Even if you discount everything within the New Testament, there are literally HUNDREDS of prophecies detailed within the scriptures known as the Old Testament that predict the coming of the Messiah, Moshiach, or Anointed One and exactly what He would be like.
There are more than 50 prophets quoted in the Old Testament, some of which are included in Judaism's "Books of the Prophets" - words that the people of Israel believed were meant for them. Other prophets, including Daniel, are included in the "Writings" of the Tanakh, because Jews believe they were written down for future generations. I am including prophecies from the entire Old Testament texts in chronological order.
The first five books of the Old Testament are also known as "The Books of Moses" and make up the Judaic Torah. This is where we'll begin with prophetic proof that Jesus is the Moshiach.
Genesis - The book of Genesis was written by Moses between 1420 and 1220 BC. Although the main purpose of this book was to explain how everything began (The word Genesis means "origin" or beginning"), including sin itself, it also explains God's plan for salvation from our sin. Part of this plan is prophesied by explaining that the Messiah would descend from Eve (Gen 3:15) and Judah (Gen 49:10).
3:15 - "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman (Eve), and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."
17:7 - "And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an EVERLASTING covenant to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee." See Jeremiah 31:31
49:10 - "The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be."
The Messiah would come out of the tribal state of Judah. In addition, both these verses speak to the human nature of the Messiah. He would not only be divine, but would share our human qualities as well.
While prophecies such as these can and are misinterpreted, others are crystal clear in any language:
Exodus - is the second book of Moses best known to describe the Israelites exodus out of Egypt. Chapter 12 spells out the ordinance of the Passover given to Moses and Aaron. This ordinance included who would be allowed to eat and what to eat during Passover. When eating lamb:
12:46 - "...neither shall ye break a bone thereof." Jesus, the ultimate lamb of God, had none of his bones broken. See Psalm 34:20
Deuteronomy - This is known as the 5th book of Moses in the Torah. It was written between 1420 and 1220 BC.
18:15 - "The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;"
18:18 - "I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him."
Both these verses emphasize the fact that the Messiah would be a Jew. These are the words of God spoken to Moses, so when He says "like unto thee" He means that the Prophet will be great like Moses. This was not just a prophet, but the Messiah.
1 Chronicles - The books of First and Second Chronicles form one book in the Hebrew Scriptures and were written from a Priest's point of view. Both books were written around the 5th century BC and while the author of the books is unknown, several of the prophets are discussed and quoted in these books, including the prophet Nathan who served the great King David.
Messiah = "Son of David"
17:11-14 - The Lord spoke directly to Nathan with a message for King David: "And it shall come to pass when thy days be expired that thou must go to be with thy fathers, that I will raise up thy seed after thee, which shall be of thy sons, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build me a house and I shall establish his throne forever. I will be his father and he shall be my SON, and I shall not take my mercy away from him as I took it from him that was before thee: But I will settle him in mine house and in my kingdom FOREVER: and his throne shall be established FOR EVERMORE."
Here the Messiah's family credentials are even more specific than just being from the house of Judah...King David was promised two wonderful things through Nathan's prophecy from God: 1. One of David's direct descendants would reign FOREVER. But how would this be possible for a mere human king? This prophecy both points to Jesus as this descendant and to the fact that Jesus the Messiah would come to earth twice - Obviously the reigning forever part has yet to happen, so Jesus must come a second time to fulfill this part of the prophecy. 2. One of David's descendants would be the unique Son of God. The Lord was speaking directly to Nathan, so when He said I will be his father and he shall be my SON, it could mean nothing else but that!
Psalms - The book of Psalms was written primarily by David around the 10th century BC. In numerous places, God's Messiah, Jesus Christ, is portrayed in both his suffering and his glory. Many of the psalms foretold specific circumstances that came true during Christ's betrayal, trial and crucifixion.
41:9 - "Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me." Notice the reference to "his heel" as foretold by Moses in Genesis, 200 to 400 years earlier!
This psalm prophesies about Judas' betrayal following the last supper, where Jesus "broke bread" with his disciples just hours before the Roman guards arrested Him in the Garden of Gathsemene. These Psalms also emphasize that the Messiah would be betrayed by a friend:
55:12-14 - "For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him: But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company."
22:6 - "But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.
69:7 - "Because for thy sake I have borne reproach; shame hath covered my face." Jesus bore our reproach.
69:8 - "I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother's children." Refers to Jesus' half siblings' disbelief.
69:20 - "Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none."
35:11 - "False witnesses did rise up; they laid to my charge things that I knew not." This psalm foretold how Jesus would be falsely accused, when he had done nothing wrong, and:
69:4 - "They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully..."
22:16 - "For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierce my hands and my feet." - Foretells of Christ's crucifixion.
22:18 - "They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture." - Tells how the Roman soldiers would cast lots for Jesus' clothing.
109:25 - "I became also a reproach unto them: when they looked upon me they shaked their heads." Foretold how the spectators who came to watch the crucifixion mocked Jesus as he hung on the cross.
22:7-8 - "All they that see me laugh me to scorn; they shoot out the lip, they shake the head saying, He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him..." - The spectators taunted Jesus because he was not delivered from the cross before their eyes.
22:1 - "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" - Word for word what Jesus said on the cross.
69:21 - "...and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink." Jesus was offered a sponge soaked in vinegar.
22:14 - "I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint..."
34:20 - "He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken."
It was customary to break the bones of persons being crucified as a way to speed up death. This would prevent the person from pushing up on their legs to breath and death by asphyxiation would come in a matter of minutes. With the Sabbath and Passover coming, the Jewish leaders would have wanted Jesus dead before sundown. The gospels tell us that the Roman soldiers did break the legs of the two criminals crucified along with Jesus. However, Jesus' bones while out of joint, were not broken, because the soldiers had determined that Jesus was already dead and one of the soldiers thrust a spear through his rib cage to confirm it.
31:5 - "Into thine hand I commit my spirit..." - Verbatim of Jesus' last words on the cross.
The Messiah would die:
22:15 - "My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death."
The book of Psalms also foretells that the Messiah would be resurrected and ascend to heaven:
16:10 - "For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption."
110:1 - "The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool."
The Messiah would be the cornerstone of God's church:
118:22 - "The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner." Notice the similarity between this Psalm and Isaiah 28:16, written 100 years later! Although Jesus' sacrifice is refused by Israel, He was to become the cornerstone of God's church.
Other psalms contain prophecy about what the Messiah would be like:
2:7 - "I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son: this day have I begotten thee."
This psalm makes it clear that the Moshiach would be more than just a human being, but would share God's divine nature.
78:2 - The Messiah would preach in parables: "I will open my mouth in parable: I will utter dark sayings of old..."
31:11 - "I was a reproach among all mine enemies, but especially among my neighbors, and a fear to mine acquaintances..."
Even Jesus' younger brother, James did not believe he was the Messiah, until after Christ's resurrection, when he appeared to James. Even the historian, Josephus wrote of James, the brother of Jesus having been stoned because of his belief that his brother was indeed God's Son. It was Christ's appearance to his brother after his death that caused such a dramatic turnaround in James. So dramatic, that James was willing to die for his belief! This fact speaks to the power of Christ' resurrection. If James had not seen his brother alive following his horrific torture and crucifixion, surely he would not have changed his mind!
Isaiah - was a prophet who lived during the 8th century BC. This was one of Jesus' favorite books of the Old Testament. He quoted it frequently. The central theme of Isaiah's prophecies was of salvation: from the Jew's coming captivity in Egypt, and ultimately through his Son, who would bear the sins of all.
Isaiah foresaw precise details of the Moshiach, from his birth through his death, and even his burial.
7:14 - "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." Immanuel means God With Us.
8:8 - "And he shall pass through Judah; he shall overflow and go over, he shall reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel."
8:10 - "Take counsel together, and it shall come to nought; speak the word, and it shall not stand: for God is with us.
8:14, 15 - "And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared and be taken." Many stumbled because they did not believe.
9:1, 2 - "Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan in Galilee of the nations. The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined."
This is really two prophecies: 1) Jesus would begin preaching and gathering his disciples in Galilee. Jesus was often referred to as the "light" of the world. The Israelites were the chosen people of God. The Gentiles were considered to be "people that walked in darkness", so this verse prophesies that 2) Jesus would preach to both Jews and Gentiles.
9:6 - "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."
9:7 - "Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this."
9:13 - "For the people turneth not unto him that smiteth them, neither do they seek the Lord of hosts." - Israel rejects him.
11:1, 2 - "And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots; And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord." Jesse begat David. From Abraham to David there were 14 generations. Jacob begat Joseph - the husband of Mary - the mother of Jesus.
11: 10 - "And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious."
26:19 - "Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise..." Foretells Christ's resurrection.
28:16 - "Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste." Jesus was the cornerstone of God's church.
35:5, 6 - Isaiah foretold several of the miracles that Jesus would perform:
" Then the eye of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing..."
40:11 - "He shall feed his flock like a shepherd..."
40:3 - "The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God." Many bible scholars believe this verse prophesizes about how John the Baptist announced the coming of Jesus.
42:1 - "Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles." This prophecy makes it clear that the Messiah would have the spirit of the Lord (or Holy Spirit) upon him and that he would also come for Gentiles (not just Jews).
42:2 - "He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street." Jesus did not fight for his innocence nor cry out to His Father to save him while upon the cross. He gave himself willingly as a sacrifice for our sins.
49:6 - "...I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth." God makes it clear that the Messiah would be a salvation for the Gentiles as well as the Jews.
49:7 - "Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the Lord that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee." The Messiah would be hated by Israel.
50:6 - "I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting." Before He was led away to be crucified, the Roman soldiers mocked and spit on Jesus. He did not retaliate.
52:14 - "As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men." Jesus received the maximum number of lashes during his beating. The maximum was 40 lashes, but criminals were rarely given that severe a punishment. Jesus was beaten 40 times with a special whip that had metal balls sewn in to the leather ends. After 40 lashes, He was severely mutilated.
53:2 - "For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. Again eludes to the rejection of Jesus by Israel.
53:3 - "He is despised and rejected of men...he was despised, and we esteemed him not."
53:4 - "Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted." Isaiah repeats the rejection theme, but also hints to Jesus' responsibility of bearing our sins, here and in the next verse:
53:5 - "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." This is an important distinction! Jesus, the Moshiach, took our place on the cross. A human is capable of this type of sacrifice, but Isaiah goes further to predict that not only would our sins be upon him, but BECAUSE OF THIS SACRIFICE WE ARE HEALED! NO HUMAN CAN OFFER THAT!
53:7 - "He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth." This prophecy makes two things clear: 1) Lambs were commonly given as sacrifices by Jews to God for the forgiveness of sin. This illustration would have been clear to the Jews of Isaiah's day - that the Messiah would act as a sacrifice, and 2) Like a lamb, he would not object or speak. Jesus did not defend himself to try and avoid this sacrifice. He did so willingly.
53:9 - "And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence neither was any deceit in his mouth." Jesus was crucified with sinners even though he was without sin. Jesus was buried in a rich man's tomb.
53:12 - "...and he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." This verse is very important because it makes clear that Jesus bore the sins of many and INTERCEDES FOR US! No human being is capable of making intercession for us to God. The Messiah was more than human. He had the ability to intercede for us before God and provide forgiveness!
61:1 - Finally, Isaiah prophesizes the GOOD NEWS: "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound." Jesus is our ultimate freedom! Through Him we are free from our sin!
Isaiah is very clear that the Moshiach and God the Father are one in the same. His words from the Lord are specific that The Mighty God would come to earth born to a virgin. The Messiah would be much more than a man, but God The Father and The Son in one! No human being has ever been born to a virgin, so this statement of Isaiah's is clear in and of itself that Moshiach would have supernatural qualities. But, he makes it clearer still by saying that the child's name would be called "The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father".
One last note about Isaiah. Some people today like to discount the book of Isaiah, choosing to believe that Isaiah was referring to the nation of Israel throughout these prophecies, not the Messiah. But, you'll notice that Isaiah uses the words "we" and "our" when he refers to Israel (after all he was an Israelite!) and he uses the words "he" and "him" when prophesizing about the Messiah or Moshiach. These visions of Isaiah's do refer to the Messiah just as rabbis in Old Testament times believed they did.
Jeremiah - was a prophet who lived during the last 40 years of Judah's existence, during the 6th century BC.
23:5-6 - "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth." Speaks of the Messiah's lineage from David.
31:31-33 - "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah. NOT according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they broke, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying Know the Lord; for they shall know me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."
This is very important! Jesus established a NEW COVENANT with Israel, NOT like that made with their fathers. NOT by works or teaching the law. Eventually everyone, from the smallest to the greatest will know our God and He will forgive us, but not through our works, but through accepting Jesus in our hearts! We no longer need to seek forgiveness through burnt offerings, because Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice and if we accept Him, we are forgiven and God will remember our sin no more!
Daniel - is one of the better known prophets, having been thrown to the lions for his belief in God, during the infamous rule of the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar, in the 6th century BC. Daniel's "prophecies of years" foretold exactly when the Messiah would come and when He would be "cut off". Daniel was a student of other prophecies, including Jeremiah's prophecy that the children of Israel would endure 70 "weeks" or years of exile in Babylon. Those 70 years were nearly complete when Daniel prophesied about the Messiah. Daniel was 85 to 90 years old at the time, having lived through the 70 years of exile. He was living proof of Jeremiah's prophecy about Israel's exile in Babylon! Being frustrated that the children of Israel had not learned their lesson during those 70 years, Daniel, as described in 9:3: "I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes" prayed and made confessions, during which, the angel Gabriel appeared to him to give him "skill and understanding" about the prophecy of years, which includes predictions about the Messiah coming as a sacrifice:
9:24-26 - "Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. Know therefore and understand that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself..."
"Weeks" are considered to be periods of seven years, so seventy weeks would be 70 sets of 7 years or 490 years.
Hosea - was a prophet to the Northern kingdom of Israel prior to it's fall in 722 BC. He was a contemporary of Amos, Isaiah and Micah.
6:2,3 - "...in the third day he will raise us up and we shall live in his sight. Then shall we know if we follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and the former rain unto the earth." Rain cycles were a picture of things to come during Hosea's time. Spring was known as the "former rain" and Fall was known as the "latter rain". This prophecy speaks of Christ's resurrection on the third day and tells us that Jesus will come to earth TWICE.
11:1 - "...and called my Son from Egypt." This is what's known as a dual prophecy because it not only refers to Israel being called out of Egypt, but also Jesus after King Herod's death. Joseph had taken baby Jesus and Mary to Egypt after an angel of the Lord had warned him that Herod was going to kill every baby boy in Bethlehem under the age of two. When Herod died, God called his Son back from Egypt.
Micah - was a prophet who's words are studied by Jews and Christians alike. The book of Micah was written in the 8th century BC. Micah was a contemporary of Isaiah and predicted the coming of the Messiah as well as the place of his birth. This prophecy was remembered by King Herod's advisors when the wisemen were seeking the baby Jesus.
5:2 - "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from old, from everlasting.
This prophecy not only predicts the birth of Christ in the tiny, unassuming town of Bethlehem, but it also speaks to the Messiah's divinity, "from everlasting."
Haggai - was a contemporary of Zechariah. He preached to the restored community of Israel in 520 BC encouraging them to finish the project of rebuilding the temple. His messages had the desired effect God sought - the temple was rededicated in 516 BC.
And God's promise to fill the temple with his glory was literally fulfilled through Jesus 500 years later!
Zechariah - The book of Zechariah was written beginning in 520 BC. Zechariah speaks of human need, the greatest of which is the need to know God better. Zechariah explains through prophecy that this need would be met by the sending of the Messiah.
9:9 - "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout O daughter of Jerusalem: behold thy King cometh unto thee: he is just and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass."
This prophecy specifically foretold of Christ's entering Jerusalem riding on a donkey. But more importantly, it predicts His ability to provide SALVATION. An ordinary human being is not capable of providing all-encompassing salvation. Most human kings would not be content to enter their holy city riding on a lowly ass either! I believe Zechariah was trying to tell us that this King would be unlike anyone before...he would not only provide for our salvation, but would sacrifice himself AS our salvation.
11:12, 13 - "And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver." The exact amount paid to Judas for turning over Jesus. "And the Lord said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was priced at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver and cast them to the potter in the house of the Lord."
Judas threw the 30 pieces of silver at the feet of the priests in the temple before he went to hang himself. The priests would not return the silver to the treasury since it was "blood money", so they used it to purchase a potter's field to bury foreigners in. That field is called "The Field of Blood" to this day.
12:10 - "And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn." While the mourning foretold has yet to happen, Zecharia clearly foretold the crucifixion of Jesus.
13:7 - "Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones."
Malachi - is the last book of the Old Testament and was written between 450 and 425 BC. Malachi was sent as a prophet directing the people of Israel to give serious attention to their spiritual problems and sin. Malachi also provides hope in the future coming of the Messiah. He not only foretold of Christ, but of his forerunner, John the Baptist (called Elijah).
3:1 - "Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts."
Malachi foretells John the Baptist: the "messenger" who prepared the way for Jesus, the new covenant, the Lord, who did literally "come to His temple" on many occasions more than 400 years later.
4:2 - "But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall."
4:5 - "Behold, I will send you Elijah, the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse."
I believe this prophecy not only foretells of Jesus' ability to literally perform healing, but that He himself will provide healing to all those who fear the name of the Lord. Although the words sound confusing, I think that God was clear, through his prophet Malachi, that He had to provide a way for the hearts of his people to return to him before He "smites the earth with a curse". He not only provides for our salvation, but he sent us a messenger to let us know the Messiah was coming! What a wonderful God we have!
