The Old Testament contains hundreds of prophecies pointing to Jesus Christ: His birth, life, ministry, death, burial, resurrection, etc. It is truly amazing to think of how these prophecies were made hundreds of years, some even centuries, before Christ’s birth and they were fulfilled with 100% accuracy.
When looking at the larger picture of how the Old Testament sets the stage for the coming of the Messiah, it becomes much harder to deny the reliability of the Bible and the deity of Jesus Christ.
Fulfilled prophecy is a great tool for apologetics and evangelism when speaking to those who are skeptics, and those who are simply unaware.
In this article, we will be looking at two Old Testament prophecies about the first coming of Jesus Christ and how they came to pass in the record of His life in the New Testament.
The Seed
The first Old Testament prophecy about Jesus that we will look at is also chronologically the very first prophecy about Jesus.
This is something I was just teaching to my preschool Sunday school class. It was as simple as talking with the kids about how “this is the very first time the Bible tells us that Jesus would be coming to set us free!”
This prophecy is found in Genesis 3:15, after the fall and disobedience of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The verse says this, “…and I will put enmity between thee (the serpent) and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”
The seed (offspring) of the woman that would bruise the serpent’s head is referring to Jesus. In Genesis 3 verse 20 we see that Adam gave his wife the name Eve because she was the mother of all the living. Every person goes back to the lineage of Adam and Eve, including Christ in the flesh.
Immediately after Adam and Eve fall into temptation, sin, and disobedience, God gives the hope of redemption through His Son, the Seed. This statement given by God also let Satan know that he had not won and that his defeat would come. It’s fascinating to think about how long it took for this prophecy to be fulfilled.
As humans, we often grow impatient when we do not receive answers when we think that we should. Can you imagine what Adam and Eve must have thought of this prophecy? Did they wonder with each child they had if this was “the seed”? Did they grow weary in waiting to see the fulfillment?
Now let’s talk about what the New Testament tells us about the Seed and this prophecy coming to pass after thousands of years.
The books of Matthew and Luke give us the details of the virgin birth of Jesus Christ and His entrance into this world in human form. The fulness of the Godhead dwelling bodily among men.
Luke 2:7 says, “And she (Mary) brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.”
The Seed of Eve that would defeat death and Satan came as a helpless newborn baby. He cried in hunger like all of us. He needed His mother to care for Him, just like we all did. He humbled Himself to live a life in the flesh, in this broken world, all so that He could reconcile us to the Father because He loves us.
Galatians 4:4-5 puts it this way, “…but when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.”
Lastly, Revelation chapter 12 verse 5 tells us: “And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to His throne.” It has been very interesting to learn how prophecy often has layers of fulfillment. Our King will still come to rule the nations with a rod of iron.
The second Old Testament prophecy of Jesus Christ that we will look at is, that the Son (Messiah) would be God in the flesh.
To me, this would seem to be one of the most important things that would need to be revealed about the Messiah before He would come. Those who knew what to look for when He came, would also know that they would find God Himself.
Isaiah 9:6 says, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.”
This prophecy from Isaiah emphatically lays out that a child would be born, a Son given, and that He would be the Mighty God and Everlasting Father. This is a clear claim to deity and not just any deity, but the Most High Himself. Isaiah 7:14 says, “Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” Immanuel means “God with us”, which is a perfect description of Christ.
Luke chapter 1 verses 30-33 says, “And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call His name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David: and He shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end.”
That must have been such an incredible statement for a young Jewish woman to hear.
We’re also told about what the angel says to Joseph in Matthew 1:20-23, which says: “But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His name Jesus: for He shall save His people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, ‘Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel’, which being interpreted is, God with us.”
I found it interesting while reading these to note that when the angel speaks to Mary about Jesus, he tells her that He will be great, He will sit on the throne, and reign forever. It made me think of how his disciples assumed that He was going to overthrow Rome and establish His kingdom at that time. Then, when the angel speaks to Joseph, he says that Jesus would save His people from their sins, not Rome, not tyranny, not occupation, their sins.
I think that these two examples of fulfilled Old Testament prophecy about Jesus would be very powerful in a witnessing situation. It’s very powerful to me, and these are things I already knew!
When it comes to the passages about Jesus’ birth, people can mistakenly think of them as “Christmas” passages and they become a little bit cliché. Someone may think, “Yeah, yeah they’ll call Him Emmanuel... I’ve heard this every year in the Christmas pageant.”
But when you first know what the Old Testament has to say about these events, it brings so much light and revelation to the birth passages. The next winter season could be a great opportunity to present these Old Testament prophecies so that people begin to see how interwoven, accurate, and supernatural Scripture is.
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