Grace Thoughts
The Great Reveal: Our Epic Journey Through Time, Space and Eternity – Part 31
God is on an Epic Journey through time, space and eternity. This is His journey, but He designed it so we could go with Him.
As we wrote in the last part of our study everything we see around us falls within God’s eternal plan. Nothing surprises Him because He has all knowledge and nothing is beyond His ability to control because He has all power. “He will accomplish all that He determined before the foundation of the world and time began.”
Jesus Christ is the primary focus of the Bible: Old and New Testament. Prophecy in the Old Testament pointed to His coming from Heaven to earth. Jesus fulfilled much of the prophecy during His life on earth. What was not fulfilled in the past will be fulfilled in the future. That is a primary message of the Lord’s apostles.
“He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered and said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Matthew 16:15-16
Prophecy in Apostolic Letters
The apostles of the Lord Jesus referred to Old Testament Scripture hundreds of times in their letters. It is a demonstration of how important God’s Word was to the apostles. The Hebrew Scriptures were important to the Jewish people. The sacred writings contained the history of humanity and Israel. They also contained great promises from God to the people of Israel that He would save them from their enemies through His Anointed One, Mashiach (māšîaḥ – Messiah).
The writings of the apostles would become Scripture to the Christian Church and the apostles built on the writings of the prophets of Hebrew Scriptures. The Writings of prophets and apostles are the foundation for all Christian doctrine (teaching).
“Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.”
Ephesians 2:19-22
Let’s look at how the apostles connected Old Testament prophecy to New Testament revelation beginning with the Apostle Paul’s Epistle to the Romans. Paul referenced Old Testament writings more than a hundred times in Romans, so we’ll share a smaller number as examples.
Paul to the Romans
“What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith; but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness. Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone. As it is written: ‘Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, And whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”
Romans 9:30-33
“He will be as a sanctuary, But a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense To both the houses of Israel, As a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.”
Isaiah 8:14
“Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; Whoever believes will not act hastily.”
Isaiah 28:16
“But what does it say? ‘The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart’ (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, ‘Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.’ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For ‘whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Romans 10:8-13
“Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; Whoever believes will not act hastily.”
Isaiah 28:16
“And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the Lord has said, Among the remnant whom the Lord calls.”
Joel 2:32
“How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!’ But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, ‘Lord, who has believed our report?’ So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed: ‘Their sound has gone out to all the earth, And their words to the ends of the world.’ But I say, did Israel not know? First Moses says: I will provoke you to jealousy by those who are not a nation, I will move you to anger by a foolish nation.’ But Isaiah is very bold and says: ‘I was found by those who did not seek Me; I was made manifest to those who did not ask for Me.’ But to Israel he says: ‘All day long I have stretched out My hands To a disobedient and contrary people.”
Romans 10:14-21
“How beautiful upon the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who proclaims peace, Who brings glad tidings of good things, Who proclaims salvation, Who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!”
Isaiah 52:7
“Behold, on the mountains The feet of him who brings good tidings, Who proclaims peace! O Judah, keep your appointed feasts, Perform your vows. For the wicked one shall no more pass through you; He is utterly cut off.”
Nahum 1:15
“Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”
Isaiah 53:1
“Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world.”
Psalm 19:4
“They have provoked Me to jealousy by what is not God; They have moved Me to anger by their foolish idols. But I will provoke them to jealousy by those who are not a nation; I will move them to anger by a foolish nation.”
Deuteronomy 32:21
“I was sought by those who did not ask for Me; I was found by those who did not seek Me. I said, ‘Here I am, here I am,’ To a nation that was not called by My name. I have stretched out My hands all day long to a rebellious people, Who walk in a way that is not good, According to their own thoughts.”
Isaiah 65:1-2
“For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: ‘The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins.”
Romans 11:26-27
“The Redeemer will come to Zion, And to those who turn from transgression in Jacob,’ Says the Lord.”
Isaiah 59:20
“For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written: ‘As I live, says the Lord, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God.’ So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.”
Romans 14:10-12
“I have sworn by Myself; The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, And shall not return, That to Me every knee shall bow, Every tongue shall take an oath.”
Isaiah 45:23
“We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification. For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, ‘The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.’ For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.”
Romans 15:1-4
“Because zeal for Your house has eaten me up, And the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.”
Psalm 69:9
“Now I say that Jesus Christ has become a servant to the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the fathers, and that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy, as it is written: ‘For this reason I will confess to You among the Gentiles, And sing to Your name.’ And again he says: ‘Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people!’ And again: ‘Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles! Laud Him, all you peoples!’ And again, Isaiah says:’ There shall be a root of Jesse; And He who shall rise to reign over the Gentiles, In Him the Gentiles shall hope.’ Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Romans 15:8-13
“Therefore I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the Gentiles, And sing praises to Your name.”
2 Samuel 22:50
“Therefore I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the Gentiles, And sing praises to Your name.”
Psalm 18:49
“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles! Laud Him, all you peoples!”
Psalm 117:1
“There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.”
Isaiah 11:1
“And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, Who shall stand as a banner to the people; For the Gentiles shall seek Him, And His resting place shall be glorious.”
Isaiah 11:10
“And so I have made it my aim to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build on another man’s foundation, but as it is written: ‘To whom He was not announced, they shall see;
Romans 15:20-21
And those who have not heard shall understand.”
“So shall He sprinkle many nations. Kings shall shut their mouths at Him; For what had not been told them they shall see, And what they had not heard they shall consider.”
Isaiah 52:15
Next Time
We’ll look at more of Paul’s letters and their connection to Old Testament prophecies when our series on The Great Reveal continues.
[You can read more about the story of the Old Testament Prophecies in our book A History of Man’s Quest for Immorality.]
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Apostle PaulBook of RomansHoly ScriptureJesus ChristProphecy
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Founder & Director of GraceLife Ministries View all posts by gracelifethoughts
