Christ in Jeremiah

Justin Martyr (100-165), an early Christian apologist, wrote in his First Apology † (addressed to the Emperor Titus Ælius Adrianus Antoninus Pius Augustus Cæsar), “these God predicted by the Spirit of prophecy as about to come to pass, in order that, when they came to pass, there might be no unbelief, but faith, because of their prediction.” He was talking specifically about one prediction, the virgin birth, but this is a principle – God announced, through the prophets, the coming of Christ, so that when it came to pass we might believe in him.

Tertullian (155-220), in his third book against Marcion said that the Old Testament prophecies are required in order to fully understand the two advents of Messiah and to identify Jesus of Nazareth as that Messiah. He stressed that the miracles of Jesus are not sufficient to identify Him as Messiah - the added weight of fulfilled prophecy is necessary.

Justin would have agreed, “For with what reason should we believe of a crucified man that He is the first-born of the unbegotten God, and Himself will pass judgment on the whole human race, unless we had found testimonies concerning Him published before He came and was born as man, and unless we saw that things had happened accordingly.”

We are looking in Jeremiah for these testimonies concerning Him published before He came and over the next two or three weeks I will post what I found. I’m very excited about this! I’ve already been blessed and I pray that everyone who reads these posts will be blessed as well.

First, the Outline of Jeremiah, so you can see the flow of the book:

1:1-10         The Call of Jeremiah
1:11-29:32  The Destruction of Jerusalem and Captivity of Judah
30:1-45:9    The Return and Restoration of the Jews
46:1-51:64  The Word of the Lord Against the Gentiles
52:1-34       The Fall of Jerusalem

I would encourage everyone reading this to read Jeremiah. We read many amazing things here: the interaction between Jeremiah and God; how God deals with mankind - holding out the hope of repentance almost to the last minute (18:8 If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them” / 26:3 If so be they will hearken, and turn every man from his evil way, that I may repent me of the evil, which I purpose to do unto them because of the evil of their doings);  and of the power of praying for others. It is shocking to hear God tell Jeremiah, Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee. Three different times God said this to him. But this encourages me, Don’t stop praying for someone until God tells you to stop.

Jeremiah prophesied the coming destruction of Jerusalem, the captivity of the people in Babylon, that this captivity would last seventy years, and that after seventy years the people would return to the land. All of these things came to pass. He also prophesied of the coming of Messiah: his salvation and the full restoration of Jerusalem in His millennial reign on the earth. And that’s what I want us to look at, Christ in Jeremiah.


Next: Coniah: Write ye this man childless


† The First Apology of Justin Martyr, written between AD 155 and 157. You can read it here.

Apology comes from the Greek word ἀπολογία (apologia) which means "verbal defense." The purpose of an apology is to present historical, reasoned, and evidential bases for Christianity, defending it against objections. Justin begins thus, “I, Justin . . . present this address and petition on behalf of those of all nations who are unjustly hated and wantonly abused, myself being one of them.”