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Acts 3:24-25

²⁴"And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days. ²⁵You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, 'And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.'"

All the prophets in the Bible predicted the coming of the Messiah. Peter quoted the promise to Abraham about the Messiah: "In your offspring (singular, i.e., one person) shall all the families of the earth be blessed." Then Peter went on to explain that the descendant of Abraham who blesses the world is Jesus of Nazareth.

But what about all the other prophets? A millennia earlier, David was promised the Messiah would be his descendant and would reign forever (Psalm 89:29-37). He prophesied the details of the crucifixion (Psalm 22) and that the Messiah's body would not decay (Psalm 16:10-11). About 700 B.C. Isaiah predicted a suffering servant of God would come, born of a virgin, to bear our sins, die, and see life again (Isaiah 7:14; 53:6-12). Jeremiah predicted the day when Israel would return to God with one heart and one way (Jeremiah 32:39). Ezekiel saw the transformation of the heart from the letter of the Law to being led by the Spirit (Ezekiel 11:19). Daniel predicted the Messiah's execution for the purpose of putting an end to sin. He even predicted when the Messiah would come (Daniel 9:24-26). Hosea predicted the resurrection after three days in the grave (Hosea 6:1-2). Micah predicted the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). Zechariah foresaw the triumphal entry on the donkey (Zechariah 9:9). Malachi prophesied that a prophet would go before Jesus (John the Baptist) and that Jesus would come suddenly to the temple in Israel (Malachi 3:1). We could continue with other prophecies quoted in the New Testament by the apostles.

Peter, under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, was challenging the religious leaders to examine the Scriptures and see that they were fulfilled in the life and death of Jesus. The hope they had held onto for so long had come, but they did not recognize Him. The truth of Peter's words had been verified when Peter miraculously healed the man who had been lame since birth (Acts 3:1-10). They could say nothing.

Consider: What do you say?