Prophecies Fulfilled

As the prophecies about Jesus progress through the Old Testament they shift from one series of lessons to the next in a sequence to lead any believer into a deeper understanding of God’s plan of salvation.

This book belongs in the hands of every Christian. This is the first in a series of books covering the prophecies fulfilled by Jesus, that will be released as soon as they are written. The condition of the world at this time dictates the urgency of this message. I planned on writing a book about the prophecies Jesus fulfilled for a long time. As I was reading through the Bible, I asked myself a question when I finished John’s Gospels. I asked why Jesus’ disciples had such a difficult time understanding most of the scriptures Jesus shared with them. As a matter of fact, Jesus brought up the purpose of His ministry a number of times. Each time Jesus began teaching about the prophecies written about Himself, prophecies He was fulfilling before their eyes and others He was about to fulfill, His disciples changed the subject. Each time Jesus’ disciples preferred to discuss which one was the greatest among them. Having learned to look deeper into subjects the Bible repeats, I had no choice but to ask myself; why is this particular subject repeated so many times? Why is it one of a handful of stories found in each of the four Gospels? What is the spiritual meaning?

Taking the twelve disciples aside, Jesus said, “Listen, we’re going up to Jerusalem, where all the predictions of the prophets concerning the Son of Man will come true. He will be handed over to the Romans, and he will be mocked, treated shamefully, and spit upon. They will flog him with a whip and kill him, but on the third day he will rise again.” But they didn’t understand any of this. The significance of his words was hidden from them, and they failed to grasp what he was talking about. (Luke 18:31-34 NLTse).

This could be one of the most obvious prophecies almost everyone seems to have missed. Look at the way Luke phrased the situation. “But they didn’t understand any of this. The significance of his words was hidden from them, and they failed to grasp what he was talking about.” It sounds as if Luke is describing today’s religious leaders. Go ahead, search the Internet. You will not find another book like this. No one cares about what Jesus endured, how He suffered, what He sacrificed, the life He led, or the prophecies He fulfilled. While every Christian religion is sparring with the rest of the world over doctrine and future prophecies, they are ignoring the majority of the Bible that deals with the life and ministry of Jesus. I can’t imagine how people ignore the majority of the Bible and still claim to represent God.

As I progressed through the New Testament, I searched for any sign explaining the message Jesus gave His disciples to preach. I highlighted every text from Acts to Revelation having anything to do with the message Jesus gave His disciples to preach. When I collected the texts, I found there are over 200 texts referring to the prophecies Jesus fulfilled. Jesus’ message was easy to find. Luke records Jesus’ message near the end of his Gospel. “Then Jesus said to them, “You foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures. Wasn’t it clearly predicted that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his glory?” Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” (Luke 24:25-27 NLTse).

The first subject Jesus taught after His resurrection focused on prophecies revealing His death and resurrection. The first subject Peter preached after Pentecost included scripture pointing to Jesus and His ministry. This was also the last subject Stephen preached. When scales fell from Paul’s eyes, he went out and preached about a number of prophecies that suddenly became clear. Paul quoted dozens, maybe hundreds of scripture about Jesus. Paul taught other disciples how to preach about Jesus and His ministry in his letters.

I considered all the facts. Jesus called them fools because either they couldn’t or refused to see the message in the scriptures. Every time Jesus tried teaching this subject, His disciples changed the subject to which one of them was greatest. The facts are obvious. Pointing to the future, the Bible shows us the condition of the world near the end of time. And it is true. It seems everyone forgot the message Jesus commanded His disciples to preach to the world. Instead they argue about who knows the most about future prophecy, doctrine, or traditions, just like religious leaders in Jesus’ time.

As I began writing the first book about the Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus, I was surprised to see a number of specific sequences locked away in the pages of the Bible. The first few prophecies seem to be simple, but each offers a different challenge when I proceeded to locate parallel texts in the New Testament. I could easily see the Bible also recorded a series of important Bible study rules and lessons which revealed a number of spiritual symbols pointing to the Messiah. Following these lessons is a series of prophecies explaining the role of the priests and Levites. After a number of prophecies explaining how Levites were supposed to represent the Messiah, the Bible moves to a new series showing how those religious leaders were actually going to treat Jesus. The final series in the first book of this series is found at the end of Deuteronomy where Moses is preparing Israel to cross into the promised land. See the parallel between preparation to enter the promised land and final days in this world? This series of prophecies not only pointed to mistakes religious leaders made in Jesus’ day, they clearly point to the last days. It became obvious, Jesus’ message will be largely ignored in the closing moments of this world.

I searched the Bible looking for a command from Jesus, or anywhere showing we are supposed to teach future prophecies. I couldn’t find one. Does such a command exist? Then why do Christians spend millions on TV shows, books, seminars, pamphlets, and other material centered on future prophecies? The question is, are these people spending millions of dollars, or making money on future prophecies? Its evident the subject of future prophecies is directly responsible for divisions between Christian denominations. This is another true fact. Paul refers to the prophecies Jesus fulfilled as the message of unity. I can’t help but see another parallel between churches making millions selling material on future prophecies and the religious leaders who made a living misrepresenting the sacrificial system.

Can we really blame those religious leaders for preaching the wrong message? Maybe they don’t know any better. The question is, where do they get the messages they preach? What misled so many religious leaders today? How could they forget what Jesus endured before He was ready to sacrifice His life? Why do religious leaders have such little concern for Jesus’ ministry today? How do we correct the situation we find ourselves in today? Maybe its time to get back to basics. No one can argue with facts clearly spelled out in the Bible. No one can argue about the prophecies Jesus fulfilled. It is the only message able to reunite Christians all over the world. It is also the only message designed to bring every believer into a closer relationship with Christ.

This book on Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus includes lessons teaching basic study methods. Scripture has been highlighted in colors showing repeated words and terms the original author used to call attention to key words and thoughts. This book also teaches concepts on context, showing how to use the consistent structure of Bible chapters and books which determine proper context. Using a narrative form of writing, combined with supporting texts, created the perfect atmosphere for every reader to learn basic Bible study fundamentals while enjoying a story explaining the spiritual meaning of many of the prophecies Jesus fulfilled during His ministry.

This series of books will help every reader willing to put in the time to learn basic Bible study concepts, allowing them to study scripture alone with God’s Spirit. Stories are designed to show how easy it is to put lessons in a form easy to remember and share.

Three of the main goals of this series:

• Equip every reader with skills to effectively study God’s Word on their own, giving them the ability to learn the spiritual meaning of any scripture.
• Develop a closer, more personal relationship with God’s Spirit.
• Be an effective disciple for Jesus by learning how to share prophecies He fulfilled, teach others how to study, and learn from Jesus first hand.

Prophecies Fulfilled

Introduction

Chapter 1

Genesis 3:15 Strike His Heal

Genesis 3:21 Skins

Genesis 6:14 Pitch

Chapter 2

Leviticus 1:4 Put His Hands Upon the Atonement

Leviticus 2:11 Without Leaven

Leviticus 8:23-24 Blood on Aaron’s Right Ear, Thumb, and Toe

Leviticus 16:15-17 Enter The Holy Place Once a Year

Chapter 3

Leviticus 17:10-11 Blood is the Life

Leviticus 19:9-19 You Shall Not and The Connection With Jesus

Leviticus 20:10 Adultery

Chapter 4

Leviticus 22:11 If the Priest Buys Any Soul He Shall Eat Of It

Leviticus 22:19 An Offering Without Blemish

Leviticus 25:39-43 A Slave

Leviticus 26:44-45 I Will Not Cancel My Covenant

Chapter 5

Numbers 9:12 Must Not Break Any of Its Bones

Numbers 11:4-6 All We Ever See Is Manna

Numbers 13:23 Grapes and a Staff

Numbers 14:8 Milk and Honey

Chapter 6

Numbers 20:7-11 Moses Strikes The Rock

Numbers 21:8-9 Serpent On A Pole

Numbers 24:2-9 Balaam Looks Out Over Israel

Numbers 24:15-19 Star from Jacob

Numbers 35:30 More Than One Witness

Chapter 7

Deuteronomy 6:5 Love The Lord

Deuteronomy 8:3 Not By Bread Alone

Deuteronomy 8:15 The Rock

Deuteronomy 10:16-19 Widows

Chapter 8

Deuteronomy 11:18-22 Teach Them To Your Children

Deuteronomy 14:27-29 Do Not Neglect

Deuteronomy 15:11 Always Be Poor

Deuteronomy 15:16-17 Blood On The Doorpost

Deuteronomy 15:21-23 No Defect

Chapter 9

Deuteronomy 16:1-6 The Passover

Deuteronomy 17:6 Testimony of Two Or Three Witnesses

Deuteronomy 18:1-2 Levites Will Receive No Land

Deuteronomy 18:15-19 Raise Up A Prophet

Deuteronomy 21:22-23 Hanging From a Tree

Chapter 10

Deuteronomy 22:9-11 You Must Not

Deuteronomy 22:22 Adultery

Deuteronomy 29:29 The Secret Things Belong Unto the LORD Our God

Deuteronomy 30:1-6 Gather His People

Chapter 11

Deuteronomy 30:11-20 Choose Life

Deuteronomy 32:15-18 The Rock