Join Dr. Arnold in an enlightening exploration of biblical prophecies as we dive into the intricacies of Isaiah through to Matthew. This episode unravels how Jesus' journey was a divine fulfillment of ancient scripts. Discover the profound lessons hidden within these revelations and why certain truths were concealed until the right moment. Dr. Arnold shares insights into the reasons behind prophecies and the divine interventions that allowed them to manifest in their destined sequence.
00:01:10 Illuminating Prophecies: Isaiah to Matthew
00:04:30 God's Interventions and Fulfillment of Prophecy
00:07:41 The Disciples' Understanding and Jesus' Foretelling
00:10:49 Jesus' Path to Fulfillment and Disciples' Perception
Oh, we praise thee, O God, for the son of our love, for Jesus who died and is now gone above. Welcome to Yankee Arnold Ministries. Dr. Arnold will be with you in just a moment, but first we want you to know how much we appreciate your prayers and financial support. You may help this radio ministry by donating online at yankeearnold.com or by mail at Yankee Arnold Ministries, 7028 West Waters Avenue, Suite 316, Tampa, Florida, Again, that's 7028 Westwaters Avenue, Suite 316, Tampa, Florida, 33634. Feel free to send Dr. Arnold your questions or comments to yankee at yankeearnold.com, and he will respond as quickly as possible. Now, here is Dr. Arnold with today's message.
SPEAKER 01 :
Look in Matthew chapter 8. Matthew chapter 8. And look in verse 17. In the book of Isaiah 53, it mentions this, but he's telling you what part of that prophecy is going to be fulfilled and when it's going to be done. See, many people believe that the healing is in the atonement. You know, when Christ died on the cross, it wasn't. Jesus did healing in before he died on the cross. And so he says here in verse 17, that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying himself, took our infirmities and bare our sicknesses. Not on the cross. This was before the cross. See what he says in verse 16? When the evening was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with the devils, and he cast out the spirits with his word, healed all that were sick. This is the fulfillment of that verse. And if you go back to Isaiah, many people try to say that this is in the atonement, so when Christ died on that cross, it's guaranteed death. You to be healed of all of your diseases. It is not. This is before Christ ever went to the cross and fulfilled that verse. So it pays to look at some of the things that what God said when he said it. And when it was fulfilled. Not just that it was fulfilled. And yet all these things are so very important. That when Christ came he did these things and it fulfilled what God said. Now you and I know that because God is God and He has foreknowledge, He can see the end from the beginning. And He can have it recorded before it ever takes place. Because He knows exactly what's going to take place. And so when it comes to that time, and He recorded it in His Word, if people knew too much when it was about to be fulfilled, they could alter it or change it. And that's why I believe there's a point where they could not understand God. The Bible says it was hid from them. Hid for a reason. Like he says in Deuteronomy 29, verse 29, where it says, Secret things belong unto the Lord, but God has revealed some things to us. And so that's good to know. Take your Bible and look there in Matthew 27, 35. Matthew 27, 35. In verse 35. This is a verse that I'm sure you are familiar with. Because some of this was fulfilled in the, I guess you say, prophesied in the 22nd Psalm. That when Christ was going to be on the cross, the soldiers... gambled for his clothes. And they crucified him, parted his garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet. They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots. But it's in fulfillment of a prophecy. So there's some things God allows to happen because he knows it's going to take place. Some things God must intervene. Do you know if God had not intervened in the life of Joseph and Mary, Joseph would not have married her. The scripture says he was going to put her away. It means he was not going to marry her. Until God intervened. So there's some things God has to intervene on to make it happen in order to fulfill His Word because some people won't do what God wants them to do. There are times when God will intervene into your life and God will allow people and circumstances and even sicknesses or whatever God, see everything's at God's disposal and He can use it any way He wants to get you and I to do the things that we're supposed to do. But God doesn't go against our will. He didn't go against Joseph's will. He won him. He had an angel explain it to him. And if he hadn't explained it to him, he wouldn't have done it. Would you have believed Mary saying, hey, I'm having a child, but no man's ever touched me. You're right. But the Lord intervened. And if it hadn't been for the Lord intervening in the life of, you know, John the Baptist's, you know, mother and father at their old age, they probably would not have had a child. So anyway, there's a lot of interesting things as you go through the scriptures and you see this. I want you to take your Bible and turn to the book of Matthew. Matthew chapter 20. Matthew chapter 20. And look in verse 17. Verse 17. Now, several of the books will say the same thing, but one of them add just a little bit extra to it. But I wanted you to see this. In verse 17, And Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death. Now what part of that would you have trouble understanding? I mean, did you understand what I just said? Well, what did he do? Choose the dumbest guys in all the world? Why wouldn't they understand that? Because the Lord says, even though later on, through the Holy Spirit, they could write down what God wanted them to write. recalling those incidences or the Holy Spirit telling them exactly and bringing all things to their remembrance, whichever way they wrote it down. And says that they didn't get it. They didn't get it. Have you ever heard something from the Word of God a hundred times and all of a sudden one day, I got it. I finally see it. How come I didn't see that before? It was right there. But look what else he says here. He says in verse 19, And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify him, and the third day he shall rise again. Now what part of that verse would you not get? What was their problem? He must have talked to them in Greek. Maybe it was Hebrew. Maybe it was Aramaic. Maybe they just didn't get it at all. Maybe these were the dumbest fishermen in all the world. Or maybe God had a reason for it to be recorded. But they didn't get it. Because it was hid from them. Now look what he says. And the third day he shall rise again. So did he tell them what was going to happen to him before it took place? He told them what was going to happen. Before it happens. Exactly what they're going to do. They're going to deliver him to the Gentiles. Okay. They're going to mock him. Did they do that? Yeah. Scourge him. Yes, they did that. And crucify him. Yeah, they did that. And three days later, he came back from the dead. This was before he died. But he hit every one of them perfectly. Coincidence. Boy, what a lucky guess. Now you could say, well, Jesus just did all of these things and he tried to make himself the Messiah by trying to fulfill all of these various scriptures. Could you have made yourself born in a certain city, of a certain family, of a certain nation, at a certain time? Did you do that? Yet before I was born, I determined I was going to be born in Reimersburg, Pennsylvania. Would you believe that? You wouldn't believe it. If I was going to pick anybody that was going to be my mom and dad, now I know there's a few rich folks. At the time, I didn't know that there were rich folks. And I picked a dad that was a bootlegger and on the run from the law. Boy, I really messed up, didn't I? If I had the power to choose and do all of these things, maybe I could have found somebody a little bit better. But you know, I believe... Like God says with Jeremiah, when thou was in the womb, I knew you. He knew who I was and he knew where I was and he knew I was going to be a guy. He knew who my parents were going to be. But take your Bible and look there at another scripture there in Mark. Look in Mark in chapter 10. Mark chapter 10. Mark chapter 10 and look in verse 32. Verse 32, And they were in the way, going up to Jerusalem. Jesus went before them, and they were amazed. And as they followed, they were afraid. They were amazed. They were afraid. And he took again the twelve, saying, and began to tell them what things should happen unto him. So he took these twelve and he began to tell them what would happen to him. Now look what he said. This is what he said. This is very hard and complicated. Behold, we go up to Jerusalem. Can you figure that so far? Can you follow that? We're going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man shall be delivered unto the chief priest. Now see, before it was going to be to the Gentiles, which is true, but he added a little bit more information here. See, not every book covers exactly the same thing. It may cover parts of it, but different books have different information, just a little bit more for a reason. He says, And shall be delivered unto the chief priest, and unto the scribes, They shall condemn him to death. Means it's got to be some kind of a judgment. It's got to have to be a trial. And shall deliver him to the Gentiles. And they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, shall spit upon him. Oh, no, we didn't say that before. They're going to spit on him. And shall kill him. You think they could understand that? And the third day he shall rise again. Now, you know, when they heard him say, you destroy this body, or I should say, if you destroy this temple, in three days I will raise it again. Now, some understood what he said. And that's why whenever Christ was crucified, they came to him and says, look, that imposter, what he said, that in three days he's going to come back from the dead. That's why they set guards. That's why they sealed it. To make sure that he did not get out and that his disciples could not steal the body. That was one of the reasons. Because they understood. They heard what he said. I guess later on the disciples say, you know, it's all coming back to me now. But he makes a statement up here in verse 34. And they shall mock him, scourge him, spit on him, kill him. Third day he shall rise again. And yet, all because that it might be fulfilled. That it might keep the word of God. Because God said, this is what's going to take place. Now look in the book of Luke in chapter 18. Mark, Luke 18. Luke chapter 18 and verse 31. And you'll notice there in verse 31, well, it seems like it's saying the same thing. Then he took unto him the twelve, said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man shall be accomplished. And all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man shall be accomplished. Now some people say that when Christ died and crucified and so forth, about 330 prophecies in the Old Testament were fulfilled. You know, that's a whole bunch. If you could say three or four things and it happened like that a thousand years later, it would have been quite an accomplishment. But for there to be 300 prophecies? Awesome. But look what he says, For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spit it on. And they shall scourge him, and put him to death, and the third day he shall rise again. Now, that's pretty much what we read in the other three accounts. But there's something else that I wanted you to see in the very next verse, verse 34. And they understood none of these things. How much did they understand? None of it. Why couldn't they understand? If they knew and really understood exactly what was going to happen, do you believe that things could have maybe been altered? That somebody would not have, you know, done like you're supposed to do? Did you know that maybe there's things that God hides from our eyes? And all of our prayers are not answered exactly when we expect them to be. Because there's things God wants us to learn, to teach us, to do. And God's got a timetable that's maybe a little different than ours. You ever heard me say this before? When you dedicate your life to the Lord, expect God to interrupt your schedule. Because He's going to interrupt your schedule. You see, just because you dedicate your life to the Lord doesn't mean you get to do what you want. What it means is God is free to do whatever He wants in your life. And you're not going to buck Him. You're not going to cause trouble. You're not going to deny Him. You just, Lord, whatever you want. You can shift me here, shift me there. You can push me. You can hold me back. You can put me down. You can lift me up. You can do anything you want. I'm yours. And you'd be surprised God can use you easier when you're more flexible. But if you're hard, then you become more brittle because you're going to break. And you may have to just stomp you pretty good. But look at that verse 34 again. And they understood none of these things. And this saying was hid from them. Hid from them. Neither knew they the things which were spoken. And yet he spoke to them, his disciples. And yet they did not understand. So, Matthew chapter 26. Look at this, Matthew chapter 26. And look in verse 50. Matthew 26 says, In verse 50. In Matthew chapter 26, it goes through and it tells you an awful lot of things that were happening because he had asked his disciples to pray for him. And, of course, they did. They stayed up all night long and prayed for him. No, they fell asleep. Do you know some things might have been different if they had prayed? We'll never know until we get to heaven. You ever wonder what could have happened if you'd have done this or what would have happened if you'd have done that? Did you know that God knows all the options in every decision that you could have ever made? But notice what it says. I want you to look at verse 47. And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, said, came and with him a great multitude with sores and staves from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he. Hold him fast. Because it's at nighttime. They're in the garden. And he betrayed him with a kiss. And forthwith he came to Jesus and said, Hail, Master, and kissed him. And Jesus said unto him, Friend, Wherefore art thou come? Then came they and laid hands on Jesus and took him. And behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand. It was Peter. We know that from other scripture. Drew his sword, struck a servant of the high priest, cut off his ear. I love Peter. He did probably what I would have done. Start a war. Verse 52, Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place. For all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father? And he shall presently, right now, give me more than twelve leagues of angels? In other words, Jesus is saying, I can change this situation. You know, if I had 10,000 angels that would show up here, we could fight this battle and I could win. But notice what he says. Look in verse 54. But how then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled? If they did that, and if my servants fight, how then could the Scripture be fulfilled? Because it has to be the way God says it's going to be. So Peter put up the sword. It's not going to be that way. Peter was on the verge of trying to change history. Remember when he told him that he was going to be crucified and he says, not on my watch. It ain't going to happen. I'll die before I... Well, he meant well. He did like most people would have. But remember, so much he did not see them. This is why God had to hide certain things from them because, as he says here, how then shall the scripture be fulfilled? That thus it must be. The Word of God must be fulfilled. Prophecies in the Old Testament or prophecies in the New Testament must be fulfilled. It means filled full. Nothing left. It must happen. It is the Word of God. So then he says this in verse 55, In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Are you come out as against a thief with swords and stays for to take me? I sat daily with you, teaching in the temple, and you laid no hold on me. But all this was done, and the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled." Then all the disciples forsook him and fled. But all this was done that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Did you know this is God's way of also putting His stamp of approval upon the prophets? He talks about the law, the prophets, the Psalms, all that referred about Him. The Scriptures must be, have to be fulfilled. If this is true, then it means that the promises of God that He makes to you and to me, these divine, precious promises, are equally true. So now that you know Christ as your Savior, do you believe that when God says, I'll never leave you and never forsake you, He really means it? He really means what He says. And that God can supply all of your needs. Do you believe that? Do you believe that God has a purpose for your life? Do you believe that God is now working in your life? You must believe that because God says so and we believe him. Take your Bible and turn over to the book of Luke chapter 24. Luke chapter 24, I want you to look there. Two guys walking along and he says in verse 17, he said unto them, what manner of communications are these that ye have one with another as you walk and you're sad? And one of them, whose name was Clebus, answering said unto him, art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days? You mean you don't know what's going on? All right. These are the same nuts that couldn't get anything before. Tell them the very one that knows everything. You mean you don't know what's going on? And he says in verse 19, And he said unto them, What things? They said unto him concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deeds and word before God and all the people, and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death and have crucified him. But we trusted that it had been he that should have redeemed Israel. Oh boy, was we let down. We thought he was the one. We trusted that it was the one. And look what happened to him. And beside all of this, today is the third day since these things were done. Duh. Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which went early at the sepulchre. And when they found not his body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive. He was alive. They heard he was alive. But up there, they're walking along in verse 17. And as you walked in, you're sad. You know, something just don't go together. Something's missing. Why are they so sad? He's alive. But they didn't believe he was alive. Well, we trusted. We trusted that he was the one. But Jesus wasn't just a slap of jaws. So he says in verse 24, And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulcher and found it even so as the women had said. But him they saw not. They didn't see him. Then said he unto them, O fool, and slow of heart to believe. Slow? All that the prophets have spoken. Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And, in verse 27, and beginning at Moses, and all the prophets he expounded unto them, and all the scriptures of things concerning themselves. Wouldn't you have liked to sit in on that Bible study? That's one Bible study I would have loved to have sat in on. And in verse 31, and their eyes were opened. See that in verse 31? Their eyes were opened. And they knew him. And he vanished out of their sight. I mean, this is heavy stuff. This is better than Star Trek. Beam me up, Scotty. I mean, this is awesome. And then look what they said to each other. He says in verse 32, Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked with us by the way, while He opened to us the Scriptures? Now they can understand. But there were some things He did not let them know because it was hid from them. And I believe there is a reason why God hid some things from them. I believe there's reasons why God doesn't reveal everything to you and I. Because we could alter the purpose that God has in our life. God doesn't want us to know everything. He wants us to trust Him. Can you trust Him? Things that seem like it's an impossibility. God says, trust me. God delights in people who have faith in what He says. To believe Him. Look what He says down in verse 44. And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the Psalms concerning me. And then look in verse 45. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures. You see, it's God who causes you to understand, because of your willingness to understand. There's some things God will close and you can't see. You just don't understand. That's because God wants you to walk by faith, not by sight. After certain things are done, all of a sudden you can look back over your life and you see how the Lord led and the Lord did this and the Lord did that. Man, it's wonderful. Man, I'm so glad He didn't let me know in advance. I'd have ruined all of that. So because of that, I want to trust Him for tomorrow and the next day and the next year. However long God has for me, I can't wait to see what He has in store. Because if God is good, it's going to be good. Do you have trouble understanding what I'm saying? Or is your heart hardened or darkened and you just don't understand? But if you can hear my words, surely you can understand all that I'm telling you. I sure hope so.
SPEAKER 04 :
Would take my faith.
SPEAKER 02 :
Is it possible to trust Christ as my Savior without making Him Lord of my life? Is it true that if Christ is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all? Pastor Yankee Arnold has prepared just the right book with answers straight from the Bible. The book is called Gospel Driven Man, and Pastor Yankee wants to send it to you free of charge. Simply write to Pastor Yankee at Yankee Arnold Ministries, 7028 Westwaters Avenue, Suite 316, Tampa, Florida, 33634, and request the book. Or write by email at yankee at yankeearnold.com That's yankee at yankeearnold.com Jesus is coming, so keep looking up.
SPEAKER 03 :
Friend, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound.
SPEAKER 01 :
we will be changed, caught up to meet the Lord in the air. So live today and every day believing that the Lord is coming soon and just keep looking up.
