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mentioned in the New Testament in various connections (Matt 24:37-38; Luke 17:26-7; Heb. 11:7; 1
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Pet. 3:20; 2 Pet. 2:5-9).

Typical Institutions and Ceremonies.
Typical institutions and ceremonies include the Old Testament priesthoods, feasts of Jehovah, and cities
of refuge. The typology of the cities of refuges describes the sanctuary for those who were found to
have committed inadvertent sin whose consequence was death. In the Mosaic Law, there were some
provisions for a person who had innocently taken the life of another. That person’s deliverance from the
avenger of blood depended on his fleeing to a city of refuge. After the high priest’s death, that person
could return, and all of his manslaughter charges would be dropped. As long as the high priest was alive,
that person was not allowed to go back home. If he did so, the avenger was permitted to take the life of
the murderer (Num. 35; Deut. 19:1-13; Josh 20).
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Christ in the Old Testament Prophecy.

There are two types of Messianic prophecies: general and specific Old Testament prophecies. General
prophecies are those where people are discussed in Scriptures as the fulfillers of prophecies when
actually, the language itself points to Jesus as the fulfiller (1 Sam. 2:35). Specific prophecies are those
that are applied directly to the person of Jesus Christ. Those passages contain language which can only
be fulfilled by the coming Messiah. Our focus will be on these specific characteristics of the Messianic
prophecies.

Specific Characteristic of the Messianic Prophecy.

The Messianic Line; His Lineage.
Stated clearly in Genesis 3:15 is the birth of the seed of the woman who was going to crush the
serpent’s head. The subject of a seed is again referenced in Genesis 12:1-3 when God pronounced
incomparable future blessings to Abraham. From Abraham’s seed was to come a great nation. Physically
it was to be made possible through Isaac, but spiritually, through Jesus Christ. The blessing was to the
son Isaac, through whom, the seed (Jesus [Gen 17:19]) was going to come. “Subsequent revelation
traces the lineage through Isaac, Jacob (Gen 28:14), Judah (Gen 49:10), Boaz, Obed, Jesse, and David (2
Sam 7:12-13).” The lineage of blessing is confirmed by Matthew and Luke in Jesus Christ’s genealogies
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(Matt 1:2-16; Luke 3:23-38).

Prophecies of the Birth of Christ (Isa. 7:14-17)
Isaiah 7 opens with God’s conversation with one of the evil kings of Judah, Ahaz (2 Kings
16:3; 2 Chr. 28:3). God told Ahaz that he would receive judgment from both the king of
Israel and that of the Syrians. Ahaz was trusting in the king of the Assyrians—
Tiglathpileser—for protection as he was already paying tributes to him (2 Kings 16:7-8; 2
Chr. 28:16). Isaiah informed Ahaz that as a sign of God’s faithfulness, a virgin was going to
conceive and give birth to a son who would be Emmanuel—God with us (Matt 1:20; Luke
1:34-35). The meaning of the word virgin in Hebrew language can have a wide range of meanings. John
Walton’s addition to the definition of virgin is worth noting. “There is no defensible logic for suggesting
the meaning ‘virgin’ for the Hebrew ‘alma.’ Exegetical methods lead us to the meaning of ‘youth’ or

36 Ibid., p. 73-74.
37 Ibid., p. 77-78.
38 Ibid. p. 83.

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