Continuing yesterday's meditation, we look at evidence that Jesus is God in the flesh. There is corroboration as to Christ's divinity by His fulfillment of prophecy written many years before His birth:
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Wilbur Smith, the American writer on theological topics, said:
"The ancient world had many different devices for determining the future, known as divination, but not in the entire gamut of Greek and Latin literature, can we find any real specific prophecy of a great historical event, nor any prophecy of a Savior to arrive in the human race. Islam cannot point to any predictions of the coming of Mohammed uttered hundreds of years before his birth. Neither can the founders of any cult in this country rightly identify any ancient text specifically foretelling their appearance."[1]
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Yet in the case of Jesus, He fulfilled more than three hundred prophecies written about Him, including 29 of them in a single day—the day He died. Many of them could not be controlled by Him. Some perhaps would say He set out to fulfill them on His own, but how do you handle the place of your birth prophesied in Micah 5:2 of the Messiah to be born in Bethlehem? This prophecy was written hundreds of years before His birth's location and yet fulfilled in detail of Jesus' birth. What about where He would be buried? Isaiah the prophet said that the Messiah would be put to death with the wicked, yet buried in a rich man's tomb (Isaiah 53:9). This prophecy was fulfilled when Jesus was crucified amid two robbers and buried in Joseph Arimathea's new tomb. What about the prediction that the Roman soldiers would cast lots for His clothes while He was hanging on the cross found in Psalm 22:18? Jesus fulfilled this according to John 19:54. Below are just a few of the many detailed prophecies:
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Old Testament Prophecy: "Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me" (Psalm 41:9).Â
Fulfillment: "Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them" (Mark 14:10).Â
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Old Testament Prophecy: "I told them, 'If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it.' So they paid me thirty pieces of silver" (Zechariah 11:12).Â
Fulfillment: "Then one of the Twelve - the one called Judas Iscariot - went to the chief priests and asked, 'What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?' So they counted out for him thirty silver coins" (Matthew 24:14-16).
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Old Testament Prophecy: "He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth" (Isaiah 53:7).
Fulfillment: "But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed"Â (Mark 15:5).
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Old Testament Prophecy: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent" (Psalm 22:1-2).
Fulfillment: "About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 'Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?' - which means, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'" (Matthew 27:46).
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The evidence is enormous if you are open-minded enough to receive it and Him. Keith Thomas
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From the series, I’m New At This, click on the study: Who is Jesus?
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[1] Wilbur Smith, The Incomparable Book, (Beacon Publications, 1961).