Are you a Christian who wants to learn more about the reliability of Jesus? Are you unsure what you believe about Jesus? Has something caused you to question your faith. Or, maybe you're someone who has decided that the Bible narrative is man-made, and you're not even sure why you're reading this article. (If this is you, let me say that I am so glad you're here! As a former atheist, I ask you simply to come with an open mind, bringing all your rebuttals, logic, and questions, and see what happens. I'd love to hear from you!)
Pursuing truth is vital in determining the best path for your life. Using critical thinking will guard you from letting others have too much influence in what you believe. Rather than ignoring subconscious questions and doubts that actually undermine your beliefs (whatever they are), giving yourself the liberty to voice them will bolster your confidence. If you are a Christian who wants to strengthen your faith and your ability to tell others about Christ - or if you are an unbeliever who is exploring faith -, considering the reliability of Jesus' claims is immensely valuable.
God has given us the perfect resource to test and see (1 Jn. 4) if Jesus is who He said He is: hundreds of prophecies found in the Old Testament. The cool thing about prophecies is that you can look to see if they actually occurred! As someone who enjoys picking things apart to identify fact versus fiction versus opinion, I love that the revelations are spelled out so specifically because it allows truth-seekers to evaluate the likelihood that something is true or if appearances have been manipulated to give the impression that the prophecy was fulfilled. (Especially interesting to me, is that there are historical sources other than the Bible that corrobrate these events.)
Rather than being an exhaustive list, this quick-read article contains seven fulfilled prophecies that are particularly meaningful to me, in part, because, either, they could not have been faked, or were fulfilled through people that opposed Jesus. For each, you will find the Old Testament passage stating the prophecy and the New Testament passage recording the fulfillment. [All passages are from the English Standard Version. In some cases, I have included only a portion of a passage to save time and space; however, the links will direct you to the full passages.]
Isaiah 7:14 - Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Luke 1:26-33 - In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
Jeremiah 23:5-6 - “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’
Matthew 1:1-17 - The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham... Abraham was the father of...David was the father of... and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ...
Isaiah 53:12 - Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.
Luke 22:37 - For I tell you that this Scripture must be fulfilled in me: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors.’ For what is written about me has its fulfillment.”
Psalm 22:18 - they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.
Luke 23:34 - And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.
Psalm 22:16 - For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet
John 20:25 - So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”
Exodus 12:46 - [The Passover lamb] shall be eaten in one house; you shall not take any of the flesh outside the house, and you shall not break any of its bones.
John 19:36-37 - For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken.” And again another Scripture says, “They will look on him whom they have pierced.” (Jesus is the Lamb of God - Jn. 1:29.)
Isaiah 53:9 - And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.
Matthew 27:57-60 - When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away.
God loves people so much that He sent us His Son, Jesus, to pay the price for our sins. Jesus made Himself fully human to come to earth, walk among us, teach us, and save us from sin and death through His crucifixion and resurrection. By admitting you have sinned and receiving Jesus' substitutionary death for your sins, you can be reconciled to God, be filled with the Holy Spirit, and receive eternal life.
[Related: How to Become a Christian in 2 Life-Saving Steps]
If you are already a Christian, learning more about the prophecies Jesus fulfilled will help strengthen your faith and further equip you to lovingly lead unbelievers to salvation through Christ.
If you are unsure what you believe or are agnostic, atheist, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, or a follower of some other faith or philosophy, I hope you read, evaluate, and discover truths in these and hundreds of other prophecies contained in Scripture.
I'd love to hear from you!