Gospels Part 026
Let’s now take a brief look at “the writings of Moses and all the prophets” to see passages that teach us more about who and what Jesus was and tell us about His mission.
Genesis 1:1 tells us about the creation of the world: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” The Hebrew word translated “God” here is Elohim, which is a plural word—meaning more than one Being was involved in this creation. Several Bible passages tell us plainly that the One who was later born in the flesh as Jesus of Nazareth was the primary hands-on Creator described in Genesis 1:1! Notice the following passages:
Colossians 1:16: “For by Him [Jesus Christ] all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.”
Hebrews 1:1-2: “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds . . .”
John 1:1-3, 14: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. . . . And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
These passages plainly tell us about two divine Beings, both of whom are God. In the Gospels They are revealed to be God the Father and God the Son, also known as Jesus Christ. Together they created our earth and the entire universe—with the One we know as Jesus apparently doing the hands-on work of creation.
We’ll discuss this more when we begin to explore John 1 in John’s Gospel. But for now we need to understand that the story of Jesus Christ begins literally in the opening words of the Bible, where He is revealed as the Creator of our world and everything in it—including each of us!
The Bible’s first prophecy
The Bible’s first prophecy appears in Genesis 3:15 after Adam and Eve, influenced by the serpent, disobeyed God and sinned. Because of his evil role, God told the serpent, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
The “he” in this verse refers to the Messiah, and several thousand years later Satan, as foretold here, would strike the Messiah’s heel as His feet were nailed to a wooden beam as He was crucified, dying for our sins and taking on Himself the punishment we deserved. But at the same time, by this selfless act Jesus would destroy Satan’s power over humanity, freeing us from the power of sin and death to obey God and share eternal life with Him. And Satan, according to God’s timetable, will eventually be removed and unable to exert his destructive influence on mankind.
Astonishingly, Jesus fulfilled more than 300 prophecies in His first coming. When we consider the odds of one person fulfilling only a handful of these prophecies, the odds against doing so quickly become astronomical. But to fulfill hundreds? The odds quickly become mathematically impossible. The fact that Jesus fulfilled hundreds of prophecies shows that a divine plan had to be at work!
© Scott Ashley, 2025. All rights reserved.
Course Content
Scott Ashley
Scott Ashley was managing editor of Beyond Today magazine, United Church of God booklets and its printed Bible Study Course until his retirement in 2023. He also pastored three congregations in Colorado for 10 years from 2011-2021. He and his wife, Connie, live near Denver, Colorado.
Mr. Ashley attended Ambassador College in Big Sandy, Texas, graduating in 1976 with a theology major and minors in journalism and speech. It was there that he first became interested in publishing, an industry in which he worked for 50 years.
During his career, he has worked for several publishing companies in various capacities. He was employed by the United Church of God from 1995-2023, overseeing the planning, writing, editing, reviewing and production of Beyond Today magazine, several dozen booklets/study guides and a Bible study course covering major biblical teachings. His special interests are the Bible, archaeology, biblical culture, history and the Middle East.
