Discover_the_Bible


 

Christian Home Bible Course

Lesson 2   

DISCOVER THE BIBLE


Q   What is the BIBLE?

A   The BIBLE is a unique book - because it

HAS GOD'S TRADEMARK

   As we read the BIBLE'S description of God, we find the number 3 popping up repeatedly.   For example, God is the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.   God is omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent.   We find the number 3 representing God as if it was His trademark.   The curious thing about this trademark is that it shows up in various places, starting with His creation . . .
   It took God six days to create everything.   He could have done it much sooner but He chose six (3 x 2) days.   He made the atom with 3 parts (electron, neutron, proton) and used it to create a world with 3 parts (land, sea, air), all within a universe with 3 parts (matter, time and space).   He created time with 3 divisions (past, present, future) and gave space its 3 dimensions (up/down, left/right, forward/ backward).   He created matter with its normal - you guessed it - 3 states (solid, liquid, gas).   When He created life on earth, this trademark was not far behind.   Animals were created to live in 3 areas (in land, in water, in air).   He made their survival to depend on 3 essentials (food, water, air), the food providing energy in 3 forms (protein, carbohydrates, fat), the water made up of 3 parts (two parts hydrogen, one part oxygen) and the air primarily consisting of 3 parts (78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, .93% argon).
   His greatest creation, man, was made in 3 parts also (body, soul, spirit):

"...I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved..." I THESSALONIANS 5:23

Now one would think God would get tired of using the number 3, but He also stamps this trademark throughout His Word the BIBLE . . .

66 (3x22) Books in the BIBLE [39 (3x13) in the Old Testament - 27 (3x9) in the New Testament]
31,173 (3x10,391) Verses in the BIBLE [23,214 (3x7738) in the O.T. - 7959 (3x2653) in the N.T.]

   Within the BIBLE itself we find many appearances of the number 3.   There were 333 prophecies concerning the coming of Jesus Christ into the world.   Jesus Christ was crucified at the age of 33, after a ministry that lasted 3 years.   He spent nine (3 x 3) hours on the cross, with 3 of those hours in darkness.   He was buried for 3 days and 3 nights, and resurrected on the 3rd day.
   In fact, the word three is mentioned in the BIBLE 543 (3 x 181) times!   Yes, the universe and the BIBLE have their Creator's trademark stamped all over them.   God wants us to recognize both as His handiwork.

ALL THE MORE REASON TO CONTINUE OUR JOURNEY THROUGH GOD'S WORD, THE BIBLE.

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Q   What is the BIBLE?

A   The BIBLE is a unique book - because it

FORETOLD OF SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERIES

THE TIME: Around 400 A.D.
THE SETTING: Two men are sitting around talking on a clear, starry night; thinking whatever
people thought about back then.   Finally one of them says:

Edimus, (back then they had funny names) have you ever wondered how many stars there are?
   Not really.
Well, I have.   I would guess there are 861 stars.
   I don't think so.
You think there are more?
   Actually, you can't count them.
                
What?   Who says?
   It says so right here:

"...Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them..." GEN. 15:5
What's that?
   The BIBLE.
A book?
   Not just a book but God's Word, and He says you can't count them.
HA!   I don't believe that.   I think one day they will count them all.   After all, it's not as if the sky
goes on forever.

   It does.   See, it says so right here:
"Thus saith the LORD; If heaven above can be measured..." JEREMIAH 31:37
Wait a minute!   You mean you can't measure the size of the heavens?
   That's what God is implying.
You're crazy!   Next thing you know you'll be telling me that the world is round.
   It is.
What?!
   It says so right here:
"It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth..." ISAIAH 40:22
But it can't be round you IDIOT!   If it was round, it would roll off the turtle's back!
   It's not riding on a turtle.
IT'S NOT ON A TURTLE?!   So what's holding it up, Wiseguy?
   Nothing.
WHAT?!
   It says so right here:
     

"...[GOD] hangeth the earth upon nothing."   JOB 26:7
Edimus!   YOU'RE NUTS!   You can't trust a book.
   It's God's word and He knows everything.   If you want to be absolutely sure of anything, you have to
   go to the only person who knows everything about everything - GOD.
OH YEAH!   Well, one day scientists are going to prove your book is wrong.   When they do, I'm
going to laugh and laugh.   What do you think of that?

   I think God will have the last laugh.   And, by the way - what's a scientist?

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God has always had the last laugh when it comes to Scientific Discoveries.

Consider the following examples:

IN THE NATURAL SCIENCES. . .

n Matthew Fountains Maury is called "The Path Finder of The Seas."   This American is the father of today's oceanography and responsible for the establishment of Annapolis Academy.   In Richmond, Virginia, there is a statue of Maury that has charts of the sea in one hand and a BIBLE in the other.
Here's why:

   One day while Matthew Maury was sick in bed, his oldest son was reading to him from the BIBLE and came to a verse where he read:

"The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth
through the paths of the seas."
  PSALM 8:8

   Maury stopped his son and said "Read that again."   After hearing it again he said, "If the word of God says there are paths in the sea, they must be there, and I am going to find them."   Within a few years he had charted the sea lanes and currents.   His Physical Geography of the Sea was the first text book of modern oceanography.

n Before space travel, even before the invention of the telescope, God had hinted that the moon gives no light of its own:

"Behold even to the moon, and it shineth not..." JOB 25:5

n Notice how King Solomon describes the wind in the following verse:

"The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually,
and the wind returneth again according to his circuits."
  ECCLESIASTES 1:6

   From Solomon's point of view, the wind moved primarily southward.   Yet God revealed that once the wind reached the equator it would rise and begin heading toward the north pole only to descend and head southward again.   The process is repeated in a continuous circular motion.   This is exactly how the wind behaves due to convection currents.

n In giving advice against laziness, King Solomon mentions something very interesting:

"Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or
ruler, Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest."
  PROVERBS 6:6-8

Why are these verses interesting? - TWO REASONS:

FIRST:
   A quote in Life's Nature Library ("The Insects" pg. 163) says, "One of the entomological puzzles of the last century concerned this observation by Solomon.   There was no evidence that ants actually harvested grain.   In 1871, however, a British naturalist showed that Solomon had been right after all."

SECOND:
   If you go back and read Proverbs 6:6-8 again you will notice that Solomon refers to the ant as "her", implying a female gender which as it turns out - IS CORRECT.   It has since been discovered that worker ants in the colony are ALL FEMALE.

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n Notice what Solomon says in the following verse:

"All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence
the rivers come, thither they return again."
  ECCLESIASTES 1:7

   Before 1630 this verse might have not made much sense, and may have even been considered just poetry.   However, in 1630 Galileo discovered how river water ran into the sea and found its way back to where it had started.   We now know it as the water cycle - the process of evaporation, condensation and rain.   (See also Job 26:8; 36:27-28)

IN THE LIFE SCIENCES. . . .

n A man dying of cancer discovered that laughter is a powerful medicine and recovered of his sickness.
The BIBLE had implied this fact all along when it said:

"A merry heart doeth good like a medicine..." PROVERBS 17:22

n As late as the 1800's doctors were washing their hands in a bowl of water and spreading the germs to each other like wild fire.   Yet back in 1450 B.C. God had told the Jew to:

"...bathe his flesh in running water..." LEVITICUS 15:13

n For hundreds of years scientists followed the "Spontaneous Generation Theory" of Aristotle (350 B.C.).   They believed eggs of all lower animals (insects, etc.) were formed out of rotting substance.   It was also believed that frogs and other small sea life had originated in slime pools.   Yet in the first book of the BIBLE it says:

"...God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth...after their kind,
and every winged fowl after his kind..."
GENESIS 1:21

   In Genesis One, verses twenty-four and twenty-five, God says "after his kind" four times, clearly showing that life comes from life, not from nonliving objects.   This is now known in biology as the "First Law of Biogenesis."

n In November of 1982, Reader's Digest had an article stating that the same elements forming the human body are also found in dirt.   This verse had stated it all along:

"And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground..." GENESIS 2:7

n "Blood Letting", the practice of drawing blood from a person, was a medical procedure practiced through the 18th century.   It was done supposedly to rid people of disease or infection, but many people died of it.   The BIBLE reveals how important blood is in this verse written in 1450 B.C.

"...the life of the flesh is in the blood..." LEVITICUS 17:11

   What makes these scientific revelations more amazing is that they were written at a time when the world had some STRANGE beliefs: The Hindu sacred book taught that to get rain, a frog had to be tied to a tree with its mouth open.   The Egyptians believed that stars were the souls of the dead.   Still others believed that lightning bolts were missiles from the gods and that heaven and earth came out of a cosmic egg.

The scientific accuracy of the BIBLE makes it a truly unique book.

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Q   What is the BIBLE?

A   The BIBLE is a unique book - because it

REVEALS WHAT GOD IS LIKE

   Have you ever wondered what God is like?
   Among the many things revealed in the BIBLE, we find a description of what God is like.   In fact, of all the verses that describe God, one verse gives us tremendous insight into God's character.   It is found in the first book of the BIBLE and says:

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him;
male and female created he them."
  GENESIS 1:27

   Human beings were originally created in God's image.   For one thing, this means that we both share the same emotions.   This may be surprising to some people who feel that God is some impersonal spiritual force.   God can experience the same feelings that we can experience.   The BIBLE verifies this in the following three examples:

"O God...Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity..." HEBREWS 1:8-9
"And it repented the LORD...and it grieved him at his heart."   GENESIS 6:6
"...the LORD thy God will...have compassion upon thee..." DEUTERONOMY 30:3

   Far from being impersonal, God desires to have a personal relationship with us, which is why He originally created us in His image and shares the same emotions.   Even if we choose not to have a relationship with Him, God will go as far as trying to reason with us:

"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD:
though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow..."
ISAIAH 1:18

   Besides these emotional qualities, which God and man have in common, there are several other qualities that APPLY ONLY TO GOD.   Among them are the following three:

n God is omnipotent.   This means He is all powerful.   That is why the BIBLE asks:

"Is any thing too hard for the LORD?" GENESIS 18:14

n God is omnipresent.   This means He is everywhere at once.   King David knew this when he asked God:

"Whither [where] shall I go from thy spirit?
or whither shall I flee from thy presence?"
PSALM 139:7

n God is omniscient.   This means He knows everything.   The BIBLE says:

"Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite."   PSALM 147:5

   God knows everything including the past, present and future (as the next section will show).

The BIBLE reveals a lot more about God's character, but the important thing to note is that . . .

GOD DOES NOT HAVE TO BE A MYSTERY TO US . . .
THANKS TO HIS UNIQUE BOOK THE BIBLE.

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Q   What is the BIBLE?

A   The BIBLE is a unique book - because it

PREDICTED JEWISH HISTORY

Frederick the Great of Prussia one day approached his chaplain Marquis D’ Argens and asked him:

"Can you give me one single irrefutable proof of God?"
Marquis replied: "Yes, your majesty, the Jews."
   The chaplain knew exactly what he was talking about.   For you see, the Jewish nation was started specifically to show the true and living God to the rest of the world.   God had called on Abraham and told him:
"...I will make of thee a great nation..." GENESIS 12:2

   With these words, Abraham became the first Hebrew and fathered the Jewish race, which would later be known as the children of Israel (or the Israelites).   God was going to use Israel in the following ways:

1) They would be used as instruments to write God's Word - The BIBLE.
2) They would be the race from which the Saviour of the world, Jesus Christ, would be born.
3) They would be an example of the benefits of being obedient to God's Word.

   The world needs such an example because human beings were not designed to run their own lives independent of God.   Without God's guidance every person tends to do what is right in their own eyes (Judges 21:25); the result being the wars, miseries and heartaches that are a normal part of this world.
The Israelites were to be a shining example of living according to God's law.   That is why God, referring to His commandments, told the Israelites:

"...do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations,
which shall hear all these statutes
[commandments], and say,
Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people."
  DEUTERONOMY 4:6

   God predicted that if Israel would follow His commandments, all other nations would take notice of Israel's prosperity; the success of their country, their children, all their business affairs, and ample food and resources (Deuteronomy 28:1-14).   He told them:

"...all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee,
if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God."
  DEUTERONOMY 28:2

History has proven this to be true.

   During the times that Israel has been "right with God" and lived according to His commandments, they have been the envy of all nations.   For example, during Solomon's early rule as king, Israel did everything "by the Book".   They were known throughout the world as a very prosperous nation.
Perhaps you have seen movies about King Solomon's mines and the great wealth supposedly contained within them.   While the mines themselves are a rumor, the fact is that King Solomon was one of the wealthiest kings of all time.   Israel's obedience to God brought them great prosperity.

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However - There was a "flip side to this coin!"

   God also warned Israel of the consequences of disobedience, and this was to serve also as an example to the rest of the world.   In fact, God did not just warn them once, He warned them repeatedly through various prophets.   For example:

n In 735 B.C. Hosea the prophet predicted the following:

"My God will cast them [Israel] away, because they did not hearken unto him:
and they shall be wanderers among the nations."
  HOSEA 9:17

   Throughout their history there have been times when the Jews have been forced away from their land, and found themselves among other nations.   Yet never had their "wandering" been so great as when they, in complete disobedience, rejected the promised Messiah - Jesus Christ.

   In fact, even before his death, Jesus Christ Himself predicted that their rejection of God's Son would result in their being attacked by others and scattered off their land into various nations (Luke 21:24).
He also predicted that the Jewish Temple would not be left standing:

"...verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here [the temple]
one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down."   MATTHEW 24:2

History has fulfilled this prediction:

   In 70 A.D. (forty years after the Jews had the Romans crucify Christ), the Roman General Titus ransacked Jerusalem and drove the Jews out of their land.   They remained scattered throughout other countries for nearly 1900 years, until 1948.

Side Note - Jesus' prediction concerning the temple was also fulfilled.   When General Titus
ransacked Jerusalem, the magnificent temple was burned, causing the gold to melt between the
stones.   The Roman soldiers then took the temple apart stone by stone in search of the gold - so
there remained "not...one stone upon another[.]"

2165 B.C. 1730 B.C.

CREATION START OF THE JEWISH RACE
GENESIS 1 to 11

+ God Creates the World  GEN 1-2
+ The Fall of Man  GEN 3
+ The Flood of Noah  GEN 6-9
+ Tower of Babel  GEN 11:1-9

GENESIS 12 to 50

+ 2165 B.C. Birth of Abraham   GEN 11:26
+ 2066 B.C. Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah   GEN 19
+ 2045 B.C. Sacrifice of Isaac   GEN 22
    12 Tribes of Israel are started by Jacob, son of Isaac.
    The Jews migrate to Egypt for the next 430 years.

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n In 1410 B.C. Moses predicted that when Israel found themselves scattered and wandering among the nations they would experience the following:

"And among these nations shalt thou find no ease,
neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest..."
DEUTERONOMY 28:65

History has fulfilled this prediction:

   There are many examples throughout the last 2000 years of the Jews being hounded and persecuted.
The most obvious examples in recent history have occurred while they lived in Russia and in Germany during World War II.

n In 1410 B.C. Moses also predicted that:

"...thou [Israel] shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword,
among all nations whither the LORD shall lead thee."
  DEUTERONOMY 28:37

History has fulfilled this prediction:

   Everywhere they have gone, the Israelites have "stuck out like a sore thumb."   The very word "Jew" has become a byword and has drawn much attention, both positive and negative.

n In 1450 B.C. Moses predicted that no matter how scattered the Israelites would become, God would not forget them.   God through Moses said:

"And yet for all that, when they [Israel] be in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away,
neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly...for I am the LORD their God."
  LEVITICUS 26:44

History has fulfilled this prediction:

   In spite of all their wanderings, the Jews still hold to Jehovah (the God of the BIBLE) as their God, and God continues to deal with them.

1730 B.C. 1410 B.C. 1390 B.C.

FREEDOM FROM EGYPT ENTERING THE PROMISED LAND
EXODUS; LEVITICUS; NUMBERS; DEUTERONOMY

+ 1730 B.C. Jews Become Slaves in Egypt   EXOD 1-7
+ 1450 B.C. The Ten Plagues on Egypt   EXOD 7-12
+ 1445 B.C. Moses Leads Jews Out of Egypt   EXOD 12-13
          Parting of the Red Sea   EXOD 14
          Ten Commandments Given   EXOD 20
God leads the Jews through the wilderness to the Promised Land.
JOSHUA

+ 1410 B.C. Jericho Wall Comes Down   JOSH 6

The Jews are settled in the land God promised them.   For a period of time they are led by military chieftains known as Judges.

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n In 586 B.C., speaking through Ezekiel the prophet, God told the children of Israel:

"For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries,
and will bring you into your own land."
  EZEKIEL 36:24

History has fulfilled this prediction:

   In 1948 Israel was again recognized as a nation after nearly 2000 years of wandering.   The Israelites have been migrating back to the land ever since.   In Deuteronomy 30:1-3 we find this prediction being made.   In both Ezekiel 36:24 and Deuteronomy 30:1-3 we find other aspects of their return that are not yet fulfilled.   Nevertheless, the important thing is that the return process has started, with millions of Jews having already migrated back to Israel since 1948.

n There are many more predictions concerning Israel in the BIBLE.   Most have come to pass, others need yet to be realized.   But there is one prediction fulfilled repeatedly; it was made at the very beginning when God first called Abraham.   God had said:

"...I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee..." GENESIS 12:3

   Throughout Jewish history those nations that persecuted Israel have either ceased to exist or diminished in importance.   While those nations who have tried to help Israel and be their friends have been blessed.   The United States is a good example of the latter.

WE have already mentioned that the rejection of Jesus Christ as the Messiah brought negative consequences upon the Jews.   Some may think that God was unreasonable in expecting them to recognize Christ as the Messiah.   However, God had already given Israel more than 300 predictions in the Old Testament concerning the Messiah.   God had revealed:

* That He would be a descendant of Abraham.
* That He would come from the Jewish Tribe of Judah (one of the twelve tribes).
* That He would be a direct descendant of David (who killed Goliath).
* That Herod would kill other babies in an attempt to kill baby Jesus.
* That Mary and Joseph would flee to Egypt to escape Herod.
* The very date of His Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday).
* That He would be crucified between two thieves.
* That He would be buried in the borrowed tomb of Joseph of Arimathaea.
* That He would resurrect from the grave.
* That He would ascend back to heaven.

1390 B.C. 1043 B.C. 931 B.C.

JUDGES SET OVER ISRAEL NORTH / SOUTH KINGDOMS: UNITED
JUDGES; I SAMUEL 1 to 7

+ 1390 B.C. Death of Joshua   JOSH 24
+ 1374 B.C. To 1050 B.C. Israel Lead by Judges:
  Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Deborah and Barak, Gideon,
  Tola, Jair, Jephthah, Ibzan, Elon, Abdon, Samson, Eli and
  Samuel

Israel eventually refuses to be ruled by a Judge.
I SAMUEL 8 to I KINGS 11; I and II CHRONICLES;
PSALMS to SONG OF SOLOMON


+ 1043 B.C. Saul is First King   I SAMUEL 10
+ 1020 B.C. David Slays Goliath   I SAMUEL 17
+ 1004 B.C. David Becomes King   II SAMUEL 5:3

After David dies, Solomon becomes King.

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THE MESSIAH'S DESCRIPTION WAS FORETOLD IN THE BIBLE WITH

PINPOINT ACCURACY

   The word Messiah refers to the One who would redeem Israel to God.   (In fact, the word Christ itself means Messiah).   God had promised that Messiah would come and restore the God <-> Man relationship that sin had broken.   So while the Jews were expecting the Messiah, they did not know what He would look like (John 4:25-26); however, the Old Testament had plenty of Scripture that could only be describing Jesus Christ as the Messiah.   This is why Jesus Himself said:

"Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life:
and they are they which testify of me."
  JOHN 5:39

   Now assume the Jews as a whole would have taken Jesus' advice and "searched the scriptures[.]"
WHAT WOULD THEY HAVE FOUND?   (Note: O.T. = Old Testament   N.T. = New Testament)

(1) In 700 B.C. The prophet Micah said:

O.T. "But thou, Bethlehem...out of thee shall he [Messiah] come forth..." MICAH 5:2

   God predicted the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.   If the Jews had asked to see a "Birth Certificate" they would have learned that:

N.T. "...Jesus was born in Bethlehem..." MATTHEW 2:1-6

(2) Since there would be many people born in Bethlehem, God narrowed it down further by predicting that the actual birth would be special:

O.T. "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son..." ISAIAH 7:14 (735 B.C.)

If the Jews had asked Jesus' parents they would have known:

N.T. "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost."   MATTHEW 1:18 (see also Luke 1:26-35)

931 B.C. 605 B.C. 538 B.C.

NORTH / SOUTH KINGDOMS: DIVIDED BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY
I KINGS 12 to II KINGS; II CHRONICLES 10 to 36;
ISAIAH to LAMENTATIONS; HOSEA to ZEPHANIAH


+ 931 B.C. Solomon Dies, Kingdom Divides into Israel
                  (North) and Judah (South)   I KINGS 12
+ 860 B.C. to 852 B.C. The Ministry of Elijah
            I and II KINGS
Both Kingdoms degenerate.   Babylonians take over Jerusalem.
DANIEL; EZEKIEL

+ 605 B.C. to 539 B.C. Daniel is Made Third in                           Command in Babylon   DAN 1-5
+ 538 B.C. Daniel Framed and Put in Lion's Den                         DAN 1-6

Israel is captive 70 years.   King Cyrus grants them freedom.

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(3) Now these two "coincidences" should have been enough to get anyone seriously thinking that Jesus Christ could very well be the Messiah.   Instead of considering that possibility, they rejected Him:

N.T. "He came unto his own [the Jews], and his own received him not."   JOHN 1:11

His rejection was predicted more than 700 years before it happened:
O.T. "He [Christ] is despised and rejected of men..." ISAIAH 53:3 (690 B.C.)

(4) As if that rejection was not bad enough, even one of His own disciples (Judas) betrayed Him:

N.T. "...But Jesus said unto him, Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss?" LUKE 22:47,48

His betrayal was predicted more than 1000 years before it occurred:
O.T. "Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me."   PSALM 41:9 (1040 B.C.)

(5) Judas' betrayal of Christ had a price tag:

N.T. "...And [Judas] said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you?   And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver."   MATTHEW 26:14-16

His price was predicted more than 500 years before it was paid:
O.T. "...So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver."   ZECHARIAH 11:12 (487 B.C.)

(6) Once betrayed and captured, Jesus was falsely accused of breaking EIGHTEEN Jewish laws:

N.T. "And there arose certain, and bare false witness against him..." MARK 14:57

False accusations were predicted more than 1000 years before they occurred:
O.T. "False witnesses did rise up; they laid to my charge things that I knew not."   PSALM 35:11 (1040 B.C)

538 B.C. 425 B.C. 0

RETURNING TO THE LAND NO WORD FROM GOD
EZRA; NEHEMIAH; ESTER; HAGGAI; ZECHARIAH;
MALACHI


+ 535 B.C. to 516 B.C. Jewish Temple is Rebuilt   EZRA
+ 444 B.C. to 443 B.C. Jerusalem's City Walls are
                      Rebuilt   NEHEMIAH
+ 425 B.C. All Books of the Old Testament Finished

During the next 400 years no revelations from God are received.
+ 331 B.C. TO 323 B.C. Alexander the Great Conquers
                         the World
+ 164 B.C. Roman General Pompey Conquers
                       Jerusalem

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(7) But even while He was falsely accused - He held His peace:

N.T. "And Pilate asked him again, saying, Answerest thou nothing? behold how many things they witness against thee.   But Jesus yet answered nothing" MARK 15:4,5

His silence was predicted more than 700 years before:
O.T. "He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth..." ISAIAH 53:7 (690 B.C.)

(8) And after being falsely pronounced guilty, He was beaten:

N.T. "Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands," MATTHEW 26:67

His beatings were predicted more than 700 years before:
O.T. "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 50:6 (690 B.C)

   In the book, Science Speaks, mathematician P. Stoner applies the rules of probability to these eight prophecies.   His conclusion was that the chances of these eight prophecies being fulfilled in ONE PERSON is 1 in 10 to the power of 17; that's 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000!

Suppose that we take 100,000,000,000,000,000 silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas
(they will cover the whole state two feet deep).   Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the
whole mass thoroughly.   Blindfold a man and tell him he must pick up the marked silver dollar.
What chance would he have of getting the right one?   He would have the same chance that the
prophets would have had of writing these eight prophecies and having them all come true in any
one man.

* Now if we consider the fact that Jesus not only fulfilled eight Old Testament prophecies but 333,
We end up with odds that are ASTRONOMICAL!

(We would show you the number, but there is not enough space to write all the zeros.)

0 33 A.D. 100 A.D.

LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST EARLY CHURCH HISTORY
MATTHEW; MARK; LUKE; JOHN

+   5 B.C. Birth of Jesus Christ   LUKE 2:1-20
+ 26 A.D. Jesus Christ Begins His Ministry   MATT 3:16-17
+ 30 A.D. Death and Resurrection of Christ   MATT 27-28
+ 30 A.D. Christ Ascends into Heaven   ACTS 1

Apostles begin to spread Christianity.
ACTS to REVELATION







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   So far we have only looked at eight prophecies leading up to His crucifixion.   A person who knew his Old Testament would have noticed the following prophecies being fulfilled right before his eyes . . .

...as Jesus was being crucified!

(1) After His beating:

N.T. "They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall..." MATTHEW 27:34

As predicted more than 1000 years earlier:
O.T. "They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink."   PSALM 69:21

(2) He was then nailed to a cross:

N.T. "And they crucified him..." MATTHEW 27:35

As predicted more than 1000 years earlier:
O.T. "...they pierced my hands and my feet."   PSALM 22:16

(3) They then took what He was wearing and started gambling for it:

N.T. "...and parted his garments, casting lots..." MATTHEW 27:35

As predicted more than 1000 years earlier:
O.T. "They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture."   PSALM 22:18

(4) During His crucifixion those around Him mocked Him as they said:

N.T. "He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God."   MATTHEW 27:43

As predicted more than 1000 years earlier:
O.T. "He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him..." PSALM 22:8

(5) And after being crucified for six hours.

N.T. "Jesus cried with a loud voice...My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" MATTHEW 27:46

As predicted more than 1000 years earlier:
O.T. "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" PSALM 22:1

   The student may be wondering who it was that made the last five predictions we looked at, especially since they were made using personal pronouns.   The answer is King David, a direct ancestor of Jesus Christ.   In fact, he wrote most of the Psalms, including the two (Psalms 22 and 69) which we have been looking at.   The Psalms were originally written to music.   They were songs that the Jews had been singing for hundreds of years before Jesus Christ was born.
   JUST THINK!   On the day of Christ's crucifixion, the Jews were witnessing the very things they had been singing about for all those years . . .

...and most of them didn't even realize it!

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

(Some information used in this lesson was derived from the following books)

  • Willmington's Book of Bible Lists by H.L Willmington, Tyndale House Pub.
  • Science and the Bible by Henry M. Morris, Moody Press Pub.
  • That Manuscript from Outer Space by H.L Willmington.
  • All About the Bible by Sidney Collett, Barbour Books Pub.
  • Astronomy and the Bible by Donald B. Deyoung, Baker Book Pub.
  • New Testament Fulfillment of Old Testament Prophecies by Abram Kenneth Abraham, Barbour Pub.
  • Halley's Bible Handbook by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Pub.
  • Weather and the Bible by Donald B. Deyoung, Baker Book Pub.
  • Evidence That Demands a Verdict by J. McDowell, Here's Life Pub.
  • Why I Believe the Bible by David Stone.
  • Numbers in Scripture by E.W. Bullinger, Kregel Pub.
  • The Amazing Book by Terry Watkins.
  • Concise Dictionary of Religious Quotations edited by William Neil, Eerdmans Pub.
  • None of These Diseases by S.I. McMillen, M.D., Jove Pub.
  • Holy Bible   King James Version.

    «««««««««« A Sneak Preview ««««««««««««

       In this lesson we have dealt with prophecies that have already been fulfilled, proving that God has a flawless track record when it comes to BIBLE predictions of the past.   What does that tell us about future prophecies (ones that are yet to be fulfilled)?   If God's Word has been pinpoint accurate in the past, then you can count on it being accurate in the future!   In our next lesson we will deal specifically with future prophecies that have yet to be fulfilled, or are being fulfilled before our eyes.   The BIBLE tells us that in the last days . . .

    * People will buy and sell items using the number 666 (you will be surprised!)
    * Earthquakes, famines, plagues and pestilence will increase.
    * Undertones of war will be prevalent during "talks of peace".
    * It will be a time of great spiritual apathy mixed with much deception (cults, etc.).
    * Technology and knowledge will greatly increase.
    * There will be an increase in homosexuality.
    * An attitude of skepticism will prevail over the Second Coming of Christ.
    * Society will be very mobile with worldwide travel becoming common.
    * Computers and satellite transmission will be necessary.

    And more. . . .

    SO DON'T MISS THE NEXT LESSON AS WE CONTINUE OUR JOURNEY
    THROUGH THE BIBLE

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