Topic Four – Parts 1 – 7

Topic four: Jesus Christ-Fulfilled Old Testament Prophecy (Part 1)

Jesus Christ fulfilled Old Testament prophecy. It is this simple statement that raises the hackles of many liberal theologians and hard-core intellectuals. Since they do not believe that the Bible is truth, they concoct (hang together) many things that they call evidence that Jesus was a good teacher, but was not the Messiah that was prophesied about in the Old Testament. Two clues to their thinking: 1) they do not believe in God, 2) they do not believe that this “Jesus” could forgive sins. Each of the next posts with Biblical statements  will prove them wrong.

One person stands head and shoulders above most authors about the authenticity of the Bible. That man is Josh McDowell. As a college student, he set out to prove the Bible was wrong and Christianity a hoax. He researched extensively and came to the following conclusion. He wrote a book called: Evidence That Demands a Verdict.  As an aspiring attorney he was determined to set the record straight. Surprise! The evidence he found convinced him that the Bible was indeed solid truth and also that Jesus was who he said he was. In McDowell’s research, he proclaimed the following: Jesus had fulfilled more than 40 Old Testament prophecies. He was astounded and made the following statement: “for Jesus to have fulfilled just 36 of the forty-plus prophecies was theoretically impossible” but his research proved it to be true. He had a math whiz friend do a probability study and the conclusion was that for Jesus to fulfill just 36 of the forty-plus prophecies was a probability number of 1040 that is a number with 1 plus 40 zeros. McDowell was convinced that not only was the Bible true, but that Jesus was truly the Son of God. He became a believer and has a prolific ministry to this day.

Jesus fulfilled many Old Testament prophecies. We will look at four subject areas that support this statement. The first is Jesus birth was foretold. The second is Jesus life was foretold. The third is Jesus death was foretold. The last is his virgin birth was foretold and why it was important.

Topic four: Jesus Christ-Fulfilled Old Testament Prophecy (Part 2)

In the last post, we stated that Jesus fulfilled 40 plus prophecies. The first area of prophecy is that of Jesus’  birth and that it was foretold by the prophets. We will give scriptural evidence for eight different subjects about Jesus birth. The list follows:

  1. The lineage (2 Sa. 7:11-12; Ps. 132:11; Is. 9:6; 16:5; Je. 23:5).
  2. The time (Da. 9:25).
  3. The place (Mi. 5:2).
  4. The miracle (Is. 7:14; Mt. 1:22,23).
  5. The forerunner (Mal. 3:1; Mt. 3:1-3).
  6. The flight to Egypt (Ho. 11:1; Mt. 2:15).
  7. The massacre of infants (Je. 31:15; Mt. 2:17,18).
  8. Dwelling in Nazareth (Is. 11:1; Mt. 2:23).

In 2 Sam 7: 4, 5 we see the prophet Nathan telling David this message from God: “4 And it came to pass that night, that the word of the Lord came unto Nathan, saying, 5 Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith the Lord, Shalt thou build me an house for me to dwell in? A discussion follows and Nathan then says: “11 And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also the Lord telleth thee that he will make thee an house. 12 And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.” Look up the other scriptures to see other information that was given by the prophets.

Many of these subjects were stated in the Old Testament and then repeated again in the New Testament. See the subjects in 4 through 8 and read what the Old Testament said and how it was repeated again in the New Testament. How many times do prophecies have to be repeated before people begin to believe that the Bible is God’s Word and is true through and through?

Topic four: Jesus Christ-Fulfilled Old Testament Prophecy (Part 3)

In the topic four post 1, we stated that Jesus fulfilled 40 plus prophecies. In topic four post 2 we gave eight prophecy areas about Jesus’ birth and that it was foretold by the prophets. When you read the Old Testament verses and where listed, the corresponding New Testament verses, you see that there is a definitive link between the Old Testament prophecies and the New Testament verses that relate to them. We will see the same process repeated again as we look at Jesus’ life and what the Old Testament said about him.

The prophets again foretold certain things about Jesus’ life. Here we will see scriptural evidence for five different subject areas about Jesus life. The list follows with the Old Testament verses. His life was foretold:

  1. His preaching (Is. 61:1).
  2. His healing ministry (Is. 61:1).
  3. His wonderful words (Is. 50:4).
  4. His rejection by the Jewish nation (Is. 53:2-3).
  5. His entrance into Jerusalem (Zec. 9:9).

Read the two verses written by Isaiah about Jesus. (Is. 61:1; 50:4) Even though written by Isaiah, the Jewish teachers and Rabbi’s knew they were prophecy about the coming Messiah. The Jewish leaders were aware that Messiah would come and what things he would do. The prophet Zechariah (9:9) had even described his entry into Jerusalem as a King; we celebrate Palm Sunday in memory of Jesus entry into Jerusalem before he went to the cross. John tells us about this event and how the crowds welcomed him as a king. (John 12:13-15) The above list is only a few items mentioned specifically about his life and ministry, but does not include any from the Psalms.

Topic four: Jesus Christ-Fulfilled Old Testament Prophecy (Part 4)

So far in this topic four we have shown prophecies about Jesus’ birth, his life, and now we will cover specific prophecies about his death. The list will give about 14 or 15 specific items about the death of Jesus’. In this list, there are Old Testament verses and many will be followed by the corresponding New Testament references that show that they were fulfilled.

His death was foretold:

  1. His betrayal by a friend (Ps. 41:9; Mt. 26:14-36,47-49).
  2. Forsaken by his disciples (Zec. 13:7; Mt. 26:31,56).
  3. Perverted justice (Is. 53:7-8; Mt. 26:57-60; 27:11-14).
  4. The crucifixion (Ps. 22:14-16; Jn. 19:16-18).
  5. Thirst (Ps. 22:15; Jn. 19:28).
  6. Vinegar to drink (Ps. 69:21; Mt. 27:34,48; Jn. 19:28-30).
  7. The words on the cross (Ps. 22:1; Mt. 27:46).
  8. The mocking crowd (Ps. 22:6-8; Mt. 27:39,41-43).
  9. The people sitting and staring (Ps. 22:17; Mt. 27:36).
  10. Soldiers casting lots for His garments (Ps. 22:18; Mt. 27:35).
  11. His vicarious suffering (Is. 53:5-6; He. 9:28).
  12. No bones broken (Ps. 34:20; Ex. 12:46; Nu. 9:12; Jn. 19:33-36).
  13. His burial in a rich man’s tomb (Is. 53:9; Mt. 27:57-60).
  14. His resurrection was foretold: (Ps. 16:10; Lk. 24:1-7).
  15. His ascension to heaven was foretold: (Ps. 110:1; Mk. 16:9, 14-19).

So far in this Topic 4, we have seen 8 subject areas with scriptures, 5 subject areas with their scriptures, and now this last part with these 15 subject areas. This gives us 28 subject areas with the supporting scriptures. This, however, is not yet a complete list. The next part will cover Jesus’ virgin birth and the supporting scriptures for it. We will see at the end of part 5 that more than 30 prophecies will have been listed. In the last section of Topic 4, we will see the evidence given in scripture for the deity of Christ.

Topic four: Jesus Christ-Fulfilled Old Testament Prophecy (Part 5)

The virgin birth: Fact or fiction?

In a post on 4/11, we made the following assertion: “The Bible is and must be inerrant. Why? God cannot make a statement and then violate His own statement.”  That said, would it make sense for God’s prophets to make a prophecy that was inaccurate? No! What will follow are Old Testament verses that tell about the Messiah’s virgin birth.

The Old Testament writers plainly state that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin. We see this promise in Isaiah 7:14. This verse says “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Again we see this confirmed in the New Testament verses recorded in Mt. 1:18-25 and Luke 1:26-38. The O.T. prophets were very precise in telling us that the Christ (Messiah) that was to be born of a virgin is also the eternal Son of God.

In Micah (5:2)we see him give us the very birthplace of Jesus as he says “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.” This even tells us that Jesus is “from old, from everlasting.” That means Jesus had no beginning but that his birth was the beginning of His incarnation as God made flesh. With the Is. 7:14 verse, we are told that the virgin born One is Emmanuel or “God with us.” We see this confirmed again and again in scripture. Therefore, the virgin birth of Jesus is a fact and borne out by God’s own words.

Topic four: Jesus Christ-Fulfilled Old Testament Prophecy (Part 6)

In Part 5, we see the O.T. Word of God establish that the Messiah would be born of a virgin. We also saw that reflected in the New Testament passages in Matthew and Luke. The New Testament also gives us the purpose of Jesus virgin birth.

Jesus Christ became a man so He could make atonement for man’s sin. Romans 5: 11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.  Mark 10: 45 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. Hebrews 2: 45 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. 1 John 3: 5 And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. These four verses tell us four things: 1) the atonement is available to sinful man, 2) He gave His life as a ransom (satisfied the offense), 3) He came to minister to us (sinful man), and 4) he had no sin but took our sins upon himself.

The word “atonement” means something done that satisfies an offense or injury. Man’s sin is an offense to a Holy God and must be reconciled to satisfy the injury to the Holiness of God. We see an explanation for this requirement in 1 Timothy 2: 5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 6 Who gave himself a ransom [atonement] for all, to be testified in due time. The innocent blood of Jesus Christ spilled on the cross was what atoned for (satisfied) the righteousness of a Holy God.

Topic four: Jesus Christ-Fulfilled Old Testament Prophecy (Part 7)

Not only did Jesus Christ come as a man so He could make atonement for man’s sin, He also came for several other reasons. The prophet Nathan passed on to King David a promise from God that his line would last forever. Psalm 110:4 is said to be a prophecy about the coming Messiah and his priesthood.

In addition, we see 5 things that Jesus Christ as the Messiah came to fulfill. Check out these verses to see what God’s Word says about how He fulfilled these scriptures:

  1. Christ became a man to inherit the Davidic covenant (Is. 9:6-7; Luke. 1:31-33; Ac. 2:29-30).
  2. To be an example to the saints (1 Peter. 2:21; 1 Jn. 2:6).
  3. To be our High Priest (He. 2:17; 3:1).
  4. To destroy the works of the devil (He. 2:14; 1 Jn. 3:8).
  5. To fulfill all the promises and prophecies of Scripture (Luke. 1:69-70).

To recap Topic 4, we have seen 8 subject areas with supporting scriptures, 5 subject areas with their scriptures, and the part about his death that gives us 15 subject areas and scriptures. We covered Jesus virgin birth and the verses that support it. With this part 7, we have now added another 5 verses that support how Jesus Christ came to fulfill prophecy. But, hold on, we are not finished yet as we will see in Topic five more about the deity of Christ.

Christ