The Testimony of the Biblical Prophecies
The Supernatural Character of Messianic Prophecies
The prophetic books of the Bible were written centuries before Jesus birth and His death. What is interesting is that they had predicted where would Messiah be born (Micah 5:2), time for His birth and death (Daniel 9:25). Other prophecies concerning Messiah are following:
He will be born by a virgin (Isaiah 7:14)
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There will be a prophet who will announce the coming of the Messiah (Isaiah 40:3-5)
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He will be declared from heaven that He is Son of God (Psalms 2:7)
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He will perform miracles and heal the sick (Isaiah 61:1-2)
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In his triumphal entering Jerusalem as a King he will choose to ride on the donkey (Zechariah 9:9)
Important prophecies concerning the circumstances around his death are following. They are important because his death is one vicarious sacrifice for our sins, (which even ancient prophets like Isaiah testified; see his book 53:12).
He will be betrayed for thirty pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12)
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He will be accused by false witnesses (Psalms 35:11)
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He will meet false accusation with dignity and silence (Isaiah 53:7)
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He will be spat upon and be smitten (Isaiah 50:6)
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He will be convicted as a criminal, in spite of his innocence (Isaiah 53:12)
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He will be pierced through hands and feet (Zechariah 12:10)
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His side will be pierced on his side (Zechariah 12:10)
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He will be scorned and mocked (Psalms 22:7-8)
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He will pray for his adversaries and forgive them for their acts (Psalms 109:4)
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Soldiers will gamble for his garments (Psalms 22:17-18)
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No bones will be broken in his death (Psalms 34:20) (it was common practise to break bones of those crucified)
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He will be buried with the rich (though he was convicted as a worst criminal) (Isaiah 53:9)
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He will short after his death be resurrect from the grave (Psalms 16:10, 49:15)
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He will ascend to the heaven (Psalms 68:18)
There are many more prophecies (at least 200) and I didn't mention other prophets like Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Amos, Hosea, Joel, etc. But it was sufficient to mention only those above prophecies written by Isaiah, Micah, Zechariah, Daniel and David (one of the authors of the Psalms). It is a well-known fact that the prophetic books of the Bible were written many centuries before Christ. Isaiah was called to prophetic ministry 740 BC. Micah's writing dates 752-697 BC. Zechariah began his ministry sometime between 520 and 508 BC. Daniel lived during the Babylonian and Persian kings Nebuchadnezzar (605-562), Belshazzar (553-539) and Cyrus (559-529) (The dates of those kings are well known matter). David lived three centuries before Isaiah (around 1000 years BC).
What was the purpose of those prophecies? The purpose of those prophecies was simple to announce beforehand that Creator of the Universe will be incarnate and be manifest in human flesh. To recognise Him as a God incarnated in human flesh God chose to tell to His special servants when He will be born, where He will be born, the essential features of His ministry while on the earth (like performing miracles, healing the sick), the circumstances around His death and finally His human victory over the death (because of his sinless nature). Those prophesies also show that our God is an active participant in the human history, i.e. He is not a deistic god. He is the Lord of the History.
Why did God choose to become a man and walk among us? He chose to do that of one necessity! If He wanted to save us from the eternal separation, a separation without Him in Hell, then He had to die vicariously for our sins on the cross. Instead that we would be punished He punished Himself for our sins.
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