“All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through His prophet.” (Matthew1:22 NLT)
Let’s say you and I were having a conversation and you mentioned that you’d never been to the Grand Canyon. If I said, “Wow! You’ll be amazed. I’ve been there a couple of times and it’s well worth the trip.” Depending on our level of friendship, you may or may not go.
But what if I told you, “If you’ll go to the Grand Canyon on September 7, 2023, and follow a certain trail down into the canyon, you’ll see two men who have built a fire and they’re cooking a large fish they just caught out of the river that runs through the canyon.” And on and on I’d go with details. And then you made the trip and discovered everything I told you was exactly right, down to the smallest detail. Would you then conclude I told you the truth?
The fact is, the historicity of Jesus can easily be confirmed through non-Biblical sources, but what boggles my mind and gives assurance to me that Jesus is absolutely without question exactly who He claims to be is the more than 450 prophecies (predictions) related to Him that were given hundreds of years before He was born, and happened exactly as they were described. If you want to dig a little deeper into this subject, go to https://empower.global/the-mathematical-probability-that-jesus-is-the-christ/
Let me share a few lines from that site: “The reason why prophecy is an indication of the divine authorship of the Scriptures, and hence a testimony to the trustworthiness of the Message of the Scriptures, is because of the minute probability of fulfillment.
This is the result from considering a mere 48 prophecies. Obviously, the probability that 456 prophecies would be fulfilled in one man by chance is vastly smaller. Once one goes past one chance 10^50 (10 with 50 0’s after it), the probabilities are so small that it is impossible to think that they will ever occur.
As the professor concludes, ‘Any man who rejects Christ as the Son of God is rejecting a fact, proved perhaps more absolutely than any other fact in the world.’”
My experience is that, not all, but by far, most people who claim the Bible is just a book of fairy tales or fictional stories have never actually read and studied the Bible in its entirety. Most people who dismiss the Bible don’t do so on religious or even a “truth” basis, but their conclusions are drawn based on their chosen lifestyle. People typically want to make the Bible line up with the lifestyle they’re living, or want to live, as opposed to lining up their life with what the Bible clearly teaches.
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6 NLT) You may have issues with the Bible, but you need to be mindful of the credentials of the Bible’s Author (see above 😊).
It’s getting close to time, according to Biblical Prophecy, for this world to come to an end. I urgently hope and sincerely pray that if you haven’t followed the guidance of the Scriptures and yielded your life and allegiance to Jesus, who is the ONLY way to heaven (to the Father), please make that decision now, while there’s still time.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 