How many prophecies did Jesus fulfill?

The Bible is the story of human history and God’s work in it. The most significant event in human history is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The story of this event permeates the text of Scripture. The creation account shows us God’s sovereignty over His creation. The fall shows us why we need a savior. The history of Israel shows two significant things: 1) the historical context of the coming of the Son of God incarnate, and 2) humanity’s inability to save itself through works, thus, its need for a savior.

The gospels tell the story of Jesus the Savior on earth, and much of the rest of the New Testament teaches how to live in this age in light of Jesus’ work on our behalf. The prophecies of the Bible, particularly in Daniel and Revelation but also elsewhere, show what Jesus as Savior is saving us to (eternal paradise) and from (eternal damnation in hell).

The story of Jesus saturates the metanarrative of the Bible, and prophecies of His first advent are found throughout the Old Testament. Allusions to Him also come up in micro ways, as many people and events hint at the work He would accomplish. One scholar, J. Barton Payne, has found as many as 574 verses in the Old Testament that somehow point to or describe or reference the coming Messiah. Alfred Edersheim found 456 Old Testament verses referring to the Messiah or His times. Conservatively, Jesus fulfilled at least 300 prophecies in His earthly ministry.

So, the question of how many prophecies Jesus fulfilled is difficult to answer with precision. Should we count only direct messianic prophecies? Do we count repeated prophecies twice? How about allusions and indirect references to the ministry of Christ? And what about types? A type is a prophetic symbol: a person or thing in the Old Testament that foreshadows a person or thing in the New Testament. So, while Isaiah prophesies the Lord will offer good news for the brokenhearted (Isaiah 61:1), Boaz lives this out, acting as a type of Christ (Ruth 4:1–11).

Below is an attempt to list the types and prophecies given in the Old and New Testaments that Jesus has fulfilled. Undoubtedly, it is not complete. But that’s one of the great things about the Bible—the more you read it, the more you see.