3. THE FULFILLMENT OF BIBLICAL PROPHECY
One of the most powerful evidences that God exists is the
fulfillment of Biblical prophecy.
One of the prophecies concerns a man named Cyrus. In 700 BC, the
prophet Isaiah predicted that a man named Cyrus will become a king
and will tell
Jerusalem
that it will be built and that the temple foundation shall be laid.
However an interesting point to note is that when Isaiah made this
prediction,
Jerusalem
was fully built and the entire temple was standing. Can you imagine
if one of the members in the congregation here were to say that in
some future time a pastor named Craig will tell [insert name of your
city] that it shall be built along with this church? Why did Isaiah
predict that the city and temple will be built if it was already
built? Well in 586 BC, more than 100 years after the prediction was
made, King Nebuchadnezzar destroyed
Jerusalem
and its temple. Then after this invasion by the Babylonians, in 539
BC it was conquered by the Persians. Shortly after, a Persian king
named Cyrus gave the decree to rebuild the
Temple
of
Jerusalem
. Thus Isaiah predicted that a man named Cyrus, who by the way,
would not be born until about 100 years, would give a command to
rebuild
Jerusalem
and its temple, which wasn’t even destroyed yet!
Another prophesy. 4000 years ago God made these promises to Abram.
In Genesis 12:2 God said to Abram:
I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you;
I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.
In Genesis 13:14-15 God said to Abram:
Lift up your eyes from where you are and look north, south, east and
west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your
offspring forever.
Two very important predictions are made here. Firstly, a great
nation will arise through Abram. Secondly, a land will belong to his
descendants forever. A few hundred years after these promises, the
nation had emerged – they were the Israelites. Eventually the
Israelites entered the land promised to them. However God warned
them that they would fall into disobedience and that this would lead
to their removal from this land - they would be dispersed across the
earth. God however did promise that one day they would return to
their land.
So what took place? The Israelites fell into idolatry and in 606BC
they were taken captive by King Nebuchadnezzar. However in 536BC, as
God promised, the Israelite people returned to their land.
Now when Jesus Christ was on earth, we find him saying the following
to the Jews in Luke 20:43,44:
“The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an
embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every
side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children and
your walls. They will not leave one stone on another,”
Well in AD70, Titus destroyed
Jerusalem
and scattered the Jews. For nearly 1900 years the Jews remained
dispersed throughout the world. But, on
May 14, 1948
, a seemingly impossible event took place. The state of
Israel
was reborn and Jews flocked back to their homeland.
Through all of this, the Jewish nation did not loose her identity.
This is truly amazing. Famous apologist Josh McDowell states
“people who leave their homeland will, after about five
generations, loose their national identity by being absorbed into
the new culture, but the Jews remained a distinct identity.” He
goes on to say, “Have you ever heard of a Swedish Moabite? A
Russian Philistine? A German Edomite? An American Ammonite? No!
These people have been totally absorbed into other cultures and
races. However have you ever heard of a Swedish Jew? A Russian Jew?
A German Jew?” An American Jew? Yes! As prophesized, they have not
lost their identity.”
4. THE LIFE, DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST
2000 years ago a man was born that was so influential he split time
into AD and BC – a man who claimed to be God incarnate and the
saviour of the world. That person of course was Jesus Christ. We
must remember that the New Testament is not just a collection of
spiritual writings – they are historical documents. In fact many
scholars view the New Testament as the most reliable set of
historical documents of the ancient world – hence the New
Testament paints an accurate picture of an array of events that took
place nearly 2000 years ago. So based on these accurate documents as
well as many other historical sources, what is the evidence that
Jesus was who he claimed to be – the Son of God?
Well first we have the messianic prophecies. The Old Testament
contains about 48 major messianic prophesies that were all fulfilled
in one man - Jesus Christ. Peter Stoner, in Science Speaks,
calculated the chance of all 48 major messianic prophesies being
fulfilled in one man if there were no Divine for-telling. The chance
is:
0.000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000
000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000
000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000
000 01% [or 1 in 10^157 – the number 10^157 is 1 followed by 157
0’s]
Lets take a look at some of the prophecies Jesus fulfilled. Psalm
22:16
predicts that the messiahs hands and feet will be pierced. This
prediction was made 800 years before the Romans began practicing
crucifixion. Micah 5:2 predicts that of all the places in the world,
Bethlehem
will be the Messiah’s birthplace. Notice too the five implications
of a prophecy found in Zechariah 11:11-13, Psalms 41 and Jeremiah
32:6-15, which indicate that (1) The messiah will be betrayed, (2)
that betrayal will be by a friend, (3) the betrayal will be for
thirty pieces of silver, (4) the 30 pieces of silver will be cast
onto the floor of the temple and (5) the silver will be used to buy
a potters field. These are just some of the prophecies that Jesus
fulfilled.
Next we have evidence for the resurrection. Firstly, consider the
empty tomb. There are both Jewish and Roman sources that acknowledge
the existence of the empty tomb. Dr. Paul Maier says this is
“positive evidence from a hostile source, which is the strongest
kind of historical evidence. In essence, this means that if the
source admits a fact decidedly not in its favour, then that fact is
genuine.” Another point to note is that Christianity began in
Jerusalem
. But how could Christianity have begun in
Jerusalem
if Jesus remained dead? All the Jewish authorities would have had to
do would be to produce Jesus body – this would have killed the
existence of the early Christian movement. There is a theory that
Jesus body was stolen from his tomb. However one should realise that
a large amount of security was placed at the tomb of Jesus. A 1.5
– 2 ton stone was placed at the tomb entrance, while 16 roman
guards were stationed at the tomb. These guards were mean fighting
machines – together, the 16 guards were expected to be able to
protect 36 yards [32.4m] against an entire battalion and stand their
ground! Some say that the guards may have fell asleep. However if a
guard fell asleep on duty, he faced the death penalty. Dr
George Currie, who studied the Romans military discipline, states
that the fear of punishment “produced flawless attention to duty,
especially in the night watches.” The fact that Jesus tomb was
empty amidst such hefty security is enough for one to conclude that
Jesus Christ did rise from the dead.
Next there are the eyewitness reports of his post-resurrection
appearances. Among the people he appeared to were the apostles, Mary
Magdalene, Several women, James, Paul, Stephen, John and some 500 in
Galilee
. Some say that the witnesses hallucinated. However could all of the
witnesses have hallucinated? One should consider the variety of the
appearances. They took place at different times of the day, at
different locations, sometimes to individuals, other times to whole
groups of people. The reactions were also varied. Professor Merrill
Tenney points out that “Mary was overwhelmed with emotion, the
disciples were frightened, Thomas was obstinately incredulous when
told of the lords resurrection, but worshiped him when he manifested
himself. Each occasion had its own peculiar atmosphere and
characteristics.” The hallucination theory cannot account for such
diversity.
We also have the changed lives of the disciples. We can ask the
question “what motivated them to go everywhere proclaiming the
resurrection of Jesus Christ in the face of some of the most
sadistic persecution and torture in history?” Remember, when Jesus
was being arrested they ran away like scared pussycats. If the
Resurrection did not happen, the disciples certainly knew it. Who
would willingly die for what they knew to be a lie? Simon Greenleaf,
a professor who has lectured for years on how to analyze testimony
and determine whether a witness was lying or telling the truth
states “It was… impossible that they could have persisted in
affirming the truths they have narrated, had not Jesus actually
risen from the dead, and had they not known this fact as certainly
as they knew any other fact.”
Another point to consider is that the lives of many skeptics were
also changed. For example, James, a brother of Jesus mocked Jesus.
However after Jesus death and resurrection, we find him in the upper
room waiting for the Holy Spirit to be sent. He later died a
martyr’s death. What caused such a change? I believe the best
explanation is recorded by Paul “Then he appeared to James” (1
Corinthians 15:7). And what about Paul himself? Formally known as
Saul, he was originally a Jewish fanatic that hated Christ’s
followers with such malice that he made it his duty to go and ravage
the Christian church. His mentality towards Christians was probably
as evil as Hitler’s mentality towards the Jews. But something
happened to him. Something happened that transformed him from a
merciless demolisher of the Christian faith to one of its greatest
evangelists. Would you believe it – he himself died a martyr’s
death for the Christian cause! What could possibly cause such a
miraculous change? I believe the best explanation is found in
Paul’s own historical testimony “And last of all he appeared to
me also” (1 Corinthians 15:8).
Finally, the beginning of the Christian church was marked by an
absolute explosion in the number of converts. But what is really
amazing is the converts mainly consisted of devote Jews. At the time
Jews were fiercely devoted to Judaism and feared going to hell if
they were to tamper with any of its major beliefs. How could the
death of a
Nazareth
carpenter manage to convert multitudes of devote Jews to
Christianity, right in the hostile heartland of its oppressors? The
most logical explanation is that his death was followed by his
resurrection.
5. THE OCCURRENCE OF SUPERNATURAL PHENOMENA
Next we come to the occurrence of supernatural phenomena.
First of all lets look at experiences which can’t exactly be
classed as miracles – but it appears some sought of divine
intervention must have had a part in the event. For example:
[Insert a story of your choice. It is best if the story is one of
your own experiences or that of a person you know. If you want to
keep the sermon down to 30min, use 300 words]
Sometimes the experiences can be much more dramatic. People have
observed miracles and even angels themselves. For example:
[Insert a story of your choice. If you want to keep the sermon down
to 30min, use 300 words]
Timothy Crosby sums up these experiences fairly well when he says
“It is virtually impossible to read these accounts of miraculous
healings, escapes, appearances etc, and believe that all such people
are lying or that they are imagining things. When those who make
such claims are in the main, stable people, not given to delusions
in other areas of their lives and who tend not to ingest
mind-altering substances, then one must take their testimony
seriously. It is hard to account such consistent behaviour over so
long a period of history as the result of mass hysteria.”
However, we must point out that the supernatural has a significant
dark side. One should stay well away from all occult practices and
any other elements of the supernatural that may be related to the
devil.
6. THE EXISTENCE OF OBJECTIVE MORAL VALUES
An increasing number of people today hold to a view called Nihilism.
Nihilists believe that there are no real moral values. According to
nihilism, there is nothing really right or wrong – it’s not a
question of whether you should or shouldn’t do certain things but
rather do you like or dislike those things. But if a nihilist’s
car were to get stolen would they really respond by saying “I
don’t like what happened – but there was nothing really wrong
with it?” The fact is, deep down we all know that some things
really are right and others really are wrong. For example torturing
babies is not just an unpleasant act to behold nor is it just a
socially unacceptable behaviour. Rather it is a moral abomination.
Acts such as torturing babies and stealing are really wrong – they
are not just acts that you may not want to do, rather they are acts
that you should not do.
Now we have a very interesting question. What is the cause for the
existence of moral values? Many say that humans created these
values. After all we create many other laws – why can’t we be
the creators of objective moral values? There is a serious problem
with this line of thought. It seems unreasonable that moral
absolutes – principles which ALL humans are SUBJECTED to –
principles which are DEFINITELY right or wrong – hinges on the
decisions of fallible human beings. History has offered plenty of
examples that confirm this. Consider what Nazi morality did to the
Jews. Sure, we humans recognise moral values and we put many of
these values in the form of laws – but we are not the cause of the
values themselves. Moral values themselves are absolute and exist
outside the realm of human creation.
So where do they come from? I believe that the existence of
objective moral values implies the existence of God who is the cause
of them. For if there is no supreme being – if we are just the
result of accidental chemical bombardments which have evolved
through a long process of death and struggle, on an miniscule crumb
of dust lost somewhere in a hostile lonesome universe, then how
could there be any such thing as absolute moral values? Besides we
usually think of a command involving a commander. For example, the
rules of Football were invented by people – they didn’t just
exist by themselves. Principles come from or exist in minds.
Therefore it seems that absolute moral principles would have to come
from an ultimate mind – a supreme perfect lawgiver.
7. THE MIND
Famous scientist and evolutionist, Carl Sagan, ounce said, “I am a
collection of water, calcium and organic molecules called Carl Sagan”
But is that true? Is that all we are? Are we just physical beings?
Or is there something more to us? I believe there is something more
to us. For in addition to our immensely complex bodies, we also
posses a mind, and therefore life. If we are just physical beings
then all our actions would be determined by the laws of physics and
chemistry. Of course this is not the case. Rather we are living
beings who, through the power of choice, can ourselves freely act
and determine certain events. We are not just a pile of molecules -
we have consciousness – we can think! Not only can we recall past
memories and events, but we have the ability to analyze, to
synthesize, to evaluate, to communicate, to draw conclusions, make
decisions, create ideas, concepts and designs. We have the ability
to think logically, to reason, to extrapolate, to summarize, to
understand. We have the ability to think intelligently. We are
intelligent living beings.
So where did the mind come from? Could mind come from matter? How
could consciousness arise from physical and chemical processes
acting on matter? How could the bombardments of inanimate particles
give rise to life? It seems that mind could not come from matter.
Since mind can not come from matter, than mind must have always
existed. Now, since mind is eternal, we have two options. Our first
possibility is this: A mind came from a mind which came from another
mind which came from another mind which came from another mind…and
so on for eternity past! But this results in an infinite regress of
causes which is a logical impossibility! Our only other option is
that there was a first mind which has acted as the ultimate cause of
all other minds. But since mind has always existed, then this first
mind must be eternal. Therefore an eternal mind exists. Furthermore,
since this first mind is eternal and since this mind is the ultimate
cause of all other minds, it is reasonable to conclude that this
first mind is greater than finite minds.
8. OUR SPIRITUAL NATURE
You know, mankind has always had the desire to worship something
higher than himself. Every culture has had some innate desire to
connect with the Divine. This is interesting. Why does humanity have
some desire to reach out to some higher being? Could it be that a
higher being really does exist in reality? Think about it. All our
basic needs are met by something that exists in reality. For
example, we get hungry - there is food. We get thirsty – there is
water. We need oxygen to breathe – oxygen exists in the air. Of
course living in a sinful world not everyone has access to these
things. Every year millions starve to death. But the point is that
all our basic needs are met by things that exist. If this is true
for the physical, then it might also be true for the spiritual.
Unfortunately most people throughout history and today fail to
recognise who God is. Many cultures have resorted to idol worship.
Others may develop an unhealthy fanaticism concerning their
favourite movie or sports stars, making them into a kind of God.
Still others seek answers to their spiritual longing in the new age
movement. They don’t realise that the hunger for something higher
is satisfied only in Jesus Christ. As Christ said himself “I’m
the bread of life.”
Finally one can personally know and experience God. Religious
experience has occurred all throughout history and in all
civilizations - in primitive cultures and advanced cultures, in the
miserably poor and the filthy rich, with the most learned
intellectuals and those who have not experienced the slightest
amount of education. It occurs among societies most despised
criminals as well as societies most respected individuals, in the
proud and the humble, in cool composed people and emotional
hysterical people. Such diversity suggests that God is the common
cause of these experiences. The Bible promises, "Draw near to
God, and He will draw near to you" (James 4:8). For those who
listen, God is not simply reduced to an inferred entity - rather he
becomes a lived reality.
