These 10 Old Testament passages were written hundreds of years before
the birth of Jesus. They foreshadowed and foretold many events of the
life of Jesus, including that He would be born in Bethlehem and that he
would bring salvation to people throughout the world.
1. God's salvation would reach the ends of the earth
Bible passage: Isaiah 49:6
Written: perhaps between 701-681 BC
Fulfilled: About 32 AD
In Isaiah 49:6, the prophet speaks of a servant of God who would be a
light to Gentiles (non-Jews) so that God's salvation could reach the
ends of the earth. Christians believe that Jesus is the fulfillment of
this promise. The followers of Jesus helped spread Christianity about
2000 years ago. Christianity is unique in that it is among the first
evangelical religions in history, and the first to be taken to people
all over the world. Christians believe that salvation, forgiveness of
sins and eternal life in heaven are available to anyone who accepts
Jesus Christ as their savior: "That if you confess with your mouth,
'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the
dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and
are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are
saved." - Romans 10:9-10 (NIV translation).
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Isaiah 49:6
"It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes
of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make
you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the
ends of the earth."
2. God promised another prophet like Moses
Bible passage: Deuteronomy 18:15-18
Written: perhaps 1400 BC
Fulfilled: about 5 BC to 30 AD
In Deuteronomy 18:15-18, Moses told the Jews that God would raise up
another prophet like Moses. After Moses, there was a succession of
prophets, including Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, and finally Jesus
Christ. Jesus was very much like Moses: Both were delivered from death
as infants. Both were prophets. Both performed miracles. Both were
leaders. And both were intermediaries between God and man. No other
prophet is as much like Moses than Jesus. Moses led the Jews out of the
bonds of slavery in Egypt into the Promised Land of Israel. Moses died
shortly before the Jews entered Israel. Jesus leads people - anyone who
accepts Jesus as their Savior - out of the bonds of sin and into the
Promised Land of Heaven. Moses offered to die, if necessary, if God
would forgive the sins of the people that Moses was leading (see Exodus
32:30-33). Jesus did die for our sins, so that people could enter the
Kingdom of Heaven.
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Deuteronomy 18:15-18
The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me (Moses) from
among your own brothers. You must listen to him. … The Lord said to me …
"I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers;
I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I
command him."
3. Isaiah foreshadowed the virgin birth of Jesus
Bible passage: Isaiah 7:14
Written: perhaps between 701-681 BC
Fulfilled: 5 BC
In Isaiah 7:14, the prophet delivers what many Christians consider to be
a dual prophecy, one that was fulfilled symbolically 2700 years ago, and
one that was fulfilled literally with the birth of Jesus Christ about
2000 years ago.
The symbolic part of the prophecy correctly stated that a political
alliance that threatened Jewish sovereignty about 2700 years ago would
fail in a short amount of time. That amount of time was defined as the
amount of time that it takes for a child to learn right from wrong.
Christians believe that the more important and literal meaning of this
prophecy refers to someone who miraculously would be born of a virgin
and referred to as "Immanuel," which literally means "God is with us."
According to the New Testament, Jesus was born of the virgin Mary and is
the Son of God. Because God allowed himself to born as a man, as Jesus,
to live and suffer among us and to offer us salvation, he can be called
"God is with us" in the most literal sense.
Non-Christian scholars have challenged this interpretation. They say
that the Hebrew word "almah," which is the word that Christian Bibles
often translate as "virgin," actually means "young woman." It is true
that "almah" means "young woman," however, the Bible never uses the word
to refer specifically to a married woman. And the Bible makes it clear
that unmarried women are to be virgins.
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Isaiah 7:14
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with
child and will give birth to a son, and [*] will call him Immanuel.
* either "he" or "they"
4. The Messiah would come from the tribe of Judah
Bible passage: Genesis 49:10
Written: perhaps 1400 BC
Fulfilled: 5 BC
In Genesis 49:10, Jacob is blessing his 12 sons. This blessing was also
a prophecy. Jacob told his son Judah that his descendants will be rulers
and that one of his descendants will be an ultimate ruler. According to
the NIV translation: "The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the
ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs
and the obedience of the nations is his." Christians believe that this
is a reference to Jesus Christ who will establish an everlasting kingdom
in the future. Jesus was born about 2000 years after Jacob died. Jesus'
ancestry is traced back to Jacob's son, Judah, in Luke 3:23-34 and in
Matthew 1:1-16. Today, some estimates claim that there are as many as 2
billion Christians worldwide follow the teachings of Jesus.
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Genesis 49:10
The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from
between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of
the nations is his.
5. The Messiah would be born in Bethlehem
Bible passage: Micah 5:2
Written: sometime between 750-686 BC
Fulfilled: 5 BC
The following is from the
About-Jesus.org Web site at
www.about-jesus.org :
In Micah 5:2, there is a prophecy that reveals that Bethlehem would be
the birthplace of the Messiah.
For Christians, the prophecy is very powerful in a very simple way. It
eliminates all other cities and towns throughout the world as a place in
which the Messiah could be born. It narrows the possibilities to one
tiny village just south of Jerusalem.
And throughout the span of the past 27 centuries, from the days of the
prophet Micah up through the present time, Bethlehem is credited as
being the birthplace for only one person who is widely known throughout
the world. And that person is Jesus Christ.
The New Testament books of Matthew and Luke list Bethlehem as the
birthplace of Jesus. Matthew 2:1-6 describes the birth of Jesus as the
fulfillment of Micah's prophecy.
In recent years, however, some non-believers have attempted to discredit
Matthew's interpretation of Micah 5:2 by claiming that the prophecy
refers to a person named Bethlehem, not a town name Bethlehem. This
claim has been widely circulated on the Internet by a college professor
who describes himself as a former Christian minister.
The first problem with this claim appears in Micah 5:1. In that verse,
the prophet establishes that he is speaking of Bethlehem the town, not
Bethlehem the person, by setting up a context in which he contrasts the
city of Jerusalem with the town of Bethlehem.
A second problem with the claim is that there is also evidence outside
of the Bible that shows that Micah 5:2 was regarded as a Messianic
prophecy involving the town of Bethlehem. Here is an excerpt from the
Jerusalem Talmud, which is a collection of Jewish scholarly writings
completed about 1600 years ago:
"The King Messiah... from where does he come forth? From the royal city
of Bethlehem in Judah." - Jerusalem Talmud, Berakoth 5a.
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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."
6. The Messiah would be preceded by a messenger
Bible passage: Isaiah 40:3
Written: perhaps between 701-681 BC
Fulfilled: About 27 AD
In Isaiah 40:3, the prophet writes about a person in the desert who
prepares the way for the Lord. This prophecy foreshadowed the life of
John the Baptist, who played an important role in preparing the
groundwork for the ministry of Jesus Christ. Jesus was born shortly
after John the Baptist about 2000 years ago. The book of Matthew records
many events of the life of Jesus and of John the Baptist. In Matthew
3:1-2, it says: "In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the
Desert of Judea, and saying, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."
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Isaiah 40:3
A voice of one calling: "In the desert prepare the way for the Lord;
make straight in the wilderness 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. And the glory of the Lord
will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of
the Lord has spoken."
7. Daniel predicted when an anointed one would be rejected
Bible passage: Daniel 9:24-26
Written: about 530 BC
Fulfilled: About 33 AD
The prophet Daniel was a Jew who lived during the time of the Babylonian
Captivity, about 500 years before the birth of Jesus. During Daniel's
lifetime, the Babylonians had destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple and had
taken many Jews as captives to Babylon. Daniel, while in Babylon,
delivered a prophecy of what would happen during the centuries that
followed. Here is our summary of Daniel 9:24-26:
1. There would be a decree to rebuild Jerusalem.
2. Jerusalem and the Temple would be rebuilt.
3. Then an anointed one (messiah) would be "cut off" (an idiom
for "rejected" or "killed").
4. Then Jerusalem and the Temple would be destroyed again.
All of these events later happened, in the same order in which they are
described in Daniel 9:24-26:
1. After the Medo-Persians had conquered the neo-Babylonian
empire about 2500 years ago, they ruled a vast empire that included the
land of Israel. About 2400 years ago (about 445 BC), Persian king
Artaxerxes gave permission to the Jews to rebuild Jerusalem, which was
still in ruins after having been destroyed earlier by the Babylonians.
2. The Jews rebuilt the Temple and the city of Jerusalem.
3. Then, about 2000 years ago, Jesus entered Jerusalem as the
Messiah who had been promised by Old Testament prophets. But, many
people rejected Jesus as the Messiah and He was crucified by the Romans.
4. About 40 years after Jesus was crucified, the Romans destroyed
Jerusalem and the Temple. (The Temple has not been rebuilt since then).
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Daniel 9:24-26
"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.
"Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and
rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will
be seven `sevens,' and sixty-two `sevens.' It will be rebuilt with
streets and a trench, but in times of trouble.
After the sixty-two `sevens,' the Anointed One will be cut off and will
have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the
city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will
continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed.
8. The Messiah would enter Jerusalem while riding on a donkey
Bible passage: Zechariah 9:9
Written: between 520 and 518 BC
Fulfilled: About 32 AD
In Zechariah 9:9, the prophet speaks of a future king presenting himself
to Jerusalem while riding on a humble donkey. This foreshadowed
something that happened about 500 years later: As explained in Luke
19:35-37, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey and presented Himself as
the Messiah, the King.
Alfred Edersheim, a Christian Jew who lived during the 1800s, studied
ancient Rabbinical writings, and said that Zechariah 9:9 was often
interpreted as being about a Messiah. In the book, "The Life and Times
of Jesus the Messiah," Edersheim wrote: "The Messianic application of
this verse in all its parts has already been repeatedly indicated. We
may here add that there are many traditions about this donkey on which
the Messiah is to ride; and so firm was the belief in it, that,
according to the Talmud, `if anyone saw a donkey in his dreams, he will
see salvation' (Ber 56 b)."
The name "Jesus," means "salvation" in Hebrew.
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Zechariah 9:9
Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See,
your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and
riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
9. Jesus was betrayed by a friend
Bible passage: Psalm 41:9
Written: about 1000 BC
Fulfilled: About 32 AD
In Psalm 41:9, King David wrote a prayer asking for mercy in his last
days. In this prayer, which Jews and Christians believe was inspired by
God, David wrote about a betrayal at the hand of a close friend with
whom he had shared bread. This foreshadowed something that happened
years later with Jesus. As explained in Matthew 26:47-50, Jesus was
betrayed by Judas, one of the 12 apostles, shortly after Jesus and the
apostles had shared bread during the Last Supper. Jesus was crucified by
the Romans a short time later.
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Psalm 41:9
Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted
up his heel against me.
10. Zechariah foreshadowed the betrayal of Jesus for 30 pieces of
silver
Bible passage: Zechariah 11:12-13
Written: between 520 and 518 BC
Fulfilled: About 32 AD
In Zechariah 11:12-13, the prophet spoke of a person being paid 30
pieces of silver to betray someone. This foreshadowed something that
happened to Jesus about 500 years later. As explained in Matthew 26:15,
Judas was paid 30 silver coins for his betrayal of Jesus. Judas told the
Romans when and where they could arrest Jesus without being surrounded
by a large crowd of Jesus' followers. But, as explained in Matthew
27:5-7, Judas later tossed the money into the Temple (the house of the
Lord) and the money was used to buy a potter's field as a burial place
for foreigners.
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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 priced me! So
I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the
Lord to the potter.
10 more fulfilled by Jesus
These 10 Old Testament passages were written hundreds of years before
Jesus was born. They foreshadowed and foretold details about the
persecution, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. ("Resurrection"
means to be "brought back to life.")
1. The Messiah would suffer and be rejected
Bible passage: Isaiah 53:3
Written: perhaps between 701-681 BC
Fulfilled: About 32 AD
In Isaiah 52:13-53:12, the prophet foreshadowed the life and mission of
Jesus, who was born about 700 years later. In Isaiah 53:3, the prophet
said that a servant of God would be rejected and despised. Jesus was
indeed rejected by many people living in the land of Israel, and He was
later crucified by the Romans.
It has been claimed by some scholars that Isaiah 52:13-53:12 actually
refers to Israel as a nation and not to an individual Messiah. But, at
least some of the ancient Rabbis believed that this passage from Isaiah
is indeed about an individual Messiah. Hal Lindsey, in his book, "The
Promise of Bible Prophecy," wrote the following: Rabbi Moshe Alshekh,
one of the great seventeenth-century expositors from Safed, Israel, said
"Our Rabbis with one voice accept and affirm the opinion that the
prophet is speaking of the King Messiah, and we shall ourselves also
adhere to the same view."
Here's another example of a Rabbi, referring to a prophecy by Isaiah,
stating that it refers to an individual - the Messiah - rather than to a
nation of people:
"But he was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our
iniquities, the meaning of which is that since the Messiah bears our
iniquities which produce the effect of his being bruised, it follows
that whoso will not admit that the Messiah thus suffers for our
iniquities, must endure and suffer for them himself." - Rabbi Eliyyah de
Vidas, who wrote during the 16th century.
One source for the two quotations is The Fifty-Third Chapter of
Isaiah According to the Jewish Interpreters, translated by S.R.
Driver and A.D. Neubauer, KTAV publishing House, New York, 1969.
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Isaiah 53:3
He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with
suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and
we esteemed him not.
2. God's servant would be wounded and whipped
Bible passage: Isaiah 53:5
Written: perhaps between 701-681 BC
Fulfilled: About 32 AD
In Isaiah 53:5, prophet described a servant as being punished for the
sins of others, and that others would be healed by the wounds of this
person. As explained in the Gospel - the four New Testament books of
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John - Jesus was crucified for our sins, even
though He was sinless. Christians believe that this ultimate sacrifice
redeemed us all from sin in the same way that lambs were once sacrificed
as a symbolic way of cleansing people from sin. And so, all of us can be
accepted into the Kingdom of God, as though we were sinless, if we
accept Jesus as our Savior. Christians believe that we are healed
through the wounds that Jesus suffered.
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Isaiah 53:5
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our
iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by
his wounds we are healed.
3. God's servant would be silent before His accusers
Bible passage: Isaiah 53:7
Written: perhaps between 701-681 BC
Fulfilled: About 32 AD
In the book of Isaiah, chapter 53, Isaiah the prophet wrote about a
servant of God. Many people believe this was a prophecy about the life
of Jesus Christ, who lived about 700 years later. In Isaiah 53:7, the
prophet said that the servant would be afflicted and accused, but like a
lamb being led to slaughter, he would remain silent. As explained in
Matthew 27:12-14, which was recorded about 700 years after the time of
Isaiah, this is what happened to Jesus. He was falsely accused but
remained silent and did not protest the accusations. Jesus was crucified
by the Romans a short time later.
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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 her shearers is
silent, so he did not open his mouth.
4. God's servant would be buried in a rich man's tomb
Bible passage: Isaiah 53:9
Written: perhaps between 701-681 BC
Fulfilled: About 32 AD
In Isaiah 53:9, the prophet wrote about a sinless servant being put to
death with the wicked and buried with the rich. About 700 years after
this was believed to have been written, Jesus was put to death along
with two criminals and was buried in a tomb owned by a wealthy man, as
explained in the New Testament. The New Testament says that Jesus was
resurrected three days later and ascended into Heaven.
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Isaiah 53:9
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.
5. God's servant would be crucified with criminals
Bible passage: Isaiah 53:12
Written: perhaps between 701-681 BC
Fulfilled: About 32 AD
In Isaiah 53:12, the prophet wrote about a servant who would bear the
sins of many people and be punished side-by-side with criminals.
Christians believe that Isaiah's description of this servant was a
prophecy that was fulfilled during the life of Jesus Christ. As
explained in the book of Matthew, Jesus, though sinless, was "numbered
with the transgressors" and crucified along with two criminals.
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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.
6. Jesus was spat upon and beaten
Bible passage: Isaiah 50:6
Written: perhaps between 701-681 BC
Fulfilled: About 32 AD
In Isaiah 50:6, the prophet writes about a servant of God who endures
abuse at the hands of sinful people. This servant offers his back to
those who beat him, his face to those who rip out his beard, and himself
to those who mock and taunt him. Christians historically have believed
that this Old Testament passage foreshadowed the life of Jesus Christ,
who lived about 700 years after Isaiah. Jesus, as explained in the New
Testament, was beaten, mocked and taunted shortly before His crucifixion
by the Romans. In Matthew 26:67 NIV, for example, it says: Then they
spit in his face and struck him with their fists. Others slapped him and
said, "Prophesy to us, Christ. Who hit you?"
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Isaiah 50:6
I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled
out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting.
7. Psalm 22 foreshadowed the crucifixion of Jesus
Bible passage: Psalm 22:1,7,8,16,17,18
Written: about 1000 BC
Fulfilled: About 32 AD
People are sometimes curious, when they read Matthew 27:46 or Mark
15:34, why Jesus, while dying on the cross, said "My God, my God, why
have you forsaken me?" Those words are actually the first line of Psalm
22, which according to Jewish tradition was written by King David about
1,000 years before Jesus was crucified.
Psalm 22 speaks of a man who cries out to God for deliverance from
intense persecution. There are parallels between the details in Psalm 22
and the details written in the New Testament about Jesus' crucifixion,
such as:
In Psalm 22:7, it speaks of a man surrounded by others who scorn and
despise him. This is what happened to Jesus in Matthew 27:39 and Mark
15:29.
In Psalm 22:7, it speaks of a man being mocked, which is similar in the
descriptions of Jesus' crucifixion given in Matthew 27:31, Mark 15:20
and Luke 22:63; 23:36.
In Psalm 22:8, it says, "He trusts in the LORD; let the LORD rescue him.
Let him deliver him, since he delights in him." In Matthew 27:43, Jesus’
enemies taunted him by saying, "He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now
if he wants him."
In Psalm 22:16, it speaks of a man who was numbered with the
transgressors, meaning an innocent man being regarded as being one of a
group of criminals. Jesus too was numbered with the transgressors when
he was crucified next to two criminals, as described in Matthew 27:38,
Mark 15:27, Luke 23:32 and John 19:18.
In Psalm 22:16, it speaks of a man whose hands and feet are either
pierced, or mauled, or disfigured, depending on which is truly the best
English translation of the original verse. In John 19:23,34,37 - Jesus'
hands and feet were pierced with nails during the crucifixion process.
In Psalm 22:17, it speaks of a man who would be surrounded by others who
stared and gloated at him. This too was the situation for Jesus during
the crucifixion, according to Matthew 27:36 and Luke 23:35.
In Psalm 22:18, onlookers gamble for pieces of clothing that belonged to
the person being persecuted. As explained in Matthew 27:35, Roman
soldiers gambled (cast lots) for articles of Jesus' clothing while he
was being crucified.
There are other descriptions in Psalm 22 that sound like an accurate
description of what would happen to a person being crucified, such as
the disjointing of bones, the drying up of a person's strength, an
intense sense of thirst, a heart melting like wax (Jesus was stabbed in
the side with a spear during his crucifixion), and being "poured out" of
one's body. When Jesus was stabbed, blood and water poured out from the
wound.
Many Christian scholars have written about their views of the
significance of Psalm 22 and the crucifixion of Jesus. The late Charles
Briggs, who had been a professor at the Union Theological Seminary, said
"These sufferings [of Psalm 22] transcend those of any historical
sufferer, with the single exception of Jesus Christ. They find their
exact counterpart in the sufferings of the cross.... This ideal is a
Messianic ideal, and finds its only historical realization in Jesus
Christ."
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Psalm 22:1,7,8,16,17,18
1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far
from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? 7 All who
see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads: 8 "He
trusts in the LORD ; let the LORD rescue him. Let him deliver him, since
he delights in him." 16 Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil
men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet. 17
I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me. 18 They
divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.
8. Zechariah foreshadowed the crucifixion of Jesus
Bible passage: Zechariah 12:10
Written: between 520 and 518 BC
Fulfilled: About 32 AD
In Zechariah, chapter 12, the Bible said that there will be a time when
the world's nations attack Jerusalem. In Zechariah 12:10, the Bible says
that after this attack fails, the people will lament over the one who
was "pierced," as one mourns for the loss of a first-born son.
Christians traditionally have interpreted this passage as a reference to
the return of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was pierced when He was
crucified by the Romans about 2000 years ago. Christians believe that
Jesus will return in the future to establish an everlasting kingdom.
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Zechariah 12:10
"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.
9. Isaiah foreshadows the ministry of Jesus
Bible passage: Isaiah 61:1-2
Written: perhaps between 701-681 BC
Fulfilled: About 27 AD
In Isaiah 61, there are passages that speak of an anointed one who
preaches the good news to the poor, frees the people who are imprisoned,
heals the blind and releases the oppressed. About 700 years after the
time of Isaiah, Jesus relates these Bible passages to Himself:
Luke 4:15-20 (NIV translation):
14 Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news
about him spread through the whole countryside.
15 He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.
16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the
Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood
up to read.
17 The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling
it, he found the place where it is written:
18 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for
the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the
oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant
and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on
him,
21 and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is
fulfilled in your hearing."
At this point during the ministry of Jesus, he had already been
preaching the good news to the poor and he had already healed many
people of various afflictions, including blindness, both in a physical
sense and in a spiritual sense.
But Jesus had not yet begun the other part of his mission, which
includes a "day of vengeance," which Bible scholar John Gill explains as
"the day of vengeance of our God; when vengeance was taken on sin, in
the person of Christ; when he destroyed the works of the devil, … and
who will take vengeance on antichrist at his spiritual coming, and upon
all the wicked at the day of judgment."
With this in mind, it is interesting that Jesus stopped reading Isaiah
61 mid way through verse 2, immediately before the mention of a "day of
vengeance."
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Isaiah 61:1-2
1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has
anointed me to preach 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,[1] 2 to proclaim the year of the
LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who
mourn,
NIV Footnote: [1] Instead of "prisoners," the Greek Septuagint
renders the word as "blind."
10. Jesus' resurrection was foreshadowed in Old Testament
Bible passage: Psalm 16:10-11
Written: about 1000 BC
Fulfilled: About 32 AD
In Psalm 16:10-11, the Bible talks of God's refusal to let His "Holy
One" remain in a grave after death. This Psalm is believed to have been
written about 1000 years before Jesus was born. New Testament writers
believed that this Psalm foreshadowed the death and resurrection of
Jesus. Resurrection means "brought back to life." There are several
reports in the New Testament that say that Jesus was killed and placed
in a tomb, but that God brought Jesus back to life a few days later.
(See Matthew 28:5-8, Mark 16:5-6, Luke 24:1-7, or John 20:1-18)
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Psalm 16:10-11
because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy
One see decay. You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill
me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.