31 Biblical Predictions about a Coming
One
Clear statements, excluding types, allegories and analogies
Compiled October 2005
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(Repaired June 2007)
1. A human will come and punish Satan
Genesis 3:14-15 The LORD God said to the serpent …, "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel." [c. 4000 BCE]
2. The line of Shem will become great
Genesis 9:26-27 Noah also said, "Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem…. May God enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem, and let Canaan be his servant." [c. 2000 BCE]
3. The line of Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob will benefit all peoples
Genesis 12:1-3 Now the LORD said to Abram …, "I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." [c. 1900 BCE]
Genesis 26:1-4 Isaac went to Gerar…. And the LORD appeared to him and said …, " Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you, … and in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed." [c. 1875 BCE]
Genesis 28:13-14 The LORD … said, "I am … the God of Isaac. … In you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed." [c. 1850 BCE]
4. The tribe of Judah is indicated to possess the "scepter" (kingship).
Genesis 49:10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until [he] comes [whose it is]; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. [c. 1800 BCE]
5. Job hoped for a future redeemer and a future life
Job 19:25-27 I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. [c. 1700 BCE]
6. The coming one from Jacob will exercise dominionNumbers 24:17-19 I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel. … One from Jacob shall exercise dominion…. [c. 1420 BCE]
7. A prophet like Moses will come from Israel
Deuteronomy 18:15-19 [Moses said,] "The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers - it is to him you shall listen…. And the LORD said to me, 'I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him.'" [c. 1400 BCE]
8. Israel will have an anointed king, a "messiah"
1 Samuel 2:10 The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; against them he will thunder in heaven. The LORD will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king and exalt the power of his anointed. [c. 1150 BCE]
9. The line of King David is indicated
2 Samuel 7:16 [Nathan prophesied to David,] "Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever." [c. 1100 BCE]
10. Someone will not stay in the grave
Psalm 16:9-11 My heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. [c. 1150 BCE]
11. Someone with a divine name will reign as priest and as king
Psalm 110:1-6 The LORD says to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool." The LORD sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies! Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power, in holy garments; from the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours. The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, "You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek." The Lord is at your right hand; he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath. He will execute judgment among the nations, filling them with corpses; he will shatter chiefs over the wide earth. [c. 1150 BCE]
12. The Lord will enthrone an anointed king as His "son"
Psalm 2:5-12 He will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, "As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill." I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, "You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel." Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. [c. 1000 BCE]
13. The king will be identified with the Lord
Micah 2:12-13 I will surely assemble all of you, O Jacob; I will gather the remnant of Israel …, a noisy multitude of men. He who opens the breach goes up before them; they break through and pass the gate, going out by it. Their king passes on before them, the LORD at their head. [c. 850 BCE]
14. The king will be born at Bethlehem and will protect the nation
Micah 5:2-6 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days. Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of his brothers shall return to the people of Israel. And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth. And he shall be their peace. When the Assyrian comes into our land and treads in our palaces, … he shall deliver us from the Assyrian when he comes into our land and treads within our border. [c. 850 BCE]
15. The coming king will lead an everlasting government
Isaiah 9:6-7 To us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this. [c. 740 BCE]
16. The king will come through David's line and be anointed with God's Spirit
Isaiah 11:1-5 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. 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 the fear of the LORD. And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins. [c. 740 BCE]
17. A coming servant of the Lord will benefit the nations
Isaiah 42:1-7 Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law. Thus says God, the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it: "I am the LORD; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. [c. 720 BCE]
18. A coming one will help the poor
Isaiah 49:8-10 Thus says the LORD: "In a time of favor I have answered you; in a day of salvation I have helped you; I will keep you and give you as a covenant to the people, to establish the land, to apportion the desolate heritages, saying to the prisoners, 'Come out,' to those who are in darkness, 'Appear.' They shall feed along the ways; on all bare heights shall be their pasture; they shall not hunger or thirst, neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them, for he who has pity on them will lead them, and by springs of water will guide them. [c. 720 BCE]
19. The coming servant will be exalted after having suffered
Isaiah 52:13-15 Behold, my servant shall act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted. As many were astonished at you- his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind - so shall he sprinkle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths because of him; for that which has not been told them they see, and that which they have not heard they understand. [c. 720 BCE]
20. The coming servant will suffer, die, live again, and benefit many people
Isaiah 53:1-12 Who has believed what they heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, 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 has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors. [c. 720 BCE]
21. A King with David's name will reign forever
Ezekiel 37:24-25 "My servant David shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall walk in my rules and be careful to obey my statutes. They shall dwell in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They and their children and their children's children shall dwell there forever, and David my servant shall be their prince forever. [c. 600 BCE]
22. The coming one, a "Branch" of David, will rule righteously
Jeremiah 23:5-6 Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: 'The LORD is our righteousness.' [c. 600 BCE]
23. The coming King is the Lord himself
Zephaniah 3:15-17 The LORD has taken away the judgments against you; he has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil. On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: "Fear not, O Zion; let not your hands grow weak. The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. [c. 580 BCE]
24. The coming one will be like a "son of man"
Daniel 7:13-14 I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed. [c. 553 BCE]
25. The anointed "messiah" will make final atonement after 490 years
Daniel 9:25-27 Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time. And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. … And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. [c. 539 BCE]
26. The Servant called Branch will come
Zechariah 3:8 Behold, I will bring my servant the Branch. [c. 515 BCE]
27. The king will come seated on a donkey
Zechariah 9:9-10 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall speak peace to the nations; his rule shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. [c. 515 BCE]
28. Israel will recognize the one whom it has pierced
Zechariah 12:10 I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn. [c. 515 BCE]
29. The "shepherd", a man, will be struck
Zechariah 13:7 "Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who stands next to me," declares the LORD of hosts. "Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered; I will turn my hand against the little ones. [c. 515 BCE]
30.The coming one will stand upon the Mount of Olives
Zechariah 14:4 On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward. [c. 515 BCE]
31. The messenger of the covenant will purify Israel
Malachi 3:1-3 Behold, I send my messenger and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD. [c. 398 BCE]