Yes, there are numerous Old Testament Bible verses in the King James Version that can be interpreted as intimating the need for preparation for the coming of the Messiah. While not all verses explicitly use the word "prepare" in direct connection to the Messiah, many call for repentance, righteousness, obedience, watching, and spiritual readiness in anticipation of God's future actions, which include the sending of the Messiah and the establishment of His kingdom. These calls to moral and spiritual readiness serve as a form of preparation for the time of His arrival and reign.

Old Testament Scriptures on Preparing for the Messiah

Here is a list of 21 KJV Old Testament scriptures that concentrate on the subject of "preparing for the Messiah to come," focusing on themes of repentance, righteousness, obedience, and hopeful anticipation of God's future intervention, which culminates in the Messiah's coming:

1. Genesis 49:10
   • Verse: "The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be."
   • Main Point: Waiting for the promised ruler ("Shiloh," interpreted messianically) from the line of Judah, implying a need for the people to remain distinct and await this specific lineage.
   • Sub Points (Benefits): The gathering and allegiance of the people will be to Him.

2. Deuteronomy 18:18-19
   • Verse: "I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him."
   • Main Point: Listening to and obeying the future Prophet (interpreted messianically) whom God will raise up. Preparation involves readiness to hear and obey His words.
   • Sub Points (Benefits): Avoiding divine judgment for disobedience.

3. 1 Samuel 2:10
   • Verse: "The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the LORD shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed."
   • Main Point: Acknowledging God's ultimate judgment and the strength and exaltation He will give to His "anointed" (Messiah). Preparation involves recognizing God's sovereignty and the future reign of His chosen one.
   • Sub Points (Benefits): The defeat of adversaries; God's judgment and strength for His king.

4. Psalm 2:10-12
   • Verse: "Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him."
   • Main Point: Kings and judges (and by extension, all people) are instructed to be wise, serve the LORD with fear, and pay homage ("Kiss the Son") to the Anointed One. Preparation involves submission and reverence towards the Messiah. [1]
   • Sub Points (Benefits): Avoiding His wrath; receiving blessing by trusting in Him.

5. Psalm 24:3-4
   • Verse: "Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully."
   • Main Point: Describing the character required to be in God's presence. While not exclusively messianic, this sets a standard of righteousness and purity necessary for those who would approach God or be ready for His coming and the coming of His representative (the Messiah). Preparation involves moral and spiritual cleanliness.
   • Sub Points (Benefits): Ability to stand in God's holy place; ascending the hill of the LORD.

6. Psalm 51:10
   • Verse: "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me."
   • Main Point: A prayer for inner spiritual renewal. This reflects the personal transformation needed to be ready for God's presence and action, including the messianic age. Preparation involves seeking a renewed heart and spirit from God.
   • Sub Points (Benefits): A clean heart; a right spirit.

7. Psalm 118:26
   • Verse: "Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the LORD: we have blessed you out of the house of the LORD."
   • Main Point: A blessing for the one who comes in the name of the LORD (interpreted messianically). Preparation involves recognizing and welcoming the Messiah when He comes.
   • Sub Points (Benefits): Receiving blessing from the house of the LORD.

8. Isaiah 1:16-17
   • Verse: "Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow."
   • Main Point: A call to repentance, moral cleansing, and righteous action. This ethical preparation is necessary for the people to be in a right relationship with God and ready for His future plans, including the messianic era.
   • Sub Points (Benefits): Putting away evil; learning to do well; seeking justice.

9. Isaiah 11:1-5
   • Verse: "And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins."
   • Main Point: Describes the righteous character and just reign of the Messiah. Preparation involves understanding and aligning oneself with the righteousness and justice that will characterize His kingdom.
   • Sub Points (Benefits): Righteous judgment; equity for the meek; defeat of the wicked; a kingdom characterized by righteousness and faithfulness.

10. Isaiah 40:3-5
    • Verse: "The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it."
    • Main Point: A direct call to "Prepare ye the way of the LORD." This involves removing obstacles, both physical and spiritual (like sin and injustice), to make a clear path for God's coming and the revelation of His glory, which includes the Messiah. [2]
    • Sub Points (Benefits): The glory of the LORD shall be revealed; all flesh shall see it together.

11. Isaiah 55:6-7
    • Verse: "Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon."
    • Main Point: An urgent call to seek God, repent from wickedness, and return to Him. This spiritual turning is essential preparation for receiving God's mercy and pardon, which are foundational to entering the messianic covenant.
    • Sub Points (Benefits): Finding the LORD; receiving mercy; abundant pardon.

12. Isaiah 62:10-11
    • Verse: "Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people. Behold, the LORD hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him."
    • Main Point: A command to prepare the way for the people and for the coming salvation (the Messiah). This involves removing obstacles and proclaiming His imminent arrival.
    • Sub Points (Benefits): The coming of salvation; His reward is with Him.

13. Jeremiah 31:31-34
    • Verse: "Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah... But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people... And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."
    • Main Point: Prophecy of a new covenant characterized by internal transformation (law written on hearts) and universal knowledge of God. Preparation involves anticipating and being ready for this inward work of God, which is mediated through the Messiah.
    • Sub Points (Benefits): A new covenant; God's law in hearts; universal knowledge of God; forgiveness of iniquity.

14. Ezekiel 36:26-27
    • Verse: "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them."
    • Main Point: God promises a spiritual renewal, giving a new heart and spirit and enabling obedience. This internal transformation is a necessary preparation for living in accordance with God's will in the age of the Messiah.
    • Sub Points (Benefits): A new heart and spirit; removal of the stony heart; ability to walk in God's statutes.

15. Daniel 9:24
    • Verse: "Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy."
    • Main Point: Prophecy concerning a specific period leading to the anointing of the "most Holy" (interpreted messianically) and the accomplishment of significant redemptive acts. Preparation involves understanding God's timeline and the purpose of the Messiah's coming: dealing with sin and bringing in righteousness.
    • Sub Points (Benefits): Finishing transgression; making an end of sins; making reconciliation for iniquity; bringing in everlasting righteousness; sealing up vision and prophecy.

16. Hosea 10:12
    • Verse: "Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you."
    • Main Point: A call to cultivate righteousness and break up hardened spiritual ground. This agricultural metaphor emphasizes the need for spiritual preparation and seeking God in anticipation of His coming and the outpouring of His righteousness (associated with the messianic age).
    • Sub Points (Benefits): Reaping in mercy; God raining righteousness upon you.

17. Joel 2:12-13
    • Verse: "Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil."
    • Main Point: A call for sincere repentance and turning back to God with the whole heart. This deep spiritual turning is necessary preparation for the day of the LORD and the blessings associated with it, including the messianic era.
    • Sub Points (Benefits): God is gracious, merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; God may relent from judgment.

18. Amos 5:24
    • Verse: "But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream."
    • Main Point: A call for justice and righteousness to flow abundantly. While not directly mentioning the Messiah, this verse describes the ethical conditions that should prevail among God's people and will characterize the messianic kingdom. Preparation involves striving for justice and righteousness in the present.
    • Sub Points (Benefits): Justice and righteousness flowing like a mighty stream.

19. Micah 6:8
    • Verse: "He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?"
    • Main Point: A summary of God's core requirements: justice, mercy, and humility in relationship with God. These are fundamental aspects of the character and conduct expected of those who await God's fulfillment of His promises, including the Messiah's coming. Preparation involves living out these virtues.
    • Sub Points (Benefits): Walking humbly with God.

20. Zephaniah 2:3
    • Verse: "Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD'S anger."
    • Main Point: An exhortation to the meek and obedient to seek the LORD, righteousness, and meekness in anticipation of the day of the LORD. This seeking and cultivating of specific virtues is preparation for that day, which precedes or includes the messianic age.
    • Sub Points (Benefits): Possible protection ("hid") in the day of the LORD's anger.

These verses, among others in the Old Testament, highlight the spiritual, moral, and sometimes physical (like preparing a way) readiness expected of God's people in anticipation of His future actions, culminating in the coming of the Messiah and the establishment of His righteous reign.

21. Malachi 3:1-3
    • Verse: "Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap: And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness."
    • Main Point: Prophecy of a messenger who will prepare the way for the LORD (the Messiah, the messenger of the covenant) who will come to His temple. His coming involves purification. Preparation involves anticipating this messenger and the subsequent purifying work of the Messiah. [3]
    • Sub Points (Benefits): The coming of the Lord/Messenger of the covenant; purification of the sons of Levi (and by extension, His people) to offer righteous offerings.

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