ISAIAH
In Isaiah He is “the
suffering Servant.”
When he speaks
about Christ, Isaiah sounds more like a New Testament writer than an Old
Testament prophet. His messianic prophecies are clearer and more explicit than
those in any other Old Testament book. They describe many aspects of the person
and work of Christ in His First and Second Advents, and often blend the two
together.
And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of
Wisdom and Understanding, the Spirit of Counsel and Might, the Spirit of
Knowledge and of the Fear of the Lord;
And shall make Him of quick Understanding in the Fear of the
Lord: and He shall not judge after the sight of His eyes, neither reprove after
the hearing of His ears:
But with Righteousness shall He judge the poor, and reprove with
Equity for the meek of the Earth: and He shall smite the Earth with the rod of
His mouth, and with the breath of His lips shall He slay the wicked.
And Righteousness shall be the girdle of His loins, and Faithfulness
the girdle of His reins.
Isa. 11:2-5 KJV
Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently, He shall be exalted and
extolled, and be very high.
As many were astonied at Thee; His visage was so marred more
than any man, and His form more than the sons of men:
So shall He sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their
mouths at Him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that
which they had not heard shall they consider.
Isa 52:13-15 KJV
Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
He grew up before Him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Isa 53:1-3 NIV
Here are a few of
the Christological prophecies with their New Testament fulfillments:
Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a
virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Isa 7:14 KJV
Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was
spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a
son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God
with us.
Matt 1:22-23 KJV
Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in
distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea,
along the Jordan —
The people walking in darkness
have seen a great Light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a Light has dawned.
Isa 9:1-2 NIV
Leaving Nazareth, He went and lived in Capernaum, which was by
the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— to fulfill what was said through
the prophet Isaiah:
"Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the way to the sea, along the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles—
the people living in darkness
have seen a great Light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a Light has dawned."
Matt 4:13-16 NIV
For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the
government shall be upon His shoulder: and His Name shall be called Wonderful,
Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Isa 9:6 KJV
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour,
which is Christ the Lord.
Luke 2:11 KJV
A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him —
the Spirit of Wisdom and of Understanding,
the Spirit of Counsel and of Power,
the Spirit of Knowledge and of the Fear of the Lord —
and He will delight in the Fear of the Lord.
Isa 11:1-3 NIV
And He came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might
be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.
Matt 2:23 KJV
Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we
did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for
our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His
stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to
his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
Isa 53:4-6 KJV
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless,
Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man,
though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates
His own Love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Rom 5:6-8 NIV
Others are found in
Isaiah 28:16 (I Pet. 2:4-6); 42:1-4 (Matt. 12:15-21); 42:6 (Luke 2:29-32); 53:3
(Luke 23:18; John 1:11); 53:7 (Matt. 27:12-14; John 1:29; I Pet. 1:18-19);
53:12 (Mark 15:25-28); 61:1-3 (Luke 4:16-21).
Isaiah’s messianic
prophecies that await fulfillment in the Lord’s Second Advent include:
4:2; 11:2-6, 10; 32:1-8; 49:7; 52:13, 15; 59:20-21;
60:1-3; 61:2-3