Christian Evidences CA312 LESSON 07 of 12 Victor M. Matthews, STD Former Professor of Systematic Theology Grand Rapids Theological Seminary This is lecture 7 of the course entitled Christian Evidences. We have had one lecture on the introduction to the subject of Christian evidences, three lectures on the nature of biblical Christianity, two lectures on the verification of biblical Christianity, and now I want to come to the first of six lectures on the evidence for biblical Christianity. If God is there and if God has revealed Himself to us in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, if the Bible is the Word of God and if Christianity is the only genuine religion, then what type of evidence would we expect to find which would serve as verification? First, it would not be of any kind of a magical nature. This would be inconsistent with the very nature of Christianity itself. Secondarily, the evidence for Christianity would fulfill at least three requirements. It would verify the claims of Christianity to be factual and historical. The Bible, for example, speaks of the Lord Jesus Christ and His resurrection as historical, and it is a part of the task of Christian evidences to show the truthfulness of this claim. Also, the evidence for biblical Christianity would present a more coherent explanation of the world and life, that is, a Christian world and life view, than those systems which stand opposed to Christianity. This is what I was talking about in the last lecture about the verification of Christianity: that when you start with the true and the living God and His Word, then on that basis you do have a more coherent explanation of the world and of life itself. The third requirement that the evidence for the verification of Christianity must meet is that it would indicate that the origin or the source of the evidence itself could be adequately explained only by recourse to supernaturalism. The Evidence of Israel s Religion And now I would like in this lecture to point out two illustrations of such evidence. First of all, if Christianity is the only true religion, and if the Bible is the Word of God, then we would expect to find that the origin of Israel s religion may be explained 1 of 9
only on the basis of supernaturalism, that is, that we can only explain the origin of the Jewish religion be believing in the true and living God and His Word. We recognize, first of all, that there is an inseparable relationship between Old Testament Judaism and New Testament Christianity. They are related as foundation and superstructure, or as promise and fulfillment. The writer of Hebrews 10:1 states that God s word in the Old Testament among the Jews was a shadow of the good things to come. Secondarily, Israel s religion could not have come into existence except by the supernatural intervention of God through divine revelation. This is particularly seen in the uniqueness of Israel s religion as contrasted with the religious practices of the nations surrounding Palestine. For example, Israel s religion was monotheistic, that is, they worshiped one God; while the nations surrounding Israel were all polytheistic, that is, they worshiped many gods. This is an unusual thing if we do not believe in the true and living God, but here is an unusual religion in the world, a monotheistic type of religion so clearly reflected in the statement in Deuteronomy 6:4 5, The LORD our God is one LORD: and thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all they might. How can you explain while all the other nations roundabout Palestine were polytheistic that the Jewish people back there in the days of Abraham, Isaac, and the prophets worshiped the one true and living God? The way it is explained is that this religion did not come about just in a cultural way, but it came about due to God s revelation, His supernatural intervention into the world. Another illustration of what I mean here about Israel s religion is that Israel worshiped a sovereign God, that is, a God who ruled over all history and nature. The nations surrounding Israel worshiped a god of the land. Such a god of the land had only local sovereignty, it would seem. Therefore, if you would change your geographical location by moving from one nation to another, you would also change your god. If you would go from Egypt to Babylon, then you would no longer worship the Egyptian god because you were not on his soil, Egyptian soil; you were on Babylonian soil, and therefore, you would worship the Babylonia god. Therefore they worshiped, as it states in the Bible, a god of the land. That s not true for the Israelites. They worshiped the true and the living God. By the way, that may be the reason why Naaman, when he came down into Palestine, wanted a few mules, with burdens of earth, to take home with him. Perhaps Naaman wanted to make a mound of the soil of Jehovah God so that he could get up on the 2 of 9
God of Jehovah and thank Him for his healing from leprosy. Israel worshiped a sovereign God. How can you explain that if we do not believe in the true and the living God and the revelation of God to the Jewish people? Third, Israel worshiped God without religious symbols, that is, images or idols. How many times they fell into that way of worshiping, but they were commanded by God not to do so. And yet the nations surrounding Israel were idolatrous, and profoundly so. We recognize the prohibition against such idolatry or even images in Exodus 20:4 5 in the Decalogue. How can you explain if you don t believe in the true and the living God and His divine revelation? How can you explain that Israel worshiped God without religious symbols while all the other nations roundabout were worshiping God in that way? And then fourth, Israel s worship was characterized by a high level of ethical morality, and the nations surrounding Israel were often immoral in their religious practice. You only need to read through the Old Testament to see how true that is. For example, we read in the twenty-fifth chapter of the book of Numbers that Israel fell in with the worship of the Moabites, and many thousands and thousands of the Israelites were slain by God because the worship of the Moabites had an element of immorality within it. Believing in the true and living God and His revelation, we can explain this. We can explain how Israel s worship was characterized by a high level of ethical morality. Fifth, Israel s worship was characterized by a unique prophetic element, and the nations surrounding Israel were more often characterized by some form of divination not prophecy but divination. Here are five examples as to what I mean by the uniqueness of Israel s religion. The existence of God and the supernaturalism or the truth of Christianity, therefore, stand verified by the existence of the nature of Israel s religion. Starting with the assumption, a priori assumption, of God and His Word, it is easier to explain the characteristics of Israel s religion. If we do not believe in the true and the living God and His Word, then a person has a hard time explaining why Israel worshiped a sovereign God and worshiped without religious symbols and had a high level of ethical morality and did have this unique prophetic element, as well as being monotheistic. Secondarily, if Christianity is the only genuine religion and if the Bible is the Word of God, then we would expect its prophecy to be precise, verifiable, and, as time progresses, more and more fulfilled. 3 of 9
The Evidence of Prophecy I want to come now to the second point, to the great evidence within Scripture of prophecy. How do we know that Christianity s true? Prophecy is one of the great methods of verifying the truthfulness of biblical Christianity. First, a definition of prophecy. C. P. McIlvaine, in his very fine book The Evidences of Christianity [1833; ninth ed., Philadelphia, 1854], states, It is a declaration of future events Prophecy is a declaration of future events, such as no human wisdom or forecast is sufficient to make. Depending on a knowledge of the innumerable contingencies of human fares, which belongs exclusively to the omniscience of God; so that, from its very nature, prophecy must be divine revelation. There are many passages in the Old Testament which indicate the close relationship between prophecy and the formation and sustaining of Judaism. One of the great foundation stones of Judaism, of the Old Testament type of biblical Christianity, is prophecy itself. In Isaiah 8:20, we have this clear statement: To the law and to the testimony: if they [that is, prophets] speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. This is one of those great tests for the truthfulness of the prophet, and that is, does his ministry conform to the truthfulness of the Word of God as it had been known after that period of time? It s interesting in Isaiah 41 that the false gods are challenged by the prophet to match the prophecy of the God of Israel. In Isaiah 41:21 22 it states, Produce your cause, saith the LORD; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob. Let them bring them forth, and let them shew what shall happen: let them shew the former things, what they be, that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them; or declare us things for to come. God has verified His Word in the Old Testament and His existence by the reality of prophecy. Fulfilled Prophecies about Jesus Christ May I present a few of the more familiar types of prophecy to you? For example, a sample of fulfilled prophecy would have to do with the person of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. First of all, something about His birth. You recall that in Micah 5 we have His birth prophesied. In Matthew 2:1, we have its fulfillment. Micah 5:2 says, 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 a ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from old, from everlasting. So here we have the place where 4 of 9
our Savior is to be born. Micah 5:2 states Bethlehem Ephrathah. In the gospel of Matthew 2:1 it states, Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king. It s interesting that this prophecy that we ve read in Micah 5 was made seven hundred years before the fulfillment in Matthew 2:1. This is no coincidence. God s Word stands verified by such great prophecies as this. And then we have his entrance into Jerusalem, the entrance of our Savior into Jerusalem. In Zechariah 9:9, we have the statement, 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. We recognize that within the New Testament we have again an exact fulfillment of this prophecy that was made in Zechariah 9. Some five hundred years after the prophecy was made, we have the statement in Matthew 21:5, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. Here in Matthew 21, we have the fulfillment of the prophecy made in Zechariah. How many years expired between these two? Something like five hundred years. This we see as an evidence now for the truthfulness, the verification of Christianity. How would God make Himself known? Have you ever thought of the question as to what you would do if you were God to make yourself known to mankind, to show that you were there? Well, one way of doing this would be taking a group of people and making them so different that they would be an illustration of your presence throughout all of their history. And this, of course, is what God has done with the Jewish people. God has taken the Jewish people and has made them as a race of people so very, very different, primarily in their religion. We have given evidence here just a moment ago of the uniqueness of the Jewish religion. Secondarily, what would you if you were God to make yourself known? Another very fine way would be doing it within the annals of literature. To have your representatives make very exact and detailed prophecies and then show how they are fulfilled many, many years later. And this is the material that I am presenting to you now. For example, the statement in Matthew 5, Matthew 2 rather, about the fulfillment of the prophecy in Micah 5:2 of the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. And of His entrance into Jerusalem, five hundred years before the time Christ entered into Jerusalem, Zechariah prophesied that He would come exactly as He did come. 5 of 9
Another one as you well know is the fiftieth chapter of the book of Isaiah, and there in Isaiah 50, we have a prophecy about the Lord Jesus Christ again. Isaiah 50:6 says, 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. We understand the twentysixth chapter of Matthew, of course, is an exact fulfillment of this. In Matthew 26:67 we have the fulfillment of Isaiah 50:6. Matthew 26:67 68 reads, Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him, and others smote Him with the palms of their hands, Saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee? How many years existed between Isaiah 50 and Matthew 26? Something like seven hundred years. Again, the prophecy about the Lord Jesus Christ in Isaiah, the prophecy concerning His crucifixion in Isaiah 53:12 we have the statement, Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. This is fulfilled, as you well know, in the gospel of Mark 15:27, and Luke 23:34. The crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ prophesied in Isaiah 53 and fulfilled in Mark 15 and Luke 23. How many years between the prophecy and the fulfillment? Again, something like seven hundred years. Another one that had to do with the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ is Psalm 22:18, where we have the statement, They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture. The fulfillment of this is found in the nineteenth chapter of the gospel of John, in John 19:23 24: Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did. Here s again a statement from the Old Testament. How many years between Psalm 22 and John 19? Perhaps something like one thousand one thousand years between the prophecy and the fulfillment. One more about the Lord Jesus Christ, there are many more. Here s one in the Psalms concerning His resurrection. It s in Psalm 16:10. The statement in Psalm 16:10 reads, For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither will thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. And in Matthew 28:5 it states, The angel 6 of 9
answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye; for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay There is again one thousand years between Psalm 16 and Matthew 28. The resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ verified the prophecy from Psalm 16. Fulfilled Prophecies about Historical Events There are many other evidences in the Old Testament of prophecy and in the New Testament of fulfillment. May I now turn from talking about the prophesies that have to do with the Lord Jesus Christ to a sample of fulfilled prophecy related to historical events of a national nature in the Old Testament. I m not going to take time in this lecture to read these verses. If you are listening to this lecture with a pencil and a piece of paper, and I hope you are, then jot down these verses and look them up your leisure. For example, there is fulfilled prophecy related to such historical events as the Assyrian captivity of Israel. This was prophesied in Hosea 1:4 5, and the fulfillment is found in 2 Kings 15 16. When Hosea made that prophecy, no one would ever have guessed that Assyria was to soon come and take Israel captive, but they did. And the prophet under divine inspiration makes a prophecy of the downfall of Israel, fulfilled as we know it now in the historical record in 2 Kings 15 16. This again is evidence for the truthfulness of Christianity. Another illustration of prophecy relating to historical events of a national nature is the protection of Judah during the Assyrian captivity. In the book of Hosea, chapter 1 and verse 7, there was a prophecy that God would protect Judah while Israel, the northern tribes, were taken into captivity by the Assyrians. God did protect His people in Judah, only a few miles south of Israel. Israel went into captivity, and God protected the nation of Judah. The prophecy in Hosea 1:7 is fulfilled in 2 Kings 18 19. And third, another illustration of prophecy relating to historical events of a national nature is the Babylonian captivity of Judah. The prophecy was made in Jeremiah 17:1 4, and there God states to the prophet Jeremiah that He will bring the Babylonian people and take His people of Judah into captivity. The fulfillment is in 2 Kings 24 25. When Jeremiah prophesied, the people scoffed at him. They never thought that God would allow the Babylonian nation, these idolaters, to come and to take them captive. At this time, Judah was a very religious nation, and they had a high level of prosperity, and they thought a high level of security, but Jeremiah made the prophecy under divine inspiration, and within 7 of 9
his lifetime, it came to pass. The record of fulfillment is 2 Kings 24 25. A fourth illustration of fulfilled prophecy relating to historical events of a national nature is the return of the Jews from Babylon. In Hosea 3:4, as well as in Jeremiah 30, God promised not only that He would take His people into captivity to judge them for their sin, but also that He would cause them to return. We understand the fulfillment in the Old Testament the entire books of Ezra and Nehemiah are a fulfillment of the great prophecy and promise that God made. Even though many, many years would elapse with the Jewish people in bondage to Babylon, nevertheless they would return to the land of Palestine and rebuild the temple and be the people of God, and that did come to pass. Christianity is therefore verified by these evidences of fulfilled prophecy. And today we have a sample of prophecy and the process of fulfillment among the Jewish people. For example, in the thirtyseventh chapter of the book of Ezekiel, there is the promise of the restoration of the modern state of Israel, and this fulfillment began technically on May 15, 1948. Read it for yourself. It s Ezekiel 37:15 28. In the Old Testament we also have some prophecies that were very unusual. For example, there is a prophecy concerning the birth of Samson. Please jot down these verses and look them up: for example, the prophecy in Judges 13:1 7 and then the fulfillment of this later on in the unusual birth of Samson as the man of God. The fulfillment is found in Judges 13:24 16:31, an unusual prophecy concerning a unique man. Then there is a prophecy concerning such things as the day of Pentecost. Way back an early eighth-century prophet, Joel, in the second chapter of the book of Joel, makes a prophecy concerning the day of Pentecost. The Lord through Joel makes a statement that the day will come when He will pour out His Spirit upon all flesh, and it s interesting in the book of Acts, many, many years later, how Peter explains the day of Pentecost by stating in Acts 2:16, But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, and here he quotes Joel, I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh. So here we have the prophecy in Joel 2:28 29 and the fulfillment in Acts 2:16 21. 8 of 9
Another sample of unusual prophecy is the precise naming of Cyrus. The prophecy, perhaps as you remember, is found in the book of Isaiah 44 and Isaiah 45:1. In the days of Isaiah, when God was reminding them that they were going to go into captivity, He gave the name of the man who would deliver them from captivity. He called him Cyrus. You can find the fulfillment in 2 Chronicles 36 and Ezra 1:1. Another illustration of an unusual prophecy in the Old Testament was the coming of John the Baptist. The prophecy, Malachi 4:5 7; the fulfillment, Matthew 11 and Matthew 17. Christianity stands verified as the only genuine religion, and the Bible stands verified as the Word of God through the evidence of fulfilled prophecy. Christ-Centered Learning Anytime, Anywhere 9 of 9