Messianic Prophecies

Here are a few messianic prophecies in the Old Testament.  This is just a few, more will come later.

And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.  Genesis 3:15

This is the first foreshadowing of Christ in the Bible.  It prophesies Satan striking Christ's heel (the cross) and Christ crushing Satan's head (Revelation 20).  This prophecy also shows that the offspring of a woman (Christ) would ultimately defeat Satan.  That in itself gives an indication of how important humans are to God.

The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers.  You must listen to him.  For this is what you asked of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, "Let us not hear the voice of the LORD our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die."  The LORD said to me:  "What they say is good.  I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him.  If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account.  Deuteronomy 18:15-19

Jesus referred to this prophecy in John 5:46-47.  An important lesson to take from this is the importance of knowing the prophecies and closely watching to see their fulfillment.  If the Pharisees and teachers of the law knew the messianic prophecies and were closely watching for the Messiah, they would have known it was Jesus and would have listened to Him.

Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain?  The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the LORD and against his Anointed One.  "Let us break their chains," they say, "and throw off their fetters."  The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them.  Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath saying, "I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill."  I will proclaim the decree of the LORD: He said to me, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father.  Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.  You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery."  Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth.  Serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling.  Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment.  Blessed are all who take refuge in him.  Psalm 2

For one thing, this psalm gives us a good reason to believe the doctrine of the Trinity.  The Anointed One (Christ) is the King, who is the Son that we must take refuge in.  Who, other than God, has that kind of greatness?  We know that this psalm is not talking about any ordinary king, and we know its not about David, because David, or any king in history, has never ruled the nations with an iron scepter, or possessed the ends of the earth.  David certainly understood that its not about him when he said "Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way".  And he said that right after exhorting everyone to "Serve the LORD".  He makes little distinction between the LORD and His Anointed One.  As for the fulfillment of this prophecy, you can read it clearly in the book of Revelation.