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The Bible was written to look like Jesus fulfilled prophecy

by | Oct 19, 2009 | Answers for Seekers, Christian Theology

The New Testament quotes the Old Testament prophecies a lot because there are prophecies that the NT writers cited.  The only way they could make the New Testament look like it was written to appear as though Jesus fulfilled prophecy is to find things in the Old Testament and apply them in the NT.  They can do it because the prophecies are there.  For example, it says that the Messiah would be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14); be the Son of God (Psalm 2:7); be from the seed of Abraham (Gen. 22:18); born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2); he would be proceeded by a messenger (Isaiah 40:3); His side pierced (Zech. 12:10); crucified (Psalm 22:1), etc.  So, there was already a lot there to work with.

Furthermore, if the critic says that the New Testament writers lied about Jesus, that He really didn’t rise from the dead, and all those miracles about Him are really false, then there is just one problem. How do they account for the writers of the New Testament teaching about truth, love, honesty, giving, sacrifice, etc. all based on lies? Why would they suffer hardships like beatings, starvation, shipwreck, imprisonments, and finally execution for nothing but lies that they constructed in some huge great deception? The critics’ position raises more questions than it answers.

  1. Why would they lie in order to speak against lying?
  2. Why would they construct a deception if they knew it would probably cost them their lives?
  3. Why would they speak about love and sacrifice in their writings, if it would bring them persecution?
  4. Why would they be willing to risk losing their families for the lies?
  5. Why would they risk political and social persecution for saying Jesus rose from the dead?
  6. How would they counter all of the people who are alive at the time who would say that such a person as Jesus either never existed were never fulfilled prophecies – but there’s no record of such criticism occurring?

The only logical explanation is that the fulfilled prophecies were actually recorded in the Old Testament and fulfilled by Jesus. He actually rose from the dead. He performed miracles, walked on water, healed the sick, etc.

This was all to demonstrate who He was, God in flesh (John 1:1, 14; Col. 2:9), and that he forgave sins. He forgave sins then, and He can still do it now. My sins are forgiven, are yours?

Please note that many cult members will die for their faith as well.  But they die for something they believe in, not for something they have actually seen.  Muslims, Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses all die for their faith.  But the New Testament believers died for what they saw and believed, not for what they believed only.  That is a big difference.  The N.T. writers died claiming that they had seen the risen Lord.  The cult members die for what they believe, and we know that believing doesn’t make it true.

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