The Promise: A Messiah
One cannot fully understand who Jesus is without an appreciation of Jesus as the Messiah. The Old Testament prophesied of a coming Messiah (sometimes referred to by various names such as the Anointed One or the Holy One).
In fact, the whole topic of prophecy is an important aspect of the Bible. There are over 2000 accurately fulfilled prophecies or implications in the Bible, including some 300 about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Of all the prophecies of the Bible, amazingly, none have proven to be false. This is proof that the Bible is what it claims to be—the Word of God. Fulfilling 2000 prophecies without a single error could not have happened without divine origin. There is no other holy book from other religions like the Bible in this regard. The Bible stands out as a unique document in all of history.
Regarding the Messianic prophecies, as they are called, the Bible demonstrates that Jesus uniquely matches the person of the expected Messiah. Jesus often referred to himself as the fulfillment of these prophecies. And the early Christians made a big deal out of showing how Jesus was indeed the Messiah. Many passages of the New Testament refer back to passages in the Old Testament to demonstrate this.
Some of the Messianic prophecies are subtle, which has led skeptics to say that Christians could only have tied them to Jesus with the benefit of hindsight. Others, they say, were easy for Jesus to have acted on with foreknowledge to prove his Messiahship. But many of the prophecies are not at all subtle, and many are ones that Jesus could not have controlled, such as his genealogy, the actual town of his birthplace, or the method of his death.
Below is a short list of some of the Messianic prophecies from the Old Testament and the corresponding New Testament passages that demonstrate their fulfillment. For our purposes now, it is enough to just look through the list to get an idea of this important theme. But, to get extra credit in our study, look these up one by one. Yes, it will be a bit tedious but absolutely fascinating. It will be worth it if you will take the time!
In fact, the whole topic of prophecy is an important aspect of the Bible. There are over 2000 accurately fulfilled prophecies or implications in the Bible, including some 300 about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Of all the prophecies of the Bible, amazingly, none have proven to be false. This is proof that the Bible is what it claims to be—the Word of God. Fulfilling 2000 prophecies without a single error could not have happened without divine origin. There is no other holy book from other religions like the Bible in this regard. The Bible stands out as a unique document in all of history.
Regarding the Messianic prophecies, as they are called, the Bible demonstrates that Jesus uniquely matches the person of the expected Messiah. Jesus often referred to himself as the fulfillment of these prophecies. And the early Christians made a big deal out of showing how Jesus was indeed the Messiah. Many passages of the New Testament refer back to passages in the Old Testament to demonstrate this.
Some of the Messianic prophecies are subtle, which has led skeptics to say that Christians could only have tied them to Jesus with the benefit of hindsight. Others, they say, were easy for Jesus to have acted on with foreknowledge to prove his Messiahship. But many of the prophecies are not at all subtle, and many are ones that Jesus could not have controlled, such as his genealogy, the actual town of his birthplace, or the method of his death.
Below is a short list of some of the Messianic prophecies from the Old Testament and the corresponding New Testament passages that demonstrate their fulfillment. For our purposes now, it is enough to just look through the list to get an idea of this important theme. But, to get extra credit in our study, look these up one by one. Yes, it will be a bit tedious but absolutely fascinating. It will be worth it if you will take the time!
