1:3); (Mark 16:19); (Acts 2:34-35).
Prophecies Fulfilled in One Day
The following 29 prophecies from the Old Testament, which predict the betrayal, trial, death, and burial of our Lord Jesus Christ, were spoken at different times by different voices over the course of five centuries from 1000 to 500 B.C. However, all of them were literally fulfilled in Jesus within a single day.
33. Betrayal of a Friend
Prophecy: "Even my fellow man, in whom I trusted, who ate of my bread, has lifted up his heel against me" (Psalm 41:10); (Psalm 55:13–15).
Fulfillment: “…Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him” (Matt. 10:4); (Matt. 26:49–50); (John 13:21).
The expression from Psalm 40:10 is literally translated as the man of my peace, the one who greeted me with the kiss of peace, like Judas Iscariot (Matt. 26:49); (Jer. 20:10).
34. Sold for thirty pieces of silver
Prophecy: “And I will say to them, ‘If it seems good to you, give me my wages; but if not, do not give it to me.’ And they will weigh out thirty pieces of silver for My wages...” (Zech. 11:12).
Fulfillment e: "And he said, What will you give me, and I will deliver him to you? And they offered him thirty pieces of silver" (Matt. 26:15); (Matt. 27:3).
35. The money will be thrown into the house of God
Prophecy: "And I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord for the potter" (Zech. 11:13).
Fulfillment: "And when he had thrown the pieces of silver in the temple, he went out..." (Matt. 27:5).
36. THE POTTER'S FIELD WILL BE BOUGHT WITH THIS MONEY
Prophecy: "And I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord for the potter" (Zech. 11:13).
Fulfillment: "And when they had taken counsel, they bought with it the potter's field, for a burying place for strangers..." (Matt. 27:7).
In the previous four prophecies we find seven fulfilled predictions: 1) about betrayal; 2) about the betrayal of a friend; 3) for 30 coins, and 4) silver, not, say, gold; 5) about money thrown - improperly! - on the floor; 6) in the house of the Lord, and, finally, 7) about buying with it the potter's field.
37. The Flight of the Disciples
Prophecy: "...strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered!" (Zech. 13:7).
Fulfillment: "Then they all forsook Him and fled" (Mark 14:50); (Matt. 26:31); (Mark 14:27).
38. Accusations of false witnesses
Prophecy: "False witnesses have risen up against me; they question me about things that I do not know" (Psalm 34:11).
Fulfillment: "The chief priests and the elders and the whole council sought false testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but they found none. And although many false witnesses came forward, they found none. But finally two false witnesses came forward..." (Matt. 26:59).
39. Silence before the accusers
Prophecy: "He was tortured, but he suffered willingly, and did not open his mouth..." (Is. 53:7).
Fulfillment: "And when the chief priests and the elders accused him, he answered nothing" (Matt. 27:12).
40. Wounds and Bruises
Prophecy: “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement that brought us peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed” (Isa. 53:5); (Zech. 13:6).
Fulfillment: “Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified” (Matt. 27:26).
This refers to a physical wound, not just an affliction; the word “mecholal” comes from “halal,” literally “to pierce” – all of which applies in minute detail to the Messiah, whose hands, feet, and side were pierced (Ps. 22:17).
"...But from His head, crowned with thorns, to His feet, nailed to the cross, nothing was visible except wounds and bruises" (M. Henry).
41. The Messiah will be beaten and spat upon
Prophecy: "I gave My back to them that beat me, and My cheeks to them that plucked out My face: I hid not My face from mockery and spitting" (Is. 50:6); (Mic. 5:1).
Fulfillment: "Then they spat in His face, and beat Him with blows; and others struck Him on the cheeks..." (Matt. 26:67).
42. The Mocking of Jesus
Prophecy: "All they that see me mock me: they say with their lips, and with their heads they shake, 'He trusted in the Lord; let Him deliver him: let him save him, if he pleases him” (Psalm 22:8–9).
Fulfillment: “And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe from him, and put his own garments on him, and led him away to be crucified” (Matt. 27:31).
43. Falling under the Weight of the Cross
Prophecy: “My knees are weak through fasting, and my body is defiled. I have become a laughingstock to them; when they see me, they wag their heads” (Psalm 109:24–25).
Fulfillment: “Then they took Jesus and led him away. And he, bearing his cross, went out to the place called the Skull, which in Hebrew is Golgotha...” (John 19:16–17).
"And as they led Him away, they laid hold of one Simon of Cyrene, coming out of the country, and laid the cross on him to carry after Jesus" (Luke 23:26); (Matt. 27:31-32).
Apparently, Jesus had become so weak that His knees buckled under the weight of the massive cross, so that someone else had to carry the cross.
44. His hands and feet will be pierced
Prophecy: "... they pierced my hands and my feet" (Psalm 22:17); (Zech. 12:10).
Fulfillment: "And when they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified Him..." (Luke 23:33); (John 20:25).
Jesus was crucified in the usual Roman manner: His hands and feet were nailed to the cross with thick nails that held the body together.
45. He will be crucified with the thieves
Prophecy: "... because he poured out his soul unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors..." (Isaiah 53:12).
Fulfillment: "Then two thieves were crucified with him, one on the right hand, and one on the left" (Matt. 27:38); (Mark 15:27-28).
46. The Messiah will intercede for his executioners
Prophecy: "... since he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors" (Isaiah 53:12).
Fulfillment: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34).
47. The Messiah will be rejected by his own people
Prophecy: "He was despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, and we hid our faces from Him; He was despised, and we esteemed Him not" (Isaiah 53:3); (Psalm 69:9, 118:22).
Fulfillment: "For even His brothers did not believe in Him... Has any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in Him?" (John 7:5, 48); (John 1:11); (Matt. 21:42-43).
48. He will be hated without cause
Prophecy: “They that hate me without cause are more numerous than the hairs of my head.” (Ps. 69:5); (Is. 49:7).
Fulfillment: “But that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law: “"They hated me without a cause" (John 15:25).
49. Friends will stand afar off
Prophecy: "My friends and neighbors have departed from my plague, and my neighbors stand afar off" (Psalm 38:12).
Fulfillment: "All who knew Him, and the women who followed Him from Galilee, stood afar off, looking on" (Luke 23:49); (Mark 15:40; (Matt. 27:55–56).
50. The people will wag their heads
Prophecy: “I have become a laughingstock to them; when they see me, they wag their heads” (Ps. 109:25); (Ps. 22:8).
Fulfillment: “And those who passed by reviled him, wagging their heads...” (Matt. 27:39).
51. Onlookers will gather around the person being executed
Prophecy: “All my bones could be counted, but they look on and make a spectacle of me...” (Ps. 22:18).
Fulfillment: “And the people stood and looked” (Luke 23:35).
52. They will divide his clothes and cast lots for them
Prophecy: “They divide my garments among and for my clothing they cast lots" (Psalm 22:19).
Fulfillment: "Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments and divided them into four parts, a part for each soldier, and his tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the top throughout. So they said to one another, "Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be..." (John 19:23,24).
53. Suffering from thirst
Prophecy: "...and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink..." (Psalm 69:22); (Psalm 22:16).
Fulfillment: "After this Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, said, 'I thirst', that the Scripture might be fulfilled" (John 19:28).
54. They gave him vinegar and gall to drink
Prophecy: “And they gave me gall for my meat, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink” (Psalm 69:22).
Fulfillment: “They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted it, he would not drink” (Matt. 27:34); (John 19:28,29).
55. A cry of despair from his loneliness
Prophecy: “My God! My God! Why have you forsaken me?” (Psalm 22:2).
Fulfillment: “And 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?” (Matt. 27:46).
56. The Messiah gave himself into the hands of the Lord
Prophecy: "Into Your hand I commit my spirit..." (Psalm 30:6).
Fulfillment: "Then Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, 'Father, into Your hands I commit my spirit'" (Luke 23:46).
57. His bones will not be broken
Prophecy: "He keeps all his bones; not one of them will be broken" (Psalm 34:21).
Fulfillment: "...But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs..." (John 19:33).
58. His heart will be smitten
Prophecy: "...my heart has become like wax, melted in the midst of my bowels" (Psalm 22:15).
Fulfillment: “...But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced His side, and immediately there came out blood and water” (John 19:34).
The blood and water that flowed from Jesus’ body show that His heart literally burst.
59. The Savior’s Pierced Sides
Prophecy: “...and they will look on Me whom they have pierced...” (Zech. 12:10).
Fulfillment: “...But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced His side...” (John 19:34).
60. Darkness over the Earth
Prophecy: “And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord God, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and darken the earth in broad daylight...” (Amos 8:9).
Fulfillment: “And from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour” (Matt. 27:45).
Since the Jews believed that twelve hours passed from sunrise to sunset, the sixth hour corresponds to midday, and the ninth hour to three o’clock in the afternoon.
61. Buried in the tomb of a rich man
Prophecy: “They appointed His grave with the wicked, but He was buried with the rich...” (Is. 53:9).
Fulfillment: “...there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus; he... asked for the Body of Jesus... And Joseph took the Body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb..." (Matt. 27:57-60).
Old Testament Prophecies Literally Fulfilled in Jesus Christ
His Coming
FACT: (Gen. 3:15); (Deut. 18:15); (Ps. 89:21); (Is. 9:6), (Is. 28:16); (Is. 32:1); (Is. 35:4); (Is. 42:6); (Is. 49:1); (Is. 55:4); (Ezek. 34:24); (Dan. 2:44); (Mic. 4:1); (Zech. 3:8).
TIME: (Gen. 49:10); (Num. 24:17); (Dan. 9:24); (Mal. 3:1).
DIVINITY of Christ: (Ps. 2:7,11); (Ps. 45:7,8,12); (Ps. 72:8); (Ps. 101:25-28); (Ps. 89:27,28); (Ps. 110:1); (Is. 9:6), (Is. 25:9); (Is. 40:10), (Jer. 23:6); (Mic. 5:2); (Mal. 3:1).
HUMAN ORIGIN: (Gen. 12:3); (Gen. 18:18); (Gen. 21:12); (Gen. 22:18); (Gen. 26:4); (Gen. 28:14); (Gen. 49:10); (2 Samuel 7:14); (Psalm 18:5-7,51); (Psalm 22:23,24); (Psalm 89:5); (Psalm 132:11); (Isa. 11:1); (Jer. 23:5); (Psalm 33:15).
His forerunner (Isa. 40:3); (Mal. 3:1); (Mal. 4:5).
The birth and childhood of Christ: (Gen. 3:15); (Isa. 7:14); (Jer. 31:22).
PLACE: (Num. 24:17, 19); (Mic. 5:2).
WORSHIP OF THE MAGI: (Ps. 72:10, 15); (Isa. 60:3, 6).
FLIGHT INTO EGYPT: (Hos. 11:1).
MASSACRE OF THE INNOCENTS: (Jer. 31:15).
His Appointment and Ministry
APPOINTMENT (Gen. 12:3); (Gen. 49:10); (Num. 24:19); (Deut. 18:18, 19);
(Ps. 21:1); (Isa. 59:20); (Jer. 33:16).
A PRIEST IN THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK (Ps. 110:4).
A PROPHET IN THE ORDER OF MOSES (Deut. 18:15).
CONVERSION OF THE GENTILES (Isa. 11:10); (Deut. 32:43); (Ps. 18:50), (Ps. 19:5); (Ps. 116:1); (Isa. 42:1); (Isa. 45:23); (Isa. 49:6); (Hos. 1:10), (Hos. 2:23); (Joel 2:32).
MINISTRY IN GALIL E (Isa. 9:1,2).
MIRACLES (Isa. 35:5,6); (Isa. 42:7); (Isa. 53:4).
MERCY (Ps. 45:8); (Isa. 2:3); (Isa. 61:1); (Mic. 4:2).
SERMON (Ps. 2:7); (Ps. 78:2); (Isa. 2:3); (Isa. 61:1); (Mic. 4:2).
CLEANSING OF THE TEMPLE (Ps. 69:10).
The Passion of Christ
REJECTION BY JEWS AND GENTILES (Ps. 2:1); (Ps. 22:13); (Ps. 40:6); (Ps. 56:6); (Ps. 69:9); (Ps. 118:22,23); (Is. 6:9,10); (Is. 8:14); (Is. 29:13); (Is. 53:1); (Is. 65:2).
PERSECUTIONS (Ps. 22:7); (Ps. 35:7,12); (Ps. 56:6); (Ps. 71:10); (Ps. 109:2); (Is. 49:7); (Is. 53:3).
TRIUMPHANT ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM (Ps. 8:3); (Ps. 118:25,26); (Zech. 9:9).
BETRAYAL BY ONE'S OWN FRIEND (Ps. 40:10); (Ps. 55:14); (Zech. 13:6).
BETRAYAL FOR THIRTY PIECES OF SILVER (Zech. 11:12).
THE DEATH OF THE TRAITOR (Ps. 55:16,24); (Ps. 109:18).
THE PURCHASE OF THE POTTER'S FIELD (Zech. 11:13).
THE FLIGHT OF THE DISCIPLES (Zech. 13:7).
FALSE ACCUSATION (Ps. 27:12); (Ps. 34:11); (Ps. 109:2); (Ps. 2:1, 2).
SILENCE IN JUDGMENT (Ps. 37:14); (Is. 53:7).
MOLICITION (Ps. 22:8, 9, 17); (Ps. 109:25).
MOLICITION, BEATING, SPITTING, SCOURGING (Ps. 34:15, 21); (Is. 50:6).
CALM IN SUFFERING (Is. 53:7-9)
CRUCIFIXION (Ps. 22:15, 18).
VINEGAR AND GALL INSTEAD OF DRINKING (Ps. 68:22).
PRAYER FOR ENEMIES (Ps. 108:4).
EXCLAIMATIONS ON THE CROSS (Ps. 22:2), (Ps. 30:6).
DEATH IN THE FLOWER OF AGE (Ps. 89:46); (Ps. 101:25).
DEATH WITH THE EVIL (Is. 53:9,12).
SHOCK OF NATURE AT THE DEATH OF THE MESSIAH (Amos 5:20); (Zech. 14:4,6).
THE LOT FOR THE SAVIOR'S GARMENT (Ps. 22:19).
HIS BONES WILL NOT BE BREAKED (Ps. 33:21).
THE BODY IS PIERCED WITH A SPEAR (Ps. 22:17); (Zech. 12:10); (Zech. 13:6).
VOLUNTARY DEATH (Ps. 40:7-9).
SUFFERING FOR THE ATONEMENT OF SINS (Is. 53:4-6, 12); (Dan. 9:26).
BURIAL IN THE TOMB OF THE RICH MAN (Is. 53:9).
His Resurrection (Ps. 16:8-10); (Ps. 30:4); (Ps. 41:11); (Ps. 118:17); (Hos. 6:2).
Ascension (Ps. 16:11); (Ps. 23:7); (Ps. 67:19); (Ps. 109:1); (Ps. 117:19).
Second Coming (Ps. 49:3–6); (Isa. 9:6,7); (Isa. 66:18); (Dan. 7:13,14); (Zechariah 12:10); (Zechariah 14:4–8).
An everlasting kingdom over the world (1 Chron.;17:11–14); (Ps. 71:8); (Ps. 2:6–8); (Ps. 8:7); (Ps. 109:1-3); (Ps. 44:7–8); (Isa. 9:7); (Dan. 7:14).
Useful information for Jews and others
The time of the coming of the Messiah
The loss of the scepter by Judah
“The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and to him shall the gathering of the people be” (Gen. 49:10).
The word “scepter” here can also be translated as “tribal staff.” Each of the 12 tribes of Israel had its own staff with the name of the tribe. So until the coming of Shiloh, the tribe of Judah had to keep its tribal staff. Over the centuries, both Jewish and Christian commentators have agreed that Shiloh here refers to the Messiah.
We remember that Judea lost its independence during the seventy-year Babylonian captivity. However, even during this period, it retained its "tribal scepter", in other words, its national identity. Even in captivity, the Jews had their own legislators and judges (Ezra 1:5, 8).
According to Scripture and the opinion of the Jews of that time, therefore, two signs were to follow soon after the coming of the Messiah:
1. The loss of the scepter by the Jews, i.e., their national identity.
2. The cessation of the Jewish laws.
The first sign of the beginning of the "loss of the scepter" by the Jews dates back to the time when Herod the Great, who had no Jewish blood, replaced the Maccabean princes, who belonged to the tribe of Levi, and became the last Jewish kings to rule in Jerusalem (Sanhedrin, leaf 97 verso) (Maccabees, book 2).
Already 23 years before the execution of Christ, the Sanhedrin was deprived of the right to pass death sentences. This is written about by Magat in the book "Jesus before the Sanhedrin". This happened after the overthrow of Archelaus, the son of Herod, in the year 11. The procurators, acting on behalf of the Emperor Augustus, believed that only they themselves could decide matters of life and death. The right to pass death sentences was taken away from all peoples who fell under the rule of the Romans. "The Romans reserved the right of the sword for themselves," comments the historian Tacitus.
However, the Sanhedrin still retained certain rights. It could pass sentences, including:
1. Excommunication (John 9:22).
2. Imprisonment (Acts 5:17-18).
3. Corporal punishment (Acts 16:22).
The Talmud itself admits that “a little over forty years before the destruction of the Temple, the right to pronounce death sentences was taken away from the Jews.” It is more than likely that this event took place even earlier, during the time of Colonius (7 AD). As Rabbi Rahmon wrote, “when the members of the Sanhedrin lost the right to decide questions of life and death, they were overcome by general despondency. They sprinkled ashes on their heads and wrapped their bodies in mats, crying: “Woe to us, for Judea has lost its scepter, and the Messiah has not come!” Josephus Flavius, an eyewitness to this process of disintegration, wrote: “After the death of the procurator Festus, when Albinus was preparing to replace him, the high priest Annas decided that circumstances were favorable for convening the Sanhedrin. To this hastily convened assembly he brought James, the brother of Jesus, who called himself Christ, and some others, and sentenced all of them to death by stoning. All the sages and law-abiding men who were in Jerusalem at that time condemned this act... Some even went to Albinus himself, who had gone to Alexandria, to draw his attention to this violation of the law and to inform him that Annas had illegally convened the Sanhedrin without the sanction of the Roman authorities." In order to avoid humiliation, the Jews began to invent various reasons for the abolition of the death penalty. For example, the Talmud states that "the members of the Sanhedrin, noticing that the number of murderers in Israel had grown so much that it was simply impossible to put them all to death, decided thus: "Let us move the place of our meetings, and thus avoid the passing of death sentences." Maimonides adds to this that "forty years before the destruction of the second temple in Israel, they stopped sentencing criminals to death, although the temple was still standing. This was because the Sanhedrin had ceased to meet in the Hall of Hewn Stones."
The 17th-century scholar Lightfoot wrote: "The Sanhedrin... had decreed that no death sentence should be passed while the land of Israel was under the Roman dominion, and the lives of the children of Israel were threatened by Rome. Would it not be an insult to the blood of the Patriarchs to sentence the son of Abraham to death, when Judea was besieged on all sides, and trembling under the march of the Roman legions? Is not the meanest Israelite superior to any heathen, because he is a descendant of Abraham? We must therefore quit the Hall of Hewn Stones, outside which no one can be condemned to death, and show by our voluntary departure and the silence of justice that Rome, though she rules the world, has no power over the lives or laws of Judea."
In the Talmud we also find the following phrase: "Since the Sanhedrin has already been deprived of the right to pronounce death sentences, there is no practical need for this law, and it will appear only in the days of the Messiah."
Having lost its judicial power, the Sanhedrin ceased to exist. Yes, the scepter departed. Judea lost its royal and judicial power. And the Jews themselves knew it: "Woe to us, for Judea has lost its scepter, and the Messiah has not come!" They did not understand that the young Nazarene living among them was the Messiah.
The Destruction of the Temple
"... and the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple..." (Mal. 3:1).
This verse, like four others (Psalm 118:26); (Dan. 9:26); (Zech. 11:13); (Hag. 2:7-9), means that the Messiah will come when the temple in Jerusalem will still be standing. The meaning of this prophecy becomes clear if we remember that the temple was destroyed in 70 CE and has not been rebuilt since.
“And after the threescore and two weeks shall the Messiah be cut off, and shall not be found; but the city and the sanctuary shall be destroyed by the people of the prince who shall come...” (Dan. 9:26).
An amazing prediction! In chronological order are arranged:
1. The coming of the Messiah (future).
2. The death of the Messiah.
3. The destruction of the city (Jerusalem) and the sanctuary (temple).
The temple and the city were destroyed by the emperor Titus and his army in 70 CE. Therefore, either the Messiah had already come by that time, or the whole prophecy is false.
Fulfillment of Prophecy
Daniel 9:24–27 gives a prophecy about the Messiah, consisting of three distinct parts. The first part is that after 69 weeks the Messiah will come to Jerusalem (7 and 62 weeks are understood as 69 times seven years. In the Russian translation of the Bible, it is not about weeks at all, but about “weeks”). The countdown begins from the moment of the command to restore and rebuild Jerusalem.
The second part states that the Messiah who comes will be put to death. Then the prince will come to destroy Jerusalem and its temple.
All of the above, according to Daniel 9:24–26, occurs after 69 “weeks” (69 times 7 years). But Daniel 9:24 speaks of seventy weeks, not sixty-nine. The last week is described in 9:27. Many scholars believe that 9:27 and 9:26 are referring to different times and people. And although the author refers to a prince, he probably has another prince in mind who is yet to appear in history. (Double meanings are not uncommon in prophecy. For example, some words may refer to King David and later to Christ.) This view is supported by the actions of the princes: the prince in 9:27 forbids the Jews from performing religious services in the temple, and the prince in 9:26 destroys the temple. Thus, this prince may come after the temple has already been rebuilt, which has yet to happen. In any case, regardless of the interpretation of the 70th week (the last seven years of the prophecy), the first two parts of it are amenable to historical study.
Text of the prophecy
"Seventy weeks are determined for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to seal up sins, to make reconciliation for iniquities, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy. Know therefore and understand: from the time the commandment goes forth to restore Jerusalem until Christ the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and threescore and two weeks; and the people shall return, and the streets and walls shall be built, but in difficult times.
And after the sixty “For two weeks shall the Messiah be cut off, and shall not be; and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be as a flood, and until the end of the war there shall be desolations. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week shall the sacrifice and the offering cease, and upon the wing of the sanctuary shall be the abomination that maketh desolate; and the final destruction that is determined shall come upon the desolator” (Dan. 9:24–27).
Interpretation of the Prophecy
Main Features of the Prophecy
Daniel speaks of his people (Israel) and his city (Jerusalem). He mentions two princes: the Messiah-Christ and “the prince who is to come.”
The prophecy speaks of a period of 70 weeks, first as a single period, and then as consisting of three periods: 7, 62, and 1 week.
Verse 25 defines the beginning of the 70 weeks.
The Messiah appears after 69 weeks, after which the cities and sanctuaries are destroyed by the "coming leader."
At the beginning of the last week, the leader gives a covenant to Israel, but this covenant ceases to be observed in the middle of the week.
After the 70 weeks, Israel "will come to everlasting righteousness."
What does the period of seventy weeks (weeks) mean?
The English translation of the Bible says "weeks." It is easier for the Russian reader to understand that Daniel means periods of seven years by weeks, not seven days. Indeed, earlier in the chapter (Dan. 9:1–2) he had already been reasoning in terms of seven years. Daniel knew that the Babylonian captivity was caused by the violation of the Sabbath year, and since the captivity lasted 70 years, the Sabbath year was obviously not observed for 490 years.
The Length of the Prophetic Year
The calendar year used in Scripture is determined by the text of Scripture itself.
1. Historically – compare Gen. 7:11 with Gen. 8:4, and both of these verses with Gen. 7:24 and 8:3.
2. Prophetically – many parts of Scripture refer to the Great Trial using different terms, but in all cases the common denominator is a year of 360 days. Daniel 9:27 – “half of a week,” i.e. 31/2 years. Daniel 7:24,25 – “until a time, and times, and half a time,” i.e. 31/2 times.
Revelation 13:4–7 – “forty-two months,” 3 1/2 years.
Revelation 12:13–14 – “a time, and times, and half a time,” 3 1/2 years.
Revelation 12:6 – “a thousand two hundred and sixty days,” 3 1/2 years.
The beginning of the 70 weeks
Various points in history have been suggested as the beginning of the 70 weeks of Daniel:
1. The decree of King Cyrus, 539 BC (Ezra 1:1–4).
2. The decree of King Darius, 519 BC (Ezra 5:3–7).
3. The decree of Artaxerxes to Ezra, 457 B.C. (Ezra 7:11–16).
4. The decree of Artaxerxes to Nehemiah, 444 B.C. (Neh. 2:1–8).
However, the only date that fits the historical data is date number 4, the decree of Artaxerxes to Nehemiah, or rather, not a decree, but permission to go to Judea.
J.D. Wilson has the following comment on the starting point of the prophecy: “This decree is spoken of in the second chapter of Nehemiah, which is dated in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes. Although the exact words of the king are not given, the contents of the decree are easily ascertained. Nehemiah hears of the plight of desolate Jerusalem. This causes him deep sorrow. The king asks him the cause of this sorrow. Nehemiah answers him: "... the city, the house of the graves of my fathers, is desolate, and its gates are burned with fire." The king asks what the prophet wants, and he immediately answers that he wants to go to Judea, "to the city where the graves of my fathers are, that I may rebuild it." As the text shows, the king granted his request, and he rebuilt Jerusalem. Thus, the king's decree commanded the restoration and rebuilding of Jerusalem. Nowhere else in the Old Testament does such a decree appear. The book of Nehemiah tells us about its implementation. All other decrees concerning Jerusalem speak only of the restoration of the temple, and therefore they cannot be used as a starting point for interpreting the prophecy."
The decree of Artaxerxes dates back to 444 BC, which is clear from the following considerations:
1. In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, writes Nehemiah (2:1).
2. Artaxerxes ascended the throne in 465 BC.
3. The date is not given, and therefore, according to Jewish tradition, we are talking about the first day of the month, i.e. 1 Nisan 444 BC.
4. According to our calendar, this date corresponds to March 5, 444 BC.
End of the first seven weeks
1. The rebuilding of Jerusalem took 49 years (v. 25).
2. The Old Testament canon, and with it the ancient Hebrew prophecies, ends with the book of the prophet Malachi, 49 years after 444 BC.
If the prophet Daniel is right, then from the decree on the restoration of Jerusalem (1 Nisan 444 BC) until the coming of the Messiah to Jerusalem, 483 years (69x7) must pass, and the year is calculated as the year of the Old Testament prophets, consisting of 360 days, i.e. 173880 days.
After these 69 weeks, Christ Himself must appear to Israel as the Messiah, according to the prediction of Zechariah 9:9. We find the corresponding calculations in Hochner, who carefully examined the prophecy of Daniel and the dates associated with it: “Multiplying 69 weeks by seven, and then by 360 days, we get 173,880 days. Between 444 BC and 33 AD there are 476 solar years. Multiplying 476 by the exact number of days in a year (365.24219879, or 365 days 5 hours 48 minutes and 45.975 seconds), we get 173,855 days, 6 hours 52 minutes and 44 seconds, i.e. 173,855 days. Between the prophecy and its fulfillment there are another 25 days. Adding them to March 5 (444 BC), we get March 30 (10 Nisan), 33 AD – that is, the date of Christ's triumphant entry into Jerusalem." The Interval Between the 69th and 70th Weeks
At the end of the 69th week and before the beginning of the 70th, two events were to occur:
1. The death of the Messiah (Dan. 9:26).
Christ was crucified on April 3, 33, the Friday following His triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
2. The destruction of Jerusalem and the temple (Dan. 9:26).
“After this,” Wilson comments on Daniel’s prophecy, “the Roman leader (Titus) sent an army that completely destroyed Jerusalem and the temple located in it.
The destruction was complete. The temple was not simply desecrated, as it was under Antiochus Epiphanes – it ceased to exist, and has not been rebuilt since. The performance of Jewish rites ceased, and can never be resumed. There have been no priests since the fall of Jerusalem, for all the sons of Aaron perished. There were no more sacrifices by the priests, no more atonement for sins by the high priest, because the ancient covenant perished in this catastrophe. Its effectiveness and vitality were lost when the Lamb of God was sacrificed on Golgotha, but its outer shell continued to exist for another forty years. With the fall of Jerusalem, it also perished. This happened in 70 A.D. "
After all that has been said, it is quite obvious that no one can claim the role of the Messiah except Jesus Christ. May the good God enlighten all Jews to know the Truth!
Literature:
1. The Bible, Synodal translation.
2. Josh McDowell "Irrefutable evidence".
3. V.S. Strelov "A Brief Introduction to Judaism".
4. Archbishop Alexy (Dorodnitsyn) "The Morality of the Talmud".
5. Fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies in the New Testament (table).
Messiah and False Messiah
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