The entirety of Scripture, from the book of Genesis through Revelation, proclaims Christ. There is something undeniable that even the atheist must face when it comes to the prophecies of Jesus found in the Old Testament. Let us examine ten of the clearest ones: seven come from the Book of Isaiah (written in the eighth century B.C.) and three from the Book of Wisdom (likely written around 50 to 180 years before the birth of Christ).
- Isaiah 7:14-15: “Behold, a young woman shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Imman′u-el. He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good.”
In this passage, written in the eighth century B.C., Yahweh is speaking to Ahaz on a future sign that the former will fulfill: a young (virginal) woman will conceive a child, and this child will be of humble upbringing.
It’s worth noting that the Hebrew word for “young woman” (‘almah) can be understood and translated as “virgin.” ‘Almah is used throughout the Old Testament to describe maidens who reached the age of marriage, and these unmarried women would have been expected to be virgins in accordance with Jewish cultural norms. Furthermore, pre-Christian Septuagint translations of the word as virgin (parthenos in Greek) indicate a virginal understanding of this prophecy.
The Gospel of Matthew also solidifies this interpretation:
“Do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emman′u-el” (1:20-23).
No other person in recorded history from the time of Isaiah to Christ was said to have been born of a virgin. This prophecy reaches its famous fulfillment only in him As St. Justin Martyr, a second-century Christian of Greek parentage, writes, “now it is evident to all, that in the race of Abraham according to the flesh no one has been born of a virgin, or is said to have been born [of a virgin], save this our Christ.” (Dialogue with Trypho, Chapter XLIII).
This prophecy is further fulfilled in the upbringing of Christ, whose birth, even, was in a manger (Luke 2:7). When it came time for Jesus’ purification in the Temple, his mother could not afford the traditional offering of a one-year old lamb, but instead offered two turtledoves or pigeons, which is the offering of the poor (see Lev. 12:8). From the moment of Jesus’ birth, he knew poverty and hardship, and thus “ate curds and honey.”
- Isaiah 53:2: “He grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or comeliness that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.”
As stated above, Jesus was born in humble circumstances—far from the appearance of an extravagant king. Even Jesus’ neighbors did not think much of him, asking, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary?” (Matt. 13:54-55).
- Isaiah 53:3: “He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief, and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”
Jesus was hated by many people. At times, his teachings filled people with wrath—enough wrath to try to throw him headlong off a cliff (Luke 4:28-29). He would eventually be executed, with a murderer preferred over him (Luke 23:18-19). He was rejected up to the moment of his death, evidenced by the mocking and scoffing of those around him (Matt. 27:39-44).
- Isaiah 53:5: “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that made us whole,and with his stripes we are healed.”
Jesus, in agony, sweats blood (Luke 22:44), is scourged (John 19:1), is crowned with thorns (Matt. 27:29), is forced to carry a heavy cross (John 19:17), and then is crucified (Matt. 27:35). The woundedness and lacerations (“stripes”) of his body are clear.
It was also clear to his disciples that this suffering was offered in atonement for our sins. St. Peter writes, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed” (1 Pet. 2:24).
- Isaiah 53:6: “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way.”
After Jesus is arrested, all of the apostles abandon him (see Matt. 26:56). Jesus himself predicts this right beforehand: “You will all fall away because of me this night; for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered’” (Matt. 26:31).
- Isaiah 53:7: “He was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth.”
Jesus amazes many people with his silence during the Passion account:
When he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he made no answer. Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many things they testify against you?” But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge; so that the governor wondered greatly (Matt. 27:12-14).
- Isaiah 53:12: “He poured out his soul to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”
Before Jesus is killed, he speaks of his blood (which is traditionally associated with life) being offered for the forgiveness of many people’s sins: “Drink of it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matt. 26:27-28).
St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:3 recalls this prophecy being fulfilled: “Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures.”
- Wisdom 6:12: “Let us lie in wait for the righteous man, because he is inconvenient to us and opposes our actions; he reproaches us for sins against the law, and accuses us of sins against our training.”
Jesus interrogates the Jews during his ministry: “Did not Moses give you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law” (John 7:19). Furthermore, he goes as far as saying the father of the Jews is not God, but the devil (John 8:44).
- Wisdom 6:15-16: “His manner of life is unlike that of others, and his ways are strange. We are considered by him as something base, and he avoids our ways as unclean.”
Throughout his ministry, Jesus reiterates that it is not what you eat that defiles you, but what comes from within that defiles you (Mark 7:20-23).
While rebuking the Pharisees, Jesus exclaims, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.” He then accuses the Jews of outwardly appearing righteous, but being “full of hypocrisy and iniquity” within, thus being unclean (Matt. 23:25-28).
- Wisdom 6:16: “He calls the last end of the righteous happy, and boasts that God is his father.”
Jesus calls God his Father throughout his life, beginning with his parents losing and finding him in the Temple (Luke 2:49) and ending with his final words on the cross: “Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit!” (23:46).
It was this public association of God as his Father that sparked bloodthirsty rage: “This was why the Jews sought all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the sabbath but also called God his Father, making himself equal with God” (John 5:16-18).
These ten passages provide only a glimpse of all the scriptural prophecies of Christ, estimated to be over 300 in total. Although a few prophetic texts pointing toward Christ could be written off as coincidence, it’s difficult to ignore hundreds of them.
Instead, we are left with a few possibilities:
One, that many different authors throughout centuries were very good guessers when it came to describing Christ. This seems to be the most unlikely scenario, statistically speaking.
Two, that the details of Christ’s life (including even his existence) were fabrications, created to fulfill these various “prophecies.” Since even atheist scholars, such as Bart Erhman, accept Jesus as a historical person who was crucified, this also does not seem likely.
Or three, that these authors were not guessing or fabricating, but were inspired by God to write these details about Christ before he became incarnate. If this is true—and it seems to be the most plausible option—then God not only exists, but desires to communicate with us. This truth should strike our hearts and inspire in us a deeper love for his Word.