Lesson 11: New testament Prophecy
LESSON 11: NEW TESTAMENT PROPHECY
Darryl Nunnelley & David R. Reagan
FACT: The New Testament contains both First and Second Coming Prophecies about the Messiah.
Key Scripture:
“We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do
well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place…”
(2 Peter 1:19)
Prophecies about the First Advent of the Messiah are not confined to the Old Testament. This is a truth that is often overlooked.
New Testament Sources
The Gospels contain a number of prophecies about the First Advent. A good number of them are clustered around the birth of Jesus.
Angels spoke prophecies about the Lord’s First Coming to Joseph (Matthew 1:20-21) and Mary (Luke 1:26-37), and also to the priest Zacharias (Luke 1:13-17). Prophesies were given to the shepherds of Bethlehem (Luke 2:9-14). There were also several prophecies which the Holy Spirit prompted from people connected with the birth of Jesus – people like the parents of John the Baptist (Zacharias in Luke 1:67-79 and Elizabeth in Luke 1:41-43).
Mary, the mother of Jesus was given a prophetic song (Luke 1:46-55). And two aged prophets named Simeon (Luke 2:25-35) and Anna (Luke 2:36-38) were given prophetic messages when the parents of Jesus took Him to the temple to dedicate Him to God.
John the Baptist, who was a prophet of God made several prophetic statements about his cousin, Jesus (Matthew 3:11-12). And Caiaphas, the High Priest at the time of Jesus’ death, was directed by the Holy Spirit to make a prophetic utterance about the death of Jesus and its significance (John 11:49-52).
Jesus, “The Prophet”
The bulk of the New Testament prophecies concerning events related to the First Advent came from the mouth of Jesus Himself. Fifteen hundred years earlier, Moses had prophesied that the Messiah would be a prophet (Deuteronomy 18:15 & 18). This is the reason that John the Baptist was asked if he was “The Prophet” (John 1:21). He denied that he was (John 1:21-23).
Later, when Jesus began His ministry, His miraculous signs caused the people to cry out, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world” (John 6:14 and John 7:41).
Jesus certainly operated as a prophet. He spoke voluminous prophesies concerning His Second Advent. He also spoke prophetically about events that would occur during His First Advent – or which would result from it.
The Subject Matter
Concerning His First Coming, the topic Jesus gave the most attention to was His death and resurrection. Repeatedly, He told His disciples that He would be killed and that He would rise from the dead on the third day after His death (Matthew 16:21).
Another topic He prophesied about in detail was the Holy Spirit. He stated that He would send the Spirit after His departure, and He prophesied what the work of the Spirit would be (John 14:26).
The Significance
The 100% accuracy of Jesus’ prophecies about Himself are proof positive that He was God in the flesh. He was also totally accurate in His prophecies about individuals (Matthew 26:31-34), The Jews (Matthew 23:37-38), the city of Jerusalem (Luke 21:5-6), and the Church (Matthew 16:18-19). There is no doubt that Jesus was “The Prophet” whom Moses told his people to watch for – the One who would also be the Messiah of God.
He made frequent comments about his Second Advent. He stressed the certainty of His return and the fact that He would return in wrath to execute the vengeance of God (Matthew 16:27).
Jesus also emphasized the certainty of judgment and reward for all – both the just and the unjust. He taught there would be degrees of blessing for the righteous and degrees of punishment for the unrighteous. He particularly focused on the rewards waiting for those who accepted Him in faith. He stressed the reward of eternal life, but He also outlined a breathtaking array of other rewards – some that would go to all believers and other, specialized awards, which would be given for distinguished service in the kingdom.
Jesus’ most profound prophetic pronouncement was His “Olivet Discourse” delivered to His disciples on the Mount of Olives during the last week of His life. It provides a panoramic survey of the signs we are to look for which will signal the season of His return (Matthew 24).
The Revelation of Jesus
The prophecies of Jesus do not end with the Gospels. Keep in mind that the book of Revelation is a revelation of Jesus to John. The letters to the seven churches of Asia, recorded in Revelation 2 and 3, are letters from Jesus. They contain many prophetic statements, particularly about the glorious rewards that await those who “overcome.”
The New Testament ends with a prophetic pronouncement by Jesus. It contains His last recorded words: “Yes, I am coming quickly!” (Revelation 22:20).
The Epistles
Peter, Paul, and John often speak prophetically in the Epistles. Paul spends three full chapters in Romans (9-11) discussing the future salvation of a Jewish Remnant. In Romans 1:18-32 he gives us a detailed glimpse of the perverted nature of end time society. In Romans 8:18-25 he provides an inspiring picture of the future redemption of the universe.
Two of Paul’s epistles, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, are almost entirely devoted to prophecy about the return of Christ. In these letters we find the most detailed description of the Rapture that is contained in the Bible (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). Paul also gives a lot of detailed information about the “day of the Lord” in 1 Thessalonians 5 and 2 Thessalonians 2.
Most of what we know about the glorified bodies of the Redeemed comes from the description which Paul gives in 1 Corinthians 15 and 2 Corinthians 5. In his letters to Timothy, Paul elaborates on the signs that will signal the Lord’s return, particularly the signs of society (2 Timothy 3:1-5). Paul also spends considerable time in his writings exhorting his readers to live godly lives as they look for the Second Coming (Romans 13, 1 Timothy 6, and Titus 2).
John’s prophetic statements in his epistles relate almost exclusively to the antichrist spirit that will prevail in the end times (1 John 2:18-29). Peter writes much more extensively about the end times in his epistles. In 2 Peter 3 he prophesies the development of the scientific theory of Uniformitarianism, one of the cornerstones of Evolution. In that same passage, he provides a dramatic picture of the reshaping of the heavens and earth by fire.
The writer of Hebrews directs his prophetic comments toward the cosmic struggle for dominion over the earth. He points out that although Jesus won that dominion back from Satan by His work on the Cross, Jesus is not yet exercising that dominion, and will not do so until He returns to reign over the world (Hebrews 2:5-8).
The most ancient Second Coming prophecy in the Bible is contained in the book of Jude, verses 14-15. In these verses Jude quotes a vision attributed to Enoch in the seventh generation from Adam. In the vision Enoch saw the Lord returning to pour out the wrath of God on the ungodly.
The Book of Revelation
The last book in the New Testament focuses on the Tribulation period and the wrath of God that will be poured out on all men to motivate them to repentance. It presents the story of the final crushing of Satan and the glorious triumph of Jesus. It provides a brief look at the Lord’s millennial reign and then concludes with an intriguing glimpse of the incredible new Jerusalem that will serve as the eternal home of the Saints on the new earth.
One common myth is the idea that Revelation 20 provides all the information that the Bible contains about the Millennium. The truth is that Revelation 20 reveals very little information about the millennial reign. It tells us that the reign will last 1,000 years, but the Jewish Rabbis had deduced that long before Revelation was written. It says Satan will be bound at the beginning of the Millennium, something that can easily be deduced from Old Testament prophecies about the peace and righteousness that will prevail during that time. It states that the Saints will reign with Jesus, but that had already been specifically prophesied in many Old Testament passages (see, for example, Daniel 7:14,18,27). The revolt of Satan at the end of the Millennium is new information, but not the fact that his ultimate fate will be total defeat (Daniel 11:45).
The vast majority of the information we have about the nature of the Millennium is provided by Old Testament prophecy, particularly the prophesies of Isaiah. The Millennium is not a New Testament concept confined to one chapter in Revelation.
Revelation does provide us with our most detailed information about the Eternal State. Even so, what it reveals merely whets the appetite and stimulates the imagination. The fact of the matter is that the Bible tells us very little about the Eternal State except that the Redeemed will have glorified, immortal bodies and will live in God’s presence in a new Jerusalem on a new earth. But what an exiting prospect that is! Romans 8:18 says “that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”
The many glorious promises concerning the future that are contained in New Testament prophecy should provoke us to cry out, “Maranatha!” (1 Corinthians 16:22).
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