Your favorite (top 5/top10) Messianic Prophesies.

[Xavier]

Sacred theology calls Messianic prophesies "motives of credibility". We find them stated as clear proofs of the divine or supernatural origin of Christianity in Vatican I and the OAM, "it was God's will that there should be linked to the internal assistance of the Holy Spirit external indications of his revelation, that is to say divine acts, and first and foremost miracles and prophecies, which clearly demonstrating as they do the omnipotence and infinite knowledge of God, are the most certain signs of revelation and are suited to the understanding of all." and "the external proofs of revelation, that is, divine acts and especially miracles and prophecies as the surest signs of the divine origin of the Christian religion ... these same proofs are well adapted to the understanding of all eras and all men, even of this time". The holy Fathers, like St. Justin in his Dialogue with Trypho the Jew, frequently adduced them as proofs that Jesus Christ was the foretold Messiah, to very great effect, leading to innumerable conversions, not only of Jews but also of pagans. Pagans converted directly to Christianity, even without a prior belief in the Old Testament Scriptures, because the demonstrations drawn from ancient prophesies, known by all to be written down 100s of years to a 1000 years in some cases before Christ, were so powerful and convincing.

Let's discuss the most powerful or our favorite Messianic prophesies in this thread - and the way they serve as demonstrations of Christ's divine mission.

10. (Isaias 53:5, circa 700 B.C.) [Christ's Sacrifice, Death and Atonement]"[5] But he was wounded for our iniquities, he was bruised for our sins: the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and by his bruises we are healed ... He was offered because it was his own will, and he opened not his mouth: he shall be led as a sheep to the slaughter, and shall be dumb as a lamb before his shearer, and he shall not open his mouth." This prophesy, the fourth of the four Suffering Servant Prophesies in "the most evangelical of the Prophets", is a clear prophetic foretelling of the sacrificial death and atonement of the Messiah. He would be Himself the Paschal Lamb and offer Himself as the most perfect Sacrifice in atonement of all sin.

9. (Isa 49:6-7, circa 700 B.C.) [Christ as Light of the Gentiles/Universality of the Church] "[6] And he said: It is a small thing that thou shouldst be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to convert the dregs of Israel. Behold, I have given thee to be the light of the Gentiles, that thou mayst be my salvation even to the farthest part of the earth. [7] Thus saith the Lord the redeemer of Israel, his Holy One, to the soul that is despised, to the nation that is abhorred, to the servant of rulers: Kings shall see, and princes shall rise up, and adore for the Lord's sake, because he is faithful, and for the Holy One of Israel, who hath chosen thee." A self-evident description of the universal spread of the knowledge of God and of His Suffering Servant.

8. (Psa 109:1-4, circa 1000 B.C.) [Son of God is the Lord of David/Priest like Melchizedech] "[1] The Lord said to my Lord: Sit thou at my right hand: Until I make thy enemies thy footstool. [2] The Lord will send forth the sceptre of thy power out of Sion: rule thou in the midst of thy enemies. [3] With thee is the principality in the day of thy strength: in the brightness of the saints: from the womb before the day star I begot thee. [4] The Lord hath sworn, and he will not repent: Thou art a priest for ever according to the order of Melchisedech." The Lord proves from this prophesy that the Messiah is to be God, not a mere human king, but the Son of God and the Lord of David. Also, after His Sacrifice, we begin to see here that the Messiah will institute a new and exalted Priesthood, of the order of Melchizedech, Who long ago in Genesis had appeared to Abraham and offered a Sacrifice to God most High under the form of Bread and Wine. Abraham received this great King and Priest with utmost reverence, Who is a figure of Jesus Christ.

7. (Dan 7:13-15, circa 550 B.C.)[Son of Man receives universal dominion from the Father] [13] I beheld therefore in the vision of the night, and lo, one like the son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and he came even to the Ancient of days: and they presented him before him. [14] And he gave him power, and glory, and a kingdom: and all peoples, tribes and tongues shall serve him: his power is an everlasting power that shall not be taken away: and his kingdom that shall not be destroyed. [15]" Here the wise Prophet Daniel, loved and sought after by kings because of the powerful Spirit of prophesy in him, foretells that all authority in Heaven and on earth will be given to the Son of Man , and all peoples from every tribe and tongue will serve the Son of Man, Who has Power, and Glory (another practical proof of His Divinity and Incarnation), from the Ancient of Days.

6. (Dan 9:25-26, circa 550 B.C.)[Prophesied time of Messianic advent; destruction of Temple] [25] Know thou therefore, and take notice: that from the going forth of the word, to build up Jerusalem again, unto Christ the prince, there shall be seven weeks, and sixty-two weeks: and the street shall be built again, and the walls in straitness of times. [26] And after sixty-two weeks Christ shall be slain: and the people that shall deny him shall not be his. And a people with their leader that shall come, shall destroy the city and the sanctuary: and the end thereof shall be waste, and after the end of the war the appointed desolation. This prophesy is cited in the Christmas Liturgy, it requires a little familiarity with the Hebrew Scriptures which speak of 7 year periods as a week. It is mentioned by Josephus and others, and the Jews of Christ's time knew the fulfilment of the time spoken of by the Prophet Daniel was near. It means Christ would have come and been slain within about 483 years (69*7) after Artaxerxes' decree to rebuild Jerusalem, which was around 450 B.C. After this, the Temple would be destroyed, as the Lord also said, and which came about less than 40 years, after He was crucified in Jerusalem under Pontius Pilate. Josephus is also a witness to all these things, that John the Baptist was a Prophet, that St. James/Jacob was martyred out of hatred against Christ, and that also because of this, the Temple was finally destroyed in 70 A.D. at Roman hands.

These should be sufficient proofs, provided a person is seeking the truth and of good will, (1) to show any Jew that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah (2) to show any Muslim that Jesus the Christ is truly Divine, and was foretold as such by Prophets whom they accept (like Moses, Abraham, David, Solomon etc) (3) finally, to show any pagan whomsoever that Jesus could only have fulfilled these prophesies if He was truly divine (how could anyone have arranged for Himself to come at the right time, also to die in sacrifice publicly, then have those of every tribe serve Him etc if He were not God).

Will leave the next 5 to you folk. Any other favorite prophesies, people? : )

[Matto]

I think my favorite prophecy about Christ is a strange one. It is the prophecy that none of Christ's bones will be broken. Of all of the prophecies about Christ it is my favorite. I am not sure why it appeals to me so much. It is spoken of in John.

DRBO: John 19: 36 For these things were done, that the scripture might be fulfilled: You shall not break a bone of him.

DRBO Exodus 12:46 In one house shall it be eaten, neither shall you carry forth of the flesh thereof out of the house, neither shall you break a bone thereof.
DRBO Numbers 9:12 They shall not leave any thing thereof until morning, a nor break a bone thereof,
DRBO: Psalm 33: 21 The Lord keepeth all their bones, not one of them shall be broken.
Knox: Psalm 33:21 Under the Lord's keeping, every bone of his is safe; not one of them shall suffer harm.

[PerEvangelicaDicta]

Good one, Matto.  It is very intriguing to me also.  Is it to underscore the physical and symbolic entirety of His structure?  That He is One in the Holy Trinity, unbreakable, and we are One in HIm?

[Quaremerepulisti]

I mean, really.  I can take the same bandwagon approach and say that it should be evident to any intellectually honest person that these are not predictions but retrodictions, except for #6, which certainly doesn't say the Christ is the Messiah.

[Xavier]

Nice, Matto. That's another great prophesy. It could also be understood of the Indestructibility of the Body of Christ - sinners may externally buffet Him, but the Church is Perfect in Her Head, Who is Christ; the Church is perfect in Her perfect image, Who is Mary; the Church's holiness shines in Saintly Priests, Nuns and faithful; sinners and sinful members persecute Christ and cause Him immense pain, and blood pours out from all His holy Wounds; but His bones are not broken, and He will overcome sinners, and save us.

PerEvangelicaDicta, absolutely. The two reasons you mentioned. Brant Pitre argues a further reason comes from the fact that the Paschal Lamb of Sacrifice was commanded to be such by Moses long ago, as Matto mentioned; Almighty God taught the people of Israel that it is only blood that makes atonement for sin. He showed them by various types that the Lamb of God was one day to atone for sin by a perfect Sacrifice.

Ex 12:46 "In one house shall it be eaten, neither shall you carry forth of the flesh thereof out of the house, neither shall you break a bone thereof."

Thus, we see Christ is truly the Paschal Lamb, that was killed on a stake in a manner resembling crucifixion, and sacrificed on Nisan 14 or Passover, and had none of its bones broken; then, its flesh was given as food to the faithful, that they may have life. Thus Our Lord is Agnus Dei as we profess, the Lamb of God.

St. Justin pointed out some of these things to Trypho, and as a result several Jews became Christians. "Tabory concludes, "An examination of the rabbinic evidence... seems to show that in Jerusalem the Jewish paschal lamb was offered in a manner which resembled a crucifixion" ... "For the lamb, which is roasted, is roasted and dressed up in the form of a cross. For one spit is transfixed right through from the lower parts up to the head, and one across the back, to which are attached the legs of the lamb. (Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho the Jew, 40). (Pitre, p. 63-4).https://qmbarque.com/2014/04/10/first-century-jews-and-the-paschal-sacrifice-why-lamb-of-god-should-mean-far-more-to-us/ The Lamb was sacrificed on a stake like a Cross! Oh wow!

Well, Quare, not really. I can show you Rabbis that admit Isaiah 53 is a prophesy of the Messiah as Suffering Servant and Lamb of God. There are Four Suffering Servant Prophesies and they describe King Messiah's teaching, mission, labors, suffering, death, sacrifice, atonement, intercession for sinners and final Triumph.

First century Jewish Rabbi Shimon Ben Yachai stated: "The meaning of the words 'bruised for our iniquities' [Isaiah 53:5] is, that since the Messiah bears our iniquities, which produce the effect of his being bruised, it follows that whoso will not admit that the Messiah thus suffers for our iniquities, must endure and suffer them for them himself." and sixteenth century Moshe Aschich declares, "[our] Rabbis with one voice, accept and affirm the opinion that the Prophet [Isaiah in 53] is speaking of king Messiah." Please read the prophesies in their entire context and you will see it is about Him.

This can be read in Adolf Neubauer, The Fifty-Third Chapter of Isaiah: According to Jewish Interpreters (New York: KTAV Publishing House, 1969), p. xl.
and Rachmiel Frydland, What the Rabbis Know about the Messiah: A Study of Genealogy and Prophecy (Clarksville, MD: Messianic Jewish Resources International, 2002), p. 53.

Will get back to another 5 later. Mal 1:11 about Holy Mass in the universal Church, in every place, is among my favorites. Fr. Lasance wrote a nice article on the subject.

[PerEvangelicaDicta]

Beautiful Xavier!  I'll be meditating on that today, and offering for you and Matto.

[Xavier]

5. (Dan 2:44-45, circa 550 B.C.) [Divine Origin/Indestructibility of the Catholic Church] "But in the days of those kingdoms, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never by destroyed, and his kingdom shall not be delivered up to another people: and it shall break in pieces, and shall consume all these kingdoms: and itself shall stand for ever. According as thou sawest, that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and broke in pieces the clay and the iron, and the brass, and the silver, and the gold, the great God hath shewn the king what shall come to pass hereafter, and the dream is true, and the interpretation thereof is faithful. This prophesy receives it fulfilment when Jesus Christ, the God of Heaven, gave the Keys of His Kingdom to St. Peter, to loose and bind on earth. "And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven." (Matt 16:18-19)

Let us recall the pagan king was so astonished at the powerful Spirit of prophesy in Daniel that he practically worshipped Daniel; because the Prophet did what none of the diviners of Babylon were able to do - he told the king both the dream itself (the king had refused to disclose the dream but asked for someone able to tell both the dream and the interpretation), "Then the Chaldeans answered before the king, and said: There is no man upon earth, that can accomplish thy word, O king; neither doth any king, though great and mighty, ask such a thing of any diviner, or wise man, or Chaldean." (verse 10) and finally, in the end, "Then king Nabuchodonosor fell on his face, and worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer in sacrifice to him victims and incense. And the king spoke to Daniel, and said: Verily, your God is the God of gods, and Lord of kings, and a revealer of hidden things: seeing thou couldst discover this secret." (verse 47) The holy Prophet Daniel taught this pagan Nabuchodonosor, "The secret that the king desireth to know, none of the wise men, or the philosophers, or the diviners, or the soothsayers, can declare to the king. But there is a God in heaven that revealeth mysteries" and by degrees led him to believe in the One True God. Later on, the king would confess, "The most high God hath wrought signs and wonders towards me. It hath seemed good to me, therefore, to publish His signs, because they are great: and his wonders, because they are mighty: and his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his power to all generations." (3:99-100)

4. (Gen 49:10, circa 1700 B.C. by the Patriarch Jacob) [Messiah will come before Juda has lost all its authority] "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." This prophesy was made by the Patriarch Jacob, grandson of Abraham. Fr. Haydock gives an excellent summary of how both Jews and Christians have understood the Messiah's coming to be foretold in this passage, and we recall that at the time when Our Savior was to be put to death, the Pharisees said, " It is not lawful for us to put any man to death." (Jn 18:31); it is certain, then, that by this time when Pontius Pilate was ruler of Judea, as Tacitus and other Roman historians also record, that Juda had lost its power fully; therefore, it is certain that Messiah has come. That is also why many of the scribes of Jesus' time were eagerly anticipating and expecting at any time the coming of the Messiah. But they did not recall He was to be an atoning Sacrifice first before He came as conquering King; thus, they unfortunately failed to recognize Him; but, it is written, the Jewish Nation will return to Christ and believe in Him before the end.

3. [Gen 3:15, circa 5200 B.C., by God Himself in the Garden of Eden, the Woman by Her Seed will crush the Serpent's Head] "I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel." Here, a wondrous prophesy that the Messiah would be the Seed of the Woman, already implying He would be God, and born of a Virgin, as Isaias (7:14) and other Prophets would later more explicitly foretell. That by the Messiah and His Mother the serpent and its seed would be crushed and the curse of sin destroyed. Later, partial fulfilments of the same can also be seen in how the Mother of God crushed serpent-worship and infanticide in Guadalupe.

2. [Psa 15:10, 1000 B.C. The Holy One of the Lord will enter Hades, and return] "Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; nor wilt thou give thy holy one to see corruption." This prophesy was cited by St. Peter, Prince of the Apostles, in the New Testament, showing it was necessary for the Holy One of the Lord to descend into hell before ascending from the tomb into heaven; the deliverance of the patriarchs from limbo is also thus made known, for the souls of all will be assumed up after the coming of the Messiah to see God face to face. After these and several other exhortations, 3,000 Jews believed in Jesus and were baptized into the Church that first day of Pentecost by the Apostolic preaching. Later on, St. Paul and the other Apostles would adduce these and other proofs, on account of which very many leading Rabbis were converted; even Gamaliel became a Christian.

1. (Mal 1:11, circa 400 B.C.) [Institution of the Holy Sacrifice/Mass in the Universal Church] "For from the rising of the sun even to the going down, my name is great among the Gentiles, and in every place there is sacrifice, and there is offered to my name a clean oblation: for my name is great among the Gentiles, saith the Lord of hosts." An astonishing prophesy of a universal Sacrifice that has an even more astonishing fulfilment in the Catholic Church. The Fathers point out this Sacrifice (especially after the Temple fell in 70 A.D. and old testament animal sacrifices ceased) is manifestly fulfilled only in the Catholic Church. Fr. Lasance, writing about a 100 years ago, gives a wonderful commentary on this prophesy of Malachias.

There are beside these very simple prophesies in the New Testament, the Mother of God saying "behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed." (Luk 1:48). An amazing prophesy with a more amazing fulfilment in the Catholic Church. Any serious non-Christian or inquirer into Christianity should consider how Mary could have so confidently proclaimed this, and how it indeed it came true, if She were not truly the Virgin Mother of God. Similarly, and equally confidently, the Lord Jesus Christ declares His Gospel will be proclaimed in all the nations, while as yet it was believed in only by few. And that too has come true, as of course it would. "And this gospel of the kingdom, shall be preached in the whole world, for a testimony to all nations" (Mat 24:14)

"And when the Angelus bell is ringing at noon in New York, the unbloody Sacrifice is being offered up in the islands of the Pacific, where there are generous souls laboring for our dear Lord. And so the bells are ringing on, on, over the waters, and one taper after another catches the light of faith, making glad all the isles of the sea. At two the zealous missionaries of Australia are murmuring with haste, eager for the coming of Our Lords: "Introibo ad altare Dei." And all the spicy islands of the East catch the sweet sounds, one after another, till at four in the afternoon China proves there are many souls who are worthy of the name of celestial by their rapt devotion at the early rite. Then in Tibet there is many a modest chapel where the missionary distributes the Bread of Life to a crowd of hungry souls.

"At six the altars of Hindustan, where St. Francis Xavier ministered, are arrayed with their flowers and lamps and the sacred vessels, and unwearied priests are hastening to fortify their souls before him Who is their life and their strength. At nine in Siberia, where many a poor Catholic exile from Poland has no other solace from his woes but the foot of the altar and the Bread of Heaven. During the hours when New York is gay with parties and balls and theatrical amusements, the holiest of rites is going on in the Indian Ocean and among the sable tribes of Africa, whose souls are so dear to the Saviour Who once died for all. At eleven in Jerusalem, the Holy City over which Jesus wept, where He wrought so many miracles, where He suffered and offered Himself a sacrifice for the whole world.

"When midnight sounds again in New York, the silver bells are tinkling again in every chancel in Rome. And so it goes on; the divine Host is constantly rising like the sun in its course around the earth. Thus are fulfilled the words of the prophet Malachias [1:11]: 'From the rising of the sun even to the going down thereof, My name is great among the Gentiles; and in every place there is sacrifice, and there is offered to My name a clean oblation: for My name is great among the Gentiles, saith the Lord of hosts.'"

"Not an instant of time passes that Mass is not offered, and the Host not adored. Talk of an Empire on which the sun never sets, of the British reveille drum ever beating as our planet revolves on its axis and the day chases night around the globe; what is that to the unending oblation of the Catholic Church? What moment is not a priest's voice uttering 'Te igitur, clementissime Pater!' What moment is not counted by the bell which announces the silent and invisible coming of their God to prostrate adorers in some quiet sanctuary, in Europe, or in Asia, or in America, in the Atlantic cities or in the woods of Oregon, in the Alps or on the Andes, on the vast terra firma all along the Meridians or on the scattered islands of the sea?"