Prophets Said the Christ Would Come
Month 9: The Road to Jerusalem · Why We Believe
Today's Scripture
Read together: Luke 24:44 & Isaiah 9:6
44 Jesus said to them, “These are the words I spoke to you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms.” — Luke 24:44
6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. — Isaiah 9:6
Memory Verse
“Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.””— Matthew 16:16 (BSB)
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: Jeremiah 45-47
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (God's word reaches even the nations around Israel — His plan was always bigger than one people.)The Heart of It
When Peter confessed "You are the Christ," he wasn't inventing a brand-new idea. For hundreds of years before Jesus was born, God had His prophets write down clues about the Rescuer who would come. Isaiah wrote around 700 years early. He said, "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given… and His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (). A child who is also the Mighty God? That's exactly who Jesus turned out to be. After Jesus rose, He told His friends that everything written about Him "in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms" had to be fulfilled ().
This is one of the strongest reasons we believe. The Old Testament holds dozens of specific predictions. It said where the Christ would be born, in Bethlehem (). It said how He would suffer (). It even said He'd be sold for thirty pieces of silver (). Jesus matched them all, and many of them were far outside His control. No one arranges the town of their own birth. No one scripts the words of executioners centuries before. The fingerprints of God are all over the timing. The Christ Peter confessed is the same Christ the prophets had been pointing to all along. That's not a coincidence. That's a promise kept.
Around the Table
A long, long, LONG time before Jesus was born, God told His helpers, "My Son is coming!" And He did! God always keeps His promises.
Let's do it: Count on your fingers as high as you can. God promised even longer ago than that!
Isaiah wrote about Jesus 700 years before He was born. Which name from is your favorite? Why?
Let's talk: Imagine someone predicted something 700 years from now and got it exactly right. What would you think about them?
Jesus fulfilled many prophecies that were beyond any human's power to stage. Think of His birthplace. Think of His death. He was even sold for thirty pieces of silver.
Let's go deeper: How does fulfilled prophecy strengthen your trust that the Bible is true and Jesus is who He claimed?
💬 Conversation Starter
Have you ever called something exactly right before it happened? How did it feel? Now imagine getting it right 700 years early.
🛡️ Defending the Faith
When someone says, "The Gospel writers just made Jesus match the prophecies on purpose," you can answer kindly. Many fulfilled prophecies were completely outside Jesus' control. He couldn't choose to be born in Bethlehem. He couldn't arrange that soldiers would gamble for His clothes (). He couldn't script His enemies' actions. And the prophecies themselves were copied and known centuries before Jesus. The Dead Sea Scrolls even include a copy of Isaiah from before His birth. The match isn't editing. It's God keeping ancient promises. Always offer this gently, "with gentleness and respect" (). We want to win the person, not just the point.
For Dad · Go Deeper
Predictive prophecy is one of apologetics' sturdiest pillars, but it rewards honest handling. Not every Old Testament text is a flat-footed prediction. Some are typological patterns. That is, an event that foreshadows a greater one, which is exactly how the New Testament itself reads them. Teaching your older kids the difference between a direct prediction, like about Bethlehem, and a fulfilled pattern, like Israel's exodus mirrored in Christ, actually strengthens their faith. It equips them to answer the skeptic who points to a "stretchy" citation. Don't oversell with "Hundreds of perfect predictions!" Tell the truth carefully. There is a real and remarkable body of prophecy, much of it specific and beyond human staging, all converging on one Man. Honest apologetics ages well. Hype crumbles the first time a skeptic pushes back.
Draws on: Walter Kaiser, The Messiah in the Old Testament; J. Warner Wallace, Cold-Case Christianity.
Let's Pray Together
"Father, thank You that You told us Your Son was coming long, long ago. And then You kept every promise. Thank You that we can trust Your Word. Grow our confidence that Jesus is the Christ. In Jesus' name, amen."
The Christ I follow was promised for centuries. And God kept every word.