myBlessedHope

Reason to Listen

Do you know that about one-fourth of the Bible is prophecy?  A quarter of the Bible is a lot — it’s a big book.

And do you know God’s standard?  Perfection.

That means that if even one of those prophesies is wrong, you can discount all of them.

Kind of like a prophet who makes a false prediction — that made him a false prophet and a candidate for stoning.

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Do you know that four thousand prophecies in the Bible have already come true down to the last detail?

If four thousand out of five thousand prophecies have already occurred exactly as the Bible predicted they would, you might want to pay attention to the rest.

The one thousand yet to be fulfilled are the ones regarding the last days before the return of Christ, and they’re being checked off the list right now.

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The Bible made more than three hundred prophecies about the coming Messiah.  Here are just a few:

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– From the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10; Luke 3:33)

– Born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2; Luke 2:4)

– Proceeded by a forerunner (Malachi 3:1; Luke 7:24, 27)

– To minister in Galilee (Isaiah 9:1-2; Matthew 4:13-16)

– Rejected by the Jews (Isaiah 53:3, John 1:11)

– Triumphal entry on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9; Mark 11:7)

– Betrayed for thirty pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12; Matthew 26:14)

– Accused by false witnesses (Psalm 35:11; Mark 14:57)

– Spat on and struck (Isaiah 50:6; Matthew 26:67)

– Pierced through hands and feet (Zechariah 12:10; Luke 23:35)

– Soldiers gambled for His clothes (Psalm 22:17-18; Matthew 27:35)

– None of His bones were broken (Psalm 34:20; John 19:32-33, 36)

– Pierced through His side (Zechariah 12:10; John 19:34)

– Buried with the rich (Isaiah 53:9; Matthew 27:57-60)

– Resurrected (Psalm 16:10 and Psalm 49:15; Mark 16:6)

(Note: All scripture passages are listed at the end of page.)

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One man fulfilled every single one of these prophecies — and 285 more.

His name is Jesus Christ.

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Coincidence, you say?

Just what are the odds of such a coincidence?

Try this:

Cover the entire state of Texas with silver dollars two feet deep, put a red X on just one of them, and then blindfold someone and give him one chance to pick it.

That’s what scientists have said are the odds that Christ would have fulfilled just eight of those prophecies.

And Christ fulfilled more than three hundred.

I don’t know about you, but if all those other prophecies came true, I’m going to expect more of the same when it comes to the remaining ones.

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Prophecy Scripture: – (KJV)

From the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10; Luke 3:33)

Genesis 49:10 – “The sceptre 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.“

Luke 3:33 – “Which was the son of Aminadab, which was the son of Aram, which was the son of Esrom, which was the son of Phares, which was the son of Juda,“

Born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2; Luke 2:4)

Micah 5:2 – “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.”

Luke 2:4 – “And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)”

Proceeded by a forerunner (Malachi 3:1; Luke 7:24, 27)

Malachi 3:1 – “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the LORD, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.”

Luke 7:24 – “And when the messengers of John were departed, he began to speak unto the people concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness for to see? A reed shaken with the wind?”

Luke 7:27 – “This is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.”

To minister in Galilee (Isaiah 9:1-2; Matthew 4:13-16)

Isaiah 9:1-2 – “Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations.    The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.”

Matthew 4:13-16 – “And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,  The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles;  The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.”

Rejected by the Jews (Isaiah 53:3, John 1:11)

Isaiah 53:3 – “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.”

John 1:11 – “He came unto his own, and his own received him not.”

Triumphal entry on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9; Mark 11:7)

Zechariah 9:9 – “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.”

Mark 11:7 – “And they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on him; and he sat upon him”

Betrayed for thirty pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12; Matthew 26:14)

Zechariah 11:12 – “And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver.”

Matthew 26:14 – “Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests,”

Accused by false witnesses (Psalm 35:11; Mark 14:57)

Psalm 35:11 – “False witnesses did rise up; they laid to my charge things that I knew not.”

Mark 14:57 – “And there arose certain, and bare false witness against him, saying,”

Spat on and struck (Isaiah 50:6; Matthew 26:67)

Isaiah 50:6 – “I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.”

Matthew 26:67 – “Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands,”

Pierced through hands and feet (Zechariah 12:10; Luke 23:35)

Zechariah 12:10 – “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.”

Luke 23:35 – “And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God.”

Soldiers gambled for His clothes (Psalm 22:17-18; Matthew 27:35)

Psalm 22:17-18 – “I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.  They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.”

Matthew 27:35 – “And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.”

None of His bones were broken (Psalm 34:20; John 19:32-33, 36)

Psalm 34:20 – “He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.”

John 19:32-33 – “Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him.  But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs:”

John 19:36 – “For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken.”

Pierced through His side (Zechariah 12:10; John 19:34)

Zechariah 12:10 – “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.”

John 19:34 – “But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.”

Buried with the rich (Isaiah 53:9; Matthew 27:57-60)

Isaiah 53:9 – “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.”

Matthew 27:57-60 – “When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus’ disciple: He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered.  And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,  And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.”

Resurrected (Psalm 16:10 and Psalm 49:15; Mark 16:6)

Psalm 16:10 – “For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.”

Psalm 49:15 – “But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah.”

Mark 16:6 – “And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.”

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Credits:

Thanks to Janet L Folger for her book The Criminalization of Christianity (ISBN 1-59052-468-3) (pg 225-226)