PROPHESIES ABOUT MESSIAH

Throughout the Old Testament, God gave promises and glimpses of the coming Messiah—one who would redeem His people and fulfill the deepest hopes of humanity. These prophetic words, written centuries before Jesus’ birth, find their fulfillment in His life, death, and resurrection. This study highlights just some of the many prophecies pointing to Jesus as the Christ. As you explore each passage, may your faith be strengthened by the beauty of God’s plan and the trustworthiness of His Word.

1. Born of a woman

Prophecy: Genesis 3:15
“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.”

Fulfillment: Galatians 4:4
“But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law.”

2. Born of a virgin

Prophecy: Isaiah 7:14
“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”

Fulfillment: Matthew 1:22-23
“All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ (which means ‘God with us’).”

3. Descendant of Abraham

Prophecy: Genesis 12:3
“I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

Fulfillment: Matthew 1:1
“This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham.”

4. Descendant of Isaac

Prophecy: Genesis 17:19
“Then God said, ‘Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.’”

Fulfillment: Luke 3:34
“…the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor…”

5. Descendant of Jacob

Prophecy: Numbers 24:17
“I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel.”

Fulfillment: Matthew 1:2
“Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers…”

6. From the tribe of Judah

Prophecy: Genesis 49:10
“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.”

Fulfillment: Luke 3:33
“…the son of Amminadab, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah…”

7. Heir to King David’s throne

Prophecy: Isaiah 9:7
“Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.”

Fulfillment: Luke 1:32-33
“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.”

8. Born in Bethlehem

Prophecy: Micah 5:2
“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 of old, from ancient times.”

Fulfillment: Matthew 2:1
“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem.”

9. Declared the Son of God

Prophecy: Psalm 2:7
“I will proclaim the Lord’s decree: He said to me, ‘You are my son; today I have become your father.’”

Fulfillment: Matthew 3:16-17
“As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’”

10. A Light to the Gentiles

Prophecy: Isaiah 42:6
“I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles.”

Fulfillment: Luke 2:32
“A light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”

11. Speaks in Parables

Prophecy: Psalm 78:2
“I will open my mouth with a parable; I will utter hidden things, things from of old.”

Fulfillment: Matthew 13:34-35
“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…”

12. The Messiah Would Be Called Out of Egypt

Prophecy: Hosea 11:1
“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.”

Fulfillment: Matthew 2:14-15
“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.'”

13. Preceded by a forerunner

Prophecy: Isaiah 40:3
“A voice of one calling: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.’“

Fulfillment: Matthew 3:1-3
“In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’ This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah,“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’”

14. Would Be Preceded by a Messenger

Prophecy: Malachi 3:1
“I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty.”

Fulfillment: Matthew 11:10
“This is the one about whom it is written: ‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’”

15. Would Enter Jerusalem on a Donkey

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.”

Fulfillment: Matthew 21:4-5
“This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: ‘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.”’”

16. Would Be Betrayed for 30 Pieces of Silver & The Money Paid for the Betrayal Would Be Used to Buy a Potter’s Field

Prophecy: Zechariah 11:12-13
“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. 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.”

Fulfillment: Matthew 26:14-15
“Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, ‘What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?’ So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver.”

Fulfillment: Matthew 27:6-7
“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.”

17. Would Be Silent Before His Accusers

Prophecy: Isaiah 53:7
“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.”

Fulfillment: Matthew 27:12-14
“When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer. Then Pilate asked him, ‘Don’t you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?’ But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge—to the great amazement of the governor.”

18. Would Be Crucified with Criminals

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. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”

Fulfillment: Mark 15:27-28
“They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. [And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, ‘He was numbered with the transgressors.’]”

Interesting connection: Matthew 25:32-33
“Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left.”

19. Hands and Feet Would Be Pierced

Prophecy: Psalm 22:16
“Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce my hands and my feet.”

Fulfillment: John 20:25-27
“So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord!’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.’ A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.’”

20. People Would Cast Lots for the Messiah’s Clothing

Prophecy: Psalm 22:18
“They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.”

Fulfillment: John 19:23-24
“When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. ‘Let’s not tear it,’ they said to one another. ‘Let’s decide by lot who will get it.’ This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said, ‘They divided my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.’ So this is what the soldiers did.”

21. Would Rise from the Dead

Prophecy: Psalm 16:10
“Because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay.”

Fulfillment: Matthew 28:5-6
“The angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.’”

How does seeing the connection between prophecy and fulfillment deepen your trust in God?

What does this study reveal to you about God’s character and His faithfulness?

How might the fulfilled prophecies of Jesus strengthen your confidence in God’s promises for the future?

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.