We have to get it right. Our answer to that question will determine where we spend eternity. We can't afford to give the wrong answer.
There are those who may say that Jesus never claimed to be the messiah, or the Son of God, or divine. But, the record from the Bible is very clear:
Jesus claimed to be the Messiah
Jesus
claimed to be the Son of God
Jesus
claimed to be God
These are significant claims. These claims are the foundation of our
Christian faith. Can we find anything to "back up" these claims, or do
we simply "take it on faith?"
In spite of what some may say, it is more reasonable to accept Jesus Christ than to reject Him. It is more reasonable to believe in Jesus than to doubt Him.
It takes someone special to perform the miracles that Jesus performed:
Born
of a virgin
Restored sight with a touch of His hand
Fed 5,000
people with 5 loaves and 2 small fish
Raised Lazarus
from the dead
Forgave
sins
Himself Raised from the Dead
Anyone willing to accept the word of the New Testament has all the proof they need regarding Jesus' true identity. But, do we have enough evidence to confirm Jesus' identity as Messiah even without the miraculous acts he performed? Yes we do!
Jesus' identity is confirmed through the fulfillment of Old Testament Prophecy.
The Old Testament books were written and their contents established centuries before Christ. Jesus and His followers could not have written those books or influenced their content during His lifetime on earth. These Old Testament books predict a coming Messiah. And, they give information so that this messiah may be recognized when he appears.
The life of Jesus Christ is a literal point-by-point fulfillment of the prophecies which are specifically intended to identify the coming Messiah.
More than 300 Messianic prophecies were made in the Old Testament and then fulfilled through Jesus' life, death and resurrection. The chances of one person fulfilling a mere eight of these prophecies are one-in-100,000,000,000,000,000.
For one person to fulfill 48 of these prophecies, the number becomes staggering – one chance in 10-to-the-157th power. Add to that the 250 other prophecies, and it becomes impossible for any other person except Jesus to ever fit that particular sequence of time and events.
It is not reasonable to believe that Jesus fulfilled these prophecies by chance.
It is
not reasonable to believe that Jesus was involved in a plot which falsely presented
him as the Messiah
It is reasonable to believe that prophetic
fulfillment is exactly what it was intended to be: an indication of who
the Messiah really is - Jesus Christ. However, given the fact that Jesus Christ is the
only person known to fulfill all of the Old Testament prophecies
relating to the first coming of the Messiah, is it possible that a
future individual will appear and prove to be the true Messiah?
The
Bible tells us when the Messiah would come.
The Book of Daniel
prophesies
that the Messiah would come in the year we identify on
our calendars as 26 A.D. The time for the true Messiah to come is past. Whoever the Messiah is, he must be someone who came
centuries before now. And, Jesus Christ is the only candidate we have
based upon prophetic fulfillment. To further confirm Jesus' identity we must look at
one other possibility. Is it possible that someone other than Jesus came
at the right time, fulfilled all the requirements for Messiah-ship, and
was in fact the true Messiah, but did so in obscurity while Jesus
received public recognition? No, that is not possible because
widespread
acceptance among non-Jewish people is one of the requirements
of the Messiah. To be the true Messiah requires wide acceptance by
non-Jewish people. There is only one man in human history who has been
widely accepted by Gentiles (non-Jewish) as the Jewish Messiah. And,
that man is Jesus Christ. The same man who came at the right time and
fulfilled every other required prophesy. Today, we have only one candidate, Jesus Christ,
who meets these three key requirements for Messiah: 1. He fulfills the Old Testament prophecies 2. He came at the right time 3. He is accepted as the Jewish Messiah by
multitudes of non-Jewish people. Because of the time element, it is impossible for
anyone else to come at a future time and lay a valid claim to being the
Messiah. Jesus Christ is the only religious leader whose
arrival was predicted prior to his arrival on Earth and who came exactly
when and as predicted. Given the fact that, despite incredible odds,
someone matching the descriptions found in the Old Testament came at
exactly the right time lends credence to what Jesus had to say. Given the fact that His own existence was a
miracle, it is not unreasonable to believe that Jesus himself could
perform miracles and that we should believe His word to us: For the Son of man is come to seek and to save
that which was lost.
(Luke 19:10) Jesus saith unto him, I am the
way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
(John 14:6) "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My
word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not
come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.
(John 5:24) All things are delivered unto
me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither
knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son
will reveal Him. Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I
am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For
my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
(Matt. 11:27-30)
These are the Commandments of Jesus Christ: “Thou shalt love the Lord
thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy
mind.” Matthew 22:37 and the “And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt
love thy neighbor as thyself.” On these two commandments hang all the
law and the prophets.” Matthew 22:39-40. And, many many more words which may be found in
your New Testament.
From:
http://thechapel.org/ Did You Feel The Mountains Tremble?
Lyrics:
Did you feel the mountains tremble?
Did you hear the oceans roar?
When the people rose to sing of
Jesus Christ the risen one
Did you feel the people tremble?
Did you hear the singers roar?
When the lost began to sing of
Jesus Christ the saving one
And we can see that God you're moving
A mighty river through the nations
And young and old will turn to Jesus
Fling wide you heavenly gates
Prepare the way of the risen Lord
Open up the doors and let the music play
Let the streets resound with singing
Songs that bring your hope
Songs that bring your joy
Dancers who dance upon injustice
Did you feel the darkness tremble?
When all the saints join in one song
And all the streams flow as one river
To wash away our brokenness
And here we see that God you're moving
A time of Jubilee is coming
When young and old return to Jesus
Fling wide you heavenly gates
Prepare the way of the risen Lord
Written by Martin Smith ©1995 Curious? Music UK
Playing
"Did You Feel The Mountains Tremble"
by
Worship Jamz
(click here for lyrics)
INRI
And Pilate wrote a title,
and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING
OF THE JEWS. This title then read many of the Jews: for the place where
Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew,
and Greek, and Latin. Then said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate,
"Write not, 'The King of the Jews;' but that he said, 'I am King of the
Jews'." Pilate answered, "What I have written I have written."
-John 19:19-22 (KJV)
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