Now, I need to preface this blog post by saying I am NOT a Bible Scholar. My faith is God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit is just that, FAITH. I have never needed proof that the trinity exists, I just know that it does and Jesus is my Savior. One person described this as a child like faith, I am not sure that is the right description but I definitely do not know the Bible backwards and forwards, I take some truths to just be self evident. I see God working in my life all the time.
But as I did this study I was struck at how amazing it all is. First came the Old Testament, and here God spoke to his people and actually told them his Son, the Messiah would come someday and how he would come. I know there are many specific prophecies throughout the Old Testament that Jesus fulfilled, proving that he is in fact the Messiah but I have never looked for them as proof for myself.
But at age 36, I think it is about time I made myself a more solid foundation of faith. Here I am going to see if I can pick out a few passages from the Old Testament and the fulfillment of them through Jesus in the New Testament. Too me it is just amazing and wonderous!
Christ predicted to be born in Bethlehem, a small town in Judea.
Micah 5:2
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
from ancient times.Or from days of eternity ">Luke 2:4-7
4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Christ to be born to a virgin:
Isaiah 7:13-14
13 Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
Luke 1:26-35
26 In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31 You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”
34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.The Messiah would be Pierced:
Zechariah 12:10“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spiritOr the Spirit "> of grace and supplication. They will look onOr to "> me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.
John 19:33-34 33 But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.
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I could go on and on about how the Old Testament speaks of Jesus, the Messiah, coming. There are so many passages of the Old Testament that are fulfilled by the New Testament. But what I found most interesting in the Stepping Up study was the way Jesus' death and resurrection followed all the Feasts of the Jewish Calendar. Jesus has and will fulfill all the feasts.
Passover:
Exodus 12: 3-6
3: Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household...6: Take care of them until the 14th day of the month, when all the people of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the house where they eat the lambs...
Why did they take the blood and paint it on their doorframes? So that the Angel of Death passing through Egypt striking down every first born of Egypt would pass over the homes of the Israelites.
1 Corinthians 5:7 Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.
Jesus was being crucified at the same time as the lambs were being slaughtered in preparation for Passover!
The Feast of Unleavened Bread
Leviticus 23:6 On the fifteenth day of that month the Lord’s Feast of Unleavened Bread begins; for seven days you must eat bread made without yeast.
Yeast/Leaven is a symbol of sin used throughout the Bible. This Feast of Unleavened Bread leads us to the sinless life of Jesus. He then takes our sin from us through his sacrifice on the cross.
1 Corinthians 5:8 Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.
The Feast of First Fruits:
Leviticus 23:9-14 9 The Lord said to Moses, 10 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter the land I am going to give you and you reap its harvest, bring to the priest a sheaf of the first grain you harvest. 11 He is to wave the sheaf before the Lord so it will be accepted on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath. 12 On the day you wave the sheaf, you must sacrifice as a burnt offering to the Lord a lamb a year old without defect, 13 together with its grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil—an offering made to the Lord by fire, a pleasing aroma—and its drink offering of a quarter of a hin of wine. 14 You must not eat any bread, or roasted or new grain, until the very day you bring this offering to your God. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live.
1 Corinthians 15-20-21 20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.
Jesus was resurrected on the day of the Feast of the First Fruits.
Weeks of Pentecost
Leviticus 23:15-16 15 “ ‘From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, count off seven full weeks. 16 Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the Lord.
Acts 2:1-4 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
The Pentecost after the crucifixion, was the actual day that the Church was started, the day the Holy Spirit came down.
There are still three more feasts that have not been fulfilled by Jesus.
Trumpets:
Leviticus 23:23 The Lord said to Moses, 24 “Say to the Israelites: ‘On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts.
The New Testament prophesies the Rapture of the Church. Each reference has is signaled by the sound of trumpets!
1 Thessalonians 4:13-1813 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage each other with these words.
1 Corinthians 15:50-52 50 I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
The Day of Atonement:
Leviticus 23:26-28 26 The Lord said to Moses, 27 “The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. Hold a sacred assembly and deny yourselves,Or and fast; also in verses 29 and 32 ">a and present an offering made to the Lord by fire. 28 Do no work on that day, because it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before the Lord your God.
Romans 11:25-32
25 I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:
“The deliverer will come from Zion;
he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.
27 And this isOr will be
"> my covenant with themwhen I take away their sins.”Isaiah 59:20, 21; 27:9; Jer. 31:33, 34
">b28 As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies on your account; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, 29 for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable. 30 Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may nowSome manuscripts do not have now.
"> receive mercy as a result of God’s mercy to you. 32 For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all. Those of Jewish descent who deny Jesus, the Son of God, will be given another chance to repent and believe. They will once again look upon the One that they have pierced and BELIEVE! How awesome is that?Feast of the Tabernacles/Booths:
This is the last Feast that God described to the Israelites.
Leviticus 23:33-36 33 The Lord said to Moses, 34 “Say to the Israelites: ‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh month the Lord’s Feast of Tabernacles begins, and it lasts for seven days. 35 The first day is a sacred assembly; do no regular work. 36 For seven days present offerings made to the Lord by fire, and on the eighth day hold a sacred assembly and present an offering made to the Lord by fire. It is the closing assembly; do no regular work.
I believe that the Lord our God is going to return and we are all going to live together, to dwell in God. We are going to Tabernacle together. Thus fulfilling ALL the Traditional Jewish Feasts!
Now as I said, I am not a Bible Scholar and I would encourage you to explore this on your own and/or ask me some questions if you so desire. I am just so amazed by God and all he does for us and all he HAS DONE that I wanted to share.
