55 Old Testament
Prophecies about Jesus And It’s Fulfillment
We put together 55 prophecies that cover four specific
areas:
1.
Jesus birth
2.
Jesus ministry
3.
Jesus death and resurrection
4.
Jesus role in the church
We’ve ordered the prophecies based on their Old Testament book order. For each
one, we included a verse showing its fulfillment in the New Testament.
It’s our hope that your faith is strengthened as you
pursue these prophecies about Jesus.
Prophecies
of Jesus birth
Not only was Christ’s miraculous
birth prophetically revealed, but God planned his lineage from the very
beginning. Here are eight prophecies predicting elements of Jesus’ birth and
childhood.
1.
The nations will be blessed
through Abraham’s lineage
Prophecy:
“I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:3).
Fulfillment:
“And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with
your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth
will be blessed.’ When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless
you by turning each of you from your wicked ways” (Acts 3:25–26).
2.
God’s covenant with Isaac’s
ancestors
Prophecy:
“Then God said, ‘Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you
a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an
everlasting covenant for his descendants after him'” (Genesis 17:19).
Fulfillment:
“Nor because they are his descendants are they all
Abraham’s children. On the contrary, ‘It is through Isaac that your offspring
will be reckoned’” (Romans 9:7).
3.
The nations will be blessed
through Jacob’s offspring
Prophecy:
“Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth,
and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the
south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring”
(Genesis 28:14).
Fulfillment:
Jacob is part of Jesus genealogy.
“the son of Jacob,
the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham,
the son of Terah, the son of Nahor” (Luke 3:34)
4.
The scepter will come through
Judah
Prophecy:
“The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
until he to whom it belongs shall come
and the obedience of the nations shall be his” (Genesis 49:10).
Fulfillment:
Judah is part of Jesus genealogy.
“the son of Amminadab, the son of Ram,
the son of Hezron, the son of Perez,
the son of Judah” (Luke 3:33)
5.
David’s offspring will have an
eternal kingdom
Prophecy:
“When your days are over and you rest with your
ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and
blood, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house
for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever” (2 Samuel
7:12–13).
Fulfillment:
“This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of
David, the son of Abraham” (Matthew 1:1)
6.
A virgin will give birth, and
he will be called Immanuel (God with us)
Prophecy:
“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The
virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel”
(Isaiah 7:14).
Fulfillment:
“The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born
will be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35).
7.
The Messiah will end up in
Egypt
Prophecy:
“When Israel was a child, I loved him,
and out of Egypt I called my son” (Hosea 11:1).
Fulfillment:
“So he [Joseph] got up, took the child and his mother
during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod.
And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘Out of Egypt
I called my son'” (Matthew 2:14–15).
8.
The Christ will be born in
Bethlehem
Prophecy:
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
from ancient times.” (Micah 5:2).
Fulfillment:
“When he had called together all the people’s chief
priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be
born. ‘In Bethlehem in Judea,’ they replied, ‘for this is what the prophet has
written:
“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.'” (Matthew 2:4–6).
Prophecies
about Jesus ministry
It was God’s plan that Jesus would have a profound
ministry during his time on earth. This collection of
prophecies focuses on particularly specific elements of Christ’s earthly
ministry.
9.
Christ’s
ministry will destroy the devil’s work
Prophecy:
“And I will put enmity
between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
he will crush your head,
and you will strike his heel” (Genesis 3:15).
Fulfillment:
“The one who does what is
sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning.
The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work” (1 John
3:8).
10.
Jesus
will have a sinless, blemish-free life and ministry
Prophecy:
“The animals you choose must
be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the
goats” (Exodus 12:5).
Fulfillment:
“How much more, then, will
the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished
to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may
serve the living God!” (Hebrews 9:14)
11.
The
Messiah will be humbled in order to serve mankind
Prophecy:
“You have made them a little
lower than the angels
and crowned them with glory and honor.
You made them rulers over the works of your hands;
you put everything under their feet” (Psalm 8:5–6)
Fulfillment:
“It is not to angels that he has subjected the world
to come, about which we are speaking. But there is a place where someone has
testified:
‘What is mankind that you are mindful of them,
a son of man that you care for him?
You made them a little lower than the angels;
you crowned them with glory and honor
and put everything under their feet.’
“In putting everything under them, God left nothing
that is not subject to them. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to
them. But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little
while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by
the grace of God he might taste death for everyone” (Hebrews 2:5–9).
12.
Jesus
would become the perfect sacrifice
Prophecy:
“Sacrifice and offering you
did not desire—
but my ears you have opened—
burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require.
Then I said, “Here I am, I have come—
it is written about me in the scroll.
I desire to do your will, my God;
your law is within my heart” (Psalm 40:6–8).
Fulfillment:
“Therefore, when Christ came
into the world, he said:
‘Sacrifice and offering you
did not desire,
but a body you prepared for me;
with burnt offerings and sin offerings
you were not pleased.’
“Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—
I have come to do your will, my God.’”
“First he said, ‘Sacrifices
and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were
you pleased with them’—though they were offered in accordance with the law.
Then he said, ‘Here I am, I have come to do your will.’ He sets aside the first
to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the
sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:5–10).
13.
Jesus
would preach righteousness to Israel
Prophecy:
“I proclaim your saving acts
in the great assembly;
I do not seal my lips, Lord,
as you know” (Psalm 40:9).
Fulfillment:
“From that time on Jesus
began to preach, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near'” (Matthew
4:17).
14.
Jesus
would teach in parables
Prophecy:
“My people, hear my
teaching;
listen to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth with a parable;
I will utter hidden things, things from of old” (Psalm 78:1–2)
Fulfillment:
“Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in
parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. So was
fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet:
‘I will open my mouth in parables,
I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world'
(Matthew 13:34–35).
15.
Christ’s
parables would fall on deaf ears
Prophecy:
“He said, ‘Go and tell this
people:
“Be ever hearing, but never
understanding;
be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’
Make the heart of this people calloused;
make their ears dull
and close their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts,
and turn and be healed” (Isaiah 6:9–10).
Fulfillment:
“This is why I speak to them
in parables:
‘Though seeing, they do not
see;
though hearing, they do not hear or understand.
In them is fulfilled the
prophecy of Isaiah:
‘”You will be ever hearing
but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
For this people’s heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them”‘” (Matthew 13:13–15).
16.
The
Messiah would be a stone that causes people to stumble
Prophecy:
“He will be a holy place;
for both Israel and Judah he will be
a stone that causes people to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall.
And for the people of Jerusalem he will be
a trap and a snare” (Isaiah 8:14).
Fulfillment:
“Now to you who believe, this stone is
precious. But to those who do not believe,
The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone, and,
A stone that causes people to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall.’
They stumble because they disobey the
message—which is also what they were destined for” (1 Peter 2:7–8).
17.
Christ’s
ministry would begin in Galilee
Prophecy:
“Nevertheless, there will be
no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land
of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of
the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—
The people walking in
darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned” (Isaiah 9:1–2).
Fulfillment:
“When Jesus heard that John
had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee. Leaving Nazareth, he went and
lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and
Naphtali—to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:
‘Land of Zebulun and land of
Naphtali,
the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles—
the people living in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned.’
“From that time on Jesus
began to preach, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near'” (Matthew
4:12–17).
18.
Jesus
would draw the Gentiles to himself
Prophecy:
“In that day the Root of
Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him,
and his resting place will be glorious” (Isaiah 11:10).
Fulfillment:
“Many people, because they
had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. So the
Pharisees said to one another, ‘See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the
whole world has gone after him!’
“Now there were some Greeks
among those who went up to worship at the festival. They came to Philip, who
was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. ‘Sir,’ they said, ‘we would like
to see Jesus'” (John 12:18–21).
19.
Jesus
would have a miraculous ministry
Prophecy:
“Then will the eyes of the
blind be opened
and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
Then will the lame leap like a deer,
and the mute tongue shout for joy.
Water will gush forth in the wilderness
and streams in the desert” (Isaiah 35:5–6).
Fulfillment:
“When John, who was in
prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to ask him,
‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’
“Jesus replied, ‘Go back and
report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk,
those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and
the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble
on account of me'” (Matthew 11:2–6).
20.
The Messiah would be preceded by a forerunner
Prophecy:
“A voice of one calling:
‘In the wilderness prepare
the way for the Lord;
make straight in the desert
a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be raised up,
every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
the rugged places a plain'” (Isaiah 40:3–4).
Fulfillment:
“John replied in the words
of Isaiah the prophet, ‘I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, “Make straight
the way for the Lord” (John 1:23).
21.
Jesus
will be a gentle redeemer of the Gentiles
Prophecy:
“Here is my servant, whom I
uphold,
my chosen one in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will bring justice to the nations.
He will not shout or cry out,
or raise his voice in the streets.
A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
he will not falter or be discouraged
till he establishes justice on earth.
In his teaching the islands will put their hope” (Isaiah 42:1–4).
Fulfillment:
“Aware of this, Jesus
withdrew from that place. A large crowd followed him, and he healed all who
were ill. He warned them not to tell others about him. This was to fulfill what
was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
‘Here is my servant whom I
have chosen,
the one I love, in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will proclaim justice to the nations.
He will not quarrel or cry out;
no one will hear his voice in the streets.
A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out,
till he has brought justice through to victory.
In his name the nations will put their hope.'” (Matthew 12:15–21).
22.
Jesus
would be despised and rejected
Prophecy:
“He was despised and
rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him in low esteem” (Isaiah 53:3).
Fulfillment:
“All the people in the
synagogue were furious when they heard this. They got up, drove him out of the
town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in
order to throw him off the cliff” (Luke 4:28–29).
23.
Jesus
will set the captives free
Prophecy:
“The Spirit of the Sovereign
Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners” (Isaiah 61:1)
Fulfillment:
“He went to Nazareth, where he had been
brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his
custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to
him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’
“Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back
to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were
fastened on him. He began by saying to them, ‘Today this scripture is fulfilled
in your hearing” (Luke 4:16–21).
24.
The
Messiah will have a throne that is everlasting
Prophecy:
“In my vision at night I
looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds
of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He
was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of
every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will
not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed” (Daniel
7:13–14).
Fulfillment:
“You will conceive and give birth to a son,
and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of
the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and
he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end”
(Luke 1:31–33).
25. The
Messiah will bring an end to sin
Prophecy:
“Seventy ‘sevens’ are
decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an
end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to
seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place” (Daniel 9:24).
Fulfillment:
“Know and understand this:
From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the
Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two
‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of
trouble. After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death
and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the
city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until
the end, and desolations have been decreed” (Daniel 9:25–26).
“Grace and peace to you from
God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to
rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and
Father, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen” (Galatians 1:3–5).
26.
Jerusalem
will rejoice as the Messiah comes to her upon a donkey
Prophecy:
“Rejoice greatly, Daughter
Zion!
Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9).
Fulfillment:
“A very large crowd spread their cloaks on
the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.
The crowds that went ahe ad of him and those that followed shouted,
‘Hosanna to the Son of David!’
‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the
Lord!’
‘Hosanna in the highest heaven!’
“When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city
was stirred and asked, ‘Who is this?'” (Matthew 21:8–10)
27.
He will
be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver
Prophecy:
“I told them, ‘If you think it best, give me
my pay; but if not, keep it.’ So they paid me thirty pieces of silver.
“And the Lord said to me, ‘Throw it to the
potter’—the handsome price at which they valued me! So I took the thirty pieces
of silver and threw them to the potter at the house of the Lord” (Zechariah
11:12–13).
Fulfillment:
“The chief priests picked up
the coins and said, ‘It is against the law to put this into the treasury, since
it is blood money.’ So they decided to use the money to buy the potter’s field
as a burial place for foreigners. That is why it has been called the Field of
Blood to this day. Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:
‘They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price set on him by the people of
Israel, and they used them to buy the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded
me'” (Matthew 27:6–10).
28.
Christ’s
forerunner would come in the spirit of Elijah
Prophecy:
“See, I will send the
prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He
will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the
children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total
destruction” (Malachi 4:5–6).
Fulfillment:
“This is the one about whom it is written:
‘I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way before you.’
“Truly I tell you, among those born of women
there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least
in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist
until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence, and violent
people have been raiding it. For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until
John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come.
Whoever has ears, let them hear” (Matthew 11:10–15).
Prophecies
about Jesus death and resurrection
The death and resurrection of Christ are
the most significant events in human history. It’s no surprise that there would
be plenty of Old Testament prophecies pointing to this remarkable event.
29.
Christ
will be our Passover Lamb
Prophecy:
“Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel
and said to them, ‘Go at once and select the animals for your families and
slaughter the Passover lamb. Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it into the blood in
the basin and put some of the blood on the top and on both sides of the
doorframe.
‘None of you shall go out of the door of your
house until morning. When the Lord goes through the land to strike down the
Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will
pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your
houses and strike you down.
‘Obey these instructions as a lasting
ordinance for you and your descendants. When you enter the land that the Lord
will give you as he promised, observe this ceremony. And when your children ask
you, “What does this ceremony mean to you?” then tell them, ‘”t is the Passover
sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt
and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.”‘ Then the people bowed
down and worshiped” (Exodus 12:21–27).
Fulfillment:
“Get rid of the old yeast,
so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our
Passover lamb, has been sacrificed” (1 Corinthians 5:7).
30.
Like
the Passover Lamb, none of the Christ’s bones will be broken
Prophecy:
“It must be eaten inside the
house; take none of the meat outside the house. Do not break any of the bones”
(Exodus 12:46).
Fulfillment:
“Now it was the day of
Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish
leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they
asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. The soldiers
therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with
Jesus, and then those of the other. But when they came to Jesus and found that
he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers
pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.
The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows
that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. These
things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: ‘Not one of his bones
will be broken'” (John 19:31–36)
31.
The
Messiah’s blood will be spilled for atonement
Prophecy:
“For the life of a creature
is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on
the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life” (Leviticus
17:11).
Fulfillment:
“This is my blood of the
covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew
26:28).
32.
Jesus
will be lifted up, and everyone who looks on Him will live
Prophecy:
“So Moses made a bronze
snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and
looked at the bronze snake, they lived” (Numbers 21:9).
Fulfillment:
“Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the
wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may
have eternal life in him.’
“For God so loved the world that he gave his
one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have
eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned,
but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not
believed in the name of God’s one and only Son” (John 3:14–18).
33.
Christ’s
resurrection prophesied
Prophecy:
“Oh, that my words were recorded,
that they were written on a scroll,
that they were inscribed with an iron tool on lead,
or engraved in rock forever!
I know that my redeemer lives,
and that in the end he will stand on the earth.
And after my skin has been destroyed,
yet in my flesh I will see God;
I myself will see him
with my own eyes—I, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!” (Job 19:23–27)
Fulfillment:
“Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word
and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has
crossed over from death to life. Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and
has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who
hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the
Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to judge
because he is the Son of Man.
“Do not be amazed at this, for a time is
coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those
who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is
evil will rise to be condemned” (John 5:24–29).
34.
The
Messiah would be forsaken
Prophecy:
“My God, my God, why have
you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from my cries of anguish?” (Psalm 22:1)
Fulfillment:
“About three in the
afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ (which
means ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’)” (Matthew 27:46).
35.
The
Messiah would be scorned
Prophecy:
“He trusts in the Lord,’
they say,
‘let the Lord rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
since he delights in him'” (Psalm 22:8).
Fulfillment:
“He saved others, they said,
‘but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from
the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now
if he wants him, for he said, “I am the Son of God”‘” (Matthew 27:42–43).
36.
The
Messiah’s suffering would include thirst
Prophecy:
“My mouth is dried up like a
potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
you lay me in the dust of death” (Psalm 22:15).
Fulfillment:
“Later, knowing that
everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled,
Jesus said, ‘I am thirsty” (John 19:28).
37.
They
would pierce Christ’s hands and feet
Prophecy:
“Dogs surround me,
a pack of villains encircles me;
they pierce my hands and my feet” (Psalm 22:16).
Fulfillment:
“These things happened so
that the scripture would be fulfilled: ‘Not one of his bones will be broken,’
and, as another scripture says, ‘They will look on the one they have pierced'”
(John 19:36–37).
38.
They
would cast lots for Jesus’ clothing
Prophecy:
“They divide my clothes
among them
and cast lots for my garment” (Psalm 22:18).
Fulfillment:
“When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took
his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the
undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top
to bottom.
Let’s not tear it, they said to one another.
‘Let’s decide by lot who will get it.
This happened that the scripture might be
fulfilled that said,
‘They divided my clothes among them
and cast lots for my garment.’
So this is what the soldiers did” (John
19:23–24).
39.
The
Messiah will cry, “Into your hands I commit my Spirit”
Prophecy:
“Into your hands I commit my
spirit;
deliver me, Lord, my faithful God” (Psalm 31:5).
Fulfillment:
“Jesus called out with a
loud voice, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.’ When he had said
this, he breathed his last” (Luke 23:46).
40.
Everyone
will abandon the Messiah
Prophecy:
“Because of all my enemies,
I am the utter contempt of my neighbors
and an object of dread to my closest friends—
those who see me on the street flee from me” (Psalm 31:11).
Fulfillment:
“Then everyone deserted him
and fled” (Mark 14:50).
41.
They
will plot to kill God’s anointed
Prophecy:
“For I hear many whispering,
‘Terror on every side!’
They conspire against me
and plot to take my life” (Psalm 31:13).
Fulfillment:
“Early in the morning, all
the chief priests and the elders of the people made their plans how to have
Jesus executed” (Matthew 27:1).
42.
The
Messiah will be quiet before his accusers
Prophecy:
“Those who want to kill me
set their traps,
those who would harm me talk of my ruin;
all day long they scheme and lie.
I am like the deaf, who cannot hear,
like the mute, who cannot speak” (Psalm 38:12–13)
Fulfillment:
“When he was accused by the
chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer. Then Pilate asked him, ‘Don’t
you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?’ But Jesus made no reply,
not even to a single charge—to the great amazement of the governor” (Matthew
27:12–14).
43.
God’s
anointed will not see decay
Prophecy:
“Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue
rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,
because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
nor will you let your faithful one see decay.
You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand” (Psalm 16:9–11).
Fulfillment:
“Seeing what was to come, he
spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the
realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay” (Acts 2:31).
44.
The
Messiah would be abandoned by those closest to him
Prophecy:
“Even my close friend,
someone I trusted,
one who shared my bread,
has turned against me” (Psalm 41:9).
Fulfillment:
“I am not referring to all
of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill this passage of
Scripture: ‘He who shared my bread has turned against me’” (John 13:18).
45.
The
Christ will ascend into the heavens to distribute gifts
Prophecy:
“When you ascended on high,
you took many captives;
you received gifts from people,
even from the rebellious—
that you, Lord God, might dwell there” (Psalm 68:18).
Fulfillment:
“But to each one of us grace has been given
as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says:
‘When he ascended on high,
he took many captives
and gave gifts to his people.’
“(What does ‘he ascended’ mean except that he
also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one
who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)
So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors
and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of
Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the
knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure
of the fullness of Christ.
“Then we will no longer be infants, tossed
back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching
and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.
Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect
the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole
body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds
itself up in love, as each part does its work” (Ephesians 4:7–16).
46.
The
Christ’s thirst will be quenched with vinegar and gall
Prophecy:
“They put gall in my food
and gave me vinegar for my thirst” (Psalm 69:21).
Fulfillment:
“There they offered Jesus
wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it”
(Matthew 27:34).
47.
The
Messiah’s resurrection predicted
Prophecy:
“I will not die but live,
and will proclaim what the Lord has done.
The Lord has chastened me severely,
but he has not given me over to death” (Psalm 118:17–18).
Fulfillment:
“In their fright the women
bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, ‘Why do
you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember
how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: “The Son of Man must
be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be
raised again”(Luke 24:5–7).
48.
The
Messiah will conquer death
Prophecy:
“On this mountain he will
destroy
the shroud that enfolds all peoples,
the sheet that covers all nations;
he will swallow up death forever.
The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears
from all faces;
he will remove his people’s disgrace
from all the earth.
The Lord has spoken” (Isaiah 25:7–8).
Fulfillment:
“When the perishable has
been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the
saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in
victory'” (1 Corinthians 15:54).
49.
The
Messiah will be mocked and abused
Prophecy:
“I clothe the heavens with
darkness
and make sackcloth its covering.’
The Sovereign Lord has given me a well-instructed tongue,
to know the word that sustains the weary.
He wakens me morning by morning,
wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed.
The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears;
I have not been rebellious,
I have not turned away.
I offered my back to those who beat me,
my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard;
I did not hide my face
from mocking and spitting” (Isaiah 50:3–6).
Fulfillment:
“Then the governor’s
soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of
soldiers around him. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and then
twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in
his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. ‘Hail, king of
the Jews!’ they said. They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on
the head again and again. After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and
put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him” (Matthew
27:27–31).
Prophecies about Jesus’ role in the church
What kind of presence would Jesus have in his
church? These prophecies consider how Jesus would rule and judge the world.
50.
God
will raise up a prophet like Moses
Prophecy:
“The Lord your God will
raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites.
You must listen to him. For this is what you asked of the Lord your God at
Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, ‘Let us not hear the voice of
the Lord our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die'” (Deuteronomy
18:15–16).
Fulfillment:
“But do not think I will
accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are
set. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But
since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I
say?” (John 5:45–47)
51.
God
will raise up a faithful priest who does God’s will
Prophecy:
“I will raise up for myself
a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind. I
will firmly establish his priestly house, and they will minister before my
anointed one always” (1 Samuel 2:35).
Fulfillment:
“For this reason he had to
be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a
merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make
atonement for the sins of the people” (Hebrews 2:17).
52.
The
Messiah will judge the world justly
Prophecy:
“The Lord reigns forever;
he has established his throne for judgment.
He rules the world in righteousness
and judges the peoples with equity.
The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
Those who know your name trust in you,
for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you” (Psalm
9:7–10).
Fulfillment:
“For he has set a day when
he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given
proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead” (Acts 17:31).
53.
The
Messiah will have all authority over judgment
Prophecy:
“I will place on his
shoulder the key to the house of David; what he opens no one can shut, and what
he shuts no one can open” (Isaiah 22:22).
Fulfillment:
“To the angel of the church
in Philadelphia write:
These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David.
What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open” (Revelation
3:7).
54.
The
Messiah will pour out his Spirit
Prophecy:
“For I will pour water on
the thirsty land,
and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring,
and my blessing on your descendants” (Isaiah 44:3)
Fulfillment:
“But very truly I tell you,
it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will
not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you” (John 16:7).
55.
The
Messiah will usher in a new covenant
Prophecy:
“The days are coming,’
declares the Lord,
when I will make a new covenant
with the people of Israel
and with the people of Judah'” (Jeremiah 31:31).
Fulfillment:
“This is my blood of the
covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew
26:28).
Discovering God’s plan in the Old Testament
As these prophecies reveal, God planned our
redemption all the way back in the garden. Jesus death and resurrection were
the most important events in history. It’s no surprise that God would give us
signs of his plans throughout Israel’s history and prophets.
Jesus story reveals God’s incredible love for us.
And throughout the Old Testament, we discover how incredibly thorough his plan
for rescuing us was—now, we can all be reconciled to Him through the sacrifice
and resurrection of Jesus.
Among the dozens of prophecies proclaimed, fulfilled
and yet to be fulfilled–such as the coming of Christ, one fulfilled prophecy
that is recognized annually is the birth of Christ.
Thank you for reading the word of God. Please repent and be saved. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Pinterest at Bismark Agyapong Gospel Network. Listen to our radio by searching for Bismark Agyapong Online Radio on Google. Also listen and subscribe to our podcast by searching on Google for Bismark Agyapong Podcast to listen free.