AncientWord

Have you ever wondered why you don't see Jesus in the Old Testament? I mean you read from Genesis to the book of Malachi, it has nowhere Jesus is mentioned. I mean God is all-knowing, so he could not have failed to know what name he'll be given. In Isaiah 44:28, Isaiah the prophet accurately predicts the name of the King that will lead Israel from captivity 150 years ahead of time. Similarly, 1 Kings 13, an unnamed prophet accurately prophesy the name of a son named Josiah will be born in the house of David and will restore worship to the Almighty God 300 years ahead of time. 

So how about Jesus, why didn't any prophet predict a son named Yeshua (Hebrew name) will be born as the Messiah? Was God suddenly blind? Certainly not! It is for this reason that the orthodox Jews have failed to see Jesus in Tanakh -  and for most of the reasons you can hardly blame of them.

The LORD by design concealed Jesus or Yeshua. He remained veiled under scripture for several reasons that we will explore in the article. You are going to need your Bible and notebook to weave through tens of scriptures in this revelation. 

1. Abraham's three guests

In the heat of the day, Abraham receives three guests. He's a desperate man -  for a child with Sarah but even in that moment, he does not consider for a single moment to be selfish to strangers who at the first glance cannot give him a son.
In return he gets the Unfailing Word of God and Sarah conceives. The number, three, is unique and we could easily be staring at the Holy Trinity. In fact the chapter introduces by identifying a single person as the LORD,a similar pattern present in the great commission (Matthew 28:19) and turns out they are three and Abraham bows to all of them without any stepping aside to allow only One to accept the service.

Geneseis 18: 1 The Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. 2 Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.

Abraham continues to address them as one person, my Lord. And when they agree to dine with Abraham, all of them answer in unison:

Genesis 18:5  “Very well,” they answered, “do as you say.”

Genesis 18:9 “Where is your wife Sarah?” they asked him.

The moment clarifies how the three work as one united in spirit and purpose. It is further emphasized when two of them leave to check Sodom and Gomorah if the sin is as rumoured. There's no eveidence of them reporting back to the One who remained with Abraham for decision making they take up in their hands in chapter 19 to destroy the city. 

It is possible the Three-In-One concept had not been structured yet hence lack of Consensus for the writers of Tanakh like Moses.

2. Preemptive Substitution for Salvation

God asks Abhram to sacrifice his only son as a show of faith. He faithfully agree to do that in the future Jerusalem, Moriah. First the location of the sacrifice strikes and secondly a substitute ram appears suddenly as he was about to slay his only son.

Genesis 22:13  Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.

While, the ram was not Jesus, the concept was crucial. Jesus replaced death with self sacrifice. it says in John 3:16, For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
1 Peter 2:24 further echoes the substitution for death by saying, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”

This was not the first time God was preempting Jesus' sacrificial act. He first did it when he skinned animals to help Adam and Eve cover their nakedness and avoid shame. They had sinned, gone against God's warnings, but through his mercies, substitute animals died for their shame to go away. Jesus for our sake, the Father made him to be sin when he knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God,  2 Corinthians 5:21.

Another instance God saved man dying is Exodus 17 and Numbers 20. The children of Israel complained to Moses, "Why did you bring the Lord’s community into this wilderness, that we and our livestock should die here?" They feared dying and lost their faith God. 

1 Corinthians 10:4 "and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ." This verse connects the Old Testament image of the Israelites being provided water from a rock to Christ, indicating he is the source of spiritual nourishment. 

1 Peter 2:4: As you come to him, a living stone rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him.

The new testament reveals to us that the rock was Jesus under the veil. No wonder God became angry with Moses to a point he withdrew his inheritance to the promised land.

And yet another instance, Joseph son of Jacob, a man faithful to God yet cast and rejected by his own brothers in Genesis 37. His dreams and glorification irked his brothers. In the end they killed him, as they reported to their father - yet he was alive, the same way Jesus was dead yet alive. While Joseph was not Jesus, the revelation that Joseph was alive revived Jacob's heart just as Jesus revives people's heart by resurection.

3. A Priest but not a Priest

Abraham following a victory to save Lot meets the priest of the Most High. Known only as Melchizedeck. The man is a priest and yet a King too. He has no trace, no prior history of priesthood yet receives gifts belonging to the priest according to the law of Moses. The man gets lost in scriptures until David re-interprets him for us:

Psalms 110:4 The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”

Jesus who later turns out to be the only mediator, a priestly role, in 1 Timothy 2:5, "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;" and yet the king of all nations in Revelation 19:16, "And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King of kings, and Lord of lords."

Jesus is the only other person who mirrors the personhood of Melchizedek, a priest and yet a king.

4. Moses: A Prophet like Me

As Moses nears his death, he issues a stunning prophecy that has shattered generations.

Deuteronomy 18:15 The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him.

The prophecy at the moment appeared short term - fulfilled immediately after his death when Joshua was raised as successor. However, God did not stop raising servants after the death of Joshua, so it was always fulfilled every time God raised a prophet in Israel.
However there was a key part of the prophecy that is always overlooked, "like me." Like Moses is an explosive topic as Moses served in different capacities and abilities. For at least fourty years he was a prophet he exhibited various traits:

• With humility, he led the Israelites out of Egypt
• He talked with God directly as man talks to another
• He saw God
• He was a leader - including ability to delagate and inspire
• He was prayerful - had frequent and fervent prayers, seeking guidance and strength
• He was courageous - especially when he faced Pharaoh who wanted him dead
• He was faithful and obedient - had unwavering obedience to God's commands, even when facing difficult or seemingly impossible tasks
• He gave the Law

The prophets God raised thereafter fulfilled a few of the traits, Like Moses. Most were humble and depended on God, but, none accomplished all of them like Jesus did. Jesus knew God the Father personally. As sheep led to the shearer, without saying a word Jesus walked to his death. Jesus constantly coached his team, emotionally coached them during the last supper and did a test run when he allowed them to preempt their preaching skills in Luke 6, thereby showing great leadership. Jesus prayed every night for guidance and strength showing total obedience to the father who sent him.
Therefore Jesus was the final and perfect fulfilment of Moses and becoming the law himself.

5. The Psalmist Prophecies

David the musician served God from when he was young with his music. His creatives later turned out as not just music but also javelin prophecies piercing through the Jesus time up-to the end of the world in Psalms 83 when the final war is fought. And the winner of the war is Jesus described in Revelation 20:7-10.

• Psalms 22: A detailed narrative of the crucifixion veiled as David in dispair and forsaken by God in time of need
• Psalms 16. A resurrection prophecy veiled as David crying out for protection
• Psalms 2. Jesus the son of God taking over the reign as King of all nations veiled as lineage of leadership following David
• Psalms 110 Jesus the judge and priest forever whose enemies have been subdued so he can rule in peace veiled as David himself on the throne reflecting how David was a succeful king despite challenges beginning from when he captured Jersualem a few months in the throne.
• Psalms 69. Jesus' suffering and the mockery drinks on the cross veiled as David prayer against his enemies
• Psalms 41. Jesus' betrayal by Judas veiled as David's prayer against his traitors including his close friends and family

6. The Prophets

The prophets too did have their share. They predicted a Messiah they did not know his name. The prophets one after another talked about a future King who will reign from the throne of david, deliver israel, make Israel worship center. But their terrible toungues did not know the name of that King. They saw a glory they wished to take part in but could not but were quickly turned away. They knew it but yet did not fully grasp him. God by design gave them pieces, sometimes the peices matched sometimes they almost contradicted. A meek servant led to the shearer who utters no word yet again the lion from the tribe of Judah. A humble servant who breaks no reed yet Yahweh himself who stands on Mount of Olives and it splits into two and earthquake strikes the whole earth. A humble king who rides on a donkey yet again rules the whole world. Some describe the events of those days while described this King. The veiling did not stop; the description of the King was open and anyone could appear and claim messianic office.

a. The birth of Jesus, humble life and ministry in the prophecies

• Isaiah 7:14. The virgin birth of Jesus prophecied by Isaiah was only fulfilled immediately but through the Messiah when an angel of the LORD appeared to Mary who had not known a man and she conceived. Moreover the Jesus is the Prince of Peace as he is promised to destroy all Israel's enemies.
• Micah 5:2. the smallest clans of Judah indeed gave birth to a King when was born in Bethlehem
• Jeremiah 31:15. Rachel weeps for her children, Joseph being taken to Egypt, later Israel being taken to Babylon and finally Jesus being taken to Egypt because Israel became too hostile and yet to fulfill another prophecy. Out of egypt, I called my son, Hosea 11:1.
• Job 19:23–27: God himself will walk on the earth.
• Isiaah 11. A messianic prophecy detailing the origin and conduct of Jesus, a defender of justice and the poor - a trait Jesus clearly could not part with.
• Jeremiah 23:5. another messianic prophecy -  a righteous judge and wise king coming from the root of david; also Jeremiah 33:15
• Zechariah 6:12, Jesus who rebuilt the temple in 3 days is veiled as a branch, a servant who builds the temple; also in Zechariah 3:8
• Zechariah 9:9. Fulfilled when Jesus rode on a donkey during the triumphal entry. Veiled as a vague prophecy until Jesus lived it.
• Exodus 12:5. Jesus the man without sin yet still crucified as a sinner fulfils the males without defect prophecy as explain in Hebrews 9:14. Further as in Exodus 12:46, none of his bones were broken
• Psalms 78:1-2, Jesus taught in parables, also echoed in isaiah 6:9
• Isaiah 9:1-2. Jesus begins his ministry from Naphtali and Zebulun - Galilee. Fulfilled in Matthew 4:12–17
• Isaiah 11:10. Jesus fulfills the prophecy by bringing all the gentiles into the fold.
• Isaiah 35:5-6. Jesus healed all kinds of diseases both physical and spiritual thereby fulfilling the prophecy.
• Isaiah 40:3, Malach 3:1, and Malachi 4:5. John the Baptist, a prophect said one who is coming after him, Jesus, was mightier than him.
• Isaiah 42:1–4, Isaiah 61:1. A healer, a hope, a just leader and more. Matthew 12:15–21 and Luke 4:16–21 fulfill the prophecy.

b. The suffering servant in the prophecies

• Isaiah 53. The chapter describes a suffering servant who was despised, rejected and killed for the inequities of others and yet rose up to see light and offspring blossom. A very detailed messianic prophecy veiled as Israel being persecuted by the kings of earth yet righteous and honored by God - Luke 4:28–29.
• Zechariah 12:10 echoes Isaiah 53, the sudden realization of the suffering servant they pierced and killed as their Messiah and God.
• Psalms 22:6. Again a suffering servant rejected by many veiled as a suffering David.
• Daniel 9:26. A prophecy of the annointed one being cut of from the land of the living but so ambigious that is open to various translations. The prophecy details how Jesus was killed before becoming the King Israel hoped for.
• Psalms 69:21. Fulfilled in John 19:21 when they mocked Jesus with a vinegar drink.
• Psalms 22:16. fulfilled when Jesus was killed by cricifixtion and nails drilled on both hands and feet.
• Zechariah 11:12–13. Fulfilled precisely when Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 silver.
• Psalms 31:5. Fulfilled in Luke 23:46 when Jesus cried into your hands I lay my spirit.
• Psalm 31:11. All the disciples abandoned Jesus during the trying hour. Also echoed in Zechariah 13:7, Psalm 41:9 where disciples ran when the head was stricken.
• Psalm 38:12–13. The Messiah was quiet before his accusers in Matthew 27:12–14. Also echoed in Isaiah 53:7

c. Jesus the King in the prophecies

The Old Testament is full of glimpses of a coming King: one who would reign with justice, defeat sin, and establish a never-ending kingdom. Many of these prophecies are directly fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth, and others await full realization in His second coming. Below are some of the most direct Messianic prophecies highlighting Jesus as King:

• Daniel 7:13–14 - Perhaps the clearest Messianic vision: one like a Son of Man comes on the clouds, receives eternal dominion, and is worshiped.
• Daniel 9:24. Jesus brought an end to sin - first by atoning for it and finally when the millenial reign comes to and end.
• Zechariah 9:9. The Israelites King enters to take the stage as a spiritual king, riding on a donkey fulfilled in Jesus’ triumphal entry.
• Psalm 16:9–11. The Holy One is not abandoned to the grave. Quoted in Acts 2:31 to describe Jesus’ resurrection.
• Psalm 68:18. He ascends and gives gifts to men (cf. Ephesians 4:7–16), a direct link to the risen Christ.
• Isaiah 25:7–8. He will swallow up death forever: fulfilled at the resurrection and ultimately in 1 Corinthians 15:54.
• Psalm 9:7–10 /Isaiah 22:22. The Messiah becomes Judge of all the earth (cf. Acts 17:31; Revelation 3:7).
• Isaiah 9:6-7 - “Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”, veiled through King Hezekiah but fulfilled in Jesus.
• Jeremiah 23:5-6 - A righteous Branch from David will reign as King: linked to Revelation 19.
• Zechariah 6:12-13 - The Messiah will be both Priest and King.
• 2 Samuel 7:12-13 - David’s throne will last forever - fulfilled in Jesus’ eternal kingdom.
• Psalm 45:6-7 - “Your throne, O God, is forever” - applied to Jesus in Hebrews 1:8–12.
• Psalms 110. - Jesus is both Lord and Priest in the order of Melchizedek, ruling at God’s right hand.

d. The life during Jesus' Kingship

Jesus began His reign following His resurrection and ascension. His kingdom is spiritual, but real, and will one day become fully visible on earth.

• The Spirit poured out - Isaiah 44:3 and Joel 2:28 Fulfilled in Acts 2, when the Spirit was poured out upon believers. The Holy Spirit continues to empower the Church and testify to Jesus’ reign.
• A new covenant established - The covenant of grace replaces the Mosaic covenant, offering forgiveness through Jesus.
• God Defends Israel - Zechariah 12:1-9 and Zechariah 14:4 God Himself will intervene for Israel, standing on the Mount of Olives with overwhelming power. A prophecy awaiting future fulfillment.
• The word of the Lord streaming from Jerusalem - A day is coming when Jerusalem becomes the source of global instruction. Revelation 7 hints at Israel’s central role in evangelizing the nations.
• Before Peace: The Time of Jacob’s Trouble: Prophecies foretell a period of great suffering before the final redemption:

Why the Book of Revelation was needed

Jesus fulfilled most of the prophecies in Tanakh but it was not complete. The kingly side however was lacking. He did not stand on Mount of Olives and destroy God's enemies. He did not rule over David's throne literally. On the flip he was hunble servant with not association to any military and publicy humiliated by a disgraceful death. The Messiah therefore left without completing the perfect Messianic attributeds. So a book in the order of Daniel or Zechariah was needed to show how God had planned on fulfilling them one by one. The would put open the annointed Messaih as God worthy of worship, Revelation 4:11, Revelation 19:16. 

• Reveal Jesus as God and King: In Revelation 4:11 or Revelation 19:16 Jesus is revealed as one who sits on the throne with power and worship worthy.
• Validate Jesus claims like before Abraham Iam, restore me with glory I had before the beginning fo time: In Revelation 1:4, Revelation 1:8: Jesus takes on divine titles: “who was, who is, who is to come,” and “Alpha and Omega,” echoing Exodus 3:14 and Isaiah 44:6
• Patch pieces of the Old Testament prophecies: Old Testament prophets gave us pieces of what would happen during the Messiah's time but putting them together was a puzzle with gaps plucking holes. Daniel talks about tribulation and cutting off of the Annointed One without tellings us the ministry. Isaiah sees a suffering and enthroned servant without describing specifics like the global reign. Jeremiah tells us a new covenant will come but omits glorification. Zechariah sees an enthroned King with the ability to defend Israel but we see no chronological events leading to glorification like the corss. It therefore becomes hard to pick the sequence.
• Give Hope and Detail the Final Plan - According to Daniel 9:26 - Jesus is cut off and appears to accomplish nothing. Revelation shows His glorious return, judgment of nations, marriage to the Church, and reign over the earth.
• Unveil the intention of the prophecies and translate the OT - full blown:  In the Old Testament, Jesus was hidden in names and shadows: Isaiah 7 - Virgin birth. Isaiah 9 - A divine child through King Hezekiah. In Revelation, He is clearly identified with divine glory, seated on the throne, judging the world.

Takeaways on the Revelation of Jesus

• God Works Intentionally

  • “Surely the Lord God does nothing without revealing His plan…” (Amos 3:7)

  • “We are His workmanship, prepared in advance…” (Ephesians 2:10)

  • Nothing in Scripture is random; all is part of the divine plan.

• Jesus is the Center of All Scripture

  • From Genesis to Revelation, Jesus is the central character:

    • In creation (John 1:1-3),

    • In the law,

    • In prophecy,

    • In fulfillment,

    • In glorification.

  • Joseph, rejected by his brothers, exalted to save them is just one of many types of Christ.

• The Whole Bible is the Revelation of Jesus

  • The Word was with God and was God.

  • The Lamb was slain before the foundation of the world.

  • Jesus is the image of the invisible God.

  • Every shadow in the Old Testament leads to His light

Finally

The Bible is not a scattered anthology of moral tales. It is a unified testimony of Jesus Christ: the Lamb, the King, the Judge, and the God who was veiled but now is revealed. The Old Testament gave the promises, the Gospels gave the fulfillment, and the Book of Revelation gives the unveiling - the apokalypsis - of the glorious King who reigns forever.

“The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” (Revelation 19:10)