A Biblical Vision, Part I: Mastering the Old Testament Witness to Christ

Ses s i on 6: The Ol d Tes tament and the Fu l f i l lment of Mes s i an i c Pred i c t i ons 99

actual progress of the word between the prediction and the fulfillment as it worked out its fulfillment in the subsequent history of Israel. This aspect was seen more or less as an unnecessary nuisance between the word and its fulfillment. But that was the whole point of the messianic doctrine. God was not only predicting what would happen; he was just as mightily working his promise plan out in the everyday course of events in the arena of history in accordance with the same announced word given in advance. And what the working in history and the working in the distance future shared in common was that the same word spoke to both the immediate future and to the distant future.

~ Walter Kaiser, Jr. The Messiah in the Old Testament . Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995. p. 24.

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B. Characteristics of Old Testament Messianic prophecy

1. The language of Messianic prophecy is anchored in hope for deliverance, Isa. 9.6-7.

2. Messianic prophecy is filled with figurative language, Isa. 11.

3. The predictions are often written in what scholars call the “ prophetic perfect ” tense (i.e., prophecy is written as if it is already accomplished), e.g., Isa. 53.

4. Messianic prophecy does not often give easy-to understand timetables as to its precise fulfillment, cf. Luke 4.18-19 with Isa. 61.1-3.

5. Old Testament Messianic prophecy links the testaments together for Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of its predictions and descriptions.