Topical Index of Scriptures

Old Testament prophesies fulfilled by Jesus

Background information

Historical and archeological evidence for Biblical accuracy

 

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy  has begotten us again to a living hope  through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead...." 1 Peter 1:3

1. He would be born of a virgin: “...the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son...." (Isaiah 7:14)

Fulfilled! "Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph. ... [T]he angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus... and of His kingdom there will be no end.'
     "Then Mary said to the angel, 'How can this be, since I 'do not know a man?'
     "And the angel answered and said to her, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God." (Luke 1:26-35)

2. He would be born in Bethlehem: "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.”  (Micah 5:2)

Fulfilled! "Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.... And she brought forth her firstborn Son..." (Luke 2:4-7)

3. His death would redeem us from sin and judgment: "He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities...  and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth...." (Isaiah 53:5-7)

Fulfilled! "For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:
'Who committed no sin... who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree..." (1 Peter 2:20-25)

4. He was rejected by those He came to save: He is despised and rejected by men.... and we did not esteem Him." (Isaiah 53:3).

Fulfilled! "That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. (John 1:9)

5. Identified with our sins, Jesus was separated from our Holy God: "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"  (Psalm 22:1).

Fulfilled! "And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, 'Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?' that is, 'My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?'" (Matthew 27:46)

6. He would face mockery from ruling authorities: "All those who see Me ridicule Me; they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, 'He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him; let Him deliver Him...”  (Psalm 22:7-8).

Fulfilled! "...the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said, 'He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him....’” (Matthew 27:41-43)

7. Nails would pierce his hands and feet: "They pierced My hands and My feet."  (Psalm 22:16)

Fulfilled!  When the resurrected Jesus appeared to His disciples, he said, "Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? Behold My hands and My feet.... Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.'" (Luke 24:38-39)

"[Eight days later, Jesus appeared to all the disciples] He said to Thomas, 'Reach your finger here, and look at My hands... Do not be unbelieving, but believing.' And Thomas answered and said to Him, 'My Lord and my God!'
Jesus said to him, 'Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:25, 27-29

8. They "cast lots" for his clothes: "They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots." (Psalm 22:18)

Fulfilled! "And when they crucified Him, they divided His garments, casting lots for them to determine what every man should take." Mark

9. God's decree and promise after the fall: (speaking to the serpent) "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.”  (Genesis 3:14)

Fulfilled! "And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath....
      "But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ.... For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast... (Ephesians 2:1-9)


Proof of the resurrection

"Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb.... And they said among themselves, 'Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?' 'But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away—for it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, 'Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here." (Mark 16:2-6)

"After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country. And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either. Later He appeared to the eleven...." (Mark 16:12-14)

It's not surprising that many doubt or deny His resurrection. On that glorious event rests the ultimate victory of the gospel! Through the cross, Jesus redeemed us (bore the legal punishment for our sin and freed us from the judgment of the law). Having cleansed us from our sin, He could -- by His resurrection -- raise "us up together" with Himself, so that we could share in His heavenly victory even as we serve Him here on earth." (Ephesians 2:1-10)?

1. The massive stone had been rolled away!  This is no small miracle. Weighing over a ton, it could hardly be moved without a lever. Meanwhile, the tomb was both sealed and guarded by a team of Roman soldiers who would face torture and death if they fell asleep or failed to carry out their mission. These guard would eventually be bribed to spread false explanations. 

"Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men." (Matthew 28:1-4)

"...some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened. When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, saying, 'Tell them, ‘His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.’ And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will appease him and make you secure.' So they took the money and did as they were instructed...." (
Matthew 28:11-15)

2. The tomb was empty -- except for the burial wrappings: If the disciples stole the body, why they bother to uncover it before hiding it. No, the tomb was empty because Jesus had, indeed, risen!

3. More than 500 witnesses could confirm His post-resurrection appearances:  As the apostle Paul wrote:

"For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now..." (1 Corinthians 15:3-6)

6. The disciples and others who followed Christ would face persecution and death for proclaiming the resurrection: Before the crucifixion, the disciples were too frightened to even defend their Lord. Their fear didn't diminish after the crucifixion. But after the resurrection, everything changed!

His faithful disciples boldly proclaimed the gospel, the resurrection and the victorious name of Jesus in spite of the threats against them. They faced imprisonment, torture, stoning and death. What changed them? Only an absolute certainty that Jesus, their Lord and King had indeed risen! 

"...just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." (Romans 6:4)


Only One Way

Jesus is the Way - the only way - to life with God today and forever.  Yet, millions of seekers are choosing spiritual paths that lead to bondage, disillusionment and despair. Most seek blindly, for they can neither read nor follow God's signposts.  They don't see the chasm that separates His Way from all other ways; nor will they seek help from the only One who can bridge that gap.

Our sovereign Lord wrote the blueprint for life, salvation and victory! His Word will stand no matter how many people reject it. They make it abundantly clear that there are no alternative pathways -- no other trails up the mountain -- that can bring us near to God and open the Door into His wonderful eternal Kingdom. Only Jesus Christ, our Lord, can show us the Way:

"I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." (John 10:9-10)

'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.'" (John 14:6)

If you are truly part of His family, then you know the peace and hope we have in Christ. And nothing is more reassuring than promises such as this:

 "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ... Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:31-39)


If you seek to know our God and be part of His family, please see this page: What it means to be a Christian

The following testimonies illustrate how God changes lives and provides all the wisdom and strength we need to joyfully serve Him. We hope they will encourage you: Guilty as Charged | Living in God's forgiveness | My Shepherd

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See also The Gospel and What it means to be a Christian