The law prophesied about all these matters as said in Matthew 11:13.
For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John…
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. (Matthew 5:17-18)
Major key to understanding: The law is prophecy! (Revelation 19:10 says that the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy, and the Lord Jesus kept telling us that the law testified of Him!)
Some have argued that the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John the Baptist, and as such, the Law and Prophets are no longer applicable after John. However, we must understand that these prophecies of Scripture are fulfilled in Christ. By His sacrifice on the cross, He fulfilled the prophecies concerning atonement for sin by animal sacrifice, and the Feast of Passover under the Law. Thus, John the Baptist rightly recognized the Lord Jesus on earth as ‘the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world’ (John 1:29). Following Christ’s promise in Acts 1:4-5, we also see the fulfilment of the Feast of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was given to the disciples in Acts 2. We see that in Jesus, all the promises of God are ‘Yes’ and ‘Amen’ (2 Corinthians 1:20).
As the Lord said, some aspects of the Law and the Prophets have not yet been fulfilled. Obviously, heaven and earth haven’t passed away! So there are prophecies uttered by the law and prophets that are still to be fulfilled. Isaiah prophesied of a time when ‘the lion will eat straw like the ox, and people will not do evil or destroy in God’s holy mountain’ (Isaiah 11:7, Isaiah 65:25). The Feast of Tabernacles points to the time depicted in the book of Revelation, where God’s tabernacle is with men (Revelation 21:3). Zechariah prophesied of a time when everyone left (from among the enemies of God’s people) will go up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles (Zechariah 14). The Lord has not yet wiped away every tear, exalted every valley, brought down every mountain, or revealed His glory to everyone (Isaiah 25:8, Revelation 7:17, Isaiah 40:4-5). There may be certain spiritual/figurative dimensions of fulfilment, but it is clear that not all of the Law and Prophets have not been fulfilled yet. We simply cannot ignore the Law and the Prophets because we do not understand the writings!
Even the prophets, who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours, carefully researched and investigated this salvation. They tried to find out what era or specific time the Spirit of Christ in them kept referring to when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you in regard to the things that have now been announced to you by those who brought you the good news through the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. These are things that even the angels desire to look into. (1 Peter 1:10-12)
Jesus is the same – yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Jesus said that the Jews did not believe Him because they had not believed the writings of Moses, who wrote concerning Him (John 5:37-47). The ‘Scriptures’ referred to in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, Romans 15:4 and Acts 18:24-28 are just sample quotes from what we refer to as books of the ‘Old Testament’ today; it is these Scriptures that were referred to as ‘profitable for doctrine and instruction in righteousness… that the man of God may be fully equipped unto every good work’. Anyone who teaches believers to disregard the words of the ‘Old Testament’ causes them to remain in the dark, without a light (2 Peter 1:19-20).
NOTE
This is a part of the BELIEVER’S BIBLE SCHOOL Course. To view all parts, click the link below.