LIBERTY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
Biblical Worldview Essay
Submitted to Dr. Talley,
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of
THEO 201
Theological Survey I
by
18 January 2019
1Throughout the Old Testament, there are many prophecies made about future historical
events, end times, or proclamations the living God made. Included among these prophecies is the
subject of a coming Messiah. Jesus is the Messiah prophesied about in Isaiah and throughout the
Jewish texts known to most as the Old Testament and has been God's promise since the
beginning.
When Eve & Adam disobeyed God, the Creator of all things, in the peaceful Garden of
Eden, sin entered our world. From then one, mankind required a sacrifice of some sort in order to
right themselves with God, who is all-loving and all-caring. Throughout Old Testament/Jewish
times, if one sinned, one would have to sacrifice a certain animal according to the Mosaic law
outlined in Leviticus and elsewhere. However, from the fall of man, God spoke a decree of
someone to come that would “strike your head and you will strike his heel” in Genesis 3:15. This
is God speaking to the serpent that tempted Adam & Eve and is thought to be speaking about
Jesus crushing Satan’s head. According to Don Stewart, the “seed of the woman” ultimately talks
about Jesus Christ, as He comes from Eve’s seed. Therefore, Genesis 3:15 is the first prophecy of
a coming Redeemer, and one among hundreds of so-called “Christophanies,” or images of
Christ, found throughout the entire Old Testament. “It is the beginning of a long line of
prophecies concerning the coming Messiah.”2 In the Old Testament, prophecies are given to
various prophets relating to where the Messiah will be born, from whose line He will come from,
how He will die, and that He will rise again. According to Dr. Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., there are 574
verses in the Old Testament that have reference to the Messiah.
In Micah 5:2, a prophecy is made that “one will come from you [Bethlehem] to be ruler
over Israel for me.” It goes on to say that His origin is from ancient times. This prophecy is
1 Paper in Turabian formant.
2 Don Stewart, Blue Letter Bible
fulfilled in Matthew 2:1-6 and elsewhere, when Mary bore a son named Immanuel in the city of
David- Bethlehem. The Old Testament foretells that the Messiah will be called the Son of God,
as outlined in Psalm 2:1-12, which is fulfilled in numerous New Testament Scriptures such as
Mark 1:11 and Hebrews 5:5. However, it was not only prophesied that the Messiah would be
called the Son of God, but also the Son of Man. In Daniel 7:13-14, Daniel had a vision of “one
like a son of man…” who was escorted before the Ancient of Days, and was given a kingdom
and dominion, confirming the Messiah would be a man as well as God, who alone can have
complete dominion and glory. Jesus is called the son of man throughout the four Gospels and
beyond. God being prophesied in the Old Testament as both Son of God and Son of Man, and
those both being fulfilled in the New Testament, show the unified nature of Christ.
Prophecies tell in detail how the Messiah would come, which was fulfilled by Jesus
coming to Earth as fully God and fully man. Isaiah 7:14 said Messiah will be born of a virgin,
which is realized in Matthew 1:33. John the Baptist, the one ahead of Christ, was foretold in
Isaiah 40:3. One of the most well-known sections of Messianic prophecy is found in Isaiah 53.
This prophecy says that Messiah “was pierced because of our rebellion…” and that He did not
even open His mouth, and the LORD was “please to crush him severely.” The entirety of Isaiah
53 comes into fruition throughout the whole of Jesus’ trial, crucifixion, and death on a cross.
Even in the beginning of this passage, the oneness of Christ can be seen in that it mentions Him
not being pleasant to look at by humans, and being rejected by man, yet had the power to take on
all of mankind’s sin and face God’s wrath.3 All of these prophecies prove that Jesus is the
fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies of a coming Messiah. The chances of a man just
happening to accomplish and complete all of these prophecies without truly being Messiah has
been described as filling the state of Texas a few feet with coins, and only one of those coins is
3 Dr. Kaiser, Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary
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the proper person who is able and has fulfilled all of the predictions, foretelling, and
foreshadowing.
` The doctrine of Jesus Christ being fully God and completely human is seen throughout
the continuity of the Old Testament Scriptures that are confirmed by New Testament Scriptures
and witnesses. From God creating the universe and man’s existence in “Our image,” to the first
disobedience of man to an all-powerful God, thus making a redeemer necessary to appease God,
Jesus fulfilled all that the prophets, major and minor, of the Old Testament, which are accepted
Jewish writings, Jesus’ oneness is visible. God has always had a plan to save His people, and
Jesus’ action of dying on the cross to take away the sins of the world is in effect today and for the
remainder of history. God’s desire is for everyone to fall in love with Him, as He has first
immensely loved us and given up His life for us.
Bibliography
Kaiser, Dr. Walter C., Jr. “Jesus in the Old Testament.” Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary.
Accessed January 14, 2019. https://www.gordonconwell.edu/resources/Jesus-in-the-Old-
Testament.cfm
Stewart, Don. "What Does Genesis 3:15 Mean?" Blue Letter Bible. Accessed January 14, 2019.
https://www.blueletterbible.org/faq/don_stewart/don_stewart_756.cfm.
"Top 40 Most Helpful Messianic Prophecies • Jews for Jesus." Jews for Jesus. January 04, 2019.
Accessed January 14, 2019. https://jewsforjesus.org/answers/top-40-most-helpful-messianic-
prophecies/.
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