A man? God? The fulfillment of prophecy? Yes.

I will describe a person and his life. Please tell me who I am writing about, assuredly and without question:

• Those who hate me without cause are more numerous than the hairs on my head (Ps 69:40)
• The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers conspire together against the Lord and His Anointed One (Ps 2:2)
• Even my friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me (Ps 41:9)
• Strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered (Zch 13:7)
• “Then I said to them, ‘If it seems right to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them’. So they weighed my wages, 30 pieces of silver. ‘Throw it to the potter,’ the Lord said to me—this magnificent price I was valued by them. So I took the 30 pieces of silver and threw it into the house of the Lord, to the potter” (Zch 13:7)
• They are striking the judge of Israel on the cheek with a rod (Mc 5:1)
• I gave My back to those who beat Me, and My cheeks to those who tore out My beard. I did not hide My face from scorn and spitting (Is 50:6)
• They pierced my hands and my feet (Ps 22:16)
• My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? (Ps 22:1)
• Everyone who sees me mocks me; they sneer and shake their heads: ‘He relies on the Lord’; let Him rescue him; let the Lord deliver him, since He takes pleasure in Him (Ps 22:7-8)
• They gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink (Ps 69:21)
• I am poured out like water, and all my bones are disjointed; my heart is like wax, melting within me (Ps 22:14)
• Yet He himself bore our sickness, and He carried out our pains; but we in turn regarded Him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted (Is 53:34)
• He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open his mouth. Like a lamb led to the slaughter and a sheep silent before her shearers, he did not open His mouth (Is 53:7)
• They divided my garments among themselves, and they cast lots for my clothing (Ps 22:18)
• He submitted Himself to death (Is 53:12)
• He bore the sin of many and interceded for the rebels (Is 53:12)
• You may not break any of its bones (Ex 12:46)
• He protects all his bones; not one of them is broken (Ps 34:20)
• They will look at Me whom they pierced (Zch 12:10)
• They made his grave with the wicked. and with a rich man at His death, although He had done no violence and had not spoken deceitfully (Is 53:9)
• For you will not abandon me to Sheol; You will not allow Your Faithful One to see the Pit (Ps 16:10)
• You ascended to the heights, taking away captives; You received gifts from people, even from the rebellious, so that the Lord God might live there (Ps 68:18)
• The Lord declared to my Lord: ‘Sit at My right hand until I make your enemies Your footstool (Ps 100:1)

Is there any question whatsoever that what is being described is is the life, ministry, suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth? Is there any question in your mind? No, that could refer to nothing else.

Now go back and check these descriptions again. Each and every one of these scriptures were taken from the Old Testament, which was completed some 400 years before Jesus was born.No critic, no atheist, no agnostic has ever claimed that any one of these writings was written after His birth. In fact, they were translated from Hebrew to Greek some 150 years before He was born.

The reason biblical prophecy works is that the future is known form the beginning. If you are reading this, God’s peace be with you.

 

Excerpts from an article by D. James Kennedy