This week’s class presentation will continue our focus on seeing Jesus in the Old Testament. Then, for the apologetics portion of the class, we will look at the evidence from prophecy. We will end with our Bible study in the book of Judges chapters 17 through 21. This website will post basic answers for the Bible study the week following the class for your review.

As Christians, it is more important than ever to know what we believe, and why we believe it, and then apply that to who we are on a consistent basis, and this can only be done effectively if we know what God’s Word teaches, especially the big picture that always points to Jesus! All class sessions include a time for prayer and reflection, an “apologetics” presentation, and a Bible study section.

You will find the presentation notes and the Bible study survey format questions here, and basic answers to the Bible study will be posted during the week following each class for your review and as a leader’s guide.

Watch this week’s class presentation:

2025 A Case for the Bible, The Story Continues

Presentation Notes

Review and Discuss

Prayer Cards: Do you have anyone that you are hoping to share what you are learning with? Write that person(s) name down on your prayer card along with any other prayer request you might have (exchange with your table group at the end of the evening).

1. Where is Jesus in the Old Testament? Give the main tag line for each book: Jesus is…
2. Memory Verses:

“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.” Genesis 3:15 (NASB)

Fulfilled…

From now on I am telling you before it comes to pass, so that when it does occur, you may believe that I am He.  John 13:19 (NASB)

“The blood [of the lamb] shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.” Exodus 12:13 (NASB)

Fulfilled…

“The next day he [John the Baptist] saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”  John 1:29 (NASB)

SEEING JESUS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

Every book of the Bible points to Jesus! He is The Word

Jesus in the Old Testament…

Spend this next week studying the tag line for each of the Old Testament books. See Allen Parr’s presentation on “How Jesus Is Hidden In Every Book of The Old Testament”

A Christian Apologetic Tool
MAPS-S

P = Prophecy Evidence

Evidence from Prophecy

Prophecy: Internal Biblical Evidence

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 

What is Biblical Prophecy and Why Is It Important?

• In addition to an abundance of evidence in the manuscript and archeology categories, there is a multitude of evidence of fulfilled p
• The evidence in this category is so overwhelming that even ardent atheists have been swayed.
• Nothing is more profound than Biblical prophecy and its fulfillment!
• There are many people over the centuries that have claimed prophetic abilities but they all fall short when it comes to accuracy in their predictions and specific details of the fulfillments—this is not the case with the Bible!

The difference we find in the prophecies of the Bible is that they are always 100% accurate and none have ever failed!

It begins as far back as the “Fall” of man where God immediately promises a plan of salvation (Genesis 3). God’s plan becomes clearer as it unfolds in the Covenants throughout the Old Testament:

• Genesis 3:15 – The Original Promise and curse called the Adamic Covenant
• Genesis 6:18 – Passed to/through Noah called the Noachian Covenant
• Genesis 12:3 – Expanded to Abraham called the Abrahamic Covenant
• Exodus through Deuteronomy – Unfolded by Moses through the Law called the Mosaic Covenant
• 1 Chronicles 17:11-14 – Specified in David’s royal lineage called the Davidic Covenant

A prophecy of the Messiah and the Covenant Promise made sure:

I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness. I am the LORD, that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols. See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you.

–Isaiah 42:6-9

These Covenants are then supported by hundreds of prophecies that point to the promise of a coming Savior, Messiah, and Jesus fulfills them all! For example, the book of Isaiah was written hundreds of years before the time of Jesus yet many parts of Isaiah, especially chapter 53, read like a biography of Jesus!

Read: Isaiah 53:1-12…

The Suffering Servant

“Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. 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. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth. By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the living For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due? His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth. But the Lord was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand. As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors.”

Who wrote the 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 other Old Testament authors, there are 16 prophets who wrote about the coming Messiah
• These prophets wrote to the Northern and Southern Kingdoms of Israel from the time period prior to, during, and after their captivity and exile (Northern Kingdom to Assyria and Southern Kingdom of Judah to Babylon), 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
• 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

1. 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, years before the birth of Jesus
• 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)

2. 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

3. 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’s 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000!
• Fulfillment of 48 prophecies would be 1 in 10 to the 157^th power!
• We can’t even come up with the number to describe the fulfillment of all 300!!!

AND JESUS FULFILLED THEM ALL!

The Road to Emmaus

“And He said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?” Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.”

Luke 24:25-27 (NASB)

Bible Study

Each week 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 for your review. This can also be used to make a leader’s guide for your own small group and future studies!

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.

Discuss anything in the presentation that you would like to address with comments, questions or concerns, then go over your homework from last week…

Read Judges chapters 13 through 16, then do one or more of the following:

Note: There are several ways to study a book of the Bible, you can choose the level you’re most comfortable with:

• Basic: Read the chapter, then write down a title for each chapter (you could include more than one depending on topics in that chapter or what your study Bible might have).
• Going Deeper: Take notes to summarize the chapter (no more than three to five sentences). However, you can add to your summaries if you glean something important from your study partners each week (leave some room).
• Advanced: Look for these things to put in your summary notes:
  • Look for Covenants: Abrahamic (unconditional promise of a Nation, Land and Blessing) or Mosaic (Conditional promise of protection for obedience; loss of protection for disobedience)
  • Look for Jesus? Is there anything in this chapter that foreshadows or pictures Jesus; or is there any prophecyin the chapter (Messianic or other types)?
  • The Shelf: Note any questions or a-ha’s you have about the chapter.
  • Answer the chapter questions to go along with your summaries.

Chapter 17:

1. Who were the characters and what were their roles in this narrative?
2. Discuss: How many things do you see in this chapter that break the Mosaic Covenant and God’s Law for the Nation of Israel?

Chapter 18:

1. What did the men from the Tribe of Dan do to the house of Micah, and why?
2. Discuss: How far from the will of God had the people of Israel fallen at this time? Give some reasons why, as it relates to the Mosaic Covenant and Law of God.
3. Going Deeper: In reference to the tribe of Dan and the other tribes that lived in the north – Research the later history of the Northern Nation of Israel: What tribes made up the Northern Nation; why did they split from the Southern Nation; what ultimately happened to them in 722 BC; and how does the Northern Nation of Israel relate to the people known as “Samaritans” during the time of Jesus?

Chapter 19:

1. Discuss: What happened in this story and why?
2. Cross-reference: How does this narrative relate to what happened in Genesis chapter 19?
3. Going Deeper: What is a concubine as compared to a wife (in these ancient times)? Was this Levite outside God’s Law, and why?

Chapter 20:

1. Who came up and assembled at Mizpah; what did they do and why?
2. How did the sons of Benjamin respond the sons of Israel’s request? Discuss why they might have responded this way, and why you think this whole event might have happened (cross-reference back to Judges 1:21 to help with your answer).
3. Discuss: Is there any reason God usually sends out the tribe of Judah first (what do we know about what Judah represents)?

Chapter 21:

1. How does this final chapter of Judges conclude? (Summarize the story)
2. Going Deeper: How do we know that the tribe of Benjamin would eventually recover? Are there any Biblical figures that come from this tribe after this time?
3. Copy verse 21:25. Discuss how this verse describes the condition of Israel at that time and the consequences it brought.

Now that we have finished the book of Judges, it is time to look at the overall application of the book

Application: How can this book and its teachings apply to us today? For example: Are there lessons learned; are there reasons we should know this history; does it help us understand God’s character and love for His people and His foreshadowing the promise of His Son, etc.? (Answers will vary, but can include personal, cultural or timeless teachings for us today)

HOMEWORK:

Choose from the above (basic, going deeper or advanced) to read and study Ruth chapters 1 through chapter 4. Here are the guiding questions for a more advanced study in the chapters:

Chapter 1:

1. Who left Bethlehem and why? What happened in Moab?
2. Who returned to Bethlehem with Naomi and why? What was said in verse 16 in contrast to the other woman (14-15)? Is there any implication of an attitude towards the one true God between these two, and how can we tell?
3. Discuss: What can we say about Naomi’s state of mind at the end of chapter one?

Chapter 2:

1. Under what circumstances did Ruth meet Boaz? What can be said about Boaz’ character, and how was it displayed?
2. Research: What is “gleaning” and how was it part of the Mosaic Law? (What Old Testament verses can we cross-reference here?)
3. Discuss: How is God’s sovereignty displayed in this chapter?

Chapter 3:

1. What did Naomi tell Ruth to do and what happened when she followed through?
2. Research: What Ruth did, and how Boaz responded seems strange to us today. What did these actions by Ruth and Boaz mean in that ancient culture?
3. Discuss: How does Boaz foreshadow Jesus in this narrative?

Chapter 4:

1. What happened when Boaz went to the city gates?
2. Research: Where in the Torah can we find the laws about “kinsmen redeemers”?
3. Discuss: How does Jesus fit into this genealogy? (Cross-reference Luke chapter three)

Now that we have finished the book of Ruth, discuss the overall application of the book

Application: How can this book and its teachings apply to us today? For example: Are there lessons learned; are there reasons we should know this history; does it help us understand God’s character and love for His people and His foreshadowing the promise of His Son, etc.? (Answers will vary, but can include personal, cultural or timeless teachings for us today)

Continue to Practice your memorization of …