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Moses, near the close of his work as a leader and teacher of Israel,
plainly prophesied of the Messiah to come. “The Lord thy God,” he
declared to the assembled hosts of Israel, “will raise up unto thee a
Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto Him
ye shall hearken.” And Moses assured the Israelites that God Himself
had revealed this to him while in Mount Horeb, saying, “I will raise
them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will
put My words in His mouth; and He shall speak unto them all that I
shall command Him.”
Deuteronomy 18:15, 18
.
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The Messiah was to be of the royal line, for in the prophecy uttered
by Jacob the Lord said, “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor
a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto Him
shall the gathering of the people be.”
Genesis 49:10
.
Isaiah prophesied: “There shall come forth a rod out of the stem
of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots.” “Incline your ear,
and come unto Me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an
everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. Behold,
I have given Him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander
to the people. Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not,
and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the Lord
thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for He hath glorified thee.”
Isaiah 11:1
;
55:3-5
.
Jeremiah also bore witness of the coming Redeemer as a Prince
of the house of David: “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I
will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and
prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In His
days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is His
name whereby He shall be called, The Lord Our Righteousness.” And
again: “Thus saith the Lord: David shall never want a man to sit upon
the throne of the house of Israel; neither shall the priests the Levites
want a man before Me to offer burnt offerings, and to kindle meat
offerings, and to do sacrifice continually.”
Jeremiah 23:5, 6
;
33:17, 18
.
Even the birthplace of the Messiah was foretold: “Thou, Bethlehem
Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out
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of thee shall He come forth unto Me that is to be Ruler in Israel; whose
goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”
Micah 5:2
.
The work that the Saviour was to do on the earth had been fully
outlined: “The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the spirit of