Lesson 6: Old Testament Prophecy
LESSON 6: OLD TESTAMENT PROPHECY
Darryl Nunnelley & David R. Reagan
FACT: The Old Testament is essential to the understanding of the New Testament and to a comprehension of the Bible's prophetic messages.
Key Scripture: "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness ..."(2 Timothy 3:16).
The Problem
It is common today for ministers to focus mainly on the New Testament in their preaching and teaching while hardly citing the Old Testament. Even worse are superficial slogans such as "This is a New Testament church" or "We just preach Jesus."
Yet, in the scripture quotation above, the Apostle Paul emphasized to Timothy that all
Scripture is profitable. In fact, one verse earlier, Paul stated that "from childhood you [Timothy] have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." A reader today just assumes that Timothy must have had a copy of the New Testament. But the New Testament did not exist when Paul wrote these words!
Further, Paul admonished Timothy to commit himself to "the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching" (1 Timothy 4:13). Again, Paul was referring to what we call the Old Testament.
The Importance of the Old Testament
This spiritual malady of ignoring the Old Testament that is epidemic in the Church today is a serious problem because there is no way to understand the New Testament without knowledge of the Old Testament.
For example, Jesus is referred to by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:20 as the "first fruits" of those to be resurrected. There is no way to understand that expression apart from a knowledge of the Old Testament sacrificial system.
In like manner, Jesus is referred to in the book of Hebrews as the "High Priest of our confession" (Hebrews 3:1) and as "a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek" (Hebrews 5:10). These terms have no meaning apart from a knowledge of the interaction between Abraham and Melchizedek and the role of the High Priest as revealed in the Hebrew Scriptures.
A knowledge of Old Testament prophecy is particularly necessary to the understanding of New Testament prophecy. The books of Daniel and Revelation fit together like a hand to a glove. Neither one can be understood apart from the other.
The book of Revelation contains more than 300 quotes or references to Old Testament passages, and not a single one is identified. A person without knowledge of the Old Testament could read the book of Revelation and never realize how interlaced it is with Old Testament prophecy. Consider the theme of the book that is found in Revelation 1:7-
"Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him."
This statement is made up of two quotes from the Old Testament put end-to-end. The first is found in Daniel 7:13 and the second in Zechariah 12:10.
The Gospel in the Old Testament
When Paul told Timothy that the "sacred writings" were sufficient to lead him to salvation through faith in Jesus, he was referring to Old Testament prophecy. The New Testament did not exist at that time.
On the Day of Pentecost following the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, the Apostle Peter preached the first Gospel sermon in Jerusalem (Acts 2:14-36). From beginning to end, the sermon consisted of quotations of Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah, followed by Peter's declarations that Jesus had fulfilled those prophecies.
Phillip, the evangelist, took the same approach when he met with the Ethiopian eunuch, a devout Jew who had been to Jerusalem to observe the feasts and was returning home to Africa (Acts 8:26-39). Phillip discovered that the man was reading an Old Testament passage from Isaiah about the Messiah coming as a "suffering lamb" (Isaiah 53:1-9).
Phillip explained the passage to the Ethiopian, and the man accepted the fact that Jesus had fulfilled it. In response, he was baptized. He then continued on his way, rejoicing that he had found the Messiah.
The Volume of Prophecy in the Old Testament
The Old Testament contains over 300 specific prophecies about the First Coming of the Messiah. But many of these are repetitious. When those are filtered out, 109 separate and distinct prophecies remain, all of which were fulfilled in the life of Jesus
The Hebrew Scriptures contain many more prophecies about the Second Coming than the First. And they are scattered throughout, from Genesis to Malachi. People normally think of only the Major and Minor Prophets, but the Psalms are full o prophecy, like Psalm 22, which prophesies about the crucifixion of the Messiah in detail, written one thousand years before the birth of Jesus.
Even the historical books of the Old Testament contain prophecies. The very first Messianic prophecy in the Bible is found in Genesis 3:15. It states that the Messiah will be born of a virgin. Deuteronomy 31 prophesies that if the Jewish people are unfaithful to God they will be dispersed among the nations of the world and be persecuted wherever they go.
The Second Coming in Old Testament Prophecy
The Bible teaches that Jesus will establish His personal reign over all the earth at the time of His Second Coming, and the Old Testament contains many prophecies about that event. As we have already seen, Zechariah 14 says the Lord will return to the Mount of Olives from which He ascended into Heaven and at that time, He will become "king over all the earth" (Zechariah 14:9).
In Isaiah's account of the same event, he refers to the Lord returning to Mount Zion, which is an alternative name for Jerusalem: "So will the Lord of hosts come down to wage war on Mount Zion and on its hill. Like flying birds, so the Lord of hosts will protect Jerusalem. He will protect and rescue it; He will pass over and rescue it" (Isaiah 31:4b-5).
Both Isaiah and Jeremiah portray the Lord returning in wrath. Jeremiah says He will "roar" from the heavens (Jeremiah 25:30-31). Isaiah says He will be "filled with indignation" and His tongue will be like "a consuming fire" (Isaiah 30:27-28). Zephaniah says the day of His return will be one of "trouble and distress" and "destruction and desolation" (Zephaniah 1:14-18).
The Millennium in the Old Testament
Once the Messiah has poured out the wrath of God on the enemies of God, He will establish His reign over the earth, and He will begin to manifest His glory: "Then the moon will be abashed and the sun ashamed, for the Lord of hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and His glory will be before His elders" (Isaiah 24:23).
All the various aspects about the Lord's millennial reign are spelled out in detail in the book of Isaiah.
The book of Revelation is about the Tribulation. It is the book of Isaiah that reveals the details of the Millennium. The only new information about the Millennium contained in the book of Revelation is that it will last one thousand years (Revelation 20:2-7).
Foundational Truths
The Old Testament presents the framework for understanding the meaning of life and God's purposes in history. It provides the answers to some of our most fundamental questions;
- Where did the creation come from?
- What is the purpose of life?
- Why is there pain and suffering and death in the world?
- Why does Mankind need a Savior?
The Attitude of Jesus
Jesus had great respect for the Hebrew Scriptures. He quoted them in response to the temptations of Satan (Matthew 4:1-11). He quoted them in His Sermon on the Mount as he laid down guidelines for Christian living (Matthew 5). He quoted the book of Daniel in His last discourse to His disciples (Matthew 24:15). He referenced the book of Jonah when teaching about His death, burial and resurrection (Matthew 12:40).
And shortly before His ascension into Heaven, Jesus told His disciples: "These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled" (Luke 24:44).
A Tragedy
The Old Testament has been terribly abused in modern history by theologians who are determined to reconcile it to science (meaning the theories of Evolution). Thus, they have spiritualized the first few chapters of Genesis to mean anything but what they say.
The six days of creation have been transformed into six billion years, and Adam and Eve have become mythical of symbolic creatures, not real human beings. And in like manner, the worldwide flood of Noah's time has been converted into a regional flood confined to a small area of the Middle East.
These efforts have undermined the integrity of the Scriptures. The result is that for many people, the Old Testament has become a book of fairy tales.
This raises a very serious issue: if we cannot believe the beginning of the bible, how can we believe any of it? If God did not create the universe in six literal days, as Genesis clearly teaches, then how do we know for certain that the Bible is correct when it says that Jesus was resurrected from the dead or when it says that one day Jesus will return to this earth to reign?
It is no accident that those who spiritualize the beginning of the Bible are also those who spiritualize the ending, claiming Jesus is never going to return to reign over all the earth.
A Plea
We need to take the Scriptures seriously - all of them, both the Old and New Testaments. We need to stop playing games with them in order to placate the claims of science and the desires of our hearts.
Take the time to read Psalm 119. It is the longest of the psalms, with a total of 176 verses. The theme is found in verse 105: "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." Accordingly, almost every verse of this psalm mentions the Word of God in one way or another.
The sum of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous ordinances is everlasting. (Psalm 119:160)
Quotations
"Bible prophecy was given to show and to reveal - not to puzzle and veil." - Paul Lee Tan, The Interpretation of Prophecy (Assurance Publishers, 1974).
"I believe God knows how to communicate. I believe He says what He means and means what He says. I don't believe you have to have a doctorate in hermeneutics to understand the Bible. The essentials, instead, are an honest heart and the in-dwelling of God's Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:10-16)." - David R. Reagan, God's Plan for the Ages: The Blueprint of Bible Prophecy
(Lamb & Lion Ministries, 2005).
Jesus in the Old Testament
- Genesis -The Seed of Woman who will one day crush Satan.
- Exodus -The Passover Lamb who will be sacrificed for our sins.
- Leviticus -Our High Priest before God's throne.
- Numbers - Our Heavenly Guide.
- Deuteronomy -The Great Prophet to come, prophesied by Moses.
- Joshua -Our Captain of Salvation.
- Judges -Our Judge and Law Giver.
- Ruth -Our Kinsman Redeemer.
- 1 & 2 Samuel -Our Trusted Prophet.
- Kings & Chronicles -Our Righteous Ruler.
- Ezra -Our Great Teacher.
- Nehemiah -Our Restorer.
- Esther -Our Advocate.
- Job -Our Redeemer.
- Psalms -Our Shepherd.
- Proverbs -Our Wisdom.
- Ecclesiastes -Our Ultimate Judge.
- Song of Solomon -Our Loving Bridegroom.
- Isaiah -Our Suffering Servant.
- Jeremiah -Our Compassionate Judge.
- Lamentations -Our Consoler.
- Ezekiel -The Lord of Nations.
- Daniel -The Son of Man.
- Hosea -The Faithful Husband.
- Joel -The Holy Spirit Baptizer.
- Amos -The Lord of Justice.
- Obadiah -The Coming King.
- Jonah -The Forgiving One.
- Micah -The Lord of Righteousness.
- Nahum -The Avenger.
- Habakkuk -The Watchman.
- Zephaniah -The Lord of Wrath.
- Haggai -The Lord of Hosts.
- Zachariah -The Humble King.
- Malachi -The Son of Righteousness.
"You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me" (John 5:39).
Lamb & Lion Ministries www.lamblion.com