The Christ in Prophecy Journal

Psalm 22: The Deliverance of Jesus

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Did you know that the greatest deliverance in history — the resurrection of Jesus Christ — was foretold almost 1,000 years before it happened?

I was in Jerusalem Easter of 2008 on a video shoot with my old friend Evangelist Don McGee. Don is the founder and director of Crown & Sickle Ministries based in Amite, Louisiana. Don travels all over the Unites States preaching about the soon return of Jesus Christ and speaking at Bible prophecy conferences.

Don and I then got together on my television show “Christ in Prophecy” to discuss how Psalm 22 is one of the most prophetic chapters concerning the crucifixion of Jesus Christ (watch!). We discussed how particularly remarkable it is that the descriptive prophecy concerning Jesus’ death was written more than one thousand years before Jesus was born, and more than 700 years before the Romans perfected crucifixion as a method of execution.

Don McGee

The Deliverance of Jesus

Dr. Reagan: In Psalm 22:19-21, the psalmist records a final prayer uttered by the Messiah. It is a plea for deliverance from Satan. In verse 19 he writes, “But You, O Lord, be not far off; O You, my help, hasten to my assistance. Deliver my soul from the sword, my only life from the power of the dog. Save me from the lion’s mouth; from the horns of the wild oxen. You answer me.”

None of the Gospels record Jesus uttering such a prayer on the Cross, but undoubtedly He must have done so, perhaps silently or in a whisper. In the prayer, the Messiah affirms that God the Father is near to Him, although He seems distant because the Father cannot countenance the sin that the Messiah must bear in our behalf. He ends the prayer by asking for deliverance from Satan (the lion) and his demonic hordes (the wild oxen).

The Victorious Resurrection of Jesus

Don McGee: Now, in Psalm 22, between verses 21 and 22, the greatest miracle in history occurs — the resurrection of the Messiah. The event is not specifically stated, but it is certainly inferred.

Verse 21 ends with a prayer for deliverance from Satan’s attack.

Verse 22 begins with a song of celebration, thanking God for answering the prayer. “I will tell of Your name to my brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will praise You. You who fear the Lord, praise Him; all you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, and stand in awe of Him, all you descendants of Israel. For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; nor has He hidden His face from him; but when he cried to Him for help, He heard. From You comes my praise in the great assembly; I shall pay my vows before those who fear Him.”

Dr. Reagan: I praise God for the promise of the resurrection that is clearly inferred in these verses! Incidentally, the most direct prophecy concerning the resurrection in the Old Testament is one that is found in Psalm 16:10 where David wrote, “You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.”

Don McGee: In the New Testament, Jesus repeatedly told His disciples that He would be killed and resurrected. It was one of His most frequently stated prophecies. For example, in Matthew 17 He is quoted as saying, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men; and they will kill Him, and He will be raised on the third day.”

Luke records the fulfillment of these resurrection prophecies in the following way in Luke 24, beginning with verse 1, “But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they [a group of women] came to the tomb bringing spices which they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling apparel; and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, ‘Why do you seek the living One among the dead? He is not here, but He has risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, and saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.'”

In the last part of this series on the Passion in Bible Prophecy, well marvel at how Jesus’ victory on the cross is victory for all who accept His saving work on the cross.

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Dr. David Reagan

Dr. David Reagan is the Founder and Evangelist Emeritus of Lamb & Lion Ministries. He is a life-long Bible student, teacher, and preacher and he led over 45 pilgrimages to Israel. Dr. Reagan was the host of the radio then television program Christ in Prophecy for nearly 40 years.

8 CommentsLeave a Comment

  • i prefer verse by verse studies, because although watching events unfold is great, nothing beats good old fashioned teaching. but are you still planning on doing a study on luke 21? thats one i`d really be looking foward too.

  • i think you oughta address psalm 83 1st since thats more immenent(bad spelling sorry) unless you include that in ezekiel 38&39. just my opinion

  • Nathan
    Great! I have stayed away from following the middle east news, I get too excited and my blood pressure soars – then the news goes flat – and so do I. So I look forward to this. eeeeee!

    Hartdawg
    How can you not remember how to spell 'imminent'!!! 😀

    Hugs from Expected IMMINENTLY

  • I agree with hartdawg that Psalm 83 needs to be studied from stem to stern with some apologetics as to why we believe that it could be the next big prophetic event.

    My personal belief is that IF there is something to the Psalm 83 scenario, then that would lead into Isaiah 17 and Ezekiel 38-39 and beyond.

  • Nathan Jones said…
    "…but with events so hot in the Middle East…"

    And you ain't just whistlin' Dixie:

    Unprecedented: U.S. bargaining on behalf of Palestinians
    Instead of acting as intermediary, Obama administration 'assuming all PA positions'
    http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=137793

    Wow! Looks like our 1st Muslim-in-Chief is really showing his true colors!

    Iran: If Israel attacks, nothing will remain of it
    'Missiles will be flying towards Tel Aviv even before the dust has settled'
    –YNetNews
    http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3872819,00.html

    Iran 'will strike U.S. troops if attacked'
    'None of the American soldiers currently in the region would go back to America alive'
    –Reuters
    http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6371EY20100408

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