Key Verses:
John 5:39
39You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me,
John 5:36
36 "I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish-the very works that I am doing-testify that the Father has sent me.
Introduction
To recapitulate our discussion so far, the Messiah was unequivocally identified by God Himself to mankind because the Messiah is the only way and the truth and the life (John 14:6). Long before the coming of the Messiah, God inspired the prophets to write prophecies about the Messiah and His mission. At the birth of the Messiah, God notified the shepherds on duty the night the Messiah was born through angels. Shortly after the birth of the Messiah, the Magi, Simeon and Anna were inspired by God to testify that Jesus would be the King and salvation. When Jesus grew up and began His ministry, God sent John the Baptist as the forerunner witnessing that Jesus is the Messiah who has the authority to baptize with the Holy Spirit (John 1:32-34) and the savior of the world (John 1:29). Even the coming of John the Baptist and his mission were also prophesied by the prophets and announced by the angel to John's father (Luke 1:17). The parents of John the Baptist served as the natural witnesses to identify John as the voice in the desert. In addition, the neighbors of John the Baptist and the people in Judea all witnessed to his miraculous birth by his elderly parents and his ministry in the wilderness.
Even today, God is still actively preaching and inviting people to come to the Messiah through His disciples (Matthew 28:19-20; Romans 10:17). The disciples of the Messiah serve as the light of the world and they themselves are identified by the Spirit of Christ that lives in them (Matthew 5:14; Romans 8:9). It is relevant to add a side note here about authentic disciples of Christ. The disciples of Christ are authenticated by their deeds, by their faith and by their teachings. True disciples are authenticated by the fruits they bear (Matthew 7:15-17), and they acknowledge that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God who was the Word that became flesh living among us (John 1:14; 1 John 2:22; 1 John 4:2-3). True disciples are people who are already saved by faith in the Messiah, born again by the Holy Spirit through the word of God (Titus 3:5; Ephesians 5:26). Therefore, true disciples naturally teach according to the teachings of Christ which are reminded by the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 14:26).
But, the Messiah was not merely identified without substance but thoroughly authenticated to whom He truly was. The substance of authenticating the Messiah are the works He accomplished which He was sent to do such that we may put our faith in Him (John 5:36). Jesus' ministry was chartered and powered by God, foretold by the prophets with John the Baptist witnessing Him as the Messiah by the visible sign of the Holy Spirit like a dove descending on Him (John 1:32-34). Later when John the Baptist was imprisoned by king Herod, he sent two messengers to double check if Jesus was really the Messiah. Jesus answered the messengers with the authenticating evidence by His works that they all witnessed such that John would know for sure He was the Lord (Matthew 11:4-5). Jesus had been preaching the good news of salvation by faith and performing the miraculous signs of opening blind eyes to see, enabling deaf ears to hear, making the lame walk, and even raising of the dead. In other words, Jesus' mission and power unequivocally authenticate that He is the Messiah. The generous and gracious invitation for the spiritually bankrupt sinners to simply come in faith to Him to be saved are prophesied by prophet Isaiah and the Messiah came to fulfill this gracious promise (Isaiah 55:1; Matthew 5:3; John 7:37). The good news is that salvation is a gracious gift of God to sinners who would come to the Messiah to receive. The basis of the good news of salvation is made possible by the Messiah who sacrificed Himself such that sinners who otherwise will perish may have life (Mark 10:45). Therefore, the works foretold by the prophets and fulfilled by the Messiah in the power and unity of the Father and the Holy Spirit serve as His authenticating evidence (John 10:30; Mark 1:8). Let us study the authentication of the Messiah in more details.
1 Authentication By His Mission
Isaiah 61:1-2 serves as the charter of the mission of the Messiah (Isaiah 61:1-2). In fact, Jesus read these verses from the book of Isaiah in a synagogue at the beginning of His earthly ministry to proclaim good news and hope to this dark world which is full of sins and people are bounded by and are afflicted by the consequences of sins without future but waiting for death and judgment. Jesus came to set us free and gave us eternal life (John 8:34, 36). However, Jesus left out in His reading of the Scriptures the "day of vengeance of our God" which is the the second half of the verse of Isaiah 61:2 because His current ministry was about the "year of the Lord's favor".
Note that proclaiming good news to the poor does not mean preaching to the materialistically poor people only. Although materialistic poverty is mentioned in the the Bible, spiritual poverty is even more critical and emphasized because it means a broken relationship with God who is the source of life and blessings. Therefore, the economically rich but lukewarm church in Laodicea was considered pitiful and poor (Revelation 3:17). But, blessed are those who realized their spiritual poverty or bankruptcy such that they tend to be meek, humble and receptive to the gospel (Matthew 5:3). Therefore, it is not being materialistically poor per se the quality pleasing to God but rather the character of meekness and humility that could be brought about by materialistic poverty. But there are many exceptions such that people in dire conditions would not turn to God and there are rich people who are wise enough to realize their spiritual poverty. As an illustration, consider the parable of the prodigal son who wasted all his wealth and becomes deeply afflicted by poverty such that he becomes meek and humble realizing his sins against his father. He then comes home and asks for forgiveness (Luke 15:18-19). Consider also the parable of the self-righteous Pharisee and the repentant tax collector. It is the humility of the tax collector, who is likely rich, God values such that his prayer is accepted (Luke 18:13-14). Prosperity does carry the danger of temptation and masking the true meaning of life and misleading people into corruption. Therefore, rich people tend to be arrogant, and being deceived into thinking that they are blessed but earthly bounded and they believe that they do not need God ( Psalm 49:18-19; Proverbs 30:8-9; Matthew 6:21). That is why Jesus says that the rich are so hard to be saved that it is like a camel going through the eye of a needle ( Mark 10:25).
Jesus knows deeply about the hardships and sufferings in this world (Hebrews 4:15). He is still constantly inviting people who are weary and burdened to come to Him to have rest (Matthew 11:28). Living in this world means being constantly bombarded by problems which cause stresses, anxieties, and even depression. Jesus teaches us to observe living things in nature like birds in the air, flowers and grass in the fields which do not work and know how to provide for themselves yet they live because of the provision and care by God. Mankind are much more valuable than plants and animals and we should understand that if God takes care of these lower living things, how much will He take care of us. Jesus also points out our problem of lacking of faith in facing these daily challenges (Matthew 6:30). Jesus gives believers two great tips to live by. First, we should live with the pursuit of the kingdom of God and His righteousness as our first priority rather than imitating the wants and practice of the pagans in this world. Second, we face challenges one day at a time rather than worrying about tomorrow with the understanding and faith that the heavenly Father knows our needs and He will provide. (Matthew 6:31-34).
Poor health and death cause tremendous pains and feelings of hopelessness to the people who are suffering including their families and friends. During His earthly ministry, Jesus went about healing every disease and sickness (Matthew 4:23), and made well many suffering from all sorts of disabilities (Matthew 15:31). To teach us that death in this world is not really the end and He has the power to give resurrection and life, Jesus raised Lazarus from the death (John 11:25-26). But, we should understand that Jesus does not say He takes away all brokenhearted events in this world right now. For even though Lazarus was raised from the death, he died again. After all, have you heard of anyone who has been living for two thousand years in Palestine? In fact, Jesus says that we will all encounter troubles in this world, but He has demonstrated that He has the power to overcome the world including poor health and death (John 16:33). The best time and place to live for people who trust in Christ is not right here and right now, but the glorious kingdom of God where God will wipe away every tear (Revelation 7:17; Revelation 21:4). Even now in this world, Jesus promises peace to all who trust in Him such that we may have joy and courage in our daily walk with God (John 14:27). Although the Messiah is not physically walking on the earth now, we all can come to Him by faith and prayers. As apostle Paul writes that we should not be anxious about anything but make requests in prayer in every situation with thanksgiving and God will grant us peace beyond our understanding (Philippians 4:6-7). With this understanding and faith, all brokenhearted people should see a bright future and not a future of gloomy hopelessness in this world. Jesus' resurrection power proves that He can make true what He preaches. With this promise, all Christians are commanded to rejoice (Philippians 4:4). But, how does God practically bring joy in the midst of our daily challenges today. Jesus promised peace even in this troubled world and it is brought into reality by the Holy Spirit whom the Father sent after Jesus left the world (John 14:25-27). The Holy Spirit will live in believers' heart to give peace even in difficult time. In fact, one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit is joy who works actively in believers' lives (Galatians 5:22-23). Moreover, God is in charge of everything everywhere at all times and He can work in all circumstances for the good of all who love Him (Romans 8:28) because God is almighty, and trustworthy, full of justice, mercy and love. On the other hand, God uses His people as the solution to the many problems of the world for we are God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works (Ephesians 2:10). This can mean that we are to bring comforts to brokenhearted people in the world. In fact, Christians, being followers of Christ were delegated with the task to carry on what the Messiah had been doing before He returned to the Father (John 14:12).
Sinners are like prisoners living without freedom. Instead of bounded by physical constraint, sinners are bounded by sins for they cannot overcome the sinful habits, desires and guilts of their lives such that sins are like long chains fastened to their bodies. Some sinners are literally put into prisons because of breakage of laws. Finally, all sinners are awaiting judgement of God for their sins. Therefore, sinners live a life without future and are like prisoners in death row waiting for execution. The Messiah sets all sinners free from the condemnation of God when they repent and trust in Him (Romans 8:1-2). We have all heard and seen the power of sins which traps, captures lives rendering their great potential to a shrinking and useless existence. Some even become members of evil force in the world causing more pains and destruction of others. What about those great kings, generals, noblemen, presidents and business tycoons that have ever lived? Have they not been powerful, prosperous, held with high regard in the world, and even been benevolent to the society with their influence and wealth? Not everything a man does is sinful and some of our acts may even look good. But, we need to understand that a sinner's life is like a sick life decaying day by day to its termination (Isaiah 64:6). When an influential person does not know God, he or she may use their power and means of influence to do great harms to the society by promoting his or her ideologies which tend to be contradictory to the teachings of the scriptures such as homosexuality and abortion. As a result, they do more harm than good to the society. Moreover, people with power and opportunities and talents are considered being given more by God and are rightfully asked for more by His righteous judgement (Luke 12:48). Therefore all people of different social strata in the world are bounded by sins and accountable to the penalty of sins demanded by the justice of God. According to the holy standard of God, we are all captives of sins and need the salvation of the Messiah. Sinners bound to fulfill the sinful desires as slaves serving their master (John 8:34). But, faith in the Messiah set us free from the slavery of sins (John 8:31-32). Instead of living a shrinking and sin stricken life without future, disciples of the Messiah live an abundant life with a bright future (John 10:10).
2 Authentication by His Sacrifice
God is righteous, full of justice and yet rich in love (Psalm 36:5-7). For the demand of justice, wages of sins that we committed have to be settled. But because of love, God desires to forgive us and gives us abundant life. Therefore, God becomes our salvation not by leaving sins unpunished but paying for the penalty of sins for us (Exodus 15:2; Isaiah 12:2). God's grace of salvation is not secretly given to one nation but openly witnessed and available to all nations (Isaiah 52:10). The teachings of substitutional suffering and death for redemption are stressed throughout the Old Testament. However, all the sacrifices performed in the Old Testament are only a shadow of the true sacrifice of the Messiah once and for all (Hebrews 10:9-10). For the sacrifices of animals could never cleanse people from sins but served as reminders of sins (Hebrews 10:3). All these sacrifices point to the ultimate work of the Messiah who sacrificed Himself to redeem sinners. Indeed Jesus came and made an offer for sins of all humans such that whoever accepts His wonderful grace of redemption with faith would be saved from the condemnation of sins for He has settled the penalty in full by His death (Hebrews 13:11-12). In addition to the ceremonies and festivals written and practiced in the Old Testament as the image of the redemptive sacrifice of the Messiah, the Scriptures prophesied in details about the crucifixion of the Messiah such that we know for sure God has fulfilled His promise of salvation through Jesus Christ. Through the writings of prophet Daniel, God said that the Messiah (the Anointed One) would be put to death with precise timing (Daniel 9:25-26). According to scholarly research of Harold Hoehner, Jesus entered Jerusalem and was recognized in public as the Messiah (John 12:13) on March 30th, 33 A.D. commonly called the triumphal entry which was a Monday. But, in my humble opinion, the triumphal entry occurred one day earlier on March 29th, 33 which is a Sunday (see my reasoning in Part 2 ). While prophet Zechariah wrote about the scene of the triumphal entry with Jesus riding on the colt and a large crowd of people shouting and receiving Jesus as the Messiah coming in the name of the Lord (Zechariah 9:9). The event was witnessed by the disciples and was recorded in the gospels (Matthew 21:7-9). Pay attention on the specific details of prophet Zechariah's writing that Jesus would be riding on a donkey and on a colt (a young offspring of a donkey). Indeed, Matthew 21:7 records that the disciples brought a donkey and a colt to Jesus according to His instruction and they put their cloaks on both animals for Jesus to ride on. Due to the strenuous nature of the journey, it was likely that Jesus did not ride on the colt all the way into Jerusalem. Jesus might rode on the mother donkey first and then on the colt into Jerusalem. Skeptics with conspiracy theories (usually are just pure imagination without proof) might say that the donkeys and animals were arranged by Jesus before hand and asked the disciples to take them to Him to make the event a fulfillment of Zechariah's prophecy. But, through an unidentified author, the exact words of praises shouted out by the people were written down in the Psalm (Psalm 118:26). Jesus could not control the behavior and response of the crowd if He was a mere human claiming to be the Messiah. Skeptics might go on arguing that the people were arranged to act shouting to receive Jesus as the Messiah. First, in order to deceive people, common sense tells us that it is not a good idea to collaborate with a large number of people especially people who are not subject to the deceiver's control. Otherwise, the secret of deception will tend to leak out. Though not clearly recorded in the gospels, we know that public opinion is subject to manipulation especially for those who do not have a deep knowledge and understanding on a subject matter, Therefore we cannot eliminate the possibility that some people who shouted "Hosanna" for Jesus might be persuaded a few days later to shout "crucify him" (Matthew 27:20; John 19:15). Notice that no one with a rational mind keeps defending and spreading a lie if Jesus is not the Messiah especially when he or she needs to pay a high cost of being killed. In fact all of the twelve disciples of Jesus died as martyrs except Judas who betrayed Jesus for personal gain and John who was banished to the Island of Patmos for his faith. Second, even the children spontaneously praised the Messiah in the temple courts hailing "Hosanna to the Son of David" (Matthew 21:15) which incidentally fulfilled another prophecy (Psalm 8:2). Third, Jesus performed miraculous signs healing the blind and the lame at the temple which unequivocally authenticated His divinity. In fact, the chief priests and the teachers of the law witnessed these events also. But, instead of praising Jesus the Messiah, they became indignant and more eager to plot killing Jesus (Matthew 21:14-16). According to His own accord of sacrificing Himself for sinners (Luke 7:34; John 15:12-14), Jesus was then crucified on April 3rd, 33 A.D. which was a Friday in the same week of the triumphal entry.
Daniel 9:26 also mentions that Jerusalem and its temple would be destroyed after the Messiah was put to death (Daniel 9:26). Therefore, the event of destruction of Jerusalem and its temple marks the timeline at the point that the Messiah must have been cut off. From history, we know that it was the ruler of the Roman Empire responsible for the destruction of Jerusalem and the second temple built by king Herod in 70 A.D. which was about 4 decades after the crucifixion of Jesus. Therefore. this destructive event serves as an additional evidence to authenticate the suffering and death of Jesus the Messiah. The destruction was executed by the Roman soldiers under the command of General Titus who became cesar later. To extract gold gildings of temple stones, they melted the gold with fire and leveled the temple stones in order to take the gold trapped between stones thus fulfilling also the prophecy told by Jesus that not one stone will be on top another (Luke 21:5-6). General TItus left one wall standing as a monument of his victory and that wall was called the wailing wall today. But the wall was only a retaining wall of the Temple Mount upon which the temple was located and not the wall of the temple. Had it been a temple wall, it would have been demolished by the gold seeking Roman soldiers. During His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Jesus wept over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41) and prophesied specifically how the city would be surrounded and destroyed (Luke 19:43-44). This was exactly the strategy General Titus used to capture the city. This is yet an additional piece of evidence to authenticate that Jesus is the Messiah by His precise prophecy on the destruction of the city and the temple. To reiterate the authenticating evidence by the sacrifice of the Messiah, first, prophet Daniel wrote that the Anointed One was put to death before the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in Daniel 9:26 with specific timing. The fact that the book of Daniel was written in between 536 - 530 B.C. establishes the credibility of the book as a prophetic book. Prophet Daniel was a contemporary of prophet Ezekiel and was mentioned in his writing (Ezekiel 14:14). In addition, fragments of the book of Daniel were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls which serve as an undeniable evidence of its authenticity. Second, Jesus was recognized in public as the Messiah in Jerusalem with precise timing. Third, Jesus prophesied the destruction of the city and its temple before He was crucified on April 3rd, 33 A.D. which was almost 4 decades before the siege of Jerusalem and the temple. If Jesus was not the Messiah but an ordinary human, He would not be able to make such a prediction. If Jesus was a charlatan, He would not even make such a specific prediction to expose His falsity later to His believers. May I challenge all skeptics to search for the records of major religions in history to see if similar predictions were made to substantiate the originators of those religions as the prophets or agents of the one true God.
3 Authentication by His Death and Burial
After being arrested, the Messiah went through a long period of tortures and insults from Thursday night until His death before sunset on Friday. Prophet Isaiah wrote that the Messiah as the suffering servant of God was beaten beyond recognition (Isaiah 52:14-15). The tortures and insults inflicted on the Messiah before crucifixion recorded by the gospel of Matthew include flogging, wearing crown of thorns, being spitted on, mocking, striking on the head by a staff repeatedly (Matthew 27:26-31). David, the author of Psalm 22 apparently wrote about his pains and sufferings but the words were inspired by the Holy Spirit to prophesy the scenes of crucifixion of the Messiah as a suffering servant. The Messiah is righteous but he bore the punishment of sin of mankind such that He was forsaken by God on the cross (Psalm 22:1). Jesus quoted directly Psalm 22:1 on the cross such that we know that this Psalm is a prophecy of his crucifixion (Mark 15:34). This can be confirmed by other verses in the same Psalm depicting the imageries in the scene of crucifixion. He was pierced in His hands and feet on the cross naked. The soldiers cast lots for His garment (Psalm 22:16-18). Even the humiliation and insults people hurled at the Messiah at the site of crucifixion were prophesied with the sarcastic remarks against the Messiah. David specifically wrote down the words of humiliation: "He trusts in the Lord, let the Lord rescue him." (Psalm 22:7-8). Then, Matthew wrote down the witnessed accounts at the actual crucifixion scene describing people shaking their heads, mocking the Messiah being crucified with sarcasm that He saved others but could not save Himself. Not understanding the Messiah's mission, they also made an apparently reasonable statement that if He was the beloved one of God then He should be able to escape or be rescued from the cross (Matthew 27:41-42). Remarkably, Matthew also recorded the specific words of humiliation: "He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him ..." (Matthew 27:43).
One important regulation in celebrating the Passover in the Old Testament is not to break the bone of the Passover lamb. In fact, this particular requirement is a prophecy to authenticate the death of the Messiah who is the Lamb of God that none of His bone would be broken (Exodus 12:46; Numbers 9:12). Apostle John recorded that the Roman soldiers broke the legs of the two persons crucified along with Jesus in order to hasten their death on the request of the Jewish leaders. But, when the soldiers came to Jesus, they found that Jesus was already dead so that they did not break the legs of Jesus fulfilling this prophecy (John 19:32-33). By the way, on cursory reading of the gospels, it seems that there were only two persons crucified with Jesus, one on the left and one on the right. But, how do you explain the picture painted by John who said that the soldiers came to the first man and broke his legs and then the legs of the other man. But, when the soldiers came to Jesus, they found that Jesus was already dead such that they did not break Jesus' legs. Therefore, it is more reasonable that there were two persons on one side of Jesus and the soldiers visited the persons being crucified one by one. Moreover, Luke recorded that one of the two criminals hurled insults at Jesus while the other one showed a repentant attitude with faith such that he rebuked the other criminal who insulted Jesus and asked Jesus to remember Him (Luke 23:39-44). It is more likely that the repentant criminal was not among those who hurled insults at Jesus as recorded by Matthew (Matthew 27:44). In addition, Luke recorded that the soldiers divided the garments by casting a lot after crucifying Jesus and the evil-doers (Luke 23:33-34). On the other hand, Matthew recorded that the crucifixion of the two robbers happened after dividing the garments of Jesus which suggests that the two robbers were different from the two criminals that were crucified before dividing Jesus' garments as recorded in Luke (Luke 23:33-34; Matthew 27:35-36. 38). Notice that the Young's translation which is the literal translation of the Hebrew and Greek text of the scriptures which includes the word "Then" in verse 38 making it particularly clear the sequence of the events: dividing the garments and crucifixion of the robbers. Moreover, Matthew called the two persons hurling insults thieves (robbers in Young's Literal Translation) while Luke called them criminals (evil-doers in Young's Literal Translation) which suggest that there were two separate groups of two persons each crucified along with Jesus. If it is still not clear, John summarizes it well stating that two persons on each side of Jesus were crucified with Him in the middle in Young's translation (John 19:18).
Instead of breaking His legs, the soldiers pierced the side of Jesus with a spear such that water and blood flowed out suddenly (John 19:34). This was done such that another prophecy in the scriptures was fulfilled which says, "They will look on the one they have pierced." (John 19:37). This prophecy is quoted from the book of Zechariah (Zechariah 12:10). This single verse of scripture written by prophet Zechariah contains a marvelous collection of revelations. This verse contains three prophecies spoken by God as the first person, I and me, grammatically. First, God will pour out the Holy Spirit of grace and supplication on the inhabitants of Jerusalem to bring about a big spiritual revival. Second, they will see God coming and will mourn bitterly. Third, they will mourn because they realize they have rejected and pierced God. This verse does not seem to make sense for how can God be pierced by people for He is almighty and powerful. After all, God is spiritual and invisible. However, when we also read the prophecy in the book of Isaiah, the revelation becomes clearer which mentions the miracle birth of a child by a virgin and He is called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). Isaiah also wrote about the suffering servant of God who was pierced for our transgressions (Isaiah 53:5). On reading the fulfillment records in the New Testament, the revelation becomes crystal clear that the Son of God Jesus who is God by nature came to world to save sinners and died on the cross for us (Philippians 2:5-8). Zechariah 12:10 also reveals two advents of God who visits the world in a visible manner. The first advent already happened when Jesus came as a baby in a manger. The second advent has not happened and will happen when the resurrected Jesus is returning in glory on the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14:4). Moreover, when we study the New Testament records and the religious history of Israel, we understand why the people of Israel will mourn bitterly when they see the truth finally. For even today, the majority of Israel do not accept Jesus as the Messiah. Therefore, the rejection of the Messiah is foreseen by God and was written down in the prophecy. As apostle Paul writes that Israel has experienced blindness in part until the end when Jesus will come to deliver the nation (Romans 11:25-26).
As prophet Isaiah wrote that the suffering servant was sinless and He was punished for the sins of the sinners (Isaiah 53:8). Jesus was crucified like a criminal and His body would have been treated just like a criminal. The Romans who executed the crucifixion would have disposed the body of Jesus in a dishonorable manner. Even if Jesus' family might have claimed the body, they would not have the means to provide a burial privileged by the rich. But, a rich man named Joseph came boldly to claim Jesus' body from Pilate, the Roman officer who gave order to crucify Jesus because of political pressure even though he knew that Jesus was innocent (Mark 15:14). The claim was approved and Joseph and his friend Nicodemus buried Jesus according to Jewish customs in a new tomb Joseph owned. So the prophecy of burial of the suffering servant was fulfilled (Isaiah 53:9; Matthew 27:57-60). Therefore, we see again God is really in control of all things including a relatively minor event of burial when apparently Jesus lost in the battle and died. In fact, God let us know that Jesus is unequivocally the Messiah and the suffering servant. Even the way the Messiah was buried serves as an authentication of who He is. Jesus died according to God's plan of salvation of sinners in the world who trust in Him. Jesus' death is actually a victory for it is the prerequisite of resurrection and life (1 Corinthians 15:55). According to the law, sin has to be condemned and the condemnation results in death (1 Corinthians 15:56). But, God is love and He demonstrates His love by sending His only Son Jesus Christ to pay for the penalty of sin of sinners by His death (Romans 5:8-9). Therefore, there is no condemnation for all who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).
4 Authentication by His Resurrection
Normally, a deceased body will decay. Psalm 16 prophesied that Jesus the faithful one would not see decay even though He died (Psalm 16:10; Acts 2:29-31). The event that Jonah was swallowed into the belly of a big fish, which was physically like a tomb, for three days and three nights was a prophecy of Jesus' body laid inside a tomb for three days and three nights (Jonah 1:17). These two verses of the Bible are difficult to see connected until Jesus' express declaration shortly before He was arrested for crucifixion that He would be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights while quoting Jonah's story (Matthew 12:40). Once again we see Jesus' authority and insight in explaining the true meanings of the scriptures which shows that Jesus is God by nature and He is the ultimate author of the scriptures. A mere human would not be able to point out that the story of Jonah being swallowed and trapped in the belly of a big fish three days and three nights is a prophecy of the Messiah being kept in the grave for three days and three nights before His resurrection, let alone fulfilling the prophecy. We need to understand the meaning of three days and three nights when Jesus was kept in the tomb. According to Jewish custom, part of a day is considered a whole day. Jesus died on the cross in the Friday afternoon on April 3rd, 33 A.D. and was buried in a tomb before sunset. Although the time span in the tomb was only a short while, it is considered one day and one night. The second day in the tomb was from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset. The third day was Saturday sunset to early morning on Sunday which was April 5th, 33 A.D. when Jesus was resurrected. Please also note that sunset to sunset day reckoning is used as it was the practice of the Judeans residing in the Southern part of Israel. This is supported by the fact that the Jewish leaders who were watching the crucifixion of Jesus wanted to hasten the death of Jesus and the criminals on the crosses by breaking their legs such that their bodies would not be left on the crosses during the Sabbath which was about to begin at sunset on Friday (John 19:31).
Indeed, the early disciples witnessed this utmost important event of resurrection (Acts 2:32). It was not hallucination. For the resurrected Messiah appeared to many at different times and hallucination which is a personal condition occurs only to a single person at one time (1 Corinthians 15:3-7). Jesus demonstrated that He had a new body of substance and not a facade. During one appearance to the disciples, Jesus asked for something to eat in order to show that He was not a ghost but a resurrected person with flesh and bones. They gave Jesus a piece of broiled fish and He ate it before them (Luke 24:41-43). He was not a Once, apostle Thomas was in doubt when other disciples told him that they had seen the resurrected Jesus. Thomas said that he would not believe unless he could inspect the wounded hands and side of Jesus' body in person (John 20:25). A week later, Jesus appeared again to the disciples to answer especially the doubt of Thomas and asked him to inspect His wounds in His hands and side (John 20:26). Moreover, the resurrected Messiah even served a meal to the disciples (John 21:13-15). Therefore, Jesus proved that death could not hold Him and He resurrected as He said before He died on the cross. Jesus also promised that all who trust in Him will have eternal life. We will also live the eternal life in a new and resurrected body. As Jesus promised that He would drink the fruit of the vine again with us in the kingdom of God which implies that our resurrected bodies will have flesh and bones that may drink the fruit of the vine (Matthew 26:29).
Apostle Paul was a devout Pharisee who was going on a journey to obtain authority to persecute Christians. What made apostle Paul change from being a persecutor of Christians to a zealous Christian himself? Apostle Paul testified that he encountered the resurrected Christ (1 Corinthians 15:8). Paul's testimony was independently verified by another Christian Ananias who was sent by Jesus in a vision to find and to heal Paul who became blind after encountering the resurrected Jesus (Acts 9:15). Paul went on becoming a suffering missionary, establishing Christian churches and even died for preaching the gospel. The willingness of the apostles and early Christians to die for the gospel tell us that they were truly convinced and believe the gospel. In other words, the authenticating evidence of the Messiah as recorded in the Bible which they witnessed is true. As we know, a rational person will not defend and propagate something he or she knows that is a lie especially he or she gains no benefit for doing so but receive penalty of violent death. To understand this point more deeply, let us call the thing being defended and propagated X. If a believer is willing to defend and propagate X at the cost of his or her life, we can infer that the believer's faith is true and he or she truly believe X. But, we cannot conclude that X is true but the believer's faith is true. Therefore, we need to investigate how the believer came to the belief that X is true. In other words, we need to evaluate the set of things (let us call it F) that the believer saw, heard and experienced on which the believer's faith is established. If F is sufficient to prove that X is true, then we can conclude that X is true. If F is not sufficient to prove that X is true, then we cannot conclude that X is true. To illustrate, let us consider two car buying recommendations from person A and person B. Both A and B have just bought their choice cars, namely Car A and Car B respectively. They both recommend buying their cars of choice to you. We cannot conclude which recommendation is really good just by their willingness to commit their hard earned money in the purchases. We need to know how A came to the conclusion to buy Car A and how B came to the conclusion to buy Car B. Suppose A drew the conclusion by reading reputable independent car reviews of Cars. In addition, A has many friends who are happy owners of Car A for a very long time. On the other hand, B drew the conclusion purely by listening to the words of a salesman in the car dealership. Which recommendation is more reliable: Car A or Car B? As a side note, the Messiah warned us that wide is the road that leads to destruction and many people take this road (Matthew 7:13). On the other hand, there is an alternative but narrow road that leads to life, but few find it (Matthew 7:14). Is the narrow way hidden and impossible to find such that most people do not take it? On the contrary, the narrow way that leads to life which is the gospel is revealed to mankind and written in the Bible by the Almighty God. He Himself has transformed into a man like us and lived in the world to demonstrate and fulfill the way of salvation. However, most people follow the popular ways of life by instinct according to the customs and cultures in their communities. In other words, most people make the most important decision about the meanings, direction and eternal destination of life on the basis of their feelings, cultural familiarity and approval while rejecting the gospel revealed by the one and one God and is open for investigation.
5 Authentication by the Fruits of His Work of Salvation
When Jesus died, He had not established a powerful empire on the earth nor a popular religion. In fact, the disciples who had been with Jesus all along were so discouraged that they were ready to go back to their old occupation (John 21:2-3). Moreover, they were slow in believing that Jesus had resurrected from death even though Jesus had told them before His death that He would rise from the death on the third day. In fact, after Jesus' resurrection, the disciples got reports from the women who first saw the resurrected Jesus and the disciples themselves verified that the tomb was empty, they were still not completely convinced. Even the people who persecuted Jesus knew about the prophecy of His resurrection such that they request Roman soldiers from Pilate to guard the tomb lest the disciple stole Jesus' body and spread the lie of resurrection (Matthew 27:62-64). What changed the disciples from being timid, discouraged and unbelieving to the driving force of the early churches that advanced the gospels to the ends of the world with the willingness of forfeiting their lives? They changed because of the following factors. First, the disciples witnessed the resurrection account firsthand because the resurrected Jesus visited and met with them together as a group and proved to them He indeed resurrected with a glorious body (Luke 24:36-43). Second, they understood the Scriptures written about the Messiah who fulfilled the written plan of salvation by God. They finally realized that the suffering of Jesus, the Messiah was not a defeat but a complete success fulfilling the very plan of God to save sinners of the world (Luke 24:44-47). Third, the disciples were empowered by the Holy Spirit who gave them courage, gifts and guidance to do the works of growing the churches and preaching the good news of salvation (Luke 24:48-49). The works that Jesus had been doing were carried on and grown in scale by the disciples and all people of faith after Jesus finished His earthly ministry. This is ordained by Jesus Christ before He returned to the Father (John 14:12). Jesus also pointed out that the source of power to carry on the gospel works was not based on the power and strong will of the disciples but the power of the Holy Spirit as promised by Jesus before His ascendance to heaven (Acts 1:8). The Holy Spirit does not dwell in the disciples in the early church only. Rather, the Holy Spirit is a continuous blessing promised to all who trust in Jesus. Those who trust in Jesus understand and appreciate how much Jesus has done for them such that they are forgiven and have life. The genuine response to Jesus' work is loving Jesus, obedient to His teachings and receive the blessing of the Holy Spirit (John 14:15-17).
Even today, when one trust in Jesus, the Holy Spirit will come in one's life and make one a new creation. This is what it means to be born again by the Holy Spirit as explained by Jesus to Nicodemus (John 3:5). The new lives of disciples throughout generations continuously authenticate the Messiah and His works. For the hearts and souls of believers were bounded by sins, but now salt and light of the world doing good works to the glory of God. The changes in a believer's life is not a relatively minor behavior changes such as quitting smoking, alcohol consumption, drug use and even compulsive gambling, but a revolution from the inside out. People quit smoking or alcoholism because of the adverse effects on their health, career and economic situation such that some are wise enough to quit those habits. Not so for people who trust in Jesus. People with faith in Jesus are blessed deeply and they are filled with the joy of being forgiven and reconciled with God. They live a new life with power to overcome the bondage of sins with changed direction and hope towards the kingdom of God. Of course, there are also many testimonies about the powerful help people of faith receive from God in overcoming those destructive habits such as drugs, alcohol and even criminal behaviors. According to the old human nature, believers also love the world or anything in this world instead of God. The reason is simple. Before being washed and renewed by the Holy Spirit, believers naturally lived like everyone else in the world and were driven and motivated by lusts and pride instead of the words of God (1 John 2:15-17). But now believers live like the master Jesus sacrificially and the world may even think that it is a poor way of living (1 John 4:17; James 2:5). These changed lives authenticate the Messiah who has come to save people from sin. These changed lives throughout generations are the witnesses of the power of God which is manifested in the gospel (Romans 1:16). These changed lives throughout generations serve as the answers to the quest of the German philosopher, Heinrich Heine, "Show me your redeemed life and I might be inclined to believe in your Redeemer."
Conclusion
Indeed, the Bible is the written revelation of God to mankind. The Bible consists of multiple books written by multiple authors in multiple generations. Yet, the same theme is revealed throughout the Bible: God saves mankind from destruction due to sin by His Son and bring them to His Kingdom and have eternal life. The fact that the Bible consists of multiple books written by multiple authors in various times prove that the ultimate author is God Himself. For only God can transcend times and control history which provide the context of His revelation that we can experience, verify and understand. To show that the revelations are His words, God spoke in prophecies. The accuracy of the prophecies proves that God Himself was speaking. For only God, not men, can foretell events with great precision hundreds and even more than a thousand years before they happen, we can be confident that the Bible is indeed inspired by God.
Bible References
Romans 8:28
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Ephesians 2:10
10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
John 14:12
12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.
Romans 8:1-2
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.
Luke 12:48
48 But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.
John 8:31-32
31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
John 10:10
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
John 8:34
34 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.
John 14:25-27
25 "All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
Philippians 4:4
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
Philippians 4:6-7
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Matthew 4:23
Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.
Matthew 15:31
The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.
John 11:25-26
25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
John 16:33
33 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
John 14:27
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
Revelation 7:17
For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.' ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.'"
Revelation 21:4
‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death' or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
Matthew 11:28
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 6:34
34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Philippians 4:6
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:4
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
Matthew 6:30
30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?
Matthew 6:31-34
31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?' or ‘What shall we drink?' or ‘What shall we wear?' 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
John 1:29
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
Luke 2:8-12
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
Luke 2:16-18
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.
Matthew 2:1-2
1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him."
Matthew 2: 9-11
9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
Leviticus 12:1-4
1 The Lord said to Moses, 2 "Say to the Israelites: ‘A woman who becomes pregnant and gives birth to a son will be ceremonially unclean for seven days, just as she is unclean during her monthly period. 3 On the eighth day the boy is to be circumcised. 4 Then the woman must wait thirty-three days to be purified from her bleeding. She must not touch anything sacred or go to the sanctuary until the days of her purification are over.
Luke 18:13-14
13 "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' 14 "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted."
Psalm 49:18-19
18 Though while they live they count themselves blessed— and people praise you when you prosper— 19 they will join those who have gone before them, who will never again see the light of life.
John 8:34, 36
34 Jesus replied, "Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
Proverbs 30:8-9
8 Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. 9 Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?' Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.
Matthew 6:21
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 5:3
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Mark 10:25
It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God."
Luke 15:18-19
18 I will arise and go to my father and will say unto him, "Father, I have sinned against Heaven and before thee, 19 and am no more worthy to be called thy son. Make me as one of thy hired servants."'
Revelation 3:17
You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.
John 5:36
36 "I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish—the very works that I am doing—testify that the Father has sent me.
Matthew 3:13-14
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to deter him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"
Matthew 3:12
12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire."
Matthew 11:4-5
4 Jesus replied, "Go back and report to John what you hear and see: 5 The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.
Isaiah 35:5-6
5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. 6 Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy.
Isaiah 26:19
19 But your dead will live, Lord; their bodies will rise— let those who dwell in the dust wake up and shout for joy— your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead.
John 10:30
I and the Father are one."
Mark 1:8
I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."
Titus 3:5
he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,
Ephesians 5:26
26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,
Mark 10:45
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
Isaiah 55:1
"Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.
Matthew 5:3
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
John 7:37
On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.
John 1:14
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Matthew 28:19-20
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Matthew 7:15-17
15 "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.
1 John 2:22
22 Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son.
1 John 4:2-3
2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
John 14:26
But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
Romans 8:9
9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.
Romans 10:17
17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.
Matthew 5:14
14 "You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.
John 1:29
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
Exodus 13:2
2 "Consecrate to me every firstborn male. The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me, whether human or animal."
Luke 2:8-12
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
Luke 2:16-18
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.
Matthew 2:1-2
1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him."
Matthew 2: 9-11
9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
Leviticus 12:1-4
1 The Lord said to Moses, 2 "Say to the Israelites: ‘A woman who becomes pregnant and gives birth to a son will be ceremonially unclean for seven days, just as she is unclean during her monthly period. 3 On the eighth day the boy is to be circumcised. 4 Then the woman must wait thirty-three days to be purified from her bleeding. She must not touch anything sacred or go to the sanctuary until the days of her purification are over.
Luke 2:28-32
28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: 29 "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. 30 For my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel."
Luke 2:36-38
36 There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.
John 1:14
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Mark 9:3-4
3 His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. 4 And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.
Mark 9:7
7 Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!"
Matthew 3:17
17 And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."
Matthew 5:14, 16
14 "You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Titus 3:5-7
5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.
2 Corinthians 1:21-22
21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
Luke 6:46-49
46 "Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? 47 As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. 48 They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. 49 But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete."
John 7:37-39
37 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them." 39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.
1 John 4:2-3
2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
John 1:1-2
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning.
Matthew 3:16
As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.
Isaiah 44:3-4
3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. 4 They will spring up like grass in a meadow, like poplar trees by flowing streams.
John 14:26
But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to yo
Acts 1:8
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
2 Samuel 7:16
16 Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.'"
Psalm 110: 1
1 The Lord says to my lord: "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet."
Mark 12:36-37
36 David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit, declared: "‘The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet."' 37 David himself calls him ‘Lord.' How then can he be his son?"
John the Baptist witnessed the acknowledgement of Jesus as the Son of God (Matthew 3:17) while John the Baptist as a forerunner of the Messiah was prophesied by prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 40:3).
Matthew 3:17
17 And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."
Isaiah 40:3
A voice of one calling: "In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Isaiah 7:14
14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
Luke 1:35
35 The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.
Micah 5:2
2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
Matthew 1:16
16 And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
Luke 3:23
23 And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,
Jeremiah 22:28-30
28 Is this man Jehoiachin a despised, broken pot, an object no one wants? Why will he and his children be hurled out, cast into a land they do not know? 29 O land, land, land, hear the word of the Lord! 30 This is what the Lord says: "Record this man as if childless, a man who will not prosper in his lifetime, for none of his offspring will prosper, none will sit on the throne of David or rule anymore in Judah."
Matthew 14:5
Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered John a prophet.
Matthew 21:24-26
24 Jesus replied, "I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 25 John's baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?" They discussed it among themselves and said, "If we say, ‘From heaven,' he will ask, ‘Then why didn't you believe him?' 26 But if we say, ‘Of human origin'—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet."
Mark 1:4
4 And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
John 1:29-30
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!30 This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.'
Matthew 3:17
17 And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."
Isaiah 40:3
A voice of one calling: "In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Joel 2:31-32
31 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. 32 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the Lord has said, even among the survivors whom the Lord calls.
Acts 2:15-21
15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17 "‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. 19 I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. 20 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. 21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'
Mark 14:12
On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb, Jesus' disciples asked him, "Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover?"
1 Corinthians 5:7
Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.
John 12:9
9 Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.
John 12:12
12 The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. 13 They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, "Hosanna!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Blessed is the king of Israel!"
John 7:38-39
38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them." 39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.
Romans 11:25-27
25 I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, 26 and in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written: "The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. 27 And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins."
Matthew 27:45
45 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land.
Matthews 27:51
51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split
Romans 10:12-13
12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
1 Corinthians 5:7
Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.
Nehemiah 2:1
In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before,
John 14:6
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Acts 4:12
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved."
Ephesians 5:8
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light
Acts 10:38
38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.
John 9:5
While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
Matthew 5:14
"You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.
Galatians 3:26
26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith,
Matthew 7:13
13 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
John 1:32-34
32 Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33 And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One."
Luke 1:17
17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."
Isaiah 61:1-2
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
Galatians 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Isaiah 64:6
All of us have become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf,
and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
Matthew 21:15
15 But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David," they were indignant.
Luke 21:5-6
5 Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said, 6 “As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down."
Matthew 27:26-31
26 Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.
27 Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. 28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!" they said. 30 They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. 31 After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.
Luke 23:39-44
39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!"
40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God," he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong."
42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."
43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise."
44 It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon,
Mark 15:14
14 “Why? What crime has he committed?" asked Pilate.
But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!"
John 19:18
18 where they crucified him, and with him two others, on this side, and on that side, and Jesus in the midst.
Acts 2:29-31
29 “Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. 30 But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. 31 Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay.
Jonah 1:17
17 Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
Matthew 12:40
40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
John 19:31
31 Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down.
Acts 2:32
32 God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it.
1 Corinthians 15:3-7
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles,
Luke 24:41-43
41 And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?" 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate it in their presence.
John 20:25
25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!"
But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe."
John 20:26
26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!"
John 21:13-15
13 Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.
15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?"
“Yes, Lord," he said, “you know that I love you."
Jesus said, “Feed my lambs."
Matthew 26:29
29 I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom."
1 Corinthians 15:8
8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
Matthew 7:14
14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
John 21:2-3
2 Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. 3 "I'm going out to fish," Simon Peter told them, and they said, "We'll go with you." So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
Matthew 27:62-64
62 The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. 63 "Sir," they said, "we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, 'After three days I will rise again.' 64 So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first."
Luke 24:36-43
36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you."
37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38 He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have."
40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41 And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?" 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate it in their presence.
Luke 24:44-47
44 He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms."
45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, "This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
Luke 24:48-49
48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high."
John 14:15-17
Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit
15 "If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever- 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
John 3:5
5 Jesus answered, "Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.
1 John 2:15-17
15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 16 For everything in the world-the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life-comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.
1 John 4:17
17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus.
James 2:5
5 Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?
Romans 1:16
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.