The Church Jesus Built: Part 4

Part 4: Prophets Show the Way

Introduction: The Messiah’s Kingdom

Prophets were men who received direct revelation from God. At times, they would prophesy things to come, especially about God's chosen Messiah and His kingdom. The coming of the Messiah was a national hope and dream to Jews in Bible times. When they listened to the prophets foretell about the Messiah and His kingdom, the Jews assumed a strong-armed military leader who would burst on to the scene. They thought He would destroy the gentile nations who currently ruled them and restore Israel to a place of international glory and power.

The benefit of fulfilled prophecy and hindsight is to understand that Jesus is the Prince of Peace, not a warrior king. There was no restoration of a Jewish nation as a global power. Rather, prophets predicted the establishment of the Messiah's spiritual kingdom—the church—that belongs to Him.

Prophecies About the Kingdom

Miraculous Gifts – 850BC

The prophet Joel was able to see the early days of the church hundreds of years beforehand. He prophesied about a time when natural men would have supernatural gifts, and a time when anyone in the world who had faith in God could be saved.

“And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. […] And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved,” (Joel 2:28-32).

The first part of these prophetic verses dealt with the age of miracles during the early years of the church (1 Corinthians 12:4-11). The latter part of this prophecy is a promise that salvation will come to all who call on the name of the Lord; meaning to have faith in Jesus (Romans 1:16-18).

A Great Mountain – 550 BC

A prophet named Daniel prophesied about the church hundreds of years before its establishment! He told the king of Babylon about a statue representing the great world powers: Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome. Some of these kingdoms were not even in existence yet!

“You, O king, were watching; and behold, a great image! This great image, whose splendor was excellent, stood before you; and its form was awesome...You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image […]. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth,” (Daniel 2:31-35).

Daniel saw a great stone cut without hands that crushed the statue and became a great mountain that filled the whole earth. This stone is the church—a spiritual kingdom that has permeated the entire planet! It is no wonder some Jewish enemies once said this of the Christian faith: These who have turned the world upside down have come here too!

A Spiritual Temple – 500 BC

About five hundred years before Jesus came, Zechariah prophesied that there would be one who would reign as both priest and king. This future priestly king was to build a new temple to the Lord.

“Behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH! From His place He shall branch out, and He shall build the temple of the Lord; yes, He shall build the temple of the Lord. He shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule on His throne; so He shall be a priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both,”’ (Zechariah 6:12-13).

The New Testament shows how Jesus fulfilled the requirements for Kingship  and Priesthood (Colossians 1:13, Hebrews 4:14). The spiritual temple He built is the church. Christians serve in this spiritual kingdom (1 Peter 2:9).

John the Baptist's church?

John the Baptist was a prophet who helped prepare the way for Jesus. Their ministries overlapped for a short time. While John did not make any prophecies about the church, some people believe John established the church during his ministry. The Bible teaches that it was not until John had already died that Jesus said, “upon this rock I will build my church,”(Matthew 16:18). While John didn’t establish the church, he did prepare the way for Jesus by preaching to anyone who would listen that the Messiah was coming soon. About 400 years before John was alive, the prophet Malachi foretold that John would be the messenger ahead of the Messiah. 

Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You (Malachi 3:1). 

Jesus as a Prophet

Jesus came not only as the promised Messiah but also as a prophet. He claimed to be the prophet like Moses (see Deuteronomy 18:15-19 and John 5:46). He also prophesied about his death and resurrection during his three year ministry.

And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again (Mark 8:31).

His disciples were sad about Jesus' claim of impending death. They didn't fully understand the purpose and necessity of Jesus' sacrifice. Jesus comforted His followers with the promise of the Holy Spirit to come. Jesus claimed that once He returned to Heaven, the Spirit would lead them into all truth. (This would be fulfilled at Pentecost and beyond when the church was established.) Jesus said:

Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment...when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come (John 16:7-13).

For the Spirit to come, Jesus had to depart. After His resurrection, Jesus remained forty days on the earth (see Acts 1). Even then His disciples did not grasp the fullness of His teaching. For example, Jesus once approached two of his disciples shortly after the resurrection. Hiding His identity, Jesus asked about the recent events. When they responded that they were sad and confused because their Teacher had been crucified and now His body had disappeared, Jesus said:

“O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!  Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself (Luke 24:25-27).

As He had prophesied, Jesus' followers needed some clarity. The time arrived when Jesus returned to Heaven. Very soon, the Holy Spirit's miraculous teaching would lead the disciples into all truth and establish the church of Christ.

In Review: Prophets Show the Way

The prophets were men who received direct revelation from God. They often preached and foretold of the Messiah and His Kingdom. A sample of prophecies has demonstrated that Jesus was the promised Messiah and the church would be His kingdom. These prophecies provide evidence that the church has been a part of God’s plan all along. The church was not an accident, nor is it a suggestion or optional for Christians. The church is the body of the saved. Christians can take comfort in the words of the prophets and especially in the words of Jesus Christ:

Upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18).

“Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood  (Acts 20:28).

*This article was taken from The Church Series, a fourteen-part study written by Jonathan Edwards. This study is available for free PDF download at www.pureandsimplebible.com