[Editor’s note: This is a series of challenges from a Muslim regarding Jesus to be the fulfillment of Old Testament messianic prophecies.  My answers are interspersed among the questioner’s examples in italics]

Claim:

There are many biblical prophecies which do not fit into Jesus, for e.g.

Response:

Whether Jesus fulfilled all potential messianic prophecies is a reasonable question, but the examples below are really quite obviously fulfilled in Jesus.  I explain in italics below:
In the reign of that Prince of Peace, the wolf will live with the lamb and he will gather the exiles of Israel (Isa. 11)
The gathered exiles who now live in peace are both Jew and Gentile who were exiles from a relationship with God but who are now adopted children of God in Christ. Ephesians 2:11-22.  The “wolf” and “lamb”, symbolically, are the Jew and the Gentile–formerly mortal enemies who are now joined in loving fellowship in the kingdom of God.  Surely no one took the wolf and the lamb to be literal wolves and lambs! That Jesus fulfilled this prophecy in the church is really quite obvious. And Jesus is truly the Prince of Peace, unlike a certain well-known war-like religious leader from Arabia.
There will be a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. (Jer. 23:5-6)  David will be prince among them and rescue them from the hands of those who enslaved them. (Ezek. 34)
If there ever were a prophecy in the Old Testament which is rather obviously fulfilled in Jesus it is this one!!!  The wise king who reigns over the kingdom of God is Jesus.  Like he said, his kingdom is not of this world, and it is not a political kingdom, but Jesus certainly is king over the kingdom which is his church.  Jesus is reigning currently in heaven and he is reigning wisely.  Jesus is the fulfillment of 2 Sam 7:14 as the successor to David.  Jesus rescues all who have been enslaved to sin.  John 8:31-41.  You cannot be serious when you claim that Jesus did not fulfill this prophecy!!

 There will be a ruler over Israel who will deliver them from the Assyrians (Mic. 5)

Jesus is a ruler who is of old–from ancient times.  In fact, “In the beginning was the Word, the Word was God and the Word was with God.” “The Word became flesh.” (John 1).  And Jesus most certainly was born in Bethlehem.  There are two Bethlehems in Judea, and Jesus is from Bethlehem Ephrethah.  Is there anyone else in all history who fits these descriptions better than Jesus?  Besides, he is a “son” (v. 3) who comes after a time of apparent abandonment.  Therefore, this is not about the literal time of the Assyrians.   This last part (that it is not fulfilled literally during the Assyria period) is perhaps debatable, but Jesus fulfilled all aspects of Micah 5:1-3.  This a rather obvious reference to Jesus.

The king comes to you who will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth. (Zech. 9:9-10)

This is OBVIOUSLY fulfilled in the Church!!!  Jesus proclaimed peace.  In fact, he is the PRINCE OF PEACE.  And his kingdom stretches over the entire earth. The Christian Church–with Jesus as its king–has come to every nation on earth. Why would you use this one to try to disprove that Jesus is the Messiah.  Really?  This is so obviously fulfilled in Jesus.  Jesus is a man of peace (unlike the war-like caravan-raiding, battle-fighting Muhammad)

If this is the best attempts you have at disproving Jesus fulfilled the prophecies, then I say you have just proved beyond a doubt that Jesus did in fact full all the Messianic prophecies.  Surely you have better examples than these! 

Jesus did not fulfill these above-mentioned prophecies, though NT writers tried to label them to Jesus. Even after Jesus rose to heaven, Jews faced persecution at the hands of Titus.

Sure, after the Jews rejected Jesus and chose to refuse to believe in the Messiah God sent to them, God chose to reject those Jews who rejected his Son.  In fact, what Titus did to the Jews under Titus was prophesied in Daniel 9:26-27.  Eusebius tells us that the Christians–the ones who accepted Jesus as Messiah escaped from the destruction of Jerusalem under Titus and went to Pella.  What happened to the Jews who rejected their Messiah is thoroughly consistent with Jesus having been the true Messiah, but does not make as much sense if Jesus was not the Messiah, especially in view of Daniel 9:24-27.  Sorry, but this comment on your part actually even more strongly supports that Jesus was the true Messiah. Again, your evidence is actually strong support for Jesus being the Messiah. The problem, perhaps, is that you are not understanding the Old Testament correctly.

Now, the question arises: was Jesus the true Messiah or were these prophecies fabricated or corrupted? The truth is: these prophecies were fabricated and to some extent corrupted the real prophecies concerning the Prophet Muhammad’s arrival. Jews intermingled the prophecies of Messiah and the Last God’s prophet into each other.

These prophecies are part of the Old Testament.  This Old Testament is Jewish Scripture.  How could the Christians have “fabricated” the Jewish Old Testament?  This claim does not even make sense. Either Jesus fulfilled them or he did not, but to say that they were fabricated when these are Jewish prophecies is not sensible.  There is no prophecy of Muhammad in the Bible. Not one. Zero.  Such claims are so obviously unfounded as to be embarrassing to make them. The most common false claims are from John 16, when Jesus talked about the Holy Spirit and from Deuteronomy 18:17-20 which is clearly about a future Jewish prophet, not an Arab “prophet.” This is a prophecy about Jesus.  I have seen these and they are so weak, that Muslims would do well to stop making such obviously false claims which only work when they talk in their own echo chamber.  You cannot show me a single Old Testament prophecy which clearly and unambiguously points to Muhammad.  There is nothing like Isaiah 53 or Isaiah 7 or Psalm 22 for Muhammad. Ask anyone–even a non-Christian who Psalm 22 or Isaiah 53 is talking about, and you know what their answer will be.  Ask anyone who Deuteronomy 18 is talking about and not a single non-Muslim who has not been trained to think otherwise would even think of Muhammad!!!  Not even close. Surely you know this.  And the claim that the New Testament was corrupted falls flat when one looks at the evidence from manuscripts and early church father quotes.  I have dealt with this multiple times at my web site.

Honestly, if this is the best you have, you ought to consider changing your view and begin to realize that Jesus is who he said he is–the Son of God. God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son so that all who believe in him will gain eternal life.  Jesus is the fulfillment of ALL Old Testament messianic prophecy–certainly to include your examples above. It is time for you to consider coming to Christ for your salvation. I will be happy to study the Scriptures with you when you are ready,

John Oakes

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