Bible prophecies explained:
Bible prophecies fulfilled by Jesus' birth
Below is a selection of Bible prophecies that involve the birth of the Messiah. These and others were fulfilled by Jesus Christ about 2000 years ago.
1. Isaiah foreshadowed the virgin birth of Jesus
Bible passage: Isaiah 7:14
Written: Between 701-681 BC
In Isaiah 7, the prophet is living during a difficult time, about 2700 years ago. The land of Israel is divided into two kingdoms, and the northern kingdom (sometimes called Ephraim) has formed an alliance with the country of Aram to conquer the southern kingdom (Judah).
The people of Judah are concerned about their future. Isaiah prophesies that the threat from Ephraim and Aram will dissolve in a short amount of time. In verses 14-17, he says that a young maiden will give birth to a son and that before the child reaches the age of discernment, the current threat against Judah will have dissolved.
The Assyrians, who were expanding their empire, later conquered Ephraim and Aram, bringing an end to the threat they had posed for Judah.
The prophecy, at least in terms of addressing the immediate threat to Judah, had found fulfillment in Assyria's conquest of Judah's enemies.
But, Isaiah 7:14, which speaks of a young maiden who would give birth to a child, was fulfilled in a most literal way by Jesus Christ. Verse 14 says:
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14).
The Hebrew word that is being translated into English as "virgin" in Isaiah 7:14 is the Hebrew word "almah." That Hebrew word appears six times in the Old Testament and in each case it refers to a young woman of marriageable age who is in a state of virginity.
In other words, verse 14 is literally proclaiming that a virgin would give birth to a son who would be called Immanuel, which in Hebrew means "God with us." As explained in the New Testament, Jesus is God incarnate as a man. As such, he is in the most literal way Immanuel or "God with us."
Of the four Gospels in the New Testament, two of them describe the circumstances involving the birth of Jesus and both mention that Jesus was born of a virgin: Matthew 1:18-25 and Luke 1:26-38.
Isaiah 7:14:
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
2. The Messiah would be born in Bethlehem
Bible passage: Micah 5:1-2
Written: Sometime between 750-686 BC
In Micah 5:1-2, there is a prophecy that reveals that Bethlehem would be the birthplace of the Messiah. The prophecy is very powerful in a very simple way. It eliminates all other cities and towns throughout the world as a place in which the Messiah could be born. It narrows the possibilities to one tiny village just south of Jerusalem.
And throughout the span of the past 27 centuries, from the days of the prophet Micah up through the present time, Bethlehem is credited as being the birthplace for only one person who is widely known throughout the world. And that person is Jesus Christ.
The fact that Micah 5:2 was regarded during ancient times as being a prophecy about the birthplace of the Messiah is made clear even in non-Christian sources, including the Jerusalem Talmud, which is a collection of Judaic writings completed about 1600 years ago:
"The King Messiah... from where does he come forth? From the royal city of Bethlehem in Judah." - Jerusalem Talmud, Berakoth 5a.
Micah 5:1-2:
1 Marshal your troops, O city of troops,
for a siege is laid against us.
They will strike Israel's ruler
on the cheek with a rod.
2 "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans 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."
3. The Messiah would come from the tribe of Judah
Bible passage: Genesis 49:10
Written: As early as 1400 BC
About 4,000 years ago, there was a man named Jacob who later became known as Israel. He had 12 sons who became the patriarchs of the 12 Tribes of Israel. After Israel had become elderly, he called together his sons and gave them a series of blessings, which also were prophecies about their futures.
In the case of his son, Judah, Israel told him that his descendants would become a succession of kings and that the succession would end with a final ruler whose power would extend beyond the land of Israel:
The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his. - Genesis 49:10
The first king from the line of Judah was David. He reigned about 3000 years ago. Several kings within his bloodline continued to reign for about 400 years. There were no kings from the line of Judah until Jesus about 2000 years ago. And, there has never been another king from the line of Judah. Jesus was and is the final king spoken of in Genesis 49:10.
Genesis 49:10:
The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his.
4. The Messiah would be a descendant of King David
Bible passage: Jeremiah 23:5
Written: Sometime between 626-586 BC
In Jeremiah 23:5, as well as in other Bible prophecies, we learn that the Messiah will be a descendant of King David.
In fact, in the Talmud and in other ancient Judaic commentaries about the Bible, the promised Messiah often is referred to metaphorically as the "Son of David," meaning that he would be a descendant of David.
The New Testament books of Matthew, Mark and Luke use the phrase "Son of David," in connection to Jesus more than a dozen times.
Jeremiah 23:5:
"The days are coming," declares the LORD,
"when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch,
a King who will reign wisely
and do what is just and right in the land.
Notes: Bible verses are from the New International Version (NIV) translation.
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A selection of Bible prophecies explained
• End time prophecies
• Prophecies fulfilled by Jesus' birth
• Fulfilled by Jesus' life
• Fulfilled by his crucifixion
• Others involving Jesus
• Fulfilled by Israel - part 1
• Fulfilled by Israel - part 2
• Fulfilled by Babylon
• Fulfilled by Tyre
• Fulfilled by Nineveh
• Fulfilled by other nations
The life and
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Jesus Christ
• Early life
• 1st year of ministry
• 2nd year of ministry
• 3rd year of ministry
• The final months
• Persecution of Jesus
• Resurrection of Jesus
• Christianity basics
• Things Christians can do
• Salvation
• Taking the next step
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