The Prediction of Jesus

Understanding Bible Prophecy

As we talk about Biblical Prophecy about the Messiah / Christ we have to understand the terms. Messiah is the Hebrew word that means “The Anointed one.” Christ (Christos) means the same thing.

Also, I must confess, Prophetic verses cause me stress. I am a black and white thinker. If I were God, I would have written like a schematic. Something that was easy to follow and absolutely clear cut. But here is the problem with that.

If I were able to predict the the lottery numbers repeatedly, you could only come to two conclusions. 1. I had figured to cheat the system, or 2. I had supernatural psychic abilities. If you could rule out the first, then you wouldn’t have any choice but to believe in my abilities.

The same is true with God. If everything in Biblical Prophecy were that cut and dry and left no doubt, then you would have no choice but to be believe. And while those of us that believe in Christ, think we wouldn’t mind that, It would create slaves, not followers. Our free will to believe or not to believe would be taken away.

Don’t get me wrong, I believe there is evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that Jesus is the Christ spoken about in scripture, but there is and has to be room for people not to believe.

Biblical Prophecy is less like stereo instructions and more like music or art. I turn my mic off when we sing for a reason.

Matthew 1:21–23 NASB95

“She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.”

Isaiah 9:6–7 NASB95

For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.

Matthew 1:2

Isaiah 7:14 NASB95

“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.

Isaiah 9:6-7

The Hebrew word for virgin here is Alma (young woman) does not exclusively refer to purity. There is another Hebrew word that means virgin.

I

3rd Century BC Hebrew scholars and Jewish rabbis translated the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek. The word they used for this word was parathenos which is the same word that Matthew used in verse 23.

Matthew 2:4–6 NASB95

Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet: ‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, Are by no means least among the leaders of Judah; For out of you shall come forth a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”

Matthew

This is a direct quote from

Matthew 2:3–15 NASB95

When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet: ‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, Are by no means least among the leaders of Judah; For out of you shall come forth a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ” Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.” After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way. Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him.” So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt. He remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”

Matthew 2:13–15 NASB95

Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him.” So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt. He remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”

Matthew

Matthew 2:

Hosea

Hosea 11:1 NASB95

When Israel was a youth I loved him, And out of Egypt I called My son.

Matthew 2:16-

Matthew 2:16–18 NASB95

Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi. Then what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “A voice was heard in Ramah, Weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children; And she refused to be comforted, Because they were no more.”

This is a reference to

Rachel is a reference to the Mother’s of Isreal

Matthew 2:22–23 NASB95

But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Then after being warned by God in a dream, he left for the regions of Galilee, and came and lived in a city called Nazareth. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets: “He shall be called a Nazarene.”

Matthew

Isaiah 11:1 NASB95

Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a branch from his roots will bear fruit.

The Hebrew for branch Neser. Also there are other prophetic verses about the Messiah not being believed and rejected.

Matthew 3:2–3 NASB95

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” For this is the one referred to by Isaiah the prophet when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight!’ ”

Matthew 3:1–3 NASB95

Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” For this is the one referred to by Isaiah the prophet when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight!’ ”

This is a direct quote of

Matthew 3:

The Big Picture

DNA evidence has a reliability of 1:7 billion.

1: 7,000,000,000

There are approximately 353 references to the Messiah in the OT.

and 61 specific prophesies that describe Him.

A group of university mat students were given the task of finding the chances of a person fulfilling just 8 of the OT prophesies about God’s Anointed.

What they found was that the odds of one person fulfilling those 8 prophesies were estimated at:

1:10 to the 21 power.

1:10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000

To put that into perspective, if you covered the earth 120 feet high in silver dollars and marked one of them and then asked a blindfolded person to pick out that marked coin on the first try, that would be the chances.

Isaiah 9:

Isaiah 9:6 NASB95

For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6–7 NASB95

For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.