by Ester yusufu | 17 January 2024 08:46 am01
Question: Where in the Old Testament was it predicted that Jesus would rise from the dead?
Answer: Before examining the prophecy of Jesus’ resurrection, it is important to first understand the prophecies concerning His suffering, burial, and the three days He would spend in the grave. These events are crucial because the resurrection is the fulfillment of God’s plan to save humanity through Jesus’ sacrifice.
Jesus’ suffering is central to Christian theology because it fulfills the concept of the Suffering Servant described in Isaiah 53. This passage reveals that Jesus would suffer vicariously, bearing the sins and punishment deserved by humanity (substitutionary atonement). This suffering is not random but part of God’s redemptive plan.
Isaiah 53:4-5
“Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”
Jesus’ burial and time in the tomb emphasize His true death, affirming that He fully experienced death. The “three days and three nights” prophecy corresponds with Jewish reckoning of time and reflects the completeness of Jesus’ death before His resurrection. The connection to Jonah highlights God’s use of typology—where Old Testament events foreshadow New Testament truths.
Matthew 12:39-40
“He answered, ‘A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.’”
Jonah’s story foreshadows Jesus’ death and resurrection, illustrating God’s power over death and His mercy in offering salvation.
The resurrection is the cornerstone of Christian faith (1 Corinthians 15:14). It confirms Jesus as the Messiah, conquering sin and death. The resurrection fulfills Old Testament prophecy and validates Jesus’ divine nature and victory over the grave.
David’s prophecy in Psalm 16 is understood as messianic, indicating that the Messiah would not undergo decay—a clear hint to bodily resurrection.
Psalm 16:10
“because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay.”
The Apostle Peter connects this prophecy directly to Jesus in his Pentecost sermon:
Acts 2:29-32
“Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day.
But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne.
Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay.
God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it.”
This confirms Jesus’ resurrection as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, affirming His victory over death.
The Old Testament contains detailed prophecies about Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and future reign, demonstrating God’s sovereign plan of salvation:
These fulfilled prophecies validate Jesus as the promised Messiah and God’s chosen Savior.
Salvation is available to all who believe in Jesus’ death and resurrection. The New Testament emphasizes repentance, faith, baptism, and receiving the Holy Spirit as the response to Jesus’ redemptive work (Acts 2:38).
The Bible also promises Jesus’ second coming, when He will gather His followers and judge the world (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
If you haven’t accepted Jesus yet, today is the time. Choose to believe, be baptized, and receive the Holy Spirit.
Invitation:
“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” (Acts 16:31)
May God bless you!
Source URL: https://wingulamashahidi.org/en/2024/01/17/where-is-the-resurrection-of-the-lord-prophesied-in-the-old-testament/
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