In the second letter written by the apostle Peter, he wanted to assure us that the story of Jesus and the gospel message was not a made up story. He had seen all the things that Jesus did and heard the voice of God when they were upon the mountain of transfiguration. But he wanted to give us additional assurance of what we believe by pointing to the prophesies that Jesus fulfilled. 2 Peter 1:19-21 “And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” The holy prophets were moved by the Spirit to reveal future things hundreds of years before they happened. Let us look at a few of the prophesies about Jesus.
The coming of Jesus was foretold. First, He would be from the tribe of Judah. Genesis 49:10 “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; and to Him shall be the obedience of the people.” He would be born in Bethlehem. Micah 5:2 “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.” He would be born of a virgin. Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” He would be the Son of God. Psalms 2:7 “I will declare the decree: the Lord has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, today I have begotten You.’” He would be called God. Isaiah 9:6-7 “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.”
The ministry of Jesus on earth was described. He would be a prophet like Moses. Moses said in Deuteronomy 18:15 “The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear.” He would come with a message of good news for salvation. Isaiah 61:1 “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound.” He would perform miracles to help people. Isaiah 35:4-6 “Say to those who are fearful-hearted, ‘Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God; He will come and save you.’ Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert.” He would be poor and have no outward beauty or splendor. Isaiah 53:2 “For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him.” He would be rejected by his own people. Isaiah 53:3 “He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.”
The death of Jesus was foretold. He was to be betrayed by His own friend. Psalms 41:9 “Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.” He would be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver and the betrayal money would be used to pay a potter. Zechariah 11:12-13 “Then I said to them, ‘If it is agreeable to you, give me my wages; and if not, refrain.’ So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver. And the Lord said to me, ‘Throw it to the potter’ — that princely price they set on me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord for the potter.” He would be persecuted and His friends would abandon Him. Zechariah 13:7 “’Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, against the Man who is My Companion,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘Strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered; then I will turn My hand against the little ones.” He would suffer in silence and not retaliate or defend Himself. Isaiah 53:7 “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth.” He would die for the sins of the world. Isaiah 53:5-6 “But He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” He would be crucified and His clothes would be taken and gambled. Psalms 22:14-18 “I am poured out like water, and all My bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it has melted within Me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and My tongue clings to My jaws; you have brought Me to the dust of death. For dogs have surrounded Me; the congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.” He would be raised from the dead before His body decayed. Psalm 16:10 “For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.”
The prophesies about Jesus provide wonderful assurance that God the Father had a plan to send His son to the earth for our transgressions. I leave it up to you to find the fulfillment of the prophesies. However, I hope these prophesies encourage you and strengthen your faith.