Prophecy of Christ In The Old Testament

Click For Audio Version

Prophecy of Christ In The Old Testament

I encourage everyone to study the prophecy of Christ in the Old Testament. Hundreds of prophecies about the coming Messiah are spread over thousands of years and delivered through different Prophets.

We see an amazing story of how a loving God prepares the way to send His Son into the world. He creates a nation to carry His Holy Teachings to the world. He raises nations and takes down nations with one goal: to prepare the world for the coming of His Son as Savior.

Then God sent Jesus into the world to fulfill every prophecy. I hope as you read and study, you are convinced that no one but Jesus could fulfill them.

Jesus fulfilled them all.

There are more than 300 prophecies related to the Messiah. In this short article, we will only talk about a few things related to His birth. However, Jesus proved He was the Messiah by fulfilling all of them.

God told the Prophets how, when, and where the Messiah would be born. They even tell us that He will go to Egypt to avoid being killed by Herod, and return to live in Nazareth.

Genesis tells how Satan tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden. It also tells us of Jesus’s victory over Satan.

¹⁵ And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her Seed;
He shall bruise your head,
And you shall bruise His heel.” Genesis 3:15 NKJV

The first dated prophecy

Around 1450 years before Jesus’ birth. God instructs Moses to write, ¹⁸ I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him. Deuteronomy 18:18 NKJV

The Jewish people had Scriptures telling of Jesus’ birth from 500 to 700 years before the event. They detailed the exact date and place.

The Jewish leaders had no excuse for not accepting Jesus.

They were able to tell the Magi where the King was to be born from the Scriptures. Sadly, those whom God had entrusted with the prophecies were not the first to go to Bethlehem.

But keep this in mind!

God promised Abraham that his seed would bless the world. This promise of the coming King was made before Isaac was born around 2000 BC. From 2000 BC up to 400 BC God gave many Prophets words to speak about the coming Messiah.

Prophecies told where Jesus was to be born, and where and how He was to die. They even told that one of His own would betray Him for 30 pieces of silver and what it would be used for.

Scripture tells us that his clothes would be gambled for at His death and when He would rise from the dead.

Prophecy of Christ in the Old Testament

Jesus’ history is unique. No one else had their coming proclaimed even 100 years before it happened. I can not find a record of anyone’s birth being prophesied even 10 years before. It seems that most births are announced 9 months or less before birth.

The Messiah’s birth was announced by the Prophets of God over 2000 years before it happened. It was repeated by many of God’s prophets until  400 years before His birth. We call these 400 years, the silent years while people waited on the coming Savior.

Malachi records the last prophecy of the coming of the Lord and John the Baptist or (Elijah). It reads, Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.  Malachi 4:5 NKJV

What are the odds?

We live by faith, but it is nice to see evidence of what we believe. We have massive proof when we look at the prophecy of Christ in the Old Testament. The odds of someone fulfilling 324 prophecies are astronomical.

A noted mathematician named Peter Stoner figured the probability of one person fulfilling even 7 of the 324 prophecies was massive.

Amazon carries his book, “Science Speaks” by Peter W. Stoner, if you would like to expand your study of prophecies about Jesus.

The following is one example I read, and I believe that it was Stoner who gave it.

“Suppose you covered the state of Texas with silver dollars several layers deep, marked one special, and mixed them all up. It would be impossible for one person to find that specially marked one.”

It would be just as impossible for Jesus to fulfill even seven of the 324 prophecies related to His birth. Yet Jesus not only fulfilled 7 but all 324.

In this study, we will only look at a few prophecies related to His birth.

Can a virgin have a child?

In 760 BC, God’s prophet, Isaiah, tells us in Isa 7:14 NJKV. “¹⁴ Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel,”

The virgin birth is a sign for us. No one else will be born this way. We are told that the child will be a male and that He will be called  Immanuel.

Immanuel means ‘God with us’ or ‘Messiah.’

Israel hoped and prayed for the Messiah to come. Many faithful Jews are still looking for His coming.

Many of us rejoice that He came to save us. However, many are still waiting for the fulfillment of this prophecy.

We celebrate Christmas.

There are many prophecies of Christ in the Old Testament, but for some reason, this one draws our hearts and souls closer to God.

Isaiah told us about God’s plan, and hundreds of years later, Matthew tells of the fulfillment. In Matthew 1:18 KNJVhe says, ‘¹⁸ Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit’.

Think about this for a minute. Jesus, who took part in creating everything, chose to be born in human form. He gave up His glory in Heaven for you and me. God loved us enough to send His Son to pay the price for our sins.

And look at Mary! How special is she? God knew her heart. When He came to her, He knew that she would be willing.

Mary knew the social cost would be great. Her husband-to-be could have had her stoned. The community would look down on her as a fallen woman.

However, God did not abandon her, He sent an angel to speak to Joseph so he did not put her away but took her as his wife.

You know the story

Every Christmas we tell the story of Mary. We tend to elevate her. Mary was not perfect any more than any of us are. However, she sought God and desired to please Him.

Because she wanted to please God, she lived her life accordingly.  In Luke 1:30 it says that “she found favor with God.” Perhaps, she may have been very much like you. She was trying to do all God required of an Israelite.

One thing that set her apart was that she was willing to serve as God regardless of the cost.

God uses ordinary people to do His work. Are you willing to be used by God? He will use you if you are willing.

Mary said yes to God’s angel, and God did the rest.

You and I need to practice saying ‘yes,’ to God. Likewise, we need to learn to say ‘no’ to sin.

Did you know?

God chose to tell Micah 700 years before Jesus’ birth where the Messiah would be born. He was a minor prophet during the Assyrian rule of Israel. However, God blessed him with information about where Jesus would be born.

Israel’s new ruler would be everlasting but born in the flesh.

He would not be born in a palace in Jerusalem but would come from a humbler abode.

Bethlehem in Judah is, of course, the place.

2″But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
Though you are little among the thousands of Judah,
Yet out of you shall come forth to Me
The One to be Ruler in Israel,
Whose goings forth are from of old,
From everlasting.” Micah 5:2 NKJV

Birth as prophesied 700 years before.

Micah tells us where and Luke tells us God fulfilled the prophecy.

⁴ Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, ⁵ to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. ⁶ So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. Luke 2:4-6 NKJV

Prophecy told where it was to happen, and Luke told us it happened where Micah said it would.

The prophecy of Christ in the Old Testament even tells us when He would be born.

Daniel foretold the birth of Jesus 600 years in advance. He lived in Babylon under Assyrian rule. While there, God gave him a vision of when Jesus would be born.

Everyone wants to know when a baby will be born so they can send out invitations. God did not tell the exact date, but he did make it very clear when to look for the event.

Daniel was given this prophecy around 607 during the first year of Darius’s rule of the Babylonian kingdom.

He gave Daniel a precise timetable starting when Darius gave the command to restore Jerusalem.

From this point, the prophetic clock started ticking.

“Know therefore and understand,
That from the going forth of the command
To restore and build Jerusalem
Until Messiah the Prince,
There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks;
The street shall be built again, and the wall,
Even in troublesome times. Dan 9:25 NKJV

I love it when the Bible gives such detailed information. This date can be checked with historical facts.

The seven weeks and sixty-two weeks or 69 weeks are understood as prophetic years. The 69 weeks are computed based on the 360-day year or a prophetic year, also known as the Chaldee year.

So did Jesus show up on time?

It is no surprise that Jesus was born in the year prophesied. So we have the starting point and the apostle’s account of how it took place.

It was 476 years after the command to restore and build Jerusalem that Caesar Augustus gave a decree for a census. Scripture points out that it took place while Quirinius was governing Syria.

Luke, the physician, tells us, “2 And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. ² This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria.” Luke 2:1-2 NKJV

You may not have known the precise year Jesus’ birth was prophesied. However, you know the Christmas story.  Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem to register. The inns were full, and they only found a stable for the birth of Jesus.

This is how Luke tells it, ⁴ Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, ⁵ to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. ⁶ So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. Luke 2:4-6 NIJV

The coming of the Magi sets the stage for the fulfillment of another prophecy.

Matthew reports it in Matthew 2:1-2.  Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, ² saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” NKJV

We know little about the Magi. However, we are told that they followed His star.

Traveling back in time is not possible, but a representation of what the stars were doing 500, 1000, or thousands of years past is now possible. If you are interested you can visit bethlehemstar.com to see a wonderful presentation of how far we have come in studying the solar system.

What we do know is that their coming was the catalyst for the fulfillment of another Old Testament prophecy.

Massacre of the Innocents prophesied

It would be nice if all examples of Christ in prophecy made you feel good. However, God’s Word tells it realistically.

Satan wants to stop Jesus the Messiah and will try everything he can to defeat God’s plan.

One of God’s prophets, Jeremiah, made the following prophecy. Most Bible scholars believe it tells of the coming slaughter of the children in Bethlehem and the surrounding region. Ramah is a town on the way to Bethlehem.

¹⁵ Thus says the Lord: “A voice was heard in Ramah,
Lamentation and bitter weeping,
Rachel weeping for her children,
Refusing to be comforted for her children,
Because they are no more.” Jer 31:15 NKJV  629 BC

This prophecy in Jeremiah, cited in Matthew 2:17-18, relates to the Babylonian captivity. During the invasion of Judea, they murdered the male children. The Jews considered Rachel the mother figure of the nation Israel. Her tomb is near Bethlehem  (Genesis 35:19)

Scripture tells us of Herod’s part in this horrible event.

When the wise men got to Jerusalem, they went to the palace to ask about the new king. They expected Jesus to be born in a palace. When they didn’t find Him, they asked Herod.

Herod asked the priests and scholars of the Scriptures about the coming King and where He would be born. He passed the information to the Magi so they could find the new King.

Herod instructed the Magi to report back to him so he could also go and worship the new King. Herod’s interest was only in any new claim to the throne. Just like today, evil men seek to stay in power by any means they can use.

Matthew tells us in Mat 2:16 NKJV, ¹⁶ Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.

Our final prophecy of Christ in the Old Testament is from Hosea.

About 785 years before the birth of Jesus, God says in Hosea 11:1 NKJV, “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son.

We find Jesus going to Egypt in the following Scripture of Matthew 2:13-15 NKJV. It starts after the wise men left Israel without going back to tell Herod what they had found.

Then God sends an angel to warn Joseph in a dream.

¹³ Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.”

¹⁴ When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, ¹⁵ and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”

Conclusion:

These are only a few of the Scriptures fulfilled relating to Christ in prophecy. Many more confirm that Jesus is the Messiah, and we will cover some of them in the following article entitled, Christ in Ministry.

Note: The following articles will tell you more about Jesus Christ. Just click on the title you are interested in, Christ In Creation, Christ In Prophecy, Christ In Ministry, Christ In Sacrifice, Christ In History, and Christ In Revelation.

The last three I am still working on for later release.

Please leave a comment. Thank You!