Prophecies About Jesus That the Old Testament Accurately Predicted

While the Old Testament predates the birth of Jesus Christ, it produced some interesting prophecies about the Messiah that were ultimately fulfilled. The Old Testament’s predictions were proven to be accurate in several books of the New Testament that were written during the first century, between 50 and 100 CE. It’s riveting to uncover the many ways the Old Testament was able to look into the future to predict the coming of the Messiah.

Bible passages found in Matthew 1:20 and Galatians 4:4 confirm the Messiah’s origin, saying, “God sent his Son, born of a woman.” The Old Testament also anticipated the Messiah being born in Bethlehem. According to history and biblical texts, Jesus was born in Bethlehem and this was further stated in the New Testament.

The passage reads, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from old, from ancient times.” This prophecy was later substantiated in Matthew 2:1 and Luke 2:4-6.

While immaculate conception was an impossibility many centuries ago, biblical texts reveal that Mary, the birth mother of Jesus, was a virgin when she gave birth to the Messiah. To Christians, this means that Jesus was born pure – something that set him apart from all other humans who had walked the Earth at that time.

This prophecy is mentioned in both Genesis 12:3 and Genesis 22:18, saying, “and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.” The genealogy of Jesus Christ is later established in Matthew 1:1 and Romans 9:5.

The Bible outlines that Isaac was the only son of Abraham and Sarah. According to Genesis 17:19, the descendants of Isaac will “carry an everlasting covenant with God.” This belief is later touched upon again in Genesis 21:12. Luke 3:34 goes on to verify the lineage of Jesus by calling him “the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor.”

The Old Testament predicted that the Messiah would also be a descendant of Jacob. In Numbers 24:17, it states that “A star will come out of Jacob.” Matthew 1:2 explains that the property was fulfilled. The lineage of Jesus is further explained as Jacob was the father of Joseph, who would become the human father of Jesus Christ.

Genesis 49:10 says, “The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his.” To confirm this prophecy, Luke 3:33 refers to Jesus as “the son of Judah,” and this belief is also confirmed in Hebrews 7:14.

Hosea 11:1 said, “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.” The New Testament confirms this thought in Matthew 2:14-15 with the passage reading, “So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘Out of Egypt I called my son.”

Isaiah 40:3-5 states that “the glory of the Lord will be revealed.” The Old Testament was proven right again, as Luke 3:3-6 wrote, “He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet.”

Isaiah 53:3 wrote that the Messiah would be “despised and rejected by mankind” while Psalm 69:8 also referenced Jesus being denounced by society. Nobody would fathom that Jesus was truly the son of God. John 7:5 said, “For even his own brothers did not believe in him.”

Psalm stated, “I will proclaim the Lord’s decree: He said to me, ‘You are my son; today I have become your father.” Jesus was confirmed to be the divine descendant of God in Matthew 3:16-17 of the New Testament, reading, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

He may have been human, but he was bestowed with powers that were a true sign of divinity. The Old Testament said that the Messiah would have the gift of healing. In Isaiah 61:1-2, it says “He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted.” Psalm 41:3 also states, “The Lord sustains him on his sickbed; in his illness you restore him to full health.”

While there were many who did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah, even his closest allies turned their backs on him. The story of Judas tells of how he traded information on Jesus’ whereabouts in exchange for 30 pieces of silver. Psalm 41:9 says, “Even my close friend, someone I trusted, one who shared my bread, has turned against me.

The Old Testament refers to the resurrection of Jesus Christ in Psalm 16:10 and Psalm 49:15. Later on, the New Testament tells of Jesus’ resurrection in several passages including Matthew 28:2-7 and Acts 2:22-32.