Jesus Fulfills All Prophecies and Gives Us Hope

When times get dark and there are so many events to cause one to question God and His sovereignty in events, seeing how Jesus fulfilled all prophecies can give us hope. For God fulfilled ALL prophecies given about Jesus to microscopic detail. One scholar, J. Barton Payne, found as many as 574 verses in the Old Testament that somehow point to or describe or reference the coming Messiah. Alfred Edersheim found 456 Old Testament verses referring to the Messiah or His times. Many agree that the number of fulfilled prophecies is at least in the three hundreds.

Only God, over an expanse of time, through numerous prophets, could predict and fulfill exact details concerning the coming Messiah. Since His sovereignty was on point (no errors) with the First Coming of Jesus, there should be no doubt whatsoever that His power, authority, and control are operational in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

The events of this present time, leading up to Jesus’ Second Coming, should not cause our faith in God to waiver. Instead, our trust and faith should be fortified in a God who is beyond human explanation and comprehension. That is why He is God alone. Therefore, the events of the past, the events of today, and the events of tomorrow are not taking Him by surprise nor are they out of His control. Just because we do not understand or cannot see the outcome of events, does not mean that He too is clueless or blind.

If we would get our focus off of television and social media long enough to get into God’s Word and hold claim to His faithfulness in fulfilling His promises, our faith and hope would explode. Every fiery dart and lie of Satan would be quenched by the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We would not give into discouragement, depression, and fear. Instead, we would recall how God cannot lie and will accomplish His purposes in the world and in our own lives.

Luke 24:44 (NLT) records these words from Jesus: “Then he said, “When I was with you before, I told you that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.” The fact that God speaks and it comes to past, should strengthen our hope. Looking at the fulfilled prophecies of Jesus as Messiah is just one way to hold fast to the faithfulness of God.

So, take a moment to review these fulfillments and build your hope for the future. (I cannot recall the source of this information I found in some study notes.) Take note that the Old Testament verses are the prophecy; the New Testament verses proclaim the fulfillment.

• Born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:21-23)
• A descendant of Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3; 22:18; Matthew 1:1; Galatians 3:16)
• Of the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10; Luke 3:23, 33; Hebrews 7:14)
• Of the house of David (2 Samuel 7:12-16; Matthew 1:1)
• Born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2, Matthew 2:1; Luke 2:4-7)
• Taken to Egypt (Hosea 11:1; Matthew 2:14-15)
• Herod ́s killing of the infants (Jeremiah 31:15; Matthew 2:16-18)
• Anointed by the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 11:2; Matthew 3:16-17)
• Heralded by the messenger of the Lord (John the Baptist) (Isaiah 40:3-5; Malachi 3:1; Matthew 3:1-3)
• Would perform miracles (Isaiah 35:5-6; Matthew 9:35)
• Would preach good news (Isaiah 61:1; Luke 4:14-21)
• Would minister in Galilee (Isaiah 9:1; Matthew 4:12-16)
• Would cleanse the Temple (Malachi 3:1; Matthew 21:12-13)
• Would first present Himself as King 173,880 days from the decree to rebuild Jerusalem (Daniel 9:25; Matthew 21:4-11)
• Would enter Jerusalem as a king on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9; Matthew 21:4-9)
• Would be rejected by Jews (Psalm 118:22; I Peter 2:7)
• Would die a humiliating death (Psalm 22; Isaiah 53) involving:

1. rejection (Isaiah 53:3; John 1:10-11; 7:5,48)
2. betrayal by a friend (Psalm 41:9; Luke 22:3-4; John 13:18)
3. sold for 30 pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12; Matthew 26:14-15)
4. silence before His accusers (Isaiah 53:7; Matthew 27:12-14)
5. being mocked (Psalm 22: 7-8; Matthew 27:31)
6. beaten (Isaiah 52:14; Matthew 27:26)
7. spit upon (Isaiah 50:6; Matthew 27:30)
8. piercing His hands and feet (Psalm 22:16; Matthew 27:31)
9. being crucified with thieves (Isaiah 53:12; Matthew 27:3
10. praying for His persecutors (Isaiah 53:12; Luke 23:34)
11. piercing His side (Zechariah 12:10; John 19:34)
12. given gall and vinegar to drink (Psalm 69:21, Matthew 27:34, Luke 23:36)
13. no broken bones (Psalm 34:20; John 19:32-36)
14. buried in a rich man’s tomb (Isaiah 53:9; Matthew 27:57-60)
15. casting lots for His garments (Psalm 22:18; John 19:23-24)

• Would rise from the dead!! (Psalm 16:10; Mark 16:6; Acts 2:31)
• Would ascend into Heaven (Psalm 68:18; Acts 1:9)
• Would sit down at the righthand of God (Psalm 110:1; Hebrews 1:3)

What are the odds of every single one of these prophecies being fulfilled in one man during his lifetime? Historically this is impossible, but not with God. This sets Him apart from all others. That is why you must fight against Satan’s plot to make you doubt and pull away from God. It is not the time to question and doubt Him, but to draw ever closer to Him. He alone has sovereignty over all things, seen and unseen, for all times. He has displayed this in the prophesies of Jesus as Messiah. This is why you can fortify your faith and hope in these present times. Why not offer up a prayer of thanksgiving to Him, for His faithfulness endures to all generations. Finally, I would like to close with Hebrews 10:23-25:

“Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.”