The books of the Old Testament contain many passages about the Messiah--all prophecies Jesus Christ fulfilled. For instance, the crucifixion of Jesus was foretold in Psalm 22:16-18 approximately 1,000 years before Christ was born, long before this method of execution was even practiced. Some Bible scholars suggest there are more than 300 prophetic Scriptures completed in the life of Jesus. After the resurrection, preachers of the New Testament church began to declare officially that Jesus Christ was the Messiah by divine appointment (Acts 2:36)
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 1:1-4)
Although this list is not exhaustive, you'll find 44 messianic predictions clearly fulfilled in Jesus Christ, along with supporting references from the Old and New Testament.
| Number | Prophecies about Jesus | OT Prophecy | NT Fulfillment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Messiah would be born of a woman. | Genesis 3:15 | Matthew 1:20 - Galatians 4:4 |
| 2 | Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. | Micah 5:2 | Matthew 2:1 - Luke 2:4-6 |
| 3 | Messiah would be born of a virgin. | Isaiah 7:14 | Matthew 1:22-23 - Luke 1:26-31 |
| 4 | Messiah would come from the line of Abraham. | Genesis 12:3 - Genesis 22:18 | Matthew 1:1 - Romans 9:5 |
| 5 | Messiah would be a descendant of Isaac. | Genesis 17:19 - Genesis 21:12 | Luke 3:34 |
| 6 | Messiah would be a descendant of Jacob. | Numbers 24:17 | Matthew 1:2 |
| 7 | Messiah would come from the tribe of Judah. | Genesis 49:10 | Luke 3:33 - Hebrews 7:14 |
| 8 | Messiah would be heir to King David's throne. | 2 Samuel 7:12-13 - Isaiah 9:7 | Luke 1:32-33 - Romans 1:3 |
| 9 | Messiah's throne will be anointed and eternal. | Psalm 45:6-7 - Daniel 2:44 | Luke 1:33 - Hebrews 1:8-12 |
| 10 | Messiah would be called Immanuel. | Isaiah 7:14 | Matthew 1:23 |
| 11 | Messiah would spend a season in Egypt. | Hosea 11:1 | Matthew 2:14-15 |
| 12 | A massacre of children would happen at Messiah's birthplace. | Jeremiah 31:15 | Matthew 2:16-18 |
| 13 | A messenger would prepare the way for Messiah | Isaiah 40:3-5 | Luke 3:3-6 |
| 14 | Messiah would be rejected by his own people. | Psalm 69:8 - Isaiah 53:3 | John 1:11 - John 7:5 |
| 15 | Messiah would be a prophet. | Deuteronomy 18:15 | Acts 3:20-22 |
| 16 | Messiah would be preceded by Elijah. | Malachi 4:5-6 | Matthew 11:13-14 |
| 17 | Messiah would be declared the Son of God. | Psalm 2:7 | Matthew 3:16-17 |
| 18 | Messiah would be called a Nazarene. | Isaiah 11:1 | Matthew 2:23 |
| 19 | Messiah would bring light to Galilee. | Isaiah 9:1-2 | Matthew 4:13-16 |
| 20 | Messiah would speak in parables. | Psalm 78:2-4 - Isaiah 6:9-10 | Matthew 13:10-15, 34-35 |
| 21 | Messiah would be sent to heal the brokenhearted. | Isaiah 61:1-2 | Luke 4:18-19 |
| 22 | Messiah would be a priest after the order of Melchizedek. | Psalm 110:4 | Hebrews 5:5-6 |
| 23 | Messiah would be called King. | Psalm 2:6 - Zechariah 9:9 | Matthew 27:37 - Mark 11:7-11 |
| 24 | Messiah would be praised by little children. | Psalm 8:2 | Matthew 21:16 |
| 25 | Messiah would be betrayed. | Psalm 41:9 - Zechariah 11:12-13 | Luke 22:47-48 - Matthew 26:14-16 |
| 26 | Messiah's price money would be used to buy a potter's field. | Zechariah 11:12-13 | Matthew 27:9-10 |
| 27 | Messiah would be falsely accused. | Psalm 35:11 | Mark 14:57-58 |
| 28 | Messiah would be silent before his accusers. | Isaiah 53:7 | Mark 15:4-5 |
| 29 | Messiah would be spat upon and struck. | Isaiah 50:6 | Matthew 26:67 |
| 30 | Messiah would be hated without cause. | Psalm 35:19 - Psalm 69:4 | John 15:24-25 |
| 31 | Messiah would be crucified with criminals. | Isaiah 53:12 | Matthew 27:38 - Mark 15:27-28 |
| 32 | Messiah would be given vinegar to drink. | Psalm 69:21 | Matthew 27:34 - John 19:28-30 |
| 33 | Messiah's hands and feet would be pierced. | Psalm 22:16 - Zechariah 12:10 | John 20:25-27 |
| 34 | Messiah would be mocked and ridiculed. | Psalm 22:7-8 | Luke 23:35 |
| 35 | Soldiers would gamble for Messiah's garments. | Psalm 22:18 | Luke 23:34 - Matthew 27:35-36 |
| 36 | Messiah's bones would not be broken. | Exodus 12:46 - Psalm 34:20 | John 19:33-36 |
| 37 | Messiah would be forsaken by God. | Psalm 22:1 | Matthew 27:46 |
| 38 | Messiah would pray for his enemies. | Psalm 109:4 | Luke 23:34 |
| 39 | Soldiers would pierce Messiah's side. | Zechariah 12:10 | John 19:34 |
| 40 | Messiah would be buried with the rich. | Isaiah 53:9 | Matthew 27:57-60 |
| 41 | Messiah would resurrect from the dead. | Psalm 16:10 - Psalm 49:15 | Matthew 28:2-7 - Acts 2:22-32 |
| 42 | Messiah would ascend to heaven. | Psalm 24:7-10 | Mark 16:19 - Luke 24:51 |
| 43 | Messiah would be seated at God's right hand. | Psalm 68:18 - Psalm 110:1 | Mark 16:19 - Matthew 22:44 |
| 44 | Messiah would be a sacrifice for sin. | Isaiah 53:5-12 | Romans 5:6-8 |
The word "atonement" occurs frequently in the Old Testament (OT) and represents a key concept of OT theology. As the 44 revelations above assure us all that Yeshua is the fulfillment of the OT prophecy, especially the human need for forgiveness of sins. But what is atonement, and what does Jesus have to do with it?
Many theologians think atonement in the OT originated with the Mosaic law, but in reality humans recognized their need for atonement long before the time of Moses. When Adam and Eve committed the first sin, they hid from God because they were ashamed (Gen 3:8-9). Now why would our Father ask them where they were? Was it because they were no longer sinless as He is and so their countance changed? Rather than giving them up as hopeless, God initiated a plan of atonement whereby the ruptured fellowship between Himself and humanity could be restored. Our English word "atonement" (at-one-ment) explains well the theology behind such restoration, for it suggests that God and humanity can relationally be "at one" again.
How does atonement work? The first indirect OT reference to atonement occurs when God provided animal skins to cover Adam and Eve's nakedness, an act necessitating the death of a sinless animal and hence the shedding of its blood on their behalf (Gen 3:21). This introduces a theme that runs throughout the Bible-- atonement involves an innocent party taking the punishment that was due to a guilty party (shedding of blood).
The Hebrew word translated "atonement" is kaphar, meaning "to cover." This suggests through the act of atonement sin is covered so that God no longer sees it. Yom Kippur is the annual celebration of the "Day of Atonement" where the Israelite high priest sacrificed and made atonement for the sins of Israel. Throughout the OT the covering is achieved, ostensibly at least, with the blood of an innocent animal whose innocence renders the repentant sinner innocent as well (Lev 1:4-5; 17:11). The New Testament term hilasterion, "propitiation," continues this OT concept, again in contexts of blood sacrifice (Rom 3:25).
What does any of this have to do with Jesus? While animals served as provisional sacrifices for human sins during the OT era, they could not ultimately atone for humans (Heb 4:10) especially since the Temple was destroyed in 70 AD. Humanity needed one of their own, one who knew no sin, to stand in and take the punishment that is due to all sinners.
Genesis 3:15 gives the first prophetic glimpse at God's final solution to this need and hints at the central role Jesus plays in that solution. Speaking ultimately of Jesus and His role in redemption, it asserts that the seed of the woman would be crushed, but that He would in turn crush the head of the serpent (the Devil), achieving victory over sin and death. The crushing mentioned here is reminiscent of the crushing experienced by the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 52:13-53:12, a passage that has atonement as its central theme.
Jesus Christ is both the subject and fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy. In the events that unfolded during His trial, crucifixion, and resurrection, Jesus was the Suffering Servant on our behalf. Though innocent of all sin, Jesus stood in our place to take our punishment, shedding His blood to atone for us. "He entered the most holy place once for all, not by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption" (Heb 9:12). "By the sacrifice of Himself" (Heb 9:26) Jesus satisfied God's wrath against sin.
That OT atonement finds its culmination in Jesus Christ is put beyond question by John the Baptist who, seeing Jesus, proclaimed, "Here is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (Jon 1:29).
All our sins are spiritual debts. Everyone except Jesus sinned, is sinning, and will sin. Since He was the only one who was not a spiritual debtor (sinner) this enabled him to pay our spiritual debts for us. Atonement was part of a Master Plan.
In our premortal life, the plan for this earth life was presented in a Grand Council in heaven. The plan required a Savior. Otherwise, our sins would make us unworthy to return and live with our Heavenly Father after death. Two spirits presented themselves to be our Savior: Jesus and Lucifer. Heavenly Father chose Jesus as our Savior. In anger, Lucifer rebelled and was cast out of heaven along with his followers. This amounted to one third of all the spirits in heaven. From this time on, Jesus prepared to be our Savior. Everything he did was part of Heavenly Father's master plan for us to be able to be resurrected and live with Him once again.
Becoming mortal and living on this earth resulted in two things:After permitting himself to die on the cross, Jesus Christ remained in the tomb for three days. During the time his spirit was separated from his body, he was actively engaged in his Heavenly Father's work in the spirit world. His suffering for our sins made it possible for all people, dead or alive, to repent of their sins and be forgiven. While in the spirit world, Jesus Christ organized the resources in the spirit world for missionary work. This allowed those who had already died to hear the gospel, repent, be baptized and be forgiven. At the end of the three days, he returned to his body on earth and was resurrected. This uniting again of spirit and body completed the Atonement, making it possible for everyone to be resurrected.
He Gave Us Two Gifts:This is Christ's condition for his paying for our spiritual debts (sins). Not everyone will receive this gift. Some will return or reject this gift, even though it is available to everyone.
No one should escape the consequences of their sins. Under Heavenly Father's plan and the gift of Jesus Christ's Atonement no one does. Justice is satisfied because someone paid for all sins. Mercy is extended to us because Jesus Christ suffered for us so we would not have to suffer. If we accept the terms on which his mercy was extended, He will extend mercy to us.