Does the fulfilment of prophecy confirm that Jesus is the Messiah?
2 minute read:
Jesus said, in Matthew 5:17, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them.”
So is Jesus the Messiah, the promised deliverer of the Jewish nation prophesied in the Hebrew Bible? Excellent question. There are over 300 prophies in the Old Testament that point to Jesus. He fulfils all of them.
Maybe one of the most famous Messianic passages in the Old Testament is Isaiah 53. Just spend a moment reading this chapter, written nearly 700 years before Christ.
Here are just 12 prophecies that Jesus fulfilled:
| Prophecy | Old Testament Prophecies | New Testament Fulfilment |
|---|---|---|
| He would be born in Bethlehem | Micah 5:2 | Matthew 2:1-6 Luke 2:1-20 |
| He would be born of a virgin | Isaiah 7:14 | Matthew 1:18-25 Luke 1:26-38 |
| He would enter Jerusalem triumphantly, yet on a donkey | Zechariah 9:9 | Matthew 21:1-9 John 12: 12-16 |
| He would be rejected by his own people | Isaiah 53:1,3 | Matthew 26:3,4 John 12:37- 43 Acts 4: 1-12 |
| He would be betrayed by one of his followers | Psalm 118:22 Psalm 41:9 | Matthew 26: 14-16, 47-50 Luke 22:19-23 |
| He would be tried and condemned | Isaiah 53:8 | Matthew 27:1, 2 Luke 23: 1-25 |
| He would be silent before his accusers | Isaiah 53: 7 | Matthew 27: 12-14 Mark 15: 3,4 Luke 23: 8-10 |
| He would be hit and spat at by his enemies | Isaiah 53:6 | Matthew 26:67; 27:30 Mark 14:65 |
| He would be mocked and insulted | Psalm 22: 7,8 | Matthew 27: 39-44 Luke 23: 11, 35 |
| He would suffer with criminals and pray for his enemies | Isaiah 53: 12 | Matthew 27: 38 Mark 15: 27,28 Luke 23: 32-34 |
| He would die as a sacrifice for sin | Isaiah 53: 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12 | John 1:29; 11: 49-52 Acts 10:43; 13: 38, 39 |
| He would rise from the dead | Psalm 16:10 | Matthew 28:1-10 Acts 2:22-32 |
What are the chances?
The chances of a man just fulfilling 8 prophecies are just tiny. Really really tiny. To be precise 1 in 1017(100,000,000,000,000,000)*. Watch this 2 minute video:
*According to research carried out by Mathematics and Astronomy professor, Peter W Stoner. If you want more information on this, here’s a link to an article. It also lists over 300 references in the old testament to the Messiah, along with their New Testament fulfilment:
https://www.bibletimelines.net/articles/is-jesus-really-the-messiah