July 29, 2023

The Prophets Believed He Was God

The Prophets Believed He Was God

Maybe you have heard someone ask, “Where did Jesus say, I am God, worship me? Those exact words!” Now, let us think about this together. If someone  came up to you and said “I am God, worship me!” What would you do? You would probably run away from that person and think they are prideful and crazy.
When someone asks about the deity of Christ, I consider why they are asking. I always like to listen to questions, and consider the answers, but I also look at who is asking and see if they really want to learn and do they really want the answer. We must look to the books that talk about Jesus. After Jesus died and arose from the dead, He showed Himself to the disciples.
“And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭24‬:‭44‬-‭45‬ ‭
Jesus is saying that the Torah, The Zaboor (Psalms) and the Prophets spoke about Him. Do you really want to learn what the Bible teaches about Jesus and His deity? We will address what the Old Testament Prophets say about the Deity of the Messiah.
The Prophet Isaiah wrote this approximately 700 years before the birth of Christ and spoke about a child that would be born that would have very powerful names, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭9‬:‭6‬ ‭He will be the greatest of counsellors and be eternal. He speaks of a future rule and He is the true giver of peace. We see the Messiah will be called the Mighty God. The one being described here is the mighty God, yet do not skip the very first phrase, “For into us a child is born” Amazing! This God that is described will be born. This is none other that the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Isaiah also shows us the Trinity in these verses
“Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord GOD, and his Spirit, hath sent me. Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭48‬:‭16‬-‭17‬ ‭KJV‬‬
One that was from eternity past was sent by the Lord GOD and His Spirit. The author says that the LORD, thy Redeemer and the Holy One of Israel is talking. This passage clearly shows the deity of the Messiah that would be sent by the Father and the Holy Spirit.  He is eternal. Jesus is our Redeemer as described throughout the Scriptures.
These passages show us what the Old Testament Prophets thought about the coming Messiah. He would be man, yet God. He is the God Man. They spoke of a victorious man that would be God in the flesh that would be a Redeeming King.
Daniel wrote about 600 years before the coming Christ and also spoke of an everlasting ruler over the nations. Only God is worthy of worship from all nations. Only God has everlasting dominion.
“I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.”
‭‭Daniel‬ ‭7‬:‭13‬-‭14‬
Jesus clearly said He fulfilled this prophecy and the Jewish leaders knew that Jesus was saying that He is God. Notice what Jesus says and their reactions.
“But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God. 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. Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy. What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of death.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭26‬:‭63‬-‭66‬ ‭KJV‬‬
Jesus made Himself equal with God when He told them that He is the Messiah, the Son of God that has authority.
Another prophecy that speaks of the Suffering Savior Messiah King is written by the Prophet Zechariah. When we read this chapter, we see the LORD God is speaking and says,  “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.”
‭‭Zechariah‬ ‭12‬:‭10‬
This verse speaks of the Messiah that would be pierced and then come back to judge nations. This is none other than God speaking  about being pierced. Christ fulfilled this in the gospel of John, “but one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced.”
‭‭John‬ ‭19‬:‭34‬, ‭37‬. The judgment part that this speaks of is in the book of Revelation in reference to the Christ. “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.”
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭1‬:‭7‬ ‭KJV‬‬
Each of these prophets from different time periods spoke about the Coming Messiah as God and they also spoke of His death and future kingdom and judgment. The Lord Jesus Christ was God that became man to die for your sins. The Prophets of old knew this. The God of the Bible is eternal and His purposes are eternal. He progressively revealed Himself from the very first words of Scripture. I pray that you agree with the Prophets and see Him as God that loves you so much and died in your place so you too can say He is the LORD, MY RIGHTEOUSNESS.
John the Baptist (Yeheeya Ibn Zakaria)
“The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”
‭‭John‬ ‭1‬:‭29‬ ‭KJV‬‬
Behold Jesus, the Lamb of God, by faith and He will save you from your sin.

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