Best Free Book About God "Just a Man?" Part 1 Chapter 2

II

JUST A MAN?

The Lie: Jesus was a good moral teacher but he was not The Son of God

 

Since the beginning of recorded history, there have been many great religious leaders and teachers who have influenced the world with their moral and spiritual values.  Many people acknowledge the fact that Jesus Christ of Nazareth was one of these great teachers, but they refuse to believe that He is the Son of God and Savior of mankind.  Those who formulate this opinion of Jesus have apparently never studied the gospel accounts of His life, because the statements Jesus made about Himself preclude any patronizing view that would place Him in a category with other great men.

        Many of His claims were unlike anything that was ever uttered by Buddha, Mohammed, or any other famous religious leader or teacher and such statements could have never been made by a man who was only a good moral teacher.  Jesus claimed to have the power to forgive sins and to condemn to hell.  He said that no person could ever enter the Kingdom of Heaven unless He Himself allowed that person to enter.  He also claimed to be co-equal and co-eternal with God the Father, plus He professed to be the Savior, Judge, and ultimate ruler of mankind.  The Bible even contains many verses that either directly or indirectly refer to Jesus as being God Himself.

        The religious leaders of Jesus’ day knew exactly who He claimed to be, because on various occasions, they attempted to stone Him to death because of His claims.  Consider these words of Christ that are recorded in the eleventh chapter of the gospel of John:  “…Jesus answered them, "I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?" The Jews answered Him, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God." (John 10; 32, 33)

        His enemies attested to His many bold claims and His disciples likewise bore witness to His testimony and their encounters with His life.  For example, John the disciple wrote; “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.  All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men….And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of  the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John1: 1-4, 14)

        The enemies of Jesus knew who He claimed to be, His closest friends knew who He claimed to be, and Jesus Himself knew who He claimed to be.  Because of His many astounding and unique statements, it is not possible to acknowledge that Jesus was a great moral teacher without also accepting Him as Lord and Savior.  If Jesus was nothing more than an ordinary man, His audacious statements would prevent Him from being considered as a good moral teacher.  If He was not who He claimed to be, then there are only two other options to consider.

        One of the available options would be to believe that Jesus intentionally made claims that He knew were not true.  This would mean of course that He must have been the most diabolical deceiver who ever lived because He ultimately managed to deceive millions of people who trusted His statements with their very lives.  And, if Jesus was a liar then He also must have been a fool because He allowed Himself to be executed by not renouncing His claims.

        The only other possible option is to believe that Jesus was sincerely convinced of His Deity but, in reality, He was self-deluded.  This assumption would place Jesus Christ on the same mental level as a man who thinks he is Napoleon, and it is inconceivable to think that the greatest ethical and moral instructions that the world has ever received, were delivered by a man who was nothing more than a lunatic.

        C.S. Lewis, the famous author and once a skeptic of Christianity, summed it up best when he wrote “I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him:  ‘I’m ready to accept Him as a great moral teacher, but I don’t’ accept His claim to be God.’  That is one thing we must not say.  A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher.  He would either be a lunatic – on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg – or else He would be the Devil of Hell.  Either this man was, and is the Son of God; or else a madman or something worse.*

 

Prophecy 

 

        Apart from His teachings, there is yet another aspect of Jesus’ life which separates Him from any other person in history.  God gave us a detailed description of the one and only person who would be the Lord and Savior of mankind.  The details of this description are found in the writings of the ancient Hebrew prophets and are contained in the Old Testament of the Bible.  All of these prophetic clues were written hundreds of years before the life of Christ, yet by using the process of elimination, it is evident that Jesus was the only man in history to whom they could have referred.

        Jesus often pointed to the fact that many Old Testament prophecies were being fulfilled in His own life.  On one occasion, when He was involved in a confrontation with some of the Jewish religious leaders of His day, He made what must have been a shocking statement to them.  In the fifth chapter of the gospel of John, Jesus said to them:  “You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about me; and you are unwilling to come to me, so that you may have life….. For if you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me.” (John 5: 39, 40, 46)

        The fulfilled prophecies in the life of Christ are absolutely unique.  The Jewish people have had about 40 different people claim to be the long awaited Messiah of the Jewish race but Jesus Christ of Nazareth was the only one of these people who pointed to fulfilled prophecies in His life – because he was the only one who could.¹

 

Seed of the Woman

 

        The very first prophecy of the promised Messiah is found in the fifteenth verse of Genesis, chapter three, and it was made shortly after man’s rebellion in the Garden of Eden.  In this verse, God refers to the Savior as being the seed of the woman.  This is a unique description because it is the only place in the Bible where someone is referred to as being the seed of a woman.  Elsewhere in the Bible people are referred to as being the seed of the man.

        This prophecy is significant from a Christian perspective because it infers that the Messiah would be born of a woman, yet He would not have an earthly father. This is interesting because the Christian portrayal of Jesus Christ depicts Him as having been born of a virgin – conceived miraculously by God Himself rather than by a man.  That is why Jesus was completely human in all respects, while at the same time He was also the incarnate and sinless Son of God.

        This incarnation is obviously an event which cannot be proven to anyone but it is interesting to note that the Christian concept of Christ’s birth correlates with the very first Messianic prophecy in the Bible.

        Now, to many reader’s, this verse in Genesis seems vague and insignificant; therefore, they assume that Christians must have labeled it a “Messianic prophecy” in order to coincide with their concept of Jesus.  This assumption is incorrect because there are ancient Jewish rabbinic sources that declare this passage to be a definite prediction of the promised Messiah.  However, it must be admitted that certain prophecies, like this one, are difficult to ascertain without having a thorough knowledge of the criterion which determines whether or not a particular verse is actually “prophetic”.  Thankfully, there are many other verses pertaining to the promised Messiah which are very obvious and will be much easier to understand.

 

Lineage

 

        By using the process of elimination when examining the Messianic prophecies, it becomes evident that there is only one man who fits the prophetic description.  For example, the book of Genesis states that Noah had three sons named Ham, Shem, and Japheth.  Since Noah and his family were the only human survivors of the universal flood, all of the nations of the ancient world can theoretically be traced back to his three sons.*  The Bible states that the Messiah would come from the lineage of Shem, which means that two thirds of the people on earth would automatically have to be eliminated as possible candidates for the role of Messiah.

        The twenty second chapter of Genesis narrows the selection down even further by stating that the nations of the world would be blessed through the “seed” of Abraham.  Abraham was the father of the Jewish race through his wife Sarah; therefore, all of the races in the lineage of Shem would have to now be eliminated as possible candidates except for those of one specific race, the Jews.

        Abraham had two sons named Isaac and Ishmael.  In the twenty first chapter of Genesis, it is learned that the Messiah would come from the lineage of Isaac.  This means that one half of Abraham’s descendants would also have to be excluded from the Messianic line.  

        Isaac had two sons called Jacob and Esau.  In the twenty fourth chapter of the book of numbers, there is a prophecy which says that Israel’s conquering Lord would arise from the lineage of Jacob.  Therefore, this prediction eliminates one-half of the descendants of Isaac from consideration.

        Jacob had twelve sons from whom the twelve different tribes of Israel were formed.  The forty ninth chapter of Genesis states that the Messiah would come from the tribe of Judah.  Therefore, this prophecy eliminates 11/12ths of Jacob’s descendants from being considered for the role of Messiah.

        The eleventh chapter of the book of Isaiah contains some verses which indicate that the Savior would come from the family line of Jesse (who belonged to the tribe of Judah).  Therefore, out of all the families within the tribe of Judah, the Messiah had to come from the family of Jesse.

        Now Jesse had at least eight sons, one of whom became the most famous king in the history of Israel.  This king’s name was David and the Bible states in several different places that the Messiah would come from the “House of David.”

        The Jews used to keep all of their family genealogies on record in their temple.  Because of this, the Jewish religious leaders were unable to contest the fact that Jesus was of the Messianic lineage because such information was a matter of public record.  Obviously, if they had been able to disprove the lineage of Christ, they would have.  (It is interesting to note that in 70 A.D., just forty years after the death of Christ, Titus of Rome destroyed the Jewish temple and all of its records.  After 70 A.D., if anyone had attempted to proclaim himself to be Messiah, it would have been impossible to prove his lineage since the official records were no longer available).

 

 

Bethlehem

 

In addition to the genealogical requirements which Jesus fulfilled, the Old Testament contains many other specific prophecies that were fulfilled in the life of Christ.  For example, the prophet Micah predicted that the Messiah would be born in a small town called Bethlehem.  This is an interesting prediction because Jesus would never have been born in this obscure town if Augustus Caesar, the Roman emperor, had not issued a proclamation which required a census to be taken for the purpose of taxation.

In the year that Jesus was born, His mother Mary, and her husband Joseph, were required to comply with the proclamation by returning to their ancestral homeland to register for the census. Mary and Joseph were living in Nazareth prior to this time but were forced to travel to the town of their traditional ancestry which, in their case, was Bethlehem.

 The fact that Jesus was born in Bethlehem during this visit was never contested by His enemies. There is no room for modern skepticism about His birth place either because archaeologists have proven that Caesar Augustus actually did require a census that forced Jewish people to return to their tribal homeland. Therefore, because of some well-timed and unusual circumstances, Jesus was born in Bethlehem, yet he was still called Jesus of Nazareth because Nazareth was actually his home town (thus fulfilling yet another prophecy).                                                                                 

Characteristics

Prophecy also states that the ministry of the Messiah would begin in Galilee; that He would be preceded by a messenger in the wilderness; that he would teach in parables; and that He would perform miracles. The ministry of Jesus did begin in Galilee; He was preceded and attested to by a messenger in the wilderness called John the Baptist; his teachings were often in parables; and He is noted for having performed many miracles.  
        It is interesting to note that Jesus performed many miracles in the presence of His enemies; and, since His enemies were unable to refute the validity of His miraculous healings, they often accused Jesus of working miracles by the power of Satan instead of by the power of God. (The possibility of His miracles will be further discussed in the following chapter).        
        The Old Testament also states that the Messiah would be rejected by His own people and would become a “light” unto the Gentiles. The person of Jesus Christ certainly coincides with this prediction because he has definitely been rejected by the Orthodox Jewish community and has become a hope of salvation for the Gentiles (Non-Jews).

Betrayal

The prophet Zechariah stated that the Savior would enter Jerusalem on a donkey; that he would be betrayed by a friend for thirty pieces of silver; that this money would be thrown down on the temple floor and would ultimately be used to buy a potter’s field.    
        Just as prophesied, Jesus of Nazareth, shortly before His trial and execution, did enter Jerusalem by riding on a donkey. He was accompanied by a large crowd of people who were chanting “Hosanna to the Son of David; Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord;” (KJV) And, not long after His triumphant procession into Jerusalem, Judas, one of His twelve disciples, was persuaded by the Jewish religious authorities to betray Jesus for the exact price of thirty pieces of silver.       
        After Jesus was taken prisoner and put on trial, Judas felt great remorse for his sinful deed so he tried to return the money which was given to him for the betrayal. When the Jewish authorities refused to take back the money, because it was against their laws to do so, Judas threw the thirty pieces of silver into the sanctuary and then went out and hung himself.      
        The religious authorities could not put blood money into their treasury, therefore, they took the money that Judas had cast down and they decided to buy a potter’s field that was used as a burial place for strangers.
        Isn’t it remarkable that such a detailed description of this betrayal was recorded more than 500 years before the birth of Christ by Zechariah? What is even more amazing is that the coinage during the time of Zechariah was made of gold and not silver, yet the prophet stepped into the future and said that thirty pieces of silver would be thrown down in the temple.²

Rejection

The prophet Isaiah predicted that the Jewish Messiah would be rejected by his people; that he would be mocked and spit upon; that he would be bruised and wounded; and that out of his afflictions, he would pay the penalty for sin.    
        The sixth verse of Isaiah, chapter 50, also says; “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.” About seven hundred years after these words were written, Jesus was beaten, humiliated, and was spit upon during His two mock trials before His execution, yet he did not try to resist those who were abusing Him.

The fifty third chapter of Isaiah also contains a graphic portrayal of a man who would suffer and pay a penalty for sins which he did not commit. This chapter is seldom read in Jewish synagogues because the description of this suffering Messiah has been instrumental in causing many Jews to turn from Judaism to Christianity.  
        Consider some of these verses in the fifty third chapter of Isaiah; “He is despised and rejected of men; A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53: 3-6 KJV).  
        Once again, just as it had been prophesied centuries before, history confirms that Jesus Christ was wounded, bruised, whipped and killed, as He took upon Himself, the sins of the entire world, including the sins of those who despised and rejected Him.

Suffering

The twenty second Psalm also provides some graphic details about the suffering role of the Messiah and His manner of death. This Psalm was written by King David who apparently received a vivid, futuristic vision of what the Messiah Himself would someday experience. David must have been spiritually transported into the future and allowed to view and actually experience some of the circumstances which would surround the execution of the coming Savior because he writes as if they were his very own experiences.   
        The prophetic nature of this Psalm is obvious because the execution and suffering which David describes was never actually experienced by him. Although modern Jewish Rabbis deny that this Psalm is referring to the Messiah, there are several ancient Jewish references which indicate that Psalm twenty two pertains to the promised Messiah.³ (It is obvious why modern Rabbis deny that this passage speaks of the Messiah because it vividly describes the scenes which surrounded the death of Christ).    
        Psalm twenty two states that the Messiah would be mocked; that he would have his hands and his feet pierced; that his bones would be out of joint; that he would stared upon; that his outer garments would be divided up and his clothing would be gambled for; that he would suffer thirst; and would utter a forsaken cry.       
        Consider some of these verses in Psalm twenty two: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?.... But I am a worm and not a man, a reproach of men and despised by the people. All who see me sneer at me; They separate with the lip, they wag the head saying, ‘commit yourself to the Lord; let him deliver him, let him rescue him because he delights in him’ . . . . They open wide their mouth at me, as a ravening and roaring lion. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax, it is melted within me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue cleaves to my jaws; And you lay me in the dust of death. 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: 1, 6-8, 13-18).    
        The scene that is portrayed by the Psalmist coincides with the New Testament record of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion.  Consider how some of these Old Testament verses relate to the New Testament Gospel accounts.
        “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” (Psalm 22:1). The New Testament account of Matthew states: “ About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice saying “ELI ELI LAMA SABACHTHANI”? that is “MY GOD, MY GOD WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME”? (Matthew 27:46).    
        God the Father had to forsake His only begotten Son because Jesus took upon Himself all the evil and corruption of the entire human race. In bearing the punishment for the sins of the world, Jesus had to temporarily experience the hopeless despair of being lost and totally separated from God the Father.      
        …“They pierced My hands and My feet” (Psalm 22:16).  One of the most horrible aspects of crucifixion was that the victims sometimes had their hands and feet nailed to the cross. It is apparent that Jesus was nailed to a cross because in the Gospel accounts, he shows His disciples the nail marks in His hands after His resurrection.  
        “…all My bones are out of joint” (Psalm 22:14). Another excruciating experience associated with crucifixion was the dislocation of bone joints due to muscular fatigue caused by a person’s own body weight. 
        “I am poured out like water. . .“ (Psalm 22:14). Being directly exposed to the direct heat of the desert sun, and suffering the terrible agony of such a cruel punishment would cause profuse perspiration and subsequent dehydration.   
        “…My heart is like wax; It is melted within Me” (Psalm 22:14).  Many medical experts believe that Jesus’ heart ruptured from the physical pain and stress of crucifixion. The reasons for this belief are based upon a careful study of the various internal causes of death which would result from crucifixion.

The Apostle John was an eyewitness to the event and he stated that a Roman so1dier thrust his spear into Christ’s side and “Immediately there came out blood and water.”  John wouldn’t have realized the significance of his observation but many medical experts agree that the flow of blood, followed by a flow of water, could indicate that Christ was already dead and that His death was probably due to a ruptured heart.⁴   
        “My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and My tongue cleaves to My jaws…” (Psalm 22:15).  The crucifixion of Christ left Him dehydrated and without strength.  Just before Jesus died, He stated that He was thirsty, so, some Roman soldiers dipped a sponge into a wine vinegar solution and raised it to His lips.  This is an interesting incident because the twenty first verse of the sixty ninth Psalm states:  “…And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.”

“All who see me sneer at me; They separate with the lip, they wag the head, saying, ‘commit yourself to the Lord; let Him deliver him; Let Him rescue him, because he delights in him’… (Psalm 22:7,8). When Jesus was crucified He was ridiculed by many of the Jewish religious leaders who witnessed His sufferings.  The historical account of Matthew says:  “In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him and saying, ‘He saved others; He cannot save Himself.  He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we shall believe in Him.  He trusts in God; Let Him deliver Him now if he takes pleasure in Him; For he said, ‘I am the Son of God’.”  (Matthew 27:41-43)

“They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.” (Psalm 22:18). The Roman soldiers, who crucified Jesus, divided His outer garments into four pieces and each of them took a separate section. The tunic which Christ wore had been woven into one seamless piece, so the soldiers decided to cast lots (gamble) for it rather than divide it. (This incident is recorded in the nineteenth- chapter of the Gospel according to John).     
        It is incredible to think that such exacting details of Christ’s death were written by King David almost 1000 years before the birth of Jesus. This Psalm vividly describes the horrible agony of a person experiencing the mortal punishment of crucifixion. But, what is even more amazing, is that crucifixion was virtually unknown to the Jews until 400 years after this Psalm was written⁵ because the Jewish form of capital punishment was death by stoning during the time of King David.

More Details

 

There are other prophecies in the Old Testament which state that the Messiah would be executed with thieves; that His side would be pierced; that He would be buried in a rich man’s grave and that He would finally be resurrected back to life.  
        Jesus Christ was indeed crucified with thieves; a Roman soldier thrust his spear into His side; He was buried in a rich man’s tomb; and, according to the facts of history, Jesus was resurrected from the dead.  (The controversy concerning the resurrection will be discussed in the following section).  Altogether, the Old Testament contains more than 300 Messianic prophecies which were fulfilled in the life of Jesus Christ.

 Skepticism

 

Many people have attempted to discount the miraculous phenomenon of fulfilled prophecy in the life of Christ by contriving some very shallow explanations. A very common explanation among skeptics goes somewhat like the following: “Jesus studied the Old Testament prophecies and then He intentionally manipulated circumstances to achieve their fulfillment within His own life.” 
        It would have been possible for Jesus to intentionally fulfill some of the Messianic prophecies, but certainly not 300 of them, especially since many of the prophecies that were fulfilled by Christ were totally out of His realm of control. For example, He had no way of manipulating the prophecies concerning His lineage; His birth place, the circumstances which resulted from His betrayal; His manner of death; the circumstances surrounding His death; His burial place; etc.        . .
        In another attempt to explain away the fulfillment of prophecy in Christ’s life, some critics might say: “Many of these prophecies could have been written down after Christ’s death by His followers.”
        This is a foolish argument because the entire Old Testament was completed 400 years before Christ was born. Archaeology has proven that many of the prophecies were written more than a thousand years before Christ.  Even the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament was completed more than 200 years before Jesus was born.      
        Other critics try to say that the prophecies were fulfilled by Jesus merely as a result of coincidence. They claim that there have probably been many other people in history who have fulfilled the same prophecies. However, this argument is the most absurd argument of all! A few of the Messianic prophecies could have been fulfilled by other people in history but not all 300 of them.  
        In his book, “Evidence that Demands a Verdict,” Josh McDowell illustrates how ridiculous this argument really is. He cites some statistics and quotations that were made by Peter Stoner in “Science Speaks” (Moody Press 1963), because Stoner used the science of probability to determine what the odds would be for any man in history to have fulfilled just eight of the sixty major Messianic prophecies. And, after considering all the variables, he determined that the chances for any one man to have fulfilled these certain eight prophecies since the time they were written, is one chance in 10¹⁷.

He illustrates how large this number is by saying:  “We take 10¹⁷ silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas.  They will cover all of the state two feet deep. Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly, all over the state. Blindfold a man and tell him that he can travel as far as he wishes, but he must pick up one silver dollar and say that this is the right one. What chance would he have of getting the right one?  Just the same chance that the prophets would have had of writing these eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one man from their day to the present time, provided they wrote them in their own wisdom.”*       
        Stoner also determined that the odds of having 48 of these major prophecies come true in any man’s life would be one chance in 10¹⁵⁷ (the entire known universe can only hold 10¹³⁰ electrons).  Therefore, the prophets could not have been writing these prophecies out of their own wisdom.  Their inspiration had to come from the one and only Omniscient God who knew what would take place in the life of His Son Jesus.       
        As previously stated, since some prophecies are a little difficult to comprehend, the critics will often accuse Christians of making prejudicial judgments in determining what is, and what is not, a Messianic prophecy.  They believe that Christians identify certain Old Testament verses as being Messianic prophecies, simply because there may be some obscure details in the verse which can be correlated with the life of Christ. However, this argument is no more valid than the other arguments because a great number of these prophecies have already been categorized as “Messianic" by many Jewish Rabbis.       
        Josh McDowell, in his book “Evidence that Demands a Verdict,” and Hal Lindsey, in his book “The Promise,” list many Jewish Rabbinic sources which verify that a great number of these predictions that were fulfilled by Jesus are truly Messianic prophecies. Much of this rabbinic documentation is taken from ancient writings because most modern Rabbis have been pre-conditioned to deny the validity of certain prophecies, even though their forefathers identified them as such.  (Many of the predictions which came true in Christ cannot be denied, even by modern Rabbis, as pertaining to the Messiah).   
        The question is often asked; “If Jesus was really the Messiah, why did the Jewish religious leaders of His day reject Him?”  Since the ancient Rabbis were well-acquainted with the Old Testament Scriptures, it does seem strange that they would reject the one person whom the Jewish people had been so earnestly awaiting.
        Many Christian scholars believe that the Jewish people, as a whole, rejected Jesus because they did not understand that many of the Messianic prophecies were referring to two different periods in history.  The prophets often portrayed the Messiah as a suffering servant but there are a great number of verses which depict Him as a conquering Lord who will forever deliver the nation of Israel from her enemies and oppressors.      
        The Jews had some difficulty in trying to understand how two drastically different portraits of the Messiah could possibly be referring to the same person. Sometimes these two different Messianic portraits were found within the very same passage of Scripture. Also, there were many more prophecies that portrayed the Messiah as a conquering king than there were those which portrayed Him as a suffering servant.    
        The answer to this dilemma is found in the fact that during the life of Christ, the Jewish people were desperately looking for a political and military deliverer because they were being oppressed by the Roman Government.  The Jewish religious leaders had been given authority over their own people by the Roman Government but they longed to have even greater power. They were looking for a Messiah who would rise up and deliver them from their oppressors, as long as he didn’t try to destroy their own inner circle of power.        
        The religious leaders were looking for a great conquering Lord and were willfully ignoring the prophecies about a person who would have to suffer and pay a price for their sins. Some had become so self-righteous, and so caught up in their religious system that they actually believed they were attaining righteousness through their ceremonies, sacrifices, and outward observance of their laws.   
        When Jesus Christ confronted them and told them that their entire religious system had become corrupt, and that they themselves were sinners who needed to repent, it infuriated them! Because of their self-righteousness, they chose to ignore the verses about the Messiah who would have to make atonement for their sins and they were only considering the prophecies about a conquering Lord.
        Jesus Christ certainly didn’t satisfy their expectations of a conquering Messiah. He was a threat to their whole religious and political system, rather than an asset. Because He was a threat, the religious leaders plotted to kill Him and in doing so, fulfilled many predictions from their ancient prophets. 
        What many Jewish people didn’t understand is that the same Messiah would fulfill two separate roles by making two separate appearances in history.  In His first coming, He would come as a sacrificial lamb; in His second coming, He would arrive as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who would no longer allow Himself to be humiliated, mocked and ridiculed.  He would come as the eternal ruler and judge of all mankind. 

Christians are convinced that Jesus Christ is alive and is coming back to this earth to fulfill His role as the conquering Messiah. Those who are skeptical of this conviction will find sufficient reasons to substantiate this belief in the next two sections of this book.   
        Most modern Jews reject Christ because they have never been presented with the truth about His life. (Plus, at various points in history, many suffered unspeakable atrocities at the hands of so called “Christians” who were ravenous wolves in sheep’s clothing.)   Many lies, hurtful truths, and racial prejudices have been passed from one generation to another within the Jewish community and have prevented most Jews from even considering that Jesus Christ may be their true Messiah.  Yet, the Bible says that in the days shortly before the Messiah returns, many Jews will realize that Jesus Christ is their Messiah and they will turn to Him and receive forgiveness and everlasting life.       
        The true Gospel of Christ is reaching many Jews in our modern age and there are thousands upon thousands of them who are committing their lives to Christ.  All through history there has always been a small remnant of Jews who have believed in Jesus Christ but there has never been such a great movement toward Jesus among Jewish people as that which is occurring today.     
        The Jewish people and those of every race, religion and nation will someday realize that Jesus of Nazareth is much more than a good moral teacher. His statements, His actions, and the fulfillment of prophecy within His life, all indicate that there has never been a religious leader or teacher who could be compared to Jesus.  His life has had more of an impact upon human history than any other life since the beginning of time. There have been more books, more poems, and more songs written about Jesus than any other person in history.  It is absolutely amazing to consider that a man, who spent such a short time on earth and died as a common criminal, would have more impact upon history than any person who ever walked upon the face of the planet.  Surely this man Jesus must have been exactly who He claimed to be, the Eternal Lord of Life and Savior of Mankind.(By Robert Linkey)

 

The Truth:

 

“Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” (John 14:6)

 

Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. (John 6:35)

 

"I and the Father are one." (Words of Jesus as recorded in John10:30)

 

Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life."

 (John 8:12)

 

"I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” (John 10:11)

 

“Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I AM." (John 8:58)

 

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men…..And the Word became flesh, and  dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1-4; 14)

 “Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.”