A piece of bread, a cup of wine; these are the simple things that Jesus chose, by which his followers in every age were to remember him. The Apostle Paul recalled Jesus' words on the night of his betrayal when he wrote to the first Christians at Corinth:

"For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which he was betrayed took bread; and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "Take, eat; this is my body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same manner he also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till he comes"

• 1 Corinthians 11.23–26

• Note: The later version of this Special Light on Jesus Christ magazine used this picture which symbolise Jesus and the bread and wine.
• Picture Rom Toms

These two emblems of bread and wine are a focal point for the followers of Jesus today, to remember what he achieved during his lifetime and the significance of his death and resurrection.

No other man has made such an impact on the history of the world as Jesus Christ! No other man can claim to have the calendar set from the time of his birth – the dating of history from 'anno domini' (AD), a Latin phrase which means 'in the year of our Lord'. This is a time line which stretches backwards (Before Christ or BC) and forwards (AD) from the date of his coming into the world.

During the two thousand years since the birth of Jesus, many people have been influenced by his teaching, living faithful and rewarding lives as his disciples. Sadly, it has to be said that many others have carried out barbarous acts of cruelty and oppression, while misusing the name of Jesus Christ to justify their behaviour. It must also be said that we have now reached a point when people increasingly have no time for religion. The name of Jesus Christ is often used blasphemously, particularly in the English speaking world. The message of Christianity is ridiculed by many and Christ's teaching is dismissed as not being relevant in the twenty-first century.

The following articles have been written to direct our readers to the Divine plan centred in the work of Jesus Christ. He is the focal point of God's plan of salvation for the world. The human race without exception is subject to sin, disease and death and the need for salvation has not diminished. The Bible tells us that Jesus came into the world to remedy this situation and the aim of this special issue is to consider its teaching about the work of Jesus in the past, present and future. Jesus, the Son of God, was chosen to be the Saviour of the world and his mission encompasses the roles of a prophet and teacher, a priest and a king.

We urge our readers to think again about Jesus Christ, to consider seriously his life, his mission and his impact on the world. We also urge you to consider seriously your own position at this eventful time in history. The future belongs to Jesus Christ and our own future is dependent on our relationship with him:

"Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Act 4.12). In this uncertain world one thing is very certain, as the Bible tells us: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and for ever."

• Hebrews 13.8

In the first section we will look at the Bible's teaching about the introduction of sin and death into the world and the God's plan to remedy this.

Note on Appendix (in Part 4):

This booklet presents the Bible's teaching about Jesus, in the belief that the New Testament's gospel records and letters are genuine and accurate historical documents. The evidence for their truth is a separate subject, but the Appendix will give you a brief glimpse of the evidence from writers outside the Bible who witness to the existence of Jesus and the early days of the Christian community. In almost every case they were hostile to Christianity, which makes their evidence even more valuable.

Jesus Christ - His role in God's Plan

Events in Eden The record of the fall of man in Genesis chapter three is the foundation of Biblical teaching about the role of Jesus in the God's plan. The Bible makes it clear that the mission of Jesus was to remedy the effects of what happened in Eden. The Apostle Paul wrote to the first century believers in Rome:

"Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned…For if by the one man's offence many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man, Jesu s Christ, abounded to many"

• Romans 5.12,15

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

• Romans 6.23

A test of obedience

These verses tell us that a careful consideration of what is written about the events in Eden is essential to a proper understanding of the mission of Jesus. Genesis chapter two tells us that the first human pair were set a test. They were told not to eat the fruit of a particular tree on pain of death:

"...you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat the fruit of it you shall surely die"

• Genesis 2.17

All was well until the serpent, which

"was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made"

• Genesis 3.1

So, serpent tempted the woman to eat despite the Divine commandment. It is important to note that the serpent was an animal created by God, although it had been given the power of speech which makes the failure that followed more pointed.

The purpose behind the creation of man and the charge given to him was to "have dominion over" the whole of the animal creation. This is twice repeated in Genesis chapter one for emphasis (Genesis 1.26,28). The word 'dominion' in the original Hebrew text of the Old Testament means to rule over or subjugate. The point is that the woman should have treated the serpent in this way and should not have let herself be deceived by the cunning words of this animal. The temptation was subtle because what the serpent said was half true:

"You will not surely die (not true). For God knows that in the day you eat it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil" (this was true). The woman succumbed to the serpent's reasoning, she looked at the tree and saw that it "was good for food… pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise ...". (This led to her breaking the command:) "... she took its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate."

• Genesis 3.4–6

• The serpent lied to Eve and Adam and was cursed to be a snake.
• Picture by Dirk Ercken/Dreamstime.com

A curse and a promise

This simple act of disobedience to a Divine command brought severe consequences – sin entered into the world and death came with it. A curse was pronounced on the serpent, the woman and the man. It is the curse on the serpent that has particular relevance in the consideration of the role of Jesus in God's plan:

"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

There is of course a natural enmity between poisonous snakes and human beings, but this is not the main thrust of these prophetic words. The problem between the serpent and the woman lay in what was thought and done. The lies of the serpent had led to sin and as a consequence to death. The enmity spoken of here was between those who thought like the serpent – who in effect said that God was not to be taken at His Word – and those who contended for the truth of God's Word. This is the way Jesus teaches us to understand this principle. He links his teaching with the events in Eden and likens those who do not speak the truth to 'vipers' or serpents:

"Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things"

• Matthew 12. 34, 35

We have already noted how the woman had failed to 'have dominion over' the serpent. However, in these words to the serpent there is a promise of a 'Seed' or descendant of the woman who would do what the woman had failed to do – stamp on the serpent and his lies. In the process hurt would come to both parties – in the head of the serpent, a fatal wound, and in the heel of the 'Seed', a less serious wound.

This promise is the first Old Testament prophecy about the future work of Jesus, who through his sinless life and his death on the cross as a sacrifice (a temporary wound) overcame the power of sin. God raised him from the dead and in so doing he opened the way for sinners to obtain forgiveness and salvation from death. This will be considered in more detail later in this series.

The need for forgiveness

Although the man and woman were warned that disobedience would bring death, the punishment was not carried out in a harsh or vindictive way. The God of the Bible is just and merciful. His character is described in these words:

"... the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty ..."

• Exodus 34.6,7

Nevertheless Adam and Eve and all their descendants were now subject to a process that eventually ended with death. Consistent with His abundant mercy, God offered them forgiveness and a promise for the ultimate good of the human race.

The need for atonement

From the moment of their disobedience a change came upon the man and the woman in that they were now sinners. Their very nature had changed and they felt the change by becoming aware of their nakedness. Their first reaction was to set about trying to cover it:

"Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings."

• Genesis 3.7

However, their own efforts to cover their nakedness were futile and a better covering was provided by God:

"Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them"

• Genesis 3.21

This clothing was a covering for their nakedness, but more importantly, it was a covering for their sin. The atonement (meaning reconciliation with God) for their sins was achieved by this covering. The Hebrew word for 'atonement' is 'kippur' and means 'covering'. The original covering provided in Eden was animal skins. In order to make a garment out of animal skin the animal has to be killed. This leads us to consider another important Biblical principle – the covering or forgiveness of sin requires the shedding of blood. We read in the letter to the Hebrews that the principle was established by God in the Law given to Moses:

"... the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness ..."

• Hebrews 9.22 NIV

However, the covering provided in Eden could only ever be a temporary arrangement. It foreshadowed something more permanent and necessary to obtain forgiveness of sins. All men and women have inherited the tendency to sin leading inevitably to death. The human predicament and its remedy is succinctly expressed by the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Corinthians:

"For since by man came death, by man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive"

• 1 Corinthians 15.21, 22

The role of Christ envisaged

The Divine promise in Eden necessitated the coming of someone to redeem mankind. The promised seed of the woman, Jesus Christ, through his life, death and resurrection fulfilled the promise and 6 achieved the following:

• He was the 'seed' of the woman, having the same human nature as all Eve's descendants (see Galatians 4.4).
• He opposed the power of sin, represented by the serpent's 'seed'.
• He dealt the serpent's 'seed' a mortal blow and in the process he received a temporary wound himself, destroying the power of sin by his death and resurrection (see Hebrews 2.14; I Corinthians 15.19–22).
• By his sacrifice he provided a permanent covering for sin for those who come to God through him.
• By his resurrection from the dead he opened the way to salvation from death.

There are many prophetic passages in the Old Testament which confirm the promise made in Eden concerning the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. The next section examines some of these in more detail.

His first advent foretold

The previous section has shown that the coming of Jesus as the Saviour of mankind was foretold as long ago as the events in Eden. The whole scheme of God's plan of redemption makes sense only if this is so. Furthermore, the only valid and effective plan and promise of salvation is the one described in the Bible:

"... let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by him this man stands here before you whole… Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

• Acts 4.10,12

The promises to the Patriarchs

God's promise in Eden was followed by a series of promises to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and David. These men are referred to as the Patriarchs or 'fathers' of the Jewish race. The promise to Abraham was revealed in stages, all of which are important but we will concentrate on the aspects of the promise which refer directly to the coming of Jesus. After Abraham had demonstrated his outstanding faith, God said to him:

"By myself I have sworn…because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son, in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the sea-shore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice"

• Genesis 22.16–18

In the New Testament the Apostle Paul explains who this special descendant is:

"And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the nations by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, "In you all the nations shall be blessed." ... Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He does not say, "And to seeds," as of many, but as of one, ”And to your seed," who is Christ."

• Galatians 3.8, 16

Abraham lived around 2,000 years before Christ. The promise of his coming was repeated to Abraham's son Isaac (Genesis 26.3,4), and to his grandson Jacob (Genesis 28.13–15). Many centuries after the time of Abraham, around 900 BC, another man of outstanding faith in God became the king of Israel. This man was David and God made further promises to him about the coming of Christ. We read about God's promise to David in the Second Book of Samuel:

"... I will set up your seed (descendant) after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house (or dynasty) for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his Father, and he shall be my son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. But my mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be established for ever before you. Your throne shall be established for ever"

• 2 Samuel 7.12–16

The phrase "I will be his Father, and he shall be my son" tells us that the promise refers to Jesus, who was indeed the Son of God.

The promises to Abraham and David foretold the coming of an outstanding man who would bring a time of blessing for Israel and the 8 world. This person would possess the earth and rule over mankind from the restored throne of David in Jerusalem. It was the custom in those days, as it is now, to initiate new monarchs in an anointing ceremony. This future ruler was therefore called by them 'The Anointed One', or in Hebrew the 'Messiah'. The belief in the coming 'Messiah' was the very foundation of the original Jewish hope of future restoration. In this way the first advent or coming of Jesus was promised to David, just as it had been promised to Abraham.

This is confirmed by the very first verse of the New Testament which reads:

"The book of the genealogy (or family tree) of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham"

• Matthew 1.1

It was as though Matthew was saying to his readers:

"Jesus Christ, who you now see before you, is the person (the 'seed', or descendant) of whom the promises to Abraham and David speak."

So the first advent of Jesus (and his second advent as well) were foretold in the promises made by God to the Patriarchs.

The words of the prophets

If you were to write 50 specific prophecies about a person in the future, who you would never meet, what is the probability that that person will fulfil all 50 of those predictions? For example, what is the likelihood of a person predicting today the exact city in which the birth of a future leader would take place in 700 years' time? Yet this is what the Old Testament prophet Micah did 700 years before the birth of Jesus:

"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to me the one to be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting"

• Micah 5. 2

• Bethlehem, the 'city of David' and birthplace of Jesus
• As it appeared in this early photograph (1907)

When King Herod wanted to know where Jesus would be born his advisers showed him this passage as Matthew tells us in his Gospel account:

"Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is he who has been born King of the Jews?"... And when he (Herod) had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he enquired of them where the Christ was to be born. So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judaea, for thus it is written by the prophet" ..."

• Matthew 2.1,2 4,5

Then they reminded Herod of those prophetic words in Micah chapter 5.

The prophet Isaiah was contemporary with Micah. The prophetic words of Isaiah chapter 61 made 700 years before Jesus was born were fulfilled by Jesus when he visited the synagogue in Nazareth, as we read in Luke's Gospel account:

"So he (Jesus) came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. And he was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written: "The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor.
He has sent me to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to preach the acceptable year of the LORD". Then he closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing"."

• Luke 4.16–21

If you compare Jesus' words with Isaiah chapter 61 verses 1–3, you will notice that Jesus only read part of the passage from Isaiah, the part that was fulfilled at his first coming. The rest of this prophecy which speaks of 'the day of vengeance' for some and consolation for 'those who mourn in Zion', will be fulfilled at his second coming. The people in the synagogue became very angry because they recognised that by applying the prophecy to himself, Jesus was claiming to be the Messiah (i.e. God's Anointed). To this day many Jews refuse to accept that Jesus of Nazareth, who their ancestors put to death, was (and is) the Messiah, the Son of God.

Isaiah chapter 53 contains a detailed prophecy about Jesus' suffering, death and resurrection. We recommend that you read the whole chapter − for example: 10

"He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; he was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth."

• Isaiah 53.7

This prophecy was fulfilled when Jesus was accused by the religious leaders of the Jews, who had brought him to Pilate the Roman governor. Matthew tells us that

"While he was being accused by the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing. Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many things they testify against you?” And he answered him not one word, so that the governor marvelled greatly."

• Matthew 27.12–14

Again we read that

"... he poured out his soul unto death, and he was numbered with the transgressors"

• Isaiah 53.12

These words were fulfilled when Jesus was crucified between two criminals, as Mark records:

"And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and the other on his left. So the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "And he was numbered with the transgressors"."

• Mark 15.27,28

Isaiah contains many prophecies about Jesus, as does the book of Psalms. This is illustrated in the table opposite which is far from being exhaustive.

Only one person fulfilled all these prophecies: Jesus Christ

Remember that these are by no means the only prophecies about Jesus. This special issue will expand on the fulfilment of some of them, particularly those concerning his death, resurrection and second coming (sections 3, 5 and 7).

Based on the "Light on Jesus Christ" special issue in 4 parts:

1. Jesus Christ - Introduction, the plan of God and advent foretold
2. Jesus Christ - His Early life and His Ministry
3. Jesus Christ - His death and His priestly role
4. Jesus Christ - His second coming to the Earth and your future

Next article (part 2) is Jesus Christ - His Early life and His Ministry