Introduction
For me this subject holds a significant value to my life with Christ, as it was approximately 25 years ago that I was amazed at how accurate the prophecies quoted in the Old Testament came to be in the New Testament. It was this discovery that caused me to read more of the Bible and eventually lead me to be saved through the precious blood of Jesus our Lord and Saviour.
Not only did the prophecies of the Old Testament become real in the New Testament but Jesus made reference to Old Testament scripture in His ministry whilst on earth.
So we have unity in both directions. With the Old Testament pointing forward to events that will happen in the New Testament and the New Testament referring back to the Old Testament, a perfect compliment.
Fulfilled Prophecies Concerning Jesus
According to a list compiled by Bibleprobe.com1 there are 365 Old Testament prophecies that were fulfilled by Jesus or by those around Him and chronicled in the New Testament.
It is beyond the scope of this short discussion paper to list all 365 prophecies but here are just 8 examples:
| Event | Old Testament Prophecy | Fulfilled |
| 1. Christ born in Bethlehem | Micah 5:2 | Matthew 2:1 |
| 2. John the Baptist prepares the way to Jesus | Malachi 3:1 | Matthew 11:10 |
| 3. The King riding on an ass | Zechariah 9:9 | Matthew 21:7 |
| 4. Betrayed for 30 pieces of silver | Zechariah 11:12 | Matthew 26:14-15 |
| 5. 30 pieces of silver thrown in temple | Zechariah 11:13 | Matthew 27:3-5 |
| 6. He was silent before His accusers | Isaiah 53:7 | Matthew 27:12-14 |
| 7. They pierced His hands and feet | Psalms 22:16 | Luke 24:39-40 |
| 8. Not a bone of Him broken | Psalms 34:20 | John 19:31-36 |
In his book Science Speaks2, Professor Peter Stoner estimates the probability of any man who may have lived from the time the prophecies were given or any time since up to now and who fulfilled just 8 prophecies is 1 in 1017 or 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000. Peter goes onto say that to fulfil 48 prophecies the probability would increase to 1 in 10157.
Imagine how staggering the probability would be calculated to when all 365 fulfilled prophecies are considered!
This proves beyond any man’s doubt that the Old Testament is God’s Word. For if it were written by man alone then there would not be this level of perfection! Nowhere near it! And without the New Testament we would not have the source to prove it.
Jesus refers to the Old Testament
There are many instances recorded in the New Testament where Jesus in His ministry refers back to the Old Testament. Here are just a few of His teachings that reflect those found in the Old Testament:
| Teaching | New Testament | Old Testament |
| Man shall not live by bread alone. | Matthew 4:4 | Deuteronomy 8:3 |
| Do not tempt God. | Matthew 4:7 | Deuteronomy 6:16 |
| Preach Gospel to the poor, heal broken hearted, liberty to captives and oppressed, sight to the blind and proclaim acceptable year of the Lord. |
Luke 4:17-19 | Isaiah 61:1-2 |
| Do not murder. | Matthew 5:21 | Exodus 20:13 |
| Do not commit adultery. | Matthew 5:27 | Exodus 20:14 |
| Do not steal. | Matthew 19:18 | Exodus 20:15 |
| Do not bear false witness. | Matthew 19:18 | Exodus 20:16 |
| Honour your father and mother. | Matthew 15:4 | Exodus 20:12 |
| When you see the ‘abomination of desolation’ spoken of by Daniel, flee to the mountains |
Matthew 24:15-16 | Daniel 11:31 |
Jesus also recites scripture from the books of Genesis, Jeremiah, Leviticus, Zechariah and Psalms. There may even be more Old Testament books He referred to that I have yet to find.
Summary
The New Testament compliments the Old Testament through Jesus. He fulfilled and taught Old Testament scripture, proving to not only those alive during His earthly ministry but for everyone alive in Him since then that He is the promised Messiah spoken of by God throughout the Old Testament. Also demonstrating, beyond doubt, the Word of God is infallible. He is the Word of God made flesh (John 1:1-14).
by Michael Vanston
References
- http://www.bibleprobe.com/365messianicprophecies.htm
- Science Speaks – Online Edition by Peter W Stoner
http://sciencespeaks.dstoner.net/Christ_of_Prophecy.html
Thanks for this valuable information