Tuesday, March 31
The Bible is unique among other known religious works because up to 30 percent of its content is comprised of prophecies and prophetic literature. The integration of prophecy and its fulfillment in time is central to the biblical worldview, for the God who acts in history also knows the future and has revealed it to His prophets (Amos 3:7). The Bible is not only the living Word, or the historical Word — it is the prophetic Word.
How do the following texts reveal the details of the coming Messiah?
There are at least sixty-five direct, Messianic predictions of the Messiah in the Old Testament, many more if we add typology as well (typology is the study of how Old Testament rituals, such as the sacrifices, were mini-prophecies of Jesus). These prophecies relate to such specific details as “the sceptre shall not depart from Judah” (Genesis 49:10); that He would be born in Bethlehem in Judah (Micah 5:2); that He would be “despised and rejected of men”; beaten, falsely accused, yet not open His mouth to defend Himself (Isaiah 53:3-7); that His hands and feet would be pierced; and that they would divide His clothes among them (Psalms 22:12-18).
The fact that these prophecies of the Old Testament were fulfilled with such precision in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus testifies to their divine inspiration and revelation. It also indicates that Jesus was who He and others claimed Him to be. Jesus followed the prophets of old in predicting His death and resurrection (Luke 9:21, 22; Matthew 17:22, 23), the fall of Jerusalem (Matthew 24:1, 2), and His Second Coming (John 14:1-3). Thus, the incarnation, death, and resurrection are predicted by the Bible, and their fulfillment ensures its reliability.
What are all the reasons you can think of for your belief in Jesus and His death for us? Share them in class on Sabbath and, in class, ask the question: Why is the evidence so compelling?
