The Amazing Word from the Holy Spirit concerning the Coming Messiah
by Samson Hutagalung
In John 1:3 we are told that, “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” This verse teaches that Jesus Christ was with God the Father before the creation. And in the time of creation Jesus Christ was with the Father to create all things. He is the second person of the Triune God. The promise of the Lord seen in the prophetic history is to be fulfilled that this second person of the Triune God, the Messiah will be revealed to mankind. He will take the form of man in order to save sinners from their sins.
All prophetic history down from Adam and Eve showed that the Messiah was on veil and it was not so clear yet, but through the progressive revelation it showed a clear meaning and significant. Thousands years later God called Abraham, one man, through whom he would bring blessings to all nations of the earth. In the book of Genesis, we are told that it was not because how righteous Abraham was for he was just like us, sinners saved by grace but the Lord chose him through whom the seed of the woman would come.
When Jacob was in Egypt, he said to his twelve sons just before his death that Judah was the one through whose line the Messiah will come which is also called “Shiloh” ‘the one who is right it is,’ ‘to whom the kingship belongs’ as in the light of Ezekiel 21:25-27. The Messiah would not only be born of the woman but to be the descendant of the Abraham by the eliminating Ishmael, and Esau narrowed down to Jacob and also narrowed down to
Judah.
In the time of Moses, four hundreds years after Joseph died, Israelites were in desperation, and persecuted in
Egypt. They cried out to the Lord and He sent Moses to be the deliverer for the children of
Israel. When we read this account we notice that Moses was the most reluctant leader that ever known and yet in Numbers 12 tells us that Moses was the most meek man. He was the only man that ever said in the Bible in that way. On the other hand the Lord Jesus Christ also said the same thing that He Himself “is meek, and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:29). However though Moses was chosen as the deliverer for the Israelites Moses was not allowed to enter the Promised Land because of one act of disbelief and disobedience.
The Prophecy of the Coming King
Just before Moses died, the amazing word came from the Holy Spirit with regard to the coming Messiah, Christ. This word was given through Balaam the false prophet. This was occurred when the king of Moabites, Balak hired Balaam to curse the Israelites. Balaam did everything he could but the Spirit of God overpowered him and out of his mouth came a prophecy about
Israel. Balak who hired Balaam would fell so desperate because what Balaam said was contradicted to what Balak wished.
Numbers 22-24 are the count of what the false prophet Balaam was doing and prophesying. At the same time these passages tells us something about the inspiration of the Bible namely that God did not choose the people to write His word on the basis of their brilliance, faithfulness, spirituality, dedication, dependability because every human writer was a sinful man. Here in this account, one of the unbelievers even prophesied concerning the coming King of
Israel. Balaam said by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in Numbers 23:21, “He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in
Israel: the Lord his God is with him, and the shout of a king is among them.”
It is the matter of fact that the Israelites were full in iniquity, and perverseness. For example when Moses asked twelve of the people of
Israel to spy the condition of the
Canaan in those days there were only two people who were bravely side for the truth namely Joshua and Caleb (Numbers 13-14). These only two people who had been in
Egypt, in wilderness and crossed the
river of
Jordan to enter the promised land.
However God looked upon
Israel as the chosen people and in God’s side they were perfect. There is no contradiction here just like in the New Testament said, “in Christ you are perfect.” We are already crucified with Him and raised up with Him and all these are judicial but not actual experience. Our actual are sinners and continues sinning, but in the mind of God we are already perfect and glorified because God can see the future as well as in the present. God can deal with us in the light of the future. Therefore the Lord can also say to
Israel, though they are rebellions and full of iniquity, but “I do not see any trouble in them and they are my chosen people.” This does not mean that every Israelite is born again, but He was talking about the nation, as his chosen people. Numbers 3:21 clearly gives us the key that despite of the disobedience, iniquity of
Israel, the Lord “is with him, and the shout of a king is among them.” The King will come from
Judah as Balaam saw that He would come for the nation of
Israel.
Furthermore in Numbers 24, as king Balak was being threatened by the false prophet, Balaam said this word in Numbers 24:17-19 saying, “I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth. And
Edom shall be a possession, Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies; and
Israel shall do valiantly. Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remaineth of the city.” This is to say that though it is still in the future, “there shall come a Star out of Jacob.” It is amazing that God gave such great prophecy to Balaam, the wicked man. The prophecy that is found in this passage was the thing that the Lord had said to Jacob hundreds of Years before. This will be much fulfilled in the Lord Jesus as the King of universe, the King of Israel as mentioned in the Philippians 2:10-11, “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” This will be fulfilled in the time of Millennial. Every Gentile nation will acknowledge the Lord Jesus Christ as the king of
Israel, and the Lord of eternity.
The Prophecy of the Final Prophet
Moses was different from all other prophets as the Bible says. God did not speak to him through dreams and vision like to other prophets but the Lord spoke to him face to face (Numbers 12:6-8). However this does not mean Moses actually saw the physical face of the Lord because the Lord does not have any body. Moses saw the theophany form of God in which the Lord actually talked to Moses (ref. Exodus 19:19-25). The Lord had given Moses many of His revelations.
One of the revelations of God given to Moses just before he died was concerning the final Prophet that would come. This amazing Word came to him by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in Deuteronomy 18:15, “The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken.” In Deuteronomy 18:18-19 further said, “I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.” There is no doubt that a Prophet that mentioned here was referring to the final Prophet namely Jesus Christ and not the rests of prophets that came after Moses.
To contrast the final Prophet as Moses had said in verses 15, 18-19, he further described the details of being the true and false prophet. This account was recorded in Deuteronomy 18:20-22, “But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken? When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.”
In the New Testament Peter made it clear that ‘a Prophet’ mentioned by Moses in Deuteronomy 18:15 was referring to the Lord Jesus Christ. As Peter quoted this verse in his preaching in Acts 3:22-23 saying, “For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that Prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.” It was “in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth” Peter asked the cripple man to “rise up and walk” (Acts 3:6). Though the Old Testament prophets also spoke with authority but Jesus Christ is the final Prophet, the Prophet of all prophets. Thus Deuteronomy 18:15 is the messianic prophecy that is fulfilled in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Prophecy of the Faithful Priest
Having seen the prophecy of the coming King and of the final Prophet, another character and function of the Lord Jesus Christ prophesied in the Old Testament that He is the faithful Priest. Jesus Christ was prophesied, as the faithful Priest as to contrast the failure of the sons of Eli as priests serving in the Tabernacle. The context of 1 Samuel 2:12-36 tells us how the Lord visited Eli, the high priest concerning the wickedness of his sons. The Lord said to Eli, “Behold the days come, that I will cut off thine arm, and the arm of thy father’s house, that there shall not be an old man in thine house” (1 Samuel 2:31). However the climax of this passage that the Lord has said is that there will be a faithful priest that dwells in the house of the Lord without failure.
The prophecy that is found in 1 Samuel 2:35 tells us about the faithful priest that is going to come. The Lord says, “And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in mine heart and in my mind: and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine anointed for ever.” The question is asked, who is this faithful priest that will rise up in this world?
In order to understand who is this faithful priest, it is important to know the history from which the faithful priest will come. A hundred years after God spoke His Word to Eli, there was a king of
Israel by the name of king David. David was faithful to the Lord and the Lord had prospered him and his kingdom. However almost the end of his life, some of his friends and his son denied and betrayed him. But there was a faithful priest to king David by the name of Zadok. In this junction we need to understand that Zadok was the son of Eleazar, the third son of Aaron. On the other hand Eli was not from the line of Eleazar but from the line of Ithamar the fourth son of Aaron (Exodus 28:1). Because of the faithfulness of the high priest Zadok to David the king, the Lord had said that in the millennial kingdom,
Israel will be re-established as mentioned in Romans 11. During the millennial kingdom there will be a king by the name of Jesus Christ, the Messiah and He will function in the millennial temple as the High Priest and the sons of Zadok will be priests who will minister in the millennial temple. Ezekiel 40:46 says, “And the chamber whose prospect is toward the north is for the priests, the keepers of the charge of the altar: these are the sons of Zadok among the sons of Levi, which come near to the LORD to minister unto him.” Ezekiel 43:19, “And thou shalt give to the priests the Levites that be of the seed of Zadok, which approach unto me, to minister unto me, saith the Lord GOD, a young bullock for a sin offering.” Ezekiel 44:15, “But the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok, that kept the charge of my sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from me, they shall come near to me to minister unto me, and they shall stand before me to offer unto me the fat and the blood, saith the Lord GOD.” Based on these verses the sons of Zadok will function in the millennial temple worship system and the Lord Jesus Christ, the King will be at the same time as the High Priest.
One may ask a question, how can an animal sacrifice be in the alter and ministered by the Jews priests again, when the book of Hebrews says that all the elements of the temple are finished and they can not take away sins? The answer is that the book of Hebrew was written to the Christian Jews and not to Jews specifically, but to Christians who happened to be Jews. In the Old Testament the blood of goat and lamb was established by God not to take away sins but to cover sins from the time of Adam onward as a symbol of ultimately what God would do to Christ. Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God that will take away our sins. Thus in the coming kingdom,
Israel will function again under the Lord because Christian cannot Christianise the Jews neither the Jews can Judaisize the Christians. Let us not Christianise true
Israel, for
Israel has special function in the millennial temple. What the Jews will do in the millennial kingdom it will be the same as what we are doing on the Holy Communion. We are not offering again the blood of Jesus Christ or crucifying Him but it was just a remembrance. We are symbolising what the Lord Jesus has done. Jesus has commanded us to do it again and again until He returns. In the same way the Jews will be offering sacrifices in the millennial temple to remember what the Lord Jesus has done for them. This is their distinction from Christians in the millennial and what they will be doing is to symbolise what the Lord has done on the cross.
Therefore when the Lord said to Samuel, “I will arise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in mine heart and in my mind:.... and he shall walk before mine anointed forever”(1 Samuel 2:35), it will be fulfilled in the millennial kingdom. Jesus Christ will be the High Priest there, not from Aaron, nor Zadok but He will be from Melchizedek line as mentioned the details in Ezekiel 40-48. Thus the Zadokian priests will be under the Michizedekian High Priest in the coming kingdom.
In relation to what we have seen in the discussion above, now we shall see further the promise of God concerning the
temple of
God that the Lord will build. In 2 Samuel 7:12-13 we read, “And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.” Based on these two verses, one may consider that it is talking about the Solomon’s kingdom but the last phrase in verse 13 says, “I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever,” gives the clue that it cannot be referring to Solomon’s kingdom. The question is to whom is this prophecy referring to? It is only referring to the Lord Jesus Christ because the Lord will build His temple in the millennial forever. This is not referring to Solomon’s temple because Salomon’s kingdom did not last forever.
The Messianic Prophecy concerning His First Coming
According to the Book of Jeremiah
In Jeremiah 22:30 the curse was given by the Lord to the line of Solomon when the Lord said, “Thus saith the Lord, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in
Judah.” This curse was pronounced by God to the king of Judah, Jehoiachin the son of Jehoiakim, the son of Rehoboam, the son of Solomon. Although this line is the Royal line in which the coming King can come from this line but the Lord has cursed it. When the Lord says that the Messiah will sit on the throne of David, He did not contradict God’s curse on Jehoiakim because Jesus was not born to Joseph, but to Mary.
The study of this passage in the light of the New Testament Scripture (Matthew 1:1-17 and Luke 3:23-38) proves that Mary was not from the line of Solomon. In Luke 3:23 the father in law of Joseph was Heli, the actual father of Mary. Thus Mary’s genealogy goes back to Nathan the son of David. Nathan was not under the curse. Therefore Jesus was born of the house of David but from the different line which was not from the cursed line. Jesus receives the kingship by being adopted by the man who inherits in that line but he did not give him the curse. A virgin born King who missed the curse but have the correct lineage back to David.
According to the Book of Psalm
Psalms 2:6-9
"Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.”
The prophecies in the book of Psalm are most of them written by David. In Psalm 2:7-9 David gave the Messianic prophecy by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. In verse 6 we are told that the coming King will be set upon the holy hill of Zion. When Jesus Christ returns to this earth, the millennial kingdom will begin and Jesus will reign over the world.
In verse 7 we read, “Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.” What does it mean when God the Father said “this day I have begotten thee”? This is definitely not relating to the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ because he was not begotten. However it is related to his resurrection from the death as Paul said in Romans 1:4, “And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.”
Psalms 72:8-11
"He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth. They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust. The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of
Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him.”
In this passage, we can see the clearest proclamation of the coming King of kings that will reign the world. In the Millennial age, all nations shall serve the Lord Jesus and worship. Psalm 72:17 is another precious passage that tells us about the Lord Jesus Christ as says, “His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed.” The same expression also is given by the prophet Zechariah in Zechariah 9:10, “And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth.” All these verses tell us that unto Him (Jesus Christ) all the nations in this earth will bow and offer their submission and total obedience when he speaks peace to the nations. When Jesus returns to this earth there will be peace and harmony in the nations of the earth. Only Jesus Christ can bring peace to us who are in trouble in sinful demonic world.
Psalms 110:1
"The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.”
This verse tells us about the God the father and the Son Jesus Christ. And this verse can be rephrased in this way: the Lord (God the Father) said unto my Lord (God the Son). This was given by David through the help of the Holy Spirit a thousand years before Jesus was born. In fact it is so wonderful how the Lord Jesus Christ quoted this verse to tempt and rebuke the Pharisees. We read in Matthew 22:44-45, “The Lord said unto My Lord, Sit thou on My right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?” Having said this to them, in Matthew 22:46 tells us, “And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.” However the real answer to the question that Jesus gave to the Pharisees was because Jesus has two natures. He is the Son of David physically, genetically through Mary but He is the Son of God by the virtue of his divine nature. All these have already been given to the Jews in the Old Testament Scriptures a thousand years before Christ’s first coming.
It is important to notice that not only Jesus Christ quoted this verse when He was on this earth but even the apostle has quoted the same verse to prove that Jesus Christ is the Son of David and also the Son of God. Peter in his sermon at the day of Pentecost said in Acts 2:34-36, “For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, the Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, Until I make thy foes thy footstool. Therefore let all the house of
Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.” When the people heard this message the people were crying out saying, “what shll we do?” (Acts 2:37). The people who were gathered there knew that they will be the ones, the enemies and be crushed when Jesus Christ comes back. Thus everyone was present in that day expected Jesus’ coming. They expected that Jesus Christ will return and establish his kingdom on earth (ref. Acts 1:7). “Then Peter said unto them, Repent and be baptised every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38). And three thousands people believed in that day (Acts 2:41).
Psalms 110:4
"The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.”
Who is Mechizedek? And how can be the king at the same time is also a priest? In the Old Testament no king could ever be the priest because the priest could only come from the tribe of Levi and the king was from the tribe of
Judah. However in the history of the
kingdom of
Judah there was one king by the name of Uzziah who “went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the altar of incense. And Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him fourscore priests of the LORD, that were valiant men: And they withstood Uzziah the king, and said unto him, It appertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the LORD, but to the priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense: go out of the sanctuary; for thou hast trespassed; neither shall it be for thine honour from the LORD God. Then Uzziah was wroth, and had a censer in his hand to burn incense: and while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the LORD, from beside the incense altar. And Azariah the chief priest, and all the priests, looked upon him, and, behold, he was leprous in his forehead, and they thrust him out from thence; yea, himself hasted also to go out, because the LORD had smitten him” (2 Chronicles 26:16-20). God will never tolerate to the Judean king to be the priest.
On the other hand the prophet Zechariah tells us something about the priesthood and kingship at the same time that will be held by the BRANCH. As he said, “And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD: Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both” (Zechariah 6:12-13). Who is the BRANCH here? The BRANCH is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. In His second coming He will be the King of the universe and every nation will bow and serve Him at the same time he will be also the High Priest after the order of Melchizedek in the Millennial Temple.
Who is this Melchizedek? A thousands years earlier, God told the story of Melchizedek in the Old Testament Scripture whose genealogy did not mention at all. However in Genesis 14:18-22 it tells us that Melchizedek was the king of
Salem and also the priest to whom Abraham gave tithes of all. What the Psalmist says here is that the coming King of kings will be after the order of Melchizedek the priest. This truth was further elaborated by the writer of Hebrews a thousand years after the Psalmist declared this truth. He says that Jesus Christ will be the High priest forever and ever after the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 5:5-6). Therefore God put all His Word together in the marvellous, mysterious way. Although there is a need to compare carefully Scripture with Scripture that we may see the unveiling truth concerning the future kingdom. Hence in the Millennial we shall have a Melchizedekian High Priest with Zodakian priests. The High Priest is also the King of the tribe of
Judah, the seed of David ruling over all the nations of the world who will pay total respect and in complete submission to Him forever. God never has made one falsehood nor any mistake in thousands of years of the unfolding Old Testament prophecy so that when Christ finally appears we know what is the program of the Lord. Amen.
