God promised faithful Abraham that the foretold “seed” would be one of Abraham’s descendants. By means of that one, people of “all nations” would obtain blessings. (Genesis 22:18) Abraham’s grandson Jacob later moved to Egypt, where his family grew to become the ancient nation of Israel.

Later, in Egypt, a tyrannical Pharaoh enslaved the Israelites until God raised up the prophet Moses, who led the nation out of the country through the miraculously parted waters of the Red Sea. After that, God gave Israel laws, including the Ten Commandments, to guide and protect them. Those laws specified offerings for forgiveness of sins. Inspired by God, Moses told Israel that God would send them another prophet. That prophet would be the promised “seed.”

More than 400 years later, God promised King David that the coming one, the “seed” foretold in Eden, would rule over a kingdom that would last forever. That one would be the Messiah, the Deliverer appointed by God to save mankind and restore Paradise to the earth.

Through David and other prophets, God progressively revealed more about the Messiah. They foretold that he would be humble and kind and that under his rule hunger, injustice, and war would end. All mankind would be at peace with one another and even with the animals. Sickness, suffering, and death​—never part of God’s original purpose—​would disappear, and people who had died would return to life on earth.

God foretold through the prophet Micah that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem and through the prophet Daniel that he would later be killed. But God would raise the Messiah from the dead and appoint him as King in heaven. Daniel also foresaw that ultimately the Messiah’s Kingdom would permanently replace all other governments. Did the Messiah really come as prophesied?

​—Based on Genesis, chapters 22-50, as well as Exodus, Deuteronomy, 2 Samuel, Psalms, Isaiah, Daniel, Micah, Zechariah 9:9.