subject familiar to all. John the Baptist, Jesus and the Seventy, all proclaimed the kingdom in a way without

definition or explanation that indicated that their hearers were acquainted with its meaning' (1:181).

There was no intimation given that the New Testament kingdom was different in any way from the Old Testament

conception and Nicodemus, a teacher of Israel, was reprimanded by the Lord for not understanding the basic

requirements of His kingdom which the Old Testament had made clear (John 3:10).

In the Nativity accounts of the Gospels the link with the Old Testament is clearly indicated. In Matthew's

Gospel there are fourteen literal fulfilments of Old Testament prophecy introduced by such words as `that it might

be fulfilled which was spoken by (hupo) the Lord, through (dia) the prophet' (1:22; 2:5,15,17,23; 4:13,14,15; 8:17;

12:17; 13:35; 21:4; 26:56; 27:9), thus firmly linking the kingdom about to be announced with the Old Testament.

John, the son of Zacharias and Elizabeth, will go before Christ `in the spirit and power of Elijah' to prepare the way

for a prepared people according to the prophecy of Malachi (Luke 1:17; Mal. 3:1). The angel Gabriel reveals to

Mary that her Son:

`shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of

His father David: and He shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end'

(Luke 1:32,33).

The `throne of David' would not be understood as the throne of God in heaven, nor the `house of Jacob' to be the

church, the Body of Christ. Mary would have understood them in Old Testament terms and in no other way and this

is confirmed by her song of praise. She refers back to the promise of help `to His servant Israel in remembrance of

His mercy, as He spake to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed for ever' (Luke 1:54, 55).

Zacharias, in his prophetic utterance, speaks of `the Lord God of Israel', of `the redemption of His people', of

`the house of His servant David', of `the holy prophets of God' of the Old Testament who promised that Israel would

be `saved from their enemies', of God's `holy covenant' and `the oath' sworn to Abraham and the visitation of the

`dayspring (Sun-rising) from on high' (see Mal. 4:2).

Simeon, we are told, looked `for the consolation of Israel' (Luke 2:25-33) and Anna, a prophetess, speaks of `all

them that were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem' (Luke 2:36-38). Matthew begins his account with the

genealogy of Christ, but puts `the Son of David' (the king), before the son of Abraham, because Matthew's Gospel

presents the Lord Jesus as the King of Israel and the kingdom so intimately connected with this people. The wise

men came and searched for the One `that is born King of the Jews' (Matt. 2:2). When Herod enquired of the chief

priests and the scribes as to where Christ should be born, they said to him:

`In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not

the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor that shall rule My people Israel' (Matt.

It may seem of little consequence to know the exact place where Christ should be born. The virgin Mary was

living at Nazareth, but God's Word is always Truth and must be fulfilled to the letter. Consequently the providence

of God arranges that the journey must be made to Bethlehem and there Israel's divine Ruler was born, which the Old

Testament had so clearly prophesied in connection with the establishment of the kingdom of God.

Later on, at the close of His earthly ministry the Lord Jesus approached the city of His rejection and death,

namely Jerusalem. He then instructs two of His disciples to get a colt, the foal of an ass (the colt and its mother) and

to say `the Lord hath need of them' (Matt. 21:3). This fulfilled we are told, the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9:

`Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the

foal of an ass' (Matt. 21:5).

Two animals are mentioned in the prophecy and two are used at the fulfilment when Israel's King presented Himself

for the last time to the nation of Israel. Here again we get another strong link between the Old Testament prophecies

of the King of Israel descended from David from the human angle, being fulfilled to the letter in the New Testament

and not in any spiritualized way.