Interesting facts about Jesus Christ

This article is contributed by Ray Konig, the author of Jesus the Messiah, Jesus the Prophet, Jesus the Miracle Worker, and 100 Fulfilled Bible Prophecies.

By Ray Konig
Published: May 19, 2017
Revised: January 7, 2025

This article is based on portions of the books, Jesus the Messiah, Jesus the Prophet, and Jesus the Miracle Worker, by Ray Konig.

Jesus of Nazareth was a peasant who died young.

He had no social standing, no political influence, and no army.

He waged no wars, and never held a political office.

He never left his homeland, and he was put to death by the time he was about 33 years old.

He was not the kind of person that historians or poets would seek to immortalize.

Even so, he achieved the greatest religious impact that the world has ever experienced. His teachings (Christianity) became the first to spread to people on every continent and is today the most widespread and largest religion in the world.

Here are some interesting facts about Jesus, the most influential person who has ever lived:

He was born in Bethlehem, in southern Israel, sometime around 6 BC or 4 BC, and grew up in Nazareth, in northern Israel.

His birth was predicted by the prophets of the Old Testament. These prophecies foretold that he would be a son born to the House of David (2 Samuel 7:12-16), that he would be called “God with us” (Isaiah 7:13-14), that he would be eternal (Isaiah 9:6-7), and that he would be born in Bethlehem and have a spiritual impact on people throughout the world (Micah 5:1-4).

The Old Testament was completed about 400 years before Jesus was born. Its composition began about 3,400 years ago with Moses and ended about 2,400 years ago with Malachi.
There are more than 300 prophecies about a savior in the Old Testament. This savior is often called the Messiah (Hebrew), or Christ (Greek). Jesus is the only person in history who has ever achieved or sustained a widespread following as being the fulfillment of these prophecies.

The Old Testament predicted that the Messiah would be an Israelite (Genesis 28:14), that he would be a Jew from the Israelite Tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10), and that he would be a descendant of King David (2 Samuel 7:12-16, Isaiah 7:13-14, Isaiah 9:6-7, Micah 5:1-4, Jeremiah 23:5-6).

Jesus began his public ministry when he was about 30 years old, which would be about AD 26. This is about 2,000 years ago, during the first century of this era.

Just before Jesus began his public ministry, he was baptized in the Jordan River, by John the Baptist, who announced that Jesus is the Messiah and testified that he witnessed Jesus being anointed by the Holy Spirit of God (John 1:29-34).

The Old Testament predicted that the Messiah would be arrive during the time of the Second Temple (Daniel 9:24-27, Malachi 3:1). The Second Temple was destroyed in AD 70. Jesus arrived as the Messiah about 40 years beforehand.

Some scholars estimate that Jesus’ public ministry began in late AD 26 and ended in early AD 30, lasting about three-and-a-half years.

During that time, Jesus traveled the land of Israel, preaching about the Kingdom of God (heaven) and performing miracles.

His public ministry is described in the New Testament, mostly within the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The New Testament, including the Gospels, were written during the first century.

The Gospels record about 50 occasions during which Jesus performed miracles of healing, and miracles that showed his divine command over the forces of nature. He miraculously healed people who were blind, deaf, lame, or mute. He also cured paralysis, demonic possession, and leprosy, and raised at least three people from death. He also walked on water and commanded a storm to cease.

When the Gospels were written during the first century, they contained the most voluminous and detailed record of miracle working ever attributed to a single person (Jesus).

Jesus also was a prophet, who gave more than 50 predictive prophecies about himself, his followers, the land and people of Israel, the spread of Christianity, and the future of the world as we know it. These are recorded in the Gospels.

Jesus accurately predicted that Christianity would reach people throughout the world, that the Jews would be forced into exile and scattered throughout the world, and that Jerusalem would be destroyed, trampled upon by Gentiles (non-Jews), and no longer serve as the center for worshipping the God of Israel. These and other predictions have been fulfilled to extremes.

When the Gospels were written during the first century, they contained the most voluminous and detailed record of predictive prophecies ever attributed to a single person (Jesus).

The Old Testament predicted that the Messiah would have a ministry in Galilee, which is a region in northern Israel (Isaiah 9:1-2). Jesus, who traveled throughout Israel, based much of his ministry in Galilee, where he performed about half of his miracles.

The Old Testament predicted that the Messiah would appeal to Gentiles, as in non-Jews, throughout the world (Isaiah 42:1-9, Isaiah 49:6, Zechariah 9:9-11). About 500 years ago, Christianity became the first religion to spread to Gentiles throughout the world, establishing churches on every inhabitable continent.

During his public ministry, Jesus was strongly opposed by many religious leaders who believed in a second set of laws called the oral law, which is not part of the Old Testament, and is not mentioned in the Old Testament. These leaders included Pharisees, teachers of the law (or scribes), chief priests, Sadducees, and elders.

Jesus also was rejected by many commoners. Many people during first-century Israel were hoping that the Messiah would be someone who would conquer the Romans and bring an end to the oppression of the Roman Empire, and so many people rejected Jesus. They did not understand, or chose not to, that the Old Testament prophets foretold that the Messiah first would suffer and die for the sins of others, before returning in the future to conquer (Judgment Day).

The Old Testament prophets foretold that the Messiah would be rejected (Psalm 118:22-23, Isaiah 53:1-3, Daniel 9:24-27).

Jesus’ public ministry came to an end in about AD 30, when the Romans crucified him, during a public execution in which his hands and feet were nailed to a wooden cross.

The Old Testament prophets predicted that the Messiah would be put to death (Psalm 22, Isaiah 52:13-53:12, Daniel 9:24-27, Zechariah 12:10), that he would suffer a public execution, during which his hands and feet would be pierced (Psalm 22:1-18), and that his death would have a spiritual impact on others (Isaiah 52:13-53:12, Zechariah 12:10), throughout the world (Psalm 22:27).

The Old Testament predicted that the Messiah would suffer and die for the sins of others (Genesis 3:15, Isaiah 52:13-53:12, Daniel 9:24-27). For those who believe in Jesus, and that he died for our sins, they are forgiven of their sins and granted eternal life in the Kingdom of God (John 3:16).

The Old Testament predicted that the Messiah would be restored to life (resurrected) after his death (Psalm 16:8-11, Isaiah 53:10-12). Jesus was resurrected on the Sunday after his crucifixion. This is why Christians worship on Sundays.

The Old Testament predicted that the Messiah would ascend into heaven and be seated at the right hand of God (Psalm 110:1). Jesus ascended 40 days after the resurrection.

Jesus is unique as a religious figure in that his followers can point to hundreds of Old Testament prophecies, all of which were written at least 400 years before he was born, as having predicted his birth, life, ministry, death, resurrection and impact.

The New Testament, which is the record of Jesus’ birth, life, ministry, teachings, death and resurrection, explains that Jesus is God incarnate, as in “God with us,” as predicted in Isaiah 7:13-14. Because he was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a human mother, he is the Son of God and the Son of Man.

The Old Testament predicted that the Messiah would return in the future for Judgment Day, to fully realize the Kingdom of God (Daniel 7:13-14, Daniel 12:1-3), which also is known as the Kingdom of Heaven, or simply as heaven. This kingdom will be eternal (Daniel 2:44, Daniel 7:14).

Jesus foretold that anyone can enter the Kingdom of God, if they believe in Jesus, who died for our sins:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:16, WEB)

Ray Konig is the author of Jesus the Messiah, Jesus the Prophet, Jesus the Miracle Worker, and 100 Fulfilled Bible Prophecies.

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