OLD TESTAMENT PROPHECIES ABOUT JESUS CHRIST

Jesus Christ is accepted as Lord and Savior by hundreds of millions of Christians worldwide. Most accept Him as Lord because they were born in Christian homes and were taught to do so. Many have delved into the reasons why He is believed to be the Savior, and, by so doing, they have greatly strengthened their faith.

Preachers and the New Testament writers teach us that one of the greatest proofs that Jesus Christ was the Savior are the prophecies of the Old Testament. In fact, the Old Testament abounds in prophecies that describe in advance the many aspects of Christ’s ministry on earth, including His death and resurrection.

Jesus Christ had to be confirmed as both Messiah and Son of God by something much more reliable than just miracles. He had to be confirmed by God’s Word. Christ affirmed this powerful reality in the book of John: “And the Father Himself who has sent me, has testified of Me…You search the scriptures…and these are they which testify of me” (John 5:37-39). Yes, the Scriptures spoke of Christ centuries in advance in great detail, and they were to be the greatest foundational proof that Christ was indeed the Messiah.

The Old Testament teaches us that Christ was to come and totally submit to God’s will (Psalm 40:7). He was to be born of a virgin (Psalms Isaiah 7:14), from the seed of Jesse (Isaiah 11:1), in the city of Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). He was to be announced by a great prophet (Isaiah 40:3), and was to be persecuted by a mad man bent on destroying Him, even if it meant killing all other children of His age (Jeremiah 31:15); He was to have a gentle temperament (Isaiah 42:1-4); He was to go to His death in Jerusalem riding a donkey (Zech. 9:9); He was to be rejected of His own people (Ps. 118:22), and by His own disciples (Zech. 13:7); He was to be sold for thirty pieces of silver which were to be used to buy a potter’s field (Zech. 11:12); Soldiers were to cast lots over His clothing (Ps. 22:18); He was to go through a most gruesome treatment and abuse and, finally, was be killed for our iniquities (Isaiah 53:1-8); Furthermore, He was to have His hands and feet pierced and his skin and flesh would have been torn off his bones (Psalm 22:16-17, Zech. 12:10, 13:6); He was to be placed in the tomb of a rich man (Isaiah 53:9) and was to be finally resurrected (Ps. 16:10).

The abundance of specifics and their total fulfillment, together with Christ’s great miracles, were a necessary and complete package that undeniably proved Christ’s true identity. Had God not included the prophecies in the package, a powerful ingredient would have been left out, and the preaching of Christ as Messiah would have been more challenging to make credible.

God knew that Christ’s true identity was to be fully supported with undeniable evidence, and He did provide it in a most compelling way, not only through great miracles, but also through the fulfillment of many astounding Old Testament prophecies that point to Christ and His redeeming work for mankind.