Messianic Prophecies of the Old Testament Part One

By Rev. David Lee Brown

In this first of several studies, we will examine the Messianic Prophecies of the Old Testament Part One. This Bible study will not be an exhaustive list of the messianic prophecies, but it will cover many. Prophecy is one of the primary reasons I believe in Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Prophecy brings to life the continuous and contiguous narrative of the scriptures. It ties together the Old and New Testaments in a seamless narrative of truth. Prophecy is the primary difference between the Bible and other religious writings because only the Bible has verifiable prophetic occurrences. All other religions have predictions that have never come true or are devoid of Prophecy. So, today, we will look at a few of these prophecies and their fulfillment.

The First Messianic Prophecy

In my Messianic Prophecies of the Old Testament Part One, we will look at the first Prophecy in Genesis 3:15: “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” Scholars call this the “protoevangelium,” meaning “First Gospel,” a messianic interpretation of Genesis 3:15 that foretells man’s final triumph over sin through a coming Savior.

Eve had just sinned and given the forbidden fruit to her husband, Adam, to eat. Adam could have rejected the fruit but didn’t, and since he is the patriarch, the sin was Adam’s sin, with Eve also culpable. So, God addressed the serpent and told him that Christ would bruise or crush his head, and the serpent would bruise or strike Christ’s heel. Jesus crushing the head of the serpent, Satan, will be a complete victory. In contrast, the serpent bruising Jesus’ heel is temporary. In other words, Jesus will destroy Satan when he is cast into the Lake of Fire, and Jesus will be injured at the cross but rise on the third day, triumphant and eternal.

Fulfillment of The First Messianic Prophecy

In Romans 16:20, Paul says, “And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.” This passage refers to Christ’s ultimate victory over Satan when Satan is cast into the Lake of Fire eternally. This prophecy has not yet happened. It occurs after the millennial reign of Christ and before the final judgment.

In Hebrews 2:14, we read, “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;” In other words, believers, who are Christ’s spiritual seed or disciples are partakers of human nature with all its infirmities. Jesus also lived, benefitted, and suffered as a human. Through Jesus’ death, he might destroy the tyranny of Satan, which is the power to bring death to all mankind by tempting Adam and Eve to sin. Hence, Satan is called a murderer from the beginning, a liar, and the father of lies, John 8:41. It is observable that the power of death, ascribed to the devil, is called κρατος (state) and not εξουσια, (authority) because he had no right to the power of death. It was a power seized by treachery. The power of Christ at the resurrection broke the power of death away from Satan. Since Jesus was born into the world as fully human, to render him capable of dying for our sins, the death of Jesus frustrates the malicious plots of the devil.

We learn that Jesus is the seed of the woman, which was promised to bruise the head of the serpent at the fall. The serpent who deceived Eve was the devil, who, because he assumed the form of a serpent on that occasion, is called in Revelation 20:2 the great dragon or serpent and that old serpent, the devil. So, Satan is thwarted (his head was crushed) by Christ’s birth, death, and resurrection unto eternal life.

The Prophecy of the Advent of Christ

In Genesis 12:1-3, we read, “Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” So, God told Abram that his descendants would bless the entire earth. That descendant is Jesus Christ. This arrangement is also called the Abrahamic covenant. Abram agrees to follow Yahweh alone as his God, and God agrees to bless the entire world through Jesus Christ.

The Fulfilment of The Prophecy of the Advent of Christ

The apostle Peter, referencing Genesis 12:1-3 said, “Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.” Peter is referring to Jesus as the blessing promised to Abram by God. Jesus would make it possible to have eternal life, an eternal home in heaven, and an eternal relationship with God.

Paul said in Galatians 3:8, “And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.” The Prophecy of God to Abram is fulfilled in Christ, and all are blessed because the invitation of grace through faith in Christ alone for salvation is provided freely by Jesus Christ to whosoever will. Whomsoever will accept Christ as Savior and Lord.

The Scepter Will Remain with Judah

In Genesis 49:10, we find the passage, “The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.” On his deathbed, Abraham told Judah that the leadership of Israel would ultimately be fulfilled by one of his descendants. Jesus Christ is the direct descendant of Judah, which Abraham was talking about, because Jesus is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Jesus will rule during the Millennial Kingdom and be humanity’s physical and spiritual king.

The Fulfillment of The Scepter Will Remain with Judah

The fulfillment is still pending but is clearly revealed in Revelation 5:5: “And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.” This description of Jesus as the Lion of the tribe of Judah and the descendant of King David of the tribe of Judah solidifies Jesus as the fulfillment of the Prophecy.

The First Passover and Jesus’s Sacrifice

In Exodus 12:23, God said to Moses, “For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the Lord will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.” This passage is the historical narrative of the first Passover. The last plague of the ten plagues of Egypt was the death of all firstborn sons. God gave the Israelites grace by providing instructions on preparing the Passover lamb and using the blood to mark their door lintel and side posts. This act would allow the “destroyer” to pass by their house and spare their firstborn.

Jesus is the ultimate Passover Lamb that was slain for us. If we accept Him as Savior and Lord, we are washed by the blood of Christ so that the “destroyer,” eternal death and damnation, will not overtake us. When God sees us, he sees the blood of His precious Son and allows us entry into heaven. Nothing impure or sinful can pass into heaven unless covered or shielded by Jesus’s precious blood.

The Fulfillment of The First Passover and Jesus’s Sacrifice

The author of Hebrews describes Jesus’s sacrifice as follows: “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.”

God doesn’t accept the old covenant of animal sacrifice to cover iniquities. Jesus’s sacrifice is sufficient to eliminate sins. A repentant Christian is not only justified (declared not guilty) by God, but God also purposely forgets the Christian’s sins. Again, only the sinless enter heaven and only Christ’s blood can render you sinless. It has everything to do with Christ and nothing to do with us. We simply accept His free gift of salvation.

Closing Comments

In my Bible Study of Messianic Prophecies of the Old Testament Part One, we explored the protoevangilism, the Abrahamic covenant, King Jesus, and the first Passover. We end recognizing that salvation only comes through Christ. Our Father God and Heaven are only accessible through Christ. Eternal life is only possible through Christ’s willing sacrifice of His blood for us. When God sees the blood of Christ on a Christian, he recognizes who we are and our iniquities but instantly forgives and forgets them—all because of the blood.

You cannot enter heaven without the blood applied, just like the Israelites had to apply the Passover lamb’s blood. We must apply the blood of the perfect Passover Lamb – Jesus Christ.

These Messianic Prophecies of the Old Testament, Part One, are just the tip of the iceberg. I’ll share more next time. Have a blessed day!