When the angel Gabriel appeared to Zachariah the father of John the Baptist, that was the beginning of the fulfilment of the prophesies regarding the Messiah. John was to be the forerunner to prepare the way for the Messiah and to return the hearts of Israel back to the faith and obedience of the fathers or patriarchs who had previously been expecting the Messiah. When Jesus came, it was a visitation of God to the earth which brought us merciful redemption from the enslavement to the god of this world, sin and fear of death, an enemy that hates us, and man’s unredeemed passions and desires. The coming of Jesus was the fulfilment of God’s promise to Abraham that all the earth would be blessed through his seed. Jesus was the horn of salvation – horn speaking of strength – powerful enough to redeem us. Our salvation was a power-extraction. We became the New Jerusalem, Zion. We are the righteousness of God in Christ, graciously and lovingly enabled to live a holy life by the Holy Spirit through believing in the offer of Jesus on the cross and repentance. Jesus was the light of God which came into the world to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ, confirming every prophecy ever spoken about Him.
