Old Testament Prophecies of the Advent of Christ

The True Essence of Christmas: True seekers of religion must seek Christ / Matthew 2:1-12

1) True seekers of God seek Christ

(Matthew 2:1-2)

1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,

2 “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”

2) True seekers seek God’s Word (Matthew 2:3-8)

3 And when Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

4 And gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he was inquiring of them where the Christ was to be born.

5 And they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet:

6 ‘AND YOU, BETHLEHEM, LAND OF JUDAH, ARE BY NO MEANS LEAST AMONG THE LEADERS OF JUDAH; FOR OUT OF YOU SHALL COME FORTH A LEADER WHO WILL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE ISRAEL.’”

2) True seekers seek God’s Word (Matthew 2:3-8)

7 Then Herod secretly called the magi and carefully determined from them the time the star appeared.

8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.”

3) True seekers of God worship Christ alone (Matthew 2:9-12)

9 Now after hearing the king, they went their way; and behold, the star, which they had seen in the east, was going on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was.

10 And when they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.

3) True seekers of God worship Christ alone (Matthew 2:9-12)

11 And after coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi departed for their own country by another way.

The Good News of the ADVENT OF Christ: To Destroy the ugliness of a worldly life / ISAIAH 61:1-3

1) Christ the Deliverer (Isaiah 61:1)

1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, Because the Lord has anointed me,To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners.

2) Christ the Righteous just (Isaiah 61:2)

2 To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn,

3) Christ the Rewarder (Isaiah 61:3)

3 To grant those who mourn in Zion, Giving them a garland instead of ashes, The oil of gladness instead of mourning, The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.

Luke 4:16-21

16 And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. 17 And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written, 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, And recovery of sight to the blind, To set free those who are oppressed, 19 To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.” 20 And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21 And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.

The Comfort of the Advent of Christ / ISAIAH 40:1-5

1) Isaiah prophesied comfort and deliverance from sin (Isaiah 40:1-2)

1 “Comfort, O comfort My people,” says your God. 2 “Speak to the heart of Jerusalem; And call out to her, that her warfare has been fulfilled, That her iniquity has been removed, That she has received from the hand of Yahweh Double for all her sins.”

2) Isaiah prophesied that someone will prepare the coming Saviour (Isaiah 40:3)

3 A voice is calling, “Prepare the way for Yahweh in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.

3) Isaiah prophesied the followers of the Saviour will give honour and glory to God (Isaiah 40:4-5)

4 “Let every valley be lifted up, And every mountain and hill be made low; And let the rough ground become a plain, And the rugged terrain a broad valley;

5 Then the glory of Yahweh will be revealed, And all flesh will see it together; For the mouth of Yahweh has spoken.”

Our New Life in Christ is a work of God 2 Corinthians 5:17 20

1) We are a new creation in Christ (1 Corinthians 5:17)

17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

2) We are the proclaimers of reconciliation

(2 Corinthians 5:18)

18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,

3) We are reconciled through the word of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:19)

19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their transgressions against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

4) We are ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20-21)

20 So then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as God is pleading through us. We beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

ISAIAH 11:1-5

1 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,

and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.

2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,

the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,

the Spirit of counsel and might,

the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.

He shall not judge by what his eyes see,

or decide disputes by what his ears hear,

4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,

and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;

and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,

and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.

5 Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,

and faithfulness the belt of his loins.

THE OLD TESTAMENT PROPHECIES: THE ADVENT OF CHRIST / ISAIAH 7:14 / ISAIAH 9:6-9

The book of Isaiah was the Gospel of the Old Testament. We know Isaiah is in heaven because he believed in the Messiah; He prophesied and preached on the coming advent of the Messiah who is Christ; The suffering and death of the Messiah. The second coming of the Messiah; His millennial reign of the Messiah. The Salvation that comes from the Messiah and through Him alone.

“Isaiah sets forth every aspect of the glory and ministry of Christ: His incarnation (7:14; 9:6); His youth (7:15; 11:1; 53:2); His mild manner (42:2); His obedience (50:5); His message (61:1, 2); His miracles (35:5, 6); His sufferings, rejection, and vicarious death (50:6; 53:1–12); and His exaltation (52:13).” Thomas Nelson Publishers. (1996). Nelson’s complete book of Bible maps & charts: Old and New Testaments (Rev. and updated ed.). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.

1) The Christ is called Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14)

“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.”

Matthew 1:22–23

“22 Now all this took place in order that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet would be fulfilled, saying, 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.”

2) The Christ is the GLORIOUS KING (Isaiah 9:6–7)

“6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

7 There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of Yahweh of hosts will accomplish this.”