There are a great number of Old Testament prophecies fulfilled in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God. In fact, there are more than three hundred Old Testament prophecies fulfilled by Christ and the church in the New Testament. This short paper will focus on two areas of Old Testament prophecy: the lineage of Jesus and the circumstances of His death, burial, and resurrection.

Prophecies regarding Christ's lineage.

To begin, let us examine the prophecies that concern the lineage of Christ. The first messianic promise is found in Genesis 3:15 and states that the Messiah would descend from the seed of woman and is further emphasized in Isaiah 7:14. The virgin conception of Jesus fulfilled both of these prophecies.¹ This also corresponds to the prophetic promise given to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3; 22:18, wherein God promised to bless all families and nations of the Earth through him. This promise was subsequently extended to Isaac in Genesis 26:4, and then to Jacob in Genesis 28:14. According to Galatians 3:16-19, Jesus is the fulfillment of all of these promises.

Another prophecy concerning Jesus’ lineage is found in the blessing given to Judah in Genesis 49:8-10, stating that the “scepter shall not depart from Judah… until Shiloh comes.” Shiloh is a reference to the Messiah, prophesying that He would come from the tribe of Judah. The genealogies of Jesus found in Matthew 1:1-16 and in Luke 3:23-38 show that Jesus came from the tribe of Judah. Hebrews 7:14 and Revelation 5:5 further support this.

In addition to the lineage from Judah, additional prophecies narrow the focus to David’s royal line and the kingdom that would be established through his descendants. The “throne” promise given to David in 2 Samuel 7:12-13 prophesied that one of his descendants would have a kingdom established and also a throne established forever. This promise and prophecy is reflected in that prophecy which was given in Daniel 2:44, that “in the days of these kings [i.e. the Roman Empire, JWM] the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed… it shall stand forever…” Jesus, the son of David, was born during the reign of Rome and did establish the kingdom of God, the church. The eternal kingdom of God came into fruition in the first century, as promised to the apostles in Luke 9:27, in which Jesus stated that some of them would live to see the kingdom established. The church is this kingdom on earth² and one day it will be delivered up to heaven for eternity.³

Prophecies Concerning the Life and Death of Christ

Having established the prophetic foundation of Jesus’ lineage, we now turn to examine prophecies concerning key events in His life, including His ministry, death, burial, and resurrection. These prophecies, more than anything else, focus on the redemption brought about through Christ.

Isaiah 42:1 introduces in prophecy the one called “My Servant… my Elect One in whom My soul delights…” referring to the coming Christ, stating that “He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.” This prophesies that Christ would bring salvation to all people, reflective of the Abrahamic seed promises. The preaching work of Christ is prophesied in Isaiah 61:1-2. His ministry would be to “preach good tidings… heal the brokenhearted… proclaim liberty… to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.” Jesus in His preaching ministry in Nazareth and Galilee fulfilled this prophecy as Jesus stated in the synagogue at Nazareth: "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."⁴

Aside from His public ministry, the Old Testament also foretold in great detail the suffering He would endure, especially in the book of Isaiah. There are several prophecies concerning the Suffering Servant found in Isaiah 53. For instance, Isaiah 53:2, depicts the circumstances of His birth and upbringing by foretelling that the Messiah would come forth as a “root out of a dry ground” with “no beauty that we should desire Him.” In this, the prophet predicted the humble circumstances of His life. Jesus was born into a very poor family as indicated by the type of sacrifice offered in accordance with His birth. The fact that His parents offered up “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons”⁵ indicates their lowly financial standing as such an offering could be made if the family were not financially able to provide the required sacrifice of a lamb.⁶

Isaiah 53:3–4 foretells the rejection Christ would suffer from His own people. The gospel clearly states that Jesus was, in fact, rejected by His own people.⁷ Isaiah 53:7-8 predicts His unlawful arrest and mock trial, as well as His silence in the face of these injustices. This was fulfilled in the various trials Jesus was subjected to, first by the High Priest and then by Herod and Pilate, where Jesus “answered nothing.”^8.

Isaiah 53:4-6 prophesied that the Christ would be “wounded for our transgressions… bruised for our iniquities…” and that the LORD would lay our sins upon Him. This suffering of the Servant was also predicted in Isaiah 52:13-15 where, “His visage” would be “marred more than any man…” and He would “sprinkle many nations…” Isaiah 53:10-12 also indicated that His suffering and death would “justify many” and would be “intercession for the transgressors.” Jesus’ death on the cross fulfilled this prophecy as indicated by Peter in 1 Peter 2:24 and reflected in Hebrews 7:25.

Isaiah 53:9 foretells that His grave would be made “with the wicked” and “with the rich at His death.” Jesus’ crucifixion between two robbers⁹ and His subsequent burial in the new tomb belonging to “a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph”¹⁰ fulfilled this prophecy. The resurrection of Christ was foretold in Psalm 16:8-11, where it states, “For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.” The apostle Peter in Acts 2:25-28 used this passage to affirm that the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus is a direct fulfillment of this prophecy, thereby proving Him to be the Messiah!

Much like Isaiah 53, the words of Psalm 22 presage many of the circumstances transpiring at the crucifixion of Jesus. Jesus even recited the first line of this Psalm when He, “cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?’ that is, ‘my God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?’"¹¹ Psalm 22 predicts the ridicule Christ endured at the cross (Psalm 22:6-8; Matthew 27:41-44), the piercing of His hands and feet (Psalm 22:16; John 20:25), and the dividing of His garments and the casting of lots over them. (Psalm 22:18; Matthew 27:35)

Conclusion

While the examples provided represent only a small portion of the prophecies concerning the Messiah, they are sufficient to prove that Jesus is the Christ, the promised Messiah, and Savior of mankind!

Bibliography

The Holy Bible: New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.

1. Matthew 1:20–23; Luke 1:31–33, NKJV.

2. Colossians 1:13, NKJV.

3. 1 Corinthians 15:24, NKJV.

4. Luke 4:21, NKJV.

5. Luke 2:22–24, NKJV.

6. Leviticus 12:6–8, NKJV.

7. John 1:11; 6:66; 19:5–16, NKJV.

8. Matthew 26–27; 27:12, 14; 1 Peter 2:21–23, NKJV.

9. Matthew 27:38, NKJV.

10. Matthew 27:57–60, NKJV.

11. Matthew 27:46, NKJV.