T.J. WalsheApologeticsChapter 26

Christ's Testimony is Confirmed by Prophecy — Part II: Messianic Prophecies and their Fulfilment

Art. 2.—The Divine Mission of Christ is confirmed by Messianic Prophecies and their Fulfilment.

I.—Method of treatment.

(A) Value of this confirmation.

Christ addressing incredulous Jews said: “Search the Scriptures … they give testimony of me … if you believed Moses you would perhaps believe me also. For he wrote of me” (John v. 39-47). “Abraham your father rejoiced that he might see my day: he saw it and was glad” (John viii. 56).

Christ Himself explained the prophecies to the disciples going to Emmaus: “Beginning at Moses and all the prophets He expounded to them in all the scriptures the things that were concerning him” (Luke xxiv. 27). He said also after the Resurrection: “All things must needs be fulfilled, which are written in the Law of Moses, and in the prophets and psalms concerning me. Then he opened their understanding that they might understand the scriptures. And he said to them: thus it is written and thus it behoved Christ to suffer and to rise again from the dead the third day” (Luke xxiv. 44-46).

The Apostles also argued from Messianic prophecies (Cf. 2 Peter i. 19; Acts xiii. 30). The expression, “that the scriptures might be fulfilled” points to the traditional argument drawn from prophecy. The Vatican Council stresses the value of this motive of credibility (D. 1790, 1707).

(B) Rationalists set out with the assumption that supernatural prophecy is à priori impossible. Ewald, Reuss, Kuenen, regard instances of prophecy as only the natural phenomena of ecstasy. Darmesteter (Les prophètes d’Israël), and Renan (Vie de Jésus, c. 1) suggest that the Messianic hope was due to the state of subjugation of the Jews, and was the natural hope of a race which desired the attainment, not only of national independence, but of universal domination. They go on to say that the character of Messiah was thrust on Christ, and that He was at first quite unconscious of that dignity.

It will be sufficient to say here that in Jewish history the Messiah was regarded as one who would extend the teaching of Monotheism throughout the world. But this conception must have been due to Revelation, as the Jews abhorred the Gentiles, and were unwilling to share their privileges with them. The Messianic hope sprang from, and was nourished upon, Messianic prophecy (Matt. ii. 5; Luke i. 70; John i. 45).

1° It is not necessary to defend the genuineness of the prophetic books. Such a task belongs to Hermeneutics. It is sufficient to know, which no critic of weight denies, that all Messianic prophecies were written at least 300 years before Christ.

2° It is not advisable to argue from prophecies which are applicable only in a spiritual or typical sense. Hence prophecies verified only in a typical sense (e.g. Ps. xxi. 15, 18) are not quoted.

3° It will be convenient to set forth prophecies in general as they describe the Messianic kingdom. Next comes the classical exposition of special prophecies—general and special.

II.—Exposition of Messianic prophecies.

(A) In general.

Prophecies of the Old Testament agree in three statements:

1° All the prophets taught for 1100 years Monotheism and the moral law promulgated in the name of God. They preached faith in one God infinitely perfect, holy, just, merciful, exercising providential care of His people, and rewarding them.

2° All the prophets foretold the universal and spiritual kingdom of God. They announced the propagation amongst all nations of Monotheism (Is. ii. 2-4; xviii. 7; xix. 23-25; xli. 18-25; xlii. 6-7; Mich. iv. 1-5). The kingdom was foretold as one not merely external but internal (Osee ii. 7-19; xi. 1-5; xiv. 2-5; Is. iv. 4-6; xxx. 18-22; Ezech. xi. 19, 20; xxxvi. 25-27).

3° All the prophets foretold the Messiah, prince of the Kingdom of God, mediator between God and men. They described more or less explicitly his origin, endowments, functions, passion and triumph.

(a) Origin: Family of David (Amos ix. 11-12; Is. xi. 1; Jerem. xxiii. 5; xxxiii. 14-18; Osee iii. 5; Ezech. xxxiv. 23, 24). Bethlehem shall be his birthplace (Mich. v. 2, 3).

(b) Endowments and Functions: He shall be called “Son of God” (Ps. ii. 7). “God the mighty, Father of the world to come, Prince of peace” (Is. ix. 5-7; ii. 5, 6).

He will judge his people in justice and equity (Is. xi. 3-5). He will write his law in the hearts of the faithful (Jerem. xxxi. 33).

(c) Passion and Death: He will save his people by humble obedience, sorrowful passion and death (Is. liii. 2, 12; xlii. 1-4; xlix. 1-9; l. 1-9; lii. 13-15; Pss. 21, 68).

(d) His triumph (Is. liii. 10, 11; Ps. ii. 1-4; Is. xxiv.-xxviii.).

(B) Special prophecies. Their development in the successive periods of Patriarchs, Kings, and Prophets.

1° The Patriarchal period.

The coming of the Saviour of the world and his origin from the family of Isaac, Jacob and Juda are foretold.

(a) In Genesis iii. 15 an allusion is made to the enmity between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent.

(b) In Genesis xii. 3, God said to Abram: “In thee shall all the kindred of the earth be blessed.”

(d) Jacob, substituted in place of Esau (Gen. xxviii. 14), heard the words: “In thee and thy seed all the tribes of the earth shall be blessed.”

(e) Jacob about to die prophesied of Juda (Gen. xlix. 10): “The sceptre shall not be taken away from Juda, nor a ruler from his thigh, till he come that is to be sent, and he shall be the expectation of nations.”

(f) Balaam prophesied: “A star shall arise out of Jacob and a sceptre shall spring up from Israel” (Num. xxiv. 17).

(g) Moses foretold the coming of the great prophet: “The Lord thy God will raise up to thee a prophet of thy nation and of thy brethren like unto me. Him thou shalt hear” (Deut. xviii. 15).

2° The period of Kings.

The Messiah is now described as King, Son of God, priest; his passion and sacrifice are foretold.

(a) David in Ps. 71 wrote: “All the kings of the earth shall adore him: all nations shall serve him … in him shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed: all nations shall magnify him.”

(b) In Ps. 2 (of which Lagrange writes: “This psalm is the Messianic psalm par excellence, and the first Hebrew document which contains the technical term ‘Messiah’”) the king is called Christ (v. 2) which means the anointed one, i.e., the Messiah. He is also called “Son of God” (v. 7).

(d) In Ps. 39 the Messiah is represented as the voluntary victim for sin. “Sacrifice and oblation thou didst not desire … then said I: behold I come.”

(e) In Ps. 21 the sufferings of the Messiah are foretold: “I am a worm and no man: the reproach of men and the outcast of the people” (v. 7) … “they have dug my hands and my feet, they have numbered all my bones” (vv. 17, 18) … “they parted my garments amongst them, and upon my vesture they cast lots” (v. 19).

(f) In Ps. 68 the following words occur: “They gave me gall for my food and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink” (v. 22).

3° The period of the Prophets.

There is a more explicit description of the origin, endowments, functions, and sacrifice of the Saviour.

(1) An example from one of the minor prophets:

Micheas (v. 2) marks the place of the nativity of the Messiah: “Thou Bethlehem Ephrata art a little one among the thousands of Juda: out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be the ruler in Israel, and his going forth is from the beginning, from the days of eternity.”

“Ephrata” was the original name of Bethlehem (Gen. xxxv. 16).

(2) Isaias.

Isaias describes many details in regard to the Messiah:

(a) The nativity of the Messiah: “Behold a virgin shall conceive and bring forth a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel” (vii. 14). From Is. viii. 8 and viii. 10, it will be seen that “Emmanuel” means “God with us.”

(b) Divine functions of the Messiah: “Mighty God, Prince of peace” (ix. 6); the Spirit of the Lord shall dwell upon him (xi. 2); he shall exercise universal dominion (xxii.-xxvi.); “God himself will come and save you. Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped … and the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and shall come into Sion with praise, and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads” (xxxv. 4, 5, 10). The preaching of John the Baptist is announced: “The voice of one crying in the desert: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the wilderness the paths of our God … the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh together shall see that the mouth of the Lord hath spoken” (xl. 3, 5).

(c) The virtues and works of the servant of Jahve are described: “The bruised reed he shall not break, and the smoking flax he shall not quench… . I have given thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles” (xlii. 3, 6; xlix. 6).

(d) The sacrifice of the Saviour: “I have given my body to the strikers, and my cheeks to them that plucked them. I have not turned away my face from them that rebuked me and spit upon me. The Lord God is my helper, therefore am I not confounded” (l. 6, 7). The details of the Passion of Christ are described in liii. 1-7.

(e) The triumph of Christ is set forth in liii. 10: “If he shall lay down his life for sin, he shall see a long-lived seed: and the will of the Lord shall be prosperous in his hand.” In lx. 1-3 occur the words: “Arise, be enlightened, O Jerusalem, for thy light has come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee … the Gentiles shall walk in thy light, and kings in the brightness of thy rising.”

(3) Daniel.

Daniel (vii. 13, 14) describes the Son of Man to whom is given power and glory and a kingdom, and all peoples, tribes and tongues shall serve him. The well-known prophecy of the time when the Messiah would come appears in ix. 24. The meaning of the message of the archangel Gabriel seems to be that God would mercifully recompense His people for their captivity at Babylon, by a new possession of their land for seven times that period, until the whole history of the nation should be crowned and its religious institutions finished by the advent and sacrifice of the Messiah. From the final edict of Artaxerxes (about 457 B.C.) to the year A.D. 30 the seventieth week of years was reached, in the middle of which (c. A.D. 30) Our Lord was crucified.

(4) At the close of the prophetic period some further details were foretold regarding the Messianic kingdom and the Messiah.

Aggeus (ii. 1-10) spoke of the greater glory of the Second Temple, to which the Desired of Nations would come.

Zachary (ix. 9) describes the humble coming of Christ: “Behold thy king will come to thee, the just and Saviour: He is poor and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.”

Malachy foretold the precursor of the Lord (iii. 1), and the Sacrifice of the New Law (i. 11).

The Divine origin of these prophecies is manifest even before their fulfilment.

(A) The Jews accepted the prophecies as divinely revealed, inasmuch as the preaching of the prophets was confirmed by miracles. The miracles of Moses, of Aaron, of the ten plagues, of the passage of the Red Sea, of the ruin of the walls of Jericho, of Elias and Eliseus were Divine confirmations of prophetic teaching.

(B) The prophesying cannot be explained by natural causes.

(a) The prophets, who were men of integrity, affirmed that the doctrine they taught was divinely revealed.

(b) Their preaching was not in accordance with the views or prejudices of the times.

(c) Their doctrine could not have been borrowed from neighbouring peoples, because Monotheism was unknown outside the Jewish race.

III.—Fulfilment of Prophecy.

(A) In general.

1° In Christianity is fulfilled the prediction of the universal propagation of Monotheism.

2° In Our Lord are fulfilled the prophecies relating to the Messiah. Jesus was born of the family of David, in Bethlehem, and was recognised as the Son of God, the mighty God, Prince of peace. He saved His people by His Passion and Death. He saw a “long-lived seed,” and all nations adore Him.

These two principal prophecies were contrary to the natural desires and expectations of the Jews, who did not wish to share their privileges with the Gentiles, and it was with difficulty that the Apostles understood the necessity of Christ’s Passion and Death for the inauguration of the spiritual and universal Kingdom of God (Cf. Matt. xvi. 22; Luke xxiv. 25; 1 Cor. i. 23).

(B) In particular.

Fulfilment of individual prophecies:

1° Native town of the Messiah: Bethlehem (Mich. v. 2; Matt. ii. 6; John vii. 42).

2° Lineage of the Messiah: of the family of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Juda, David (Gen. xii. 3; xxii. 18; xxvi. 4; xxviii. 14; xlix. 8-12; Matt. i. 2-6; Luke iii. 31-34).

3° Mother of the Messiah a virgin: (Is. vii. 14; Matt. i. 18-25; Luke i. 27-34).

4° Homage of Kings: “Kings of Tharsis and the islands shall offer presents, kings of the Arabians and of Saba shall bring gifts” (Ps. lxxi. 10; Is. lx. 3-6; Matt. ii. 1-11).

5° Precursor of the Messiah (Mal. iii. 1; iv. 5; Luke i. 11-17; 57-80).

6° Beginning of the preaching of the Gospel (Is. ix. 1; Matt. iv. 13-15).

7° Miraculous healing (Is. xxxv. 5-6; Matt. xi. 5).

8° Preaching of the Gospel to the poor (Is. lxi. 1; Luke iv. 18).

9° Gentleness and humility of the Saviour (Is. xlii. 1-3; Matt. iii. 17; Matt. xii. 18; xvii. 5).

10° Triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Zach. ix. 9; Matt. xxi. 4-5).

11° Institution of a new Sacrifice of a new Priesthood (Mal. i. 11; Ps. cix. 4; Ps. xxi. 27-30; Matt. xxvi. 26-29; Luke xxii. 15-20).

12° Infidelity of the Jews (Is. vi. 9; Matt. xiii. 14; xxi. 42; Ps. cxvii. 22; Acts iii. 13; Rom. ix. 32; 1 Pet. ii. 7).

13° Sorrows of the Passion (Ps. xxxiv. 11, 12; Is. l. 6; liii.; Matt. xxvi. 67, 68; Ps. lxviii. 22; Matt. xxvii. 48; Ps. xx.; Matt. xxvii. 35-44).

14° Resurrection of the Messiah (Ps. xv. 10; cf. Acts ii. 29-32; xiii. 36, 37).

15° Remission of sins (Zach. xiii. 1; Matt. ix. 2; Acts ii. 38).

16° Ascension (Ps. cix. 1; Acts ii. 34).

17° Mission of the Holy Ghost (Joel ii. 28, 29; Acts ii. 11 sq.).

18° Conversion of the Gentiles (Is. lx. 1-4; Luke ii. 29 sq.; cf. Acts xi. 18; 1 Tim. ii. 4-7).

19° Victory of Christ (Is. liii. 11, 12; Ps. cix. 2; John xvi. 33).

20° Eternal reign of Christ (Is. ix. 7; Ps. ii.; xliv.; cix. 3; John xviii. 36; Matt. xvi. 18).

IV.—Probative force of Messianic prophecy.

The fulfilment of prophecy cannot be ascribed (a) to chance, or (b) to natural necessity.

(a) As already shewn, it is impossible that many circumstances should concur by chance to complete a contingent definite prediction. The virtues of the Messiah, the principal facts of His life, especially of His Passion and Death cannot accidentally coincide with the fulfilment of the prophecy of Isaias. A fortiori a series of such prophecies and their fulfilment cannot be set down to chance.

(b) Because the predictions are of future contingent events, which depend on the free-will of many individuals, their fulfilment cannot be ascribed to natural necessity.

Thus the probative force of prophecy arises from the fact that the predictions could not by any possibility have been made without the special intervention of God.

An objection: Did not the prophets foretell the temporal prosperity and the inauguration of the Kingdom of Israel?

Answer: Often in Scripture, divine and spiritual things are conveyed under the likeness of material images. In Messianic prophecy two things must be distinguished: 1° spiritual future happening, e.g., inauguration of the universal Kingdom of God; 2° the material figure of the predicted event, namely, the temporal prosperity of Israel. But it is clear that the latter element was only figurative, because (a) in some prophecies it is entirely absent, e.g., in those when the Messiah is described as about to suffer and to die, and because (b) the Kingdom of God is predicted as universal, including all nations, and therefore separable from the temple and city of Jerusalem.