In the Old Testament scriptures, which were written hundreds of years before the coming of Jesus Christ, there are numerous prophecies regarding the coming of the Messiah, or Savior, who would redeem people from the consequences of their sins.  On page 262 of his book entitled The Case For Christ, Lee Strobel says,

In effect, dozens of these Old Testament prophecies created a fingerprint that only the true Messiah could fit.  This gave Israel a way to rule out impostors and validate the credentials of the authentic Messiah. . . . Jesus, and only Jesus throughout history, matched this prophetic fingerprint. . . .

On page 131 of The Case For Faith, a second book by Strobel, Norman Geisler, Ph.D., states, “According to Barton Payne’s Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy, there are 191 predictions in the Old Testament about the coming of Christ. . . .”  Other sources, including Josh McDowell, a well-known Christian apologist, believe there are even more prophecies regarding the coming of Christ.

Following is a list of some of the most noteworthy of the many Old Testament prophesies and the corresponding New Testament scriptures that fulfill those prophecies:

Some skeptics argue that Jesus deliberately attempted to fulfill the Old Testament prophecies.  For example, Jesus could have ridden a donkey into Jerusalem, knowing it had been prophesied in the Old Testament that the Messiah would do so.  However, Josh McDowell has a strong rebuttal to this argument.  On page 109 of his book entitled More Than A Carpenter, he says,

This objection seems plausible until we realize that many of the details of the Messiah’s coming were totally beyond [His] control.  For example, the place of birth. . . . The time of his coming.  The manner of his birth.  Betrayal by Judas and the betrayal price.  The manner of his death. . . . The casting of dice for his clothes. . . . Half the prophecies are beyond his fulfillment.

Louis Lapides, M.Div., Th.M., on page 184 of Strobel’s book, The Case For Christ, asks, “[H]ow would he [Jesus] control the fact that the Sanhedrin offered Judas thirty pieces of silver to betray him?  How could he arrange for his ancestry, . . . or that soldiers gambled for his clothing, or that his legs remained unbroken on the cross?”

For eight particular prophecies that he considered, Peter Stoner, in a publication entitled Science Speaks, determined on the basis of the science of probability that the chance that any man could have fulfilled all eight prophecies is one in one hundred million billion (10 with 17 zeros after it).  The eight prophecies Stoner considered were (1) the Messiah (Savior) would be born in Bethlehem, (2) He would be preceded by a messenger, (3) He would enter Jerusalem on a donkey, (4) He would be betrayed by a friend, (5) He would be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver, (6) the betrayal sum would be used to purchase a potter’s field, (7) the Messiah would not speak to his accusers, and (8) He would be crucified with transgressors.

Whether Stoner appropriately applied the science of probability is subject to question.  The probabilities he calculated seem to be overstated.  For example, of the eight previously-noted prophecies that he considered, two (#3 and #7) could be fulfilled by virtually any man familiar with the applicable prophecies, if he chose to do so. 

In this regard, McDowell, on page 319 of another of his books, Evidence That Demands A Verdict, states,

Some will say that the estimates given in some of these prophecies are too large and should be reduced.  Others may say that some of the prophecies are related and should have smaller estimates.  That may be true, so I would suggest that such a person go back over the prophecies and make his own estimates.  They will be found to be still large enough to be conclusive.

Therefore, the apparent lack of credibility of Stoner’s calculations should not be a major stumbling block, since Jesus Christ fulfilled numerous other prophecies also.  Furthermore, as previously indicated, the vast majority of the fulfillments of prophecy were beyond Christ’s control.  Thus, it seems reasonable to conclude that the preponderance of proof strongly indicates that Jesus Christ is indeed the Messiah, or Savior, who was promised by God to redeem people from the consequences of their sins.