Old Testament Prophecies Jesus fulfilled.

 

In our last Bible Study we looked at prophecies that foretold what would occur leading up to and during Jesus’ crucifixion. As I said in our look at prophecies of the crucifixion, one of the best ways to prove the Bible is the inspired word of God is fulfilled prophecy. The Apostle Peter tells us,

 

2 Peter 1: 19 We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

 

Here I would like to share a few more prophecies fulfilled by Jesus.

 

Here’s a prophecy of the coming of the Messiah.

 

Isaiah 61

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The Year of the LORD's Favor

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 1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me
      to preach 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,

 2 to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God,
      to comfort all who mourn,

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Jesus fulfilled verse 1 and the first part of verse 2 when he was here. The last half of verse 2, the day of vengeance of our God will be fulfilled during the tribulation. The last part, to comfort all who mourn will be fulfilled in the Millennium kingdom of God here on earth. Here’s a good example of how a prophecy that reads like it will all happen right together will in fact, could take many years, so far almost two thousand years to fulfill all of this.

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Notice what Jesus read from Luke 4.

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Lk. 4: 16He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. 17The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

18"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, 19to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

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20Then 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, 21and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

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Notice how on this day, the day Jesus was beginning his ministry they gave him the scroll of Isaiah. Notice also Jesus didn’t read the whole prophecy from Isaiah. Why did he stop? The prophecy from the 2nd part of Isaiah 61 goes on to talk about his second coming and the establishment of his kingdom. At his first coming he was only here for the first part, as the suffering Messiah, to bring reconciliation, and to atone for our sins. With his first coming he was as the Lamb of God, with his 2nd coming he will be as the lion of the tribe of Judah.

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Because of the oppression they were under from the Romans, all the Jews were looking for and wanting the conquering king, not the suffering Messiah for the redemption of their sins. Remember from the Lesson of Palm Sunday, from Daniel chapter 9 they knew that they were in the time frame in which Daniel predicted the Messiah should come. From Daniels prophecy in chapter 9 the coming of the Messiah was foretold to the very day, which was the very day on Palm Sunday Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. We also see the Messiah had to come before the destruction of the Temple which occurred in 70 a.d. Jesus is the only one that not only has fulfilled the prophecies concerning the Messiah but he is the only one that was hear before 70 a.d.

 

Here’s a prophecy foretelling where the Messiah would be born.

 

Micah 5

 

2 "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.

 

Jesus was born in Bethlehem. But notice Micah said Bethlehem Ephrathah. There were two towns called Bethlehem in Israel. Ephrathah is the city near Jerusalem. This is where Jesus was born. That’s how specific Bible prophecy is. Read chapter 2 of Matthew. Also notice he says ‘whose origins are from old, from ancient times’. This reveals that the Messiah would exist before he would be born here as a human. He would come from Heaven, from God the Father. He would be eternal.

 

It was foretold the Messiah would be preceded by a messenger –   

 

Malichi 3:1 “I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty.

 

Isaiah 40:3 A voice of one calling:
“In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord;
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

 

We see from the Gospels this was fulfilled in John the Baptist.

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Matthew 3:

1In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

3 This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’”

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Matthew 11:

7 As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? 8 If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings’ palaces. 9 Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10 This is the one about whom it is written:

“‘I will send my messenger ahead of you,
   who will prepare your way before you.’

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Mark 1:

1The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God 2 as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:

“I will send my messenger ahead of you,
   who will prepare your way”

3“a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’”

4 And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

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Luke 7:

24 After John’s messengers left, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? 25 If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear expensive clothes and indulge in luxury are in palaces. 26 But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 27 This is the one about whom it is written:

“‘I will send my messenger ahead of you,
   who will prepare your way before you.’

 

John 3: 23 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.’”

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You know Jesus’ Mother, Mary, was a virgin, yet she became pregnant with Jesus. Take a look at these verses that were given over 700 hundreds years before Jesus’ birth.

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Isaiah 7

14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. Immanuel means God with us.

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Isaiah 9

6 For to us a child is born,
      to us a son is given,
      and the government will be on his shoulders.
      And he will be called
      Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
      Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

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This verse goes from referring to his birth all the way to his reign during the Millennial kingdom here on earth. Notice this verse also says he would be eternal. The Messiah would be the Mighty God. He would be God with us.

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Matthew 1

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The Birth of Jesus Christ

 

18This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. 19Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

 

 20But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

 

22All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"—which means, "God with us."

 

24When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

 

Luke 1

 

26In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. 28The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."

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29Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32He 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, 33and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

34"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"

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35The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon 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. 36Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. 37For nothing is impossible with God."

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38"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.

Look at what we are told is the first thing Mary did after being told by the Angle Gabriel that she would give birth to the Messiah.

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39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth.

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Mary was just a normal but obviously very devoted to the Lord 15 or 16 year old girl. Mary must have wondered did this really happen, did an Angel actually appear to me or was it just a dream. Could it be true, have I really been chosen by God to give birth to the Messiah? Gabriel just told her that Elizabeth was 6 months pregnant. So the first thing she did was travel to see Elizabeth. Her thinking must have been if I go and find Elizabeth 6 months pregnant then I know an Angel did appear to me, this really happened. What the Angel Gabriel said is true. By the way, if you don’t already know this, Elizabeth was pregnant with John the Baptist.

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I shared this already, here’s another prophecy that we see in the gospels Jesus fulfilled.

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Jesus Rides in Jerusalem on donkey  

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Zechariah 9

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9 Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion!
      Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem!
      See, your king comes to you,
      righteous and having salvation,
      gentle and riding on a donkey,
      on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

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John 12

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The Triumphal Entry

 

12The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. 13They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,
  "Hosanna!"
  "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"
  "Blessed is the King of Israel!" 14Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written,
15"Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion;
     see, your king is coming,
     seated on a donkey's colt."

16At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him.

 

Matthew 21

 

The Triumphal Entry

 

 1As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away."

 4This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
5"Say to the Daughter of Zion,
     'See, your king comes to you,
  gentle and riding on a donkey,
     on a colt, the foal of a donkey.' "

 6The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. 8A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9The crowds that went ahead 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!"

 10When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, "Who is this?"

 11The crowds answered, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee."

 

We read from Daniel this was prophesied to the very week, which was fulfilled when Jesus rode into Jerusalem.

 

For Jesus to be the Messiah he would had to have fulfilled all the prophecies concerning the Messiah. Well, that’s exactly what he did. Here’s a list of a few more prophecies that were fulfilled by Jesus’ first coming.

 

To be the Son of God (Ps. 2:7) - Matt. 3:17

Descendent of Abraham (Gen. 22:12) - Matt. 1:1

Descendent of Isaac (Gen. 21:12) - Matt. 1:2, Luke 3:34

Descendent of Jacob (Num. 24:17) - Matt. 1:2, Luke 3:34

From Tribe of Judah (Gen. 49:10) - Matt. 1:2, Luke 3:33

From Family of Jesse (Isa. 11:1) - Matt. 1:6, Luke 3:32

From House of David (Jer. 23:5) - Matt. 1:1, Luke 3:31

Herod kills children (Jer. 31:15) - Matt. 2:16-18

Called out of Egypt (Hosea 11:1) - Matt. 2:15

Would do miracles (Isa. 35.5-6, 42:7) - Matt. 11:2-5

Betrayed by a friend (Ps. 41:9) - Matt. 10:4

Betrayed for 30 pieces of silver (Zech 11:12) - Matt. 26:15

Money thrown in God's house (Zech. 11:13) - Matt. 27:5

Price given for Potter's field (Zech. 11:13) - Matt. 27:7

Resurrected from dead (Ps. 16:10, 30:3) - Acts 2:31, 13:33-35

Ascends into heaven (Ps. 68:18) - Acts 1:9, Eph. 4:7-10

Messiah is light to the Gentiles (Isa. 49:6, 42:6) - Luke 2:32, Acts 13:47, 26:23

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Again, Jesus is the only one who has fulfilled the prophecies of the Old Testament concerning the Messiah. I could go on but there’s just too many to go into detail on.

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Luke 24: 44 He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”

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As I’ve said already, Jesus fulfilled all the prophecies of the Messiah as the suffering servant. When Jesus was here the first time, he fulfilled over 100 specific prophecies concerning the coming of the Messiah as the suffering servant. Think about it, the odds of one man fulfilling all of these prophecies are astronomical. If you multiply the odds of just a few of these prophecies being fulfilled, that any one man by chance could fulfill them, well the number for the odds of this happening is just too big that it could happen by chance. That leaves only one explanation, it was by God the Father. Thus, the Bible is the word of God, Jesus is who he said he is. Jesus is Lord. Jesus is God with us.

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