FULFILLED PROPHECIES: Part One
"How many prophecies did Jesus fulfill?" From gotQuestions.org
The Bible is the
story of human history and God’s work in it. The most significant event in
human history is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The story of this
event permeates the text of Scripture. The creation account shows us God’s
sovereignty over His creation. The fall shows us why we need a savior. The
history of Israel shows two significant things: 1) the historical context of
the coming of the Son of God incarnate, and 2) humanity’s inability to save
itself through works, thus, its need for a savior.
The gospels tell
the story of Jesus the Savior on earth, and much of the rest of the New
Testament teaches how to live in this age in light of Jesus’ work on our
behalf. The prophecies of the Bible, particularly in Daniel and Revelation but
also elsewhere, show what Jesus as Savior is saving us to (eternal paradise)
and from (eternal damnation in hell).
The story of
Jesus saturates the metanarrative of the Bible, and prophecies of His first
advent are found throughout the Old Testament. Allusions to Him also come up in
micro ways, as many people and events hint at the work He would accomplish. One
scholar, J. Barton Payne, has found as many as 574 verses in the Old Testament
that somehow point to or describe or reference the coming Messiah. Alfred
Edersheim found 456 Old Testament verses referring to the Messiah or His times.
Conservatively, Jesus fulfilled at least 300 prophecies in His earthly
ministry.
So, the question
of how many prophecies Jesus fulfilled is difficult to answer with precision.
Should we count only direct messianic prophecies? Do we count repeated
prophecies twice? How about allusions and indirect references to the ministry
of Christ? And what about types? A type is a prophetic symbol: a person or
thing in the Old Testament that foreshadows a person or thing in the New
Testament. So, while Isaiah prophesies the Lord will offer good news for the
brokenhearted (Isaiah 61:1), Boaz lives this out, acting as a type of Christ
(Ruth 4:1–11).
Below is an
attempt to list the types and prophecies given in the Old and New Testaments
that Jesus has fulfilled. Undoubtedly, it is not complete. But that’s one of
the great things about the Bible—the more you read it, the more you see.
Type Given and Fulfilled
Type: Adam is a type of Christ because both their actions
affected a great many people. Genesis 3:17-19 / Romans 5:14
Type: Jesus is the fulfillment of the Passover Lamb. Exodus
12:1-11 / John 1:29-36
Type: The rock that produced water for Israel points toward
Jesus and the living water. Exodus 17:6 / John 4:10; 1 Corinthians 10:3-4
Type: The tabernacle where God dwelt among the Israelites is a type
of Jesus, God with us. Exodus 25:8; Isaiah 7:14; 8:8, 10 / Matthew 1:21-23;
John 1:14; 14:8-11
Type: The feast of unleavened bread represents the purity of
Jesus; Jesus’ burial is like a kernel in the ground, waiting to burst forth in
life. Leviticus 23:6 / 1 Peter 2:22
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