Nearly a century before the angel Gabriel would deliver his message to Mary (see Luke 1:27–35), Alma revealed that the Messiah’s mother would be named Mary, and she’d be “a precious and chosen vessel, who shall be overshadowed and conceive by the power of the Holy Ghost” ( Alma 7:10). In contrast, Book of Mormon writers show a detailed awareness of Jesus Christ’s life and ministry from the very beginning, six hundred years before his coming (see 1 Nephi 10:4–10).
Nephi's Vision of the Virgin Mary by Judith A. 1 But gospel writers like Matthew, with the hindsight of history and knowledge of the Savior’s mortal life and ministry, saw prophecies like this one as a type and shadow of the Messianic child to come.
For example, Isaiah’s prophecy, cited in Matthew 1:22–23, originally given as a sign to the Israelite king Ahaz, appears to be about a child to be born later that same year as a sign that God will deliver Judah from its enemies in the 8th century BC (see Isaiah 7:10–16). Sometimes, they may not have even recognized the Messianic meaning in the signs and prophecies given to them. But they didn’t seem to know exactly who this Messiah would be and when he would come onto the scene-or, at least, their prophecies did not include such details. Recent research on early Israelite religion and belief has led some scholars to conclude that, indeed, some ancient Israelites believed in a Messiah-figure, who was the son of the Most High God and was prophesied to redeem Israel.
Gabriel’s point was to show that Jesus was the long-anticipated Messiah, expected for centuries before he finally arrived. “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” ( Isaiah 7:14 cf. According to Matthew, when the angel Gabriel appeared to Joseph, he said that Mary’s conception, and the birth of Jesus “was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet,” and quoted Isaiah:
0 kommentar(er)
