The books of the Old Testament contain many passages about the Messiah—all prophecies Jesus Christ fulfilled. For instance, the crucifixion of Jesus was foretold in Psalm 22:16-18 approximately 1,000 years before Christ was born, long before this method of execution was even practiced.

After Christ’s resurrection, preachers of the New Testament church began to declare officially that Jesus was the Messiah by divine appointment:

“Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” (Acts 2:36, ESV)

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 1:1-4, ESV)

A Statistical Improbability

Some Bible scholars suggest there are more than 300 Old Testament prophetic Scriptures completed in the life of Jesus Christ. Circumstances such as his birthplace, lineage, and method of execution were beyond Christ’s control and could not have been accidentally or deliberately fulfilled.

In the book Science Speaks, Peter Stoner and Robert Newman discuss the statistical improbability of one man, whether accidentally or deliberately, fulfilling just eight of the prophecies Jesus fulfilled. The chance of this happening, they say, is 1 in 10¹⁷ power. Stoner presents a scenario that illustrates the magnitude of such odds:

Suppose that we take 10¹⁷ silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas. They will cover all of the state two feet deep. Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly, all over the state. Blindfold a man and tell him that he can travel as far as he wishes, but he must pick up one silver dollar and say that this is the right one. What chance would he have of getting the right one? Just the same chance that the prophets would have had of writing these eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one man, from their day to the present time, providing they wrote using their own wisdom.

The mathematical improbability of 300, or 47, or even just eight fulfilled prophesies of Jesus stands as evidence to his messiahship.

Prophecies of Jesus

Although this list is not exhaustive, you’ll find 47 messianic predictions clearly fulfilled in Jesus Christ, along with supporting references from the Old Testament and New Testament fulfillment.

These and many other Old Testament verses about Israel’s Messiah were fulfilled in the New Testament life of Jesus Christ. Collectively they form the leading proof of Christ’s deity. As Jesus went about his ministry, he knew that he was fulfilling these prophecies, and therefore, used this knowledge to confirm his claims of being the Son of God in the flesh:

Then Jesus said to them, “You foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures. Wasn’t it clearly predicted that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his glory?” Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. (Luke 24:25–27, NLT).

“You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me!” (John 5:39, NLT)

Sources

• 100 Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus: Messianic Prophecies Made Before the Birth of Christ by Rose Publishing
• Book of Bible Lists by H.L. Willmington
• Story, D. (1997). Defending Your Faith (pp. 79-80)
• NKJV Study Bible
• Life Application Study Bible

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47 Old Testament Prophecies About Jesus (learnreligions.com)