The life and ministry of Jesus Christ is foretold throughout Old Testament Scripture, proving He is the promised Messiah.
The prophecies of the life and work of Christ fulfilled in Jesus
One sure way to know if Jesus is the promised Messiah is to compare His life to what the prophets of old foretold about Him and His ministry. God assures us that He “does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7).
But, how do we know if the message came to us through a true prophet or false prophet? We are told, “Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God” (1 John 4:1). “If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously, so do not be alarmed” (Deuteronomy 18:22).
The following prophesies have been fulfilled as recorded in sacred Scriptures. They portray the life and work of the most unique man in all of history. Only God could accomplish this. “For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21).
The Purpose of Jesus Life and Ministry Foretold
There is an invisible war going on between the forces of good and evil. This will last until the “times of the Gentiles” are fulfilled. In his revelation, John wrote: “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:3-4).
Table 1: Jesus came to save sinners and put an end to sin
| Prophecy | Fulfillment |
|---|---|
| He will crush your head. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” (Genesis 3:15) | Christ’s ministry will destroy the devil’s work. The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work (1 John 3:8) |
| Sacrifices and offering you did not desire. Sacrifice and offering you did not desire— but my ears you have opened— burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require (Psalm 40:6). (See Psalm 40:6-8.) | Jesus would become the perfect sacrifice. First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—though they were offered in accordance with the law. Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second (Hebrews 10:8-9). See Hebrews 10:5-10. |
| To put an end to sin. “Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place (Daniel 9:24). | The Messiah will bring an end to sin. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, (Galatians 1:3-4) |
Jesus Blameless and Humble Life Foretold
Jesus had to be sinless to offer Himself as a substitutionary sacrifice for sin. In the Jewish sacrificial system, animals that were sacrificed had to be ones without blemish. However, the blood of animals could never make perfect those who drew near to worship. It could only sanctify those who were ceremonially unclean so they would be outwardly clean. Those sacrifices were an annual reminder of sin. But the blood of the unblemished, sinless Christ cleanses the conscious from acts that lead to death so that we may serve the living God. (See Hebrews 9:13-14, 10:3.)
Jesus had to be both God and man in one person. He had to become a man to redeem mankind. Jesus had to have a body in order to pay the penalty for sin (Hebrews 10:1-18). Without the shedding of blood there is no removal of sin. And as God, Jesus has always existed. So, he had to humble and lower Himself to take on humanity and sacrifice Himself on a cross. (See Philippians 2:5-11.)
Table 2: Jesus will live and serve in a Godly way
| Prophecy | Fulfillment |
|---|---|
| Without defect. The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats (Exodus 12:5). | Jesus will have a sinless, blemish-free life. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! (Hebrews 9:14) |
| You made them lower than the angels. You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet (Psalm 8:5-6) | Jesus will be humbled in order to serve mankind. But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone (Hebrews 2:9). (See Hebrews 2:5-9). |
The Forerunner of Christ’s Ministry Foretold
John the Baptist was the forerunner of Jesus Christ. He was a moral reformer and he preached a messianic hope. Both John and Jesus were were announced, set apart, and named by the angel Gabriel even before their birth.
Table 3: John the Baptist is the forerunner of the Messiah
| Prophecy | Fulfillment |
|---|---|
| A voice calling: prepare the way for the Lord. A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain (Isaiah 40:3-4). | The Messiah is preceded by a forerunner. John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord’” (John 1:23). |
| I will send Elijah to you. “See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction” (Malachi 4:5-6). | Christ’s forerunner comes in the spirit of Elijah. This is the one about whom it is written: “‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’ … And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. Whoever has ears, let them hear (Matthew 11:10,14). |
Christ’s Place of Ministry Foretold
A large portion of the ministry of Jesus took place in Galilee. This precise prophecy alone gives incredible evidence that Jesus is the promised Messiah.
Table 4: Christ’s ministry in Galilee
| Prophesy | Fulfillment |
|---|---|
| He will honor Galilee. Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan— The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned (Isaiah 9:1-2). | Christ’s ministry would begin in Galilee. When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee. Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah: … (Matthew 4:12-14) (See also Matthew 4:15-17) |
Jesus’ Ministry of Preaching and Teaching Foretold
The crowds that followed Jesus throughout His ministry were “… amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law (Matthew 7:28-29).
Table 5: Jesus would preach repentance and proclaim good new
| Prophecy | Fulfillment |
|---|---|
| I do not seal my lips. I proclaim your saving acts in the great assembly; I do not seal my lips, Lord, as you know (Psalm 40:9) | Jesus would preach repentance. From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near” (Matthew 4:17). |
| I will open my mouth with a parable. My people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth with a parable; I will utter hidden things, things from of old (Psalm 78:1-2) | Jesus would teach in parables. Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: “I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world” (Matthew 13:34-35). |
| The Lord anointed me to proclaim good news. The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners (Isaiah 61:1) | Jesus would proclaim the good news. “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” … He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:16-19,21) |
The Miraculous Ministry of Jesus Foretold
Jesus backed up His claims to be God’s Son by performing miracles to show He had the power of God. He told the unbelieving Jews, “Do not believe me unless I do what the Father does. But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father (John 10:37-38).
Table 6: Jesus would have a miraculous ministry
| Prophecy | Fulfillment |
|---|---|
| The eyes of the blind opened… Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. 6 Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert (Isaiah 35:5-6) | Jesus would have a miraculous ministry. When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me” (Matthew 11:2-6). |
The Hardness of the Hearts of Those Who Heard Jesus Foretold
Jesus said, “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed” (John 3:19-20). John explains, “He [Jesus] was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him” (John 1:10-11).
Table 7: Jesus would be rejected by many
| Prophecy | Fulfillment |
|---|---|
| Make the heart of this people calloused. He said, “Go and tell this people: “‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed” (Isaiah 6:9-10) | Jesus’ parables fall on deaf ears. This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand (Matthew 13:13). (See Matthew 13:10-17) |
| He will cause people to stumble. He will be a holy place; for both Israel and Judah he will be a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. (Isaiah 8:14). | Jesus is a stone that causes people to stumble. Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” and, “A stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for (1 Peter 2:7-8) |
| He was despised and held in low esteem. He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem (Isaiah 53:3). | Jesus is despised and rejected. All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff (Luke 4:28-29). |
Jesus’ Appeal to the Peoples of the World Foretold
God promised Abraham that all the peoples on earth will be blessed through him. (See Genesis 12:2-3.) Although there was a great divide between the Jews and the Gentiles, Christ is the “Seed of Abraham” who unites the two, abolishes the wall of hostility between them, and reconciles them both to God. (See Ephesians 2:14-18.)
Table 8: Jesus draws Gentiles to Himself
| Prophecy | Fulfillment |
|---|---|
| The Messiah is a banner for the peoples. In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious (Isaiah 11:10). | The whole world goes after Him. Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!” Jesus Predicts His Death Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus” (John 12:18-21). |
| A bruised reed He will not break. “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out (Isaiah 42:1-3). | A smoldering wick He will not snuff out. “Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations. He will not quarrel or cry out; no one will hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he has brought justice through to victory. In his name the nations will put their hope.” (See Matthew 12:18-21). |
Jesus’ Humble Claim of Messiahship to Israel Foretold
When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, He was making a public claim to be Israel’s Messiah and King. By riding on a donkey rather than a mighty war-horse, he was signaling His peaceful intentions. Just as the donkey’s true role is a work animal, “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).
Table 9: Jerusalem will rejoice as the Messiah comes to her upon a donkey
| Prophecy | Fulfillment |
|---|---|
| Your king comes riding on a donkey. Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey (Zechariah 9:9). | … Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. … The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road (Matthew 21:1-2, 6-8). (Also see Matthew 21:3-5,9-10) |
The Betrayal of Jesus by a Friend Foretold
Judas Iscariot is the disciple who betrayed Jesus. His name appears on three of the lists of the Twelve disciples. Judas served as their treasurer. During the week of the Passover festival, he went to the chief priests and offered to betray Jesus for a reward. Judas’ motive remains a mystery.
Table 10: He will be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver
| Prophecy | Fulfillment |
|---|---|
| They paid me thirty pieces of silver. I told them, “If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it.” So they paid me thirty pieces of silver. 13 And the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—the handsome price at which they valued me! So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them to the potter at the house of the Lord (Zechariah 11:12-13). | They used the money to buy a burial field. The chief priests picked up the coins and said, “It is against the law to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money.” So they decided to use the money to buy the potter’s field as a burial place for foreigners. That is why it has been called the Field of Blood to this day. Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price set on him by the people of Israel, and they used them to buy the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me” (Matthew 27:6-10). |
The Everlasting Reign of Jesus Christ Foretold
God promised King David a descendent who would reign on David’s throne forever. The Lord Jesus Christ is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords! He now reigns at the right hand of the Father in heaven, making intercession for His people.
Table 11: The Messiah will have a throne that is everlasting
| Prophecy | Fulfillment |
|---|---|
| His dominion is everlasting. “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed” (Daniel 7:13-14). | The Messiah will have an everlasting throne. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end” (Luke 1 :31-33). |
Jesus came to seek and to save what was lost.
Knowing about Jesus won’t save anyone. You must acknowledge your need for Him, and trust His promise to save you from you sin, and commit yourself to following Him. You can’t work for your salvation; you must believe in Jesus Christ. For He is the only way to God.
Ask yourself two very important questions. First, are you sure that you’ll go to heaven when you die? Secondly, are you certain why God should let you into heaven? If you don’t know for sure, you can settle that matter today. Visit my post, How to Begin Your Life Over Again and you’ll know where and how you’ll spend eternity.
And for crystal clear YouTube presentations of the gospel message from several trusted sources, click here
