DAVID'S PROPHESY OF CHRIST

Acts 2:29-32 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulcher is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, He would raise up Christ to sit on His throne; he seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that His soul was not left in hell, neither His flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.

The entire 16th Psalm contains King David's prophesy of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Realizing the importance of David to the Jewish nation, the essence of the last eight verses of this Psalm was quoted by Peter and the other apostles to the multitude of Jews gathered in celebration of the Day of Pentecost. Their message regarding the resurrection of Jesus, and by example, the resurrection that awaits all mankind, is found in this quotation. For David speaketh concerning Him, I foresaw the Lord always before My face, for He is on My right hand, that I should not be moved: therefore did My heart rejoice, and My tongue was glad; moreover also My flesh shall rest in hope: because thou wilt not leave My soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with Thy countenance (Acts 2:25-28).

The Holy One, whom God did not allow to see corruption, was, indeed, God's only Son, the promised Messiah. The unseen abode of the dead could not contain the Savior. The writer of the letter to the Hebrew Christians confirmed this fact by assuring us that Jesus came to earth as all humans. He was born into flesh and blood just as we all were. And like Him, we live and breathe here on earth, and eventually must die. However, we, as followers of Christ, find this hope in His example. Jesus destroyed the power of Satan and the bondage of death, was resurrected into a new body that would live eternally, and, by His example, gave all mankind, as it did King David, a rejoicing heart for the deliverance from the fear of death (See Heb. 2:14-15).

The sermon of the inspired apostles continued by saying to the multitudes, Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is, both dead and buried, and his sepulcher is with us unto this day. King David reigned over Israel forty years, was revered by them, died, and was buried in the city of Jerusalem (1 Kings 2:10-11) in a sepulcher that was well known to all the nation of Israel from the day of his death unto this day - this Day of Pentecost - the same day the apostles delivered God's inspired message of salvation through Christ Jesus.

Their message continued by saying that this same David, therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne. This promise made by God to David is recorded in 2 Samuel 7:11-14, and attested to in Psalm 89:3-4 and 132:11. David knew that the day would come when, from a human standpoint, the Savior of the world would come from his heritage - the fruit of his loins - his direct descendent. God would give Christ Jesus, the throne of David, on which He would reign forever.

And David, seeing (or having complete understanding of) this before, spake of the resurrection of Christ, that His soul was not left in hell, neither His flesh did see corruption. Just as the prophesy of David stated, Jesus Christ, the Son of God could not be bound by Satan and remain in the disembodied state of death, and neither could His flesh decay in the tomb in which He was placed after His death on the cross of Calvary. The apostles and hundreds of all others saw Jesus, as he appeared to them in His resurrected body. This the apostles attested to in their Holy Spirit-inspired message of salvation on the Day of Pentecost when they said: This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Indeed, David's prophesy of Christ had been fulfilled. And having so many witnesses that had talked to Jesus, walked with Him, ate with Him, and now were able to testify of this fact, the resurrection of Jesus could not be denied. God, in His infinite mercy toward mankind, was now offering eternal salvation to the world through His resurrected Son, Jesus Christ, and we all are witnesses!