Q. 29. How did God prepare the world for the coming of his Son?

God began to reveal the gospel already in Eden, proclaimed it by the holy patriarchs and prophets, and foreshadowed it by the sacrifices and other ceremonies of the law.

Genesis 3:15, 21; 12:1–3; 22:18; 49:10; 2 Samuel 7:12–13; Isaiah 9:6–7; 53:1–12; 61:1–2; Jeremiah 23:5–6; 31:31; Ezekiel 34:23; Micah 5:2; 7:18–20; Zechariah 9:9; 12:10; Luke 24:27; Acts 2:30–31; 10:43; Colossians 2:16–17; Galatians 3:8; Hebrews 10:1–10; 1 Peter 1:10–12.

  • Heidelberg Catechism 19
  • Belgic Confession 17
  • WCF 8.6

Eden. After the fall, God comforted Adam and Eve by promising that the offspring of the woman would crush the head of the serpent (Genesis 3:15), who is called the devil and Satan (Revelation 12:9). The good news of Genesis 3:15 is commonly called the protoevangelium or “first gospel.”

Patriarchs. God spoke to and through the forefathers of Israel about the coming Savior. “Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘In you shall all the nations be blessed’” (Galatians 3:8). God likewise promised King David, “I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, … and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever” (2 Samuel 7:12–13). Jesus is the promised offspring of Abraham and David (Matthew 1:1), the Davidic king whose saving reign extends God’s blessing to all peoples.

Prophets. The prophets “predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories” (1 Peter 1:11). For example, Isaiah prophesied over 700 years before Jesus was born that the Messiah would be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14), proclaim good news to the poor (Isaiah 61:1), open the eyes of the blind (Isaiah 35:5–6), ride a donkey into Jerusalem (Zechariah 9:9), be rejected by his people (Isaiah 53:1–3), suffer to provide atonement for sin (Isaiah 53:4–12), and inherit an everlasting kingdom (Isaiah 9:7). John the Baptist was the final prophet sent to “prepare the way of the Lord” (Matthew 3:3).

Foreshadowed. “Christ is the central spot of the circle; and when viewed aright, all stories in Holy Scripture refer to Christ” (Luther, Sermon on John 3:14).

Sacrifices. In the Old Testament, God used animal sacrifices to prepare his people for the coming of Jesus Christ, the only true sacrifice for sin (see Q. 31).

Ceremonies. Other ceremonies of the law, such as the Jewish feast days, symbolically anticipated Christ’s redemption.

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