This week’s class focuses on the amazing fulfillment of prophecy by Jesus, the Messiah. We will look at what prophecy is, how we can discern truthful prophecy from false teaching, and how important it is to show that the prophecy in the Old Testament is reliable. We will look at some of the many examples from, not just one prophet, but dozens who made hundreds of both clear and clocked prophecies undeniably fulfilled in the person of Jesus! We will also continue with our study in the Gospel of Matthew with chapters 8-10.

Each week’s class includes prayer and reflection, an “apologetics” presentation, a review of last week’s Bible study, and a homework assignment. You will find the presentation notes, Bible study questions and additional resources below, and you can make comments or ask questions as well.

Watch this week’s class presentation on this topic:

A Case for the Gospels and A Study in the book of Matthew

Session Four: The Prophetic Fuse Leading to Jesus

Prayer and Reflection

Prayer cards: Take a minute and write your name on the index card provided, and add any special prayer request you might have. Exchange cards at the end of the class this evening.

At your table groups, answer the following:

Go over the categories and the 27 books found in the New Testament.
Go over the 15 major historical events of the Bible (from session 2).

Memory Verse:

But He [Jesus] answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’”

Matthew 4:4 (NASB)

The Prophetic Fuse to Jesus

It begins as far back as Genesis chapter three and the Fall of man, where God immediately promises a plan of salvation that becomes clearer as it unfolds throughout the Covenants in the Old Testament:

Genesis 3:15 – The Original Promise and curse known as the Adamic Covenant
Genesis 6:18 – Passed to/through Noah known as the Noachian Covenant
Genesis 12:3 – Expanded to Abraham known as the Abrahamic Covenant
Exodus through Deuteronomy – Unfolded to Moses through the Law known as the Mosaic Covenant
1 Chronicles 17:11-14 – Specified in David’s royal lineage known as the Davidic Covenant
These Covenants are then supported by hundreds of prophecies that point to the promise of a coming Messiah, and Jesus fulfills them all!

Who wrote prophecies concerning the coming of a Messiah, and when were they written?

The Old Testament contains over 300 places where prophecy is given concerning a promised Messiah
In addition to Moses, Joshua, and the other Old Testament historical authors, there are 16 others identified as prophets who wrote about the coming Messiah
These prophets wrote to the Northern Kingdom (10 tribes of Israel) and Southern Kingdom (Judah) from 855-430 BC/BCE
God spoke through these prophets in very different circumstances—some prophesied to kings, some to foreign nations, and others to the people in general
God communicated to these prophets either directly, in dreams and visions, or through angels
Many of the prophecies are two-fold and relate to things the Nation of Israel would face both eminently and futuristically
These Old Testament prophets not only made predictions but they were investigative reporters and preachers that also exposed moral corruption, condemned it and demanded repentance

Prophets spoke for God in two main ways:

1. Proclamations: These forthtellings pointed the people back to God and His principles by…

condemning society’s immorality and wickedness
exposing religious hypocrites
calling out people to repent from their wickedness
warning of God’s wrath and judgment
speaking of God’s desire to forgive and restore a relationship
explaining God’s plan to redeem His people

2. Predictions: These foretellings came directly from God, were never small in nature, and were not generalized (like predicting a sporting event or the stock market).

The predictions were specific usually concerning the Nation of Israel, in some cases concerning an individual, and in many cases pointing to the promised Messiah. These predictions…

related to spiritual matters
often focused on what would happen if the people did not repent
in some instances, were encouraging or motivating
include hundreds about the coming Messiah that are fulfilled in Jesus
include future events (apocalyptic) yet to be fulfilled, and studying these types of predictions, or end times, is referred to as eschatology

Objections:

Why don’t more Jews accept the prophecies of the Old Testament?
How do you know you can trust the prophets who made the prophecies?
How do we know the prophecies were not added years after they came true?

Answers to the objections:

Jews often limit the verses and prophecies they are willing to include as messianic; they exclude any that describes the Messiah as a person in any detail, and when interpreting the remaining verses, they reject any interpretation that points to a person rather than the nation of Israel or a groups of people within that nation; and they ignore the “clocked” verses (which point to our person of interest in hindsight).
Testing informants (prophets of old) is important: 1) Examine their motives and consider the extent to which an informant’s statement may have been influenced by the receipt of, or expectation of, any benefits. 2) Ask the question: Have they been reliable about other things? If so they should be trusted as truthful in new information.
History bears out the early dating of the Old Testament books (prior to the time of Jesus) – especially the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Clear vs. Cloaked Evidence

Three types of Messianic prophecies:

Direct and Clear: Example – Isaiah 9:6-7 says that a descendent of David would be on the throne; Isaiah 53 gives details of a suffering, dying and rising servant
Direct but Veiled: Example – Genesis 3:15 Seed promise
Indirect and Veiled: Example – Things like the Passover Lamb; Events like Genesis 22 and Abraham’s near sacrifice of his son Isaac and many others that are then referenced throughout the New Testament

Clear evidence example:

“And He will judge between the nations, and will render decisions for many peoples; and they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they learn war.”

Isaiah 2:4 (NASB)

Cloaked evidence examples:

“I gave My back to those who strike Me, and My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard; I did not cover My face from humiliation and spitting. For the Lord God helps Me, therefore, I am not disgraced; therefore, I have set My face like flint, and I know that I will not be ashamed.”

Isaiah 50:6-7 (NASB)

“But He was pierced through for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.”

Isaiah 53:5-6 (NASB)

“For dogs have surrounded me; a band of evildoers has encompassed me; they pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones. they look, they stare at me; they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.”

Psalm 22:16-18 (NASB)

Reliable Informants

Isaiah – Accurately predicted Cyrus King of Persia and the destruction of Babylon
Ezekiel – Foretold the ruin of Tyre
Jeremiah – Correctly predicted the fall of Edom
Daniel – Prophecized the rise of the Roman Empire

Examples:

“Thus says the Lord to Cyrus His anointed, Whom I have taken by the right hand, to subdue nations before him And to loose the loins of kings;… I have also called you by your name; I have given you a title of honor Though you have not known Me.”

Isaiah 45:1-4 (NASB)

“I will rise up against them,” declares the Lord of hosts, “and will cut off from Babylon name and survivors, offspring and posterity,” declares the Lord. “I will also make it a possession for the hedgehog and swamps of water, and I will sweep it with the broom of destruction,” declares the Lord of hosts.

Isaiah 14:22-23 (NASB)

Prophecy Facts

Prophecy is the most compelling evidence for the reliability, inerrancy, and inspiration of the Bible
No other book or person has the amazing prophetic accuracy that the Bible has!
Of the 26 other “so called” religious books not one has prophetic predictive accuracy
- The mark of true prophecy is 100% accuracy
- 27% of the Bible contains predictive prophecy
- The Bible’s prophecy has been 100% accurate

Skeptics often say things like: “Couldn’t a group of Christians have just thought up these prophecies and then placed them in the Bible after the fact or, couldn’t Jesus have attempted on his own to fulfill these prophecies?”

Answer: NO WAY

Dead Sea Scrolls confirm the Old Testament prophecies are not made up:

The Dead Sea Scrolls contain the entire Old Testament (except the book of Esther) and a complete copy of Isaiah, dated between 200 and 100 BC, as well as all the other prophets and prophecy passages
The Dead Sea Scrolls match our Old Testament today with over 95% accuracy (any errors are simply grammatical, spelling or word order; nothing in meaning or doctrine is affected)

Jesus could not have planned prophecies concerning specific circumstances of his life, for example:

Specific details of His birth
The time in which He lived
Specific details of His death

There are over 300 incidental and specific prophecies in the Old Testament that were literally fulfilled in life and times of Jesus—how does that look mathematically?

If even 8 of these prophecies were fulfilled in Jesus it would be equivalent to 1 chance in 10 to the 17^th
That is 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000!

“And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star [Jesus, Messiah] rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”

2 Peter 1:19-21 (NASB)

Going Deeper

Watch J. Warner Wallace’ presentation on the topic of prophecy:

Watch Illustra Media’s documentary: Prophecies of the Passion

Bible Study

Each week, starting we will have Bible study following the presentation. There will be questions presented here on the weekend, and basic answers will be posted during the week. This can also help you to make a leader’s guide for your own small group and future studies!

Quick Shot Review – Gospel of Matthew
chapter 4:12 through 7

A few points from last week…

Jesus ministry began in Capernaum with the call of His first disciples. Jesus’ teaching was different than that of the Jewish teachers because when He taught His word came with power, and He preached as one having authority. His teaching, preaching and miracles proved He had divine authority – people cannot reject His message without rejecting God. Jesus’ miracles show God’s compassion and love for His people, by addressing both their spiritual and physical needs.
Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount” teachings (5:1-7:29) call His followers to a depth of righteousness unheard of in other religions. The word beatitude is derived from the Latin word beatus, meaning blessed. It might also be defined from the Greek as an inward contentment or abiding joy unaffected by outer circumstances. They are statements of celebration, like worshipful psalms or parts of the Wisdom Literature, not commands like the Law of Moses. The ethical underpinnings of the Beatitudes are essentially those of the future kingdom of Christ, but lived out in the present interim by His people as a witness to the world.
Jesus did not come to abolish the Law and Prophets, but to fulfill them – This means that Jesus is the promised New Covenant and all that was written in the Old Testament His has done, and will do. Jesus affirmed that not even the smallest letter or stroke of the Law would pass away. The terms used in this passage highlight the precision and perfection of the inspired Word. Literally, it says, not one iota or one horn. The iota was the smallest Greek vowel, sometimes located beneath another letter. The horn probably referred to a tiny mark like a hook or tail that distinguished one letter from another.
In the LORD’s prayer, Jesus modeled for His disciples the importance of not just praying for ourselves, or treating God like a type of “Santa Claus,” but the importance of what we should pray about in order of importance:

1. Praising, honoring, glorifying and thanking God first and foremost, understanding His holiness and majesty is above all else

2. Asking for the Kingdom to come to us on Earth from Heaven, as this is what Jesus mission is all about

3. Asking for God’s will to be done (in all things)

4. Asking for our daily nourishment (bread)

5. Forgiveness of our sins as we should forgive others

6. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one (this is where temptation comes from)

7. Praising God again because all is His Kingdom, He is all-powerful and He is to be glorified forever

Jesus warns that there are few that find the narrow gate to salvation because it is only through Him (John 14:6). Because of the false teaching in the world many will enter the gate that is broad and leads to destruction. Therefore, we must build our foundation on the solid rock which is Jesus and the Word of God. Those that do not heed the Word only build on sand, eventually leading to complete destruction.

Always remember to pray before you study and ask the Holy Spirit to teach you and lead you into the truth found in God’s Word – pray for protection from the evil one who will try to discourage, distract and deceive us when we commit to growing closer to the LORD.

Note: Questions are taken directly from the chapters, and answers should be found and cited from the Scripture text in order to be Biblically accurate (unless asked to summarize in your own words). Study Bibles, commentaries and your own thoughts can be used for Discussion or Going Deeper questions. If you use these kinds of sources share them with your group.

1. Review of Class Topic: Before getting into the Bible study questions, discuss today’s class presentation by summarizing what you learned, commenting or asking any questions.

Read Matthew chapters 8 through 10, then answer the following questions:

2. (Matthew 8:1-34) In this chapter we see Matthew begin to present some of the many miracles Jesus performed that would point not only to His power and authority, but to His identity.

How did the leper approach Jesus, how did Jesus respond and why (8:1-4)? Going Deeper: What can you find out about leprosy at this time, how it affected the person with it, and those around them?
Jesus goes on to heal a Roman Centurion’s servant. How did this man approach Jesus and what was Jesus’ response to him (8:5-13)? Going Deeper: What is a Roman Centurion?
Discuss: There are a few more miracles that Jesus performs in this chapter. What are these other miracles and what might be significant about them (8:14-34)?

3. (Matthew 9:1-17) Jesus is becoming more active with miracles and teachings among the people, and the religious leaders are taking notice.

In the first part of this chapter Jesus heals a paralytic (cross-reference this story for more detail in Mark 2:1-12 and Luke 5:17-26). What are the two things Jesus said to him, and what do those two things tell us about who Jesus is (9:1-8)?
The religious leaders are becoming increasingly more critical of Jesus. What did these leaders say about Jesus eating at Matthew’s house, and how did Jesus respond (9:9-13)?
What did Jesus say to John’s disciples about fasting, and what do you think He was referencing (9:14-17)?

4. (Matthew 9:18-38) Jesus continues His miracle work with specific healings that point to His Messiahship.

What are the next two miracles Jesus performs, what do they show His authority over (9:18-26)?
The next two miracles include the healing of the blind, mute and demon possessed. How were the people responding to these miracles, how were the Pharisees responding and why (9:27-34)?
How did Jesus feel about the people as He traveled through all the villages and cities, and what did He tell His Disciples (9:35-38)?

5. (Matthew 9:35 – 10:42) In this next section we find Jesus preparing and commissioning His Disciples.

First, Jesus gives His Disciples some specific instructions before sending them out. Make a list of what Jesus gave them authority over and what He told them to do (10:1-15).
Discuss and apply: Jesus also prepares His Disciples for persecution (10:16-31). What are some of the things Jesus warned His disciples about, and what are some things Jesus said His Disciples should know in that would help us when we are feeling persecuted or fearful?
Cross-reference and discuss: From the Old Testament, read the prophecy in Micah 7:6-8. In this last section (10:32-42) we find Jesus teaching about a Disciple’s higher calling. What are some of the things He says that shows how important it is for followers of Christ to be completely committed with no room for compromise (what, in particular, stands out to you)?

Extra Credit:

List the names of the twelve disciples, include other names that they go by, and any additional information that you might have the time or desire to research.

Join us next week as we continue our “Case for the Gospels!”

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You will not find this material in the public school curriculum even though it is based on solid evidence and grounded in research. It is ironic that following the evidence to where it leads stops at the door of our public schools as they will not let a “Divine footprint” in! Join us as we examine evidence for Christianity and learn how to become a thoughtful defender and ambassador of your faith.

Click into the resource page of this website to view many of the top Christian thinkers and apologists along with some of their work; connecting to these types of resources is essential in your Christian growth.

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Teri Dugan

TeriDugan@truthfaithandreason.com

1 Peter 3:15