Twelve Points That Show Christianity is True

1. Twelve Points That Show Christianity is True By: Dr. Norman Geisler Owning Your Worldview Considers:

2. Building Foundations • Apologetics • Logical Foundation (Points 1 and 2) • Supernatural Foundation (Points 3 through 5) • Historical Foundation (Points 6 through 12) • Point 8: Jesus' claim to be God was confirmed by a unique set of miracles.

3. Review: • We established a logical framework for evaluating the exclusivity claims of the Christian worldview. • We reviewed classes of Apologetic arguments. • We defined what miracles are and how God uses them to confirm His message and messengers. • We determined that we can be confident the NT is the most accurate ancient document in existence. • We saw that Jesus claimed to be God in the NT.

4. Jesus' Claim was Confirmed Prophetically • There are over 100 messianic prophecies in the Old Testament. • We will cover a few of them. • We will consider the mathematical probability that Jesus could fulfill these prophecies.

5. Jesus' Claim was Confirmed Prophetically • There are several things to keep in mind while discussing prophecy. • The details of prophecy are scattered throughout the Bible in what often feels like random bits of information. • Critics of prophecy say that it just shows that prophets just “got it right” occasionally. • If that were true we would also see things they were incorrect about.

6. Jesus' Claim was Confirmed Prophetically • Prophecy is intentionally complex and difficult to understand. • One of its purposes is to give the believer confidence that God is in control of the future by showing them God was in control of the past. • Prophecies in the past become obvious once we know the historical context. • Prophecies still in the future are confusing because we don’t have the correct context yet. • God does this so that Satan doesn’t know His plans.

7. Jesus' Claim was Confirmed Prophetically Jesus' Claim was Confirmed Prophetically Seed of the Woman –Genesis 3:15 (HCSB) [God speaking to the Serpent in the Garden] “I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”

8. Jesus' Claim was Confirmed Prophetically Jesus' Claim was Confirmed Prophetically Descendent of Shem –Genesis 9:26 (HCSB) [Noah is pronouncing a curse on Canaan while blessing Shem by recognizing God is with Shem’s Line] “He also said: Praise the Lord, the God of Shem; Canaan will be his slave.”

9. Jesus' Claim was Confirmed Prophetically Jesus' Claim was Confirmed Prophetically Offspring of Abraham –Genesis 12:3 (HCSB) [God speaking to Abraham] “I will bless those who bless you, I will curse those who treat you with contempt, and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

10. Jesus' Claim was Confirmed Prophetically Jesus' Claim was Confirmed Prophetically The Tribe of Judah –Genesis 49:10 (HCSB) The scepter will not depart from Judah or the staff from between his feet until He whose right it is comes and the obedience of the peoples belongs to Him.

11. Jesus' Claim was Confirmed Prophetically Jesus' Claim was Confirmed Prophetically The House of David –2 Samuel 7:12 (HCSB) When your time comes and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up after you your descendant, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. Here we see that David’s line will be the leaders within Judah. This is a promise that is to last for all time. Jesus was born into the line of David through His father Joseph (legal father).

12. Jesus' Claim was Confirmed Prophetically Jesus' Claim was Confirmed Prophetically The House of David –Jeremiah 23:5-6 (HCSB) “The days are coming” —this is the Lord’s declaration— “when I will raise up a Righteous Branch of David. He will reign wisely as king and administer justice and righteousness in the land. In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. This is what He will be named: Yahweh Our Righteousness.

13. Jesus' Claim was Confirmed Prophetically Jesus' Claim was Confirmed Prophetically The Son of a Virgin –Isaiah 7:14 (HCSB) “Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive, have a son, and name him Immanuel.”

14. Jesus' Claim was Confirmed Prophetically Jesus' Claim was Confirmed Prophetically Born in Bethlehem –Micah 5:2 (HCSB) Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are small among the clans of Judah; One will come from you to be ruler over Israel for Me. His origin is from antiquity, from eternity.

15. Jesus' Claim was Confirmed Prophetically Jesus' Claim was Confirmed Prophetically The Messiah would Die in 33 A.D. –Daniel 9:24-25 (HCSB) Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city— to bring the rebellion to an end, to put a stop to sin, to wipe away iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy place. Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince will be seven weeks and 62 weeks. It will be rebuilt with a plaza and a moat, but in difficult times.

16. The Prophecy of Daniel • The Jewish calendar is a lunar calendar. • A jewish year is 360 days long. • A “prophetic” week is a group of seven years. • “Seven weeks and 62 weeks” is equal to 69 weeks. • 69 prophetic weeks converted into lunar years (69 * 7) is 483 lunar years. • 444BC + 33AD + 6 Yrs (Leap Years) = 483 Lunar Years

17. Jesus' Claim was Confirmed Prophetically Jesus' Claim was Confirmed Prophetically He would Suffer and Die for Our Sins –Isaiah 53:5-6 (HCSB) But He was pierced because of our transgressions, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on Him, and we are healed by His wounds. We all went astray like sheep; we all have turned to our own way; and the Lord has punished Him for the iniquity of us all.

18. Jesus' Claim was Confirmed Prophetically Jesus' Claim was Confirmed Prophetically He would Suffer and Die for Our Sins –Isaiah 53:7-9 (HCSB) He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth. Like a lamb led to the slaughter and like a sheep silent before her shearers, He did not open His mouth. He was taken away because of oppression and judgment; and who considered His fate? For He was cut off from the land of the living; He was struck because of my people’s rebellion. They made His grave with the wicked and with a rich man at His death, although He had done no violence and had not spoken deceitfully.

19. Jesus' Claim was Confirmed Prophetically Jesus' Claim was Confirmed Prophetically He would Suffer and Die for Our Sins –Isaiah 53:10-12 (HCSB) Yet the Lord was pleased to crush Him severely. When You make Him a restitution offering, He will see His seed, He will prolong His days, and by His hand, the Lord’s pleasure will be accomplished. He will see it out of His anguish, and He will be satisfied with His knowledge. My righteous Servant will justify many, and He will carry their iniquities. Therefore I will give Him the many as a portion, and He will receive the mighty as spoil, because He submitted Himself to death, and was counted among the rebels; yet He bore the sin of many and interceded for the rebels.

20. Jesus' Claim was Confirmed Prophetically Jesus' Claim was Confirmed Prophetically His Side would be Pierced –Zechariah 12:10 (HCSB) “Then I will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer on the house of David and the residents of Jerusalem, and they will look at Me whom they pierced. They will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child and weep bitterly for Him as one weeps for a firstborn.”

21. Jesus' Claim was Confirmed Prophetically Jesus' Claim was Confirmed Prophetically He would Rise from the Dead –Psalm 16:10 (HCSB) “For You will not abandon me to Sheol; You will not allow Your Faithful One to see decay.”

22. Jesus' Claim was Confirmed Prophetically Jesus' Claim was Confirmed Prophetically He would Rise from the Dead –Psalm 2:2,6-7 (HCSB) “The kings of the earth take their stand, and the rulers conspire together against the Lord and His Anointed One:” “I have consecrated My King on Zion, My holy mountain.” I will declare the Lord’s decree: He said to Me, “You are My Son; today I have become Your Father.”

23. Jesus’ Fulfillment of Prophecy & Probability • Jesus fulfills over 100 predictions of the Old Testament. • Dr. Marvin Bittinger wrote The Faith Equation. • He states that the probability of Jesus fulfilling just 9 of these prophecies is 1/1076. • That means that one person out of 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 people.

24. Jesus Led a Sinless and Miraculous Life. • Jesus was without sin. • Jesus confirmed his claim to be God using miracles. • Jesus taught we should live a virtuous life and glorify God.

25. The Prediction and Fulfillment of the Resurrection • Jesus predicted His own execution and resurrection. • The death of Jesus was confirmed 9 ways. • There is non-physical evidence for the resurrection. • There is physical evidence for the resurrection.

26. Jesus Predicted His Execution and Resurrection “From then on Jesus began to point out to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, be killed, and be raised the third day.” –Matthew 16:21 (HCSB)

27. Jesus Predicted His Execution and Resurrection “Listen! We are going up to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death. Then they will hand Him over to the Gentiles to be mocked, flogged, and crucified, and He will be resurrected on the third day.” –Matthew 20:18-19 (HCSB)

28. Jesus Predicted His Execution and Resurrection “For He was teaching His disciples and telling them, “The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill Him, and after He is killed, He will rise three days later.” –Mark 9:31 (HCSB)

29. Death Confirmed Nine Ways • The nature of His wounds involved whipping, crucifixion, and a spear in the side ensured death (Mark 15, John 18). • No one survives Roman crucifixion (asphyxiation). • Romans were professional executioners. • His family and disciples had vested interest in knowing it was Jesus on the cross that died (Mark 14:40, John 19:25-26, and Luke 22:54). • Foes had a vested interest in knowing Jesus was dead.

30. Death Confirmed Nine Ways • Pilate double-checked to make sure Jesus was dead (Mark 15:45). • The Jews never denied the account of His body being buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea (John 19:38). • Early Non-Christian writers/historians recorded His death (Josephus, Tacitus, Thallus, Lucian, Phlegon, and the Jewish Talmud). • Modern medical authorities examined the ancient practice of cruxifixction.

31. Non-physical Evidence for Resurrection • The tomb of Jesus was found empty and filled with grave clothes (John 20:6-8; 17). • Over 500 witnesses saw Jesus over 12 times, • Mary (John 20:10-18), Mary & Woman (Matthew 28:1-18), Peter (1 Corinthians 15:5), two disciples (Luke 24:13-35), ten apostles (Luke 24:36-49)….

32. Physical Evidence for Resurrection • The empty tomb shows the same physical body in the tomb permanently vacated alive three days later (Matthew 28:6). • The resurrection body has “flesh and bones” (Luke 24:39). • Jesus was touched by Mary (John 20:17), and the women (Matthew 28:9). • A resurrected Jesus had a scars (Luke 24:39 & John 20:27). • Jesus ate food (Luke 24:30, 24:42-43, John 21:12-13, & Acts 1:4). • Jesus was seen and heard (Matthew 28:17, John 20:15-16). • The NT uses the word “soma” which means physical body (1 Corinthians 15:44).