A selection of verses showing that Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled in New Testament times.
When King Herod wants to know where the Christ is to be born, the Jews refer to the prophet Micah (Micah 5 v 2):
4 Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he asked them where the Christ would be born. 5 They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for this is written through the prophet,
6 ‘You Bethlehem, land of Judah,
are in no way least amongst the princes of Judah:
for out of you shall come a governor,
who shall shepherd my people, Israel.’ ”
Matthew tells us John the Baptiser came fulfilling a prediction made by the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 40 v 3):
1 In those days, John the Baptiser came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, 2 “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!” 3 For this is he who was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet, saying,
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness,
make the way of the Lord ready!
Make his paths straight!”
Jesus tells us that he fulfilled Isaiah 61 v 1 and 2 in the synagogue at Nazareth:
16 He came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. He entered, as was his custom, into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. 17 The book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. He opened the book, and found the place where it was written,
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to heal the broken hearted,
to proclaim release to the captives,
recovering of sight to the blind,
to deliver those who are crushed,
19 and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”
20 He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began to tell them, “Today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
Peter confirms that Old Testament predictions were fulfilled by Jesus Christ:
18 But the things which God announced by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he thus fulfilled.
22 For Moses indeed said to the fathers, ‘The Lord God will raise up a prophet for you from amongst your brothers, like me. You shall listen to him in all things whatever he says to you. 23 It will be that every soul that will not listen to that prophet will be utterly destroyed from amongst the people.’ 24 Yes, and all the prophets from Samuel and those who followed after, as many as have spoken, they also told of these days. 25 You are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘All the families of the earth will be blessed through your offspring.’
The apostle Philip explains to an Ethiopian that Isaiah 53 v 7 was fulfilled by Jesus:
32 Now the passage of the Scripture which he was reading was this,
“He was led as a sheep to the slaughter.
As a lamb before his shearer is silent,
so he doesn’t open his mouth.
33 In his humiliation, his judgement was taken away.
Who will declare His generation?
For his life is taken from the earth.”
34 The eunuch answered Philip, “Who is the prophet talking about? About himself, or about someone else?”
35 Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture, preached to him about Jesus.
These chapters have links to this theme:
Category