My Belief's

Jesus' Life Foretold

 

What makes Jesus the most unique human ever to live was that almost all the events of His life were clearly predicted hundred's of years before He walked on this Earth.

 

Can that be said of anyone else and supported by history? 

 

The Jewish part of Bible is the Tanakh which Christians refer to as the Old Testament(OT).

There are over 400 predictions concerning their Messiah. This Messiah is to be a special man.

Sadly, they are still waiting for their Messiah to appear. 

 

The Bible warns that there would be many claiming to be this special man but

 

God stated that His Messiah MUST FULFILL EVERY ONE OF THESE  400 predictions.

 

I believe Jesus was and will be the only person in history to meet God's 400 requirements.

 

The Bible shows us that Jesus is that Messiah by His fulfilling every one of these predictions.

 

Let's consider a few of these:

 

Isaiah, an OT prophet who lived about 700 years before Jesus, said this regarding Jesus' birth.

Isaiah 7:14: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel (God with us).”

 

Isaiah 9:6: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

 

Another OT prophet, Micah, states where Jesus would be born:

Micah 5:2: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”

 

Another OT prophet, Jeremiah, states that Jesus would be a descendant of King David:

Jeremiah 23:5:

"The days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land."

 

King David predicted Messiah's birth to his son Solomon.

2 Samuel 7:12-16 "When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’ ”

 

Both of Jesus parents were descendants of tribe of Judah and King David. Jews today have no idea what tribe they are descendants of.

 

These are considered to be the clearest OT predictions that are fulfilled by birth of Jesus in New Testament(NT) books Matthew and Luke.

 

There are a couple more Old Testament passsages that indirectly show that Jesus' is only man in history to fulfill the prediction.

 

The prophet Daniel when in Captivity in Babylon makes the statement that "Messiah would be cut off" about 483 years from the date of the decree by Cyrus for the rebuilding of second Jewish temple.

This speaks of death of Messiah, but that 483 years brings us to the first century. The time that Jesus was alive and was crucified. There is no other Jewish man of signifance in the first century.

 

Daniel 9:26 "Now listen and understand! Seven sets of seven(49) plus sixty-two(434) sets of seven will pass from the time the command is given to rebuild Jerusalem until a ruler--the Anointed One--comes. After this period of sixty-two sets of seven, the Anointed One will be killed,..."

 

There is a statement in Matthew(NT) that the OT predicted Messiah would be a Nazarene.

Yet there is no clear OT passages that shows this, but scholars have used a play on Hebrew word to show that it is possible to come to this conclusion.

 

One last prediction of a future event that was fulfilled during lifetime of Jesus.

 

Malachi, another OT prophet, predicted more then 400 years before Jesus, that the prophet Elijah would reappear before the "dreadful day of the Lord".

 

Malachi 3:1 "Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts."

Malachi 4:5-6 " See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse.”

 

A great prophet named John the Baptist did appear just before Jesus began His ministry.  John the Baptist denied being Elijah, but Jesus said that John was that Elijah. Jesus also said that John was the greatest man born of woman.