30 Old Testament Prophecies of Jesus

30 Old Testament prophecies of Jesus
The Old Testament has many prophecies of a Messiah who would be king in Israel.
It tells of his birth, his ancestry, his life and his death, as well as his eternal reign as
king. In this chapter, we look at the Old Testament prophecies that Jesus fulfilled
before he went to heaven. The apostles used these prophecies to show that Jesus is
the Messiah.
Focus passage: Psalm 22

This psalm was a prayer of David as he suffered from the
continual attacks of his enemies. It is also prophetic of the
circumstances of Jesus at his crucifixion, and is quoted several
times in the gospels.
1. List the places where this Psalm is directly quoted in the

New Testament.
2. List the places where this Psalm refers to the crucifixion,
but is not directly quoted.
3. Are there any verses that could not refer to the circum-
stances of Jesus’ crucifixion?
His life foretold

Many events in Jesus’ life were predicted in the Old Testament.
Here is a selection.
• He would come from the tribe of Judah.

“The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the
ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to Fulfilled: Luke 3:33
whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is
his.” (Genesis 49:10)
• He would be a descendant of David.

“When your days are over and you rest with your
fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, Fulfilled: Matthew
who will come from your own body, and I will establish 1:6,16
his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house
for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his
kingdom forever.” (2 Samuel 7:12–13)
138
30. Old Testament prophecies of Jesus 139
Some relevant passages
Early prophecies: Genesis 3:15; 49:10; Deuteronomy 18:15–19.

Son of David: 2 Samuel 7:12–16; Isaiah 11:1–2; Ezekiel 37:24–28; Luke 1:30–33.
Son of Abraham: Genesis 22:15–18; Galatians 3:16.
Psalm: 2; 8; 16; 22; 69; 110; 118:22.
Isaiah: 7:14; 9:1–2,6–7; 11; 42; 49; 53; 61.
Later prophets: Jeremiah 23:5–6; Daniel 7:9–14; 9; Micah 5:2; Zec. 9:9; 12:10; 14:3–4.
• He would be born in Bethlehem.

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small
among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me Fulfilled: Matthew
one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are 2:4–6
from of old, from ancient times.” (Micah 5:2)
• He would be born of a virgin.
“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The
virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, Fulfilled: Matthew 1:18
and will call him Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14)
• He would live in Galilee.

“Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those
who were in distress. In the past he humbled the Fulfilled: Matthew
land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the 4:12–16
future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way
of the sea, along the Jordan— The people walking in
darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the
land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.”
(Isaiah 9:1–2)
• He would be rejected.
“He was despised and rejected by men, a man of
sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from Fulfilled: John 1:11
whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we
esteemed him not.” (Isaiah 53:3)
• He would enter Jerusalem riding on a donkey.
“Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter
of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous Fulfilled: John
and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, 12:13–15
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” (Zechariah 9:9)
140 The Way of Life
Pointers to Jesus
Not only are there direct prophecies of Jesus, there are numerous “types” that point forward to
him. For example, at the feast of Passover, a lamb in perfect condition had to be killed (Exodus
12:3–6). This represented the sacrifice of Jesus, the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of
the world” (John 1:29). Some people were also types of Jesus. For example, Abraham was
told to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice on Mt Moriah near Jerusalem, just as God offered his
son as a sacrifice near Jerusalem. What other types of Christ can you think of?
• He would be executed.
“He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open
his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and Fulfilled: Matthew
as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not 27:12–14
open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was
taken away. And who can speak of his descendants?
For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the
transgression of my people he was stricken.”
(Isaiah 53:7–8)
• He would be crucified.
“Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has
encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my Fulfilled: Matthew
feet.” (Psalm 22:16) 27:38
• People would cast lots for his clothes.

“They divide my garments among them and cast lots
for my clothing.” (Psalm 22:18) Fulfilled: John
19:23–24
• He would be raised from the dead.
“. . . because you will not abandon me to the grave,
nor will you let your Holy One see decay.” Fulfilled: Matthew
(Psalm 16:10) 28:5–9
There are many others. See if you can find some of them.
Thought provokers
1. Read Matthew 1:18 – 3:3. List the prophecies that are
quoted and read each of the passages. If you were living at
the time of Jesus’ birth, how many of these prophecies of
Jesus would you have identified? Is Matthew interpreting
the Old Testament properly?
2. Isaiah 53 is a famous prophecy about the suffering and
death of Jesus. However, Jews interpret the prophecy as
referring to Israel, the nation. How would you answer this
claim?
30. Old Testament prophecies of Jesus 141
Further investigation
1. Read through the speeches of Paul and Peter in Acts 2, 3
and 13, and list the Old Testament prophecies that they
used to prove that Jesus was the Messiah.
2. One prophecy that is not quoted in the New Testament
is Daniel 9:25–27. It describes the Messiah (Anointed
One) being “cut off” 69 ‘weeks’ after the decree to rebuild
Jerusalem. Each day of the ‘weeks’ represents one year.
So 69 weeks is 69×7 = 483 years. Find out about when
the decree was made and how this prophecy was fulfilled
at precisely the time predicted.
3. [Harder] Some prophecies of Jesus are quoted in the New
Testament, but are difficult to find in the Old Testa-
ment. Read Matthew 2:23. Where is the prophecy of the
“Nazarene”? Read Luke 24:45–47. Where is the prophecy
that Jesus would rise from the dead on the third day?
Want to know more?

• Christ in the Old Testament by Harry Tennant (published
by The Christadelphian). 15 pages.
• New Testament fulfilment of Old Testament prophecies by
Abram Kenneth Abraham (published by Barbour Books,
1988).
• This is that by F.F. Bruce (published by The Paternoster
Press, 1968). 122 pages.
• Bible basics by Duncan Heaster, (4th ed. published by
Gospel News Publishers, 2001), Study 7.1, 3 pages.
See also: 1. God’s inspired word

2. Reasons to believe the Bible
31. Jesus as Messiah
32. Jesus: Son of God and Son of Man
40. God’s promises to Abraham and David
45. The kingdom of God

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30 Old Testament prophecies of Jesus

Focus passage: Psalm 22

1. List the places where this Psalm is directly quoted in the

His life foretold

• He would come from the tribe of Judah.

• He would be a descendant of David.

Some relevant passages

Early prophecies: Genesis 3:15; 49:10; Deuteronomy 18:15–19.

• He would be born in Bethlehem.

• He would live in Galilee.

• People would cast lots for his clothes.

Want to know more?

See also: 1. God’s inspired word

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