The Bible is God’s Word, and it speaks of Christ from cover to cover. The Scriptures confirm that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah, and there are a great number of Messianic prophecies in the Old Testament. Here are a few examples, with the approximate dates for when the prophecies were first revealed:
- 4000 B.C. – The “seed of woman” would be “bruised” (Gen. 3:15 > Matt. 1:18-22)
- 1900 B.C. – He would be the seed of Abraham (Gen. 22:18 > Matt. 1:1; Gal. 3:16)
- 1900 B.C. – He would die in Moriah (Jerusalem – Gen. 22:2; 2 Chr. 3:1 > Matt. 20:18).
- 1700 B.C. – He would be the last and greatest of Judah’s kings (Gen. 49:10 > Matt. 1:3)
- 1000 B.C. – He would be born of the royal lineage of David (2 Sam. 7:12 > Matt. 1:1)
- 1000 B.C. – He would die, but His flesh would not see corruption (Psa. 16:10 > Acts 2:27)
- 1000 B.C. – His hands and feet would be pierced (Psa. 22:16 > Matt. 27:35)
- 1000 B.C. – People would gamble for His garments (Psa. 22:18 > Matt. 27:35)
- 1000 B.C. – He would have no bones broken (Psa. 34:20 > John 19:36)
- 1000 B.C. – He would be betrayed by a friend (Psa. 41:9 > John 13:18-30)
- 1000 B.C. – He would be given gall and vinegar to drink (Psa. 69:21 > Matt. 27:34)
- 1000 B.C. – Enemies would shake their heads at Him (Psa. 109:25 > Matt. 27:39)
- 740 B.C. – He would be born of a virgin (Isa. 7:14 > Matt. 1:22-23)
- 740 B.C. – He would be gentle and compassionate (Isa. 42:1-4 > Matt. 9:36)
- 740 B.C. – He would be spat upon and beaten (Isa. 50:6 > Matt. 26:67)
- 740 B.C. – He would be silent as a lamb before His accusers (Isa. 53:7 > Matt. 26:62-63)
- 740 B.C. – He would be numbered with transgressors, criminals (Isa. 53:12 > Mark 15:27)
- 735 B.C. – He would be born in Bethlehem Ephratah (Mic. 5:2 > Matt. 2:1)
- 600 B.C. – He would set up His kingdom during Roman reign (Dan. 2:44 > Matt. 16:18, 19, 28; Luke 2:1; Col. 1:13)
- 520 B.C. – He would be betrayed for thirty pieces of silver (Zech. 11:12-13 > Matt. 26:15)
- 520 B.C. – The firstborn, only Son would be pierced in Jerusalem (Zech. 12:10 > Jn. 19:37)
- 520 B.C. – God’s own Companion would be smitten, and the sheep would scatter (Zech. 13:7 > Matt. 26:31, 56)
That was only twenty-two prophecies, but there are hundreds of prophecies fulfilled by Christ! Several years ago the Professor Emeritus of Science at Westmont College, Peter Stoner, set out to calculate the odds of such prophecies being fulfilled by one man. Stoner concluded that “Any man who rejects Christ as the Son of God is rejecting a fact, proved perhaps more absolutely than any other fact in the world.” Jesus Christ was truly the eternal Word who became flesh to die for us (John 1:14; Romans 5:8). Of course, such detailed, accurate prophecies also show that the Bible must have come from God!
You may also be interested in: