24 Powerful Old Testament Verses to Read This Advent
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The Old Testament contains over 350 prophecies about and fulfilled by Jesus Christ. As we reflect and praise God for Jesus coming to save us during this advent season, we’ll consider a few Old Testament verses that find their fulfillment in Jesus Christ.
The Bible reveals God’s redemptive plan for humanity, and it centers on Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Because God fulfills all His promises and prophecies, we can anticipate with confidence what He says will come to pass. As we prepare to celebrate Christ’s birth, part of our preparation should include reading what the Old Testament says about Jesus.
Following are 24 Old Testament passages and their references to the corresponding New Testament fulfillments in Christ Jesus.
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1. Genesis 3:15
“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.”
This verse is called the protoevangelium, a Latin word that means “first Gospel.”
God is speaking to the serpent after Adam and Eve fell. Pastor and writer Sinclair Ferguson adds, “Christians throughout the ages have understood that this promise in Genesis 3:15 is actually looking forward to the coming of Christ, and that, therefore, the first promise of the gospel is a promise that Christ will come to deliver us from the powers of darkness.”
New Testament fulfillment/reference: Matthew 1:18; Galatians 4:4-5; Hebrews 2:14; 1 John 3:8
2. Genesis 12:3
“I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
All people will be blessed because of Abraham’s seed (offspring). The promise then unfolds in stages throughout history and culminates in Christ.
New Testament fulfillment/reference: Galatians 3:8; Acts 3:25-26
3. Genesis 14:18
“And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.)”
This verse reminds us that Jesus is our Great High Priest.
New Testament fulfillment/reference: Hebrews 6:20
4. Genesis 49:10
“The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between His feet, until tribute comes to Him; and to Him shall be the obedience of the peoples.”
This passage is a powerhouse of prophecy which includes the coming census registration in Bethlehem, the genealogy that leads to Jesus, the grafting in of the Gentiles, the eternal life promised in Jesus, and the timing of Jesus’ earthly birth.
New Testament fulfillment/reference: Luke 2:1-7, 3:33; John 10:16; John 11:47-52; John 17: Galatians 4:4
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5. Exodus 12:13
“The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.”
Jesus is the ultimate and final Passover Lamb; His blood brings salvation to all whom He chooses.
New Testament fulfillment/reference: Romans 5:8
6. Numbers 21:9
“So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.”
Just as Israel looked up to the serpent for life, Jesus was lifted up on the cross to offer life to all men.
New Testament fulfillment/reference: John 3:14-18; 12:32
7. 1 Samuel 2:35
“And I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who shall do according to what is in My heart and in My mind. And I will build Him a sure house, and He shall go in and out before My anointed forever.”
Jesus is our Great High Priest forever. He is merciful and faithful, and He made propitiation for the sins of mankind.
New Testament fulfillment/reference: Hebrews 2:17; 3:1-3, 6; 7:24-25
8. 2 Samuel 7:12-13
“When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.”
These verses beautifully remind us that Jesus’ kingdom is everlasting.
New Testament fulfillment/reference: Matthew 1:1; 2 Peter 1:11
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9. Job 19:25
“For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last He will stand upon the earth.”
Whosoever hears Jesus’ word and believes (or trusts) in God will be redeemed and will have eternal life.
New Testament fulfillment/reference: John 5:24-29
10. Psalm 9:7-8
“But the LORD sits enthroned forever; He has established his throne for justice, and He judges the world with righteousness; He judges the peoples with uprightness.”
Our living Savior is our righteous Judge.
New Testament fulfillment/reference: Acts 17:31
11. Psalm 17:15
“As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.”
When Jesus appears, we will be like Him for we shall see Him as He is.
New Testament fulfillment/reference: Luke 24:6; 1 John 3:2
12. Psalm 22:1
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?”
Jesus quoted this Psalm while on the cross. God made Him to be sin who knew no sin.
New Testament fulfillment/reference: Matthew 27:46; 2 Corinthians 5:21
13. Psalm 22:9-10
“Yet you are he who took me from the womb; you made me trust you at my mother's breasts. On You was I cast from my birth, and from my mother's womb You have been my God.”
Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
New Testament fulfillment/reference: Luke 2:7
14. Psalm 31:11
“Because of all my adversaries I have become a reproach, especially to my neighbors, and an object of dread to my acquaintances; those who see me in the street flee from me.”
When the soldiers arrested Jesus, His disciples fled in fear.
New Testament fulfillment/reference: Mark 14:50
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15. Psalm 69:21
“They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink.”
When Jesus was on the cross, the soldiers thrust sour wine at Jesus’ lips when He said, “I thirst.”
New Testament fulfillment/reference: Matthew 27:34
16. Isaiah 7:14
“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
Jesus came in the flesh, was “vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, and taken up in glory” (1 Timothy 3:16).
New Testament fulfillment/reference: Matthew 1:18-23
17. Isaiah 9:6
“For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Jesus is fully God and fully man.
New Testament fulfillment/reference: Luke 1:31
18. Isaiah 44:3
“For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.”
Jesus promised He would send the Holy Spirit after His ascension.
New Testament fulfillment/reference: John 16:7-13
19. Isaiah 53:3
“He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”
The scope of Isaiah 53:3 includes thirty-five points of Jesus’ life fulfilled in the New Testament! Among other fulfillments, Jesus was rejected, despised, faced unbelief, cruelly tortured to the point beyond human recognition, and killed.
New Testament fulfillment/reference: John 12:37-38; Philippians 2:6-8; Luke 4:28-29; Matthew 27: 21-23, 41-43; Matthew 26: 37-38; Luke 19:41; Hebrews 4;15; Mark 14:50-52; Matthew 8:16-17; Matthew 26; 66; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 2:9.
20. Isaiah 61:1
“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound.”
The Spirit was upon Jesus as He preached the good news, proclaimed and promised freedom from sin’s bondage, and ushered in the age of grace.
New Testament fulfillment/reference: Matthew 3:16-17; Luke 4:16-21; John 8:31-36; Galatians 4: 4-5
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21. Jeremiah 31:31
“’Behold, the days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.’”
Jesus inaugurated the New Covenant in which Christians exist today.
New Testament fulfillment/reference: Matthew 26:28
22. Daniel 7:13-14
“I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.”
Our highly exalted Lord ascended into heaven, and His is an everlasting dominion.
New Testament fulfillment/reference: Acts 1:9-11; Ephesians 1:20-22; Luke 1:31-33
23. Micah 5:2
“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for Me One who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.”
Jesus was born in Bethlehem, as prophesied. He will reign over Israel (and all the nations).
New Testament fulfillment/reference: Matthew 2:1-6; Luke 1:33; John 8:5-8
24. Zechariah 9:9
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is He, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
Our perfect, righteous Savior Jesus humbly entered Jerusalem on a donkey.
New Testament fulfillment/reference: Matthew 21:8-10; John 12:12-13; John 5:30; Luke 19:10; Matthew 11:29; Matthew 21:6-9
The Bible is full of prophecies about Jesus Christ. Reading and reflecting on them gives us a greater understanding of what He did for us. Knowing these truths also brings us to awestruck wonder of the Lord and His perfect, unalterable plan of redemption for humanity. May you fall more in love with our Savior as you immerse yourself in Scripture this Christmas season. Merry Christmas.
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