What Old Testament prophecies connect to the resurrection mentioned in Acts 13:31? Setting the Scene in Acts 13 Acts 13:31 speaks of the risen Christ who “for many days… appeared to those who had accompanied Him from Galilee to Jerusalem.” Immediately after mentioning these appearances, Paul supports the reality of the resurrection with several Old Testament texts (Acts 13:32-37). Those passages, plus a few earlier prophetic hints, form the scriptural backbone for the resurrection hope. Direct Old Testament Citations in Paul’s Sermon “You are My Son; today I have become Your Father.” – Paul applies “today” to the resurrection (Acts 13:33). The Psalm announces the enthronement of God’s Son, fulfilled when Jesus rose and was publicly declared King (Romans 1:4). “I will make with you an everlasting covenant: My loving devotion promised to David.” – The “holy and sure blessings of David” become permanently available only because Jesus, David’s greater Son, conquered death and now guarantees the covenant blessings (2 Samuel 7:12-16; Revelation 1:18). “For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see decay.” – David died and saw decay, so the verse looks beyond him. Paul declares the promise literally kept when God raised Jesus (Acts 13:35-37; Acts 2:29-32). Additional Prophetic Ridges Pointing to Resurrection • Job 19:25-27 — Job’s certainty: “I know that my Redeemer lives… in my flesh I will see God.” • Psalm 22:21-24 — After intense suffering, the afflicted one is “rescued… in the great assembly,” anticipating post-death vindication. • Hosea 6:2 — “After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live before Him.” Israel’s corporate hope foreshadows Messiah’s third-day rising (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:4). • Jonah 1:17; 2:10 — Three days in the fish prefigure three days in the tomb (cf. Matthew 12:40). • Isaiah 53:10-12 — The Servant “will prolong His days” after being a guilt offering, signaling life beyond death. Putting It All Together • The resurrection in Acts 13:31 is anchored in explicit promises (Psalm 2, Psalm 16, Isaiah 55) and reinforced by broader prophetic patterns (Job, Psalms, Hosea, Jonah, Isaiah 53). • Each text points to physical deliverance from death, confirming that Jesus rose bodily, fulfilling Scripture without allegory or embellishment. • Because those prophecies are now historical fact, believers share a concrete, assured hope: “He who raised the Lord Jesus will also raise us” (2 Corinthians 4:14). |
    |