Jer. 30:8-9 and Ezek. 34:23-27 clearly speaks about a king who will rescue the Jews from the hands of those who enslaved them. Obviously, Jesus did not fulfill these prophecies. Are these prophecies are made-up?

You say that Jesus “obviously” did not fulfill these prophecies.  Forgive me, but this is not obvious at all.  Let us look at these prophecies.  “No longer will foreigners enslave them. Instead, they will serve the Lord their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them.”

In this case, the prophecy is a rather “obvious” reference to Jesus who was descended from David, who was born in the City of David, Bethlehem.  Jesus fulfilled 2 Samuel 7:14 in which God promised to David that he would never fail to have a descendant on his throne.  Jesus us the ultimate king of kings.  He is God-in-the-flesh.  He did indeed save God’s people from slavery.  Like Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him in John 8:31f, all who sin are slaves to sin.  Those who believe in Jesus and put his words into practice are saved from slavery to sin.  Slavery to sin is the worst kind of slavery.  Jesus freed me from my slavery to all kinds of sins.  I no longer serve foreign or domestic masters!  I serve God!   Moses saved Israel from physical slavery, but Jesus, the son of David, saves all (not just Israel) from spiritual slavery.  If Jesus sets you free, you are free indeed.  Galatians 5:1 tells us that “It is for freedom that you were set free.”  Again, this is about slavery to sin and slavery to law-keeping, which is the worst kind of task-master.

The same can be said for Ezekiel 34:23-27.  I have taught on this passage many times.  It is a very clear prophecy about Jesus.  “I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David.”  Jesus is king who serves on David’s throne.  He is the “son of Jesse” (Isaiah 11:1)  He is the “root of David”  He is the one through whom God gave the Jews a new covenant (Ezekiel 34:25, Ezekiel 36:24-27, Jeremiah 31:31-34) as all of us know.

All of these prophecies were fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth.  Not only did he rescue the Jews.  He also rescued the Gentiles, as was prophesied many, many times in the Old Testament.  Jesus also fulfilled Isaiah 49:8-9.  He is the one who said to the captives, “Come out.”.  And this king will also be a light to the Gentiles (Isaiah 49:6).  Again, it is not “obvious” at all that Jesus did not fulfill these prophecies.  I fact, dare I say, it is quite obvious that he did!  He did so in fantastic and wonderful ways.   Just because some Jews and Muslims do not understand what God is saying to his people, does not mean that it is not clear that these passages refer to the saving work of Jesus of Nazareth.

John Oakes