Jesus Christ - The Way, Truth and Life

Jesus Christ is not just a person but as one with God the Father, the Son of God. He is said to have promised to forgive sin, show the way to live, how to think, how to relate with others, and offers eternal life to believers​​. The fulfillment of prophecies, miracles, and impact on history are proofs of this claim.

Jesus transforms legalism to GRACE based living perfectly to expose religious leaders of hypocrisy for judging outward behavior without inward TRANSFORMATION, He never dismissed the need to live righteously but also forgave and loved sinners, taught the true meaning of life which is a rational relationship with God in secret, private prayer life, lived loved, sacrificed, without being married, wasn’t liked by any, misunderstood, when people wanted to make him king, denied a political revolution and instead was killed by religious leaders, came back and instead of overthrowing governments, raised the dead to life. Taught inner transformation, personal responsibility, how to deal with people and have a relationship with The Heavenly Father. If this Jesus came today, would anyone recognize Him?

Evidence of Jesus Christ as a Historical Person

Jesus Christ fulfilles the Old Testament Laws. In fact, the 10 commands point to Christ and in the new covenant, the *“10 words” (don’t do this, do this instead) really become PROMISES to those trusting in CHRIST.

• The Holy Bible Is Divinely Influenced. The bible mentions modern science, medicine and mathematics embedded within its pages. Thousands of Bible Codes have been found threaded throughout the holy bible.

• It Was Prophesied That Jesus Had To Be Born Through A Particular Family Line. The genealogy in Matt. 1:1 is traced through Joseph, Jesus’ legal (though not natural) father, and it establishes His claim and right to the throne of David (v. 6). The genealogy in Luke 3:23-38 traces Mary’s genealogy.

• Prophecy Is A Defining Difference With The Bible. An honest study of biblical prophecy will compellingly show the divine authorship of the Bible. Jesus fulfilled over 300 messianic prophecies written in the Old Testament scriptures. Prophecies have come to pass regarding events around the world. Isaiah 46:10 “I make known the end from the beginning” There are 2,000 prophecies that discuss prophecy. No other religion has specific, repeated, and unfailing fulfillment of predictions many years in advance of contingent events over which the predictor had no control.

• Jesus Defied All Laws And Rose From The Dead. Jesus spoke in advance that He would be killed. Not only that, He told specific details about His death: crucifixion and then resurrection from the dead. “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again” (Mark 8:31; see also Matthew 17:22; Luke 9:22). He foretold of His death on other occasions. If His enemies destroyed the temple (of his body), He would build it again in three days (John 2:19; Mark 14:58; cf. Matthew 26:61). Another instance is the “sign of Jonah”—three days in the heart of the earth (Matthew 12:39; 16:4). Again in Matthew 21:42—“The very stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner.” Paul claimed he seen the risen Christ, but that 500 others had seen Him also. Many of these eyewitness accounts when this claim went public. So what this means is that it wasn’t a fabricated story passed down through history, people could verify with over 500 people that this event happened before their eyes.

• The Messiah would have had 456 identifying characteristics. Jesus had them all. Can you imagine looking for someone who had 456 qualities? They would be very hard to miss considering His ministry and location of His birth was foretold.

• Jesus Can Be Found In History Cornelius Tacitus (55-120 AD), “the greatest historian” of ancient Rome Flavius Josephus (37-97 AD), court historian for Emperor Vespasian Josephus, writing for the Roman government in the 70’s A.D Julius Africanus, writing around 221 AD Gaius Suetonius Tranquillas, chief secretary of Emperor Hadrian (117-138 AD) Pliny the Younger, Roman governor of Bithynia Emperor Trajan, in reply to Pliny. The Roman Governor Emporer Hadrian (117-138 AD), in a letter to Minucius Fundanus, the Asian proconsul The Jewish Talmud, compiled between 70 and 200 AD.

The Bible is Divinely Influenced

The Gospels Were Written In The First Century: Of the four Gospels alone, there are 19,368 citations by the church fathers from the late first century on. Unlike any other ancient documents, virtually the entire New Testament could be reconstructed from quotations from the gospels. This argues powerfully that the Gospels were in existence before the MIDDLE of the first century, while some eyewitnesses (including John) were still alive. “Luke is a historian of the first rank,” he concluded. “Not merely are his statements of fact trustworthy, he is possessed of the true historic sense…In short this author should be placed along with the very greatest of historians” (The Bearing of Recent Discovery on the Trustworthiness of the New Testament, 1953, p. 80) About The Word Of God The Bible was written for God to reach out to his people. – God has inspired the authors to write what He wanted to say, to tell people about his love for them. 2 Timothy 3:16; 2Peter 1:20-21; John 10:35; 17:17 When writing, they were moved by God’s Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:21). The Bible is unique because through all it’s 40 authors, written over a 1,500 year span; over 40 generations, it has the same message throughout.

Jesus’s Resurrection

Buddha didn’t rise from the dead, nor did Confucius or Zoroaster. Muhammad didn’t fulfill detailed prophecy. Alexander the Great didn’t raise the dead or heal the sick. And though there is far less reliable information written about these “religious” leaders, they are believed in and followed by millions. Josephus, the 1st century historian, records, “For Jesus appeared to them the third day alive again, as the holy prophets had predicted” Jesus of Nazareth, who claimed to be the Christ prophesied in the Jewish Scriptures, was arrested, was judged a political criminal, and was crucified. Three days after His death and burial, some women who went to His tomb found the body gone. In subsequent weeks, His disciples claimed that God had raised Him from the dead. He appeared to them various times before ascending into heaven. From that foundation, Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire and has continued to spread influence down through the centuries.Here are some of the facts relevant to the resurrection:

Facts That Proove the Resurrection

The Broken Roman Seal" The first obvious fact was the breaking of the seal that stood for the power and authority of the Roman Empire. A Roman guard of strictly disciplined fighting men was stationed to guard the tomb. This guard affixed on the tomb the Roman seal, which was meant to “prevent any attempt at vandalizing the sepulcher. Anyone trying to move the stone from the tomb’s entrance would have broken the seal and thus incurred the wrath of Roman law. The consequences of breaking the seal were extremely severe.

Empty Tomb: The disciples of Christ did not go off to Athens or Rome to preach that Christ was raised from the dead. They went right back to the city of Jerusalem, where, IF WHAT THEY were teaching was false, the falsity WOULD BE EVIDENT. The empty tomb was “too notorious to be denied.” Paul Althaus states that the resurrection “could have not been maintained in Jerusalem for a single day, for a single hour, if the emptiness of the tomb had not been established as a fact for all concerned.” Both Jewish and Roman sources and traditions admit an empty tomb.Those resources range from Josephus to a compilation of fifth-century Jewish writings called the “Toledoth Jeshu.“Dr. Paul Maier calls this “positive evidence from a hostile source”, which is the strongest kind of historical evidence. In essence, this means that if a source admits a fact decidedly not in its favor, then that fact is genuine. Gamaliel, who was a member of the Jewish high court, the Sanhedrin, put forth the suggestion that the rise of the Christian movement was God’s doing; he could not have done that if the tomb were still occupied, or if the Sanhedrin knew the whereabouts of Christ’s body. Paul Maier observes that “…if all the evidence is weighed carefully and fairly, it is indeed justifiable, according to the canons of historical research, to conclude that the sepulcher of Joseph of Arimathea, in which Jesus was buried, was actually empty on the morning. No shred of evidence has yet been discovered in literary sources, epigraphy, or archaeology that would disprove this statement.”

Large Stone Moved: On that Sunday morning the first thing that impressed the people who approached the tomb was the unusual position of the ONE AND A HALF TWO TON STONE that had been lodged in front of the doorway.ALL THE GOSPEL WRITERS MENTION IT. Those who observed the stone after the resurrection describe its position as HAVING BEEN ROLLED UP A SLOPE away from the entrance of the tomb. Secondly they mention the stone is away from the massive sepulcher. It was in such a position that it looked as if it had been picked up and carried away. Now, I ask you, if the disciples had wanted to come in, tiptoe around the sleeping guards, and then roll the stone over and steal Jesus’ body, how could they have done that without the guards’ awareness? How could they possibly carry such a stone?

Roman Guard Goes AWOL: The Roman guards fled. They left their place of responsibility. Roman military discipline was noted to be so exceptional. Justin, in Digest #49, mentions all the offenses that required the death penalty. One way a guard was put to death was by being stripped of his clothes and then burned alive in a fire started with his garments. With a penalty like this, there would be no way a guard would flee his duties.

Grave Clothes Tell a Tale: John, a disciple of Jesus, looked over to the place where the body of Jesus had been laid, and there were the grave clothes, in the form of the body, slightly caved in and empty, much like an empty caterpillar’s cocoon. It is interesting to not the clothing was undisturbed in form and position.

Jesus’s Apperances Confirmed: When studying an event in history, it is important to know whether enough people who were participants or eyewitnesses to the event were alive when the facts about the event were published. If the number of eyewitnesses is substantial, the event can he regarded as fairly well established. For instance, if we all witness a murder, and a later police report turns out to he a fabrication of lies, we as eyewitnesses can refute it.

Jesus’s Appearances over 500: Several very important factors arc often overlooked when considering Christ’s postresurrection appearances to individuals. The first is the large number of witnesses of Christ after that resurrection morning. One of the earliest records of Christ’s appearing after the resurrection is by Paul. The apostle appealed to his audience’s knowledge of the fact that Christ had been seen by more than 500 people at one time. Paul reminded them that the majority of those people were still alive and could be questioned. Dr. Edwin M. Yamauchi, associate professor of history at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, emphasizes: “What gives a special authority to the list (of witnesses) as historical evidence is the reference to most of the five hundred brethren being still alive. St. Paul says in effect, ‘If you do not believe me, you can ask them.‘Such a statement in an admittedly genuine letter written within thirty years of the event is almost as strong evidence as one could hope to get for something that happened nearly two thousand years ago.” Let’s take the more than 500 witnesses who saw Jesus alive after His death and burial, and place them in a courtroom. Do you realize that if each of those 500 people were to testify for only six minutes, including crossexamination, you would have an amazing 50 hours of firsthand testimony? Add to this the testimony of many other eyewitnesses and you would well have the largest and most lopsided trial in history. 500 Witnesses Jesus appeared 12 times to different group sizes ranging from just one person to 500 people. This has to be one of the most substantial pieces of evidence for Jesus. Nobody in history has a death that is prophesied about, then dies, and is raised from the dead. This is a remarkable piece of evidence that is unique to Christianity because it shows a supernatural side of the Messiah that defies the laws of the universe and what is humanly possible.

1. Mary Magdalene (Mark 16.9-11; John 20.11-18)
2. The other women at the tomb (Matthew 28.8-10)
3. Peter in Jerusalem (Luke 24.34; 1 Cor. 15.5)
4. The two travelers on the road (Mark 16.12,13)
5. Ten disciples behind closed doors (Mark 16.14; Luke 24.36-43; John 20.19-25)
6. All the disciples, with Thomas (excluding Judas Iscariot) (John 20.26-31; 1 Cor. 15.5)
7. Seven disciples while fishing (John 21.1-14)
8. Eleven disciples on the mountain (Matthew 28.16-20)
9. A crowd of 500 (1 Cor. 15.6)
10. Jesus’ brother James (1 Cor. 15.7)
11. Those who watched Jesus ascend to heaven (Luke 24.44-49; Acts 1.3-8)

Least of all Paul as though he was not living in the proper time (1 Cor. 15.8-9; Gal. 1.13-16; Acts 9.1-8, 22.9, read all of chapters 22 and 26; 13.30-37; 1 Cor. 15.10-20; Gal. 2.1-10). Fact #8: The Testimony of HOSTILE WITNESSES Towards Christ Another factor crucial to interpreting Christ’s appearances is that He also appeared to those who were hostile or unconvinced. No author or informed individual would regard Saul of Tarsus as being a follower of Christ. The facts show the exact opposite. Saul despised Christ and persecuted Christ’s followers. It was a life-shattering experience when Christ appeared to him. Although he was at the time not a disciple, he later became the apostle Paul, one of the greatest witnesses for the truth of the resurrection.

Jesus Produced Miracles

Jesus performed miracles, He did what people can’t do. In the bible, it says Jesus did so many miracles that it would fill up books. So what that means is we only read a fraction of the miracles He did.

• He healed people: blind, crippled, deaf, even raised a couple of people from the dead.
• He had power over objects: on at least a couple of occasions, he created food out of thin air, enough to feed crowds of several thousand people.
• He performed miracles over nature: walked on top of a lake, instantly stopped a raging storm for some friends.
• Jesus changed water into wine (John 2:6-10).
• Jesus cast out demons (Matt. 8:28-32; 15:22-28).
• Jesus healed lepers (Matt. 8:3; Luke 17:14).
• Jesus healed diseases (Matt. 4:23,24; Luke 6:17-19)
• Jesus healed the paralytic (Mark 2:3-12).
• Jesus raised the dead (Matt. 9:25; John 11:43-44).
• Jesus restored sight to the blind (Matt. 9:27-30; John 9:1-7).
• Jesus restored cured deafness (Mark 7:32-35).
• Jesus fed the multitude (Matt. 14:15-21; Matt. 15:32-38).
• Jesus walked on water (Matt. 8:26-27).
• Jesus calmed a storm with a command (Matt. 8:22-27; Mark 4:39).
• Jesus rose from the dead (Luke 24:39; John 20:27).
• Jesus appeared to disciples after resurrection (John 20:19). People everywhere followed Jesus, because He constantly met their needs, doing the miraculous. He said if you do not want to believe what I’m telling you, you should at least believe in me based on the miracles you’re seeing.

The Scriptures are Filled with Love and is Morally Sound

One significant reality is that science alone can offer no law or moral standard to tell us how to live. Genocide has been perpetrated more than once in this century. Conventional, nuclear, chemical and biological weapons can annihilate entire populations. Genuine love and kindness—the kind of Love Jesus displayed, comes with no strings attached.

• Jesus taught to LOVE one another (John 13:34-35)
• Jesus said “Whatever you want others to do for you, do so for them,” (Matthew 7:12)
• Jesus taught “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return” Luke 6:35
• Jesus came not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:43-45)
• Jesus washed his disciples feet with his clothing – “If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.” (John 13:14-15)
• Jesus says: All who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted, and whoever wishes to be great among you must become a servant. Jesus said,Your Pray for the Enemies.
• “You shall not kill” (Exodus 20:13) is One of fundamental Loves.
• “just as the Father knows me and I know the Father — and I lay down my life for the sheep”. John 10:15, 17-18
• " Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”

Conclusion

Prophecy makes Christianity unique. If a God exists, HE should be able to tell the beginning from the end of time. That is what we see with the Bible. These prophecies reveal precise dates, times and events that tell about Elohim, Our God Jesus has over 300 prophecies written about Him. Nobody could possibly predict the exact location of a person, and have 456 characteristics about the persons life foretold in prophecy. Yet we see that with Jesus. The Prophecy of Daniel 69 reveals the exact date in time of the messiahs birth located in the Old Testament. SUCH accuracy and precision is astounding, revealed in Jesus’s day, but many Prophecies are coming to pass in our day told by Jesus himself. It is calculated that the chances of fulfilling just 48 prophecies are 1 chance in 10 to the 157th power. Jesus fulfilled over 300 – Affirmed by the American Scientific Affiliation Members. Within EVERY Prophecy about “the coming messiah” JESUS is encoded in WITHIN THE Actual verse. 74 Codes Within A Messiah Prophecy – One of the most startling Bible Codes found is within (Isaiah 52-53).“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” The code found was “NAZARENE” , along with seventy- four 74 of the names, places, and events of the time period of Jesus of Nazareth in that tiny verse. Many astounding examples show the complexity of the Holy Scriptures. The Person of Jesus Christ can be found historically in the documents from many non-biblical writers. Jesus did exist. It has been documented that He died on the cross, resurrected, and that an earthquake, a world-wide eclipse and temple veil were torn the moment He died. Archaeology Backs Up The Scriptures– A relatively small part of the remains of the biblical world has been excavated. Of some 5,000 known sites of archaeological significance in Palestine, only about 350 have been excavated, and of these only about 2 percent have been extensively excavated. Archaeologist Nelson Glueck has concluded, “no archaeological discovery has ever been made that contradicts or controverts historical statements in Scripture” In 1890, Ivan Panin revealed the astounding mathematical underpinning in the Greek and Hebrew language of the scriptures, generating over 43,000 detailed pages of numeral mathematics. God has revealed himself through design found in the complexity of the human body, through DNA, and life he has created. Lloyd Carpender was the first to discover the mystery of MASSIVE 4 images on the bottom of the ocean floor showing a weeping man a nail through His hand. Millions of Muslims are receiving dreams that reveal Jesus. To those who are lost in a country where Christianity is outlawed, God is reaching them in a supernatural way.

Following the Way, Believing the Truth, and Living the Life

Beyond the facts of His Divinity, he was also God-man (eternal truths emodied as a man). Jesus walked the dusty roads of Galilee announcing a simple, radical message: the Kingdom of God is here, right now. He called people to turn their hearts around – to repent – and to live in love and justice today. His parables painted a world where the poor are blessed, enemies are loved, and mercy triumphs over judgment.

Jesus spoke of the narrow gate and the wide gate, the path to life and the path to destruction. In the Sermon on the Mount, he urged his followers to choose the harder road, to forgive, to love enemies, to store up treasures in heaven.

Jesus did not just teach the way of light; he showed it in action. He went out to the people, not to a secluded monastery. He touched lepers, ate with tax collectors, and healed on the Sabbath. He brought the light into the darkest corners of society, showing that the path to God is about transforming it through love.

Jesus taught faith (beliefs) working in love (actions) matters on earth. In Matthew 25, he separates the sheep from the goats based on whether they fed the hungry, clothed the naked, and visited the prisoner.

Why Do I Need Jesus Christ?

Now, you can weigh the bible for yourself and put your beliefs to the test. The question is what will you do with the evidence? There is much more evidence for the truth of Christ’s message than is presented here. THE POINT IS THAT INCREDIBLE EVIDENCE EXISTS. If the evidence is weak and unconvincing, then you can throw Christianity out and look elsewhere. The bible states that the SON Of God, Jesus Christ of Nazareth is the only way to eternity in Heaven. “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life (John 3:36) But if the BIBLE is true, then what the bible SAYS AFFECTS you. It’s a matter of believing in Jesus Christ, renewing your mind, turning away from death, and obeying His Word for ETERNAL LIFE.

Be The Living Christ

Ultimately, you are the embodiment (on earth) of eternal living truth (in heaven). More than the facts of the historical Jesus Christ, and the resurrected Christ in Heaven, today a relationship with truth (God) by the Spirit is available to you.

“…you are a message from Christ–the result of our bringing you the truth about God–not tattooed upon your skin, but written in your characters by the Spirit of the living God; not on stone but upon human hearts and minds!” (2 Cor 3:3, The Remedy NT) “He has also qualified us to be ministers of a new promise, a spiritual promise, not a written one. Clearly, what was written brings death, but the Spirit brings life.” (2 Cor 3:6, God’s Word)