And, as we are aware, there are many prophecies which bear upon that.
The Davidic covenant. If you are on King David’s throne you are of David’s lineage. It was a royal lineage – which would never cease and was promised to King David in perpetuity.
- You’re not going to go to heaven after you die. Rather, heaven is coming to the earth.
- Jesus Christ is going to return to the earth, and there is not going to be a “secret rapture.” Not going to spend seven years in heaven, or even a thousand years in heaven.
- The throne of David is still residing on this earth. It is promised to be of God perpetually on this earth. It was to be overturned – which it was – from the Middle East up to the British/Scottish islands. Overturned – which it was. Overturned – and it was. It shall be no more overturned – and it hasn’t been from that time until He comes whose right it is.
That kingly line did not end in the time of King Zedekiah, as we read about in the Chronicles of the kings of Israel and Judah. Rather, we, of course, know the historical record of where the prophet Jeremiah took King Zedekiah’s daughter, Tea Tephi, to Ireland where she founded a line of Davidic kings that has continued down to this day. 1
Truly, the prophets looked for a day when this promise would be fulfilled in an ultimate descendant of King David – the Christ.
In the Book of Isaiah chapter 11 –
Verse 1 – “Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a branch from his roots will bear fruit. 2) And the Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, …”
Book of Psalm chapter 89 –
Verse 6 – “’ I have made a covenant with My chosen; I have sworn to David My servant, 4) I will establish your seed FOREVER, And build up your throne to ALL GENERATIONS.’”
This is a MAJOR PROPHECY that was fulfilled, and will soon again be fulfilled – because it is a dual prophecy!
2. Christ would be born, miraculously, from a virgin.
Again, the prophet Isaiah speaks of this – Isaiah chapter 7 –
Verse 14 – “’ Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name …’” – ‘God with us.’ “ … ‘Immanuel.’”
3. Christ would be born in Bethlehem.
Here, think of whether or not an imposter could have somehow contrived to have studied all the Scriptures – to have seen all the many prophecies which dealt with the coming of Christ – and to somehow tried to fulfill them. How could he have done so when it deals with genealogical origins, with a virgin birth, along with His childhood. It would have been impossible without others in collusion with Him – to establish Him as such. Yet, His own brothers and sisters did not even believe Him!
The Book of Micah chapter 5 –
Verse 2 – “’ But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the [thousands] of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be Ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity.’”
4. Christ would be a refugee in Egypt.
His family would have to escape to Egypt with Him for the fear of His life.
We see this prophecy in the Book of Hosea chapter 11 – and is quoted by the apostle Matthew in chapter 2 –
Verse 15 – “and was there [Christ was there] until the death of Herod [the Great] that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet [Hosea] might be fulfilled, saying, ‘OUT OF EGYPT DID I CALL MY SON.’”
5. Christ would grow up in Galilee.
And, even more specifically, He would grow up in Nazareth. In the Book of Isaiah chapter 9 –
Verse 1 – “But there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish in earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He shall make it glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles.”
Verse 2 – “’ The people who walk in darkness Will see a great light; …’”
A very prophecy of Christ Jesus.
6. Christ’s coming would mean the massacre of thousands of babies.
Again, this very subject – in which I take great joy in God’s revelation – was in this last Sabbath’s service sermon; Jeremiah chapter 31 –
Referred to by the apostle Matthew in chapter 2 –
Verse 17 – “Then that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled, saying, 18) ‘A VOICE WAS HEARD IN RAMAH, WEEPING AND GREAT MOURNING, RACHEL WEEPING FOR HER CHILDREN; AND SHE REFUSED TO BE COMFORTED, BECAUSE THEY WERE NO MORE.’”
And that indeed did happen! Our Lord Jesus Christ grew up in a land where He was the only person – when He was two years old – that was two years old. And for the entirety of His youth, until people began coming in from other countries, He alone was exactly that age of the males. Because all other males were exterminated.
7. Christ would preach a gospel of a coming world-ruling government.
Turning again to the Book of Isaiah, this time chapter 61 –
Verse 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.”
This is both literal and of course spiritual.
Verse 2 – “To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD, …”
To be received of God if we repent.
“ … And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, 3) To grant those who mourn in Zion, Giving them a garland instead of ashes, …”
Something which struck me, and was mentioned in that Sabbath’s sermon, was concerning the very fact that over SIX MILLION Jews will come out of the ashes of the Holocaust and will be given a garland. They died in a most heinous and wretched manner.
“ … 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.”
That is the preaching of the good news of the kingdom of God – yet there are many more prophecies pertaining to this. Such as –
The Book of Isaiah chapter 2 and the Book of Micah chapter 4 –
Verse 1 – “The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.”
Verse 2 – “Now it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of the LORD’S house Shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And all nations shall flow to it.” – NKJV.
The Book of Zechariah chapter 14 –
Verse 4 – “And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. …”
8. Christ would include all nations – not just the Jews.
“ … ‘for salvation is from the Jews.’ … For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more shall these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree?” – John 4:22; Romans 11:24.
Also, in the Book of Galatians chapter 3 –
Verse 29 – “And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.”
In the Book of Isaiah chapter 42 prophesied of this; quoting from the Authorized Version –
Verse 1 – “Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.”
The very word Gentiles is synonymous with nations. It means any person of any race or color – other than a Hebrew.
Now, returning again to the NAS – Verse 2 – “He will not cry out or raise His voice, Nor make His voice heard in the street.”
So, despite what many might think He did – there are many people who believe that He traveled around like an evangelist trying to convert everyone. He did no such thing. He wasn’t standing on the street corner with a megaphone or making a tumult - making a public nuisance.
Verse 3 – “A bruised reed He will not break, And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish; … 4) He will not be disheartened or crushed, Until He has established justice in the earth; And the coastlands will wait expectantly for His Law.”
Verse 5 – “Thus says God the LORD, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread out the earth and its offspring, Who gives breath to the people on it, And spirit to those who walk in it.”
Verse 6 – “’ I AM the LORD, I have called you in righteousness, I will also hold you by the hand and watch over you, And I will appoint you as a covenant to the people, As a light to THE NATIONS.”
So, long before any Jew and Gentile controversy – long before any circumcision or uncircumcision controversy – God’s living prophecies said that Jesus Christ’s message is for ALL MANKIND!
9. Christ would be a healer.
Staying here in the Book of Isaiah chapter 53 –
Verse 4 – “Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted.”
Verse 5 – “But He was pierced through [because of] our transgressions, He was crushed [because of] our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being …”
The chastening in order to bring about peace – reconciliation.
“ … And by His scourging we are healed.”
There are a great many people who try to make this just a general statement – stating that all it means is that His scourging is also a part of the sacrifice which was poured out. But this is a lie.
His blood is for the iniquities of all mankind, but His scourging which was inflicted upon His body is for our physical healing. God’s living word says so – as the apostle Paul says in the Book of 1st Corinthians chapter 11 – because they were not discerning the Lord’s body.
10. Christ would conceal the meaning of His message to unbelievers.
This prophecy is revealed to us in the Book of Isaiah chapter 6 – our Lord Jesus Christ actually quoting this -
Verse 9 – “And He said, ‘Go and tell this people: ‘Keep on listening, but do not perceive; Keep on looking, but do not understand.’ 10) ‘Render the hearts of this people insensitive, Their ears dull, And their eyes dim, Lest they see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, Understand with their hearts, And return and be healed.’”
And, the apostle Matthew records our Lord Jesus Christ saying just this in the 13th chapter –
Verse 13 – “’ Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while ‘seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14) And in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, ‘YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING, BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND; AND YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING, BUT WILL NOT PERCEIVE; FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL, AND WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR, AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES LEST THEY SHOULD SEE WITH THEIR EYES, AND HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN, AND I SHOULD HEAL THEM.’”
Verse 11 – “Then I said, ‘Lord, how long?’ …”
In other words, how long with that situation prevail!? How long will it be that people will not be able to see, will not be able to hear, and will not understand!?
Have you ever had a discussion with someone – where you can see a crystal clear meaning of Scripture and the person you are speaking with does not!? As an example: John chapter 3 –
Verse 7 – “’ Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’”
Verse 6 – “’ That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.’”
Now, in my notes I have written:
In relation to 1st Peter 1:23 – “having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the Word of God, which lives and abides forever.” – not just being born physically, but having the opportunity to begin the process of being born spiritually into eternal life. And that’s what that phrase means. … You’ve begun this process – Jesus Christ talked about it – once God the Father put His Spirit within you, you began the process of someday becoming eternal spirit beings and being allowed to live in the Family of God.
Jesus used the example of birth. He said “’unless one is born of water’” – the physical birth after the woman’s water breaks. But He’s speaking of a different birth – a spiritual birth when He says “’and the Spirit.’”
How then can we be born of the water and of the Spirit!?
It begins not in an outward gesture – as an emotional reaction to a charismatic preacher. But it begins inside one’s own mind and heart.
Let’s turn to Romans the 12th chapter. The apostle Paul makes it abundantly clear here.
Verse 1 – “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2) And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
A blind person spiritually might want to see – but they cannot, unless or until they have been called by God and He has simply removed the covering from their eyes.
So, our Lord Jesus Christ actually prophesied that He would speak in parables and that it would endure –
Verse 11 – “ … ‘Until cities are devastated and without inhabitant, Houses are without people, And the land is utterly desolate.’”
Verse 12 – “’ The LORD has removed men far away, And the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land.’”
So, this is a prophecy of ‘a great tribulation’ and of the ‘day of the Lord.’ So, until utter destruction men will be blinded! This veil will not be lifted from their eyes until that time.
It is popular in many people to believe that in the end-time a mass of people will repent. And yet, let us see clearly what the likes of Revelation chapter 16 reveal –
Verse 21 – “ … Men blasphemed God because …”
Minister Michael C. Garrett wrote:
“They DON’T repent! The day of repentance has LONG ended at this point. The people of God HAS BEEN RESURRECTED. There is no repenting, there is only judgment! Justice! And the evil starts to be eradicated from the face of the Earth!”
11. Christ would be scorned, spurned, and rejected by the religious leaders of His day.
God’s living prophecies did not say that He would be accepted.
Turning to the 29th chapter of the Book of Isaiah shows us this –
Verse 13 – “Then the Lord said, ‘Because this people draw near with their words And honor Me with their lip service, But they remove their hearts far from Me, …’”
Now, the outside form is what you say – but as our Lord Jesus Christ says, “’ You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart’” – Matthew 12:34. Many people are hypocrites and know that they are lying even when they say it. There is an outward form that so many just put on. As I often say, so many of these so-called Christians would literally drown if they were outside in a monsoon rainstorm – because they have their nose so high in the air blown up with self-righteousness. Someone who has just an outward façade with smarmy sentimental righteousness.
“ … ‘And their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by [men].’”
Their religious endeavors, their religious liturgy, and all that they do.
Verse 14 – “’ Therefore behold, I will once again deal marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous; And the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, And their discernment of their discerning men shall be concealed.’”
Truly, it doesn’t matter if the person has a doctorate in Middle Eastern languages, or archeology and biblical history – or like what pseudo-religion and fake history author
Zecharia Sitchin claimed – that he was one of only a few able to read and interpret ancient Sumerian and Akkadian clay tablets. Because God the Father has called not the erudite, not the best educated in this world’s languages, religions, cultures, governments, and sociology – but He has called fairly straightforward people which the educated would call foolish – cf. 1st Corinthians 1:27.
Verse 15 – “’ Woe to those who deeply hide their plans from the LORD, And whose deeds are done in a dark place, And they say, ‘Who sees us?’ or ‘Who knows us?’”
Now, all people should know that the Eternal God can see in the dark. But a lot of people act as if He can’t.
Verse 16 – “’ You turn things around! Shall the potter be considered as equal with the clay, That what is made should say to its maker, ‘He did not make me’; Or what is formed say to him who formed it, ‘He has no understanding’?”
Now, just last night I was watching on the telly the program 24 Hours in A&E the 6th season, and there was a young man waiting to see a Consultant, and he was talking casually to his lady friend about the evolution of mankind – as if he knew it was factual and knew all about it!
Certainly, all one needs to do is look at the human brain – in which it’s just a big chunk of meat. And there are learned people in so many different academic institutions and many in religious organizations who spend their entire life studying – yet, in all their scholarly wisdom, they still don’t know why the brain is the way it is. One cannot learn of the different functions of the human body, or even about the islets of Langerhans, or the duodenum – and you can not read about the spleen and the liver and what they do and not be in awe! – joining King David in shouting, “’ I will give thanks to Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Thy works, And my soul knows it very well’” – Psalm 139:14. And there are so many such things as these which are a testimony against the evolution of mankind.
So, like many people, as like what the late Stephen Hawking hawked, who self-righteously stated, “Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing. Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist” 2 - they claim they know more than the Creator, being righteous in their own minds.
12. Christ would be a Shepherd who would be smitten, and His flock scattered.
The prophet Zechariah speaks of this – Zechariah chapter 13 –
Verse 7 – “” Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, And against the man, My Associate,’ Declares the LORD of hosts. ‘Strike the Shepherd that the sheep may be scattered; …’”
This certainly appears to have overtones of His Church – doesn’t it!? It certainly was fulfilled in the case of our Lord Jesus Christ – when He was arrested and all His disciples scattered and forsook Him.
“ … ‘And I will turn My hand against the little ones.’”
Now, this was quoted on the Mount of Olives, shortly before His arrest, our Lord Jesus applied this prophecy to what was to happen to Him and His disciples – Matthew chapter 26 –
Verse 31 – “ … ‘You will all fall away because of Me this night, for it is written, ‘I WILL STRIKE DOWN THE SHEPHERD, AND THE SHEEP OF THE FLOCK SHALL BE SCATTERED.’”
13. Christ would make a triumphant entry into Jerusalem.
The Messianic prophet Isaiah again prophesied in the Book of Isaiah chapter 62 –
Verse 11 – “Behold, the LORD has proclaimed to the end of the earth, Say to the daughters of Zion, ‘Lo, your salvation comes; Behold His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him.’”
Zechariah chapter 9 –
Verse 9 – “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
And, our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, when He told them to go and find that foal, had quoted this very prophecy.
Look at all the meticulous detail – and there are truly hundreds of inferences and shadowy types as well as direct prophecies about our Lord Jesus Christ and the things which He would do!
14. Christ would be betrayed by a friend, for a specific amount of money.
The Book of Zechariah chapter 11 –
Verse 10 – “And I took my staff, Favor, and cut it in pieces to break my covenant which I had made with all the peoples. 11) So it was broken on that day, and thus the afflicted of the flock who were watching me realized that it was the word of the LORD.”
Verse 12 – “And I said to them, ‘If it is good in your sight, give me my wages; but if not, never mind!’ So they weighed out THIRTY SHEKELS OF SILVER as my wages.”
Verse 13 – “Then the LORD said to me, ‘Throw it to the potter, that magnificent price at which I was valued them.’ So I took the THIRTY SHEKELS OF SILVER and threw them to the potter in the house of the LORD.”
So, it was taken to the potter's field and they bought there a plot of land. Now, here Judas Iscariot, unknowingly and unwittingly – he certainly wasn’t thinking of fulfilling this prophecy – asked for as much as he thought he could get – and it turned out to be exactly THIRTY PIECES OF SILVER. Fulfilling this very prophecy.
15. Christ would die beside criminals and 16. Christ would be buried by a rich man.
The prophet Isaiah also prophesied of this – the Book of Isaiah chapter 53 –
Verse 8 – “By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for the generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the living, For the transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due?”
Verse 9 – “His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, …”
And, as we are aware, the wicked died and a rich man, Joseph of Arimathea, made available his own newly-dug tomb.
“ … Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.”
17. Christ would be given a bitter nasty drink consisting of vinegar and gall.
Turning to the Book of Psalm chapter 69 –
Verse 21 – “They also gave me gall for my food, And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.”
Gall consists of contents of a gallbladder - the bile secreted in the liver. And if you are extremely thirsty that is the last thing you want to put into your mouth. They mixed these two together, put it on a sponge, and tried to get Him to take it into His mouth.
18. They would cast lots over His clothing.
We see this in the Book of Psalm chapter 22 –
Verse 18 – “They divide my garments among them, And for my clothing they cast lots.”
Now, how could He have arranged that!? – when He is being murdered upon a cross!?
19. Not a bone in His body would be broken.
Staying here in the Book of Psalm, this time turning to chapter 34 –
Verse 19 – “Many are the afflictions of the righteous; But the LORD delivers him out of them all. 20) He keeps all his bones; Not one of them is broken.”
Indeed, our Lord Jesus Christ could have – and most likely did – refer to the very fact – how the sacrifices of God were to be delivered whole and never were the bones to be broken.
20. They would pierce His hands and His feet.
We see this still in the Book of Psalm chapter 22 –
Verse 16 – “For dogs have surrounded me; A band of evildoers has encompassed me; They pierced my hands and my feet.”
Now, it’s interesting to note – yet has no bearing on salvation – is that the Greek word for hands is cheir, which also could mean “area or portion of the hand.” The Wycliffe Bible Dictionary writes of this, “The executioner would take a square spike about a third of an inch thick at its head and drive it with a single blow between the carpal or wrist bones at the heel of the victim’s hand (not through the palm).” 3 So, it appears that the nails were driven through the wrists rather than the palm of the hands, since “the smaller bones of the hand could not support the weight of the body.” 4
Now, of course, our Lord Jesus Christ could not have arranged this.
And can you imagine what was in the mind of these disciples of His, when He revealed to them a rather obscure verse – they believed it meant King David – and here our Lord Jesus Christ quoting these very Scriptures which we are going through now. “Explained to them the things concerning Himself”!? ‘This is all prophecy concerning My Messiahship.’
21. They would scourge Him to the very point that His ribs would be visible.
Again, the Book of Psalm chapter 22 –
Verse 17 – “I can count all my bones. They look, they stare at me.”
And, even His dying words were prophesied. Psalm chapter 22 –
Verse 1 – “My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me? Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning.”
Our Lord Jesus Christ faked NOTHING! In His misery and unbearable pain, He probably would not have been able to think straight – it has been well studied and documented that extreme pain can cause a person to have very poor concentration, and communication. 5 This crying out to Father God was certainly involuntary, from His heart – and yet, because God Almighty has all wisdom and knowledge, who ‘declares the end from the beginning,’ and also the very fact that our Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth was in extremis and at the very last moment He experienced something that He didn’t see coming – for on that cross our Savior Jesus Christ in the Spirit could literally see the throne of His Father and the fact that there were angels around Him – suddenly feeling the last of His strength leave Him. And He sees – as it were – God the Father turn His back upon Him.
“And about the ninth hour [now, that would be three o’ clock] Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “’ ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHITHANI?’ that is, ‘MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAST THOU FORSAKEN ME?’” – Matthew 27:46.
In the Book of 1st John, the apostle Paul says –
“And He HIMSELF is the propitiation for our sins; …” – 1 John 2:2.
And he also says in the Book of Hebrews –
“but HE, having offered one sacrifice for sins for ALL TIME, SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD” – Hebrews 10:12.
He did this ALONE!
And, even His very last words He spoke were prophesied, in which He says –
“ … ‘Father, INTO THY HANDS I COMMIT MY SPIRIT.’ And having said this, He breathed His last” – Luke 23:46.
It’s in the Book of Psalm chapter 31 –
Verse 5 – “Into Thy hand I commit my spirit; Thou hast ransomed me, O LORD, God of truth.”
So, if we review these many prophecies – and there are a great many more – and had you no New Testament to refer to, and if you had no idea of what the apostle Matthew had written which the Lord Jesus Christ spoke, “’ How then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen this way?’ … But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets may be fulfilled’” you would NEVER know that that is what it meant.
Here is an example – the Book of Acts chapter 1 again –
So, here they are gathered together just before the Day of Pentecost 31 AD – as I said at the beginning, forty is a time of trial and testing.
So, back to the main thrust of this message today - “ … by MANY CONVINCING PROOFS, appearing to them over A PERIOD OF FORTY DAYS, and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.”
And this kingdom, which our Lord Jesus Christ said over and over, is going to reign on this earth! He was not talking about ‘going off to heaven,’ or ‘playing harps in heaven,’ or any of that – He was speaking about all the things which desperately need to be changed on this earth. As the apostle Jude quoted from the prophet Enoch – one of the first known Messianic prophesies – “Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, ‘Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him” – Jude 14-15, NKJV.
Verse 4 – “And gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, ‘Which,’ He said, ‘you heard of from Me’ 5) for John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.’”
Verse 6 – And so when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, ‘Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?’”
There is certainly a great message contained within this passage. Notice that they DID NOT ask, ‘When are we going to heaven!?,’ ‘When are we to be raptured!?’ So, you have to ask the question – why would they ask that question!? And right at the resurrection of Jesus Christ they’re asking this question about a coming kingdom – And I believe that they saw in those writings, and believed for sure, that it was going to be right then – at that very time. Jesus even answered Pontius Pilate, “’ My kingdom is not of this world. … You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world’” – John 18:36, 37, NKJV. And over in Matthew, it is recorded Jesus saying, “’ do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?’” – Matthew 26:52, NKJV.
But it is not for this age.
Now, they had read many of these ancient documents – like the first five books of Moses and the prophets – they knew that it was an earthly kingdom, they knew that Israel would be regathered, they knew that the ten tribes were going to be regathered, they knew that Israel and Judah would become one stick in His hand – cf. Ezekiel 37:15-28 – they knew exactly what the prophet Isaiah says in chapters 11 and 14 – that there would be an earthly kingdom and that they would be sitting in a cabinet-level official position as members of His government – cf. Luke 22:24.
Verse 7 – “He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority.’”
Verse 8 – “’ but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, …’” – pointing out the fact that the gospel was also to go to Gentiles. “ … ‘and even to the remotest part of the earth.’”
And, after He had spoken these words, they had actually seen Him being taken up – 2,000 feet, and by 5,000 feet He would have been nearly invisible – and rising even higher into the atmosphere the clouds obscuring their vision, and He was gone.
And they were just standing there peering into the sky when suddenly two men appeared in white clothing, where there had not been any men, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will COME IN JUST THE SAME WAY …”
And, the Protestants do not believe it!
Did He go to heaven secretly!? No!
And, getting to the crux of a real tester here –
Verse 12 – THEN they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, … 13) And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying; … 15) And at this time Peter stood up in the midst of the brethren (a gathering of about one hundred and twenty persons was there together) and said, …”
Now, could you have ever truly understood this!?
Verse 16 – “’ Brethren, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, …’”
And who do you suppose told him about this!? And who do you suppose expounded and explained this Scripture as He had explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures!?
“ … ‘which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus.”
Verse 17 – “For he was counted among us, and received his portion in this ministry.’”
Verse 18 – “(Now this man acquired a field with the price …” – referring to the THIRTY PIECES OF SILVER – “…of his wickedness; and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out.”
Verse 19 – “And it became known to all who were living in Jerusalem; so that in their own language that field was called Hakeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)”
And in verse 20 – “’ For it is written in the Book of Psalms, ‘LET HIS HOMESTEAD BE MADE DESOLATE, AND LET NO MAN DWELL IN IT’ …’”
So, turning to the Book of Psalm chapter 69 – to this very prophecy – see if you would have been able to take this very obscure verse, even if you had a whole group of people with lots of time to figure it out.
Verse 25 – “May their camp be desolate; May none dwell in their tents.”
So, how would you ever truly understand that verse 25 should actually be quoted, ‘LET HIS HOMESTEAD BE MADE DESOLATE, AND LET NO MAN DWELL IN IT’!? How would you have ever known that – unless it was under the inspiration of God’s Spirit, and unless Jesus Christ Himself had shown you that there is a hidden meaning there!? So, it is not only King David who is the subject of Psalm 69, but also our Lord Jesus Christ – i.e. verse 21.
O’ brethren, come and see, even King David had written, “Even my close friend, whom I trusted, Who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me.” So, there certainly is a duality – King David and his enemies and our Lord Jesus Christ and His enemies.
So there were so many Scriptures that bore upon the ministry, the life, the death, the burial, the resurrection, the message – the gospel which He would preach – of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. And they are all in the Old Testament – the only Bible the apostles ever knew. □
Bibliography:
1) O’Donovan, J., LL.D., M.R.I.A., Annals: The Kingdom of Ireland, By The Four Masters, V. I, Hodges, Smith, and Co., Grafton. Street, 1856, pp. 31. pdf. Retrieved 29 Nov. 2021. 2) Hawking, S., and Mlodinow, L., The Grand Design, Bantam Books, NY., © 2010, pp. 143. 3) Pfeiffer, C.F., Vos, H.F., Rea, J., Wycliffe Bible Dictionary, Hendrickson Publishers, Nov. 1999, pp. 405.
4) Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Brand, C., and Mitchell, E.A., B&H Publishing Group, © 2015, pp. 369.
