How many prophecies did Jesus fulfill?

Somebody has put it like this. There are over three hundred prophecies in the Old Testament concerning Christ, His Godhead, His manhood, His birth, His life, His death, the object of His death, the consequences of His death, and, by and by, His manifestation in glory when He reigns. These three hundred and more prophecies are like rays of light, and these rays of light are not all of the same length. Some are longer than others. Some come from as far back as Moses. Others come from a shorter distance, like Micah. Others come from Isaiah; and these rays of light, shot along the centuries, concentrate upon the Babe in Bethlehem’s manger. And then, as His wonderful life unfolds, these rays shine upon the path that He treads. He was the perfect answer to those prophecies, they spoke of Him, and He illuminated them, for they could not be rightly understood until He came. The brightest rays of all foretold the cross of Calvary. All those rays of light focus there. Christ is the Antitype of those types. The Antitype is before the types, as the types are formed upon the Antitype. The Antitype is after the types, as the fulfilment of them. The Antitype is before the types—He is the Alpha; and after the types—He is the Omega. May we have in our souls an adoring sense of who the Son of God is.

But now we come to the greatest prophecy of all, viz., that relating to the Person and mission of the Lord Jesus Christ in this world. Many prophecies are made regarding Him, and all concerning His birth and life and death have been fulfilled. Canon Liddon in his monumental Bampton lectures, The Divinity of our Lord, states that there are 333 prophecies, which centre in the life of the Lord, and every one of them, relating to His life on earth, have been fulfilled.

Things that happened in the life of the Lord Jesus are on fourteen occasions explicitly described as fulfilments of prophecies of the Old Testament (Matthew 1:22-23; 2:5-6, 15, 17-18, 23; 4:14-16; 8:17; 11:10; 12:17-21; 13:35; 21:4-5, 42; 26:31; 27:9-10).

As we have already seen, there is first of all the Bible's own claim to be the inspired Word of God. But can the biblical Christian prove this claim? There is plenty of historical and scientific evidence for the Bible's validity and evidence in the form of fulfilled prophecy. The Old Testament contains over 300 references to the Messiah that were fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Computations using the science of probability on just 8 of these prophecies show the chance that someone could have fulfilled all 8 prophecies is 1017 power, or 1 in 100 quadrillion.

There are over three hundred distinct prophecies of Christ scattered over the pages of the Old Testament.

The programme that was outlined for His first advent has been marvellously and minutely fulfilled. It is safe to say that in the 24 hours, ending at sunset on the day Jesus died, at least 24 distinct predictions were fulfilled. That part of the Divine programme is completed. What is the programme for the future, when He comes again?

In verses 7-9, we have a series of remarkable prophecies, all of which were fulfilled on the very day of our Lord's death. Indeed it has rightly been pointed out that at least 24 Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled in the 24 hours that comprised that day of all days, when the Son of God bowed His head in death.

The careful reader of Scripture cannot but be struck with the great number of times the expression "That the Scriptures might be fulfilled," occurs in Matthew's Gospel, far more frequently than in any of the other Gospels. Not infrequently you get," As it is written," in each Gospel, but Matthew goes further, and twelve times says, "That the Scriptures might be fulfilled" (see Matt. 1:22, Matt. 2:15, 17, 23, Matt. 8:17, Matt. 12:17, Matt. 13:35, Matt. 21:4, Matt. 26:54, Matt. 27:9, 35).

Very much can be said to prove the inspiration of the Bible. One unassailable proof is prophecy. There are over three hundred prophecies in the Old Testament concerning Christ, and these have been strikingly fulfilled. It is impossible, in the nature of things, that the prophecies could be made to fit the fulfilment; or the fulfilment the prophecies.

When the late King of Spain died, the nation waited and hoped that an infant should be born who would prove to be the King of Spain. Suppose a prophet arose and announced that the expected infant would be a son, his prophecy might be fulfilled, but thereby he could not lay claim to anything more than a happy guess. But suppose he ventured on over 300 prophecies, many of them of an extraordinary nature, covering the life and death of the King, and prophesied hundreds of years before the event, and every prophecy was fulfilled, what conclusion could you come to then?

Over three hundred direct prophecies as to the incarnation, life, death, resurrection and future glory of our Lord Jesus Christ’s lie scattered over the pages of the Old Testament scriptures. The fulfilment of prophecy (save that which is still future—“the glory that should follow,” 1 Peter 1:11) is the strongest proof of the divine origin and inspiration of the Bible. It is as if three hundred rays of light had been shot across the centuries, and lit up the face of the babe in Bethlehem’s manger; illuminated the form of Him who went about doing good; shone with heavenly glory on the form, more marred than any man’s, hanging on the cross of Calvary; disclosing the emptiness of the tomb, attesting the triumph of His work; and lighting Him up with their divine rays, who sits upon the throne of God, till we exclaim in adoring worship it is Jesus our Saviour, High Priest, Shepherd, King.