Post by Josh on Jun 7, 2007 16:29:45 GMT -8
Evidences for Christianity: Fulfilled Prophecy
by Josh Coles
Resources Related to this Topic:
From Why I Am a Christian- Norman Geisler/ Paul Hoffman:
-Why I Believe Jesus is the Promised Messiah- Barry Leventhal
The New Evidence that Demands a Verdict- Josh McDowell
The Search for the Messiah- Mark Eastman, Chuck Smith
1. Fulfilled Prophecy and the Credibility of Christianity
The Bible is unique among the world’s holy books in that it contains nearly three hundred accurately fulfilled prophecies about the personal characteristics of Jesus Christ, written at least 400 years in advance. These fulfilled prophecies support the claim that there is a Divine Intellect behind their authorship and that Jesus is who He claimed to be.
Of these prophecies, 109 predictions stand out as particularly detailed. It has been calculated that the chance that all of these variables being fulfilled in one single person is one chance in 33,554,438 (McDowell). Although statistics like this are open to debate, it behooves the spiritual seeker to investigate these prophecies, which have been instrumental in the conversion of many skeptics- perhaps, most notably, many Jewish seekers (including many rabbis).
In addition, the Bible also contains prophecies related to other topics, many of which have already been fulfilled (such as the order of future world empires, the destruction of Jerusalem twice, etc), a few of which will be included here.
2. What the Bible Says About Fulfilled Prophecy
1 Peter 1:3-12 teaches that the prophets who wrote in the Hebrew Scriptures predicted information about the time, circumstances, and mission of Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 1:19-2 informs the reader that the words of the prophets are made clear in the life of Jesus Christ and prophecy did not have it’s origin in the will of man, but in the Holy Spirit.
The following two stories from Luke’s Gospel illustrate how Jesus and his early followers felt about the fulfillment of Jewish prophecies:
Luke 24:13-27
13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him.
17 He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”
They stood still, their faces downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
19 “What things?” he asked.
“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.”
25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
Luke 24:36-49
36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38 He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”
40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41 And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate it in their presence.
44 He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”
45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
3. Degrees of Detail
Although the number of fulfilled prophecies is high, some prophecies prove more conclusive than others. In my own personal study I found that certain prophecies were more convincing than others, and to help myself establish a “bottom line”, I devised my own system of evaluation, explained here for the reader’s perusal. I identified five broad categories, represented here:
V. Somewhat general or vague, not many details presented. Clearly could be applied to Jesus, but not very specific.
C. The original context of the ‘prophecy’ doesn’t appear to be predictive at all, or doesn’t seem to refer specifically to the Messiah, but the details do amazingly fit some aspect of the life of Jesus.
F. High degree of detail, but Jesus could have force- fulfilled the prophecy easily
Y. Christians claim that some elements of Messianic prophecies have yet to be fulfilled, or are fulfilled spiritually. These are typically themes that portray Christ and judging, ruling, and conquering. These themes contrast with the equally emphasized theme of the Messiah as a Suffering Servant, which Christians claim was fulfilled at Jesus’ first coming. Many prophetic passages contain predictions of both his first and second coming woven together.
U. High degree of detail and complexity, beyond reasonable explanation. Uncanny. These are my favorites.
The more numerous types V, C, and F prophecies gain amazing weight and credibility when coupled with a few solid type U prophecies. As already stated, the whole package is quite convincing and forceful and has been the touchstone for many skeptics in coming to the Christian faith- particularly those of Jewish ancestry.
4. Reading Hebrew Prophecies through the Jewish Lens
It is worth mentioning the difficulty many of us might have when approaching prophetic texts. Our understanding of the context of these passages is directly proportional to our understanding of the world of the Jewish Prophets: their historical setting, their literary style, their cultural/political/theological milieu, etc. Outside of careful study of these factors, it may be difficult to appreciate the finer points being articulated in these passages. I will try to point these out, but I would encourage the seeker to be familiar with at least some rudimentary facts about the books of the “Old Testament”
Another important note: one must understand that many of the prophecies which from our vantage point might be assigned as Vague or out of Context, actually were already considered by Jews to be Messianic Prophecies prior to the life of Christ. This is true of nearly all of the prophecies I will list here. If there is substantial evidence that a passage of Scripture was taken as Messianic Propehcies by Jewish sources within 200 years of the life of Christ (200 BC-200 AD), I will indicate it with a R (for: Rabbinic sources hold this passage as a Messianic Prophecy). If a rabbinic source after 200 AD sees this passage as predictive of the Messiah, I will note it as R, followed by the date for that source.
5. A Selection of Fulfilled Prophecies
So, then, of the 300 or so prophetic passages I could quote, I will post as separate threads some examples of each category from my perspective. Here's a direct link to the growing list: aletheia.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=prophecy
If you have general comments and questions about this topic, reply to this thread. If you have a specific passage you'd like to address, reply to that thread (if it already exists) or start your own.
by Josh Coles
Resources Related to this Topic:
From Why I Am a Christian- Norman Geisler/ Paul Hoffman:
-Why I Believe Jesus is the Promised Messiah- Barry Leventhal
The New Evidence that Demands a Verdict- Josh McDowell
The Search for the Messiah- Mark Eastman, Chuck Smith
1. Fulfilled Prophecy and the Credibility of Christianity
The Bible is unique among the world’s holy books in that it contains nearly three hundred accurately fulfilled prophecies about the personal characteristics of Jesus Christ, written at least 400 years in advance. These fulfilled prophecies support the claim that there is a Divine Intellect behind their authorship and that Jesus is who He claimed to be.
Of these prophecies, 109 predictions stand out as particularly detailed. It has been calculated that the chance that all of these variables being fulfilled in one single person is one chance in 33,554,438 (McDowell). Although statistics like this are open to debate, it behooves the spiritual seeker to investigate these prophecies, which have been instrumental in the conversion of many skeptics- perhaps, most notably, many Jewish seekers (including many rabbis).
In addition, the Bible also contains prophecies related to other topics, many of which have already been fulfilled (such as the order of future world empires, the destruction of Jerusalem twice, etc), a few of which will be included here.
2. What the Bible Says About Fulfilled Prophecy
1 Peter 1:3-12 teaches that the prophets who wrote in the Hebrew Scriptures predicted information about the time, circumstances, and mission of Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 1:19-2 informs the reader that the words of the prophets are made clear in the life of Jesus Christ and prophecy did not have it’s origin in the will of man, but in the Holy Spirit.
The following two stories from Luke’s Gospel illustrate how Jesus and his early followers felt about the fulfillment of Jewish prophecies:
Luke 24:13-27
13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him.
17 He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”
They stood still, their faces downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
19 “What things?” he asked.
“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.”
25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
Luke 24:36-49
36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38 He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”
40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41 And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate it in their presence.
44 He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”
45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
3. Degrees of Detail
Although the number of fulfilled prophecies is high, some prophecies prove more conclusive than others. In my own personal study I found that certain prophecies were more convincing than others, and to help myself establish a “bottom line”, I devised my own system of evaluation, explained here for the reader’s perusal. I identified five broad categories, represented here:
V. Somewhat general or vague, not many details presented. Clearly could be applied to Jesus, but not very specific.
C. The original context of the ‘prophecy’ doesn’t appear to be predictive at all, or doesn’t seem to refer specifically to the Messiah, but the details do amazingly fit some aspect of the life of Jesus.
F. High degree of detail, but Jesus could have force- fulfilled the prophecy easily
Y. Christians claim that some elements of Messianic prophecies have yet to be fulfilled, or are fulfilled spiritually. These are typically themes that portray Christ and judging, ruling, and conquering. These themes contrast with the equally emphasized theme of the Messiah as a Suffering Servant, which Christians claim was fulfilled at Jesus’ first coming. Many prophetic passages contain predictions of both his first and second coming woven together.
U. High degree of detail and complexity, beyond reasonable explanation. Uncanny. These are my favorites.
The more numerous types V, C, and F prophecies gain amazing weight and credibility when coupled with a few solid type U prophecies. As already stated, the whole package is quite convincing and forceful and has been the touchstone for many skeptics in coming to the Christian faith- particularly those of Jewish ancestry.
4. Reading Hebrew Prophecies through the Jewish Lens
It is worth mentioning the difficulty many of us might have when approaching prophetic texts. Our understanding of the context of these passages is directly proportional to our understanding of the world of the Jewish Prophets: their historical setting, their literary style, their cultural/political/theological milieu, etc. Outside of careful study of these factors, it may be difficult to appreciate the finer points being articulated in these passages. I will try to point these out, but I would encourage the seeker to be familiar with at least some rudimentary facts about the books of the “Old Testament”
Another important note: one must understand that many of the prophecies which from our vantage point might be assigned as Vague or out of Context, actually were already considered by Jews to be Messianic Prophecies prior to the life of Christ. This is true of nearly all of the prophecies I will list here. If there is substantial evidence that a passage of Scripture was taken as Messianic Propehcies by Jewish sources within 200 years of the life of Christ (200 BC-200 AD), I will indicate it with a R (for: Rabbinic sources hold this passage as a Messianic Prophecy). If a rabbinic source after 200 AD sees this passage as predictive of the Messiah, I will note it as R, followed by the date for that source.
5. A Selection of Fulfilled Prophecies
So, then, of the 300 or so prophetic passages I could quote, I will post as separate threads some examples of each category from my perspective. Here's a direct link to the growing list: aletheia.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=prophecy
If you have general comments and questions about this topic, reply to this thread. If you have a specific passage you'd like to address, reply to that thread (if it already exists) or start your own.
