Fulfilled Prophecies from the Bible

You may think that the Bible is just a storybook, or history book. But it is much more than that! It is filled with God-inspired Word, which means all the authors of the book were inspired by the Holy Spirit as they write. Even the book testifies for itself that this scripture is God-breathed ("All scripture is God-breathed..." 2 Timothy 3:16). Just thinking that the entire book is collection of 66 different books written by different authors across a span of thousands of years ago, and yet it is about the same God, Jesus Christ. It is awesome just to have the privilege to read it now in AD2008, thanks to the many copies that were transcribed through the decades and centuries.

The sermon yesterday further convinced me how true the Bible is. Apparently the Bible is filled with many fulfilled prophecies! If you just Google "Fulfilled Prophecies in the Bible", they would give 50 or even 100s of them. Below are 16 of them I learnt from the sermon. The Prophecies were checked to be fulfilled based on both Old and New testaments. A pretty long post, mind you :)


1) Christ was to be rejected.

Isaiah 53:3 "He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not. "

John 1:11 "He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him."


2) He was to be betrayed by a close follower and friend.

Psalm 41:9 "Even my close friend, whom I trusted,
he who shared my bread,
has lifted up his heel against me."

Mark 14:10 "Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them."


3) He was to be sold for 30 pieces of silver.

Zechariah 11:12 "I (Judas Ischariot) told them, "If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it." So they paid me thirty pieces of silver."

Matthew 26:15 "...and asked, "What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?" So they counted out for him thirty silver coins."


4) He was to be silent before His accusers.

Isaiah 53:7 "He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth."

Matthew 26:62-63 "Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, "Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?" But Jesus remained silent. The high priest said to him, "I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God."


5)He was to be smitten and spat upon.

Isaiah 50:6 "I (Jesus) 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."

Mark 14:65 "Then some began to spit at him; they blindfolded him, struck him with their fists, and said, "Prophesy!" And the guards took him and beat him."


6) He was to be mocked and taunted.

Psalm 22:6-8
6But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by men and despised by the people.
7All who see me mock me;
they hurl insults, shaking their heads:
8"He trusts in the LORD;
let the LORD rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
since he delights in him."

Matthew 27:39-40 "Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, 'You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!' "


7) His hands and feet were to be pierced.

Psalm 22:16 "Dogs have surrounded me;
a band of evil men has encircled me,
they have pierced my hands and my feet."

John 20:27 "Then he said to Thomas, 'Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.' "


8) He was to be given gall and vinegar.

Psalm 69:21 "They put gall in my food
and gave me vinegar for my thirst."

John 19:29 "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."


9) He was to suffer for His transgressors and pray for His enemies.

Isaiah 53:12 "Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors."

Matthew 27:38 "Two robbers were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left."

Luke 23:34 "Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.' And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. "


10) His side was to be pierced.

Zechariah 12:10 "And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son."

John 19:34 "Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water."


11) They were to cast lots for His garments.

Psalm 22:18 "They divide my garments among them
and cast lots for my clothing."

Mark 15:24 "And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get."


12) He was to be buried with the rich.

Isaiah 53:9 "He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth."

Matthew 27:57-60 "As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus' body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away."


13) He was a sacrifice for sin.

Isaiah 53:5-6 "But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

John 1:29 "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"


14) He was to bring healing to humanity.

Isaiah 53:4-5 "Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed."

Matthew 8:14-17
14When Jesus came into Peter's house, he saw Peter's mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. 15He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him.
16When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick.
17This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
"He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases."


15) He was to be resurrected.

Psalm 16:10 "...because you will not abandon me to the grave,
nor will you let your Holy One see decay."

Matthew 28:5-7 "The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."


16) He was to ascend to the right hand of God.

Psalm 68:18 "When you ascended on high,
you led captives in your train;
you received gifts from men,
even from the rebellious—
that you, O LORD God, might dwell there."

Luke 24:50-51 "When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven."


The above is just some examples... More other prophecies could be found here.


Perhaps the passage might be hard to comprehend, but they are hard & solid factual accounts that were prophesied by the prophets in the past, recorded in the Old Testament, and later recorded as prove in the New Testament by eye-witnesses during the event. This is how we know that the Bible contains the truth.

Regardless whether you are a Christian or not, it is crucial to research and find out for yourself how true the Bible is, before you come to a conclusion on whether it is just a story or the truth. As taught in our schools, a fact is the truth and will not be disproved regardless of time, but what is true for now may not be the fact, as it could be proven otherwise later in time. Having known the authenticity of the Bible, I'm thankful that I can know Jesus Christ, and trust Him to be my Lord and Saviour. (This is speaking from my personal account.)

There are also some unfulfilled prophesy, which include Jesus' second coming. In fact, Jesus said in Matthew 24:34-35 "I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away."

We are all given only this lifetime to determine whether the Bible is the truth or a lie, and whether He really exists. Do not wait till it really happens and then you believe. It might be too late, because you never know when He will return... Friends, make a wise choice!

God Bless! :)