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The Bible: Proofs of Its Supernatural Origin |
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Assuming this universe and it's contents are the products of a supernatural, designer, creator, we must next examine how He could demonstrate conclusively that He exists and is that Creator. I have often wondered why God doesn't pull back the veil and stick his face through the sky and introduce Himself to each generation. However practical this may seem, most of us have not seen such an event in our life time. We live in a universe with three dimensions of space and one dimension of time. These characteristics of the universe are created dimensions and are indivisible . That is, according to Einstein's theory of relativity, you cannot have time without space because they are coupled. Additionally, matter as we know it is also coupled to time and space. Therefore, if these are created characteristics of the universe, then the creator m# demonstrate that He exists outside and separate from them. The God of the Bible demonstrates that He is the Creator by demonstrating that He exists outside of our dimension of time. We humans are irreversibly trapped in this time domain and can only know the present and the past. It is impossible, under natural circumstances, to know anything that is in the future of our time line. If we received information about an event in our future it could only come from a source that existed outside our time domain. Since this could not be a natural source, it would be by default a supernatural source . This is exactly where the God of the Bible claims He dwells. The Bible is the the only book on planet earth that can demonstrate it's text comes from a being who exists outside our time domain. It does this by telling us things before they happen with incredible accuracy. The Destruction of Tyre
In the year 595 B.C. a man named Ezekiel was given a prophecy
regarding the city of Tyre, a city in the modern day country of
Lebanon. At that time this city was a large thriving city and a
great enemy of Israel. He was told:
"Thus says the Lord God: "Behold I am against you O Tyre, and
will cause many nations to come up against you, as the sea causes
its waves to come up. And they shall destroy the walls of Tyre
and break down her towers; I will also scrape her dust from her
and make her like the top of a rock. It shall be a place for the
spreading of nets ... It shall become plunder for the
nations ... Behold I will bring against Tyre from the north King
Nebuchadnezzer, King of Babylon... He will slay your people by
the sword and your strong pillars will fall to the ground. They
will plunder your riches and pillage your merchandise; they will
break down your walls and destroy your pleasant houses; they will
lay your stones, your timbers, and your soil in the midst of the
water... I will make you like the top of a rock; you shall be a
place for the spreading of nets, and you shall never be rebuilt,
for I the Lord have spoken. Will the coast lands not shake at the
sound of your fall ... Then all the princes of the sea will come
down from their thrones, lay aside their robes, and take off
their embroidered garments ... and be astonished at you." (Ezekiel
26:3) These are the very specific prophecies for the city of Tyre
made by a Hebrew prophet 2,600 years ago.
Now lets look at what secular history says happened to Tyre.
In the year 586 B.C. Nebuchadnezzer, the King of the Babylonian
Empire began to attack the city of Tyre. The Babylonian army was
the greatest fighting force up to that time and besieged the city
of Tyre for 13 years. When they finally broke down the gates and
walls of Tyre he found that the people had moved out to an island
1/2 mile off the coast of Tyre. #l fulfilled! City besieged.
In the year 332 B.C. Alexander the Great laid siege against the
island city of Tyre because they would not submit to his
authority. The Encyclopedia Britannica states that because
Alexander the Great had no fleet of ships he demolished old Tyre
on the mainland and he threw the debris (stones and timbers and
dirt) into the ocean and made a causeway (jetty or wood/stone
bridge) connecting the mainland to the newer island city of Tyre.
Secular historian Phillip Myers stated in his textbook of history
that:
"Alexander the Great reduced Tyre to ruins in 332 B.C. Tyre
recovered in a measure from this blow, but never regained the
place she had previously held in the world. The larger part of
the site of the once great city is now as bare as the top of a rock -- a place where the fishermen that still frequent the spot
spread their nets to dry"! #2, 3, 4, 5 fulfilled! Secular historians have stated that the ruins of Tyre are
highly unique. Tyre ruins are the only ones in the world that
have been completely thrown into the ocean!
After Alexander the Great, the island city persisted in various
degrees of strength. during the next 16 centuries. Many kings
besieged the city until its final destruction by the Moslems
began in 1291 A.D.
Currently, there is a flat rock area with not one stone upon
another. The stones that were thrown into the sea are still
there. Other than a few nearby small fishing villages, there is
no evidence of the former great city. On the flat former
foundation stones you find to the present day fishermen drying
their nets!
#6 fulfilled! Never rebuilt.
Secular historians record that when Alexander the Great
besieged the city of Tyre that many of the neighboring kings
submitted to his authority without a battle.
#7 fulfilled! Princes give up their thrones.
How could Ezekiel know these things? Because he served the
Creator of the universe. In other words, the God of the Bible who told
Isaiah, Ezekiel and the other prophets that He would tell them
things before they happened so that when they happened the people
would know that He was truly God. This is only one of hundreds of
Hebrew prophecies that have come true to the very word! God
states that He can see the beginning from the end; that He is
outside of time; that He can see all the history of man like we
would look at the pages of a book. Sounds impossible doesn't it?
Well it is if you happen to live in our four dimensional
universe.
However, an interesting outcome of Einstein's theory of
relativity was the discovery of dimensions of time and space that
exist separately and distinct from the four dimensions we
experience. In fact, these dimensions may even be in our midst
but not visible to us! More recently mathematicians have
shown that up to eleven dimensions may exist in the universe.
Many physicists believe that there are places in the universe
where time ceases to flow. One of these places is in a black
hole. Now it is interesting that the Bible tells us that God
dwells in a place where time does not flow. For centuries this
concept was mocked by scientists. Such a place is now scientific
fact!
If one were to be sucked into a black hole, or any other
realm where time ceases to flow, we could see the flow of time,
in places where there is time, like we were reading the pages of
a book. Since we would experience no flow of time, the beginning
and the end of time filled dimensions would be present and
observable all at once.
These strange facts of physics may be evidence for the truth of
what we call the supernatural "spirit realm". However, if these
supernatural dimensions can be shown mathematically possible then
they are not really supernatural! Rather, they are natural!
People believe in a lot of things we can't see (wind, atoms,
heat, electromagnetic radiation, luck). Just because you can't
see it doesn't mean it's not real.
The Skeptics Reply
Now the skeptic immediately says that the book of Ezekiel must
have been written after these events took place. However,
archaeological finds have produced Ezekiel texts that are dated
to as far back as 400-600 B.C. In this century an almost complete
Ezekiel text on stone tablets was found. The type of Hebrew on
these tablets indicates that it was from the time of Ezekiel i.e.
500-600 B.C.! There are many scholars who believe that this
stone work may be from the hands of Ezekiel himself! Alexander
the Great didn't invade the city until 332 B.C., long after
Ezekiel's death. The final fulfillment of the prophecy did not
happen until 1291 A.D. (i.e., about 1,700 years after Ezekiel's
death). The story of Tyre is in the oldest texts known.
Another interesting fact is that these 2,500 year old stone
tablets contain exactly the same text as the Hebrew Bible you can
buy today. (2) So much for text being lost or changed because of
faulty translation! Others might argue luck. Well, the
mathematical probability that Ezekiel could have guessed so many
unlikely events happening is staggering. But this is only one
small prophecy. There are hundreds that have come true! For an
extensive treatment of this prophecy see Evidence that Demands a
Verdict by Josh McDowell. (3)
God told the prophets that He would tell them things that would
happen in advance so they would recognize Him as a supremely
intelligent all knowing Creator that exists outside time and
space. This kind of evidence was very impressive to men in those
days. However, in today's world most people live with very little
awareness of God. We tend to rationalize prophecies like these
saying that there must be a "natural explanation". Many people
don't want to see this kind of evidence because they are
comfortable with their agnostic view that a knowledge of God is
not possible; or worse yet, that there is no God. Many people are
like the man that says "don't confuse me with facts my mind is
made up". However, whether we choose to believe a fact does not
alter the truth of it. That is, you can choose to believe that
there is no gravity. However, this is not rational since the
abundance of evidence seems to point to the truth of gravity.
There is at least a 50/50 chance that there is a God.
The more evidence that we find that seems to support this fact
the higher the probability that there is a God.
Cyrus
In the year 703 B.C. A man named Isaiah, a man who claimed to
be Hebrew prophet, wrote extensively about the judgment that God
was going to bring upon the nation Israel .This judgment was to
occur because they had not obeyed his law. He stated that they
would be taken captive by the Babylonian empire, that their city
and finally the temple Solomon built for God would be destroyed.
Isaiah and other prophets also stated that after the captivity
the Jews would return to their land. The interesting thing about
this prophecy is that in 703 B.C. the nation of Babylon was
insignificant and it would not be raised up to power and conquer
Israel for another 100 years.
In the 44th and 45th chapters of Isaiah he names the man who
would give the decree to allow the Jews to return to Jerusalem.
At the time of Isaiah's ministry the Jews were still in Israel
and they simply scoffed at Isaiah.
"The Lord who says of Cyrus "he is my shepherd, and he shall
perform all My pleasure, even saying to Jerusalem," you shall be
built," and to the temple, " your foundation shall be laid". Thus
says the Lord to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held -- to subdue nations before him and loose the armor of kings,
to open before him the double doors, so that the gates will not
be shut... That you may know that I, the Lord, who call you by
your name, am the God of Israel. For Jacob My servants sake, and
Israel My elect, I have even called you by your name; I have
named you though you have not known Me. I am the Lord, and there
is no other; there is no God beside Me. I will gird you though
you have not known Me... I am the Lord and there is no other; I
form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create
calamity. I the Lord do all these things."
Isaiah 4:27 and 45:7. This prophecy has several major predictions: 1.
A man named Cyrus will perform the Lords pleasure 2. He shall say
to Jerusalem "you shall be built" (in B.C. it was still standing)
3. He will say to the temple "your foundation will be laid"( it
hadn't been destroyed yet) 4. He (God) will open the double doors
before him (Cyrus).
Now lets look at what secular history says about Cyrus and the
Jews.
This prophecy was written in 703 B.C. According to historians
Isaiah and the kings he served under lived between 745-695 B.C.
Cyrus, the Medo-Persian Emperor, was born about 100 years later.
Starting in 606 B.C. the we a series of three sieges upon the
nation of Israel by the Babylonian Empire led by Nebuchadnezzer.
The siege of 606 B.C. began the seventy year captivity prophesied
by Isaiah (39:5-7) and Jeremiah (chapters 25 & 27).
At the end of this seventy year captivity in the year 537 B.C.,
the general of the Medo-Persian province, second in line to the
throne, overtook the city of Babylon and the Babylonian empire
without a battle! His name was Cyrus!
The Greek historian Herodotus records that drunk Babylonian
guards left the large gates open to the city of Babylon in the
middle of the night. He records that Cyrus and his army simply
walked through the gates and overtook the city. He records that many of
the citizens did not even know the city had been taken until three days
later. This same man, Cyrus, soon became emperor with the death of his
father. That same year, 537 B.C. he gave the command that allowed the
Jews to return to Jerusalem and to rebuild their temple. The Jewish
Talmud records that the prophet Daniel showed a scroll of Isaiah to
Cyrus and showed him that God had named him 100 years before he was born!
This must have blown his mind. It impressed him enough that he
let the Jews go and stated that their God must be true. Thus all
four prophecies were literally fulfilled 163 years after they
were written. Again, God showed His power by predicting events
before they happened!
Ezekiel's Prophecy of Israel's Rebirth in 1948
In the year 592 B.C. in the Babylonian Empire a Hebrew slave
named Ezekiel was instructed by an angel to:
"Lie on your left side and put the sin of the house of Israel
upon yourself. You are to bear their sin for the number of days
you lie on your side. I have assigned you the same number of days
as the years of their sin. So for 390 days you will bear the sin
of the house of Israel. After you have finished this, lie down
again, this time on your right side, and bear the sin of the
house of Judah. I have assigned you 40 days, a day for each
year." (Ezekiel 4:4-6). At the time of this visitation the Jews were in captivity after
being overthrown by the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzer in 606
B.C. This 70 year captivity of the Jews had been prophesied
extensively by Isaiah almost 100 years earlier (Isaiah 39:5-7)
and (Jeremiah chapters 25 & 27).
Now the prophecy in Ezekiel 4 predicts a total of 430
years of punishment for the nation of Israel. 70 years of this
period of punishment are accounted for in the 70 year Babylonian
captivity. That leaves 360 more years of punishment unaccounted
for. For centuries biblical scholars could find nowhere in
history a period of punishment on Israel that could corresponds
to the remaining 360 years of punishment.
In the book of Leviticus, chapter 26, we are told that if the
nation of Israel did not hearken (obey) unto the Lord that she
would be punished. Then after being punished, if the nation
continued to be in rebellion toward God that the punishment would
be multiplied by seven:
"If you will not listen to me and carry out all these commands,
and if you reject my decrees and abhor my laws and fail to carry
out all my commands and so violate my covenant ... I will set my
face against you so that you will be defeated by your enemies. If
after all this you will not listen to me, I will punish you for
your sins seven times over." (Leviticus 26: 14-22) Recently Biblical scholars have applied this Levitical principle
of multiplying Israel's punishment by seven to the remaining 360
years of punishment and found a phenomenal discovery. (4)
The Biblical prophetic year in the Jewish calendar is 360 days
long. This discovery was made by Sir Robert Anderson in his book
The Coming Prince. 5 In fact, all ancient calendars of the world,
at one time calculated the year as 360 days. So if you multiple
the 360 years of remaining punishment x 360 days/year x 7 times
punishment (Levitical principle) = 907,200 days. 907,200 days is
2483.8 years (modern Julian calendar years). So, 907,200 days of
punishment remained for the nation of Israel after the 70 year
Babylonian captivity. The question is where do you begin
calculating the remaining 907,200 days?
Servitude of the Nation
There is a Biblical term applied to the nation of Israel called
the period of the servitude of the nation. This refers to the
period of time that the conquered people of Israel lived through
without their own rulership. The people and nation of Israel
ceased being a sovereign nation in 606 B.C. And began the first
70 years of servitude at that time. After the 70 year Babylonian
captivity they returned to the land but they were ruled over by a
succession of empires (Medo-Persian, Greek, Roman) until 70 AD
When Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans. Then for the next 18
centuries the Israelites were dispersed among the many nations of
the world and for the most part were slaves. To the Jewish mind
they lost their sovereignty in 606 B.C. with the Babylonian
takeover and didn't regain it until the servitude of the nation
ended on May 14, 1948 when Israel again became a nation.
The Babylonian captivity began July 25th 606 B.C. and ended July
23rd 537 B.C. This was the very day that the Medo-Persian emperor
Cyrus gave the decree that allowed the Jews to return to Israel.
If you begin counting the 907,200 days of remaining punishment
from July 23rd 537 B.C., the day of Cyrus' decree and the end of
the first 70 years of the servitude, and go foreword 907,200 days
you get May 14th 1948! This was the very day that David Ben
Gurion announced to the whole world the official formation of
the nation of Israel!
Skeptical? Read on.
Desolation of Jerusalem
Another term commonly discussed is the period of the
desolation's of Jerusalem. This was the period of time prophesied
by the prophets in which the city of Jerusalem would be desolate
and 'trodden down by the gentiles". Many people have mistakenly
believed that this term was the same period as the Servitude of
the nation discussed above. However, this period of the
desolation's of Jerusalem did not begin in 606 B.C. when
Nebuchadnezzer took the first captives. The desolation's of
Jerusalem began with the third siege of Jerusalem with the
destruction of the city and the temple. The city and the temple
were destroyed on August 18th, 587 B.C. in the third siege of
Nebuchadnezzer and the Babylonian army. Exactly seventy Hebrew
calendar years later (360 days/year) brings us to August 16th,
518 B.C. If we begin calculating the remaining 907,200 days of
punishment from that day it brings us to June 7th, 1967. This is
the very day Israel recaptured the city of Jerusalem during the
Six day war with Egypt, Jordan and Syria!
How could Ezekiel have predicted this? He couldn't unless he was
instructed by one that lives outside of time. Truly God sees the
beginning from the end and is outside of time as we know it!
The Prophecy of the Seventy Weeks: The Most Amazing Prophecy in the Bible
In a city called Babylon, around the year 537 B.C., a Hebrew
slave named Daniel claimed that while deep in prayer he was
interrupted by an angel named Gabriel! Daniel had been praying
for the people and nation of Israel when the angel stated that he
had come to give Daniel "skill and understanding" regarding the
future of the nation of Israel.
In the book of Daniel 9:24-26 the angel stated:
"Seventy sevens are determined for your people and for your holy
city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to
make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting
righteousness, t o seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the
most holy".
"Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of
the command to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah. the Prince, there
shall be seven sevens and sixty two sevens; the street shall be built again, and
the wall, even in troublesome times. And after the sixty two sevens the Messiah
shall be cut off. But not for Himself; and the people of the prince who is to
come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary" (Daniel 9:24-26). This message pinpointed the time of the coming of the long
awaited Messiah!
At the time of this visitation Jerusalem was completely
desolate. The nation of Israel had been destroyed by the
Babylonian empire 70 years earlier. The Hebrew people were,
however, about to be freed from seventy years of captivity by the
Medo-Persian king Cyrus.
The prophecy states that "seventy sevens "are determined for
the people of Israel. In Hebrew the word translated as "seven" is
shabua which actually means a week of years; much like the
English word decade means ten years.
Now the prophecy states that Daniel should understand that from
the going forth of the command to restore and rebuild Jerusalem
until the Messiah comes that there will be sixty two sevens and
seven sevens. Thus if a seven (shabua) is seven years, then 69
sevens is 483 years (69 x 7 = 483). It is a well established fact
that at that time in history all of the known ancient calendars
calculated a year as 360 days ( Chinese, Mayan, Egyptian, Hebrew,
Babylonian ). Presumably an astronomical event (e.g. a meteor
or comet striking the earth) lengthened the time the earth takes
to rotate one time around the Sun to the current 365.25 days per
year. It is well known that for prophecy the Jews use a 360 day
calendar. Therefore, 483 years times 360 days per year equals
173,880 days. Gabriel was telling Daniel that 173,880 days after
the command is given to restore and rebuild Jerusalem the Messiah
would come! Remember, at the time of this prophecy the city
was desolate.
Now, is there anywhere where a command of this sort is given?
Yes! In the second chapter of the book of Nehemiah it states
that:
"In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of the reign of
Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, that I took wine and gave
it to the kin. Now I had never been sad in his presence before.
Therefore, the king said to me "why is your face sad, since you
are not sick." Nehemiah, went on to explain that he was sad because he had
heard a report that the city of his people, Jerusalem, was
desolate. Nehemiah requested that he be allowed to go back to
Jerusalem and rebuild the city. The king granted his wish on the spot.
The Encyclopedia Britannica states that Anaxerxes Longimanus
ascended to the throne of the Medo-Persian empire in July 465
B.C. By Hebrew tradition when the day of the month is not
specifically stated, it is given to be the first day of that
month. So, the day of the decree by Artaxerxes was the first day
of the Hebrew month Nisan 445 B.C. The first day of Nisan in 445
B.C. corresponds to the 14th day of March in 445 B.C. This was
verified by astronomical calculations in the British Royal
observatory and reported by Sir Robert Anderson. (6)
Now remember, the prophecy states that 69 weeks of years
(173,880 days) after the command goes forth to restore the city
of Jerusalem the Messiah will come. If we count 173,880 days
foreword from 14th of march, 445 B.C. We come to Sunday, April
6th 32 A.D. Again this date was verified by British Royal
Observatory. (6)
Here's the calculations:
March 14th, 445 B.C. to March 14th, 32 AD is 476 years. (1 B.C.
to 1 AD is one year. there is no year zero) 476 x 365 days per
year = 173,740 days Add for leap year = 116 days (three
less leap years in four centuries) *** March 14th to April 6th =
24 days total = 173,880 days! *** leap years do not occur in
century years unless divisible by 400.
What happened on April 6th, 32 A.D.? A humble carpenter rode
into the east gate of Jerusalem on a donkey while the crowds
cried "Hosanna, hosanna, blessed is He who comes in the name of
the Lord"! This man's name was Jesus of Nazareth. This was the
first day that He allowed his followers to proclaim Him as their
Messiah. He had previously told them that His day had not yet
come. This day (April 6th, 32 A.D. is commonly known as Palm Sunday!
Skeptical? Read on.
Is there any other way to check the accuracy of this date? Yes!
In chapt 3 of the gospel of Luke, a Roman physician. Luke states
that in the l5th year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar that Jesus
was baptized and began his ministry. The Encyclopedia Britannica
states that the reign of Caesar Tiberius started on August 19th
in the year 14 AD Most scholars believe Jesus was baptized in
the fall season. Therefore, the fall of the 15th year of
Tiberius' reign would have been 28 AD The day that a Roman
ruler ascends to the throne begins his first year. Consequently,
according to Luke chapt 3, the ministry of Jesus started with his
baptism in the fall of the l5th year of the reign of Caesar
Tiberius and lasted 3 1/2 years (4 Passovers). The fourth
Passover of his ministry was the day of his crucifixion and would
have fallen in the year 32 AD The Passover in the year 32 AD
fell on April 10th. The Sunday before that Passover was April
6th! This day April 6th, 32 A.D. Was exactly 173,880 days after
Artaxerxes gave the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem on
March 14, 445 B.C.! These dates are historically sound
and have been verified by Royal British Observatory and many
other scholars.
Daniel's prophecy stated that 483 years (173,880 days) after the
command went forth to restore and rebuild Jerusalem the Messiah
would be revealed! That day was April 6th 32 A.D., Palm Sunday,
the first day Jesus of Nazareth allowed his disciples to proclaim
him as Messiah!
I know what your thinking. This calculation and prophecy is
contrived by over-zealous Christians. However, ancient Jewish
Rabbinical writings in the Talmud, which are dated from the time
between Daniel and the time of Jesus Christ, reveal without a
doubt that the Hebrew scholars recognized this prophecy of Daniel
as Messianic! That is referring to the coming of the Messiah. (7)
After the destruction of the Jewish temple by the Romans in 70
A.D., Rabbinical writings by Mamonides and other well respected
Jewish rabbis discuss their dismay about the Messiah not coming
in the first century A.D. 8 They knew that according to the
prophet Daniel, the Messiah was due to come in the early part of
that century! The writings revealed that they knew that the 483
years that the prophet Daniel had prophesied were up! They didn't
understand why the Messiah had not yet come.
They were counting the years and were expecting the Messiah
about the time of the time of Jesus. However, they needed to read
Daniel's prophecy further.
Daniel states that the Messiah would be "cut off". The word
translated cut off "karath" in the ancient Hebrew language
literally means to be put to death for a capital crime. Jesus was
tried and convicted for blasphemy and insurrection against the
Roman empire, both capital crimes.
The prophecy then states that after the Messiah is "cut off",
the people of the prince who is to come would "destroy the
city and the sanctuary". In the year 70 A.D. ten legions of Roman
soldiers under the Roman general Titus destroyed the city of
Jerusalem. A Roman historian, named Josephus dramatically records
the events of that period of time in Jerusalem. He records that
the city was burned to the ground and millions of Jews were
killed.
Still skeptical? Read on.
The book of Isaiah, chapter 53, and Psalm 22 foretold of the
rejection and crucifixion of the Messiah hundreds of years
before the birth of Jesus. Isaiah 53 states that, "He is despised and
rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief ... He was
wounded for our transgressions ... Bruised for our iniquities ... By his
stripes we are healed ... He was oppressed and afflicted yet he opened not
his mouth ... He was cut off from the land of the living ... He poured out
his soul unto death, and he was numbered with the transgressors ... He bore
the sin of many and made intercession for us!"
This is exactly what happened to Jesus. He was rejected,
beaten (stripes), opened not his mouth, crucified next to two
transgressors( thieves), and poured out his soul (bled to death). Psalm 22 gives a graphic description of crucifixion 700 years
before it was used by the Romans.
"I am poured out like water, all my bones are out of joint, my
heart is like wax, it has melted within me ... My tongue clings to
the roof of my mouth ... They pierced my hands and my feet ... They
divide my garments among them and for my clothing they cast
lots."
Finally, in the book of Zechariah 12:10 the Messiah states that
when He comes to set up His kingdom in the last days they (the
Jews) will mourn when they see me whom they have pierced!
Again, ancient Rabbinical writings from the Talmud and Mishna
written prior to Jesus' life have shown that there was no doubt
that they knew these were all Messianic prophecies. (9)
Why did they reject Him? Again, writings from before the time
of Jesus indicated that they expected the Messiah to be a mighty
warrior who would wipe out the Roman empire and set up God's
kingdom. Jesus of Nazareth taught them to love their enemies, do
good to those who hate you, turn the other cheek, He ate with
sinners and he was also highly critical of the Jewish religious
leaders, calling them hypocritical, selfish, self-righteous,
white washed sepulchers (a real insult 2,000 years ago). So they
began to conspire to kill Him.
On April 6th, 32 A.D. as Jesus rode near to the city of Jerusalem
he stopped and wept, saying:
"If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the
things that make for your peace! But now they are hid from your
eyes!" (Luke 19:42) Hid from your eyes! Whose eyes? The Jews!
I believe Jesus held them accountable for recognizing that the
483 years were up! However, He was not what they expected or
wanted in a Messiah.
Modern archaeologists and ancient document experts have dated
all four new testament gospels and Paul's letters as being
written prior to 70 A.D. In fact, the gospel of Luke indicates
that he had consulted eyewitnesses and even older documents about
the life of Jesus. He used these earlier eyewitness accounts to
help him compose his gospel. History tells us that the men that
wrote these accounts were all tortured and murdered for what they
wrote! Peter states "For we did not follow cunningly devised
tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ, but we were eye witnesses of his majesty." (2 Peter
1:16)
In the new testament it states that when Jesus was hanging on
the cross the sky became black from the 6th hour to the 9th hour.
This was on Passover, which is always on a full moon. At least
three Roman historians recorded for all mankind to read an
episode of total mid-day darkness that occurred during the full
moon during the reign of Caesar Tiberius! (10) Two of them
recognized the impossibility of this being a solar eclipse
because it was at the time of a full moon! This correlates with
the darkness that came over the land during the crucifixion of
Jesus!
Now, why would the disciples falsely "Messianize" a man who did
not fit any of the preconceived expectations of the Messiah? If
they wanted to fabricate a Messiah, they would certainly create a
story which fit the mold better. This would make it more
believable. And why would they be willing to be ripped apart by
lions, crucified, burned at the stake, torn apart by chariots,
beheaded, stabbed, stoned, imprisoned, humiliated for something
they knew was a lie! Surely, if they fabricated the story, one
of them would have recanted, when faced with death. I know that
many people have died for a lie in the past (e.g. Kamikazes);
however, they died for something they thought was true. No sane
man dies for something he knows is a lie, especially when offered
life if he recants the story!
The foundation upon which the Christian church rests is the
resurrection of Jesus Christ. This event in history is either
true or not. There is no third option. When examining the
evidence for the resurrection we must look for the explanation
for the empty tomb which best fits all the facts of history.
There are excellent books on the evidence for the resurrection,
written by men who were initially trying to refute Christianity
by disproving the resurrection. Two of the best books are Who
Moved the Stone by Frank Morrison, and The Resurrection Factor by
Josh McDowell. Both of these men were anti-Christian skeptics who
thought Christians were crazy, but when confronted with the
evidence, concluded that the body of Jesus was in fact
resurrected.
Why am I going through all this? Because Jesus of Nazareth is
the most controversial person in history. Why? Because the claims
he made about Himself are radical. In fact, He said that all men
are either "for Me or against Me" (Matthew 12:30). Did you hear
that. He states that your either with Him or against Him. There
is no neutral position!
What were His claims? He stated that He was "the resurrection
and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, yet he
shall live". (John 11:41) He said" I and My father are one." (John
10:30) To His disciple Philip He stated that "he who has seen Me
has seen the Father." (John 14:9) One day when teaching in the
temple he said to the Jews "Therefore I said to you that you will
die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am, you will
die in your sins." (John 8:24)
While under arrest He stated to the Jewish leaders and the
local Roman procurator that He was the Messiah! Then they all
said, "Are You then the Son of God?" And He said to them, "You
rightly say that I am." (Luke 22:70)
To his disciples He said: "I am the way, the truth, and the
life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6)
He was claiming to be God and claiming to be the way to eternal
life. He also claimed that by rejecting Him would result in
damnation (John 3:18). No wonder He offends so many.
Another interesting thing that He stated was that by being one
of His followers we would not be liked by the world in general.
He said we would be persecuted for His Name's sake. Now I think
this is interesting. Usually when a religious crock comes around
they will say things like, "Follow me and you will have peace,
love, joy, nirvana, happiness, salvation and you can become like
god (through good works of course)." Jesus didn't say that. He did
claim that a life in Him would create peace, joy, a changed
meaningful life, but He also promised that we would probably be
hated, persecuted, despised and maybe even killed for His Name's
sake. He claimed to be the human incarnation of God, the Creator
of the universe.
No religious leader ever made claims like these: not Buddha,
Mohammed, Krishna. It is these radical claims that made the
Jewish leaders want to kill Him. And it is these claims that make
men today reject Him. However, if the historical evidence
supports his claim, then an honest person will examine the
evidence and act on it. Many people are like the man that said
"don't confuse me with facts, I've made up my mind". But this is
not intellectually honest. However, it is also not surprising
because the apostle Paul, a man who met Jesus face to face,
stated that "the message of the cross is foolishness to those who
are perishing." (1 Corinthians 1:18) By this he meant that the
whole message of Jesus would offend many because the message was
so convicting.
Jesus claimed to be God in human form. The Bible claims that
man is sinful by nature 1 John 1:8 (If we say that we have no
sin] we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.), and
that God will not accept man into heaven without a covering for
sin and that there is no remission of sin without the shedding of
blood (previously done by blood animal sacrifice) Leviticus 17:
11 ("For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given
it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it
is the blood that makes atonement for the soul."). The Bible
says that Jesus was to be killed to provide the blood sacrifice
for all mankind for redemption of sins. (1 John 1:7 the blood of
Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.)
The Bible claims that by believing in Jesus we can receive
remission of sin and have eternal life and that this salvation is
a free gift available to all who will just take it. It cannot be
earned by good works. This is the message of the gospel (good news) of Jesus Christ.
The prophecy I've gone through above is stunning evidence of
the truth of the life, death and messianic claim of Jesus. Open
your mind and heart and begin your own search to answer the
question, "Who was Jesus of Nazareth?"
I believe there are only 4 options for who he was:
1) He never existed- disproved even by Encyclopedia Britannica
2) Liar 3) Lunatic 4) Lord
Some try to add a fifth: "He was a great, wise, righteous
man". However, a great man doesn't claim to be something he knows he's
not (i.e. Son of God). That would make him a liar. Secondly, if he
thought he was God, but wasn't, no matter how sincere, he's would have been
a lunatic.
When Jesus was on the earth He said, "Come unto Me all who
labor and are heavy laden, for I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28) The
emptiness, anger, anxiety, frustration, fear, loneliness, guilt
that can overwhelm us at times, can be replaced with love, joy
and the knowledge that the creator of the universe is in charge
of all things. The Bible says that God proved to the people that
He was God by telling them things that would happen before they
did. God also states that to have eternal life in heaven we must
be sin free.
One of Jesus' claims was that He had the authority to forgive
sins and that simply by believing in Him we could have that
forgiveness. There is a lot of peace in knowing that all my sins
are forgiven. To obtain this you need only to confess Jesus as
your Lord and Savior. You don't have to follow a whole lot of
rules or do a lot of works. Salvation is by grace (a free gift)
and by believing in the completed work of Jesus of Nazareth, the
Messiah, who rode on a donkey into Jerusalem exactly on the day
prophesied by Daniel.
"For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the
government will be upon His shoulder. And His Name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of
the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the
throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with
judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of
the LORD of hosts will perform this." (Isaiah 9:6-7)
"He will be as a sanctuary, but a stone of stumbling and a rock
of offense to both the houses of Israel, as a trap and a snare to
the inhabitants of Jerusalem." (Isaiah 8:14)
Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, I lay in Zion a stone
for a foundation, a tried atone, a precious cornerstone, a sure
foundation; whoever believes will not act hastily." (Isaiah 28:16)
Believe on Him whom God has sent and you will not be sorry.
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