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INCREASE YOUR BIBLE IQ
Evidence
that Jesus Lived
SOME
atheists say: "Jesus never
lived!" Others think he was an historical
figure.
Have
you
ever proved whether the Christ of
the Bible
really
lived?
lf
he performed those
astonishing miracles of raising men from the
dead, healip.g the blind and lame, and walking on
water?
Did Jesus really walk the dusty roads of Palestine
during the time of the Roman occupation more than
1,900 years ago?
The New Testament, of course, bears record of a
man named Jesus Christ. But is there evidence
outside
the Bible that he really lived? That he
performed miracles? That he was condemned to
deatb by the Roman governor Pilate as recorded in
tbe New Testament?
That Jesus did live and was crucified is described
in detail within tbe pages of tbe Bible itself. But can
it be proven from tbe words of Roman historians and
others wbo wrote about bim?
The Biblical Evidence
Tbis brief study presents only a fragment of tbe
evidence from both secular and biblical sources. But
before examining tbe secular historical evidence, let's
first notice sorne of the details the Bible itself has to
offer. So before we go any further, be sure you get
your Bible.
Read
the verses that answer the
questions asked in this revealing study. (This is the
same method of study used by the Ambassador
College Bible Correspondence Course, which you can
study, free, in your own borne, upon request.)
l.
Does the Bíble record Christ's existence as a
16
human being during the early days of the Roman
Empire? Matthew 1:16, 18, 21; 2:1-6; Luke
20:20-25; John 11:47-48.
COMMENT: Tbe New Testament is a record of the
life and teachings of Jesus Christ and the Church he
founded. The written accounts--or gospels--of
·
Mattbew, Mark, Luke and John (Jesus' disciples and
apostles) clearly show tbat Christ was born during
the closing days of the reign of Herod, king of Judea,
and that he lived during the time of tbe earlier
Roman Caesars and tbe Roman occupation of
Palestine.
2. Was Cbrist's birth in the town of Bethlebem of
Judea predicted bundreds of years earlier? Matthew
1:22-23; Matthew 2:4-6; Micah 5:2; Isaiab 7:14.
COMMENT: These latter scriptures are merely two
of the dozens of propbecies and references to a
Messiah in the Hebrew Bible tbat are mentioned in
the New Testament as baving been fulfilled by Jesus
Christ. These Hebrew propbecies, as historians and
linguists admit, were all written
hundreds ofyears
before Jesus was born!
3. Did Jesus point out tbat tbe Scriptures of bis
day (now called the Old Testament by Cbristians)
spoke about him? John 5:39; Luke 24:25-27, 44.
Also read Matthew 26:55-56 and Luke 4:17-21.
4. Let's notice severa! more Old Testament
prophecies about tbe Messiab and see how Jesus
fulfilled t bem. Was the Messiab or tbe Christ to be
betrayed by a friend for 30 pieces of si lver? Psalm
41 :9 and Zechariah 11: 12-13 compared with
Matthew 26: 14-16.
5. Would the Messiah suffer a painful and
agonizing deatb, witb bis hands and feet pierced?
Isaiah 53:7-9; Psalm 22:14-17; Zechariah 12:10
compared with Mattbew 27:31; John 19:1, 34 and
20:24-29.
6. And, yet, would the bones in bis body not be
broken? Psalm 34:20 compared with John 19:33, 36.
7. Would lots be cast for bis robe? Psalm 22:18
compared witb Matthew 27:35.
Jewish H1storical Evldence
l.
Wbile on earth, what miracles did Jesus perform?
Matthew 11:4-5; 15:30-31 ; 14:25-27; Luke 17:12-16;
John 11: 11-14, 38-44.
2. Did the religious leaders in Judea, who were
envious of Christ's miracles and fame, claim that bis
power was from a source other than God? Matthew
12:24.
The
PLAIN TRUTH