How is Jesus the fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy?

All the prophets have a message of warning, but also a message of hope for the
future. Jesus is the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy as he fulfils the prophecies
about the Messiah in the New Testament. The bible shows that the prophets spoke
of a Messiah who would come and save God’s people through his actions, and by
his act of sacrifice.

Jeremiah served as one of God’s major prophets, who took his message from God
to Israel and the surrounding nations. Jeremiah’s message of hope for the future was
a promise from God of restoration in the future messianic Kingdom. His message
was also a warning to the Israelites about the severe consequences of breaking their
covenant with God, and of God’s coming judgement. The book of Jeremiah includes
specific hopes to carry God’s people through their time in Babylonian captivity and
the future. For example, one states that God would raise up a descendant of David
to serve God and guide his people, this man will be the Messiah to come. This
prophecy was fulfilled by Jesus Christ in the New Testament.

This is shown in Jeremiah 23:5-6 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I
will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is
just and right in the land....he will be called: The Lord Our Righteous Saviour”. This
corresponds to the New Testament, which fulfils this prophecy of Jesus being the
Messiah. Matthew 1:1 - “1 This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of
David, the son of Abraham”. Therefore, it is evident that this prophecy that came
from Jeremiah, was later fulfilled by Jesus, who saved the Israelites from sin and
restored God’s kingdom.

Another prophecy from the Old Testament that was fulfilled by Jesus was that the
Messiah would be born of a virgin. This meant that a virgin will conceive and give
birth to a baby, who would be the son of God. This prophecy is seen in the Old
Testament in Matthew 1:23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they
will call him Immanuel (which means “God with us”). Similarly, Luke 1:31 states:
“You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus”. Therefore,
this prophecy from the Old Testament was fulfilled by Jesus in the New Testament in
Luke 1:31.

The Old Testament also includes another prophecy that speaks of a servant who will
bore the sins of many. This is told in Isaiah 53:12 12 “…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.” This is later fulfilled in the New
Testament and is seen in chapter 19:34, from the book of John: “Instead, one of the
soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water”.
This shows that Jesus did sacrifice his life for God’s people, and that he did fulfil the
prophecy told in Isaiah 53.

In conclusion, it is evident from the prophecies above, and many others, that Jesus
is the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecy.
By Alyssa Ciarroni