2. Who is God?
How can we know who God is? We can know who God is because only God can tell the future before it happens. Only the God of the Bible foretells the future perfectly, over and over again. This is called fulfilled prophecy. Consider these seven.
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1. The Virgin Birth of Jesus
Old Testament Prophecy:
Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel [which means God-Is-With-Us]. ~ Isaiah 7:14
This was foretold 700 years before Christ.
New Testament Fulfillment:
“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” ~ Matthew 1:23
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2. The Crucifixion of Jesus
Old Testament Prophecy:
For dogs have surrounded Me; The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet. ~ Psalm 22:16
This was foretold 1,000 years before Christ and 600 years before crucifixion was invented.
New Testament Fulfillment:
And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. ~ Fulfilled in Luke 23:33
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3. Gambling for Jesus' Clothes
Old Testament Prophecy:
They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots. ~ Psalm 22:18
This was foretold 1,000 years before Christ.
New Testament Fulfillment:
Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” And they divided His garments and cast lots. ~ Luke 23:34
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4. Betrayed for Thirty Piece of Silver
Old Testament Prophecy:
So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the LORD for the potter. ~ Zechariah 11:13
This was foretold 500 years before Christ
New Testament Fulfillment:
Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders...Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself. ~ Matthew 27:3,5
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5. Beaten, Whipped, Spat On
Old Testament Prophecy:
I gave My back to those who struck Me, And My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting. ~ Isaiah 50:6
This was foretold 700 years before Christ.
New Testament Fulfillment:
Then they spat in His face and beat Him; and others struck Him with the palms of their hands. ~ Matthew 26:67
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6. God Becomes a Man
Old Testament Prophecy:
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. ~ Isaiah 9:6
This was foretold 700 years before Christ.
New Testament Fulfillment:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word [God] became flesh and dwelt among us… ~ John 1:1, 14
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7. Sacrificial Lamb
Old Testament Prophecy:
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. ~ Isaiah 53:5
This was foretold 700 years before Christ
New Testament Fulfillment:
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, ~ 1 Peter 3:18
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Now you know who God is. He is the God of the Bible. Jesus is God. He is the only real God. Now you can trust the Bible. How else can you explain the prophecies of Jesus written 500 to 1,000 years before his birth?
The Bible is the only book in the world that has ever perfectly predicted the future – over and over. No other “sacred text” has this. The Bible is the word of God. You can trust it. You can trust your eternal life to it.
You may wonder how we can know that these Old Testament texts predate Jesus. The Dead Sea Scrolls, which contain all of these prophecies, carbon date back to 300 years before Jesus was born. So, we can know for sure that the Old Testament Prophecies about Jesus were written at least 300 years before Jesus’ birth.
The entire Bible – from cover to cover – is about Jesus
He [Jesus] said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?" And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself. ~ Luke 24:25-27
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Jesus Is God
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