Jacqui: 0:12

Greetings listeners. Today we're celebrating Resurrection Sunday, also known as Easter, not just by remembering the cross, but by seeing how the story of Easter was written into God's plan centuries before it unfolded. Long before Good Friday and Easter morning, god had already written the story From the prophets to the Psalms, to the strange tale of a man swallowed by a fish. It was all part of his plan. Now, fair warning, I'll be reading a lot of scripture today, but hey, if there's ever a day for it, it's this one. Grab your coffee, open your Bible and let's walk through the prophecies that pointed to the cross and the empty tomb. Well, welcome everyone. I'm your host, Jacqui Adewole, and this is the Bible Basics Podcast, where, weekly, we break down the basics of the Bible into understandable, bite-sized chunks. Today we're not just celebrating Easter. We're pulling back the curtain on just how intentional God had been from the very beginning. All throughout the Old Testament, we see that God had a plan, a plan to rescue his people from sin, and that plan pointed forward to a coming Savior. Even from the earliest chapters of Genesis, when Adam and Eve sinned, god promised that someone would come to crush the serpent's head. We see that in Genesis 3:15. That promise unfolds throughout the pages of Scripture, through the sacrificial system found in the law, the poetry of the Psalms, through the prophets, all pointing forward to Jesus' death, burial and resurrection, even before his name was known. Let's take a look at what the Old Testament actually says. These aren't just interesting connections. They show that Jesus' death, burial and resurrection were part of God's plan all along. We'll start with his death. Some of the clearest Old Testament pictures of Easter are found in the book of Isaiah, written in the 8th century BC, about 700 years before the time of Jesus. Isaiah introduces a figure he calls the Servant of the Lord. This servant, who refers to the coming Messiah, appears throughout Isaiah's writings, especially in chapters 42, 49, and 50, and most fully in chapters 52 and 53. The servant is not described as a conquering king or a military leader. Instead, he's someone who suffers in the place of others, someone who is rejected, wounded and ultimately sacrificed on behalf of the people. One verse that captures this so clearly is Isaiah, chapter 53, verse 5. He was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. Isaiah isn't describing someone suffering for his own sins. He's talking about a substitute, a servant, jesus, who would take on the sins of others. And that theme of the servant, suffering, continues throughout the passage. His appearance was so disfigured, beyond that of any human being. That's chapter 52, verse 14. He was despised and rejected. A man of suffering that's chapter 53, verse 3, and he grew up like a root out of a dry ground. That's chapter 53, verse 2. So you see, the servant wasn't impressive by human standards. Jesus was rejected and grief-stricken and through his suffering he carried the weight of our sins. It's one of the clearest pictures of what Jesus would later do on the cross. He willingly took the place of sinners, just as Isaiah described.

Jacqui: 5:40

Now, isaiah doesn't just describe what happened. He shows us why. It was the Lord's will to crush him and cause him to suffer. And the Lord makes his life an offering for sin. That's chapter 53, verse 10. This was divine love in action. God chose to deal with our sin by placing it all on the servant, the Messiah Jesus. The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. That's chapter 53, verse 6. All our wrongs, all our guilt, carried by the servant, so that we could be forgiven and have everlasting life.

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Isaiah wasn't the only one who spoke this way. A thousand years before Jesus, King David also wrote words that are in the book of Psalms that pointed forward to the cross. When you read and hear in Matthew 26, 46, jesus crying out from the cross my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? That's a direct quote from Psalm 22: 1. As the psalm continues, it describes things that sound like they came straight from the Gospels. Quote, quote they pierce my hands and my feet, they divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing. That's Psalm, chapter 22, verse 16 and verse 18.

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These are the exact details recorded in Jesus's crucifixion. The Roman soldiers pierced his hands and feet. They gambled for his clothes. That wasn't coincidence. The Roman soldiers pierced his hands and feet. They gambled for his clothes. That wasn't coincidence, it was fulfillment. Even the timing of the Messiah's death was foretold. The prophet Daniel wrote. That's Daniel, chapter 9, verse 26.

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Scholars have linked this prophecy to the time of Jesus' death in the first century AD, and even the details of how Jesus died were prophesied. God gave Israel clear instructions that none of the bones of the Passover lamb were to be broken. Now this we find all the way back in the book of Exodus, chapter 12, 46 and Numbers 9, 12. Well, david echoes this again in Psalm 34, verse 20. So, when we arrive at the cross, even amid brutal suffering, none of Jesus's bones were broken. John's gospel tells us. Tells us these things happened so that scripture would be fulfilled. Not one of his bones will be broken. That's John, chapter 19, verse 36.

Jacqui: 9:27

Once again, every detail matched what God had already said After Jesus had died. The fulfillment didn't stop there. Even the details of his burial were part of God's plan, spoken through the prophets and carried out with precision. Isaiah writes, quote he was assigned a grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death. That's Isaiah, chapter 53: 9. So Jesus died alongside criminals, yes, but instead of being buried like one, he was placed in a rich man's tomb, that of Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the Jewish council. That was God's plan. We see that in Matthew, chapter 27, verses 57 through 60. What looked like a small detail was actually a direct fulfillment of prophecy.

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And there's another picture of the burial of Jesus that comes from one of the most unexpected places, the story of Jonah, quote Jonah was in the belly of the fish. Three days and three nights. That's Jonah, chapter 1, verse 17. Jesus himself pointed to Jonah as a sign, a preview, of his own burial. In the book of Matthew, jesus made the connection quote. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of man will be there three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. That's Matthew, chapter 12, verse 40. Jesus wasn't just quoting scripture. He was showing how the story of Jonah had always been pointing to him. Because, just like Jonah didn't stay in the fish, because, just like Jonah didn't stay in the fish and Jesus didn't stay in the tomb, the story wasn't over. If you want to explore that connection more deeply, check out our earlier episode on Jonah.

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Now let's turn to those prophecies of Jesus' resurrection. The Old Testament doesn't stop at the Messiah's death or burial. It points clearly to his resurrection as well. Jesus' resurrection is the cornerstone on which Christianity stands. If there's no resurrection, all our faith is in vain. In Psalm, chapter 16, verse 10, david writes you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. This verse is one of the clearest prophecies of the resurrection. It was quoted by Peter in Acts 2 during his sermon at Pentecost, explaining that David wasn't talking about himself but about the Messiah. Peter said David was looking ahead to someone who wouldn't stay dead but would be raised to life.

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Then we move to the book of Isaiah. Isaiah also makes it clear that the story wouldn't end in death Quote after he suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied. That's Isaiah 53, verse 11. The servant doesn't remain crushed, he lives again. And not only that, he sees the result of his suffering and is satisfied. That result is us. Through this one sacrifice, god's plan was fulfilled and many were put in right standing with him. And once again we return to Jonah. Those three days and three nights. Jesus called them a sign. We saw where Jesus directly connected this to his own burial, but he also connected it to his resurrection Quote. This wasn't just about the number of days, it was a preview of resurrection. God brings life out of death and hope out of what looked like the end. So what does this all mean?

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Jesus did not show up randomly. The death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, the Messiah had been prophesied in the Hebrew scriptures, the Old Testament, in real places, by real people in real time, and they came to pass exactly as God said. They would. No wonder that Jesus told the religious leaders of his day, quote you study the scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. Diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very scriptures that testify about me. That's John, chapter 5, verse 39.

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And after he rose, when he walked along the road to Emmaus with two of his followers, he explains it even more clearly, beginning with Moses and all the prophets. He explained to them what he said in all the scriptures concerning himself. That was Luke, chapter 24, verse 27. And that's exactly what we've been doing today, seeing how the scriptures, even before the Gospels, were already telling the Easter story. Because of God's plan to save us through Jesus, we now live with real hope, not just for heaven one day, but for life right now, a hope that says if we trust God and believe that Jesus gave his life for us, then your sin is paid for, your past doesn't have the final word, your future is secure. All of this is true because Jesus rose from the dead just as he said he would. Quote the son of man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day, be raised again. That's Luke, chapter 24, verse 7. And as Paul later wrote, he was raised on the third day, according to the scriptures.

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So why does this all matter? Because it shows us three things. First, God keeps his promises. What he said would happen did happen. Second, jesus is the true Messiah. No one else could fulfill what was written. And third, Easter is more than just a one-time event. It's the center of the story God's been telling all along. We're not just invited into the story, we're the reason for it. Jesus came, suffered, died, was buried and rose again.

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With us in mind, and as we bring this episode to a close, we see that Jesus' death, burial and resurrection were not just random events. Jesus's death, burial and resurrection were not just random events. They were foretold in the scriptures, through the law, the prophets and the Psalms, hundreds of years before they took place. Each detail happened according to God's plan, and each prophecy was fulfilled with precision. Fulfilled with precision. This confirms that Jesus is the promised Messiah and that the Bible is a trustworthy record of God's plan to save his people. So Easter, then, isn't just a holiday. It marks the fulfillment of what God had promised from the very beginning that through his son, sin would be dealt with, death would be defeated and new life would be possible. Next week we'll pick back up on our journey through the prophets, but for now, soak in the joy of Resurrection Sunday. Soak in the joy of Resurrection Sunday. Until then, keep reading, keep seeking and keep growing in your faith so that we spread God's Word further. Please share, like, follow, comment and subscribe.