October 15, 2014
THE BIBLE PROVES ITSELF
Fulfillment of Old Testament Prophecies
Compiled by NiteOwlDave
niteowldave@gmail.com
So, you demand hard-copy proof that the Bible is true? Check this out.
Here are New Testament promises which were fulfilled hundreds of years later and documented in the New Testament. The churchy term for this is Bible prophecy.
The Old Testament prophet Micah in Micah 5:2 wrote 800 years before the birth of Christ, "O Bethlehem, you are but a small Judean village, yet you will be the birthplace of my King who is alive from everlasting ages past."
Fulfillment of that prophecy is recorded in The New Testament opening book of Matthew 2:1 where it is written, "Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod."
It is prophesied in Isaiah 7:14 that "The Lord himself will choose the sign—a child shall be born of a virgin."
Eight hundred years later, Dr. Luke writes in Luke 1:31 of a virgin being told she will have a baby boy, "and you shall name him Jesus."
It is prophesied in Deuteronomy 18:18 that the Messiah will be a prophet like Moses.
That promise is completed as told in John 7:40, "...this man surely is the prophet."
Prophet Zechariah in Zechariah 9:9 foretells that the Messiah would enter Jerusalem on a young colt.
That was fulfilled 450 years later when apostle Matthew writes in Matthew 21:4, "Tell Jerusalem her King is coming to her, riding humbly on a donkey's colt."
The prophet Isaiah wrote in Isaiah 55 that the Messiah would be rejected by his own people.
That prophecy was fulfilled 450 years later when the apostle John recorded in John 12:37, "Despite all the miracles he had done, most of the people would not believe he was the Messiah."
David wrote in Psalms 41:9 that the Messiah would be betrayed by his own followers.
Fulfillment of that prophecy is noted in Matthew 26:14: "Then Judas Iscariot, one of the 12 apostles, went to the chief priests and asked, 'How much will you pay me to get Jesus into your hands?'."
Isaiah wrote in Isaiah chapters 50 and 53 that the Messiah would be struck and spat on, tried and condemned and would be silent before his accusers.
Those prophecies were all fulfilled and noted in Matthew 26 and 27: "But Jesus remained silent... Then they spat in his face and struck him..."
The Psalmist foretold that the Messiah would be crucified, a form of punishment not carried out in Israel at that time, when King David wrote the Psalms.
That was truth as Matthew 27:31 says, "...and took him out to crucify him."
The Messiah would be crucified between two thieves, and he would pray for his enemies, Isaiah prophecies in Isaiah 53:12.
That's exactly what happened as apostle Luke points out in Luke 23:33-34, "...there all three were crucified—Jesus on the center cross, and the two criminals on either side. 'Father forgive these people,' Jesus said, 'for they don't know what they're doing'."
It states in Psalms 69:21 that the Messiah would be offered vinegar and gall while on the cross.
John 19:29 states, "A jar of sour wine was soaked in a sponge and held up to his lips."
The Psalmist details that the Messiah's robe would be gambled for. Bang on, as was observed and recorded in John 19:23, "...the soldiers threw dice to see who gets it (the robe)."
It is recorded in the second book of the Bible, in Exodus 12:46, that the Messiah's bones were not to be broken.
John 19:32-34 states, "So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the two men crucified with Jesus; but when they came to him, they saw he was dead already, so they didn't break his. However, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and blood and water flowed out."
Isaiah points out that the Messiah was to die as a sacrifice for man's sin. John states in chapter 11, verse 50-51, "Let this one man die for the people... Jesus' death was not for Israel alone, but for all the children of God scattered around the world."
The Messiah was to be raised from the dead, according to Psalms 16:10. Acts 2:24 states, "Then God released him from the horrors of death and brought him back to life again, for death could not keep this man within its grip."
Matthew 28:16-19 states, "Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountains where Jesus had said they would find him. There they met him and worshiped him - but some of them weren't sure it really was Jesus."
"He told his disciples, 'I have been given all authority in heaven and earth. Therefore go and make disciples in all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and then teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you; and be sure of this—that I am with you always, even to the end of the world.' "
According to King David in Psalm 110:1, the Messiah (Jesus) is at God's right hand.
He was there before he came to earth, as Jesus Christ, and has returned there after completing the blood sacrifice for the sins of all men, even those born previous to the cross.
His return to Heaven is confirmed in Mark 16:19 which states, "When the Lord Jesus had finished talking with them, he was taken up into heaven and sat down at God's right hand."