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Over 300 Prophecies of Jesus--Too Uncanny?
There were over 300 prophecies foretold about the coming Jewish Messiah - hundreds of years before Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Of these 300+ prophecies, there are 109 that only Jesus (Yeshua) could
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by Steve Keohane, USN (Ret)
http://BibleProbe.com
The Son of the Eternal Father's substitutional death on the cross stands at the heart of all other salvation truths revealed in the Bible. Jesus willingly took our place in suffering the penalty for sin. The demands of the Law against the transgressor were fully satisfied by His voluntary acceptance of our punishment that holy day in Jerusalem, when hanging on the cross He said; "it is finished".
It was the Savior's incarnate entrance into the human family which laid the foundation for the entire redemptive process. According to the Scriptures, He had to be born of a virgin in Bethlehem, live a sinless life, ride into Jerusalem on a foal of a donkey precisely on April 6, 32 A.D., exactly 173,880 days after the command to rebuild Jerusalem by the Babylonian king Artaxerxes
Satan's purpose has always been to obscure, and falsify the simplicity of the cross in its application to our sin problem.
The Jewish Messiah also had to suffer and lay down His life for our sins. This is clearly shown in Isaiah 53. He did this for both Jews and Gentiles. There were over 300 prophecies foretold about the coming Jewish Messiah - hundreds of years before Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Of these 300+ prophecies, there are 109 that only Jesus (Yeshua) could have fulfilled.
His name in Greek is Jesus, and His Hebrew name is Yehoshua. In Aramaic it's: "Yeshua".
In the "Suffering Servant" passage of Isaiah 53:5 (written: 712 B.C.) where we read:
"He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed"
Jewish Messiah ("Mashiach ben David") & Savior of All
Read Torah, Isaiah 53 3-6: "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. Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 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. 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." Written: 712 BC (Before Christ)
Isaiah 42:1 - Isaiah 42:9
42 Here is my servant! I have made him strong. He is my chosen one; I am pleased with him. I have given him my Spirit, and he will bring justice to the nations.
2 He won't shout or yell or call out in the streets.
3 He won't break off a bent reed or put out a dying flame, but he will make sure that justice is done.
4 He won't quit or give up until he brings justice everywhere on earth, and people in foreign nations long for his teaching.
5 I am the LORD God. I created the heavens like an open tent above. I made the earth and everything that grows on it. I am the source of life for all who live on this earth, so listen to what I say.
6 I chose you to bring justice, and I am here at your side. I selected and sent you to bring light and my promise of hope to the nations.
7 You will give sight to the blind; you will set prisoners free from dark dungeons.
8 My name is the LORD!
I won't let idols or humans share my glory and praise.
9 Everything has happened just as I said it would; now I will announce what will happen next.
To assume human nature, the sinless Savior had to choose between the only two things available. He could of either chosen the Holy, unfallen nature of Adam, or the fallen nature of Adam and all of Adam's descendants. If He had taken any other kind, it would not have been human nature at all.
Jesus rose again to sit with the Eternal Father, as one with the Father. It’s the greatest miracle God has ever performed. God’s Son who once was dead, has risen to new life forever. This great miracle is the the joyous hope for humanity. Satan thought he was the winner. While Jesus hung on the cross outside of Jerusalem, Demons were roaring in triumph... only to realize to their horror that Jesus was the winner after all. Jesus descended into the demonic world and took the keys of death and life back from satans own claws. Jesus gave Himself to be killed, so that He could take away the authority of satan over mankind.
For those who teach that the Bible should not be interpreted literally. Explain the below
if you can. All were prophecies Jesus fulfilled to the "letter/iota"....
Below from the King James version of the Holy Bible.
Look at the below in totality! The odds against the below being fulfilled by the only person who claimed to be the Son of God, and who died on a "tree" on Calvary, and who rose the 3rd day are astronomical! In totality--these are no longer "vague"! Now remember, that all these were written hundreds of years before the birth of Christ and were documented. Isaiah wrote his prophecies below about 700 years before Christ...
The marvelous Trinity
Three Divine Persons unified in one Divine Will is God and is all Love.
The Will of the Father gives Life to Love and eternally generates His Only-Begotten Son. Through Jesus, the Father may see and know Himself.
Genesis 1:26 (4000 B.C.): "And God said, Let us make man in our image.."
Proverbs 30:4 (700 B.C.): "Who hath ascended up into heaven or descended? Who hath gathered the wind in His fists? Who hath bound the waters in a garment? Who hath established all the ends of the Earth? What is His name, and what is His son's name, if thou canst tell?"
Recent Bible Code discoveries
---Messianic Jew, Yacov Rambsel found in Torah:
Every 12th Letter in Hebrew spells "JESUS IS MY NAME" via Bible codes
In answer to the question in Proverbs 30:4 above. What is His son's name?
Starting with the first yod, counting every 22nd letter spells “ you guessed it “ Yeshua shai," which means "Yeshua, the Gift." Yeshua means Jesus in Hebrew.
Zechariah 13:6 (written: 487 BC (Before Christ)
"And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends."
(Proverbs 30:4)
"Who hath ascended up into heaven or descended? Who hath gathered the wind in His fists? Who hath bound the waters in a garment? Who hath established all the ends of the Earth? What is His name, and what is His son's name, if thou canst tell?"
John 9:35-38
35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? 36 He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? 37 And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. 38 And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.
Numbers 24:17 "I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob;
a scepter will rise out of Israel."
Luke 3:34 "The son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor."
the virgin birth, and his name...
Isaiah 7:14 (written: 758 BC (Before Christ)
"Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear
a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."
Matthew 1:18 "This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit."
his place of birth...
Micah 5:2 (written: 710 BC (Before Christ)
"But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out
of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have
been from of old, from everlasting."
Matthew 2:1 "After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod..."
Isaiah 9: 6-7:
"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".
What year this occurred remains uncertain. Astronomers do know, however, that in June, 2 B.C. a very rare event occurred in the western skies (in relation to the Magi). Two of the brightest stars emerged in the sky. Venus came in front of Jupiter. A June birth would also fit with the Gospels, as shepherds would be in the fields in June, but not in the late fall or winter months.
Jeremiah 31:15 "This is what the Lord says: 'A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because her children are no more.'"
Matthew 2:16 "When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi."
Hoseah 11:1 "When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son."
Matthew 2:14 "So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt."
Genesis 49:10 (written: 1689 BC (Before Christ)
"The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be."
Speaking about Jesus/Yeshua:
Luke 3:33 "The son of Amminadab, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah."
Jesus is born of the House of David (Jesse is the father of David)...
Isaiah 11:1 & 11:10 (written: 713 BC (Before Christ) "And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:"
"And in that day there shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious."
Isaiah 28:16 (written: 712 BC (Before Christ)
"Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall make no haste."
Isaiah 53:2 (written: 712 BC (Before Christ)
"For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him."
John the Baptist prepares the way...
Isaiah 40:3 (written: 712 BC (Before Christ)
"The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in
the desert a highway for our God."
Isaiah 11:2 (written: 712 BC (Before Christ)"The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him--the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge
and of the fear of the Lord."
Luke 2:52 "And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men."
Zechariah 9:9 - written: 520 BC (Before Christ)
"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh
unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt
the foal of an ass."
John 12:13-14 "They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, 'Hosanna!' 'Blessed is the King of Israel!' Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written."
Isaiah 9:1-2 (written: 712 BC (Before Christ)
"Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan--The people walking in darkness have
seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned."
Matthew 4:12-16 "Jesus...returned to Galilee. Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali--to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah: Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, along the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles--The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned."
Jesus Teaching in Capurnum:
12 When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he went to Galilee. 13 But instead of staying in Nazareth, Jesus moved to Capernaum. This town was beside Lake Galilee in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali. 14 So God's promise came true, just as the prophet Isaiah had said,
15 "Listen, lands of Zebulun and Naphtali,
lands along the road to the sea and east of the Jordan! Listen Galilee, land of the Gentiles!
16 Although your people live in darkness, they will see a bright light. Although they live in the shadow of death, a light will shine on them." 17 Then Jesus started preaching, "Turn back to God! The kingdom of heaven will soon be here."
Daniel predicts below the exact timetable that pinpoints the very day (69 weeks) that Jesus rode into Jerusalem (Psalm Sunday) on a colt. He said it would be exactly 69 sabbatical years from the edict permitting the Israelites to return from their Babylon exile to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple until the Messiah would appear as their Prince.
This edict to rebuild Jerusalem was issued in 444 BC by Artaxerxes Longimanus of Persia. Exactly 173,880 days later Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. This was the first time Jesus allowed Himself to be publicly proclaimed as the Messiah and King.
Daniel 9:25:
Know, therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
Daniel also says below that two startling historical things would follow Messiah's appearance. First, Messiah would be cut off. Second, the city of Jerusalem and the temple would be destroyed shortly thereafter.
Daniel 9:26
And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
Here Daniel talks of the Messiah being killed. He also says the same thing that Jesus said - that Jerusalem would be shortly destroyed. It happened in 70 A.D. and Josephus and others spoke of the "flood" of Jewish blood in the streets of Jerusalem...
What about the 70th Week Daniel Spoke of? The "week" between the 69th and the 70th is where we are now living thanks to God's benevolence.
This prophesy refers to weeks of years, or 483 biblical years. Beginning with the exact day on which Persian King Artaxerxes gave the decree to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem (March 14, 445), exactly 173,880 days later--Palm Sunday, April 6, 32 A.D. --Christ rode into Jerusalem the week before he was 'cut off' (crucified). This is the precise number of days spanning 483 biblical years, which were then measured as 12 months of 30 days each.
Judas gives up Jesus to Temple authorities after eating bread with Jesus
Psalm 41:9 (written: 1023 BC (Before Christ)
"Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me."
Judas gives up Jesus to Temple authorities for 30 pieces of silver...
Zechariah 11:12 (written: 487 BC (Before Christ)
"And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver."
Matthew 26:15 "And asked, 'What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?' So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver."
Judas gives up Jesus to Temple authorities for 30 pieces of silver....
Zechariah 11:13 (written: 487 BC (Before Christ)
"And the Lord said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prized at of
them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the
Lord."
Matthew 27:6-7 "The chief priests picked up the coins and said, 'It is against the law to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money.' So they decided to use the money to buy the potter's field as a burial place for foreigners."
The false accusation....
Psalm 35:11 (written: 1042 BC (Before Christ)
"False witnesses did rise up; they laid to my charge things that I knew not."
the forsaking of the disciples through being offended at him.....
Psalm 31:11 (written: 1042 BC (Before Christ)
"I was a reproach among all mine enemies, but especially among my neighbors, and a fear to
mine acquaintance: they that did see me without fled from me".
the mockery of the spectators...
Psalm 109:25 (written: 1023 BC (Before Christ)
"I became a reproach unto them: when they looked upon me they shaked their heads."
being crucified....
Psalm 22:16 (written: 1018 BC (Before Christ)
"For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet."
John 20:27 "Then he said to Thomas, 'Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.'
Jesus bears our sins at Calvary...
Isaiah 53:4 (written: 712 BC (Before Christ)
"Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted."
Isaiah 53:5 (Suffering Servant Passage) (written: 712 BC (Before Christ)
"But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed."
Matthew 8:16-17 "When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: 'He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases."
Isaiah 50:6 (written: 712 BC (Before Christ)
"I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my
face from shame and spitting."
Isaiah 8:14 (written: 742 BC (Before Christ)
"And he shall be a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both
the houses of Israel, for a gin and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem."
Isaiah 53:3 (written: 712 BC (Before Christ)
"He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not."
John 1:11 "He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him."
Jesus bears our sins at Calvary...
Isaiah 53:4 (written: 712 BC (Before Christ)
"Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted."
Isaiah 53:6 (written: 712 BC (Before Christ)
"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all."
Psalm 22:6-8: (written: 1018 BC (Before Christ)
But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head saying, He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.
Matthew 27:39-40 "Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, 'You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!'"
Above is exactly what happened at Calvary that day when the people gathered to wag their heads at Jesus and laugh Him to scorn. Matthew recorded the account:
"And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads;... He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God" (Matthew 27:39,43)
the silence before his judges...
Isaiah 53:7 (written: 712 BC (Before Christ)
"He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth."
Matthew 26:62-63 "Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, 'Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?' But Jesus remained silent. The high priest said to him, 'I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.'"
Isaiah 53:8 (written: BC (Before Christ)
"He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken."
Zechariah 12:10 (written: 487 BC (Before Christ)
"And I pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn."
John 19:34 "Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water."
Isaiah 53:10 (written: 712 BC (Before Christ)
"Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt 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."
Isaiah 53:11 (written: 712 BC (Before Christ)
"He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my
righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities."
Zechariah 9:9 (written: 520 BC (Before Christ):
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.
the taunt of nondeliverance...
Psalm 22:7-8 (written: 1018 BC (Before Christ)
"All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,"
"He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him."
Soldiers gave Jesus vinegar to drink as he hung on the cross
Psalm 69:21
"They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst."
John 19:29 "A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips."
none of his bones were broken...
Psalm 34:20 (written: 1042 BC (Before Christ)
"He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken."
John 19:33 "But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs."
the gambling for his garments...
Psalm 22:18 (written: 1018 BC (Before Christ)
"They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture."
Mark 15:24 "And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get."
being forsaken by God...
"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and the words
of my roaring?"
the yielding of his spirit into the hands of his
Father...
Psalm 31:5 (written: 1042 BC (Before Christ)
"Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth."
being included with sinners....and prayer for his enemies...
Isaiah 53:12 (written: 712 BC (Before Christ)
"Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the
strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the
transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors."
Matthew 27:38 "Two robbers were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left."
Darkness reported at Christ's Crucifixion
Amos 8:9 (written: 787 BC (Before Christ)
"And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord of God, that I will cause the sun to go
down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day:"
Coincidence? A pagan historian by the name of Thallus, who lived shortly after the resurrection of Christ (about A.D. 52) wrote concerning a miraculous darkness that covered the earth at the Passover of A.D. 32 and attempted to explain it as an eclipse of the sun.
being proven guiltless...buried in a rich man's tomb...
Isaiah 53:9 (written: 712 BC (Before Christ)
"And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth."
Matthew 27:57-60 "As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus' body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away."
Isaiah 9:2 (written: 740 BC (Before Christ)
"The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined."
Psalm 18.5:
The grave wrapped its ropes around me; death itself stared me in the face.
Psalm 139.8:
If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the place of the dead, you are there.
The resurrection of Jesus/Yeshua
Psalm 16:10 (written: 1018 BC (Before Christ)
"For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption."
Matthew 28:9 "Suddenly Jesus met them. 'Greetings,' he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him."
Jesus Christ is crucified outside Jerusalem on Golgotha. A Roman centurion, possibly Gaius Cassius, pierces Christ's side with a spear, and in doing so, fulfills an ancient Jewish prophesy describing the Messiah. Gaius Cassius is said to have converted to Christianity on the spot and becomes known to the early Christians as Longinus (the Spearman).
Ezekiel (written: 587 BC (Before Christ)
33:30
Also, thou son of man, the children of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the LORD.
33:31
And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness.
33:32
And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not.
33:33
And when this cometh to pass, (lo, it will come,) then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them.
Psalm 47:5
God has ascended with a mighty shout. The LORD has ascended with trumpets blaring.
Jesus Ascended into Heaven - witnessed by many
Psalm 68:18 "When you ascended on high, you led captives in your train; you received gifts from men, even from the rebellious--that you, O Lord God, might dwell there."
Luke 24:50-51 "When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven."
Miraculous darkness when Christ died for our sins
* A pagan historian by the name of Thallus, who lived shortly after the resurrection of Christ (about A.D. 52) wrote concerning a miraculous darkness that covered the earth at the Passover of A.D. 32 and attempted to explain it as an eclipse of the sun. Julius Africanus, a Christian teacher in North Africa in A.D. 215, wrote concerning this historian's assertions, "Thallus, in the third book of his histories, explains away this darkness as an eclipse of the sun - unreasonably as it seems to me." Julius contends, and modern astronomers confirm, that the Paschal full moon in which the Passover occurred (the Passover in which Christ was crucified) could not have been eclipsed. Thus, no known natural explanation can be presented to explain the darkness referred to in the Bible as occurring during Christ's crucifixion.
The Jewish Babylonian Talmud (Sanhedrin 43a) from the Tannaitic Period recorded: "On the eve of Passover Yeshu was hanged"....
Prophecy of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ (He will return from exactly the same place He ascended into heaven):
"And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee" (Zechariah 12:4-5)
THE RELIABILITY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT
Liberal scholars have long argued that the New Testament cannot be considered reliable as it was, in their opinion, written over 100 years after the events it described. If this were true, considering that the authors claims to have personally witnessed their accounts, the Scriptures must be false, or at least unreliable. So widespread were these sentiments, and so loudly and publicly proclaimed, that even today, after overwhelming documentary evidence proves that these texts were written within 30-35 years of the actual events, many still believe them to be historically inaccurate. Capitalizing on this feeling, many scholars now claim that these Scriptures, while accurate historically, must have been contaminated over the years with additional and erroneous information, accounts and statements by well-meaning believers during the last few decades of the first century.
Consider that the modern scholars now possess over 5000 manuscript copies of the New Testament in the original Greek, as well as over 15,000 manuscripts in other languages, all from the first few centuries of this era. No other important historical or religious text has more than a few dozen copies surviving from this time. These 20,000 different texts can be shown to contain some minor differences, in spelling for example, but no difference in even one small fact or single doctrine. These documents give scholars the strongest possible evidence to confirm the accuracy of the New Testament text as well as confirming their widespread distribution among the churches during the last four decades of the first century. That is, within 30-35 years of the actual events. Simply put, if the liberal scholars claims are true, how were ALL these copies of Scripture altered in exactly the same way within only a few decades without any of the devout Christians noticing?
In order to counter the assertion that changes had been introduced into the Scriptures during this time, consider a few points:
-These Scriptures had been, and were still being, widely distributed throughout the churches during the few years after their being written by the apostles.
-Many of the Christians hearing or reading these Scriptures in the churches had personally known the apostles, or Christ Himself, or at least heard them minister.
-These Christians would have been keenly aware of any changes in the basic truths these Scriptures presented.
-One of Christ's original apostles, John, was still alive during this time and was bishop over the seven churches in Turkey until the first few years of the next century. He certainly would have instantly recognized any "new" or altered portions of the Scriptures that came before him.
-The Greek originals of the Scriptures were widely copied into a variety of languages and distributed widely in Hebrew, Syriac, Latin, Coptic, etc. to churches in surrounding areas many years before the turn of the century. These would certainly have proven as impossible to influence as the original Greek.
Furthermore, consider the significance of the fact that no Jew or Roman alive at the time ever openly denied the Scriptural record of Jesus Christ's life, death, ministry or resurrection. Certainly, with the Christian "cult" growing so rapidly throughout the regions and even into nearby countries in those early days, anyone having evidence to contradict the Scriptural account would certainly have likely been compelled to present it publicly.
Something Most Christians Don't know about:
A great luminous cross appeared in the heavens over Golgotha
A great sign appeared during the first year of Bishop Cyril's (born at/near Jerusalem in 315 A.D.) episcopate in Jerusalem, in the year 351, at nine o'clock in the morning of May 7. This was in the era of the "Arian heresy", in which the relationship of Christ to God the Father had been placed in question.
In a letter to the Roman Emperor Constantius, Bishop Cyril wrote; "on the nones of May, about the third hour, a great luminous cross appeared in the heavens, just over Golgotha, reaching as far as the holy mount of Olivet, seen, not by one or two persons, but clearly and evidently by the whole city. This was not, as might be thought, a fancy-bred and transient appearance: but it continued several hours together, visible to our eyes and brighter than the sun. The whole city, penetrated alike with awe and with joy at this portent, ran immediately to the church, all with one voice giving praise to our Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God." Cyril continued; "Everyone saw that the pious Christian faith consisted not in the disputable words of human wisdom." Thus Cyril gave an account of it to the emperor, and the faithful regarded it as a presage of victory over the Arian heretics. Church historians Socrates, Sozomen, and others also wrote of this apparition.
Also, while Cyril was Bishop of Jerusalem, the apostate emperor Julian resolved to defy the words of Our Lord (Luke 21:6) by rebuilding the ancient temple of Jerusalem. He employed the power and resources of a Roman emperor; the Jews thronged enthusiastically to him and gave munificently. But Cyril was unmoved. “The word of God abides,” he said; “one stone shall not be laid on another.” History records that The combination of an earthquake in Jerusalem, Julian's death, and opposition from the rabbis (who were now the Jews' spiritual leaders in place of the former temple priesthood) put an end to the project shortly after work on it had begun. Another report by a pagan writer tells us that horrible flames came forth from the earth, rendering the place inaccessible to the scorched and frightened workmen. The attempt was made again and again, and then abandoned in despair. Soon after, the emperor perished miserably in a war against the Persians, and the Church had rest..
Bishop Cyril died in peace in 386, leaving behind his Catechetical Lectures (systematic teaching of the Church on the Creed and Sacraments), which are a precious monument of Christian antiquity. He lived to see the suppression and condemnation of Arianism at the end of his life.
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