Jesus' life predicted

updated 10-22-2010

Now many would argue the authenticity of the bible. But I am not here to prove this. Many others have done this already. William M. Ramsey and Lee Strobel are some of the many, who have on the way trying to prove the bible wrong, become strong believers and ended up proving the bible to be true in every detail. I heard Ravi Zacharias saying one time that we have more than 10 times of ancient manuscripts of bible texts than we have of Roman history. Chuck Missler states very similarly. Still no one today doubts Roman history but many are trying to discredit the bible. The bible proves itself by the accuracy of the prophecies given, some hundreds of years before their fulfillment. We are still seeing prophecies fulfilled today in this world, that were recorded over 2000 years ago in the books of the bible.

So I will just list the prophecies of the Messiah and the scripture, where Jesus fulfilled them:

1. Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem
MIC 5:2 “ But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel.             fulfilled in Mt2:1-6 and Lu2:1-20

2. Messiah was to be born of a virgin
ISA 7:14 “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.            fulfilled in Mt1:18-25 and Lu1:26-38

3. Messiah was to be of the tribe of Judah
Ge 49:10 The scepter or leadership shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until Shiloh [the Messiah, the Peaceful One] comes to Whom it belongs, and to Him shall be the obedience of the people.
 in PS 60:7 God says "Judah is My scepter and My lawgiver".         fulfilled in Lu3:23-38

        ... and a descendant of David: Jer 33:15; Jer 23:5-6; Eze 34:23

4. Messiah had to come out of Egypt
Hosea 11:1 .... and out of Egypt I called my son.    fulfilled in Mt2:13-18

5. Messiah was to be a prophet like Moses
DT 18:15 “ The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him. DT 18:18 ‘I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. DT 18:19 ‘ It shall come about that whoever will not listen to My words which he shall speak in My name, I Myself will require it of him.            fulfilled in John7:40

6. Messiah was to heal the sick and preach the good news
The recompense of God will come, but He will save you.” ISA 35:5 Then the eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. ISA 35:6 Then the lame will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute will shout for joy.
ISA 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners;
                        fulfilled all over the 4 gospels, especially Lk4:17-21

          ... and preach in parables  PS 78:2

7. Messiah was to enter Jerusalem in triumph and on a foal of a donkey
ZEC 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you;
He is just and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
                    fulfilled in Mt21:1-9

8. Messiah was to be rejected by his own people (the Jews)
ISA 53:3 He was despised and forsaken of men,
PS 118:22 The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief corner stone (or capstone).
             fulfilled in Mt26:3,4  John12:37-43,  Acts4:1-12

9. Messiah was to be betrayed by one of his followers
PS 41:9 Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.
            fulfilled in Mt26:14-15,47-50,   Lu22:19-23 
      .... for 30 pieces of silver  Zec 11:12

10. Messiah's followers were to flee
Zec 13:7 .... strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered   fulfilled in Mt26:31 with Mt26:56

11. Messiah was to be silent before His accusers
ISA 53:7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth.   
          fulfilled in Mt27:12-14,    Mk15:3-4,   Lk23:8-10

12. Messiah was to be tried and condemned
ISA 53:8 By oppression and judgment He was taken away; and as for His generation, who considered that He was cut off out of the land of the living              fulfilled in Lu23:1-25,   Mt27:1,2

13. Messiah was to be struck and spat on by His enemies
ISA 50:6 I gave My back to those who strike Me, and My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard; I did not cover My face from humiliation and spitting.        fulfilled in Mt26:67,   Mt27:30,   Mk14:65

14. Messiah was to be mocked and insulted
PS 22:7 All who see me sneer at me; they separate with the lip, they wag the head, saying, PS 22:8 “ Commit yourself to the LORD; let Him deliver him; let Him rescue him, because He delights in him.”
                  fulfilled in Mt27:39-44,  Lu23:11,35

15. Messiah was to die by crucifixion
PS 22:16 They pierced my hands and my feet.  (also Isa53:5)       fulfilled in Mt27:31     Mk15:20,25

16. Messiah's words on the cross
Ps 22:1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?          fulfilled in Mt27:46

17. Messiah was to suffer with criminals and pray for His enemies
Isa 53:12 He poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.                                    fulfilled in Mt27:38, Mk15:27,28  Lu23:32-34

18. Messiah was to be given vinegar and gall
Ps 69:21 They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst.    fulfilled in Mt27:34, John19:28-30

19. Others were to cast lots for Messiah's garments
Ps 22:18 They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.
               fulfilled in Mt27:35,    John19:23-24

20. Messiah's bones were not to be broken
Nu 9:12 They shall leave none of it until the morning nor break any bone of it; according to all the statutes for the Passover they shall keep it.  (also Nu9:12 and Ps34:20)                  fulfilled in John19:31-26
 

21. Messiah was to die as a sacrifice for sin
ISA 53:5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed. ISA 53:6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him. ISA 53:10 But the LORD was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief; if He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand. ISA 53:11 As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities. ISA 53:12 Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the booty with the strong; because He poured out Himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet He Himself bore the sin of many, and interceded for the transgressors.
                      fulfilled in John1:29;11:49-52     Acts 10:43;13:38-39

22. Messiah was to be raised from the dead
Ps 16:10 because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.
                   fulfilled in Acts 2:22-32 and Mt28:1-10

23. Messiah is now at God's right hand
Ps 110:1 The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”
                 fulfilled in Mark16:19 and Lu24:50-51

24. Time for Messiah's coming predicted
DA 9:25 “So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress.
The Hebrew word, which is here translated as weeks, actually means a period of sevens and also has the meaning of a period of seven years. Therefore seven SEVENS plus sixty-two SEVENS equal 69x7=483 years. That is exactly the time from the decree of the Persian king Artaxerxes to rebuild Jerusalem (Ezr 6:14) until Jesus' ministry begins.
DA 9:26 “Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. Daniel goes on to predict the death of the Messiah and the destruction of Jerusalem, which the Romans then did.

These are not nearly all of the prophecies for Jesus Christ, but probably the most important ones. Many of these prophecies are scattered throughout the Old Testament. However Psalm 22 und Isaiah 53 are presenting the two biggest bundles of the Messiah prophecies.
There is more in Isaiah 6:9-10(fulfilled in Mt13:15); 9:1-7, 11:1-5, 16:5; 41:18; 42:1-4,15; 52:14-15; 59:20; Zephaniah 1:7; Ezekiel 21:27; Psalm 2:7;

Pr 30:4 Who has ascended into heaven and descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has bound the waters in His garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His Son’s name, if you know?
This Proverb declares, that God has a Son. In Genesis at the creation we also read everytime "Let US make ..." , showing us, that God was not alone creating.

According to some scholars like Chuck Missler, there are about 300 prophecies pertaining to Jesus.

By the way Messiah is Hebrew and Christ is Greek, both meaning the same.

More prophecy is found in the genealogy of mankind in Genesis. At first glance those genealogies seem boring and without information. But when we learn, that every name in the Hebrew language has a meaning, which can be translated, the search becomes  exciting. Here is a translation of the first genealogy in the bible:

Gen 5:1  genealogy

                Hebrew names:                                        English translation of the names:

This translation reflects God's purpose and plan for mankind from the beginning.   (From Chuck Missler "in 24 hours through the bible" )