Born in Bethlehem
Foretold in
"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." (Micah 5:2 NIV)
Fulfilled in
So
Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee
to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he
belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to
register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him
and was expecting a child. While they were there, the
time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to
her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and
placed him in a manger, because there was no room for
them in the inn. (Luke 2:4-7 NIV)
Timing of his birth
Foretold in
"Know and understand this: From the issuing of the
decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the
Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven
'sevens,' and sixty-two 'sevens.' It will be rebuilt with
streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. After the
sixty-two 'sevens,' the Anointed One will be cut off and
will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come
will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will
come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and
desolations have been decreed. (Daniel 9:25-26 NIV)
The Messiah would come
and then be cut off after 69 weeks (literally 'sevens')
of years. Since the Jewish year is equivalent to 360
days, the actual number according to the western calendar
would be about 477 years. The decree to restore Jerusalem
in the reign of Artaxerxes King or Persia was probably
issued about 445 BC. This would give a date of about 32
AD for the coming of Messiah the Prince. Jesus made His
triumphant entry into Jerusalem about that time and
shortly afterwards was 'cut off'. 'The people of the
prince that shall come' were the Romans legions under
Titus who destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD.
Fulfilled in
In those
days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should
be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first
census that took place while Quirinius was governor of
Syria.) (Luke 2:1-2 NIV)
Born of a virgin
Foretold in
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. (Isaiah 7:14 NIV)
Fulfilled in
In the
sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a
town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a
man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's
name was Mary. The angel went to her and said,
"Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is
with you." Mary was greatly troubled at his words
and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the
angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have
found favour with God. You will be with child and give
birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.
(Luke 1:26-31 NIV)
From the tribe of Judah
Foretold in
The
scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff
from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs
and the obedience of the nations is his. (Genesis 49:10 NIV)
Fulfilled in
the son
of Amminadab, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son
of Perez, the son of Judah, (Luke 3:33 NIV)
Heir to the throne of David
Foretold in
Of the
increase of his government and peace there will be no
end. He will reign on David's throne and over his
kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and
righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of
the LORD Almighty will accomplish this. (Isaiah 9:7 NIV)
Fulfilled in
He
will be great and will be called the Son of the Most
High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father
David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever;
his kingdom will never end." (Luke 1:32-33 NIV)
The way prepared
Foretold in
A
voice of one calling: "In the desert prepare the way
for the LORD ; make straight in the wilderness a highway
for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every
mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become
level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the
LORD will be revealed, and all mankind together will see
it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken." (Isaiah 40:3-5 NIV)
Fulfilled in
He went
into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a
baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As is
written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:
"A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the
way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. Every
valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made
low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough
ways smooth. And all mankind will see God's
salvation.'" (Luke 3:3-6 NIV)
Preceded by a forerunner
Foretold in
"See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the
way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking
will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant,
whom you desire, will come," says the LORD Almighty.
(Malachi 3:1 NIV)
Fulfilled in
After
John's messengers left, Jesus began to speak to the crowd
about John: "What did you go out into the desert to
see? A reed swayed by the wind? If not, what did you go
out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who
wear expensive clothes and indulge in luxury are in
palaces. But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes,
I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one
about whom it is written: "'I will send my messenger
ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.' (Luke 7:24-27 NIV)
Declared the Son of God
Foretold in
I will
proclaim the decree of the LORD: He said to me, "You
are my Son ; today I have become your Father. (Psalms 2:7 NIV)
Fulfilled in
And a
voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I
love; with him I am well pleased." (Matthew 3:17 NIV)
Ministry in Galilee
Foretold in
Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who
were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of
Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he
will honour Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the
sea, along the Jordan-- The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light; on those living in the land of
the shadow of death a light has dawned. (Isaiah 9:1-2 NIV)
Fulfilled in
Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which
was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali-- to
fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:
"Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to
the sea, along the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles-- the
people living in darkness have seen a great light; on
those living in the land of the shadow of death a light
has dawned." (Matthew 4:13-16 NIV)
Binding up the brokenhearted
Foretold in
The
Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD
has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has
sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom
for the captives and release from darkness for the
prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour and
the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who
mourn, (Isaiah 61:1-2 NIV)
Fulfilled in
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has
anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent
me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of
sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to
proclaim the year of the Lord's favour." (Luke 4:18-19 NIV)
Speaking in parables
Foretold in
I
will open my mouth in parables, I will utter hidden
things, things from of old-- what we have heard and
known, what our fathers have told us. We will not hide
them from their children; we will tell the next
generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power,
and the wonders he has done. (Psalms 78:2-4 NIV)
Fulfilled in
Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he
did not say anything to them without using a parable. So
was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet:
"I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter
things hidden since the creation of the world." (Matthew 13:34-35 NIV)
Rejected by His own people the Jews
Foretold in
He was
despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and
familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide
their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. (Isaiah 53:3 NIV)
Fulfilled in
He came
to that which was his own, but his own did not receive
him. (John 1:11 NIV)
With one
voice they cried out, "Away with this man! Release
Barabbas to us!" (Luke 23:18 NIV)
Betrayed for 30 pieces of silver
Foretold in
I
told them, "If you think it best, give me my pay;
but if not, keep it." So they paid me thirty pieces
of silver. (Zechariah 11:12 NIV)
Fulfilled in
Then one of the Twelve--the one called Judas
Iscariot--went to the chief priests and asked, "What
are you willing to give me if I hand him over to
you?" So they counted out for him thirty silver
coins. (Matthew 26:14-15 NIV)
Crucified with thieves
Foretold in
Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and
he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he
poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the
transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made
intercession for the transgressors. (Isaiah 53:12 NIV)
Fulfilled in
They
crucified two robbers with him, one on his right and one
on his left. (Mark 15:27 NIV)
Pierced through hands and feet
Foretold in
"And I will pour out on the house of David and the
inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and
supplication. They will look on me, the one they have
pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an
only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves
for a firstborn son. (Zechariah 12:10 NIV)
Fulfilled in
Then he
said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands.
Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop
doubting and believe." (John 20:27 NIV)
Soldiers gambled for His clothing
Foretold in
I
can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me.
They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my
clothing. (Psalms 22:17-18 NIV)
Fulfilled in
When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes
by casting lots. And sitting down, they kept watch over
him there. (Matthew 27:35-36 NIV)
None
of His bones was broken
Foretold in
he
protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken. (Psalms 34:20 NIV)
Fulfilled in
The
soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first
man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of
the other. But when they came to Jesus and found that he
was already dead, they did not break his legs. (John 19:32-33 NIV)
His resurrection
Foretold in
because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will
you let your Holy One see decay. (Psalms 16:10 NIV)
But
God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely
take me to himself. Selah (Psalms 49:15 NIV)
Fulfilled in
"Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are
looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has
risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.
But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead
of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he
told you.'" (Mark 16:6-7 NIV)
If all
these prophecies concerning Christ's earthly ministry have
exactly been fulfilled what do you think the chances
are that the prophecies concerning His second coming might also
come to pass ?
Jesus
Christ second coming
- For the Son of Man is going
to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then
he will reward each person according to what he has done.
(Matthew 16:27 NIV)
Jesus said to them, "I tell
you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son
of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed
me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve
tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or
brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or
fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much
and will inherit eternal life. (Matthew 19:28-29 NIV)
For as lightning that
comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will
be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever there is a
carcass, there the vultures will gather.
"Immediately after the distress of those days
"'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not
give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the
heavenly bodies will be shaken.' "At that time the
sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all
the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the
Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power
and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud
trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the
four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
"Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as
its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know
that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these
things, you know that it is near, right at the door. I
tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not
pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven
and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass
away. "No one knows about that day or hour, not even
the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the
coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the
flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and
giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark;
and they knew nothing about what would happen until the
flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be
at the coming of the Son of Man. (Matthew 24:27-39 NIV)
Jesus Christ is the same
yesterday and today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8 NIV)
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