From the first inception of evil, God began dropping hints of His greatest weapon for its destruction, the Messiah. Oddly enough, the first promise of Heavens ultimate victory over sin was addressed to Satan himself, "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel." Genesis 3:15 Thus begins the Messiah expectation.

In its first few books, the Bible doesn't record many references to the Messiah, or even details of His nature and work. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses, receive only vague glimpses of Him through their prophetic promises. For Abraham and his sons it was a simple: "in you all the families of the earth will be blessed." Genesis 13:3, Genesis 26:4, Genesis 28:14. For Moses it was a comforting message to His people on the eve of his death. However, his message did contain one previously unrecorded tidbit, the Messiah would prophesy: "The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear... I will ... put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him." Deuteronomy 18:15,18

It was not until the Psalms and the Old Testament prophets that the Messiah's picture really came into focus. Over a span of a thousand years, through song and prophecy, these Old Testament writers added their revelations to those that had come before. Perhaps in many cases not even aware that the words they wrote were part of the Messiah's saga. None the less, their writings lived on, culminating in a collective prophecy of such detail that the date and place of Messiah's coming could be known, as well as the nature of His work and the details and purpose of His untimely death.

Putting the highlights of these Messianic prophecies together revealed;

• His coming would be for all people. (Genesis 13:3)
  
• He would prophesy and speak God's words. (Deuteronomy 18:15,18)
  
• He would be a king like David from the tribe of Judah and would reinstate David's throne eternally. (Genesis 49:10; 2 Samuel 7:8,16; Isaiah 9:6-7)
  
• He would come as a baby and be born to a virgin - God with us. (Isaiah 7:14)
  
• His birthplace would be Bethlehem, and an early attempt would be made on his life resulting in the slaughter of the cities babies. (Micah 5:2; Jeremiah 31:15)
  
• He would be a Light to the Gentiles. (Isaiah 49:6)
  
• His purpose would be "to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified." Isaiah 60: 1-3
  
• He would be unrecognized, betrayed and killed. (Isaiah 53:1-12)
  
• He would be resurrected and victorious. (Psalm 16:10; Job 19:25)
  

Sadly, true to the prophetic declarations, the Messiah's people missed Him. Somehow they overlooked the thread of suffering throughout the Messianic prophecies, "…and you shall bruise His heel…" Genesis 3:15. Instead they focused on the glorious kingdom aspect of Messiah's mission, and in the process blinded themselves to the message that pain would be the pathway to that peace.

Not surprisingly then, when the Messiah arrived, they did not recognize or accept Him. Yet God was and is not finished yet. Now, as prophecy declares, Jesus, the victorious Messiah is earnestly and resolutely wrapping up the last phase of his war with evil. Soon, His promised eternal kingdom of peace, the one the Jew's so eagerly anticipated at His first coming, will be realized.

This was Gods ultimate purpose for the messianic prophecies. They were to give the gift of hope to His earthly children and prepare the world for the coming of Christ and His ultimate purpose of the final overthrow of evil. Through the prophecies the world was to be prepared for Jesus mission and its direct meaning for each member of the human family. The prophecies were also to prepare humanity for the scheme of redemption and for the heavenly and eternal nature of the kingdom Jesus came to instate.

As you embark on this journey through the Messianic prophecies may you be touched by His heart, and by His message of hope and promise of ultimate and eternal peace. And personally, may you too find Him to be "the Prince of Peace."