The life of Jesus Christ is a Fulfillment of the Prophecies

Which are specifically intended to identify the coming Messiah.

The following prophecies represent only a few simple historical facts. There are over 300 specific Old Testament prophesies relating to the first coming of the Messiah which are fulfilled in the life of Jesus Christ.

The Messiah would be a descendent of David.
"Behold, the days are coming," says the LORD, "That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; a King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth." (Jeremiah 23:5)   

"The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham." (Matt. 1:1)

Being a direct male descendent of king David?
Do you suppose 1 person in 10 could make that claim? Probably not.

---

The Messiah would be Born in Bethlehem.

"But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting." (Micah 5:2)

"Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem," (Matt. 2:1)

Of all the men who are known descendants of David, how many of them would you suppose were born in Bethlehem? 10% probably not.

The Messiah would enter Jerusalem on a Donkey. "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; he is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey." (Zech. 9:9)

"The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: "Hosanna! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!' The King of Israel!" Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written": (John 12:13-14)

Once you located a few people who were descended from David, born in Bethlehem, and visited by wise men at their birth, how many of them would you suppose have ever ridden into Jerusalem on a Donkey? It's not likely to be 10%.

---

The Messiah would be sold for 30 pieces of silver, the money thrown into God's house, and the money used to buy a potter's field.
Then I said to them, "If it is agreeable to you, give me my wages; and if not, refrain." So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver. And the LORD said to me, "Throw it to the potter"-- that princely price they set on me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the LORD for the potter." (Zech. 11:12-13)

"Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself. And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood. And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in. Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value; And gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord appointed me." (Matt. 27:3-10)

If you could find a group of men, in all of human history, who were descended from David, born in Bethlehem, and had ridden into Jerusalem on a donkey, do you think you could find one of them who, just by sheer chance, has been betrayed for 30 pieces of silver, all of which was later thrown into the house of God, and (just by coincidence) used to buy a potter's field?

---

Lots would be cast for the Messiah's clothing.
"They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots." (Ps. 22:18)

"And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take." (Mark 15:24)

---

Not one of the Messiah's bones would be broken.
"He guards all his bones; not one of them is broken." (Ps. 34:20)

"Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs." (John 19:32-33)

---

One day, the people of Jerusalem will "look on me whom they have pierced"
"And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they have pierced; they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn." (Zech. 12:10)

"Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water." (John 19:33-34)

---

At the Messiah's death, the sun would go down at noon.
"And it shall come to pass in that day," says the Lord GOD, "That I will make the sun go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in broad daylight;" (Amos 8:9)

"And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst." (Luke 23:44-45)

---

The Messiah would be buried (briefly) in a rich man's tomb.
"And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth." (Isaiah 53:9)

"When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple: He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulcher, and departed." (Matt. 27:58-60)

If, by chance, you could find a few men who were descended from David, born in Bethlehem, who had ridden into Jerusalem on a donkey, betrayed for 30 pieces of silver, and the silver later thrown into the temple and subsequently used to buy a potter's field, how many of them do you suppose also (by sheer coincidence):

• Had lots cast for their clothing?
• Experienced darkness at noon on the day of their death?
• Were pierced by a sword?
• Never experienced a broken bone?
• And were buried in a rich man's tomb?

We have reduced the possibility of a chance fulfillment of all of the Old Testament prophesies to the level of an absurdity just by using about a dozen of them. There are over 300 related prophesies which require fulfillment by the true Messiah.

There is one man, and only one man, of whom all these predicted events are true. His name is Jesus Christ.

Back to Question #4 Who is Jesus Christ? here.

If you have a question which you would like to see answered on this page, we would like to hear from you. We will do our best that each question will be answered here.

 

Home Back to Questions Resources

The scriptures are perfect, but men are fallible. I prayerfully check all of the material I put on my sites. However, I am quite capable of missing something or making a mistake. If you find anything at all on these pages that is questionable or find any links broken please contact us here.