What Is Messianic Prophecy?

Within the pages of the Bible are incredible predictions of a time filled with universal peace and love, a time where the world is no longer affected by racism and war, and a time where we are not bothered by taxes or bills. This is what God promised us. I don’t know about you, but that is something I am really excited for!

The Messianic Age

When we talk about Messianic Prophecy, these are the kinds of things in store for those who follow and love God. So how do we know what to expect during this “Messianic Age”? Well, the Bible does give us insight into what this time will look like. Nations will never go to war again (Isaiah 2:4; Micah 4:3), there will be no more hurt or pain (Isaiah 11:6-9), and much more. We do not live in a world like this today, but the Bible is clear that it is coming.

How do we get a world like this? What needs to happen in order for us to enter into this age so we can all experience life with no suffering? Again, the Bible gives us information on this as well in the form of “Messianic Prophecy.” These prophecies are ones that refer to the identity, mission, and effects of the Messiah.

The Messiah as a Person

Here are some examples of different Messianic prophecies that give us insight into who the Messiah is.

• 2 Samuel 7:12-13 spoke of someone who would be a descendant of King David and cause David’s kingdom to last forever.
• Isaiah 7:14 prophesied that a virgin woman would give birth to a very special child.
• Isaiah 9:6 said that the coming Messiah would be descended from David and named with the very name of God.
• Micah 5:2 gave us the town that the Messiah would be born in: Bethlehem, Israel.
• Isaiah 53 told us that the Messiah would die bearing our sorrows, our grief, and our wrongdoings.
• Daniel 9:20-27 foretold that the Messiah would come before 70 C.E. and he would end the power of sin over our lives and bring in everlasting justice.

As we can see, the Messiah is someone who would be born under miraculous circumstances, would be from a royal line, and would bear our sins on his shoulders. What kind of man is this? This is the man prophesied in the Bible. He is the one who will bring in the everlasting peace and happiness we discussed earlier.

The Coming of Messiah

Messiah’s mission is to bring about justice and righteousness in our world. However, the Scriptures say that Messiah will usher in this eternal tranquility in phases. First, the Messiah had to come and take care of the sin that was overpowering everyone’s lives. To do that, he sacrificed himself for us and died a horrible death so he could bear our sin’s weight on his shoulders (Isaiah 52:13—53:12). That is such an incredible act of love! When Messiah returns, he will accomplish the second phase of ushering in this eternal tranquility by establishing peace and abolishing war and hate.

Elsewhere on this site we will discuss specific Messianic prophecies in more depth. We encourage you to continue your search for the Messiah of Israel through the words of the Scriptures.