The two companions, spellbound by all that
They had heard from the Lamb of God could not
Refuse the supplication, for within
Themselves felt their hearts burning ardently
Yet still they could not recognise the man
Who walked beside them on the road, yet who
Had held their minds and reason to His own.
And so, with one accord, they said to him:
“Sir, even though we may not understand
All that you have spoken, yet we implore
You to speak further, for within our hearts
We sense a burning to know all that you
May wish to tell us, wait we upon you.”
On hearing this, the Lamb of God replied:
“Great was Isaiah, prophet of Yahweh
In speaking of the way in which the Lamb
Of God would willingly lay down His life
For others, thereby opening the gate
That leads to life eternal, Paradise,
A vision of unparalleled beauty
The shores of Yahweh’s kingdom, who does reign
In majesty and might without equal.
Hear what the prophet Jeremiah says
Concerning the Messiah, for he said
That from the line of David there would come
A Righteous Branch, a King whose wisdom would
Be constant throughout all his reign, so he
Would bring justice and righteousness to all
And make Judah and Israel as safe
Havens for all who live there.[i] And the name
By which he shall be called shall be: ‘The Lord Our Righteousness.’ No other righteousness
Can take the place of He who reigns on high
And in the hearts of all who put their trust
In Him, worthy is He of David’s line.
And of this Messiah, Ezekiel says
That Yahweh will take a small, tender sprig
From a cedar tree and will plant it high
On lofty mountain top where it will grow
And flourish and bear fruit, its splendour will
Be glorious, birds of the air will come
And nest in its branches and seek its shade.
Exalted trees found there will be brought low
And lowly trees will be raised up instead.
And what is green already will dry up
And lowly dry trees will grow and flourish.[ii]
Thus prophesied Ezekiel, after him
The prophet Daniel, interpreter
Of dreams and visions, while in Babylon
In exile with the people prophesied
To King Nebuchadnezzar concerning
A dream in which he was greatly troubled
And which no-one could interpret the dream.
He prophesied the Messiah as like
A rock to shatter kingdoms one by one
Until the heavenly kingdom of Yahweh
Be forever established on the earth.
The rock that shattered kingdoms now became
A mountain that filled all the earth,[iii] so that
The rule of Yahweh would forever be
Supreme and everlasting over all.[iv]
Yet further still, he saw the Lamb of God
Upon the clouds of heaven, who approached
The Ancient of Days. Into His presence
He was led and was given dominion;
Authority and glory, sovereign power,
All peoples from all nations worshipped Him.
The dominion of the Lamb of God would be
From everlasting to everlasting
It will not pass away or be destroyed.[v]
Of one more prophecy, the Anointed One
Would come and save his people despite their
Lack of repentance, suffering at the hands
Of those who came to bring war and destroy
The city and the sanctuary which
Had been rebuilt in troubled times because
Of that same unrepentant state by which
War, suffering and desolation were
Continuing until the end when He,
The One who is called Anointed would save
His people from their disobedient ways.[vi]
The prophet Micah prophesied that from
Bethlehem, Ephrathah, that there would come
A ruler over Israel and whose
Origins are from old, from ancient times.[vii]
And this, despite, the lowliness of that
Small town among the clans of Judah’s might,
For Yahweh chooses those of lowly state
Untouched by pomp and grandeur, as a child,
To be His instruments of power and might.
Haggai spoke of one referred to as
The desired of all nations who would come
When earth and sea and dry land would be shook
And a new house established, filled with peace
And greater glory than the former house
Had known will be established by Yahweh.[viii]
Listen now to what Zechariah says
Concerning the Messiah. He says: ‘I
Am going to bring my servant, the Branch.’[ix]
Of David’s line would this Messiah be
And in that line would be removed the sins
Of the land in a single day. Wherefore
Upon the cross the Messiah did take
Upon Himself the sins of the whole world
As a guilt offering unto Yahweh
Who has forgiven all their sins and who
Will no more remember them, gone are they
Because of the one final sacrifice
Upon the cross. No further sacrifice
For sin is now required, all are set free
To bring Yahweh their worship and their love
As a thank offering for His great love.
The Branch will build the temple of the Lord
According to the prophecy foretold,[x]
But I say unto you, Yahweh will make
Your body His temple wherein will rest
His Spirit in the depths of human hearts
To those who will receive Him in this way
For we will make our home in any heart
Who will accept the salvation that was
Wrought high upon the cross to put an end
To the dark night of sin and to restore
Eden’s fair land in this world and the next.
And to this end, to bring about this work
As was foretold by that same prophet: ‘See,
Your king comes to you, righteous and having
Salvation, gentle and riding on a
Donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.’[xi]
Much shouting and rejoicing was there made
With palms and branches cut down and strewn on
The ground for the Messiah who did ride
These past few days into Jerusalem
Upon the beast of burden as described
In Messianic prophecy as told
By Zechariah, who foretold the price
Of the betrayal of the Lamb of God
Into the hands of sinners who would do
Him harm and violence to rid themselves,
Or so they thought, of this blasphemer who
Had dared to call Himself the Christ, the Son
Of God whose kingdom is not of this world.
For thirty pieces of silver,[xii] He was
Betrayed into the hands of sinners who
Did him great harm and violence to put
To death the Lamb of God who takes away
The sins of the whole world, yet He did rise
From the dead, cheating death and the cold tomb
Wherein He lay but for a fleeting time.
The one who betrayed Him is now no more
The price he paid far greater than the price
For the betrayal, those coins have now bought
The potter’s field to bury strangers in,
The same field that witnessed the suicide
Of the betrayer, who has paid a price
Far greater than the scant reward received.
From the mouth of the prophet came these words:
‘On David’s house and the inhabitants
Of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace
And supplication. They will look on me
Whom they have pierced, and they will mourn for him
As one mourns for an only child, and grieve
Bitterly for him, as one grieves for a
First-born son’[xiii], so the prophecy did say.
And he who was pierced was the shepherd of
The sheep who listened to His voice, only
For Him to be struck and the sheep scattered[xiv]
Yet in this tragedy the people of
Yahweh will be refined as silver is,
And tested as pure gold, and they will call
Upon His name and He will answer them,
For He decreed they will be His people
And they will say that Yahweh is their God.
One prophecy of Malachi declares
‘A messenger who will prepare the way
Before Yahweh, who suddenly will come
Into His temple. This messenger of
The covenant that you desire will come.’[xv]
My brothers and companions on this road,
I tell you now this messenger has come
And has prepared the way for Yahweh God
To come into His temple, He has come
To enter human hearts, which is our home
Because of the salvation wrought upon
The
cross three days ago, I say no more.”
[i] Jer 23:5
[ii] Eze 17:22-24
[iii] Dan 2:34
[iv] Dan 2:44
[v] Dan 7:13-14
[vi] Dan 9:25-26
[vii] Mic 5:2
[viii] Hag 2:7
[ix] Zec 3:8
[x] Zec 6:12
[xi] Zec 9:9
[xii] Zec 11:12
[xiii] Zec 12:10
[xiv] Zec 13:7
[xv] Mal 3:1
Dominus-Iesus-est 