The Qur'an refers to Jesus as the Messiah eleven times. Muhammad elevated Jesus to a status much higher than an average prophet through his acknowledgement of Jesus’ role as Messiah and the fact that he recognized that Jesus was also a spirit proceeding from God.

The dictionary defines the word “Messiah” as a deliverer. The prophesied role of Jesus as Messiah is to be the deliverer, or the redeemer of God’s people. The book of Job, which is the oldest book in the Bible, records Job saying in reference to the coming Messiah, “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth;” Job 19:25.

The purpose and coming of the Messiah is foreshadowed throughout the Old Testament in similitudes and prophecies. There are seven major “foreshadows” which are outlined here.

1. Eden - The First Sacrifice – (Genesis 3). Adam and Eve sin, and they attempt to cover their sin by sewing fig leaves over their naked bodies (Genesis 3:7). God forgives their sin by making a sacrifice and covers them Himself with the skins of that sacrifice (Genesis 3:21). By this God is showing us that Adam and Eve's ability to cover themselves, their own "works" are not sufficient, nor acceptable to God. Mankind's forgiveness would have to be obtained by a work of God. It would be God’s plan that would be instigated for the atonement of mankind. After God covered Adam and Eve with the first sacrifice, He rebukes the devil who deceived them and reveals the plan for mankind’s redemption – And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; it shall bruise your head and you shall bruise His heel – (Genesis 3:15). Messiah would be born through Adam's lineage and be “bruised,” afflicted.

2. Cain and Abel – (Genesis 4:3-5). Cain brings God an offering of his labors from ground that God had cursed. Cain’s offering represents man’s efforts to please God, and is rejected. Abel brings an offering from the flock representing the sacrifice God made in the garden to cover their parents. Abel’s offering is accepted.

3. Abraham and his Son – (Genesis 22:1-14). God tells Abraham to sacrifice his son. Just as Abraham is about to plunge in the knife, an angel intervenes and a substitution offering, a ram is provided in Isaac’s place and his life is spared. Abraham says, “God will provide Himself a lamb,” the sacrifice, paralleling this incident back to Eden again – only God can cover sin, through atonement, His plan of redemption for mankind through the Messiah.

4. The Pass Over – (Exodus 12). God tells the Jews to put blood on the doorposts of their houses to protect them from the angel of death and God will “pass over” them and their lives will be spared, thus instigating the Passover sacrifice, and the blood of a lamb is shed to save the people. God spares from death again by a sacrifice that He instigates.

5. The Wilderness – (Numbers 21:8, 9). In the wilderness, the people were dying from serpent bites. God told Moses to make a brazen serpent on a pole and instructed him to tell the people to look upon it and they will not die. Jesus uses this analogy and applies it to Himself and His mission – And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life – (John 3:14,15).

6. The law and the Tabernacle – (Exodus 19:3-8,24:3,7,18). God gave Moses the Ten Commandments. On Moses’ first excursion up the mountain, God gave the law to him orally. Then Moses came down and gave God’s commandments to the people. Then Moses wrote all the words, and made an altar. Sacrifices were made, then Moses took the blood and sprinkled the altar with this scarlet representative of sacrifice. Then he took the book of God’s law that he had made and read it again to the people. Then God led Moses to take the blood of the sacrifice and sprinkle it upon the people. Then Moses said, "Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD has made with you concerning all these words” (Exodus 24:8).The law was not given to the people without the symbolic blood of God’s grace covering them at the same time; a foreshadow of the Messiah’s future sacrifice – “So shall He sprinkle many nations” (Isaiah 52:15).

On Moses' second trip up the mountain (Exodus 24:18) God wrote the commandments on stone tablets. At the same time Moses was also given the plan for the tabernacle (Exodus 25-31), which provided for the forgiveness of the sins of the people by the sprinkling of blood upon the altar. For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that makes an atonement for the soul (Leviticus 17:11). God has never changed this requirement for the remission of sin.The prophet Isaiah spoke of the Messiah to come who would “sprinkle many nations” (Isaiah 52:15) with His blood for their redemption which would replace the tabernacle sacrifices.

Through the tabernacle sacifices God had made the provision for His people to have thier sins forgiven at that time, because God knew His people would not be able to keep all the law. Before Moses could deliver the commandments to the people, they had already made the golden calf and had broken the first commandment ‘You shall have no other Gods before Me.” Moses broke the stone tablets upon which God had written His word to symbolize man’s inability to maintain his own righteousness. If we break one commandment we have broken them all.

7. Isaiah 53 – There are over two hundred prophecies concerning the Messiah throughout the Old Testament. The fifty-third chapter of the prophet Isaiah contains some of the most specific concerning the plan that was originally instigated in Eden. – But He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him and with His stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:5). Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief: when You shall make His soul an offering for sin…(Isaiah 5:10).

The Qur'an affirms that God gave us the Scriptures contained in the Bible, including the Gospel (Injil). Christians believe the Gospel because it was prophesied in the writings of Moses and the prophets. The Old Testament outlines the plan and purpose of the Messiah, the New Testament contains the fulfillment.

Daniel's Prophecy of the Seventy Weeks The prophet Daniel confirms Isaiah 53. In Daniel Chapter nine, He is given a prophecy concerning the coming of the Messiah and His purpose; to make reconciliation for sin. This prophecy is called “The Prophecy of the Seventy Weeks.” - Seventy weeks are determined upon your people and upon your holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy (Daniel 9:24).

The prophecy pinpoints the time of Messiah’s arrival and death before the destruction of Jerusalem. - And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined (Daniel 9:26).

This prophecy was fulfilled; Jesus came was killed and Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 AD.

We can see that Daniel’s prophecy correlates perfectly with Isaiah’s prophecy; that the Messiah would be killed to make reconciliation for sin. -

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

The Qur'an also says that Jesus was killed and resurrected. –

"You Jesus I am, I am making you die and raising you to Me and purifying you from those who disbelieved, and making those who followed you above those who disbelieved to the Resurrection Day, then to Me your return, so I judge/rule between you in what, you were in it differing” (3:55).

Here God clearly states that Jesus is to die and be resurrected from the dead. This is the Gospel that has been prophesied in the Old Testament. >

Therefore, for a Muslim to say that Jesus was not killed for our sins is to contradict the writings of Moses and all the prophets.

Jesus is the prophesied Messiah. Jesus said, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).

Copyright 2022 by H.D. Shively

For a more detailed examination of the material on this page please refer to our free eBook "Why Jesus has to be the Messiah - Understanding the New Covenant and the Hebrew Roots of Christianity"

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