10. Christian Apologetics
Having dealt with the basic principles of Christianity, it will now be our task to validate this religious philosophy. Everything rests on the credibility of the Bible and of the Christ. While there are many historical evidences, this work will deal primarily with Scripture and, through it, we will focus on Christ. Our investigation will be in five areas.
1. A review of the nature of the Bible.
The Bible was written over a period of approximately 1500 years. It was compiled and written on three different continents and in three different languages by a collection of approximately forty different writers. These writers ranged from kings to slaves, rich to poor, educated to common. They were fishermen and doctors, shepherds and rulers, soldiers and statesmen. The book they wrote dealt with controversial issues. Yet in all the pages of the Holy Bible there is not one contradiction or controversy. All the writings are in perfect harmony, consistency, and accuracy with each other. Skeptics have challenged the Bible and atheists have assailed it. They are gone but the Bible prevails. Someone once said that man would not have written the Bible even if he could and he could not have written it even if he would. The Bible is truly the book of all books.
2. Miracles
One of the lines of evidence introduced in Acts two was the miracles done by Jesus. I have read somewhere that only thirty-one days in the life of Jesus are actually discussed in the Scriptures and all of the listed miracles are contained in those few days. How active must have been our Lord’s life! We are going to consider four miracles as we begin our defense of our faith in Jesus as the Christ.
A. The Blind Man
John 9:1, 6-7, 10-11, 17-18,24-25,30-33
“And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.”
9:1“When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.”
9:6-7“Therefore said they unto him, How were thine eyes opened? He answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight.”
9:10-11“They say unto the blind man again, What sayest thou of him, that he hath opened thine eyes? He said, He is a prophet. But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and received his sight, until they called the parents of him that had received his sight.”
9:17-18“Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give God the praise: we know that this man is a sinner. He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.”
9:24-25“The man answered and said unto them, Why herein is a marvelous thing, that ye know not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes. Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshiper of God, and doth his will, him he heareth. Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind. If this man were not of God, he could do nothing.”
9:30-33
The miracle here is not nearly as important as the reaction of the various characters surrounding it. It is true this man had been blind from birth and there was a cavalcade of witnesses to support this fact. It is also true that, unlike the charlatans of today, there was neither doubt nor denial that a notable miracle had been done. His neighbors were astonished (v. 10), the Pharisees enraged (vs. 16, 28), his parents afraid (vs, 21-22), and the man himself observant (v. 31). But no one at the end could deny the miracle that was performed. Jesus was approved of God by the miracle that all had witnessed.
B. Lazarus
John 11:41-44,47,53
“Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.”
John 11:41-44“Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles.”
John 11:47“Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death.”
John 11:53“Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there: and they came not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead. But the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death; Because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus.”
John 12:9-11
I heard a preacher on the television claim that someone in Australia had been raised from the dead. I read in a debate book (the debate having taken place in Australia) that someone in America had been raised from the dead. One must ask why each of these men stretched across the oceans for their evidence when, supposedly, they each had a local example. The answer is simple. Verifiability! (My own word, I think.) Jesus went to the grave of a man who was several days dead. Him He raised, which no one, even His enemies, could deny. In fact, they plotted not only to kill Jesus but also to kill Lazarus because he was undeniable living proof that Jesus was the Messiah.
C. Feeding the multitudes
Matthew 16:6-12
“Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. And they reasoned among themselves, saying, it is because we have taken no bread. Which when Jesus perceived he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread? Do ye yet not understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees?”
This type of miracle is recorded once with 5,000 men and another time with 4,000 men. Including the women and children, the witness list might have contained upwards of 20,000 names. Such a cloud of witnesses and not one recorded voice anywhere denying the reality of these events!
D. Raising the dead
Lazarus – John 11:39-45
“Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he bath been dead four days. Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up bis eyes, and said, Father I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.”
Jairus’ Daughter – Mark 5:39-42
“And when be was come in, be saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying. And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise. And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment.”
Funeral Procession – Luke 7:11-16
“And it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people. Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother. And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, that God hath visited his people.”
Many – Matthew 27:52-53
“And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.”
Raising the dead is difficult for a man not approved of God. (This statement is called sarcasm – I use such an approach often in my teaching). Jesus performed such (the raising of the dead) many times in His life and will one day raise us all (John 5:28-29). Surely the miracles such as these done at the hand of Jesus confirm that He was indeed the Son of God.
“And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”
John 20:30-31
3. The Resurrection
The case for Christianity is linked inseparably to an empty tomb almost 2000 years ago. In Matthew 26:47 – Matthew 28:20 we read one of the accounts of our Lord’s crucifixion. That he lived, was crucified, buried, and His body was gone from the grave three days later is historical fact. If the resurrection is untrue, what happened to the body of Jesus? We will look at three explanations offered by unbelievers.
Editor’s note:
Even if someone denied inspiration, Matthew, along with other writers, were contemporary historians writing about what they had personally witnessed.
A. The disciples stole the body (Matthew 28:11-15).
This was the theory of the time. But how does one account for the change of the disciples from cowards (Zechariah 13:7, Matthew 26:56) to courageous only a few weeks later (Acts 2:22-24)? The only answer which is reasonable is they had seen the resurrected Lord and it changed them. They no longer feared death, they faced it. They no longer ran and hid, they took trips to search out unbelievers and teach them. They were threatened, beaten, put in prison, and many other things but they would not be deterred. Truly Jesus was raised from the dead and He is the Lord of Lords.
B. The enemies stole His body.
The Scriptures tell us there was a guard set at the tomb to prevent the disciples from stealing the body of Jesus. How unreasonable it would be to go to so much effort to prevent the body from being stolen and then steal it yourself. But, if such had actually happened, when it was claimed that Jesus was raised, the enemies would simply have presented the dead body and ended the movement we call Christianity. This did not happen – truly Jesus is Lord.
C. The swoon theory.
This is my favorite because it shows the irrational thinking of the latter day enemies of Christ. The theory is that Jesus was not dead, that He had only passed out. In the coolness of the tomb He revived and returned to the city to continue His mission. To accept this you would have to accept the following (this is only a partial consideration). You would have to accept that someone who had been scourged and beaten, crucified, and stabbed in the side would only need three days rest to return to a fully active life (and that he would want to). You would have to assume he rolled away the great stone by himself (unnoticed) and alluded the guard stationed at the tomb. You would have to assume he unwrapped himself and took time to neatly prepare the burial clothes before he left the grave. You would have to assume that the professional executioners made a mistake concerning his death when they examined him and pronounced him deceased. Such a theory is offensive to the rational mind. Clearly the resurrection requires less faith than does this silly theory. Jesus was raised – Jesus is Lord.
4. The Prophesies.
In Scripture there are prophesies of great battles, the rise and fall of nations, future historical events controlled by the hand of God. If we were to view and discuss them all, we could produce at least a thousand pages of text, all proving the validity of the Bible. But we are going to limit our study to a partial listing of prophesies concerning the Christ. Through this we should see conclusively that Jesus is Lord. For the new Christian, it is this bedrock on which his faith will be grounded (Matthew 16:15-18). To the older Christian it will be a reaffirmation of the facts on which we have based our lives and our sacrifices. The few particulars I will list here will be presented with very little discussion or comment. They speak for themselves.
A. Virgin Birth
“And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”
Genesis 3:14-15“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
Isaiah 7:14“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet. saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.”
Matthew 1:18-25“But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.”
Galatians 4:4-5
How did Moses (the writer of Genesis) know 1500 years in advance and Isaiah know 700 years in advance that Jesus would be virgin born? Only God can know the future. I know the Bible is the book of God and that Jesus is Lord!
B. Lineage of Christ
From Abraham
“And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”
Genesis 12:3
From Isaac
“And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;”
Genesis 26:4
From Jacob
“And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.”
Genesis 28:14
From Judah
“Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: be stooped down, be couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes: His eyes shall be red with wine, and bis teeth white with milk.”
Genesis 49:9-12
From Jesse
“And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the spirit of the lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the lord;”
Isaiah 11:1-2“And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.”
Isaiah 11:10
From David
(duel prophesy)
“And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also the lord telleth thee that he will make thee an house. And when they days be fulfilled, and thou shall sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever. According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.”
II Samuel 7:11-17“The Lord hath sworn in truth unto David; he will not turn from it; Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne.”
Psalm 132:11“I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant, Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations.”
Psalm 89:3-4“The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.”
Matthew 1:1“And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfill all my will. Of this man’s seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus: When John had first preached before his coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.”
Acts 13:22-24
How did the writers over a span of hundreds of years know the lineage that would lead to the Christ? Only God can know the future. I know the Bible is the book of God and that Jesus is Lord.
C. Place of birth
“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.”
Micah 5:2“Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,”
Matthew 2:1
How did Micah know this fact seven hundred years before it happened. Only God can know the future. I know the Bible is the book of God and that Jesus is Lord.
D. Time of birth
“Therefore Daniel went in unto Arioch, whom the king had ordained to destroy the wise men of Babylon: he went and said thus unto him, Destroy not the wise men of Babylon: bring me in before the king, and I will shew unto the king the interpretation. Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste, and said thus unto him. I have found a man of the captives of Judah, that will make known unto the king the interpretation. The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof? Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king; But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of the bead upon thy bed, are these; As for thee, 0 king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass. But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart. Thou, O king sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible. This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. Thou sawest till that a stone was cut without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king. Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold. And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth. And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things; and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise. And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potter’s clay and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, Forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.”
Daniel 2:24-45
History tells us that the four kingdoms mentioned were Babylon, Medo-Persian, Greek, and Roman. It was during the Roman Empire that Jesus was born and set up His Kingdom (church). Only God can know the future. I know the Bible is the book of God and that Jesus is Lord.
E. Sign of birth
“I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.”
Numbers 24:17“Saying, Where is be that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.”
Matthew 2:2
Fifteen hundred years before the birth of Christ, Moses recorded a prophecy giving a sign of the coming of the Lord. How did he know? Only God can know the future. I know the Bible is from God and that Jesus is Lord!
F. Life and character
Jesus would be a lawgiver
“The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken; According to all that thou desiredst of the Lord thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not. And the Lord said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken. I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.”
Deuteronomy 18:15-18“Philip findeth Nathaniel, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
John 1:45“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you; Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.”
Acts 3:19-22
Jesus would take away sin
“He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.”
Isaiah 53:11“The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”
John 1:29
Jesus would be a divine ruler
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.”
Isaiah 9:6-7“Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”
Matthew 1:23“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
Acts 2:36
This list could continue for countless pages. Only God can know a man so well hundreds of years before His birth. I know the Bible is the book of God and I know that Jesus is Lord!
G. Crucifixion and Resurrection
“Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. he was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; be hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death; and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”
Isaiah 53:1-12“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent. But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them. They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded. But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him. But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when 1 was upon my mother’s breasts. I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother’s belly. Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help. Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round. They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion. 1 am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death. For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me. They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture. But be not thou far from me, O Lord; O my strength, haste thee to help me. Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog. Save me from the lion’s mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.”
Psalm 22:1-21“I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”
Psalm 16:8-11“For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”
Matthew 12:40“Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes. Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This he said, signifying what death he should die.”
John 12:30-33“Then said Pilate unto them, Take ye him, and judge him according to your law. The Jews therefore said unto him, It is not lawful for us to put any man to death: That the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled, which he spake, signifying what death he should die.”
John 18:31-32“Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. And they remembered his words, And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest.”
Luke 24:1-9
When one reads the psalmist’s account of the crucifixion, you would believe he was an eyewitness and not a prophet removed nearly 1000 years from this event. When you read the intricate details recorded so many years before the crucifixion actually took place, you want to stand in awe of the God who inspired this record. Truly, because of the prophetic record, I know the Bible is the book of God and that Jesus is Lord!
“The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.”
Psalm 14:1a
5. Eyewitness testimony
For the sake of brevity (a thing I am not known for) we will focus only on the writings of three eyewitnesses.
A. John’s testimony
“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.”
I John 1:1-4“Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshiped him: but some doubted.”
Matthew 28:16-17“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.”
Revelation 1:1-2“I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, Saying, I am Alpha and omega, the first and the last and, what thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.”
Revelation 1:10-13
Matthew tells us that at the time of the resurrection there was some doubt. This word, doubt, is used only twice in the New Testament. It means to waver. But after Pentecost we never see the apostles waver again.
Because they had seen and touched, the doubt was gone, the wavering had ended. At nearly one hundred years of age, the faith of John was strengthened for one final time when he sees from the isle of Patmos the resurrected Lord in the visions he received from almighty God.
B. Paul’s Testimony
“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: after that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.”
I Corinthians 15:1-9
What a powerful testimony! Paul says Jesus changed his life from persecutor to persecuted. He gave up status, family, friends, everything, for the resurrected Lord because he had personally seen Him. Paul also reminds the readers that at that time there were many hundreds of other witnesses who could be called on to affirm the resurrection of Christ. This was not some secret event! It was open, visible, and verifiable.
C. Peter’s Testimony
“Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
I Peter 1:1-5
This Peter was one of those who briefly ran away. This Peter is the one who denied Christ three times. What could have turned Peter from coward to crusader? Only the fact of a resurrected Lord! Truly the early eyewitnesses present, in part, the validity of the Christian faith.
Concluding thoughts:
While the Christian system is based on faith, that faith is based on over whelming facts of evidence. Truly the Bible is the book of God and truly Jesus is Lord.