Jesus in Prophecy
A Bible study of Scriptures in the Old Testament that prophesied about Jesus Christ
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, in Israel, more than two thousand years ago, many prophecies of the Old Testament (Taurat) began to be fulfilled by him. In this study we will look at some of the prophecies that were fulfilled by his life, and by his death on the cross.
Psalm 22 is a prophecy of the crucifixion of Jesus. Here are some of the verses in the New Testament (Injil) that show the fulfillment of Psalm 22 prophecies.
Old Testament Prophecy
Psalm 22:1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
New Testament Fulfillment
Matthew 27:46
About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”)
Old Testament Prophecy
Psalm 22:7-8
All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads. “He trusts in the Lord,” they say,“let the Lord rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.”
New Testament Fulfillment
Matthew 27:43
He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.'”
Old Testament Prophecy
Psalm 22:16
Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce my hands and my feet
New Testament Fulfillment
John 20:25-28
25 So the other disciples were saying to him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” 26 After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.” 28 Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”
Old Testament Prophecy
Psalm 22:18
They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.
New Testament Fulfillment
John 19:23-24
23 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His outer garments and made four parts, a part to every soldier and also the tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece. 24 So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, to decide whose it shall be”; this was to fulfill the Scripture: “They divided my outer garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.”
Old Testament Prophecy
Psalm 22:15
My mouth is dried up like a potsherd,and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death.
New Testament Fulfillment
John 19:28, John 19:42
28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, said, “I am thirsty.”
42 Therefore because of the Jewish day of preparation, since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.
“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.
and John 19:37
And, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.”
Jesus enters Jerusalem on a donkey
Zechariah chapter 9 is an example of an Old Testament prophetic chapter that predicts both the first and second coming of Jesus. Jesus came into this world as the Son of Man 2000 years ago. Verse 9 foresees the occasion of Jesus entering Jerusalem, which he did a short while before he was taken and killed on the cross.
However verse 10 describes a different time that even now is still in the future, when Jesus will return with power and rule over all nations. After Jesus returns he will never again die or be buried, as his Kingdom is forever, for eternity.
Old Testament Prophecy
Zechariah 9:9
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.
New Testament Fulfillment
Matthew 21:1-11
1 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 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. 3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”
4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
5 “Say to Daughter Zion,
‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ”
6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
“Hosanna to the Son of David!”
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”
11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
See also:
Mark 11:1-10
Luke 19:29-38
John 12:12-15
Old Testament Prophecy
Zechariah 9:10
I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the warhorses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.
New Testament Fulfillment
Revelation 19:11-16
11 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. 13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
Isaiah 53 predicts the suffering and death of Jesus
The book of Isaiah is an Old Testament book of the Bible. It is classified as one of the Major Prophets. It was written about 700 years before Jesus was born. Chapter 53 of Isaiah contains many verses that point to the first coming of Jesus. The chapter clearly explains that Jesus was going to pay the price for the sins of humanity by his death. We also read in the chapter some detailed prophecies that were fulfilled by Jesus by his death on the cross and burial.
In the verses of chapter 53 given below, I have highlighted the words that predict that Jesus would suffer and die for us all, to take on himself the punishment for our sins. It is because Jesus paid the price for our sins that we can have eternal life in his kingdom, when he returns at some time in the future.
Isaiah 53:2-12
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
3 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.
4 Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was punished.
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.
11 After he has suffered,
he will see the light of life and be satisfied ;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.
Jesus himself quoted from Isaiah 53, showing that its verses applied to him. In addition there are quotations from Isaiah 53 in other books of the New Testament that show that this chapter is prophesying about Jesus.
Old Testament Prophecy
Isaiah 53:5
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
New Testament Fulfillment
Hebrews 9:28
So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
Old Testament Prophecy
Isaiah 53:7-8
7 He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
New Testament Fulfillment
Acts 8:26-38
26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” 27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. 29 The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”
30 Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.
31 “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
32 This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading:
“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
33 In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.
Who can speak of his descendants?
For his life was taken from the earth.”
34 The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” 35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
36 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.
Old Testament Prophecy
Isaiah 53:9
He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
New Testament Fulfillment
Matthew 27:57-60
57 As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. 58 Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. 59 Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away
Old Testament Prophecy
Isaiah 53:12
Therefore I will give him a portion among the great
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
New Testament Fulfillment
Luke 22:36-37
36 He [Jesus] said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one. 37 It is written: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors’; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfillment.”
Jesus’ death on the cross opened the way for our sins to be forgiven. What response does the Lord Jesus expect from us? Firstly each of us needs to realise that the only way to eternal life is to accept Jesus as our personal Saviour, to accept that our sins can only be washed away by the blood of his sacrifice. Secondly, we must repent of our sins. We have all sinned in various ways, but the greatest sin of all is to disregard and ignore Jesus, and to think of ourselves as independent. Chapter 10 of the New Testament book of Romans puts it this way: 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”