The Promised King: Christ as the Fulfillment of Prophecy
Hey friends, Pastor Chris here. As we step into the Advent season, the lights, the carols, and the traditions can easily crowd out the deeper story: for centuries, God’s people waited in the dark for a promised King who would finally crush the serpent, defeat sin, and bring lasting peace. Advent is not just about counting down to Christmas; it is about remembering that God kept His word in Christ—and learning to trust Him as we wait today.
From Genesis to Revelation, Scripture tells one unified story of a God who makes promises and then, in His perfect timing, keeps every single one of them in Jesus. The baby in the manger is not a sentimental symbol; He is the Promised King, the fulfillment of every ancient hope, the center of all history and all Scripture.
The First Promise: A Serpent-Crushing Seed
The story of the Promised King doesn’t start in Bethlehem; it starts in a garden. In Genesis 3, right after humanity rebels against God, judgment falls—but so does grace. God promises that a “Seed of the woman” will come and crush the serpent’s head, even as His own heel is bruised. That is the first gospel promise, the first ray of hope shining into human sin and darkness.
From that moment on, the Bible is not just random stories; it is the unfolding of that single promise. Every genealogy, every covenant, every rescue points forward to this coming Seed. Advent reminds us that God’s plan to send a Redeemer was not an afterthought but His gracious purpose from the very beginning.
From Abraham to David: A Promise That Narrows
As the story moves forward, God narrows and sharpens the promise. He calls Abraham and promises that through his offspring all the nations of the earth will be blessed. That blessing is not vague; the New Testament tells us that the true Seed of Abraham is Christ, the One through whom salvation comes to Jew and Gentile alike.
Then God makes a covenant with David, promising a son who will sit on his throne and whose kingdom will last forever. Through exile, failure, and national collapse, this promise becomes a lifeline. Israel clings to the hope that a true Son of David will come—one who is greater than all their flawed kings, one who will rule in righteousness, justice, and peace.
Waiting in the Dark: Delay, Exile, and Silence
If you trace Israel’s history, it is not a straight line of victory; it is a story of long delays, crushing disappointments, and agonizing questions. The kingdom splits, idolatry spreads, judgment falls, and the people are carried off into exile. Eventually the prophets fall silent, and for four hundred years heaven seems quiet.
Maybe that feels familiar. You know God’s promises, but life feels more like exile than victory. Advent speaks right into that tension. God’s people waited generation after generation, often not seeing the fulfillment with their own eyes. Yet God never abandoned His plan. Even in the quiet, He was preparing the way for the Promised King to step into history at just the right time.
The Virgin’s Son: Immanuel, God With Us
When the New Testament opens, the silence breaks with angelic announcements and fulfilled prophecy. Isaiah had spoken of a child to be born of a virgin, a sign that God Himself would come to dwell with His people. The Gospels point directly to Jesus as the fulfillment of that promise: He is Immanuel, “God with us.”
This is not mere poetry. In the coming of Christ, the God of Abraham and David steps into our world in real flesh and blood. The Promised King is not distant; He comes near—born in humility, laid in a manger, yet bearing the full weight of divine glory. Advent pulls us to worship at that mystery: the eternal Son of God taking on human nature to save sinners.
The Child Who Is God and King Forever
Isaiah also speaks of a child who would be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, and whose government and peace would never end. Those titles do not fit a mere human prince. They reveal a King who is both fully human and fully divine, ruling with perfect wisdom and righteous authority.
When the angel announces Jesus’ birth to Mary, the promise is clear: this child will sit on the throne of David and reign forever. The stable, the shepherds, and the swaddling clothes are not the whole story; they are the surprising entrance of the eternal King whose kingdom will never be shaken. Advent calls us to see beyond the sentiment and behold the sovereignty of Christ.
From Bethlehem to the Ends of the Earth
The prophet Micah had pinpointed Bethlehem—the little, overlooked town—as the birthplace of God’s chosen ruler whose origins are from ancient days. In God’s providence, a Roman census moves Joseph and Mary to that tiny town at just the right moment, fulfilling a promise spoken centuries earlier.
That is how God works: quietly, precisely, faithfully. The humble place and the ordinary circumstances hide the grandeur of what is happening. The King of glory arrives not in a palace but in a feeding trough. Yet from that unlikely beginning, the gospel spreads to the ends of the earth, drawing people from every tribe and nation into His kingdom.
The Forerunner and the Lord of the Temple
Malachi had promised that a messenger would come to prepare the way before the Lord, and that the Lord Himself would suddenly come to His temple. In the New Testament, John the Baptist appears in the wilderness, calling people to repent and preparing the way for One far greater than he.
When Jesus comes on the scene, He does not merely act as another prophet; He speaks and moves with the authority of the Lord Himself. He cleanses the temple, forgives sins, and receives worship. The Promised King is not just God’s representative; He is God the Son, stepping into His own house to set things right.
The Suffering Servant King
Here is the great paradox of Advent and Christmas: the Promised King comes not first with a sword in His hand, but with nails in His hands. Isaiah’s Suffering Servant bears our griefs, carries our sorrows, and is pierced for our transgressions. His path to the throne runs straight through the cross.
Jesus fulfills this role perfectly. He does not conquer by crushing His enemies in that first coming but by laying down His life to save them. His blood secures forgiveness, His wounds bring healing, and His death disarms the powers of sin and Satan. The baby of Bethlehem is the Lamb of Calvary and the risen Lord of glory.
Resurrection, Exaltation, and the Name Above Every Name
The story does not end at the cross or the tomb. God raises Jesus from the dead, exalts Him to His right hand, and declares Him both Lord and Christ. The Promised King now reigns, and every authority in heaven and on earth is under His feet. One day every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
Advent points us forward as well as backward. The same King who came in humility will return in glory. The One who was laid in a manger will one day be unveiled as the Judge and King of all. That future is not a wishful thought; it is a guaranteed promise sealed by an empty tomb and an occupied throne.
Trusting God’s Promises When the Wait Is Long
So what does all of this mean for you, right now, in this Advent season? First, it means God keeps His word. If He spent centuries weaving together covenants, prophecies, and promises and then fulfilled them perfectly in Christ, you can trust Him with the details of your life. His timing may feel slow, but it is never late.
Second, it means Jesus is the center of all Scripture and must be the center of your life. The Bible is not just a collection of inspirational stories; it is one great story that finds its yes and amen in Christ. When you open the Word, you are meant to see Him—His grace, His glory, His kingship on every page.
Waiting with Hope for the King to Come Again
Finally, Advent shapes how you wait. Just as Israel waited for the first coming, the church now waits for the second. The same King who fulfilled every prophecy of His first coming will return to complete what He began—to wipe away every tear, end every injustice, and make all things new.
That means your waiting is not empty. Whether you are waiting for healing, reconciliation, direction, or just a fresh sense of God’s presence, you are waiting under the reign of a faithful King. Advent trains your heart to say, “He came just as He promised—and He will come again.”
Join Us This Sunday at Priceville Baptist
If this stirs something in you—if you want to see more clearly how all of Scripture points to Jesus as the Promised King—consider this your invitation. This Sunday morning at Priceville Baptist Church, we will open God’s Word together and walk slowly through these passages, tracing the golden thread of promise from Genesis to the Gospels.
We will dig deeper into the covenants with Abraham and David, the prophecies of Isaiah, Micah, and Malachi, and the way the New Testament shows Jesus as their perfect fulfillment. We will talk honestly about what it looks like to trust God’s promises when life hurts and His timing confuses us, and how Advent can re-center your heart on Christ in a noisy season.
If you are in or around Tupelo, Mississippi, bring your Bible, bring a friend, and join us this Sunday morning at Priceville Baptist Church. Come ready to sing, to listen, and to see Jesus more clearly as your Promised King. And if you do not yet know Him as Savior and Lord, this could be the Advent when your waiting ends and your new life in Christ begins.
