The man Jesus either had to be who he proclaimed to be, or he had to be completely insane or something worse. - C.S.Lewis
The authors of the New Testament acknowledge that the scripture was not just made up from the imagination of men, but God breathed (eg. 2 Peter 1:16, 20-21; 3:3-10; 1 John 1:1-4). It was written by witnesses of eye witnesses in the time of the eye witnesses of the resurrection. One would either have to believe that these men were telling the truth or under the influence of a substance. To examine if these claims were true we would have to look at the accounts in the past—in the Old Testament—that prophesied about the Messiah, and the creation account since it is the root of all the Book.
Cross-Examination of the Tree, the Ark, and the Cross
The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil
The Ark
The Cross
It just came to me one night. I was listening to a pastor talk about Noah's ark and how God closed the door. The ark was a salvation of man from His wrath—the flood. I thought it was neat how in each case for salvation God uses the tree. Man first fell because he picked from the tree, then Noah saved in the ark made of gopher wood, then all of mankind's salvation fulfilled by the Christ (the second Adam) hung on the cross.
Let's first look at the fall of man from Adam's sin. Since Adam and Eve chose to eat the forbidden fruit from the tree, this embarked man's judgement on behalf of Adam's fallen nature. God told Adam, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will surely die.’ And this is where death was introduce into the world, through the man Adam. I won't get into the whole judgement and sin right now. The main focus is the Tree.
If we then look at the Ark, God told Noah to build the Ark out of gopher wood. The Ark was built from wood—a tree. The Ark was built so that Moses and his family would survive the flood. The flood was the wrath of God onto the world, for mankind of rebellious and sinful.
Then we look at the Cross. Some translations of the manuscripts read that he was hung on a tree. Another word for the cross, which was made of wood, was tree. God's judgement for our sins was poured onto Jesus in the Cross.
You see, shame of sin and the knowledge of sin has to do with the tree in the beginning, and mankind's union with God therefore ends with a man hung on a tree. Even though Adam was created in the image of God, he was not God, nor the God-head, but created in the image and likeness of God. It was by man's free volition that he disobeyed God, incurring physical and spiritual death (separation from God). Each human being is born with a sin nature. Because of this each human is a sinner by nature and is in need of a divine salvation.
The first Adam couldn't do what God could do, that was, to redeem himself from his disobedience to the Lord. Yet, with Jesus as the second Adam, since a man could suffer and die under God's wrath, the Redeemer had to be a God-Man who suffered God's wrath. Only a man could receive God's judgement, so Christ Jesus being both God and man had to be tempted by the Devil as a man, but because of His deity He could not sin, and He could not suffer but only as a man. Not to say that Jesus sinned as a man, because of His deity He cannot and did not sin, but as a man He took upon Himself all of our sins in His bloodshed at the hand of Pontius Pilate.
Jesus as perfect and spotless of sin as He was, bore our sins on the Cross as a man, hung for hours of excruciating pain so that we don't have to, and received the burden of our punishment that we deserve from a good and just God. In addition, God the Father abandoned Jesus on the Cross so that He would descend to Hell as an atonement for our sins, and because of His deity He was raised by the Father three days later revealing Himself to His disciples and many others proving that He is God.
Even to this day we hear of Muslims in the Middle-East seeing Jesus in broad daylight while they are praising to Allah. Hundreds of believers were stoned to death, crucified, and fed to the lions in the arenas of the Roman Empire, being accused of an enemy of the state or Caesar, because they don't believe those to be the supreme authority. Count the numbers of stories we here today of the Christians in China, the Middle-East, or Africa who are tortured by tyrants and die a martyrs death.
This 'man of God' came to set us free. Why is it that people are risking their lives for what they believe in? If the Gospel is true, it must be something worth dying for.... worth living for.
God bless the men and women and children who stand strong in their faith when they face ridicule, mockery, affliction, and even when it mournfully comes down to it, death.
Looking Toward the Cross
As we see in the Old Testament, there were prophecies and judgement happening that lead up to the resurrection. In the flood, we see the safe haven within the ark. In the crossing of the Nile we see the freedom of God's people from slavery on the third day. In Isaiah 53, we see the prophesy of the Messiah almost 800 years before Christ Jesus came and in chapter 63.
Isaiah 53 (ESV)
3 He is despised and rejected by men,
A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
4 Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He opened not His mouth;
He was led as a lamb to the slaughter,
And as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
So He opened not His mouth.
8 He was taken from prison and from judgement,
And who will declare His generation?
For He was cut off from the land of the living;
For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.
9 And they made His grave with the wicked—
But with the rich at His death,
Because He had done no violence,
Nor was any deceit in His mouth.
10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him;
He has put Him to grief.
When You make His soul an offering for sin,
He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days,
And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.
11 He shall see the labour of His soul, and be satisfied.
By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many,
For He shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great,
And He shall divide the spoil with the strong,
Because He poured out His soul unto death,
And He was numbered with the transgressors,
And He bore the sin of many,
And made intercession for the transgressors.
Isaiah 63 (ESV)
The Lord’s Mercy Remembered
7 I will recount the steadfast love of the Lord,
the praises of the Lord,
according to all that the Lord has granted us,
and the great goodness to the house of Israel
that he has granted them according to his compassion,
according to the abundance of his steadfast love.
8 For he said, “Surely they are my people,
children who will not deal falsely.”
And he became their Saviour.
9 In all their affliction he was afflicted,
and the angel of his presence saved them;
win his love and in his pity he redeemed them;
he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.
God made a safe haven in the Ark with his chosen few and shut the door Himself. Many people perished but only a chosen few, Noah and his family was saved only because Noah was seen as perfect and obedient to the Lord and trusted in Him. God saved His people through the obedience of Moses. And now, after the Cross, we see Jesus' fulfilment of the prophecies in the Old Testament. The cleansing of sins, the forgiveness of sins, and the redemption and union of mankind with God the Father forever and ever through the God-Man Jesus Christ.
While we all know that Jesus called out to God, because of his sorrow, he called out in his native tongue, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” "My God, My God why have you forsaken me?" (NKJV). This is not just Jesus asking God why He has forsaken him but he was quoting from Psalm 22 to fulfil the prophesy.
Psalm 22 (ESV)
1 My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
Why are you so far away when I groan for help?
6 But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by mankind and despised by the people.
7 All who see me mock me;
they make mouths at me; they wag their heads;
8 “He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him;
let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”
....
12 Many bulls encompass me;
strong bulls of Bashan surround me;
13 they open wide their mouths at me,
like a ravening and roaring lion.
14 I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint;
my heart is like wax;
it is melted within my breast;
15 my strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to my jaws;
you lay me in the dust of death.
16 For dogs encompass me;
a company of evildoers encircles me;
they have pierced my hands and feet—
17 I can count all my bones—
they stare and gloat over me;
18 they divide my garments among them,
and for my clothing they cast lots.
Prophecies of the Messiah
Fulfilled in Jesus Christ
Presented in Their Order of Fulfilment
Seed of a Woman
Genesis 3:15
And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her Seed;
He shall bruise your head,
And you shall bruise His heel.
Galatians 4:4
But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,
Descendant of Abraham
Genesis 12:3
I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.
Matthew 1:1
The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:
Descendant of Isaac
Genesis 17:19
Then God said: “No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him.”
Luke 3:34
the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,
Descendant of Jacob
Numbers 24:17
“I see Him, but not now;
I behold Him, but not near;
A Star shall come out of Jacob;
A Sceptre shall rise out of Israel,
And batter the brow of Moab,
And destroy all the sons of tumult.”
Matthew 1:2
Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers.
From the Tribe of Judah
Genesis 49:10
The sceptre shall not depart from Judah,
Nor a lawgiver from between his feet,
Until Shiloh comes;
And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.
Luke 3:33
the son of Amminadab, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah,
Heir to the Throne of David
Isaiah 9:7
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 judgement and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
Luke 1:32, 33
He will be great, hand will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.
Anointed and Eternal
Psalm 45:6, 7; 102:25-27
“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;
A sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of Your kingdom.
You love righteousness and hate wickedness;
Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You
With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.”
“Of old You laid the foundation of the earth,
And the heavens are the work of Your hands.
They will perish, but You will 4endure;
Yes, they will all grow old like a garment;
Like a cloak You will change them,
And they will be changed.
But You are the same,
And Your years will have no end.”
Hebrews 1:8-12
But to the Son He says:
“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;
A sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of Your kingdom.
You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness;
Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You
With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.”
And:
“You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth,
And the heavens are the work of Your hands.
They will perish, but You remain;
And they will all grow old like a garment;
Like a cloak You will fold them up,
And they will be changed.
But You are the same,
And Your years will not fail.”
Born in Bethlehem
Micah 5:2
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
Though you are little among the thousands of Judah,
Yet out of you shall come forth to Me
The One to be Ruler in Israel,
Whose goings forth are from of old,
From 1everlasting.”
Luke 2:4, 5, 7
Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. . . . And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Time for His Birth
Daniel 9:25
“Know therefore and understand,
That from the going forth of the command
To restore and build Jerusalem
Until Messiah the Prince,
There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks;
The street shall be built again, and the wall,
Even in troublesome times.”
Luke 2:1
And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.
Slaughter of Children
Jeremiah 31:15
Thus says the Lord:
“A voice was heard in Ramah,
Lamentation and bitter weeping,
Rachel weeping for her children,
Refusing to be comforted for her children,
Because they are no more.”
Matthew 2:16-18
Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying:“A voice was heard in Ramah,
Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children,
Refusing to be comforted,
Because they are no more.”
Flight to Egypt
Hosea 11:1
“When Israel was a child, I loved him,
And out of Egypt I called My son.”
Matthew 2:14, 15
When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”
The Way Prepared
Isaiah 40:3-5
The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
“Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make straight in the desert
A highway for our God.”
Luke 3:3-6
And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying:
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make His paths straight.
Every valley shall be filled
And every mountain and hill brought low;
The crooked places shall be made straight
And the rough ways smooth;
And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’ ”
Preceded by a Forerunner
Malachi 3:1
“Behold, I send My messenger,
And he will prepare the way before Me.
And the Lord, whom you seek,
Will suddenly come to His temple,
Even the Messenger of the covenant,
In whom you delight.
Behold, He is coming,”
Says the Lord of hosts.
Luke 7:24, 27
When the messengers of John had departed, He began to speak to the multitudes concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed those who are gorgeously apparelled and live in luxury are in kings’ courts. But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written:
‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face,
Who will prepare Your way before You.’
Preceded by Elijah
Malachi 4:5, 6
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet
Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
And he will turn
The hearts of the fathers to the children,
And the hearts of the children to their fathers,
Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.
Matthew 11:13, 14
For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come.
Declared the Son of God
Psalm 2:7
“I will declare the decree:
The Lord has said to Me,
‘You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.”
Matthew 3:17
And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Galilean Ministry
Isaiah 9:1, 2
Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed,
As when at first He lightly esteemed
The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
And afterwards more heavily oppressed her,
By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan,
In Galilee of the Gentiles.
Matthew 4:13-16
And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:
“The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles:
The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light,
And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death
Light has dawned.”
Speaks in Parables
Psalm 78:2-4
I will open my mouth in a parable;
I will utter dark sayings of old,
Which we have heard and known,
And our fathers have told us.
We will not hide them from their children,
Telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord,
And His strength and His wonderful works that He has done.
Matthew 13:34, 35
All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:
“I will open My mouth in parables;
I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world.”
A Prophet
Deuteronomy 18:15
“The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear,”
Acts 3:20, 22
and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. For Moses truly said to the fathers, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you.
To Bind up the Brokenhearted
Isaiah 61:1, 2
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,
Because the Lord has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,”
Luke 4:18, 19
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”
Rejected by His Own People the Jews
Isaiah 53:3
He is despised and rejected by men,
A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
John 1:11
He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.
Luke 23:18
And they all cried out at once, saying, “Away with this Man, and release to us Barabbas”—
Priest after order of Melchizedek
Psalm 110:4
The Lord has sworn
And will not relent,
“You are a priest forever
According to the order of Melchizedek.”
Hebrews 5:5, 6
So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him:
“You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.”
As He also says in another place:
“You are a priest forever
According to the order of Melchizedek”;
Triumphal Entry
Zechariah 9:9
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your King is coming to you;
He is just and having salvation,
Lowly and riding on a donkey,
A colt, the foal of a donkey.
Mark 11:7, 9, 11
Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and He sat on it. . . . Then those who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:
“Hosanna!
‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’
. . .
And Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the temple. So when He had looked around at all things, as the hour was already late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve.
Adorned by Infants
Psalm 8:2
Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
You have ordained strength,
Because of Your enemies,
That You may silence the enemy and the avenger.
Matthew 21:15, 16
But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant and said to Him, “Do You hear what these are saying?”
And Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read,
‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
You have perfected praise’?”
Not Believed
Isaiah 53:1
Who has believed our report?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
John 12:37, 38
But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him, that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke:
“Lord, who has believed our report?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”
Betrayed by a Close Friend
Psalm 41:9
Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted,
Who ate my bread,
Has lifted up his heel against me.
Luke 22:47, 48
And while He was still speaking, behold, a multitude; and he who was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them and drew near to Jesus to kiss Him. But Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”
Betrayed for Third Pieces of Silver
Zechariah 11:12
Then I said to them, “If it is agreeable to you, give me my wages; and if not, refrain.” So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver.
Matthew 26:14, 15
Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?” And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver.
Accused by False Witnesses
Psalm 35:11
Fierce witnesses rise up;
They ask me things that I do not know.
Mark 14:57, 58
Then some rose up and bore false witness against Him, saying, “We heard Him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.’ ”
Silent to Accusations
Isaiah 53:7
He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He opened not His mouth;
He was led as a lamb to the slaughter,
And as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
So He opened not His mouth.
Mark 15:4, 5
Then Pilate asked Him again, saying, “Do You answer nothing? See how many things they testify against You!” But Jesus still answered nothing, so that Pilate marvelled.
Spat on and Struck
Isaiah 50:6
I gave My back to those who struck Me,
And My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard;
I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.
Matthew 26:67
Then they spat in His face and beat Him; and others struck Him with the palms of their hands,
Hated Without Reason
Psalm 35:19
Let them not rejoice over me who are wrongfully my enemies;
Nor let them wink with the eye who hate me without a cause.
John 15:24, 25
If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father. But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’
Vicarious Sacrifice
Isaiah 53:5
But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
Romans 5:6, 8
For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. . . . But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Crucified With Malefactors
Isaiah 53:12
Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great,
And He shall divide the 1spoil with the strong,
Because He poured out His soul unto death,
And He was numbered with the transgressors,
And He bore the sin of many,
And made intercession for the transgressors.
Mark 15:27, 28
With Him they also crucified two robbers, one on His right and the other on His left. So the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And He was numbered with the transgressors.”
Pierced Through Hands and Feet
Zechariah 12:10
“And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.
John 20:27
Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.”
Sneered and Mocked
Psalm 22:7, 8
All those who see Me ridicule Me;
They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,
Luke 23:35
And the people stood looking on. But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God.”
Was Reproached
Psalm 69:9
Because zeal for Your house has eaten me up,
And the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.
Romans 15:3
For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.”
Prayer for His Enemies
Psalm 109:4
In return for my love they are my accusers,
But I give myself to prayer.
Luke 23:34
Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”
And they divided His garments and cast lots.
Soldiers Gambled for His Clothing
Psalm 22:17, 18
I can count all My bones.
They look and stare at Me.
Matthew 27:35, 36
Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, 1that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet:
“They divided My garments among them,
And for My clothing they cast lots.”
Sitting down, they kept watch over Him there.
Forsaken by God
Psalm 22:1
My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?
Why are You so far from helping Me,
And from the words of My groaning?
Matthew 27:46
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
No Bones Broken
Psalm 34:20
He guards all his bones;
Not one of them is broken.
John 19:32, 33, 36
Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. . . . For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, “Not one of His bones shall be broken.”
His Side Pierced
Zechariah 12:10
“And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.”
John 19:34
But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.
Buried with the Rich
Isaiah 53:9
And they made His grave with the wicked—
But with the rich at His death,
Because He had done no violence,
Nor was any deceit in His mouth.
Matthew 27:57-60
Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him. When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his new tomb which he had wn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed.
To be Resurrected
Psalm 16:10
For You will not leave my soul in Sheol,
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
Psalm 49:15
But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave,
For He shall receive me. Selah
Mark 16:6, 7
But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, fas He said to you.”
His Ascension to God's Right Hand
Psalm 68:18
You have ascended on high,
You have led captivity captive;
You have received gifts among men,
Even from the rebellious,
That the Lord God might dwell there.
Mark 16:19
So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.
1 Corinthians 15:4
and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,
Ephesians 4:8
Therefore He says:
“When He ascended on high,
He led captivity captive,
And gave gifts to men.”
Christ's Deity
Not only did the Old Testament predict the coming of the Messiah as deity, but Jesus claimed to be that Messiah. He declared and defended His deity in many ways.
Jesus Claimed to be Messiah-God
Emmanuel/Immanuel
"God with us"
Emmanuel is a Hebrew word that has been adopted into Greek and English. The promise of a virgin born son named Immanuel (Isa. 7:14). Jesus was the fulfilment of that promise.
He is Emmanuel in 3 ways:
- Jesus is God with us by His incarnation (Matt. 1:23). Jesus was literally, Emmanuel, God with us.
- Jesus is God with us by His indwelling (Matt. 28:20). He is Emmanuel by the testimony of the Holy Spirit with and through the word of God.
- Jesus is God with us by Hid intercession. Creation tells us that God is above us. The law reveals that God is against us. The Gospel tells us that God is with us. In Jesus Christ, God is no longer against us; instead He is Emmanuel, God with us. Our defender, our advocate.
Lee Strobel Refuting Muslim's Claims
The Evidence for the Existence of Jesus
References: YouTube, Handout Apologetics by John Gerstner; Jesus The Redeemer by John Gerstner, Why I Believe The Bible by Voddie Baucham, Why The Bible by Ravi Zacharias, Cross Examination by Lee Strobel, Conviction Without Compromise by Norman Geisler and Ron Rhodes, Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, The English Standard Version and the New King James Version of the Holy Bible
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