Messianic Prophecies
Both Jews and Christians believe these prophecies refer to the Messiah or Christ.
Christians belief that Jesus fulfilled the Messianic prophecies as Peter publically defended Jesus by providing the 3 proofs that Jesus is the Christ:
“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man:
- attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst,
- as you yourselves know — this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God:
- you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. For David says concerning him,
‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell in hope. For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’ — Psalm 16:8-11
Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. 3. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,
Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
— Acts 2:22-36 (ESV)
Messianic prophecies are significant because it indicate how to identify the real Messiah and what to expect from the Messiah.
| Scripture | Description | Historians | Apostles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Genesis 3:15 | Conflict between the serpent and the woman's seed | Debatable | John 8:44; Romans 16:20; 1 John 3:8 |
| Genesis 49:10 | The scepter shall not depart from Judah | Debatable | Matthew 1:1-2, 28:18; Hebrews 7:14; Revelation 5:5 |
| 2 Samuel 7:12-16 | God's covenant with David promising an eternal throne through his offspring | Unmeasurable | Luke 1:32-33; Acts 2:30-32 |
| Psalm 2 | The anointed king who is the son of God | Unmeasurable | Luke 3:38; Acts 13:32-33 |
| Psalm 16:8-11 | The Holy One will be resurrected | Confirmed | Matthew 27:63; Acts 2:29-32, 13:35-37 |
| Psalm 110:1 | The LORD Himself will humble the Lord's enemies | Unmeasurable | Matthew 22:41-46; Acts 2:34-36; Hebrews 1:13, 10:12-13 |
| Isaiah 25:8 | God will swallow up death forever | Unmeasurable | 1 Corinthians 15:54; Revelation 21:4 |
| Isaiah 42:1-4 | God's chosen servant who is gentle and brings justice | Unmeasurable | Matthew 12:18-21 |
| Isaiah 52:13-15 | The Suffering Servant | Unmeasurable | Matthew 12:18-21, 27:26-30; Acts 8:32-35; Romans 15:21; 1 Peter 1:2 |
| Jeremiah 23:5-6 | The LORD righteous is our Righteouness (Jesus' title) | Unmeasurable | Matthew 1:1; Luke 3:23-31; Romans 3:21-26; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Corinthians 5:21 |
| Jeremiah 31:31-34 | A New Covenant where God writes His law on human hearts | Unmeasurable | Luke 22:20; Hebrews 8:8-12, 10:16-17 |
| Zechariah 9:9-10 | The King will come on a donkey | Debatable | Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-44; John 12:12-16 |
The meaning of the above fulfillment categories:
- Historians: Possible values for this column include:
- Confirmed: Specific verifyable evidence exist that the prophecy had been historically fulfilled by secular sources.
- Vague: Technically the prophecy had been historically fulfilled, but the events are too general to identify a unique measurable event.
- Unmeasurable: The historians can neither confirm nor refute the prophecy as the prophecy is either to general or contains no measurable event.
- Debatable: Conflicting and strong evidence could be provided that this prophecy was fulfilled or failed, but it is depends on the text's interpretation.
- Failed: Historic evidence prove that this prediction was not literally fulfilled, however some may argue that the prophecy should be viewed symbolically or spiritually. Often manuscript differences contribute to the misinterpretation of the prophecy. Read the sub-article for more details.
- Partially: Only some aspects of the prophecy had been historically fulfilled, while some remains to be fulfilled (but is still possible in the future)
- Future: No aspect of this prophecy had not been fulfilled yet, but the possibility still exist that it can be fulfilled in the future.
- Tanakh: According to the Tanakh (Old Testament bible authors) the events of the prophecy had been fulfilled.
- Apostles: According to the New Testament apostles or Jesus himself, the prophecy had been fulfilled or at least partially been fulfilled.