Messianic Prophecies of the Old Testament Part Three

By Rev. David Lee Brown

This article will delve into the Messianic Prophecies of the Old Testament Part Three as a continuation of last week's article. Today, I will share more Messianic prophecies from the Psalms and the Book of Isaiah. Isaiah is one of the major prophets of the Bible and has a lot to say about the Messiah and other prophecies. We will focus on Isaiah's Messianic Prophecies today and in my next article. So, let's explore a few more of these Messianic prophecies.

The Messianic Prophecy in Psalm 110:1

Psalm 110:1 says, "The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool." In other words, YHWH said to Adoni or God the Father said to God the Son, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool or subservient to you. This occurrence occurred with Jesus's resurrection, but its ultimate fulfillment will be at the start of the millennial reign of Christ. What an excellent way to acknowledge the miracle of Resurrection Day or Easter Sunday. He has risen!!

Fulfillment of the Messianic Prophecy in Psalm 110:1

In Matthew 26:64, "Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven." The "him" Jesus was talking to was Caiaphas, the High Priest. Jesus confirmed that he was the Messiah and used Psalm 110:1 to prove his deity and that he would sit at the right hand of God.

Mark 14:62 shares, "And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven." At Jesus's ascension into heaven, Mark also notes, "So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God."

Luke also wrote about the trial before the High Priest and shared what Jesus said at the end of his defense, "Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God." In Acts 7:55-56 the Apostle says, "But he [Stephen], being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God." This statement was not a direct quote from Psalm 110:1 but was a confirmation of the occurrence via a vision from the Holy Spirit of Jesus standing at God's right hand.

The Right Hand of God

The right hand of God is a Jewish figure of speech used to refer to a position of authority. It is a symbol of the omnipotence of God and is used in the Bible to symbolize God's power, protection, presence, judgment, and triumphant victory. To be seated at the right hand of God means that one shares God's strength and authority and is the highest place and the highest honor possible. The only person qualified to sit or stand at God's right hand is God the Son, Jesus the Messiah.

The Messianic Prophecy in Isaiah 53:1-3

"Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not."

Isaiah starts his prophecy in chapter 53 with rhetorical questions. Who believed his report? No one. Who is the revealed power and activity of Yahweh revealed? The Lord only reveals Himself to those who believe.

Then comes the description of Jesus after his birth, growing up. He is not of regal birth that people would fawn over or admire Him because of His majesty. As an adult, he's a plain, average man who will be despised and rejected by the religious leaders. He becomes a man of sorrow and grief due to the burden of suffering shame and rejection. The Jews will hide their faces from Him because of the brutal beatings and savage crucifixion that make it hard to look upon Him. People want to hide their faces and avert their eyes in disgust at His appearance. They despise Him and consider Him a man without esteem or unworthy of their respect. This vision is a Holy Spirit-inspired vision of the early life, trial, beating, and crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

Fulfillment of the Messianic Prophecy in Isaiah 53:1-3

We find in John 1:10-11, "He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not." John is saying that Jesus came, per Isaiah's prophecy, and the world and everything that was made, was made by Jesus. Yet, when Jesus came, the religious leaders and most Jews didn't recognize that He was the prophesied Messiah. He came into the world as a Jew, and the Jews rejected Him and would not believe Jesus was the prophesied Messiah.

The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke share the history of Jesus's birth, rejection, trial, brutal treatment, and crucifixion. Isaiah 53 was written over 650 years before the Gospels, and everything Isaiah said is revealed within the Gospels with perfect accuracy. This prophecy is yet another reason why I'm a Christian—there are mountains of evidence for fulfilled prophecy.

The Messianic Prophecy in Isaiah 53:4-5

We read in Isaiah 53:4-5, "Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." Jesus bore our sins on the cross, taking on the iniquity of all believers. Jesus carried our sorrows or afflictions to the cross and nailed them there for us – eternally forgiven and forgotten. Jesus was wounded or brutalized for our sins and wickedness. Jesus took the punishment that we seldom acknowledge but richly deserve upon Himself. So, because of His willing, brutal, and bloody sacrifice for us, all those who accept Jesus as Lord and Savior are redeemed, justified, and sanctified.

Redeemed – Bought back from the wages of sin. We not only have our sin debt paid in full, but we are no longer slaves to sin. Unregenerate people have no choice; they must sin because sin is the nature of all mankind since the fall of mankind. As born-again believers, we are free. We are no longer slaves of sin; we have the ability, right, and responsibility not to sin against God or others. Only believers are genuinely free.
Justified – God declares us not guilty. Jesus's sacrifice of His shed blood washes us "white as snow." In other words, when God sees us, He sees the purity of God the Son. Nothing that is not holy and perfect enters heaven, so God allows us into heaven because we are justified by Christ's blood sacrifice for us, even though we are completely unworthy. We are justified by God's grace through our faith in Christ alone for our salvation.
Sanctified – We are separated out in service to God. In other words, God grants us the ability to serve Him according to His will. Most people are slaves of this world and Satan – they don't know or understand it, yet it's true. Only Born-again believers are freed from our bondage to sin so that we can be effective, loyal, and willing servants of God. We start this journey with the milk of the gospel, and then through Bible study, church attendance, service to God and our neighbors, and prayer, we grow understanding of the meat of the gospel. A believer's sanctification is just the start of a lifelong journey of building a personal relationship with God. It is truly not a journey for the faint of heart, but it is well worth the effort.

Fulfillment of the Messianic Prophecy in Isaiah 53:4-5

We find in Matthew 8:16-17 the fulfillment of this prophecy. "When the even was come, they brought unto him [Jesus] many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias [Isaiah] the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses." These illnesses and sicknesses are both our physical diseases and demonic influences and sins.

The Messianic Prophecy in Isaiah 53:7

"He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth." This prediction is another obvious prophecy because it is so clearly spoken. During Jesus's trial, He remained silent in fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy. Before his conviction, Jesus held his tongue and accepted the punishment without a response in His own defense.

Fulfillment of the Messianic Prophecy in Isaiah 53:7

We find in Matthew, "And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing. Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee? And he answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly." You can find a similar account in Mark 14:60-61 and Mark 15:4-5. Luke also reports that Jesus said nothing in His own defense in Luke 23:9. John wrote of this assurance, too, and said, "When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was the more afraid; And went again into the judgment hall, and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer." All the gospel accounts refer to Jesus remaining silent during his arraignment and trial before the chief priests, Herod, and Pilate. This eyewitness testimony affirms the validity of the Fulfillment of the Messianic Prophecy in Isaiah 53:7.