Amazing Fulfillment of Biblical Prophecies on the Execution and Death of Jesus Christ

 

Christians' Bible is divided between the Old and the New Testament. The Old 

Testament deals with books written by Moses, history of Ancient Israel, poems and prophecies of the future. The New Testament deals mainly on the life, ministry and teaching of Jesus who Christians believe as God's promised Messiah. Prophet Isaiah who lived about 700 years before Jesus Christ was one of the Old Testament prophets. He prophesied on the coming of God's Messiah among other things. Among them was the manner of how the Messiah would die. Below are selected chapters and verses of the Old Testament in the Book of Psalms and Isaiah which are related to the life of Jesus.

From The Book of Psalms, Chapter 22

1 My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art though so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?

7 All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shout out the lip, they shake the head, saying,

8 He trusted in the Lord that he would deliver him; let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him,

14 I am poured like a water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax, it is melted in the midst of my bowels. 

15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou has brought me into the dust of death.

16 For dogs have compassed me; the assemble of the wicked have enclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.

18. They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.

From the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, Chapter 53

4 Surely he had born our griefs, and carried out our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted.

5 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.

6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, het he opened not his mouth; he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and a sheep before his shearer is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

8 He was taken from prison and from judgment; and 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.

9 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.

10 Yet it pleased the lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief; when thou shalt make his soul and offering of sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

Christians believe that above prophecies are fulfilled according the accounts in the New Testament . during Jesus lifetime. Jesus activities and his claim to be the Son of God caused grave concerns among the Jewish religious leaders so that they plotted against him. He was tried by the Jewish and Roman authorities (Psalm 22: 16). During those trials he did not make rebuttals of the accusations against him (Isaiah 53:7). Consequently, he was sentence to be executed through crucifixion (Isaiah 53:8, Psalm 22:16). Before the execution he went through severe forms of punishments and beatings (Psalms 22:14-15). Nailed on the cross, Jesus uttered these words: "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Psalm 22:1). As Jesus agonized on the Cross some people mocked him saying, "If he is indeed the Son of God, why shouldn't he ask God to help him!" (Psalm 22:7-8). Roman soldiers took off Jesus garment and divided it and cast lot to decide what each should take (Psalm 22:18). Jesus was crucified together with two criminals, and entered in the tomb of a rich person named Joseph of Arimathea (Isaiah 53:9). Jesus went through pain and death because of our iniquities and transgressions (Isaiah 53:4-6). What Jesus went through was the will of God (Isaiah 53:10). 

Christmas: a Season to Celebrate the Fulfillment of God's Promise

Photo by Dnalor_01 from Wikimedia Commons                 

All over the world Christmas is the most popular occasion of the year. Some Christians consider it a religious celebration while others shun it believing that it is replete with practices that are deemed to be pagan in origin. The popularity of Christmas has made it not only a religious but also a cultural tradition so that even non-Christians are influenced or affected with the merriment that goes with the celebration of that holiday.

To many people Christmas is celebrated to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ who they believe is God’s promised Messiah. Indeed there are over 360 prophecies in the Old Testament on the Messiah.  And Biblical scholars believe that only the circumstances surrounding Jesus’ life could be related to many of them.  Jesus Christ was born during the reign of Roman Emperor Augustus Caesar or about 700 years after the prophecies were made.  

Isaiah’s Prophecy

One of the most notable prophecies about the Messiah was by Isaiah at around 712 B.C. Chapter 9, verse 6 in the Old Testament says, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.”

A birth by a virgin

Mankind inherited the sin committed by God’s original creations Adam and Eve who disobeyed Him in the Garden of Eden. God had to send His Son to the world to redeem mankind, and chose a virgin to beget His only Son. Isaiah 7:14 says, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and call His name Immanuel.” This prophecy was fulfilled in Luke1:34-35 “Then Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I do not know a man?’And the angel answered and said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.’” The word “Immanuel” means God is with us. Man cannot reach God, but God came in the flesh to this world through his Son Jesus.

God has a Son    

                                                                                            

The Old Testament itself stated that God has a Son: Proverbs 30:4 (about 700 BC) says, “Who has ascended into heaven, or descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has bound the waters in a garment? Who has established all ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His Son’s name, if you know?”

Born in Bethlehem

The Old Testament also made mention of the place where mankind’s savior would be born.  Micah 5:2 (about 710 B.C.) says, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrata, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler of Israel, whose goings forth are from old, from everlasting.” This prophecy is fulfilled in Luke 2:4-6 which says, “Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife who was with a child. So it was that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered.”

Confusion on the nature of Christ

Since the early Christian era the nature of Christ has been the cause of confusion and division among Christians and non-Christian who deny the Divinity of Christ. Roman Catholics believe that there is only one God in three persons- the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Non-Christians and even some Christian religious group question this concept of a monotheistic God. But adherents of trinity believe that trinity is one of the great mysteries of God as far as the Catholic and other Christian faith are concerned. Indeed, in Isaiah 9:6 the “Mighty God” is one of the names of the Messiah. Jesus himself said in John 10:30 “I and My Father are one.”

The greatest moral example of mankind

Jesus is one of the historical and religious figures that set good moral examples for mankind to follow. He was chaste and lived a sinless life. He helped the poor and healed the sick. He told his followers to love God and to love not only their neighbors but also their enemy. He also defied traditions that were unreasonable and even barbaric but were socially acceptable during His time. A case in point was the adulterous woman who was to be stoned to death. Jesus told her accusers to cast the first stone if they themselves had never sinned at all. There are many other good deeds by Jesus which are worth emulating. Love is one of Jesus’ central themes during his ministry. Laws and cultures of some western countries are founded in Judeo-Christian traditions and many of them are inspired by the teachings and examples set by Jesus.

God loves us

There are controversies regarding the month Christ was born. In most parts of the world Christmas is usually celebrated in December. Some biblical scholars say that December is not a likely month for Jesus’ birth because the Bible says that at that time shepherds were out in the field at night watching their flock. They probably would not do it in a harsh winter month. Jesus may have been born in months other than December. But should the month of celebration of Christmas really matter? The most important thing for us is to be grateful of God’s fulfillment of his promise which he did because of His love for us. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Amazing Fulfillment of Biblical Prophecies on Alexander the Great

Christians turn to the Bible for moral and spiritual inspirations and guidance. They also refer to it for the study of Biblical histories and of prophecies and their fulfillment especially on Jesus who Christians believe is God’s promised Messiah. Moreover, there are also prophesies on famous persons in history and events that already happened or are expected to come. 

There are chapters and verses in the Bible in the Book of Daniel that some Biblical scholars believe to be prophecies on Alexander the Great, the King of Greece and Macedonia who was born in Pella in 356 BC. The prophet Daniel wrote his book about two centuries before the birth and the reign of Alexander of his empire. Following paragraphs are the Biblical verses (King James Version) and the recorded historical events that fulfilled the prophecies:

Daniel Chapter 8: 1-8

“In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar a vision appeared unto me, even unto me Daniel, after that which appeared unto me at first. And I saw a vision; and it came to pass, when I saw, that I was in Shushan in the palace, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in a vision, and I was by the river of Ulai. Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last. I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became great. And as I was considering, behold, a he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes. And he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power. And I saw him come close to the ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and smote the ram, and brake the two horns: and there was no power in the ram, to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground, and he stamped upon him: and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand. Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven.”

Daniel Chapter 8: 19-22 identified the vision’s meaning of the ram and the he goat

“And he said, behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for at the time appointed the end shall be. The ram which thou saw having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia. And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king. Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power.”

Above verses hinted that the ram with two horns was the Persian and the Medo-Persian Empire. And the he goat was the succession of Greek Kings that would rule empires in Asia and parts of Europe and Africa. The first horn which represented the first king was believed to be Alexander the Great. That the goat came from the west and came not touching the ground was a figurative interpretation of the geographical location of Greece and Macedonia relative to Persia the former being west from Persia and are separated by sea to Asia. At age 20 Alexander quelled rebellions in Greece and unified the forces of Greece and Macedonia under his control as king. He then launched his campaigns beyond Greece and against the Persian Empire which perennially threatened Greece with invasion. Alexander’s forces defeated King Darius III much numerically superior forces in every battle. The fall of the Persian Empire also went with it her dominions such as Persia, Babylonia, Syria, Israel, Egypt and Asia Minor among others. The Persian Empire, the ram, was completely crushed.  Alexander, considered a highly educated man in his time, he being a student of Aristotle, endeavored to introduce the Greek culture, knowledge and language to his subjects in conquered territories. Greek became the lingua franca of the known ancient world. Despite his success, Alexander would not rest on his laurel. He launched more military campaigns to conquer India. However, his troops were pushed to the limits of their endurance. At the river Hyphasis in northern India his battle-weary troops which comprised Greek, Macedonians and other nationalities from his empire mutinied and refused to go any further. Alexander was forced to capitulate, and together with his troops marched back to Babylon through sea and desert routes. The hostile and difficult terrains back to Babylon took a heavy physical and morale toll to the troops and their king. They suffered many casualties in their march because of disease, hunger and thirst. The troops’ oneness with the king, and their willingness to endure hardship with him showed their loyalty and admiration to him despite their previous misunderstandings. The wounds that Alexander had sustained in battles, his exposures to harsh environments in his campaigns, his years of excessive drinking and the death of Hephaestion, his close friend and confidante might have affected his psychological and physical well being. In Babylon, after a drunken spree, Alexander was suddenly afflicted with fever. And not the best physicians at that time could save him from death. He was just 32 years old. This fulfilled the prophecy that when the he goat waxed very great, and was strong its first horn was broken.   

                     

Daniel Chapter 11:3-4

“And the mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will. And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven; and not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion which he ruled: for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others beside those.”

Previous verses said of four notable horns to replace the first horn that was between the eyes of the he goat. When he died Alexander left no clear will as to who should replace him when he would be gone. With the power vacuum, his generals promptly fought among themselves to secure a territory from the still undivided empire left by Alexander for them to rule as king and establish their own dynasty. This fulfilled the prophecy that four horns would arise to replace the one that was broken. Alexander’s son, Alexander IV, his wife Roxana, and his mother Olympias fall victims to his generals’ ambitions to rise to power. Alexander’s family was murdered by Cassander who then became the king of Greece and Macedonia. This fulfilled the prophecy that none of Alexander’s heirs would inherit his throne or his empire.