In a far more wonderful way than our supposititious case the coming Christ was prophesied. Not one or two or six or eight items, as in the supposed case of Queen Victoria, but over three hundred; not the pronouncement of one prophet, but of many—Moses, the lawgiver; David, the shepherd-king; Isaiah, the eloquent prophet; Amos, the herdsman; Zechariah, the post-exilian prophet; Daniel, greatly beloved of God; Malachi, the last of the prophets; and many others; not uttered at one time, but extending over fifteen centuries—all this lifts the prophecy of the coming Christ into an absolutely unique place.
These three hundred prophecies, relating to Christ's Deity, His humanity, the place of His birth, His life, His death, His resurrection, have been happily likened to shafts of light of varying length, directed by different hands across the centuries and falling first of all on the face of a Babe in Bethlehem's manger and lighting it up, then on that wondrous life lived in Galilee and Judea, step by step lighting up the pathway of the Son of God, until we behold Him on the cross. The most wonderful prophecy of all was that of His own resurrection, a fact that is so strongly witnessed to by so many reliable witnesses and by the spread of Christianity as to render it beyond legitimate dispute.
Scripture after Scripture, as we read in the four Gospels, was fulfilled in the life of Jesus. As it has been well said, it were a far greater miracle for the four evangelists to have imagined the life of Jesus, a life that has fascinated even the perverted intellects of infidel writers such as Renan and Strauss, than to have placed on record the actual life that was lived.
The Jews were so zealous and careful of their holy books that it is impossible to deny that these prophecies lay on the sacred page for centuries before they were fulfilled.
Aye, and the day cannot be far distant when the prophecies relating to the glories of the coming King will lighten up the face of the Son of Man in the cloud and follow Him down the golden age of the Millennium, which men are dreaming about and working for, but which cannot come till Christ ushers it in, and then the prophecies concerning the glory that should follow will be fulfilled. Then “They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more” (Isa. 2:44And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. (Isaiah 2:4)).
The three hundred prophecies concerning Christ can all be searched out by the diligent student. They are all on the sacred page, and prove the inspiration of Scripture, as well as the person and work of Christ, in an irrefutable way.
It is well in studying brief outlines of prophecy to see that the great overwhelming prophecy of all is that relating to Christ, and that He has already fulfilled all that pertains to His sufferings—the glories to come awaiting sure fulfillment.
The great outstanding FACT of all time and eternity is Christ. We may well pause and ask the reader how he stands in relation to Him. Not only does the Scripture lay emphasis on His person, but on His mission into this world, and His work.
If the reader is unsaved, we beseech him to read through the Bible. Every Jewish sacrifice with its flowing blood emphasizes in prophecy the absolute necessity of the one great sacrifice of Christ.
Has this no voice for you? Can you afford to be negligent of the claims of Christ? Surely, a thousand times no. Ponder well this stupendous fact. Jesus, God's eternal Son, has died for YOU. Death had no claim upon Him on His own account. His coming into the world was voluntary. He was the second Person of the Trinity, the uncreated Creator, the unsustained Sustainer of all things.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and THE WORD WAS GOD” (John 1:11In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1)). “All things were made by Him” (John 1:33All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. (John 1:3)). “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1:1414And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)). “John bare witness of Him” (John 1:1515John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. (John 1:15)). “John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:2929The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. (John 1:29)).
It is said that German prisoners, who were captured from the deep subterranean fortresses which they built on the Somme, were blanched, because for months they had been living away from the light of the sun, and were practically entombed in a damp dark prison.
What will be the result, my unsaved friend, if you live your life away from the light of God in time, and then, if you die unsaved, you must exist away from that light perforce for eternity? There is no room for Unitarianism in heaven, and none shall ever enter there but those whose robes have been washed in the blood of the Lamb.
For a sinner with death and judgment lying straight in front of him there is no blessing save through Christ and His glorious finished work. Be very clear on that point, we beseech you.
Let us quote one or two verses that may bring blessing to some anxious reader of these pages. In reading these verses remember very particularly that salvation is not of works, but of faith; that is, it is needful not only that Christ should have died for you, but that you should repent of your sins and bow in faith before the Lord Jesus, accepting Him as your personal Savior.
In short, you must appropriate the blessing for yourself! Have you done this yet? Till you do you cannot be saved. We beseech you not to miss this wondrous blessing.
There is enough in these verses to make plain the way of salvation to every troubled soul. Just believe them as they stand. “It [is] impossible for God to lie” (Heb. 6:1818That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: (Hebrews 6:18)). You may therefore rely implicitly on God's Word. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: NOT OF WORKS, lest any man should boast” (Eph. 2:8-98For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8‑9)). “To him that WORKETH NOT, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness” (Rom. 4:55But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. (Romans 4:5)). How plain it is that it is not the sinner's doings and strivings that can save the soul. How true are the lines—
“Cast your deadly doing down,
Down at Jesus' feet;
Stand in Him, in Him alone,
Gloriously complete.
'It is finished,' yes, indeed,
Finished every jot.
Sinner, this is all you need:
Tell me, is it not?”
We beseech you, make no shipwreck on this point. How many there are, who in their self-righteousness have refused to acknowledge that their own doings have no value in connection with their souls' salvation. All, all is accomplished by Christ on the cross. There is plenty of room for works after salvation-works, which can be described as “works of faith” and “labor of love,” works that are the evidence of salvation, works “that accompany salvation,” but salvation is altogether of faith and faith alone.
Weigh well the following passages of Scripture: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:3131And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. (Acts 16:31)). “Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this Man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: and by Him all that believe are justified from all things” (Acts 13:38-3938Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: 39And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. (Acts 13:38‑39)). “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:1616For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)). “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life” (1 John 5:1313These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. (1 John 5:13)). “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:77But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)). Many more passages might be added. Let these suffice.
Happy will it be if the consideration of the wondrous prophecies of the Scriptures concerning Christ, and the way those prophecies have been fulfilled regarding His entrance into this world and His death, should lead any reader of these pages to true repentance before God, to the acknowledgment of the claims of the Lord Jesus Christ, and to personal faith in Him. Thus only a happy knowledge of sins forgiven can be secured.