More Messianic Prophecies
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He made intercession for his persecutors…. |
And He was crucified with thieves. |
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Prophecy given in the Old Testament: |
Fulfilled prophecy in the New Testament: |
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Isa 53 (v. 12) ....He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. |
Luke 23 (v. 34) Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” Mark 15 (v. 27) With Him they also crucified two robbers, one on His right and the other on His left. (v. 28) So the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And He was numbered with the transgressors.”
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The Encyclopedia Americana records: “The history of crucifixion as a mode of punishment for crime must be studied as a part of the Roman system of jurisprudence.…The Hebrews, for example, adopted or accepted it only under Roman compulsion: under their own system, before Palestine became Roman territory, they inflicted the death penalty by stoning.”[1]
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They cast lots for His garments. |
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Prophecy given in the Old Testament: |
Fulfilled prophecy in the New Testament: |
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Psm 22 (v. 18) They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots. |
John 19 (v. 23) Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His garments and made four parts, to each soldier a part, and also the tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the top in one piece. (v. 24) They said therefore among themselves, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be.... |
The Old Testament statement in Psalms almost seems to be contradictory until we look at the account at the scene of the cross. The garments were parted among the soldiers, but the vesture was awarded to one by the casting of lots.[3]
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He suffered thirst and.... |
was given gall and vinegar to drink. |
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Prophecy given in the Old Testament: |
Fulfilled prophecy in the New Testament: |
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Psm 69 (v. 20) Reproach has broken my heart, And I am full of heaviness; I looked for someone to take pity, but there was none; And for comforters, but I found none. (v. 21) They also gave me gall for my food; And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. Psm 22 (v. 15) My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death. |
Matt 27 (v. 33) And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, Place of a Skull, (v. 34) they gave Him sour wine mingled with gall to drink. But when He had tasted it, He would not drink. John 19 (v. 28) After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!” (v. 29) Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. 30 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. |
A.R. Fausset writes: “His bitter sufferings might have been expected to soften even His enemies, who had caused those sufferings; but instead of cordials, they gave Him gall and vinegar. Twice vinegar was offered to the Saviour on the cross─first vinegar mixed with gall (Matt 27:34), and myrrh (Mark 15:23); but when He had tasted it, He would not drink it; for He would not meet His sufferings in a state of stupefaction, which is the effect of myrrh. As given to criminals, it was a kindness; as given to the righteous Sin-bearer, it was an insult. Next, in order to fulfil this Scripture, He cried “I thirst,” and vinegar was given Him to drink.”[4]
Mark 15 (v. 22) And they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull. (v. 23) Then they gave Him wine mingled with myrrh to drink, but He did not take it.
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His forsaken cry and darkness over the land |
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Prophecy given in the Old Testament: |
Fulfilled prophecy in the New Testament: |
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Psm 22 (v. 1) My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me.... Amos 8 (v. 9) “And it shall come to pass in that day,” says the Lord God, “That I will make the sun go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in broad daylight; |
Matt 27 (v. 45) Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. (v. 46) And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” |
“The expressive repetition twice (v. 1) of the cry, “My God,” implies that the Sufferer clung firmly to this truth, that God was still His God, in spite of all appearances to the contrary. This was His antidote to despair, and the pledge that God would yet interpose as His Deliverer.”[5]
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He committed Himself to God. |
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Prophecy given in the Old Testament: |
Fulfilled prophecy in the New Testament: |
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Psm 31 (v. 4) Pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me, For You are my strength. (v. 5) Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, Oh Lord God of truth. |
Luke 23 (v. 46) And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.” Having said this, He breathed His last. (v. 47) So when the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God, saying, “Certainly this was a righteous Man!” |
Now some critics insist that fulfilled prophecies were just a coincidence!
Image #1
The following probabilities are taken from Peter Stoner in “Science Speaks” to show that coincidence is ruled out by the science of probability. Stoner says that by using the modern science of probability in reference to eight prophecies….we find that the chance that any man might have lived down to the present time and fulfilled all eight prophecies is 1 in 1017 (That would be 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000).[7]
Now these prophecies were either given by inspiration of God or the prophets just wrote them as they thought they should be. In such a case the prophets had just one chance in 1017 of having them come true in any man, but they all came true in Christ.[8]
In reviewing the perspective of “Modern Statistical Probabilities,” one can come to the conclusion that: All the prophecies fulfilled, confirm that Jesus was the Messiah, the Christ, and the Son of God!!
Now that we have presented the evidence for Christ in this section of the website, there can be no mistake that Jesus was who He claimed to be. For those wanting to get to know Him more, by reading about the story of His life, can order a free copy of the book: The Desire of Ages, by clicking on this link.
References:
1. The Encyclopedia Americana (vol.8) p.253, Americana Corporation.
2. Josh McDowell, (1979). Evidence that demands a verdict (vol.1), p.162, Here’s Life Publishers, Inc.
3. Josh McDowell, (1979). Evidence that demands a verdict (vol.1), p.163, Here’s Life Publishers, Inc.
4. A.R. Fausset, (1961). A Commentary Critical, Experimental and Practical on the Old and New Testaments (vol.III), p.246.
5. A.R. Fausset, (1961). A Commentary Critical, Experimental and Practical on the Old and New Testaments (vol.III), p.148.
6. Josh McDowell, (1979). Evidence that demands a verdict (vol.1), p.166, Here’s Life Publishers, Inc.
7. Peter Stoner, (1963). Science Speaks, p.100-107, Moody Press.
8. Josh McDowell, (1979). Evidence that demands a verdict (vol.1), p.167, Here’s Life Publishers, Inc.
Image #1: The Wisdom of Fools, (n.d.). Scientific proof of the Accuracy of Prophecy and the Bible. Retrieved from http://www.earstohear.net/kingdom/fool.html
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