How does Acts 26:23 connect with Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah? Acts 26:23—Paul’s One-Verse Messianic Overview “ ‘that the Christ would suffer, and as the first to rise from the dead, He would proclaim light to our people and to the Gentiles.’ ” Messiah’s Suffering: Predicted in the Law, Psalms, and Prophets • Genesis 3:15—The promised Seed would be bruised: “He will crush your head, and you will strike His heel.” • Psalm 22:16–18—Hands and feet pierced, garments divided; vivid anticipation of crucifixion. • Isaiah 53:3–5—“He was despised … pierced for our transgressions … by His stripes we are healed.” • Daniel 9:26—“After the sixty-two weeks the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing.” These passages prepared Israel to expect a suffering Redeemer; Paul simply echoes what Scripture had already laid down. Resurrection Foretold: The First to Rise, the Pattern for All • Psalm 16:10—“You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; nor will You let Your Holy One see decay.” Peter used this in Acts 2, Paul repeats the link here. • Isaiah 53:10–11—After His soul is made an offering for sin, “He will prolong His days” and “see the light of life.” • Hosea 6:2—“He will revive us after two days; on the third day He will raise us up,” a prophetic hint of third-day life. • Jonah 1:17; 2:10—Three days in the fish foreshadow the Messiah’s emergence from the grave (cf. Matthew 12:40). Paul’s phrase “first to rise from the dead” signals both fulfillment and firstfruits (1 Corinthians 15:20). Light to Israel—and Beyond • Isaiah 42:6–7—“I will appoint You … as a light for the nations.” • Isaiah 49:6—“It is too small a thing … to restore the tribes of Jacob … I will also make You a light for the Gentiles.” • Psalm 98:3—“All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.” • Malachi 1:11—“My name will be great among the nations.” Paul’s audience—both Jews and Gentiles—are exactly the people Isaiah foresaw receiving that light. Seamless Storyline: Old Testament Promise, New Testament Fulfillment • Luke 24:26–27—Jesus Himself taught, “Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and then enter His glory?” • Acts 3:18—Peter: “God foretold through all the prophets that His Christ would suffer, and He has fulfilled it in this way.” • Romans 1:1–4—The gospel “promised beforehand through His prophets … concerning His Son … declared with power to be the Son of God by His resurrection.” Acts 26:23 neatly ties together the Messiah’s suffering, resurrection, and global mission—each strand already woven into the Old Testament, now brought to fruition in Jesus Christ. |
    |