PROPHECIES RELATIVE TO CHRIST. I THAT CHRIST SHOULD COME. I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. —Gen. iii. 15. There shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel.-Num. xxiv. 17. When the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law.-Gal. iv. 4. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.-1 John iii. 8. The God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly.-Rom. xvi. 20. Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born king of the Jews? for we have seen 11 Read Gen. iii. his star in the east, and are come to worship him. -Matt. ii. 1, 2. When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.Matt. ii. 9, 10. II THE TIME OF CHRIST'S COMING. The sceptre 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.-Gen. xlix. 10. Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Cæsar.-John xix. 10, 15. I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts. The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.-Hag. ii. 7, 9. The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. -Mal. iii. 1. And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.Lu. ii. 27-32. And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought; Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves. And he taught daily in the temple.-Lu. xix. 45-47. Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself.-Dan. ix. 24 26*. . Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer.-Lu. xxiv. 46. Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit.-1 Pet. iii. 18. *See Ezra ii. 11. for the decree of Artaxerxes, from which time, to our Lord's crucifixion, was seventy weeks of years, that is, four hundred and ninety years. III. THE PLACE OF CHRIST'S BIRTH. But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out 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. Mic. v. 2. Now, when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of Herod the king.-Matt. ii. 1. All went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David :) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife. And so it was, that, while they were there, she brought forth her first-born son.-Lu. ii. 3-7. Fear not for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is |