Dave M
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THE OLD TESTAMENT TESTIFIES TO JESUS’ DEITY
Before Jesus was born, the Jews had the blessing and privilege of being given the very word of God. When He became a man, Jesus made an incredible statement about God’s word:
“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me.” (John 5:39)
Is that true? Let’s see. Isaiah 7:14 says,
“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.”
The word “Immanuel” literally means “God with us.” This was written about 700 years before Christ’s birth. The New Testament agrees:
“22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.”” (Matthew 1)
Prophesying of the coming Messiah, Isaiah 9 says,
“6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. 7 There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.”
God confirms that Jesus is this Son:
“Then a cloud formed, overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is My beloved Son, listen to Him!”” (Mark 9:7)
This Son is equated with God the Father, confirming Jesus’ claim that He and the Father are one. In Isaiah 45, God declares,
“21… And there is no other God besides Me, A righteous God and a Savior; There is none except Me. 22 “Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; For I am God, and there is no other. 23 “I have sworn by Myself, The word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness And will not turn back, That to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance. 24 “They will say of Me, ‘Only in the Lord are righteousness and strength.’”
This is the same description of Christ in the New Testament:
“8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2)
Notice here that Paul testifies to both Christ’s humanity and His Deity. Psalm 110, a Messianic Psalm, also testifies to Jesus’s deity:
“The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”” Jesus applied this Psalm to Himself: “41 Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question: 42 “What do you think about the Christ, whose son is He?” They said to Him, “The son of David.” 43 He said to them, “Then how does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying, 44 ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Until I put Your enemies beneath Your feet”’? 45 If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his son?” 46 No one was able to answer Him a word, nor did anyone dare from that day on to ask Him another question.”
Isaiah 44 says,
“6 “Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: ‘I am the first and I am the last, And there is no God besides Me.” In Revelation 1, Jesus speaks to John and makes the same claim: “17 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, 18 and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.”
In Deuteronomy 32, God is called a Rock:
“3 “For I proclaim the name of the Lord; Ascribe greatness to our God! 4 “The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He.”
Paul makes this same connection in 1 Corinthians 10,
“For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea; 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3 and all ate the same spiritual food; 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ.”
Genesis 1:1 says,
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
Of Jesus, John says,
“All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.” (John 1:3)
Isaiah 43:11 says,
“I, even I, am the Lord, And there is no savior besides Me.” God alone is called the savior, yet the New Testament refers to Jesus as the savior: “He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.” (Acts 5:31)
Much, much more could be said here, but Scripture is clear that the Old Testament testifies to the Deity of Christ.
Before Jesus was born, the Jews had the blessing and privilege of being given the very word of God. When He became a man, Jesus made an incredible statement about God’s word:
“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me.” (John 5:39)
Is that true? Let’s see. Isaiah 7:14 says,
“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.”
The word “Immanuel” literally means “God with us.” This was written about 700 years before Christ’s birth. The New Testament agrees:
“22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.”” (Matthew 1)
Prophesying of the coming Messiah, Isaiah 9 says,
“6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. 7 There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.”
God confirms that Jesus is this Son:
“Then a cloud formed, overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is My beloved Son, listen to Him!”” (Mark 9:7)
This Son is equated with God the Father, confirming Jesus’ claim that He and the Father are one. In Isaiah 45, God declares,
“21… And there is no other God besides Me, A righteous God and a Savior; There is none except Me. 22 “Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; For I am God, and there is no other. 23 “I have sworn by Myself, The word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness And will not turn back, That to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance. 24 “They will say of Me, ‘Only in the Lord are righteousness and strength.’”
This is the same description of Christ in the New Testament:
“8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2)
Notice here that Paul testifies to both Christ’s humanity and His Deity. Psalm 110, a Messianic Psalm, also testifies to Jesus’s deity:
“The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”” Jesus applied this Psalm to Himself: “41 Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question: 42 “What do you think about the Christ, whose son is He?” They said to Him, “The son of David.” 43 He said to them, “Then how does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying, 44 ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Until I put Your enemies beneath Your feet”’? 45 If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his son?” 46 No one was able to answer Him a word, nor did anyone dare from that day on to ask Him another question.”
Isaiah 44 says,
“6 “Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: ‘I am the first and I am the last, And there is no God besides Me.” In Revelation 1, Jesus speaks to John and makes the same claim: “17 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, 18 and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.”
In Deuteronomy 32, God is called a Rock:
“3 “For I proclaim the name of the Lord; Ascribe greatness to our God! 4 “The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He.”
Paul makes this same connection in 1 Corinthians 10,
“For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea; 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3 and all ate the same spiritual food; 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ.”
Genesis 1:1 says,
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
Of Jesus, John says,
“All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.” (John 1:3)
Isaiah 43:11 says,
“I, even I, am the Lord, And there is no savior besides Me.” God alone is called the savior, yet the New Testament refers to Jesus as the savior: “He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.” (Acts 5:31)
Much, much more could be said here, but Scripture is clear that the Old Testament testifies to the Deity of Christ.
