Which Old Testament prophecies connect to the outreach in Acts 11:20? The Scene in Acts 11:20 Men from Cyprus and Cyrene “went to Antioch and began speaking to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus” (Acts 11:20). For the first time, a sizeable number of non-Jews hear the gospel directly, and a multi-ethnic church is born. This breakthrough is not a surprise; the Old Testament repeatedly foresaw the nations turning to Israel’s Messiah. Foundational Covenant Promises • Genesis 12:3 — “All the families of the earth will be blessed through you.” • Genesis 22:18 — “In your seed all the nations of the earth will be blessed.” • Genesis 26:4 — “All the nations of the earth will be blessed through your offspring.” These Abrahamic promises establish God’s global agenda that blossoms in Antioch. Prophecies in the Psalms • Psalm 2:8 — “Ask Me, and I will make the nations Your inheritance and the ends of the earth Your possession.” • Psalm 22:27-28 — “All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations will bow down before Him. For dominion belongs to the LORD, and He rules over the nations.” • Psalm 67:1-2, 4 — “May God be gracious to us… that Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations… Let the nations be glad and sing for joy.” These songs prepared Israel to expect worldwide worship. Isaiah’s Servant and Light to the Nations • Isaiah 11:10 — “In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will seek Him.” • Isaiah 42:6 — “I will make You a covenant for the people and 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 to the nations, to bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.” • Isaiah 52:10, 15 — “All the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God… So He will sprinkle many nations.” • Isaiah 60:3 — “Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.” Christ, the Servant, fulfills these promises, and Antioch becomes an early lampstand. Restoration and Kingdom Oracles • Amos 9:11-12 — “I will restore David’s fallen shelter… so that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations called by My name.” • Hosea 2:23 — “I will say to those called ‘Not My People,’ ‘You are My people.’” • Zechariah 2:11 — “Many nations will join themselves to the LORD in that day and will become My people.” • Zechariah 8:22-23 — “Many peoples and mighty nations will come to seek the LORD… Ten men from every nation will grasp the robe of a Jew.” • Malachi 1:11 — “My name will be great among the nations, from where the sun rises to where it sets.” God promised a rebuilt, inclusive kingdom; the Antioch mission is one of its first visible walls. Messianic Kingship in the Prophets • Daniel 7:14 — “All peoples, nations, and languages will serve Him; His dominion is an everlasting dominion.” • Psalm 110:3 — “Your people shall be willing on Your day of power; in holy splendor, from the womb of the dawn.” Christ’s universal reign motivates reaching Greeks and every other culture. How the Prophecies Converge in Antioch • Gentile inclusion was not Plan B; it was woven into the Abrahamic covenant and celebrated by Israel’s prophets and poets. • The Servant songs of Isaiah find immediate fulfillment as Gentiles hear and believe. • The restored “tent of David” (Amos 9) begins to gather the nations well before the Jerusalem Council cites that same passage (Acts 15:16-17). • God’s promise of a worldwide people (Hosea 2; Zechariah 2) gains concrete expression in the vibrant, multi-ethnic Antioch church that will soon send missionaries worldwide (Acts 13:1-3). Takeaway Connections • Every promise of global blessing through Abraham and David funnels into the gospel preached in Acts 11:20. • Old Testament prophecies are literally and accurately fulfilled as Greeks in Antioch come to Christ. • The Antioch outreach confirms God’s unchanging plan: salvation in Messiah Jesus offered to “all the families of the earth.” |
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