Over the last several years, I have written several theologies about various topics relating to Christian beliefs. The more I wrote about various topics the more I learned along the way, that as a Christian, one of my biggest concerns should be carrying out one of Jesus’ last great commands, to evangelize the lost: MATTHEW 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
As in my other theological writings, these writings are not intended to be teachings, or to change anybody’s heartfelt belief. I intend to state my beliefs and back them up with Scripture. I believe that others should not blindly believe anything that is written here, or anything that is taught by anybody else for that matter. I believe that I should not rely on a Televangelists, Senior Pastor, Home Group Leader, Website or anybody else to feed me Doctrine. I should be a self-feeder on God’s Word every day, not just Sunday. I believe that I should examine all of God's Word entirely, both Old Testament and New Testament and prayerfully consider in my own heart what the truth is. We should all be Bereans: ACTS 17:11 Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
Before I go any farther, I pray that these words are God’s words sent to me through the Holy Spirit. I pray that these writings are God’s words, that I am just working the keyboard.
I have grown a strong desire to guide others do what the Bible tells us we should do to spend eternity in Heaven rather than Hell. I would have severe regrets if I get to Heaven and realize that friends, loved ones and others are not there and are therefore likely to be spending eternity in Hell: ROMANS 10:9 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord" and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (10)For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. ROMANS 10:13 for, everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. MARK 16:16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. ACTS 2:38 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, everyone of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. JOHN 3:3 In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. JOHN 3:5 Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. (6)Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. (7)You should not be surprised at my saying, you must be born again. ROMANS 2:7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality, he will give eternal life. LUKE 23:42 Then he said, Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom. (43)Jesus answered him, I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise. ACTS 16:30 He then brought them out and asked, Sirs what must I do to be saved? (31)They replied, believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved-you and your household.
After spending extraordinary amounts of time on previous writings, I realized that the time I spent writing those other topics, could have been better spent writing on topics that may inspire others to be drawn to salvation. To help some of those who may be a doubting Thomas, possibly get over the fence that may be holding them back.
Over the years I have realized that some may be on the path of missing salvation because they do not believe that Jesus Christ is who he said he is, OUR SAVIOUR.
Therefore the intent of this Chapter is to offer proof that Jesus Christ is who he says he is.
Who does Jesus say he is? Jesus says He is the Son of God, the One anointed to provide our salvation. The Hebrew definition of Jesus IS salvation. His last name is NOT Christ. The word Christ is actually an ancient Greek synonym for Messiah. So Christ is actually a word given to Jesus as a Title, by those believing He is as He says, The Anointed One. So Jesus Christ is actually The Anointed One of Salvation . Anointed by God as Our Saviour to be The Way, The Truth and The Life. That by believing in Jesus, The Anointed One, we may receive the free gift of salvation, and spend eternity in Heaven with God, his Father. Few scholars deny that there was a man named Jesus who claimed to be the Son Of God and was crucified. The controversy is over whether he deserved the title of Christ. Whether he is the Messiah as he claims to be or just a nice loving man. Many of Jewish faith deny that he is the Messiah and therefore believe that the Messiah is still yet to come.
Why do Christians believe Jesus Christ’s claim to be true. Because so much of what Jesus did while on earth was recorded in the Old Testament as it was foretold by Prophets, hundreds of years before Jesus was ever born. Many scholars believe that Jesus fulfilled at least 300 Old Testament prophecies. If you dig deep enough, you can easily find scholars that claim that Jesus Christ fulfilled as many as 400 plus Old Testament prophecies.
Many Gentiles (non Jews) AND teachers of Jewish Laws witnessed as Jesus fulfilled so many of these Old Testament prophecies that they concluded that no ordinary man could have coincidentally accomplished such a task, therefore He must be who He says He is, The Messiah. Then many of them became some of the first Christians. Some of these witnesses were so convinced that Jesus Christ would provide for their eternal salvation that they were willing to risk their lives and be martyred.
Before I go much farther I guess I should attempt to explain what a prophecy is. Prophecies are not just random predictions made by ancient fortune tellers. They are instructions, promises and revelations that God shared with His kings, servants and prophets who were then expected to disseminate the information with others as God instructed.
To this day many Christians believe in Jesus Christ because we feel in our heart that His Holy Spirit lives within us. Some believe because we have studied the scriptures for ourselves and see that the New Testament describes how Jesus did actually fulfill so many Old Testament prophecies. Don’t worry, I am not going to attempt to examine all 3 or 4 hundred Old Testament prophecies here. Anybody that hungers for that much proof can search the internet and easily find huge lists of prophecies fulfilled by Jesus Christ. For the benefit of those who desire to see some tangible proof, I would like to share just a few of my favorite Old Testament prophecies here and how they were fulfilled by Jesus Christ in the New Testament .
I guess the best place to start is likely the beginning with the prophecies fulfilled by the birth of Jesus Christ.
Approximately 700 years B.C. The prophet Isaiah foretold the Birth of Jesus Christ: O-T ISAIAH 7:14 All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).
N-T MATTHEW 1:18 This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. N-T MATTHEW 1:23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’24) When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. 25) But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.
Approximately 700 years B.C. the prophet Micah foretells the birth of the Messiah in the city of Bethlehem: O-T MICAH 5:2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel will come from you, one whose origins are from the distant past.
N-T MATTHEW Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem asking. Where is the new born king of the Jews? We have seen his star as it arose, and we have come to worship him.
As Jesus Christ lived, he fulfilled an abundance of Old Testament prophecies that were eventually recorded in the New Testament.
Approximately 700 years B.C. the prophet Isaiah foretold of John the Baptist preparing the way for Jesus Christ: O-T ISAIAH 40:3 Listen. It’s the voice of someone shouting, clear the way through the wilderness for the Lord. Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God. 4) Fill in the valleys and level the mountains and hills. Straighten the curves, and smooth out the rough places. 5)Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all the people will see it together. The Lord has spoken.
N-T MATTHEW 3:1 In those days John the Baptist came to the Judean wilderness and began preaching. His message was, 2) “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near. N-T JOHN 1:23 John (the Baptist) replied in the words of the prophet Isaiah: “I am a voice shouting in the wilderness, Clear the way for the Lord’s coming.
The prophet Isaiah also foretold of the Lord performing many miracles: O-T ISAIAH 35:4 Say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, and do not fear, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you.” 5) And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind and unplug the ears of the deaf. 6) The lame will leap like a deer, and those who can not speak will sing for joy! Springs will gush forth in the wilderness, and streams will water the wasteland.
N-T I won’t bother to list them all here, but it is quite easy to look through the New Testament or search the web and locate almost 40 recordings of Jesus performing many of the miracles foretold by Isaiah. Some of these miracles are witnessed and recorded by multiple Apostles throughout the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
About 500 years B.C. The prophet Zechariah foretold of Jesus Christ arriving on a donkey: O-T ZECHARIAH 9:9 Rejoice, O people of Zion. Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem. Look your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious,yet he is humble, riding on a donkey-riding on a donkey’s colt.
N-T LUKE 19:35 So they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it for him to ride on. 36) As he rode along, the crowds spread out their garments on the road ahead of him. 37) When he reached the place where the road started down the Mount of Olives, all of his followers began to shout and sing as they walked along, praising God for all the wonderful miracles they had seen.
About a thousand years before the birth of Jesus Christ, King David foretold of Jesus Christ speaking in parables: O-T PSALMS 78:2 for I will speak to you in a parable.I will teach you hidden lessons from our past—3 stories we have heard and known, stories our ancestors handed down to us.
N-T MATTHEW 13:10 His disciples came and asked him, “Why do you use parables when you talk to the people?”11) He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not. 12) To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them. 13) That is why I use these parables, For they look, but they don’t really see.They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand.
Throughout his life, Jesus Christ continued to fulfill Old Testament prophecies right up to his persecution and crucifixion.
In a prayer inspired by God, King David foretold of the betrayal of Jesus Christ: O-T PSALM 41:9Even my best friend, the one I trusted completely, the one who shared my food, has turned against me.
N-T MATTHEW 26:47 And even as Jesus said this, Judas, one of the twelve disciples, arrived with a crowd of men armed with swords and clubs. They had been sent by the leading priests and elders of the people. 48) The traitor, Judas, had given them a prearranged signal: “You will know which one to arrest when I greet him with a kiss.” 49) So Judas came straight to Jesus. “Greetings, Rabbi!” he exclaimed and gave him the kiss. 50) Jesus said, “My friend, go ahead and do what you have come for.” Then the others grabbed Jesus and arrested him.
About 500 years B.C. the prophet Zechariah also foretold the betrayal of Jesus Christ: O-T ZECHARIAH 11:12 And I said to them, “If you like, give me my wages, whatever I am worth; but only if you want to.” So they counted out for my wages thirty pieces of silver. 13) And the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—this magnificent sum at which they valued me! So I took the thirty coins and threw them to the potter in the Temple of the Lord.
N-T MATTHEW 26:14 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests 15) and asked, “How much will you pay me to betray Jesus to you?” And they gave him thirty pieces of silver. 16) From that time on, Judas began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus.
N-T MATTHEW 27:5 Then Judas threw the silver coins down in the Temple and went out and hanged himself. 6) The leading priests picked up the coins. “It wouldn’t be right to put this money in the Temple treasury,” they said, “since it was payment for murder.” 7) After some discussion they finally decided to buy the potter’s field, and they made it into a cemetery for foreigners.
Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would be silent before his accusers: O-T ISAIAH 53:7 He was oppressed and treated harshly,yet he never said a word .He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth.
N-T MATTHEW 27:12 But when the leading priests and the elders made their accusations against him, Jesus remained silent. 13) “Don’t you hear all these charges they are bringing against you?” Pilate demanded. 14) But Jesus made no response to any of the charges, much to the governor’s surprise.
Many prophecies were recorded over a thousand years before God sent His Son to Earth. History (HIS-STORY) indicates that descriptions of the action that sent Him back to Heaven to be seated at His Father’s right hand were made over 500 years before crucifixion existed anywhere in the world as a form of death penalty for a crime.
7OO years before Jesus Christ was born, the prophet Isaiah foretold of the death of our Saviour, Jesus Christ: O-T ISAIAH 53:4 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. 5) But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.
O-T ISAIAH 53:12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death,and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many,and made intercession for the transgressors.
N-T LUKE 23:33 When they came to a place called The Skull, they nailed him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified—one on his right and one on his left. 34) Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice.
Giving more credibility to Jesus’ identity as the Son of God, Jesus himself gave detailed prophecy of his betrayal and denial by his dearest disciples. Like many of Jesus’ prophecies. The existence of these prophecies is strengthened by corroboration in all four of the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John: MATTHEW 26:21 While they were eating, he said, “What I’m about to tell you is true. One of you will hand me over to my enemies.” 22)The disciples became very sad. One after the other, they began to say to him, “It’s not I, Lord, is it?” 23)Jesus replied, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will hand me over. 24) The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But how terrible it will be for the one who hands over the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.” 25) Judas was the one who was going to hand him over. He said, “It’s not I, Rabbi, is it?” Jesus answered, “Yes. It is you.” MATTHEW 26:34 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, Peter—this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.” MATTHEW 26:69 Meanwhile, Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant girl came over and said to him, “You were one of those with Jesus the Galilean.” 70) But Peter denied it in front of everyone. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said. 71) Later, out by the gate, another servant girl noticed him and said to those standing around, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth 72) Again Peter denied it, this time with an oath. “I don’t even know the man,” he said. 73)A little later some of the other bystanders came over to Peter and said, “You must be one of them; we can tell by your Galilean accent.” 74) Peter swore, “A curse on me if I’m lying—I don’t know the man!” And immediately the rooster crowed.
There you have it. Some of my favorite prophecies that Jesus Christ fulfilled. I encourage you to grab a Bible, a cup of coffee or other favorite beverage and some reading glasses (if you’re my age) kick back and look them up for yourself. Better yet, invite your spouse or friend to join you. Be a Berean.
For those whose heart may not yet be prepared to receive Jesus Christ, I am sure there will be plenty of poking holes in this writing. After over ten years of studying the Bible I have come to the understanding that there may likely be many things that we may not understand until we get to eternity.
As I explained in the beginning of this Theology, my goal here is to offer some historical, Biblical proof that Jesus Christ is who he says he is. To maybe help some of those who are on the fence about moving closer to a relationship with Jesus Christ and the path to eternity with Him. I am confident there are some out there on the fence who may be feeling a nudge from His Holy Spirit and need just a little more encouragement to fall off of that fence and into His arms. If you are feeling that nudge, I encourage you to give in. I thought I had this chapter done. But I felt like something was missing. Then the Sunday before Easter, I heard a sermon, Jesus Says: I AM, by Pastor Keith Comp at White River Christian Church and realized what it was I was missing. We need to go beyond accepting moments in history as proof of who Jesus is. The way that sermon came along just when I needed it to make this chapter more complete is one of the reasons I believe in and have faith in Jesus Christ. (Some call that alignment of key, related incidents a coincidence. My church friends and I call it a God sighting.) I pray that you decide to believe in your heart that the stories of Jesus’ birth, life, persecution, crucifixion, death and resurrection are more than just moments in history. They are actual moments in HIS-STORY.
As we let our belief in what we can not see grow, that is called faith. It is our faith that pleases God and leads to the reward of our salvation: HEBREWS 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. HEBREWS 11:6 Without faith it is impossible to please God. He rewards those who earnestly seek him. 1 PETER 1:8 Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9)for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your soul.
If you are not feeling that nudge yet, this may not be for you. The Bible tells us that we may not be drawn in that direction until God decides it is our time and sends his Holy Spirit to guide us to His Son: JOHN 6:44 For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up. 45) As it is written in the Scriptures, ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. 1 CORINTHIANS 12:3 Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says Jesus be cursed, and know one can say, Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. JOHN 14:24 But the counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
If you do not yet feel the nudge, but hunger for that special relationship with His Son, I encourage you to pray to God. The Bible tells us that with enough prayer, God may grant our requests: LUKE 18:7 Even he registered a just decision in the end, so don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who plead with him day and night. Will he keep putting them off. (8)I tell you he will grant justice to them quickly. But when I the Son of Man return, how many will I find who have faith.
Many Biblical scholars suggest that there are nearly 2000 prophecies within the pages of His Word. Some believers refer to current news reports about the unrest in the Mideast and the recent impact of a meteorite in Russia, to prophecy that we may be currently living out His divine prophecy and are quickly approaching the end of times: ISAIAH 19:2 I will make Egyptian fight against Egyptian—brother against brother, neighbor against neighbor, city against city, province against province. Matthew 24:27 For as the lightning flashes in the east and shines to the west, so it will be when the Son of Man [Jesus] comes.
I prefer not to invest precious time attempting to determine how or when the end may come: MATTHEW 24:36 However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.
The end may not come until the whole world is told about Jesus: MATTHEW 24:14 And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come.
Do me a favor. Take a deep breath. Now let it out real slow. That felt good, didn’t it? That deep breath we just took was just by the Grace of God. It may have very well been our last. We all know loved ones and acquaintances who are lost and without salvation. Regardless of when Jesus returns, we never know when that last breath may come, and then it will be too late to lead ourselves and others to salvation.
I would rather focus on living out the most precious prophecies, those that offer eternity with Jesus Christ and His Father in Heaven such as: JOHN 3:16 For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
Remember that our faith during this life is critical to our eternal life and the destination of our soul.
As Pastor Keith said during his recent sermon, “It’s not just believing in the history of Jesus, but it is faith in Jesus that matters. Placing faith in Jesus is not about information, it is about transformation. It’s not what you and I do with faith, it is what faith does to us when we truly believe Jesus is who he say he is. We should feel something in our soul when we think about what Jesus did going to the cross for us” (Comp). There should be a movement of His Holy Spirit in our soul that results in movement of our soles as we desire to be the hands and feet of Jesus.
If we want to lead ourselves and others to salvation, We should “Let Our Life Be the Proof” Thank you to the christian group, For King and Country, for recording that awesome tune:)
Pastor Keith went on to tell us this about our faith, “and here’s the test, what do I do when no ones watching. Not that anyone's perfect, but when we are by ourselves, when no one’s watching, what do we do? Are we living our lives for Jesus or ourselves? The reality is, with faith, we trust that someone is always watching” (Comp).
Comp, Keith, perf. "Jesus Says: I AM." White River Christian Church Podcasts. White River Christian Church, 24 Mar 2013. web. 25 Mar 2013. <http://www.wrcc.org/podcast/sermon.xml>.