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The Old Testament discusses the Messiah across various books, but it goes beyond describing a potential savior sent by God. It's filled with predictions about the Messiah, and what makes it captivating is that many of these prophecies came true. Evidence of these fulfilled predictions can be found in several New Testament books. According to these biblical accounts, it appears that Jesus Christ truly fulfilled the role of the Messiah.

Intrigued by these prophetic connections? Dive in to discover some of the most compelling ones.

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The prediction that the Savior would be born as a human can be found in Genesis 3:15. Matthew 1:20 and Galatians 4:4 affirm this, with the latter stating "God sent his Son, born of a woman."

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According to the Old Testament, specifically Micah 5:2, Bethlehem Ephrathah was foretold to be the birthplace of Jesus. The verse states, "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans[a] of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times." The location of Jesus' birthplace is then confirmed in Matthew 2:1 and Luke 2:4-6.

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The Old Testament describes Mary as both a virgin and the mother of Jesus, referencing Isaiah 7:14, which states "[...] The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son [...]." The prophecy is then fulfilled in Matthew 1:22-23 and Luke 1:26-31.

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The passage in Genesis 12:3 and Genesis 22:18 both reference this statement. In the latter verse, it states "and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.” This is affirmed in Matthew 1:1, which provides the lineage of Jesus the Messiah. Romans 9:5 also supports this concept.

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According to Genesis 17:19, God establishes an eternal covenant with the offspring of Isaac. This idea is reinforced in Genesis 21:12. Luke 3:34 then states the ancestry of Jesus as "the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor."

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The prophecy in Numbers 24:17 states "A star will come out of Jacob.", which is fulfilled in Matthew 1:2.

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According to Genesis 49:10, "The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his." Luke 3:33 confirms Jesus "as the son of Judah," which is further validated by Hebrews 7:14.

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The prediction of Jesus' reign on David's throne and over his kingdom was foretold in 2 Samuel 7:12-13 and Isaiah 9:7. The latter reads "[...] He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom [...]." Luke 1:32-33 says that "The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David," and Romans 1:3 affirms Jesus' lineage to King David.

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"When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son," reads Hosea 11:1. Matthew 2:14-15 in the New Testament confirms it: "So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: 'Out of Egypt I called my son.'"

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In Jeremiah 31:15, it is predicted that the innocent will be mercilessly killed. This prophecy is later confirmed in Matthew 2:16-18, where it is stated: "A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more."

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According to Isaiah 40:3-5, it is mentioned that "the glory of the Lord will be revealed." And this indeed happened, as described in Luke 3:3-6: "He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet."

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Psalm 69:8 and Isaiah 53:3 predicted that Jesus would be "despised and rejected by mankind" (quoting the latter). Then, in the New Testament, John 7:5 states: "For even his own brothers did not believe in him."

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"The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him," reads Deuteronomy 18:15. A prophecy that was confirmed in Acts 3:20-22.

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Psalm 2:7 reads: "I will proclaim the Lord’s decree: He said to me, 'You are my son; today I have become your father.'" Then in Matthew 3:16-17, following Jesus' baptism, God says: "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."

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"The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned," reads Isaiah 9:1-2; a prophecy confirmed in Matthew 4:13-16.

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Both Isaiah 6:9-10 and Psalm 78:2-4 ("I will open my mouth with a parable") mention this prophecy. The prophecy is confirmed in Matthew 13:34-35, and Jesus explains why he speaks in parables in Matthew 13:10-15.

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"He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted," can be read in Isaiah 61:1-2. The fulfillment of this prophecy is described in Luke 4:18-19.

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While "Christ did not take on himself the glory of becoming a high priest," (Hebrews 5:5-6) God's message was there in Psalm 110:4: “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”

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Psalm 41:9 reads: "Even my close friend, someone I trusted, one who shared my bread, has turned[a] against me." This topic is also covered in Zechariah 11:12-13. Both Luke 22:47-48 and Matthew 26:14-16 described the betrayal of Judas.

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"Ruthless witnesses come forward; they question me on things I know nothing about," reads Psalm 35:11. And then we find "some stood up and gave this false testimony against him" in Mark 14:57-58.

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Isaiah 50:6 reads: "I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting." Then Matthew 26:67 confirms it: "They spit in his face and struck him with their fists. Others slapped him."

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Both Psalm 35:19 and Psalm 69:4 confirm this. The latter reads: "Those who hate me without reason outnumber the hairs of my head." John 15:24-25 details the fulfillment of the prophecy.

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Isaiah 53:12 alludes to the same scenario, which is also mentioned in Matthew 27:38 ("Two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left"). This is reiterated in Mark 15:27-28.

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Psalm 69:21 reads, "They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst." Matthew 27:34 and John 19:28-30 confirm it: "A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips."

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"Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce my hands and my feet (Psalm 22:16). Zechariah 12:10 also mentions this prophecy. John 20:25-27 then confirms its fulfillment.

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Isaiah 53:9 mentions that Jesus was "assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death." Matthew 27:57-60 confirms it.

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The resurrection of Jesus is confirmed in Psalm 16:10 and Psalm 49:15, and further supported by passages in the New Testament: Matthew 28:2-7 and Acts 2:22-32.

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The rise of Christ was foretold in Psalm 24:7-10, and later verified in the New Testament in Mark 16:19 and Luke 24:51, the latter stating: "While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into Heaven."

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Psalm 68:18 and Psalm 110:1 both refer to this prophecy. The latter states: "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” Then Mark 16:19 says: "After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into Heaven and he sat at the right hand of God." In addition, Matthew 22:44 also makes reference to this prophecy.

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The prophecy originates from Isaiah 53:5-12 and includes the line "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities." Romans 5:6-8 confirms the fulfilment of this prophecy. "Christ died for the ungodly [...] God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Sources: (Learn Religions) (Diocese of Westminster)