Jun
1
Written by:
Jan Ross
6/1/2010 8:03 AM
If you had to convince an unbeliever that Jesus Christ is the Risen Lord, the Son of the Most High God, the King of all Creation, could you do it? What would you say to someone who had been taught differently all their life or perhaps had never had any teaching at all?
"He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." (Matthew 16:15-16)
Jesus Christ. Who is He? First off, there is not one man in all of history that has caused such controversy throughout the ages with the exception of Jesus the Christ. From the Genesis account of the fall of man to the last words of the prophet from the Isle of Patmos recorded in Revelation, the scriptures testify of Him before, during, and after His ministry here on earth. The Old Testament paints a detailed picture of His conception, birth, life, death, burial and resurrection and it is proven through the detailed account of the same in the New Testament. One only needs to look and Jesus, the Son of God, is found. The statistical chances of every Old Testament prophecy of the Messiah being fulfilled in the life of one solitary Man are astronomically absurd.
There are over 300 prophecies in the Old Testament about Christ. These include:
1. Christ will be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2)
2. Christ will be preceded by a messenger, John the Baptist (Malachi 3:1)
3. Jesus would enter Jerusalem on a donkey (Zech 9:9)
4. He would be wounded in his hands and betrayed by a friend (Zech 13:6)
5. The betrayal would be for 30 pieces of silver (Zech 11:12)
6. The silver would not be returned and would be given to the potter (Zech 11:13)
7. He would not defend himself at trial (Isa 53:7)
8. He would be crucified (Ps 22:16)
. . . and the list goes on to include over 300 prophecies.
If each of those prophecies had a chance of one in ten (and many of them are very specific and would have much higher odds) the total odds become 10 times 10 times 10 (continued for 298 more times) or written in mathematical short hand is 10300. Given the odds of one in 10300 that one man would be able to fulfill all the prophecies from the Old Testament, which were written over thousands of years, and we know from history that one man did fulfill those prophecies - the evidence is clear. Christ is the Messiah, He is Lord.
Of course, this is just one way to build a case for Jesus being who He says He is. We can spend hours upon hours, day after day, recording specific arguments leaving no room for doubt. But ultimately the proof is seen in the lives of individuals who have been touched by His love. If someone wants proof, all they need to do is peer into the heart of one who has been transformed by His power and cleansed by His shed blood. The proof is in the heart of man, bearing witness to the Truth.
Jesus said in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man comes to the Father but by me." There is no other truth . . . Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, the Resurrected and Risen Lord is TRUTH HIMSELF.
Father, teach me to let the proof of the Resurrected Christ be evident in my life to all who cross my path. Let Your light shine through me unhindered by disobedience or rebellion. I need to know you more intimately, I need to grow closer to You, to fix my gaze upon You and not take my eyes off You. Father, let me be like the moon that has no light of its own but only reflects the light of the sun ~ may my life reflect the brightness of the glory of the Son of the Living God, Jesus Christ the Only Begotten Son of the Most High God. I love you, Jesus, amen and amen.
"Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also." (1 John 2:22-23)
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