How do we know a prophecy is about the Messiah?

Описание: How can we know when an Old Testament passage is truly speaking about the Messiah—and not merely about a historical figure in Israel’s past?

In this video, I address a common objection raised against messianic interpretations of the Old Testament, particularly in response to my earlier discussion of Matthew’s use of Hosea and Balaam’s oracles. Critics often argue that passages Christians identify as messianic were originally about figures like Saul or David and therefore cannot legitimately refer to Christ.

Using Balaam’s third oracle in Numbers 24:7–9 as a test case, I explain how Scripture itself teaches us to recognize genuinely messianic prophecy. We examine why Saul cannot be the true fulfillment of this passage, how David functions as a superior—but still incomplete—fulfillment, and why the prophecy ultimately points forward to the Son of David with an everlasting kingdom.

Along the way, I lay out several key interpretive principles:

the role of preliminary and typological fulfillments

the archetypal use of Israel’s enemies (Egypt, Amalek, Assyria, Babylon) in prophetic literature

the reuse and development of earlier messianic promises (Genesis 3, 12, 22, and 49)

the presence of eschatological elements that cannot be satisfied by any merely human king

Far from being arbitrary or imposed on the text, messianic interpretation arises from the Bible’s own inner logic and canonical development. When read carefully, the Old Testament is not only compatible with the New Testament’s claims about Christ—it is thoroughly and intentionally messianic.

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