Through the Bible with Les Feldick
LESSON 2 * PART 4 * BOOK 78
PART 1 of the MESSIANIC PROPHECIES – PART 4
Psalms 2, 8, and 16
We’re glad you’re all here. For those of you joining us on television, we’re going to continue on where we left off in our last half hour, coming out of the 16th Psalm—which is a Messianic Psalm. We’re going to pick it right up again in Acts chapter 2, where Peter quotes from the 16th Psalm concerning the resurrection of Christ.
Now you have to understand, that resurrection was not a daily discussion. It certainly was evident throughout the Old Testament, but yet it was not something that was constantly referred to. As we hopefully do today—because resurrection is the very core of our gospel of salvation. And as Paul says, “If Christ be not raised from the dead, then you are yet in your sins.” But nevertheless, since Christ has been raised from the dead—all still in association with His dealing with Israel—there has not yet been a word said about Him going to the Gentile world, except as He had planned to do in the Old Testament economy.
Israel was to have been priests of Jehovah. Israel was to have been the evangelists. But they dropped the ball and lost the opportunity. But Peter doesn’t realize that yet. Peter thinks this is all still part of God dealing with the Nation under those covenant promises. I’m going to come back where we left off in our last half hour, as we didn’t really get to finish—Acts chapter 2. And let’s just go back and repeat as we closed the program.
Acts 2:26-27
“Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: (See, he’s quoting from the Psalms.) 27. Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, (Or, as I explained in the last program, that’s Hades—the place of the departed.) neither wilt thou permit thine Holy One to see corruption.” And Christ didn’t. He did not see corruption even in those three days and three nights. Now verse 28:
Acts 2:28-30a
“Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance. (Now, Peter comes back and picks up his interpretation of all this. And he says,) 29. Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre (his place of burial) is with us to this day. (But now here comes the answer to it all.) 30. Therefore being a (What?) prophet,….”
See, most people don’t think of David as one of the prophets. We normally think of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and all the Minor Prophets. But, no, David was a prophet. The Psalms has got all kinds of prophecies, especially with regard to the death, burial, and resurrection.
In fact, as I speak of these things—I can’t help that. That’s my mode of teaching, and most of you are used to it. Keep your hand here a minute and go ahead to 1 Corinthians 15. Most of you already know what that says. 1 Corinthians 15, Paul’s Gospel that has now been going out to the Gentile world especially, but also to the Jew. But here are some statements that I suppose a lot of people have wondered about. That’s what made me think of it. 1 Corinthians 15 starting at verse 1, where Paul states:
I Corinthians 15:1-2
“Moreover, brethren, (writing to fellow Gentile believers) I declare unto you the gospel (not a Gospel) which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, (That’s why he could call them brethren. They are believers.) and wherein ye stand; 2. By which also (by this Gospel) ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.” Now, here comes the Gospel of salvation.
I Corinthians 15:3-4
“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, (That is from the ascended, glorified Lord of Glory.) how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; (Well, I know a lot of people say, what’s he talking about? Old Testament, see? It wasn’t back there in black and white, but it was back there in what we’d call innuendo. Just enough that now with our knowledge of the New Testament, yes, we can go back and see that God had it on His mind all along.) 4. And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day (What?) according to the scriptures:” Now that is what we must believe for our salvation.
All right, that’s what we have to see. Come back with me now to Acts chapter 2. Not only in the Psalms, but even in Scriptures before Paul comes along, we have this revelation of this death, burial, and resurrection of the Messiah—also as it would be passed on to every true believer. All right, back to Acts chapter 2 and verse 30.
Acts 2:30a
“Therefore being a prophet,…” One that not only spoke forth as we see it in this bit, but one who saw the future—a thousand years. Now he didn’t understand it. There’s no way that David understood a crucifixion. He didn’t understand the fact the Christ was actually going to die and have His blood shed and be placed in a tomb and all that. That was all details that were still unknown. But he certainly accepted the fact that if the suffering Savior was to become a Glory that would follow, there would have to be a death and a resurrection in-between here. It’s the only way it would fit. But you see, even the Jewish rabbis and scholars didn’t figure that out. They couldn’t comprehend how one person could play both roles. But David had unction of it, but only as the Holy Spirit revealed it to him. And how much of the details? I don’t believe he understood any more than Daniel did. But reading on in verse 30 again.
Acts 2:30a
“Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins,…” Now who are we talking about? David’s loins. And what does that mean? The promises of this coming Messiah began with David. Now, in a latent way, yes, it goes all the way back to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But when it actually came out to foretelling of a coming glorious Kingdom and a King, it began with David.
In fact, keep your hand in Acts. Let’s go back a minute to II Samuel chapter 7. Let’s start with verse 8. Here God is dealing through the prophet Nathan. Nathan is, in turn, going to go and speak to David.
II Samuel 7:8-10a
“Now therefore (God says) so shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel: 9. And I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are in the earth. 10. Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them,…” Now this is God speaking—that Nathan is going to pass on to David.
II Samuel 7:10
“Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness (That is the Arab world around them—that constantly tormented the Nation of Israel.) afflict them any more, as beforetime,”
II Samuel 7:11a
“And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies….” Now you want to remember, David was successful in all of his battles. He brought peace and prosperity to the Nation as a result of all his wars.
II Samuel 7:11-12
“And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also (On top of all this. Looking down the eons of time.) the LORD telleth thee that he will make thee an house. (a royal family) 12. And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, who shall proceed out of thy bowels (inner-most being—which was Solomon), and I will establish his kingdom.”
II Samuel 7:13-14
“He shall build an house for my name, (again, a royal family) and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him (That’s speaking of the Nation of Israel.) with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:”
II Samuel 7:15-16
“But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. (And now here it comes.) 16. And thine house (Your royal family—going all the way from David clear down to Joseph and Mary.) and thy kingdom shall be established forever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.”
All right, now we see that laid out so clearly in the genealogies of Matthew 1 and Luke 3. We won’t have time to look at them right now. So come back with me, again, to where we just were in Acts chapter 2. All of this began with the promises made to David of a coming King who would rule over a Kingdom of which Israel would be the primary nation; but it’s going to be a world-wide Kingdom. Now back to Acts chapter 2 verse 30 again.
Acts 2:30-31
“Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, (A thousand years later here would come the Messiah.) he would raise up Christ to sit on his (David’s) throne; 31. He (David) seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, (See that!? That’s a thousand years beforehand. David saw it through the eyes of prophecy.) that his (Christ’s) soul was not left in Hades, neither did his flesh see corruption.”
All right, now I have to think of a verse that Paul wrote. Keep your hand in Acts, I’m not quite through here yet. But come over with me now to Ephesians. See, we can tie all of this together—that, yes indeed, from the cross, Christ in soul and spirit went down into Hades on the Paradise side. He took the thief on the cross when He told him, “today thou shalt be with me in Paradise.”
The thief went with Him. Then Peter tells us that when He got there, He preached to those Old Testament Saints waiting for their release from their place in captivity—because the atoning blood had now been shed. All right, now Paul puts it this way.
Ephesians 4:8-10
“Wherefore he saith, when he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, (Those Old Testament souls that had been kept there waiting for the atoning blood, remember?) and gave gifts unto men. 9. (Now that He ascended, (That is up to Glory.) what is it but that he also descended first (See, before He went to Glory.) into the lower parts of the earth? (Into that realm of what we called Hades and Sheol—into the Paradise side, and having preached to them, then–) 10. He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all the heavens, that he might fill (or fulfill) all things.)”
All right, now Peter is, of course, way back here yet several years previous to Paul’s revelations. But he sees it clearly enough now—that as David saw that the Messiah would suffer and die, He’d be resurrected back to life so that He could still yet fulfill the Kingdom role of King. Now, if you’re back in Acts chapter 2, drop down into verse 32.
Acts 2:32
“This Jesus (See how plain we make all this?) hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.” In other words, the resurrection wasn’t one of those things where there wasn’t evidence.
You see, a lot of things in Scripture—and I smile when mankind has a lot of problems with things. For example, Noah’s Ark. My, they get all shook up. They can’t find the Ark. Then they get people who think they have. And then it’s proven that they haven’t. Well, you know, I’m sure God sits in His heaven and smiles, if I may use the expression. Foolish men, why do they want to find that Ark? Well, they think that then they can prove that the Bible story was true. But you know what God says? You believe it whether you see it or not. And that’s faith.
But you see, with the resurrection He didn’t do that. With the resurrection He gave ample proof. Not only did the Twelve recognize it, but five hundred at one time saw Him in His resurrected body. And then Paul says what? “And last of all, I saw Him also.” But there are so many things in Scripture that God makes us take by faith.
Another one is—do you realize there’s almost no archeological evidence of Israel ever having been in Egypt? And that just drives these archeologists up the wall! Well, you and I don’t have to have archeological evidence to know that they were in Egypt. We believe it. The Book says it. But, oh, then we like to read the account of how they think they found chariot wheels in the bottom of the Red Sea. Well, then that perks everybody up. Well, it must be true. Because there they see the chariot wheels. But, beloved, we’re to take this Book by faith.
But here’s an example where God doesn’t even leave it to faith. He left ample proof that Christ arose from the dead. All right, back to Acts chapter 2 verse 33.
Acts 2:33
“Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he hath shed forth this, (Now remember, this is Pentecost day, when the Holy Spirit came down in outright evidence of His presence.) which ye now see and hear.” Now he’s back to David again, back to the Psalms.
Acts 2:34
“For David is not ascended into the heavens: (So goodness sakes, when the Psalms says ‘I see him ascending into the heavens,’ who was it talking about? Jesus the Christ! All right, so David hasn’t ascended into the heavens.) but he saith himself, (David said it.) The LORD said unto my Lord, sit thou on my right hand,”
Well, we won’t look at Psalms 110:1 again, because we looked at it in the last program. What did it say? “The LORD said unto my Lord, come sit at my right hand.” And we know that the Book of Hebrews confirms that. That when He had purged us from our sins, what did He do? “He sat down on the right hand of the Majesty at High” in fulfillment of the Psalms. Okay, back to Acts chapter 2 verse 35.
Acts 2:35
“Until I make thy foes thy footstool.” Oh, then what? Then He’s going to return and mete out vengeance and wrath and justice, which would be followed by the glory that’s coming. All right, so here again is where the Jews would get upset—when Peter would make these kinds of statements. In this case, in verse 36, it was a positive response. Instead of like those women in Jeremiah 44, here the Jews of Pentecost respond—in verse 36.
Acts 2:36
“Therefore (Peter said) let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.” He’s alive. He can still be our Promised Anointed and our Messiah. Now verse 37 and the Jews respond better than they did back in the Old Testament days. What did they say?
Acts 2:37
“Now when they heard this, they were convicted in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?” In light of the fact that this Christ, whom they had crucified and thought was dead and out of the way, was what? Alive—and ready to bring in the Kingdom. Now, I’m thinking of a verse that I’m going to be using, I think, at a later taping. But let’s go back and look at it. You’ll have forgotten it by the time that rolls around.
Come back to Psalms. I think I want 68, if I’m not mistaken. Because I like to use this when people call and say, “Well, why did they get so upset when Stephen said, ‘I see Jesus standing’?” You know those verses? When ordinarily He should have been sitting, but Stephen saw Him standing. Well, what’s all this? Now I’m not so sure that I’m 100% right, but I think I’m close, if I’m not. Psalm 68. I think those Jews of Stephen’s day immediately put two and two together. That when Stephen said, “I see Jesus standing,” this Psalm came to mind. No wonder it angered them. The quicker they could kill this guy, the better—before anything worse could happen. Now read it.
Psalm 68:1
“Let (Who?) God arise, (Well, who was sitting at the right hand of the Father? God the Son. So I’m sure this is a reference.) let his enemies be (What?) scattered. (Oh, they didn’t want to have that happen.) let them also that hate him flee before him.” Was that word hate used rightly? Oh, yes. They hated Him. They hated Jesus of Nazareth. Saul of Tarsus was not the only one. He was just simply the one that carried it out. Now look at the next verse.
Psalms 68:2
“As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: (Oh, they could see there was a reference to them – those who hated the name of Jesus; those who were trying to kill Stephen for standing up for Jesus of Nazareth.) as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.” You see, those Jews were all shook up when Stephen said, “I see Him standing.” I think this says it all.
All right, but now we’ll save that for a later time. We’ve still got three minutes left. Come back with me, once again, to Acts chapter 2—for the moment or two that we’ve got left.
Acts 2:37
“Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?” If the One we rejected is alive, and if He is still going to bring in the Kingdom, what do we have to do to appropriate all that?
And look at Peter’s answer. That’s why, again, that I said this isn’t church language. This isn’t Body of Christ language. This is Jewish language. All you have to do is stop and think. Who made the very same statement at the very beginning of everything? John the Baptist. And what did he say? Repent. Repent every one of you and be baptized.
That’s John the Baptist’s message. Come back to Matthew chapter 3, starting at verse 1. John the Baptist is just beginning his ministry.
Matthew 3:1-2
“In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2. And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Well, what was he talking about? The King was alive. The King was in their midst. He’s only a few months younger than John the Baptist. So He’s already about the same age. And here’s the introduction to the whole Kingdom program coming to fruition.
Matthew 3:3
“For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” All right, drop on down to verse 6.
Matthew 3:6
“And were baptized of him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.” Just exactly what Peter said in Acts 2:38, “Repent and be baptized.” And they were confessing their sins, so we call it a baptism of repentance. So the whole thing was now quickly coming to fruition. All right, now if you’ll come over with me a few pages to chapter 5 in Matthew. This will almost wind it down.
Matthew 5:17
“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to (What?) fulfill.” Well, what’s He going to fulfill? All these Old Testament promises concerning a King and a Kingdom promised to the Nation of Israel.
But, what was their problem? The eye—the blinded eyes of unbelief. They couldn’t see that any good thing would come out of Nazareth. So they rejected Him out-of-hand. We’ll not have this Jesus of Nazareth to rule over us. So what happened? They crucified Him. But God raised Him from the dead.