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Evidence That Jesus Is God.
To say that Jesus and his disciples claimed that he was God
in human flesh does not in itself prove that he is God. The real question is
whether there is any good reason to believe the claims. To support his claims
to deity, Jesus showed supernatural power and authority that is unique in
human history.
Fulfilled Messianic Prophecies.
There were dozens of predictive prophecies in the Old Testament regarding the
Messiah (see
Prophecy as Proof for Bible).
Consider the following predictions, made centuries in advance, that Jesus
would be:
1. born of a woman (Gen.
3:15; cf. Gal. 4:4).
2. born of a virgin (Isa
7:14; cf. Matt. 1:21f.) (see
Virgin Birth).
3. cut off (would die) 483
years after the declaration to reconstruct the temple in 444
b.c. (Dan. 9:24f.; this was
fulfilled to the year. See Hoehner, 11538).
4. The seed of Abraham (Gen.
12:13 and 22:18; cf. Matt. 1:1 and Gal. 3:16).
5. of the tribe of Judah
(Gen. 49:10; cf. Luke 3:23, 33 and Heb. 7:14).
6. a descendant of David (2
Sam. 7:12f.; cf. Matt. 1:1).
7. born in Bethlehem (Micah
5:2; cf. Matt. 2:1 and Luke 2:47).
8. anointed by the Holy
Spirit (Isa. 11:2; cf. Matt. 3:1617).
9. heralded by a messenger (Isa.
40:3 and Mal. 3:1; cf. Matt. 3:12).
10. a worker of miracles (Isa.
35:56; cf. Matt. 9:35; see
Miracles in the Bible).
11. cleanser of the temple
(Mal. 3:1; cf. Matt. 21:12f.).
12. rejected by Jews (Ps.
118:22; cf. 1 Peter 2:7).
13. die a humiliating death
(Ps. 22 and Isa. 53; cf. Matt. 27:31f.). His death would involve:
enduring rejection by his own people (Isa. 53:3; cf. John
1:1011; 7:5, 48).
standing silence before his accusers (Isa. 53:7; cf. Matt.
27:1219).
being mocked (Ps. 22:78; cf. Matt. 27:31).
having hands and feet pierced (Ps. 22:16; cf. Luke 23:33).
being crucified with thieves (Isa. 53:12; cf. Mark
15:2728).
praying for his persecutors (Isa. 53:12; cf. Luke 23:34).
the piercing of his side (Zech. 12:10; cf. John 19:34).
burial in a rich mans tomb (Isa. 53:9; cf. Matt.
27:5760).
the casting of lots for his garments (Ps. 22:18; cf. John
19:2324).
14. being raised from the
dead (Ps. 2:7 and 16:10; cf. Acts 2:31 and Mark 16:6).
15. ascending into heaven
(Ps. 68:18; cf. Acts 1:9).
16. sitting at the right hand
of God (Ps. 110:1; cf. Heb. 1:3).
These prophecies were written hundreds of years before
Christ was born. They are too precise to have been based on reading trends of
the times or just intelligent guesses, like prophecies in a supermarket
tabloid.
Geisler, N. L. (1999). Baker encyclopedia
of Christian apologetics. Baker reference library (132). Grand Rapids,
Mich.: Baker Books.
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