If a man claims to be the Messiah, how can his claims be validated or refuted? Without Bible prophecy, that task would be much harder. In God’s infinite wisdom, He revealed what the Messiah would be like and what He would do. Along the way, God revealed important truths about His character as well.
God foretold truths about the coming Messiah so that people could recognize Him when He appeared. They could discern between the contenders and the pretenders.
The chances of one person fulfilling hundreds of Old Testament prophecies are barely above impossible. Over the years, some have attempted to put a number to the probability, but it is so infinitesimal, it is hard to fathom.
In the 1960s, author and mathematician Peter Stoner used a helpful analogy to describe the probability of one man fulfilling only a handful of these messianic prophecies. He recommended covering the state of Texas two feet deep with silver dollars while marking only one of them. What is the chance that someone would pick up the right one on the first try? Just slightly higher than impossible.
Conservative estimates indicate there are over 200 Old Testament messianic prophecies. Consider 10 of these, based on a list in my book Fake Jesus. The New Testament verses listed demonstrate how Jesus fulfilled each prophecy.
The Messiah will be the seed of a woman (Gen. 3:15; Luke 1:30-33, 2:7; 1 John 3:8).
He will be a descendant of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Gen. 12; 49:9-12; Luke 1:30-33, 3:33-34; Acts 3:25-26).
He will be from the tribe of Judah (Gen. 49:9-12; Luke 3:33).
He will be from King David’s dynasty and will rule upon the throne of David forever (2 Sam. 7:12; Isa. 9:6-7; Matt. 1:1; Luke 3:31).
He will be God (Isa. 9:6-7; John 1:1-5, 14; Col. 1:13-29; Heb. 1:8).
He will be born of a virgin (Isa. 7:14; Matt. 1:21-23; Luke 1:35).
He will be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2; Matt. 2:1-11; Luke 2:4).
He will have a forerunner (Mal. 3:1; Matt. 11:10-15; John 1:23).
He will die in A.D. 33 (Dan. 9:25-26; Matt. 21:8-10).
Prophecy outlines how and why He will die (Isa. 52:13-53:12; Matt. 27; Mark 14-15; Luke 23; John 19).
Although this list sounds like a description of Jesus’ earthly life written years after His death, each of the Old Testament prophecies was written hundreds of years before He was born. He fulfilled these 10 prophecies and dozens of others to demonstrate He is the Messiah. But that is not all. He is the only Messiah. There are no other candidates, nor will there ever be.
Old Testament Messianic prophecies also reveal God’s method for fulfilling Bible prophecy and demonstrate how He will fulfill future prophecies.
We can find God in His prophecy.
God’s beautiful nature shines through Bible prophecy. Bible prophecy students can be tempted to focus on God’s revelation more than on the God who revealed those truths. As with the Bible scholars King Herod consulted, the consequences of misplaced devotion are high. Friend, do not miss the God of Bible prophecy. There are many wonderful truths to discover by studying the God of prophecy.
God gave Bible prophecy because He loves people.
When Adam and Eve fell in the Garden of Eden, God could have wiped His hands clean from the human experiment and turned His back on people forever. Who would blame Him if He did? It would not be morally wrong. Yet, because of His great love, He offered a lifeline of hope that reverberated through the ages when He revealed that a human being, the seed of the woman, would put down the serpent once and for all (Gen. 3:15; 1 John 3:8). God’s redemption plan was revealed to the first man and woman in the first Bible prophecy, motivated by God’s matchless love for His special creation.
God can and will keep His promises.
People break their promises because they cannot accurately predict the future. A dad may promise his son they will play catch in the backyard when he gets home from work tomorrow night, but many factors are outside this dad’s control. The weather might quickly turn bad. A loved one might get sick. He might be forced to work late due to an emergency. Although he intends to keep his promise, his limited knowledge of the future might prevent him from keeping it.
Thankfully, none of this is true for God. Nothing is outside His control. His plans are never thrown off schedule. He knows the future as perfectly as the past and present. When God promised the Messiah to Adam and Eve, it was as good as done. Similarly, God’s future prophecies are as good as done.
God is exact and precise in His revelation.
Galatians 4:4-5 reveals, “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.”
Jesus was born at the perfect time in human history. God did not delay His promises to Adam and Eve, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob or David. He fulfilled them at the precisely perfect time.
Consider just one of the 10 messianic prophecies listed above. “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting” (Micah 5:2). God precisely names Bethlehem Ephratah, another name for Bethlehem Judea, as the location that His Messiah will be born.
The wise men came to Jerusalem seeking the newborn King. The star they saw in the East disappeared, so they went to the most logical place to find the Messiah: Jerusalem. They sought an audience with King Herod to unravel this mystery. When King Herod picked his chin up off the floor at the news of the Messiah’s alleged birth, he consulted with his “Bible scholars” to see if they could fill in the details (Matt. 2:1-4). These scholars quickly answered Herod’s question by quoting Micah 5:2 (Matt. 2:5-6). This leads to the next point.
God’s Word is serious and literal.
These scholars understood Micah 5:2 literally. They did not expect God to fulfill it merely symbolically or allegorically. Matter-of-factly, they gave King Herod the answer He sought. In their scholarly opinion, if the Messiah is born, the best place to look is Bethlehem Judea. They expected God’s revelation to be precise.
Sadly, some modern students of Bible prophecy choose to allegorize passages that should be understood literally. Typically, they do that to maintain a theological belief system instead of understanding Scripture accurately.
We can know Him through Bible prophecy.
Sadder still is that the religious scholars who answered King Herod’s question would not travel about five miles from Jerusalem to Bethlehem to see if the Messiah was truly there. Bible prophecy filled their heads with facts but did not transform their lives through faith in Him. They understood how God used Bible prophecy and took His Word literally, yet this knowledge did not produce faith in their souls.
God revealed Messianic Bible prophecy so people could know Him and find redemption from their sins, not so people could merely figure out the answers to who, what, when, where and how prophecies would be fulfilled. These scholars missed God’s heart in His Messianic prophecy. May we not fall for the same tragic error!
God’s prophetic revelation is not intended primarily to reveal future events; rather, it is the revelation of who He is.
Bible prophecy compels us to trust God.
God’s pattern for fulfilling Bible prophecy should encourage followers of Jesus today. Since He fulfilled the Messianic prophecies precisely and literally, we can expect Him to fulfill future prophecies with the same accuracy. God’s faithfulness guarantees it.
While followers of Jesus might disagree on when and how the details of future prophecy will work out, they can all agree that He is coming back as He promised. God wants His followers to be hopeful in these days.
When God revealed the rapture through Paul, the admonition was, “Wherefore comfort one another with these words” (1 Thess. 4:18). God wants His followers to rest in His perfect plan and to be encouraged even in difficult days.
When Jesus revealed that He was going away, He told His disciples, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:1-3).
Paul told Titus that God’s people are “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). The future is bright for God’s family. The church can rest secure in the arms of the God who fulfills every promise with a perfect track record.
