Good evening, friends, 00:00:09.20\00:00:10.54 and a very warm welcome to Prophecy Encounter. 00:00:10.57\00:00:13.07 I'd like to welcome those here in Sanford, Florida. 00:00:13.11\00:00:15.61 Thank you for joining us again 00:00:15.64\00:00:16.98 for this Bible study experience, 00:00:17.01\00:00:19.81 but we're looking at some of the most important 00:00:19.85\00:00:21.65 and fascinating prophecies of the Bible. 00:00:21.68\00:00:24.05 Tonight in particular, we have a very important subject. 00:00:24.09\00:00:26.89 So we're just delighted to have you here. 00:00:26.92\00:00:28.79 And also, for those of you joining us across the country 00:00:28.82\00:00:30.96 and around the world, 00:00:30.99\00:00:32.39 we know we have an international audience 00:00:32.43\00:00:34.26 that's participating in this Bible study, 00:00:34.30\00:00:36.70 a very warm welcome to you as well. 00:00:36.73\00:00:39.60 And it's my privilege 00:00:39.63\00:00:40.97 to introduce our speaker for this series, 00:00:41.00\00:00:42.87 Pastor Doug Batchelor. 00:00:42.90\00:00:44.24 He is the president, also the speaker of Amazing Facts. 00:00:44.27\00:00:47.84 And when we travel around and do meetings like this, 00:00:47.88\00:00:50.61 one of the comments that we get quite often 00:00:50.65\00:00:53.01 with reference to Pastor Doug's teaching 00:00:53.05\00:00:54.78 is that he has the ability 00:00:54.82\00:00:56.75 to take some pretty important and complex Bible themes 00:00:56.79\00:01:00.96 and present it in a practical way 00:01:00.99\00:01:03.46 that people go, "Oh, yeah, that makes sense." 00:01:03.49\00:01:06.59 Well, tonight, 00:01:06.63\00:01:07.96 we're gonna need that 00:01:08.00\00:01:09.33 because we're gonna be looking 00:01:09.36\00:01:10.70 at a very important Bible prophecy 00:01:10.73\00:01:12.07 that sometimes can be a little complicated, 00:01:12.10\00:01:14.30 but I think he'll do just fine in helping us understand 00:01:14.34\00:01:18.04 who the Hero of Revelation really is. 00:01:18.07\00:01:21.24 So join me now 00:01:21.28\00:01:22.61 as we welcome Pastor Doug Batchelor, 00:01:22.64\00:01:23.98 speaker for our Prophecy Encounter series. 00:01:24.01\00:01:27.28 Thank you, Pastor Doug. 00:01:27.32\00:01:28.92 Thank you, Pastor Ross. 00:01:28.95\00:01:30.29 Welcome once again, friends, 00:01:34.26\00:01:35.59 and we wanna welcome those 00:01:35.62\00:01:36.96 who are watching our broadcast. 00:01:36.99\00:01:38.49 We know there are people from around the world 00:01:38.53\00:01:39.86 that are watching the live broadcast. 00:01:39.89\00:01:41.96 And our presentation tonight 00:01:42.00\00:01:43.60 dealing with The Hero of Revelation 00:01:43.63\00:01:46.30 is part of our Prophecy Encounter series. 00:01:46.33\00:01:48.87 This is really a new series. 00:01:48.90\00:01:52.11 We call it Prophecy Encounter because we're hoping that 00:01:52.14\00:01:54.64 through the study of prophecy 00:01:54.68\00:01:56.71 that people will encounter the hero of Revelation, 00:01:56.75\00:02:00.92 and I think we all know who that is. 00:02:00.95\00:02:02.78 You can find it in the first verses, 00:02:02.82\00:02:04.85 but I like to start 00:02:04.89\00:02:06.22 with maybe a little amazing fact from history. 00:02:06.25\00:02:09.12 I love history 00:02:09.16\00:02:10.49 and I like delving into some of the personalities 00:02:10.53\00:02:13.80 and the people that became great. 00:02:13.83\00:02:15.86 During the Civil War, 00:02:15.90\00:02:17.23 there was this one individual 00:02:17.27\00:02:18.77 that really surprised everybody. 00:02:18.80\00:02:20.80 His name was Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. 00:02:20.84\00:02:24.17 He was actually from Maine. 00:02:24.21\00:02:25.97 He was a school teacher, English major, 00:02:26.01\00:02:27.91 actually majored in rhetoric and different languages, 00:02:27.94\00:02:30.85 seemed like something of a bookworm, 00:02:30.88\00:02:33.25 but he had very strong convictions 00:02:33.28\00:02:35.38 about slavery. 00:02:35.42\00:02:37.39 And when finally, the Civil War broke out, 00:02:37.42\00:02:40.79 even though his family was very religious 00:02:40.82\00:02:42.96 and he maybe was a pacifist by nature, 00:02:42.99\00:02:45.36 he thought the cause deserves 00:02:45.39\00:02:47.60 that we lay our lives down for this 00:02:47.63\00:02:50.13 and he joined the forces. 00:02:50.17\00:02:51.83 And because of his education, they quickly promoted him. 00:02:51.87\00:02:54.94 And next thing he knew, 00:02:54.97\00:02:56.50 he was involved in the Battle of Gettysburg. 00:02:56.54\00:02:59.37 Some of the soldiers under him 00:02:59.41\00:03:00.74 were a little worried. 00:03:00.78\00:03:02.11 They said, "This guy's always reading. 00:03:02.14\00:03:03.48 He's a bookworm. He's a lamb." 00:03:03.51\00:03:05.71 And he seemed so polite and he seemed so articulate. 00:03:05.75\00:03:07.42 They thought, 00:03:07.45\00:03:08.78 "What's he gonna do on the battlefield?" 00:03:08.82\00:03:10.85 Well, it turned out 00:03:10.89\00:03:12.22 in one of the biggest 00:03:12.25\00:03:13.59 and the bloodiest battles of the Civil War, 00:03:13.62\00:03:15.09 the Battle of Gettysburg, 00:03:15.12\00:03:17.56 50, 000 people died in 1 day. 00:03:17.59\00:03:21.73 It's been the bloodiest battle in American History, 00:03:21.76\00:03:24.33 in any of our wars. 00:03:24.37\00:03:27.07 The South was trying to take this hill 00:03:27.10\00:03:29.77 and they were trying to flank 00:03:29.80\00:03:31.14 around the troops of the North. 00:03:31.17\00:03:33.27 And Chamberlain knew that 00:03:33.31\00:03:35.54 he needed to hold that hill at all costs. 00:03:35.58\00:03:38.45 And for three days the battle raged 00:03:38.48\00:03:40.95 and the South continued to throw soldiers at that hill, 00:03:40.98\00:03:44.32 trying to get behind the troops and to defeat them. 00:03:44.35\00:03:48.66 And they fought, the group from Maine that he was over, 00:03:48.69\00:03:52.16 they fought until they ran out of ammunition. 00:03:52.19\00:03:54.33 And finally, he told them, 00:03:54.36\00:03:55.80 "Fix your bayonets and charge." 00:03:55.83\00:03:58.23 When they were coming up the hill after them, 00:03:58.27\00:04:00.74 he told his men to charge back at them with just bayonets. 00:04:00.77\00:04:04.57 And it so terrified the southerners 00:04:04.61\00:04:07.98 that they turned and they ran. 00:04:08.01\00:04:10.05 They didn't realize they had run out of bullets. 00:04:10.08\00:04:12.81 They later called him, instead of The Lamb, 00:04:12.85\00:04:14.85 they called him, The Lion of Little Round Top. 00:04:14.88\00:04:17.59 Little Round Top was the hill that they were defending. 00:04:17.62\00:04:20.89 Well, you know, Jesus, when He comes again, 00:04:20.92\00:04:23.12 He's coming like a lion. 00:04:23.16\00:04:24.49 When He came the first time, He came like a lamb, 00:04:24.53\00:04:27.43 but He is the central focus of the entire Bible. 00:04:27.46\00:04:31.57 Matter of fact, if you read the first words in Revelation, 00:04:31.60\00:04:35.27 it's not a Revelation of the beast, 00:04:35.30\00:04:37.37 it's not a Revelation of the antichrist. 00:04:37.41\00:04:38.81 People say, 00:04:38.84\00:04:40.18 "Ah, I want to read about the antichrist in Revelation." 00:04:40.21\00:04:42.48 Are you aware the word antichrist 00:04:42.51\00:04:44.25 does not appear in the Book of Revelation? 00:04:44.28\00:04:47.22 It's in the letters of John. 00:04:47.25\00:04:49.72 The Book of Revelation is about Jesus. 00:04:49.75\00:04:52.19 He is the central figure 00:04:52.22\00:04:53.66 but not just the Book of Revelation, 00:04:53.69\00:04:56.39 the whole Bible is about Jesus, 00:04:56.42\00:04:58.26 as you'll discover in our study tonight. 00:04:58.29\00:05:00.76 First verse, Revelation 1:1, 00:05:00.80\00:05:02.63 "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, 00:05:02.66\00:05:05.13 which God gave to Him 00:05:05.17\00:05:07.07 to show His servants things 00:05:07.10\00:05:08.60 which must shortly come to pass." 00:05:08.64\00:05:11.27 So the Book of Revelation 00:05:11.31\00:05:12.64 and the things we're gonna study in Revelation, 00:05:12.67\00:05:15.51 Bible tells us way back in the time of Christ, 00:05:15.54\00:05:17.25 they were about to come to pass. 00:05:17.28\00:05:19.08 So the prophecy at least begins during the time of Christ 00:05:19.11\00:05:23.42 and carries on until, of course, we're in heaven, 00:05:23.45\00:05:25.82 if you read Revelation 21 and 22. 00:05:25.85\00:05:28.56 So we're gonna go through a series of questions. 00:05:28.59\00:05:31.26 I got a lot of material to cover. 00:05:31.29\00:05:33.09 You may want to have a pen or a pencil handy 00:05:33.13\00:05:34.90 because we're gonna give you some notes. 00:05:34.93\00:05:36.53 We're gonna be looking at prophecies in Revelation, 00:05:36.56\00:05:39.90 in Daniel, and all through the Bible, 00:05:39.93\00:05:43.24 even starting with Genesis, 00:05:43.27\00:05:44.71 that show us who Jesus is 00:05:44.74\00:05:47.81 so we can know that He is the central focus. 00:05:47.84\00:05:51.31 There are over 300 Old Testament prophecies 00:05:51.35\00:05:54.58 that provide 00:05:54.62\00:05:55.95 a number of precise identifying characteristics 00:05:55.98\00:05:58.22 regarding the Messiah. 00:05:58.25\00:06:00.46 A lot of people in the world think that 00:06:00.49\00:06:01.82 Jesus was just one of many religious leaders. 00:06:01.86\00:06:04.36 You cannot really believe that and be a Christian. 00:06:04.39\00:06:07.83 Bible says, 00:06:07.86\00:06:09.20 "There is no other name 00:06:09.23\00:06:10.57 given among men whereby we must be saved." 00:06:10.60\00:06:12.70 Jesus is not just another religious teacher. 00:06:12.73\00:06:15.50 God became a man, 00:06:15.54\00:06:17.64 it's called the incarnation in Christ to save us. 00:06:17.67\00:06:22.18 And we need to know who He is. 00:06:22.21\00:06:23.91 The Christian religion is all about Jesus, 00:06:23.95\00:06:26.82 and you need to know who He is. 00:06:26.85\00:06:28.42 The whole Bible tells us about that. 00:06:28.45\00:06:29.78 We're gonna delve into some of these. 00:06:29.82\00:06:31.92 First prophecy is in the Book of Genesis, 00:06:31.95\00:06:35.52 Genesis chapter 3:15. 00:06:35.56\00:06:37.99 This is after Adam and Eve sinned 00:06:38.03\00:06:40.30 and God then speaking to Adam and Eve 00:06:40.33\00:06:43.53 and because of the serpent was the medium 00:06:43.57\00:06:46.33 through which Lucifer spoke, 00:06:46.37\00:06:48.84 God said, 00:06:48.87\00:06:50.21 "And I will put enmity, " 00:06:50.24\00:06:51.57 that's where you get the word enemy. 00:06:51.61\00:06:53.51 It means there's animosity, there's friction, 00:06:53.54\00:06:55.91 there's polar resistance. 00:06:55.94\00:06:58.81 "Between you and the woman," 00:06:58.85\00:07:00.25 between the serpent and the woman. 00:07:00.28\00:07:02.48 That comes up in Revelation, so I want you to note that. 00:07:02.52\00:07:05.39 "Between your seed," 00:07:05.42\00:07:07.29 the seed of the serpent, 00:07:07.32\00:07:08.96 "and her seed." 00:07:08.99\00:07:10.33 The seed or the offspring of the woman. 00:07:10.36\00:07:12.46 The seed of the woman, 00:07:12.49\00:07:14.00 it's talking about is the Messiah. 00:07:14.03\00:07:16.26 It goes on to say, and, "He," the seed of the woman, 00:07:16.30\00:07:18.67 "will bruise your head." 00:07:18.70\00:07:20.44 Christ would bruise the head of the serpent, 00:07:20.47\00:07:22.84 "And you shall bruise his heel." 00:07:22.87\00:07:24.67 The progress or the walk of the Christian church 00:07:24.71\00:07:27.08 has been impeded, 00:07:27.11\00:07:28.68 slowed by the work of the devil. 00:07:28.71\00:07:31.35 There is a battle in this world between good and evil, 00:07:31.38\00:07:33.45 between the woman and the serpent 00:07:33.48\00:07:35.52 that carries all the way through. 00:07:35.55\00:07:38.05 You read in Revelation 12, 00:07:38.09\00:07:39.75 we don't have to guess who the serpent is, 00:07:39.79\00:07:42.26 "So the great dragon was cast out, 00:07:42.29\00:07:44.66 that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, 00:07:44.69\00:07:47.76 who deceives the whole world." 00:07:47.80\00:07:50.33 How much of the world does he deceive? 00:07:50.37\00:07:52.50 The whole world. 00:07:52.53\00:07:54.20 So where did Jesus come from? 00:07:54.24\00:07:57.37 That's a very important question. 00:07:57.41\00:07:59.84 Is He just a man? 00:07:59.87\00:08:01.21 Was He born like other men? 00:08:01.24\00:08:03.08 Christ made some pretty bold claims. 00:08:03.11\00:08:05.58 For one thing, He said in John 6:38 00:08:05.61\00:08:08.28 "For I have come down from heaven." 00:08:08.32\00:08:11.92 Well, not everybody says that. 00:08:11.95\00:08:13.29 I mean, if you meet somebody that says, 00:08:13.32\00:08:14.66 "I've come from heaven," 00:08:14.69\00:08:17.03 and the Bible, you know, we talked a little last night 00:08:17.06\00:08:18.96 about people who claimed to be Christ. 00:08:18.99\00:08:22.40 And there's some, you know, 00:08:22.43\00:08:23.77 prominent characters that have claimed to be Jesus, 00:08:23.80\00:08:26.40 but there's also some that are locked up here and there. 00:08:26.43\00:08:30.77 And I met somebody once 00:08:30.81\00:08:32.47 that claimed to be Jesus 00:08:32.51\00:08:33.98 that I'll never forget 00:08:34.01\00:08:35.34 because I was by myself up in the mountains. 00:08:35.38\00:08:37.18 I lived in a cave back then. 00:08:37.21\00:08:38.55 I was a hermit for about a year and a half 00:08:38.58\00:08:40.55 and I was all by myself. 00:08:40.58\00:08:42.12 And a hiker came by the cave, and that was not that unusual. 00:08:42.15\00:08:44.69 I'd see people from time to time. 00:08:44.72\00:08:46.65 He stayed and he visited for a little bit, 00:08:46.69\00:08:48.46 and then he said he was Jesus. 00:08:48.49\00:08:52.19 And at first, I thought, 00:08:52.23\00:08:53.56 "Well, I've got some Spanish friends named Jesus. 00:08:53.60\00:08:55.56 Maybe that's..." 00:08:55.60\00:08:56.93 He didn't look Spanish. 00:08:56.97\00:08:58.63 And then he said, "No, I am Christ." 00:09:00.57\00:09:03.81 He said, "My name is Michael David Harper." 00:09:03.84\00:09:06.14 Then he said, "That's my earthly name, 00:09:06.17\00:09:07.51 but I've come from heaven." 00:09:07.54\00:09:08.88 Well, I'll tell you, 00:09:08.91\00:09:10.25 it's a little spooky 00:09:10.28\00:09:11.61 when you're by yourself up in the hills 00:09:11.65\00:09:12.98 and you meet somebody that says, 00:09:13.01\00:09:14.35 "I'm Jesus, and I have come..." 00:09:14.38\00:09:15.72 And I wasn't quite sure what to say because, 00:09:15.75\00:09:18.79 you know, I'd just started reading the Bible 00:09:18.82\00:09:20.22 and I thought, 00:09:20.26\00:09:21.59 "Well, if it Jesus, I got a lot of questions." 00:09:21.62\00:09:24.39 And if it is Jesus, 00:09:24.43\00:09:25.76 I don't wanna show a lack of faith 00:09:25.79\00:09:27.13 and hurt his feelings. 00:09:27.16\00:09:28.50 I mean, all kinds of crazy things 00:09:28.53\00:09:29.86 are going through your head, 00:09:29.90\00:09:31.23 you know, and I didn't wanna make him mad, 00:09:31.27\00:09:35.00 whether he was Jesus or wasn't Jesus, I didn't. 00:09:35.04\00:09:38.37 And so I said, 00:09:38.41\00:09:39.74 "Well, the Bible says that 00:09:39.77\00:09:41.98 when you come that everybody's gonna see you. 00:09:42.01\00:09:44.85 It'll be like lightning." 00:09:44.88\00:09:46.21 He says, "Well, that's true." 00:09:46.25\00:09:47.58 He says, you know, 00:09:47.62\00:09:48.95 but I'm coming specially 00:09:48.98\00:09:50.32 to prepare some other people early. 00:09:50.35\00:09:51.69 And he had, like, an answer for everything. 00:09:51.72\00:09:53.05 He knew the Bible. 00:09:53.09\00:09:54.42 And he stayed with me 00:09:54.46\00:09:55.79 for two or three days and ate all my food, 00:09:55.82\00:09:57.16 so I knew he wasn't Jesus. 00:09:57.19\00:09:58.53 And he didn't clean up. 00:09:58.56\00:10:01.03 And I saw him a week or so later, 00:10:01.06\00:10:04.17 and he actually had found an apostle. 00:10:04.20\00:10:05.90 Some guy was following him around, 00:10:05.93\00:10:07.27 saying, "This is Jesus." 00:10:07.30\00:10:09.50 And then I saw him a few weeks later. 00:10:09.54\00:10:11.24 We lived on the streets back 00:10:11.27\00:10:12.61 then when I wasn't up in the cave 00:10:12.64\00:10:13.98 and he was missing a tooth 00:10:14.01\00:10:15.34 because he had got into a fight. 00:10:15.38\00:10:16.71 I felt so much better because I know Jesus has all His teeth. 00:10:16.75\00:10:19.58 And so, but, you know, 00:10:19.61\00:10:20.95 you meet all kinds of strange people out there. 00:10:20.98\00:10:22.38 Well, so when Jesus said, "I've come down from heaven." 00:10:22.42\00:10:25.35 And then He told Pilate in John 18:36 00:10:25.39\00:10:28.52 "My kingdom is not of this world. 00:10:28.56\00:10:30.13 I am from out of this world." 00:10:30.16\00:10:33.03 Well, what is He, an extraterrestrial? 00:10:33.06\00:10:35.43 Where did Jesus come from? 00:10:35.46\00:10:37.07 He's making some bold claims 00:10:37.10\00:10:39.00 and so we need to evaluate that. 00:10:39.03\00:10:40.94 Number three, did Jesus claim divinity? 00:10:40.97\00:10:44.74 Did He claim to be God? 00:10:44.77\00:10:47.44 In a word, yes. 00:10:47.48\00:10:49.44 And here are some verses that illustrate that. 00:10:49.48\00:10:51.08 John 8:58, 00:10:51.11\00:10:52.78 "Jesus said to them, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, 00:10:52.81\00:10:56.35 before Abraham was, I AM.'" 00:10:56.38\00:11:00.56 Now you might be thinking, 00:11:00.59\00:11:01.92 "Well, that doesn't mean He was claiming to be God. 00:11:01.96\00:11:04.29 The Jews who were listening to Him that day 00:11:04.33\00:11:06.29 believed He was claiming to be God 00:11:06.33\00:11:08.26 because God said to Moses, "I am that I am." 00:11:08.30\00:11:11.33 That was a title for God, the self-existent one. 00:11:11.37\00:11:13.80 They took up stones to stone Him for blasphemy, 00:11:13.84\00:11:16.71 claiming to be God, and Jesus did not retract that. 00:11:16.74\00:11:20.34 And, you know, He said, "Before Abraham was." 00:11:20.38\00:11:23.04 He says, "I preexisted." 00:11:23.08\00:11:25.11 And then you can read again in John 17, 18, 00:11:25.15\00:11:27.68 "Therefore My Father loves Me because I lay down My life 00:11:27.72\00:11:31.72 that I may take it again." 00:11:31.75\00:11:33.49 Well, not too many people 00:11:33.52\00:11:34.86 lay down their lives and take it again. 00:11:34.89\00:11:36.22 He says, "No one takes it from Me, 00:11:36.26\00:11:37.93 I am laying it down and I'm taking it up." 00:11:37.96\00:11:41.76 And then He goes on and He says in Mark 2:10, 00:11:41.80\00:11:45.17 "The Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins." 00:11:45.20\00:11:49.30 And you can read where it says, 00:11:49.34\00:11:50.67 "God and God only can forgive sins." 00:11:50.71\00:11:53.01 And so there's a lot of ways 00:11:53.04\00:11:54.78 that Jesus explained He had divine prerogatives. 00:11:54.81\00:11:59.15 And so, yes, Jesus is not just another man. 00:11:59.18\00:12:01.35 He said He preexisted before He came to this world, 00:12:01.38\00:12:04.49 had power to forgive sin. 00:12:04.52\00:12:06.59 So the fourth question is, how can we evaluate His claims? 00:12:06.62\00:12:11.73 How do we test to see if this is true? 00:12:11.76\00:12:14.26 C. S. Lewis, the Christian philosopher said, 00:12:14.30\00:12:17.50 "You really only have three choices with Jesus. 00:12:17.53\00:12:19.97 No question that He lived." 00:12:20.00\00:12:23.27 What year is it right now? 00:12:23.30\00:12:25.74 I know I'm just testing. 00:12:25.77\00:12:27.14 2017, 2017 what? 00:12:27.18\00:12:30.41 The whole dating method that the world uses 00:12:30.45\00:12:32.65 is based on the birth of Christ. 00:12:32.68\00:12:34.58 I told you they got that off a little bit, 00:12:34.62\00:12:36.55 but it was ostensibly dated from Christ. 00:12:36.58\00:12:40.49 So you can't deny that He lived. 00:12:40.52\00:12:42.42 History doesn't challenge His existence that He lived. 00:12:42.46\00:12:46.76 So, like C. S. Lewis said, 00:12:46.80\00:12:48.33 "He was either a liar, or He was a lunatic, 00:12:48.36\00:12:53.44 or He's Lord." 00:12:53.47\00:12:55.30 Those are really the only three options 00:12:55.34\00:12:57.11 that we have. 00:12:57.14\00:12:58.47 So how do we determine? 00:12:58.51\00:12:59.94 Where do we go to find out? 00:12:59.97\00:13:01.54 The Bible tells us 00:13:01.58\00:13:02.91 and Jesus Himself said in John 5:39, 00:13:02.94\00:13:06.41 "Search the Scriptures," 00:13:06.45\00:13:07.78 and then if you think you have eternal life, 00:13:07.82\00:13:09.65 He said, "These are they that testify of me." 00:13:09.68\00:13:13.56 Now when Jesus said that, 00:13:13.59\00:13:14.92 how much of New Testament was written? 00:13:14.96\00:13:17.03 None. 00:13:17.06\00:13:18.69 And so let me see if I can illustrate something. 00:13:18.73\00:13:20.73 And I'm glad to see some of you have brought your Bibles Here. 00:13:20.76\00:13:23.10 I'm gonna quickly... 00:13:23.13\00:13:24.47 Oh, good, I found it right away. 00:13:24.50\00:13:26.20 This is your Bible. 00:13:26.23\00:13:27.57 I've divided it just visually so you get a rough idea. 00:13:27.60\00:13:30.41 You know, there's some contents 00:13:30.44\00:13:31.77 and concordance and stuff in the front and the back, 00:13:31.81\00:13:33.88 but approximately three quarters of the Bible, 00:13:33.91\00:13:37.21 Old Testament. 00:13:37.25\00:13:38.58 This is written before Jesus. 00:13:38.61\00:13:40.45 Matter of fact, the last book, Malachi in the Old Testament, 00:13:40.48\00:13:42.98 was written about 400 years before Jesus was born. 00:13:43.02\00:13:46.19 So there's a nice spread between the two, 00:13:46.22\00:13:48.29 and then you get to the New Testament, 00:13:48.32\00:13:50.03 talks about the birth of Jesus Christ. 00:13:50.06\00:13:52.89 First words in Revelation are 00:13:52.93\00:13:54.26 "The Revelation of Jesus Christ." 00:13:54.30\00:13:55.63 First words in the New Testament, 00:13:55.66\00:13:57.00 "The genealogy of Jesus Christ." 00:13:57.03\00:13:59.47 So it tells about the coming of the Messiah. 00:13:59.50\00:14:02.00 The Old Testament foretells when the Savior would come, 00:14:02.04\00:14:05.01 when God would become a man. 00:14:05.04\00:14:07.38 And a lot of the Old Testament is talking about Christ. 00:14:07.41\00:14:10.55 There are hundreds of prophecies. 00:14:10.58\00:14:12.01 So we're gonna be looking now 00:14:12.05\00:14:13.38 at a lot of prophecies here 00:14:13.42\00:14:15.85 that were written hundreds, 00:14:15.88\00:14:17.22 in some cases more than a thousand years 00:14:17.25\00:14:19.15 before Christ was born, 00:14:19.19\00:14:20.86 and then we're gonna see here 00:14:20.89\00:14:22.52 that exactly what was foretold happened. 00:14:22.56\00:14:25.99 And this is one reason I think 00:14:26.03\00:14:27.36 this is not just white pages and black ink. 00:14:27.40\00:14:30.00 I believe the Bible 00:14:30.03\00:14:31.37 is a supernatural correspondence with humanity. 00:14:31.40\00:14:35.10 And God has done 00:14:35.14\00:14:36.47 something miraculously to protect this book. 00:14:36.50\00:14:39.24 So we're gonna look in the Bible. 00:14:39.27\00:14:40.61 Furthermore, Luke 24:27, Jesus, 00:14:40.64\00:14:45.45 when He was talking 00:14:45.48\00:14:46.82 to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, 00:14:46.85\00:14:49.45 He said, 00:14:49.48\00:14:50.89 "He expounded unto them beginning at Moses 00:14:50.92\00:14:53.09 and all the prophets, 00:14:53.12\00:14:54.46 He expounded to them in all of the Scriptures 00:14:54.49\00:14:57.23 the things concerning Himself." 00:14:57.26\00:14:59.29 So Jesus gave a Bible study to these two disciples, 00:14:59.33\00:15:02.10 and He showed them through all of the Scriptures 00:15:02.13\00:15:04.87 prior to the New Testament things concerning Himself. 00:15:04.90\00:15:07.94 And you're gonna see that 00:15:07.97\00:15:09.30 Jesus is all the way through there. 00:15:09.34\00:15:10.67 A lot of... 00:15:10.71\00:15:12.04 I've been to churches before 00:15:12.07\00:15:13.41 where they supply a Bible 00:15:13.44\00:15:14.78 and all they have is a New Testament. 00:15:14.81\00:15:16.14 They say, "Well, we're a New Testament church. 00:15:16.18\00:15:17.51 We don't... That's the old covenant." 00:15:17.55\00:15:18.91 You can't understand the New Testament 00:15:18.95\00:15:21.28 without the Old Testament. 00:15:21.32\00:15:23.42 It's the moon that the woman stands on, 00:15:23.45\00:15:27.36 though she is clothed 00:15:27.39\00:15:28.72 with the sun of the New Testament, 00:15:28.76\00:15:30.09 it's the foundation. 00:15:30.13\00:15:31.46 The Old Testament is so important 00:15:31.49\00:15:32.83 to understand the new. 00:15:32.86\00:15:34.86 And again, Hebrews 10:7 said, 00:15:34.90\00:15:37.70 "'Behold, I come, in the volume of the book 00:15:37.73\00:15:40.64 it is written of Me, to do your will, O God.'" 00:15:40.67\00:15:43.41 So the whole Bible is telling us about Jesus. 00:15:43.44\00:15:47.11 All right, the fifth point that we wanna ponder. 00:15:47.14\00:15:49.11 Does prophecy foretell the Messiah's family tree? 00:15:49.14\00:15:52.38 And the answer is absolutely yes. 00:15:52.41\00:15:55.22 For one thing, 00:15:55.25\00:15:56.95 God told Abraham He was calling Him 00:15:56.99\00:15:59.89 from Mesopotamia. 00:15:59.92\00:16:01.26 He said, "Through your descendants, 00:16:01.29\00:16:03.73 the Messiah would come." 00:16:03.76\00:16:05.09 And you find that in Genesis 12:3, 00:16:05.13\00:16:07.40 "In you shall all the families of the earth be blessed, " 00:16:07.43\00:16:11.27 through your descendants, 00:16:11.30\00:16:12.63 that the Messiah would come through the Hebrew line. 00:16:12.67\00:16:15.74 Now you realize, a Jew and a Hebrew is different. 00:16:15.77\00:16:17.97 Abraham had more children than just Isaac. 00:16:18.01\00:16:20.01 And Isaac had more children than just Jacob. 00:16:20.04\00:16:22.81 And Jacob had more children than just Judah. 00:16:22.84\00:16:25.25 The word "Jew" 00:16:25.28\00:16:26.61 kind of comes from the descendants of Judah, 00:16:26.65\00:16:28.52 principally, but we often use it 00:16:28.55\00:16:30.02 to talk about Hebrews in general, 00:16:30.05\00:16:32.95 but the Messiah would come through the descendants 00:16:32.99\00:16:35.32 of not only Abraham but Isaac. 00:16:35.36\00:16:37.39 We read in Genesis 26:4, it says, 00:16:37.43\00:16:40.03 "I will give your descendants these lands, 00:16:40.06\00:16:42.43 and in your seed 00:16:42.46\00:16:43.80 all the nations of the world would be blessed." 00:16:43.83\00:16:46.07 Because Jesus did not just come for Jews, did He? 00:16:46.10\00:16:48.47 He came to save everybody. 00:16:48.50\00:16:50.07 "Whosoever will," the promise is. 00:16:50.11\00:16:52.81 He told the disciples, "Go to the ends of the earth." 00:16:52.84\00:16:55.28 And then not only did it come from Abraham through Isaac, 00:16:55.31\00:16:58.75 see, Abraham also had Ishmael 00:16:58.78\00:17:01.02 and several other children through Keturah. 00:17:01.05\00:17:03.39 Isaac also had Esau. 00:17:03.42\00:17:06.19 But He said the blessing would come through Jacob. 00:17:06.22\00:17:09.12 And Jacob prophesied, 00:17:09.16\00:17:11.39 you see the prophecy in Numbers 24:17, 00:17:11.43\00:17:13.73 "A star will come out of Jacob. A scepter," 00:17:13.76\00:17:16.33 a scepter's what a king holds, 00:17:16.36\00:17:17.93 "will rise out of Israel." There would be this king, 00:17:17.97\00:17:20.94 the King of kings that would come. 00:17:20.97\00:17:22.64 By the way, that's the prophecy, 00:17:22.67\00:17:24.01 probably, that the wise men in the east were reading 00:17:24.04\00:17:27.44 when they came and followed the star, 00:17:27.48\00:17:29.04 this star that said there was a new king 00:17:29.08\00:17:31.05 that would come. 00:17:31.08\00:17:32.51 And then when He was dying, there in Genesis 49, 00:17:32.55\00:17:35.92 Jacob, later called Israel, he prophesied that of his sons, 00:17:35.95\00:17:40.42 and he had 12 sons and 1 daughter, 00:17:40.46\00:17:42.22 the Messiah would then be coming 00:17:42.26\00:17:43.59 specifically through which one? 00:17:43.63\00:17:46.29 Judah, right? 00:17:46.33\00:17:49.06 Y'all with me? You all knew that, didn't you? 00:17:49.10\00:17:51.47 The Messiah would come through, of the 12 sons of Jacob, 00:17:51.50\00:17:54.60 He would come through Judah. 00:17:54.64\00:17:55.97 And He says there in Genesis 49, 00:17:56.00\00:17:57.81 "The scepter will not depart from Judah 00:17:57.84\00:18:00.24 nor a lawgiver from between His feet, 00:18:00.28\00:18:02.71 until Shiloh come," 00:18:02.74\00:18:04.31 that means "The King of peace, " 00:18:04.35\00:18:05.68 "and unto Him 00:18:05.71\00:18:07.05 shall the gathering of the people be." 00:18:07.08\00:18:08.62 So it would come through the tribe of Judah, 00:18:08.65\00:18:10.82 but wait, we're not done yet. 00:18:10.85\00:18:12.49 Get your credit card out, there's more. 00:18:12.52\00:18:14.32 Not only from Judah, it keeps going further down. 00:18:14.36\00:18:18.93 And if you order now, we'll double your offer. 00:18:18.96\00:18:21.06 They always say that, don't they? 00:18:21.10\00:18:23.16 Through the descendants of David, 00:18:23.20\00:18:25.50 "there will come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse." 00:18:25.53\00:18:27.90 Jesse was the father of David. 00:18:27.94\00:18:29.80 "And a branch will grow from his roots." 00:18:29.84\00:18:31.97 So the Messiah would come from the household of David. 00:18:32.01\00:18:34.84 "And the Spirit of the Lord will rest upon Him." 00:18:34.88\00:18:37.55 Well, why does it say, "The Spirit of the Lord"? 00:18:37.58\00:18:40.22 The very word "Messiah" 00:18:40.25\00:18:41.82 in the Old Testament means "anointed." 00:18:41.85\00:18:45.65 The word "Christ," "Christos," 00:18:45.69\00:18:47.96 it's Greek for "the anointed." 00:18:47.99\00:18:50.79 You know, when they christen a ship, 00:18:50.83\00:18:52.79 they splash a bottle of champagne or wine on it 00:18:52.83\00:18:55.33 and then it's called "a christening." 00:18:55.36\00:18:57.20 "An anointing" means "to shower something." 00:18:57.23\00:19:00.10 Jesus was to be showered with the Holy Spirit of God. 00:19:00.14\00:19:04.31 And they called Him, "The Anointed." 00:19:04.34\00:19:06.24 That came through the descendants of David. 00:19:06.27\00:19:09.24 Now you go to the New Testament and you see was it fulfilled? 00:19:09.28\00:19:13.92 And you can read in Luke 1:26, 00:19:13.95\00:19:16.75 "Now in the sixth month 00:19:16.79\00:19:18.62 the angel Gabriel was sent by God 00:19:18.65\00:19:20.99 to a city in Galilee named Nazareth." 00:19:21.02\00:19:23.93 Where'd the angel go? 00:19:23.96\00:19:25.29 I want you to catch that 00:19:25.33\00:19:26.66 because there's gonna be a problem. 00:19:26.70\00:19:28.03 Here in a moment. 00:19:28.06\00:19:29.40 "To a virgin that was betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, 00:19:29.43\00:19:31.77 of the house of," where? 00:19:31.80\00:19:33.87 "the house of David. 00:19:33.90\00:19:35.24 The virgin's name was Mary." 00:19:35.27\00:19:36.67 Now this all sounds like a Christmas sermon. 00:19:36.71\00:19:38.07 You all know this story, right? 00:19:38.11\00:19:40.41 But both Mary and Joseph were descendants from David. 00:19:40.44\00:19:43.51 You find the genealogy of Mary going through her father 00:19:43.55\00:19:48.02 back to Jesus in Luke, 00:19:48.05\00:19:49.62 and the genealogy follows Joseph in Matthew. 00:19:49.65\00:19:52.39 So either way, they were both descendants of David. 00:19:52.42\00:19:57.53 And furthermore, it says that 00:19:57.56\00:19:59.16 Jesus would come through not just the house of David, 00:19:59.19\00:20:01.30 but the mother would be a virgin. 00:20:01.33\00:20:02.80 Now that certainly is unique, right? 00:20:02.83\00:20:05.20 You read that prophecy in Isaiah 7:14, 00:20:05.23\00:20:09.64 "Behold, a virgin will conceive and bear a son, 00:20:09.67\00:20:12.61 and they'll call His name Immanuel, 00:20:12.64\00:20:15.14 '" which means "God with us." 00:20:15.18\00:20:17.48 Jump to the New Testament. 00:20:17.51\00:20:18.85 By the way, that's written 700 years 00:20:18.88\00:20:21.18 before Jesus was born, 00:20:21.22\00:20:22.55 foretold that the Messiah would be born of a virgin. 00:20:22.58\00:20:25.45 Now you go to the New Testament 00:20:25.49\00:20:26.82 and you read in Matthew chapter 1:18, 00:20:26.86\00:20:29.36 it says that 00:20:29.39\00:20:30.83 "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows. 00:20:30.86\00:20:33.36 After His mother Mary was betrothed," 00:20:33.40\00:20:35.30 or engaged, "to Joseph, 00:20:35.33\00:20:37.33 before they came together, 00:20:37.37\00:20:39.40 she was found to be with child." 00:20:39.43\00:20:42.30 And of course, we all know about the virgin birth. 00:20:42.34\00:20:45.74 What about where He would be born? 00:20:45.77\00:20:47.64 Does the Bible talk? 00:20:47.68\00:20:49.01 So we wouldn't have any doubts 00:20:49.04\00:20:50.38 about who the Savior of man would be, 00:20:50.41\00:20:52.15 no doubts about when God became a man, 00:20:52.18\00:20:53.78 who is it? 00:20:53.82\00:20:55.18 It wasn't just one of many wise men 00:20:55.22\00:20:57.39 or prophets through time. 00:20:57.42\00:20:58.75 It was Jesus. 00:20:58.79\00:21:00.12 The place of His birth foretold in the Book of Micah, 00:21:00.16\00:21:03.02 about 600 years before Christ. 00:21:03.06\00:21:05.36 He specifically said, "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah. 00:21:05.39\00:21:08.76 Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, 00:21:08.80\00:21:11.97 unto you, yet out of you shall come forth to Me 00:21:12.00\00:21:15.14 The One who is to be the ruler in Israel, 00:21:15.17\00:21:17.47 whose going forth are from old, even from everlasting." 00:21:17.51\00:21:21.98 So it's another prophecy here. 00:21:22.01\00:21:23.68 What does it tell us about Jesus? 00:21:23.71\00:21:25.31 He's from everlasting. 00:21:25.35\00:21:26.95 See, Christ didn't just appear when He was born, 00:21:26.98\00:21:29.88 from everlasting to everlasting. 00:21:29.92\00:21:31.35 You know, Revelation, 00:21:31.39\00:21:32.72 He's referred to as "the Eternal One." 00:21:32.75\00:21:36.73 He's the "I am" there. 00:21:36.76\00:21:38.76 He's the one who is the first and the last, 00:21:38.79\00:21:41.70 the alpha and the omega. 00:21:41.73\00:21:43.77 So Christ is from everlasting to everlasting. 00:21:43.80\00:21:46.13 He was eternal. 00:21:46.17\00:21:48.10 And it says that He'd be born in Bethlehem. 00:21:48.14\00:21:50.51 Did that happen? Now we got a problem. 00:21:50.54\00:21:53.34 When the angel came to Mary, you heard me say a minute ago, 00:21:53.38\00:21:56.11 where was she? 00:21:56.14\00:21:58.08 Galilee. In what city? 00:21:58.11\00:22:00.02 Nazareth. 00:22:00.05\00:22:01.38 I've got a map up here on the screen now. 00:22:01.42\00:22:02.88 You're gonna see Nazareth, as the crow flies, 00:22:02.92\00:22:04.69 is about 70 miles away. 00:22:04.72\00:22:07.26 She's great with child. She's a long way from home. 00:22:07.29\00:22:09.66 How are we gonna get the Messiah born 00:22:09.69\00:22:11.56 as He's supposed to be born 00:22:11.59\00:22:13.29 in the city of David, Bethlehem? 00:22:13.33\00:22:15.93 Well, this is one of the only times in history 00:22:15.96\00:22:18.17 we need to thank a politician for doing a tax increase. 00:22:18.20\00:22:23.57 Caesar Augustus, Luke 2:1, issued a decree, 00:22:23.61\00:22:29.18 "And it came to pass in those days 00:22:29.21\00:22:31.01 that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus 00:22:31.05\00:22:33.68 that all the world should be taxed. 00:22:33.72\00:22:36.12 And they had to go register for the tax in their own city. 00:22:36.15\00:22:40.56 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, 00:22:40.59\00:22:44.26 out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, 00:22:44.29\00:22:47.30 there to be registered, 00:22:47.33\00:22:49.13 to be taxed and registered with His wife Mary, 00:22:49.16\00:22:52.03 or his espoused wife being great with child. 00:22:52.07\00:22:55.77 And so it was, that, while they were there, 00:22:55.80\00:22:57.41 the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 00:22:57.44\00:23:00.31 And she brought forth her firstborn son, 00:23:00.34\00:23:03.81 and she laid Him in a manger." 00:23:03.85\00:23:06.01 And this is, of course, 00:23:06.05\00:23:07.38 fulfilling that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. 00:23:07.42\00:23:09.38 When the shepherds saw the angels, where were they? 00:23:09.42\00:23:11.92 "They were dwelling in those days 00:23:11.95\00:23:13.29 outside Bethlehem shepherds watching their flocks." 00:23:13.32\00:23:16.66 Now, you know, it's always been amazing to me. 00:23:16.69\00:23:19.59 You know what Bethlehem means? 00:23:19.63\00:23:22.50 "Beth" means "house." 00:23:22.53\00:23:23.87 "Bethlehem, " it means "house of bread." 00:23:23.90\00:23:27.57 And Jesus is the bread of life. 00:23:27.60\00:23:29.80 And after He was born, He was placed in a manger. 00:23:29.84\00:23:32.47 A manger is a trough 00:23:32.51\00:23:33.84 for putting grain for the animals. 00:23:33.88\00:23:36.64 So here you've got the bread of life 00:23:36.68\00:23:38.11 born in the house of bread placed in a trough for bread. 00:23:38.15\00:23:41.58 Jesus is the bread of life. 00:23:41.62\00:23:44.65 "And so she brought forth her firstborn son, 00:23:44.69\00:23:46.69 wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, 00:23:46.72\00:23:48.56 and laid Him in a manger 00:23:48.59\00:23:50.29 because there was no room for Him in the inn." 00:23:50.33\00:23:53.90 And again, the angels said, 00:23:53.93\00:23:55.73 "For unto you is born, " 00:23:55.76\00:23:57.10 they told the shepherds, 00:23:57.13\00:23:58.47 "in the city of David, " 00:23:58.50\00:23:59.83 Jesus would be a descendant of David 00:23:59.87\00:24:01.40 born in the town of David 00:24:01.44\00:24:02.84 and it was all foretold by the prophets, 00:24:02.87\00:24:05.51 "a Savior who is Christ," 00:24:05.54\00:24:07.11 the anointed, "the Lord." 00:24:07.14\00:24:09.88 And when Christ was a baby, eight days old, 00:24:09.91\00:24:12.78 they bring Him to the temple to be named and circumcised, 00:24:12.81\00:24:16.89 which was technically the first time He shed blood. 00:24:16.92\00:24:19.69 "When they called His name Jesus, 00:24:19.72\00:24:21.86 He will save His people from their sins." 00:24:21.89\00:24:23.83 "The priest there in the temple, 00:24:23.86\00:24:25.19 Simon, took Him up in His arms and blessed them. 00:24:25.23\00:24:27.60 And He said to His mother, 00:24:27.63\00:24:28.96 'Behold, this child is destined 00:24:29.00\00:24:30.77 for the fall and the rising of many in Israel. 00:24:30.80\00:24:33.50 And for a sign that will be spoken against 00:24:33.54\00:24:36.20 (yes, a sword will even pierce through your own soul)," 00:24:36.24\00:24:39.77 foretelling, of course, 00:24:39.81\00:24:41.14 the sufferings that Jesus would be going through, 00:24:41.18\00:24:43.38 "that the thoughts of many hearts 00:24:43.41\00:24:44.98 might be revealed." 00:24:45.01\00:24:46.48 So even at the very beginning, 00:24:46.51\00:24:47.85 Mary was given a prophecy 00:24:47.88\00:24:49.72 to let her know that 00:24:49.75\00:24:51.35 Jesus was coming not just as a lion, 00:24:51.39\00:24:55.29 but He would first have to come as a lamb 00:24:55.32\00:24:57.33 and suffer for the sins of the world. 00:24:57.36\00:25:00.20 Well, then, when Christ was still a child, 00:25:00.23\00:25:03.83 they're living in Bethlehem, 00:25:03.87\00:25:05.20 Herod the King wanted to exterminate Jesus as a baby. 00:25:05.23\00:25:08.70 You know, there's three times in the Bible 00:25:08.74\00:25:11.34 when the devil made an effort 00:25:11.37\00:25:12.94 try to keep the Savior from coming. 00:25:12.97\00:25:15.51 You can read about the devil thought 00:25:15.54\00:25:17.21 maybe that a Savior was coming 00:25:17.25\00:25:18.85 when the children of Israel were in Egypt. 00:25:18.88\00:25:21.18 So he wanted all the baby boys to be exterminated. 00:25:21.22\00:25:25.89 And yet, Moses was miraculously spared. 00:25:25.92\00:25:29.06 The Savior was spared. 00:25:29.09\00:25:30.76 And then during the time 00:25:30.79\00:25:32.13 of queen Jezebel's daughter Athaliah, 00:25:32.16\00:25:35.40 she killed all of the seed of David. 00:25:35.43\00:25:37.90 Again, the devil trying to keep the Messiah from coming, 00:25:37.93\00:25:41.50 but miraculously, Joash was spared. 00:25:41.54\00:25:45.41 And then, of course, 00:25:45.44\00:25:46.78 during the time when Christ was a baby, 00:25:46.81\00:25:48.14 Herod sent his soldiers to Bethlehem 00:25:48.18\00:25:49.51 to kill all the baby boys once again 00:25:49.54\00:25:51.58 to try to keep the Savior from coming. 00:25:51.61\00:25:54.58 And Joseph was warned in a dream 00:25:54.62\00:25:56.15 to go down to Egypt. 00:25:56.18\00:25:57.52 And you read in the New Testament 00:25:57.55\00:25:59.45 that after he received that warning, 00:25:59.49\00:26:00.96 he said, "He arose, and he took the young child 00:26:00.99\00:26:02.82 and his mother by night, 00:26:02.86\00:26:04.59 and he departed for Egypt." 00:26:04.63\00:26:06.33 Notice what Matthew says, 00:26:06.36\00:26:07.70 "That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord 00:26:07.73\00:26:11.73 through the prophet, saying, 00:26:11.77\00:26:13.10 'Out of Egypt I have called My son.'" 00:26:13.13\00:26:15.40 And here he's quoting Hosea. 00:26:15.44\00:26:17.94 And so even the New Testament writers like Matthew 00:26:17.97\00:26:21.71 could often see 00:26:21.74\00:26:23.08 how Jesus was a fulfillment of all these prophecies. 00:26:23.11\00:26:26.01 They all combined and concentrated 00:26:26.05\00:26:28.18 and focused in His life. 00:26:28.22\00:26:30.39 You know, I get excited when I talk about this 00:26:30.42\00:26:32.02 because there's just no question 00:26:32.05\00:26:33.46 that Jesus is who He says He was. 00:26:33.49\00:26:36.86 All right, and then you can say, 00:26:36.89\00:26:38.23 "And He came when He was a child. 00:26:38.26\00:26:39.96 He moved back then after Egypt to Nazareth, 00:26:40.00\00:26:42.66 and He was subject to His parents 00:26:42.70\00:26:45.03 that it might be fulfilled 00:26:45.07\00:26:46.50 that was spoken of by the prophets," 00:26:46.53\00:26:48.14 another prophecy, 00:26:48.17\00:26:49.50 "he will be called a Nazarene." 00:26:49.54\00:26:51.94 Now there they're talking about 00:26:51.97\00:26:53.81 when Samson's parents were told that 00:26:53.84\00:26:57.08 this promised child would be a Nazarene. 00:26:57.11\00:26:59.41 Several of the types in the Bible, 00:26:59.45\00:27:01.25 like Samuel and Samson, 00:27:01.28\00:27:03.82 had the vow of a Nazarite. 00:27:03.85\00:27:05.85 Typically, Jesus is painted with long hair. 00:27:05.89\00:27:08.96 And yet, you know, there's a Scripture that says, 00:27:08.99\00:27:10.59 "It's a shame for a man to have long hair." 00:27:10.63\00:27:12.46 But the Nazarites were not supposed to cut their hair. 00:27:12.49\00:27:15.13 And so some have wondered, 00:27:15.16\00:27:16.50 "Did Jesus' parents have the vow of a Nazarite on Him 00:27:16.53\00:27:20.67 up until He was baptized?" 00:27:20.70\00:27:22.30 'Cause a person could have a Nazarite vow 00:27:22.34\00:27:24.24 for a varying length of time, 00:27:24.27\00:27:26.57 it wasn't necessarily a lifelong vow. 00:27:26.61\00:27:29.08 Nazarites could not eat or drink 00:27:29.11\00:27:31.01 anything from the vine. 00:27:31.05\00:27:32.71 Jesus obviously drank grape juice. 00:27:32.75\00:27:35.38 And so He may have just been a Nazarite 00:27:35.42\00:27:37.12 up until His baptism or followed that vow. 00:27:37.15\00:27:39.89 We're not sure, 00:27:39.92\00:27:41.26 but He's typically painted with long hair 00:27:41.29\00:27:43.09 and that's one of the reasons for that, 00:27:43.12\00:27:45.43 but that was foretold. 00:27:45.46\00:27:47.03 "And then He went down with His parents 00:27:47.06\00:27:48.83 and He came to Nazareth 00:27:48.86\00:27:50.30 and He was subject to them." 00:27:50.33\00:27:52.57 You know, there's all these theories that say, 00:27:52.60\00:27:54.24 "Well, you know, reason Jesus was so brilliant 00:27:54.27\00:27:56.84 is because from the time He was born, 00:27:56.87\00:27:59.74 His parents then took Him 00:27:59.77\00:28:01.11 and He studied under these wise gurus in India." 00:28:01.14\00:28:05.48 Or, "He went to Egypt and He studied there." 00:28:05.51\00:28:07.38 And they've got all these theories 00:28:07.42\00:28:08.75 about where Jesus got His great knowledge 00:28:08.78\00:28:10.55 because it says that He was uneducated in Jerusalem. 00:28:10.59\00:28:14.19 Well, it tells us that He learned the Scriptures 00:28:14.22\00:28:16.46 right there from His parents in home. 00:28:16.49\00:28:18.89 He didn't go off and wasn't secretly taught by any, 00:28:18.93\00:28:22.50 you know, kung fu experts off there somewhere, 00:28:22.53\00:28:25.73 and then come back 00:28:25.77\00:28:27.10 and have this great enlightenment. 00:28:27.14\00:28:28.77 He went to His parents. 00:28:28.80\00:28:30.14 He lived a normal life for 33 or for the first 30 years 00:28:30.17\00:28:33.58 until His baptism. 00:28:33.61\00:28:35.11 When would He appear? 00:28:35.14\00:28:36.75 Now this is gonna get really interesting. 00:28:36.78\00:28:38.11 In a minute we're gonna delve 00:28:38.15\00:28:39.48 into a fascinating prophecy in Daniel. 00:28:39.51\00:28:42.12 If you look in Daniel Chapter 9, 00:28:42.15\00:28:45.29 you'll see in verse 24. 00:28:45.32\00:28:46.99 Matter of fact, 00:28:47.02\00:28:48.36 I wanna open my Bible 00:28:48.39\00:28:49.72 and you may wanna put a piece of paper there 00:28:49.76\00:28:51.89 because we're gonna continue to come back to this prophecy 00:28:51.93\00:28:54.76 in Daniel Chapter 9. 00:28:54.80\00:28:56.77 Daniel is praying, 00:28:56.80\00:28:58.13 let me give you the background for this. 00:28:58.17\00:29:00.44 Daniel is praying. 00:29:00.47\00:29:02.64 God's people are captives in Babylon. 00:29:02.67\00:29:05.07 He is saying, "We've been here 70 years." 00:29:05.11\00:29:07.78 Daniel is reading the prophecy of Jeremiah 00:29:07.81\00:29:10.58 that said after 70 years they would go home. 00:29:10.61\00:29:12.28 So even Daniel read the prophets. 00:29:12.31\00:29:14.15 And He's praying, saying, 00:29:14.18\00:29:15.52 "Lord, we've been Here 70 years. 00:29:15.55\00:29:16.89 How long, how long will you tolerate Your people? 00:29:16.92\00:29:19.05 How long till the Savior, the Messiah comes?" 00:29:19.09\00:29:21.59 While Daniel's praying, the angel Gabriel comes, 00:29:21.62\00:29:24.89 same one that appears to Mary, 00:29:24.93\00:29:26.80 and He hasn't aged a bit 00:29:26.83\00:29:28.16 when he appears to Mary 500 years later. 00:29:28.20\00:29:31.27 And he gives this prophecy, 00:29:31.30\00:29:34.64 "Seventy weeks are determined for your people," 00:29:34.67\00:29:36.94 I'm in Daniel 9:24, 00:29:36.97\00:29:39.67 "for their holy city, 00:29:39.71\00:29:41.74 to finish transgression, to make an end of sins, 00:29:41.78\00:29:45.98 to make reconciliation for iniquity, 00:29:46.01\00:29:48.38 to bring in everlasting righteousness, 00:29:48.42\00:29:50.69 to seal up the vision and prophecy, " 00:29:50.72\00:29:54.26 talking about the visions 00:29:54.29\00:29:55.62 about the coming of the Messiah, 00:29:55.66\00:29:56.99 "and anoint the Most Holy." 00:29:57.03\00:29:59.49 Very clear that this is a prophecy 00:29:59.53\00:30:01.26 that talked about 00:30:01.30\00:30:02.63 the Most Holy being anointed, 70 weeks. 00:30:02.66\00:30:06.10 So what does the 70 weeks represent? 00:30:06.13\00:30:11.31 Now in the Bible a day equals a year. 00:30:11.34\00:30:14.71 First, let's talk about the starting point here. 00:30:14.74\00:30:17.05 It tells us that it says, 00:30:17.08\00:30:18.41 "From the going forth of the commandment," 00:30:18.45\00:30:20.08 if you read in Daniel 9:25, 00:30:20.12\00:30:22.15 what's the starting point for this prophecy? 00:30:22.18\00:30:24.19 "From the going forth of the commandment 00:30:24.22\00:30:26.52 to restore and build Jerusalem," 00:30:26.55\00:30:29.19 Jerusalem had been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar. 00:30:29.22\00:30:32.36 The Persian king Artaxerxes issued a decree, 00:30:32.39\00:30:35.76 you can find that in your Bible in Ezra Chapter 7, 00:30:35.80\00:30:39.80 that they could go back. 00:30:39.83\00:30:41.17 And he also helps subsidize their mission 00:30:41.20\00:30:43.41 to rebuild the city, to rebuild the temple. 00:30:43.44\00:30:46.11 And the Bible says 00:30:46.14\00:30:47.48 that would be the starting point 00:30:47.51\00:30:48.84 of this 70-week prophecy. 00:30:48.88\00:30:51.41 "From the going forth of the command 00:30:51.45\00:30:52.78 to restore and build Jerusalem 00:30:52.81\00:30:54.25 unto the Messiah the prince there'll be seven weeks, " 00:30:54.28\00:30:56.69 then he breaks up that 70 weeks into 3 parts, 00:30:56.72\00:30:59.92 "There'll be seven weeks, and sixty-two weeks, 00:30:59.95\00:31:02.66 then you have your final week," okay? 00:31:02.69\00:31:05.13 And so 7 weeks was the time it took them 00:31:05.16\00:31:07.43 to rebuild the walls 00:31:07.46\00:31:08.80 and the streets in troublous times 00:31:08.83\00:31:10.17 and the temple. 00:31:10.20\00:31:11.53 Then there was 62 more weeks, 00:31:11.57\00:31:13.84 the Most Holy would be anointed, 00:31:13.87\00:31:15.47 then during that last week 00:31:15.50\00:31:17.37 He would confirm the covenant with the people, 00:31:17.41\00:31:19.84 but in the midst of that last week, 00:31:19.87\00:31:21.98 He'd make the sacrifice cease. 00:31:22.01\00:31:23.51 Now I've said it. 00:31:23.55\00:31:24.88 I'm gonna say it several times 00:31:24.91\00:31:26.28 because I know this is a lot of information 00:31:26.31\00:31:28.25 and I want you to have this clear in your mind. 00:31:28.28\00:31:29.92 First of all, 00:31:29.95\00:31:31.29 when you're dealing with a large Bible 00:31:31.32\00:31:33.02 time prophecy like this, 00:31:33.05\00:31:34.86 there's a pretty safe principle 00:31:34.89\00:31:37.33 that you apply a day for a year. 00:31:37.36\00:31:40.66 So when it says, "seventy weeks, " 00:31:40.70\00:31:43.10 how many days are in seventy weeks? 00:31:43.13\00:31:46.30 Four hundred and ninety, seven days in a week, 00:31:46.33\00:31:48.27 seventy times seven. 00:31:48.30\00:31:49.64 It's interesting, Jesus, when Peter said, 00:31:49.67\00:31:51.71 "How often shall I forgive my brother?" 00:31:51.74\00:31:54.08 He said, "Seventy times seven." 00:31:54.11\00:31:55.58 Daniel's praying, 00:31:55.61\00:31:56.95 "Lord, how long are you gonna bear with your people?" 00:31:56.98\00:31:58.41 He says, "Seventy times seven." 00:31:58.45\00:32:00.32 He didn't give them 00:32:00.35\00:32:01.68 another seven years of forgiveness. 00:32:01.72\00:32:03.85 He gave them 490 years 00:32:03.89\00:32:06.39 more mercy for them to present the Messiah to the world, 00:32:06.42\00:32:09.92 which they did at Pentecost. 00:32:09.96\00:32:11.89 And so He says, 00:32:11.93\00:32:13.26 "I've appointed you a day for a year." 00:32:13.29\00:32:15.36 And there's three references 00:32:15.40\00:32:16.73 there you can see that support that principle. 00:32:16.77\00:32:19.80 Now I'm gonna put a chart up on the screen 00:32:19.83\00:32:21.24 and explain this time prophecy. 00:32:21.27\00:32:24.31 You see, the decree is given 457 BC. 00:32:24.34\00:32:27.48 Artaxerxes, you can find it in Ezra 7, 00:32:27.51\00:32:29.44 it's a pretty well-accepted date 00:32:29.48\00:32:32.05 in ancient history. 00:32:32.08\00:32:33.58 Several things were happening then so we can peg that date. 00:32:33.62\00:32:37.42 If you go... 00:32:37.45\00:32:39.49 You got a total of 490 not days, 00:32:39.52\00:32:44.76 but years 'cause a day is a year in prophecy. 00:32:44.79\00:32:48.50 But the Messiah's not anointed 00:32:48.53\00:32:51.67 until a week before that's over, 00:32:51.70\00:32:54.77 okay? 00:32:54.80\00:32:56.27 And so 483 after the command 00:32:56.30\00:33:00.94 is when you would expect to see the Messiah anointed. 00:33:00.98\00:33:03.11 He begins His ministry. 00:33:03.14\00:33:04.58 He then confirms the covenant with God's people 00:33:04.61\00:33:06.85 for the last 7 years. 00:33:06.88\00:33:08.88 In the midst of that last 7 years, 00:33:08.92\00:33:10.59 He makes the sacrifice cease. 00:33:10.62\00:33:12.59 Stay with me. 00:33:12.62\00:33:14.32 All right, Jesus was baptized when? 00:33:14.36\00:33:17.53 You can read in the gospel of John chapter 1:29, 00:33:17.56\00:33:19.69 He came to John the Baptist and it says, 00:33:19.73\00:33:22.90 "John saw Jesus coming to Him 00:33:22.93\00:33:24.53 and said, 'Behold! The Lamb of God 00:33:24.57\00:33:26.94 that takes away the sin of the world!' 00:33:26.97\00:33:29.20 " You know, if you read in Luke, 00:33:29.24\00:33:30.57 it tells us that the year that John was preaching 00:33:30.61\00:33:32.21 when Jesus was baptized, 00:33:32.24\00:33:33.88 it talks about Pontius Pilate being in power. 00:33:33.91\00:33:36.44 You've got Tiberius Caesar. 00:33:36.48\00:33:37.88 You've got Herod. 00:33:37.91\00:33:39.91 There's only 1 year in history when these 3 characters, 00:33:39.95\00:33:43.15 their reigns overlapped, and it was 27 AD. 00:33:43.18\00:33:47.29 Twenty-seven AD is exactly 00:33:47.32\00:33:49.42 four hundred and eighty-three years 00:33:49.46\00:33:51.06 after King Artaxerxes' decree in 457. 00:33:51.09\00:33:55.66 That's when the Messiah was baptized. 00:33:55.70\00:33:57.37 What happened at the baptism of Jesus? 00:33:57.40\00:33:59.37 You can read in Acts chapter... 00:33:59.40\00:34:01.20 Well, you can read, first of all, 00:34:01.24\00:34:02.57 in Matthew Chapter 3. 00:34:02.60\00:34:03.94 It says, "He came up out of the water. 00:34:03.97\00:34:05.31 The heavens were open. The Holy Spirit descended. 00:34:05.34\00:34:06.88 A voice from Heaven said, 'This is My Beloved Son.'" 00:34:06.91\00:34:10.05 And then you can read in Acts 10:38 00:34:10.08\00:34:13.68 where Peter said, 00:34:13.72\00:34:15.05 "God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit, 00:34:15.08\00:34:18.45 " He was the Anointed, the Christ, 00:34:18.49\00:34:20.49 "and with power, 00:34:20.52\00:34:21.96 who went about doing good 00:34:21.99\00:34:23.53 and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, 00:34:23.56\00:34:26.86 for God was with Him." 00:34:26.90\00:34:29.20 And so Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit 00:34:29.23\00:34:32.40 exactly 483 years, 00:34:32.43\00:34:35.07 but now you've got one week left 00:34:35.10\00:34:36.74 still to 490, right? 00:34:36.77\00:34:38.81 Now we're gonna talk about 00:34:38.84\00:34:40.18 what happened during the ministry of Jesus. 00:34:40.21\00:34:41.78 We're parking the prophecy of Daniel. 00:34:41.81\00:34:44.01 So you all with me? 00:34:44.05\00:34:45.38 We're gonna come back to it. 00:34:45.41\00:34:46.75 It said that He would confirm the covenant during this week. 00:34:46.78\00:34:49.92 Question seven, 00:34:49.95\00:34:51.29 what did Jesus do during that time? 00:34:51.32\00:34:53.86 Let's look at the ministry of Christ. 00:34:53.89\00:34:55.39 And are there prophecies about the ministry of Christ? 00:34:55.42\00:34:58.79 So I'm putting layers in here, prophecies in prophecies. 00:34:58.83\00:35:01.90 Isaiah 61:1, 00:35:01.93\00:35:03.97 first sermon Jesus preached He quotes from this in Nazareth, 00:35:04.00\00:35:06.37 His home church, He said. 00:35:06.40\00:35:07.97 "'The Spirit of God is upon Me, 00:35:08.00\00:35:10.37 because the Lord has anointed Me 00:35:10.41\00:35:12.97 to preach the good news to the poor, '" 00:35:13.01\00:35:15.74 Christ is the Anointed and He's telling people, 00:35:15.78\00:35:17.28 "I am the anointed." 00:35:17.31\00:35:18.98 "He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted." 00:35:19.01\00:35:20.82 Did Jesus do that? 00:35:20.85\00:35:23.02 "To proclaim liberty to the captives, " 00:35:23.05\00:35:24.92 people captive by the devil and sin, 00:35:24.95\00:35:27.09 "and the opening of prison to those who are bound, " 00:35:27.12\00:35:29.66 He came to set the captive free, 00:35:29.69\00:35:33.40 "and to proclaim liberty to the captives 00:35:33.43\00:35:35.26 and the great day of the Lord." 00:35:35.30\00:35:37.17 And the people that came to hear Jesus preach, 00:35:37.20\00:35:39.83 you know, spies were sent to arrest Him. 00:35:39.87\00:35:41.30 And they came back and the leader said, 00:35:41.34\00:35:43.71 "Where is He? We told you to arrest Him." 00:35:43.74\00:35:45.07 You know what their answer was? 00:35:45.11\00:35:46.57 "Never man spoke like this Man." 00:35:46.61\00:35:51.11 And I can testify to you 00:35:51.15\00:35:52.65 that was my impression 00:35:52.68\00:35:54.48 because I grew up believing that Jesus was, in our home, 00:35:54.52\00:35:58.65 my mom didn't say very nice things about Jesus. 00:35:58.69\00:36:01.89 Came, like I said, from a Jewish background, 00:36:01.92\00:36:04.59 and we thought Christians were the problem. 00:36:04.63\00:36:06.80 My Jewish relatives, they'd say, 00:36:06.83\00:36:08.56 "Oh, yeah, Jesus was, He was a good man. 00:36:08.60\00:36:10.33 He was a teacher." 00:36:10.37\00:36:11.70 And I would ask my grandfather, I'd say, 00:36:11.73\00:36:13.40 "Now you realize that He said He was the Messiah? 00:36:13.44\00:36:15.60 Do you think He told the truth?" 00:36:15.64\00:36:17.01 "Well, but, but, but..." 00:36:17.04\00:36:19.37 They'd say, "Oh, yeah, He was a good man. 00:36:19.41\00:36:20.78 He was a teacher. He was a prophet." 00:36:20.81\00:36:22.21 Well, He said He was The Son of God. 00:36:22.24\00:36:24.78 He said He was the only one. He's the only door. 00:36:24.81\00:36:28.32 And so they used to kind of stumble over that 00:36:28.35\00:36:30.29 so I was very antagonist about Jesus. 00:36:30.32\00:36:32.09 When I finally started reading the Bible 00:36:32.12\00:36:34.76 so I could argue with Christians, 00:36:34.79\00:36:36.69 I was amazed 00:36:36.73\00:36:38.49 because I had no Bible background. 00:36:38.53\00:36:39.86 I went to public school. 00:36:39.89\00:36:41.23 I even actually went to Catholic school. 00:36:41.26\00:36:43.10 Went to Catholic school here in Florida, 00:36:43.13\00:36:44.53 a couple of different catholic schools here in Florida, 00:36:44.57\00:36:46.33 went to Jewish school in New York City. 00:36:46.37\00:36:47.84 I'm all mixed up. 00:36:47.87\00:36:49.20 So I can relate to everybody here. 00:36:49.24\00:36:50.74 In military school, 00:36:50.77\00:36:52.11 you had to go to services Sunday. 00:36:52.14\00:36:53.48 Well, I didn't know what to do. 00:36:53.51\00:36:55.04 My mother was Jewish 00:36:55.08\00:36:56.41 so I'd sometimes go to the Jewish services. 00:36:56.44\00:36:58.61 My father was Protestant. 00:36:58.65\00:37:01.58 Sometimes I'd go to the Protestant services, 00:37:01.62\00:37:03.15 even though my parents were pretty much atheists. 00:37:03.18\00:37:05.55 And then sometimes they sent me to Catholic school. 00:37:05.59\00:37:07.42 I'd go to the Catholic services. 00:37:07.46\00:37:08.79 So I mean, I just, I kind of got pretty good exposure. 00:37:08.82\00:37:11.23 Who knew back then 00:37:11.26\00:37:12.59 the Lord was preparing me for this, right? 00:37:12.63\00:37:14.56 But I knew nothing about the Bible 00:37:14.60\00:37:16.26 because they never read the Bible. 00:37:16.30\00:37:19.20 And so when I finally started reading the Bible for myself, 00:37:19.23\00:37:23.17 and I'd read where it says, 00:37:23.20\00:37:25.77 "He that is without sin cast the first stone," 00:37:25.81\00:37:28.91 I'd heard that expression all my life. 00:37:28.94\00:37:30.45 I said, "Oh, Jesus said that." "Turn the other cheek." 00:37:30.48\00:37:34.58 "Oh, Jesus said that." "Go the second mile." 00:37:34.62\00:37:39.29 And all of these things, 00:37:39.32\00:37:40.66 I was reading in the Sermon on the Mount, I'm going, 00:37:40.69\00:37:42.09 "I've been hearing these things all my life. 00:37:42.12\00:37:43.63 I had no idea that Jesus said them." 00:37:43.66\00:37:46.19 I said, "Wow, He was really smart." 00:37:46.23\00:37:48.86 I mean, He just said, 00:37:48.90\00:37:50.23 He is the most quoted person in History. 00:37:50.27\00:37:51.83 Nobody ever spoke like this man spoke. 00:37:51.87\00:37:55.60 Now you look at the prophecies and the events 00:37:55.64\00:37:57.41 surrounding the cross. 00:37:57.44\00:37:59.87 Are there some of those in the Old Testament? 00:37:59.91\00:38:02.18 For one thing, 00:38:02.21\00:38:03.55 just the week before He was crucified, 00:38:03.58\00:38:05.15 they call it the "Triumphal Entry." 00:38:05.18\00:38:07.05 "Rejoice greatly, O daughter," 00:38:07.08\00:38:08.68 by the way, this is Zechariah 9:9, 00:38:08.72\00:38:10.92 "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! 00:38:10.95\00:38:12.92 Shout, daughter of Jerusalem. 00:38:12.95\00:38:14.82 Behold, your King is coming to you. 00:38:14.86\00:38:17.23 He is just and having salvation, 00:38:17.26\00:38:19.53 lowly and riding on a donkey. 00:38:19.56\00:38:22.03 A colt, the foal of a donkey." 00:38:22.06\00:38:24.23 And then you go to the New Testament 00:38:24.27\00:38:25.60 and then you see the story where Jesus rode into Jerusalem 00:38:25.63\00:38:28.20 through the golden gate on a donkey, 00:38:28.24\00:38:31.04 just as had been foretold, with all the people rejoicing. 00:38:31.07\00:38:33.61 By the way, 00:38:33.64\00:38:34.98 a little amazing fact I'll throw in. 00:38:35.01\00:38:36.61 If you go to Jerusalem today, 00:38:36.64\00:38:37.98 you'll see this picture 00:38:38.01\00:38:39.35 of what they call the golden gate. 00:38:39.38\00:38:40.72 There's something odd about that. 00:38:40.75\00:38:42.15 It's all bricked up. 00:38:42.18\00:38:43.92 That is the gate that Jesus rode through. 00:38:43.95\00:38:47.22 You know why it's bricked up? 00:38:47.26\00:38:48.82 Because when the Muslims took Jerusalem, 00:38:48.86\00:38:52.66 they knew the Jewish prophecy said in Zechariah 00:38:52.69\00:38:55.26 the Messiah would ride through this gate. 00:38:55.30\00:38:57.33 They wanted to prevent that from happening. 00:38:57.37\00:38:59.30 So I think it was Suleiman the Magnificent, 00:38:59.33\00:39:01.10 He had it all blocked off. 00:39:01.14\00:39:02.94 And they put a cemetery in front of it 00:39:02.97\00:39:05.27 to desecrate the ground 00:39:05.31\00:39:06.81 to prevent the Jewish Messiah from coming, 00:39:06.84\00:39:08.98 but they were about 700 years too late. 00:39:09.01\00:39:11.51 Are there prophecies about the betrayal of Jesus? 00:39:11.55\00:39:14.35 Yes, quite a few. 00:39:14.38\00:39:16.12 Matter of fact, you can read in Psalms, 00:39:16.15\00:39:17.52 a thousand years before Jesus was born, 00:39:17.55\00:39:20.72 King David wrote, 00:39:20.76\00:39:22.09 "Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, 00:39:22.12\00:39:24.86 who ate my bread, 00:39:24.89\00:39:26.43 he has lifted up his heel against me." 00:39:26.46\00:39:29.46 After they ate bread together, 00:39:29.50\00:39:30.87 Judas went out and he betrayed Him. 00:39:30.90\00:39:34.17 And then again you read in Zechariah, it says, 00:39:34.20\00:39:36.40 and this is 11:12, 00:39:36.44\00:39:37.94 "Then I said to them, 'if it is agreeable to you, 00:39:37.97\00:39:40.64 give me my wages and if not, refrain.' 00:39:40.68\00:39:44.48 So they weighed out for my wages 00:39:44.51\00:39:46.35 thirty pieces of silver." 00:39:46.38\00:39:48.98 How much was Jesus sold for? 00:39:49.02\00:39:51.49 Thirty pieces of silver exactly, 00:39:51.52\00:39:53.72 and then it goes on to say, 00:39:53.76\00:39:55.42 "And the Lord said to me, 'Throw it to the potter, 00:39:55.46\00:39:58.03 ' that princely price that they set upon me. 00:39:58.06\00:40:00.90 So they took the thirty pieces of silver 00:40:00.93\00:40:02.63 and they threw them 00:40:02.66\00:40:04.00 into the house of the Lord to the potter." 00:40:04.03\00:40:05.93 You know what Judas did with the money 00:40:05.97\00:40:07.30 when he was overcome with guilt? 00:40:07.34\00:40:08.67 He went into the house of the Lord. 00:40:08.70\00:40:10.04 He threw the silver down. 00:40:10.07\00:40:11.61 They did not know what to do with the money 00:40:11.64\00:40:13.07 because it was blood money. 00:40:13.11\00:40:14.44 They used it to by a potter's field 00:40:14.48\00:40:16.04 to bury strangers in. 00:40:16.08\00:40:18.45 What precise details were foretold 00:40:18.48\00:40:20.95 hundreds of years earlier, 00:40:20.98\00:40:22.62 a thousand years earlier, 00:40:22.65\00:40:24.55 no, this one, hundreds of years earlier, 00:40:24.59\00:40:26.79 regarding the betrayal of Christ. 00:40:26.82\00:40:29.69 What about the manner of His death? 00:40:29.72\00:40:31.06 Was that foretold? 00:40:31.09\00:40:33.40 You realize when some of these prophecies were written, 00:40:33.43\00:40:35.50 they didn't practice crucifixion, 00:40:35.53\00:40:37.20 but you look in Psalm 22. 00:40:37.23\00:40:39.30 Do you know 00:40:39.33\00:40:40.67 what the first words are in Psalm 22? 00:40:40.70\00:40:42.40 "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" 00:40:42.44\00:40:45.47 Does that sound familiar? 00:40:45.51\00:40:47.21 That's what Jesus uttered from the cross. 00:40:47.24\00:40:48.78 People think, "Did He say that because He was discouraged?" 00:40:48.81\00:40:51.45 No, Jesus said that 00:40:51.48\00:40:53.05 because later in that Psalm 00:40:53.08\00:40:54.75 you find these other predictions. 00:40:54.78\00:40:56.79 Read in Psalm 22:16, 00:40:56.82\00:40:59.35 "For dogs have surrounded Me. 00:40:59.39\00:41:01.19 the congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. 00:41:01.22\00:41:03.63 They pierced My hands and My feet." 00:41:03.66\00:41:06.80 Describing crucifixion. 00:41:06.83\00:41:08.70 It's in that same Psalm, that Messianic Passover Psalm, 00:41:08.73\00:41:12.97 where He says, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?" 00:41:13.00\00:41:16.44 Christ had not lost courage. 00:41:16.47\00:41:17.81 He was directing them to the Psalm 00:41:17.84\00:41:19.57 that showed the very thing that was happening that day 00:41:19.61\00:41:21.84 as He hung upon the cross. 00:41:21.88\00:41:23.38 It says, "They divided my garments among them, 00:41:23.41\00:41:25.95 and they cast lots for my clothing." 00:41:25.98\00:41:28.05 What a precise detail. 00:41:28.08\00:41:30.19 And then you read, of course, in the New Testament there, 00:41:30.22\00:41:32.65 Mark 15:24, at the foot of the cross, 00:41:32.69\00:41:35.82 "When they crucified Him, they divided His garments, 00:41:35.86\00:41:38.49 casting lots for them 00:41:38.53\00:41:40.16 to determine what every man should take, " 00:41:40.20\00:41:43.47 gambling there at the foot of the cross. 00:41:43.50\00:41:46.80 "But when they came to Jesus," 00:41:46.84\00:41:48.17 it also says, 00:41:48.20\00:41:49.54 "None of His bones would be broken, " 00:41:49.57\00:41:50.91 in that prophecy in Psalm 22. 00:41:50.94\00:41:52.71 It says, "When they came to Jesus, " 00:41:52.74\00:41:54.08 after breaking the bones of the thief 00:41:54.11\00:41:55.48 on the right and the left, 00:41:55.51\00:41:57.01 "they saw He was already dead, 00:41:57.05\00:41:58.38 and they did not break His legs." 00:41:58.41\00:41:59.75 Notice, John goes on. 00:41:59.78\00:42:01.28 John quotes from the prophecy, 00:42:01.32\00:42:03.22 "But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, 00:42:03.25\00:42:06.22 and immediately blood and water came out." 00:42:06.25\00:42:08.86 Talks about Christ, the Messiah, being pierced, 00:42:08.89\00:42:11.43 "blood and water came out." 00:42:11.46\00:42:12.79 But they did not break His bones. 00:42:12.83\00:42:14.46 It says, "For these things were done 00:42:14.50\00:42:15.83 that the Scripture should be fulfilled, 00:42:15.86\00:42:17.87 'Not one of His bones would be broken.'" 00:42:17.90\00:42:20.40 Even the Apostle John says, 00:42:20.44\00:42:21.77 "I am amazed looking back 00:42:21.80\00:42:23.14 at these Old Testament prophecies." 00:42:23.17\00:42:24.67 'Cause when the Apostle John read these things, 00:42:24.71\00:42:27.48 these prophecies were already hundreds, 00:42:27.51\00:42:29.24 if not thousands, of years old. 00:42:29.28\00:42:31.45 You and I are not the first ones 00:42:31.48\00:42:32.81 to read the Bible. 00:42:32.85\00:42:34.18 Now the New Testament was completed 00:42:34.22\00:42:35.75 by the Apostle John, 00:42:35.78\00:42:37.45 and there's been no addition since then to Scripture, 00:42:37.49\00:42:40.46 but they, in Jesus' time, they had a Bible too. 00:42:40.49\00:42:43.89 They had the Old Testament. 00:42:43.93\00:42:45.63 "And again another Scripture says, 00:42:45.66\00:42:47.00 'They'll look on Him whom they had pierced, '" 00:42:47.03\00:42:49.66 quoting again that Scripture. 00:42:49.70\00:42:51.07 Jesus was pierced. His bones were not broken. 00:42:51.10\00:42:52.90 He was crucified. They gambled for His clothing. 00:42:52.93\00:42:55.57 Was He the one? 00:42:55.60\00:42:57.61 Do the prophecies all talk about Jesus? 00:42:57.64\00:42:59.67 Now I told you, don't forget about Daniel. 00:42:59.71\00:43:02.34 We're going back now to Daniel Chapter 9 00:43:02.38\00:43:05.11 and I wanna take you back to that chart again. 00:43:05.15\00:43:07.12 We looked at the ministry of the Messiah. 00:43:07.15\00:43:09.98 We got one week to go. 00:43:10.02\00:43:11.72 And it says, 00:43:11.75\00:43:13.09 "After the sixty-two weeks Messiah will be cut off, 00:43:13.12\00:43:16.69 but not for Himself." 00:43:16.73\00:43:18.99 Was Jesus cut off? 00:43:19.03\00:43:21.16 And when a person dies of old age, 00:43:21.20\00:43:23.30 that's not being cut off, 00:43:23.33\00:43:24.67 but when they're 30 years old, 33 and 1/2, 00:43:24.70\00:43:29.97 He died in His prime. 00:43:30.01\00:43:32.27 He was cut off from the land of the living, 00:43:32.31\00:43:33.68 but not for Himself. 00:43:33.71\00:43:35.04 For who? 00:43:35.08\00:43:36.58 For me, for you. 00:43:36.61\00:43:38.81 He died for you as though you were the only one 00:43:38.85\00:43:40.58 who had ever sinned. 00:43:40.62\00:43:41.95 He loves you that much. 00:43:41.98\00:43:43.32 And then it said, 00:43:43.35\00:43:44.69 "He would confirm the covenant with many for one week." 00:43:44.72\00:43:46.92 So that last seven years from His baptism 00:43:46.96\00:43:50.23 until seven years later, 00:43:50.26\00:43:53.19 He is confirming the covenant with the Jewish people. 00:43:53.23\00:43:56.10 Three and a half years in person, 00:43:56.13\00:43:59.30 three and a half years through the apostles 00:43:59.33\00:44:02.00 until finally, the first Christian martyr, 00:44:02.04\00:44:05.14 which is Stephen, 00:44:05.17\00:44:06.88 he is tried by the Jewish Supreme Court for his faith. 00:44:06.91\00:44:09.94 They do the same thing to him they did to Jesus. 00:44:09.98\00:44:11.81 They bring him out of the city. 00:44:11.85\00:44:13.38 He's falsely accused, 00:44:13.42\00:44:15.28 and then he is executed 00:44:15.32\00:44:17.22 and he prays for the forgiveness 00:44:17.25\00:44:18.59 of those who kill Him, 00:44:18.62\00:44:19.95 the same thing Jesus did. 00:44:19.99\00:44:21.46 In the middle of the week, He pauses, 00:44:21.49\00:44:23.36 He makes the offering and the sacrifice to cease. 00:44:23.39\00:44:26.86 Three and a half years after Jesus was baptized, 00:44:26.90\00:44:29.40 when He dies on the cross, what happened in the temple? 00:44:29.43\00:44:32.67 You read in Matthew 27:50, 00:44:32.70\00:44:35.00 "Behold, the veil of the temple 00:44:35.04\00:44:36.44 was torn in two from top to bottom, 00:44:36.47\00:44:39.44 and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split." 00:44:39.47\00:44:42.68 And the veil of the temple is torn, 00:44:42.71\00:44:45.38 showing that the purpose 00:44:45.41\00:44:46.75 for that sanctuary was complete. 00:44:46.78\00:44:50.29 Jesus said, 00:44:50.32\00:44:51.65 "Destroy this temple made with hands. 00:44:51.69\00:44:53.02 In three days I will make one without hands." 00:44:53.05\00:44:54.46 He spoke of His body, the church. 00:44:54.49\00:44:57.29 Two things were torn. 00:44:57.33\00:44:58.66 The temple was torn 00:44:58.69\00:45:00.03 and the high priest tore His garments. 00:45:00.06\00:45:01.50 We now have a new priesthood. 00:45:01.53\00:45:03.47 If you are a believer in Christ, 00:45:03.50\00:45:05.23 then you are part of that royal priesthood, amen? 00:45:05.27\00:45:08.04 And we also have a new temple. 00:45:08.07\00:45:09.40 If you are a believer in Christ, 00:45:09.44\00:45:10.77 you are a living stone in that building. 00:45:10.81\00:45:12.74 That's what Paul and Peter say. We are the household of God. 00:45:12.77\00:45:15.74 Church is not a building. Church is the people. 00:45:15.78\00:45:18.41 Now go back, I want you to see the chart again. 00:45:18.45\00:45:21.18 And you notice here, 00:45:21.22\00:45:22.55 we got from the decree until the 69 weeks are complete, 00:45:22.58\00:45:28.42 you've got 483 years and 69 weeks, 00:45:28.46\00:45:31.96 or 483 days and a day is a year. 00:45:31.99\00:45:34.66 Christ is baptized 27 AD. 00:45:34.70\00:45:37.70 He confirms the covenant with God's people 00:45:37.73\00:45:39.40 for another week 00:45:39.43\00:45:40.77 before the gospel goes to the Gentiles. 00:45:40.80\00:45:43.20 Three and a half years in person, 00:45:43.24\00:45:46.17 then He dies and He causes the sacrifice to cease. 00:45:46.21\00:45:49.54 Then He does another 3 and 1/2 years 00:45:49.58\00:45:51.21 through those that Heard Him. 00:45:51.25\00:45:52.71 And you'll find this is in the Book of Hebrews. 00:45:52.75\00:45:56.25 We'll talk about that in just a moment. 00:45:56.28\00:45:58.09 When Christ is crucified, 00:45:58.12\00:45:59.52 "He makes His grave with the wicked, 00:45:59.55\00:46:01.06 and the rich in His death." 00:46:01.09\00:46:02.42 That's written by Isaiah 53:9, 00:46:02.46\00:46:07.10 700 years before He is born. 00:46:07.13\00:46:10.13 It foretells what's gonna happen there. 00:46:10.17\00:46:12.77 And it goes on and says, 00:46:12.80\00:46:14.14 "Because He had done no violence, 00:46:14.17\00:46:15.50 neither was there any deceit in His mouth," 00:46:15.54\00:46:18.74 it says, "He would not be left in the grave." 00:46:18.77\00:46:20.61 Psalm 16:10, 00:46:20.64\00:46:22.54 "You will not leave His soul in Hell." 00:46:22.58\00:46:24.71 Three days later, He came back. We know that He rose again. 00:46:24.75\00:46:27.62 I'm rushing along here. 00:46:27.65\00:46:28.98 I wanna go to this next verse in Hebrews 2:3, 00:46:29.02\00:46:33.05 where it says that, 00:46:33.09\00:46:34.62 "How shall we escape," notice this, 00:46:34.66\00:46:36.49 "How shall we escape 00:46:36.52\00:46:37.86 if we neglect so great a salvation, 00:46:37.89\00:46:39.96 which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, " 00:46:40.00\00:46:44.00 27 AD from His baptism, 00:46:44.03\00:46:45.67 began to preach for 3 and 1/2 years 00:46:45.70\00:46:48.77 until He was executed, 00:46:48.80\00:46:50.71 "and was confirmed to us by those that Heard Him." 00:46:50.74\00:46:53.98 For 3 and 1/2 years, 00:46:54.01\00:46:55.34 do you know, the Jews did not go 00:46:55.38\00:46:56.85 when Christ rose? 00:46:56.88\00:46:58.21 They did not go to the world yet. 00:46:58.25\00:46:59.85 He said, "First begin in Jerusalem and Judea." 00:46:59.88\00:47:04.19 Says, "Do not go, 00:47:04.22\00:47:05.55 but first to the lost sheep at the house of Israel." 00:47:05.59\00:47:08.16 The apostles' ministry for the first 3 and 1/2 years 00:47:08.19\00:47:10.96 was exclusively to the Jewish nation. 00:47:10.99\00:47:13.29 At Pentecost, 00:47:13.33\00:47:14.66 when the Holy Spirit is poured out, 00:47:14.70\00:47:16.03 it says, "There were devout Jews 00:47:16.06\00:47:17.40 dwelling in Jerusalem from every nation." 00:47:17.43\00:47:19.43 They preached to Jews. 00:47:19.47\00:47:21.10 In Acts Chapter 3, Acts Chapter 5, 00:47:21.14\00:47:22.90 they're all Jews being baptized. 00:47:22.94\00:47:24.47 It wasn't until Stephen was stoned, 00:47:24.51\00:47:26.84 it says, "A great persecution arose 00:47:26.88\00:47:28.84 and the gospel went everywhere." 00:47:28.88\00:47:30.98 Then Paul is converted following that 00:47:31.01\00:47:34.12 in the next chapter. 00:47:34.15\00:47:35.48 Peter then goes to Cornelius 00:47:35.52\00:47:36.85 and starts to preach to the Gentiles, 00:47:36.89\00:47:39.22 who he had been calling "unclean." 00:47:39.25\00:47:40.66 Finally, the gospel began to go to everyone. 00:47:40.69\00:47:43.53 That was exactly 490 years 00:47:43.56\00:47:46.49 after, as Daniel had said, that prophecy. 00:47:46.53\00:47:50.17 Stephen is stoned in 34 AD, 00:47:50.20\00:47:52.10 3 and 1/2 years after the cross. 00:47:52.13\00:47:54.57 So here you've got that chart. 00:47:54.60\00:47:55.94 I know I've been rushing. 00:47:55.97\00:47:57.64 I wanna just summarize this for you. 00:47:57.67\00:48:00.08 It says here, you've got the decree of 457. 00:48:00.11\00:48:03.98 The baptism of Jesus marks the last week of that prophecy. 00:48:04.01\00:48:07.98 First 3 and 1/2 years He confirms the covenant. 00:48:08.02\00:48:11.15 He then causes the sacrifice 00:48:11.19\00:48:12.59 to cease by His death on the cross. 00:48:12.62\00:48:14.46 Then He says to the disciples, 00:48:14.49\00:48:15.82 "As the Father sent me, 00:48:15.86\00:48:17.43 now you go confirm the covenant 00:48:17.46\00:48:19.09 with the lost sheep for another 3 and 1/2 years." 00:48:19.13\00:48:21.50 Stephen is stoned. 00:48:21.53\00:48:22.86 And He says, 00:48:22.90\00:48:24.23 "Now the gospel goes to the Gentiles and everybody." 00:48:24.27\00:48:26.43 "Whosoever will" 00:48:26.47\00:48:27.80 this is exactly what God said would happen. 00:48:27.84\00:48:30.37 There's no question that Jesus was the Messiah 00:48:30.41\00:48:32.57 that Daniel foretold. 00:48:32.61\00:48:34.11 And I've even got a quote here from Josephus, 00:48:34.14\00:48:36.51 the Jewish historian that, to me, it just blows me away. 00:48:36.54\00:48:39.75 Josephus, Flavius Josephus 00:48:39.78\00:48:41.18 was a contemporary of the apostles. 00:48:41.22\00:48:44.95 And he wrote this from the time of Christ, 00:48:44.99\00:48:48.82 "Now there was about this time a wise man, 00:48:48.86\00:48:52.39 if it be lawful to call Him a man, 00:48:52.43\00:48:54.56 for He was a doer of wonderful works, 00:48:54.60\00:48:57.43 and a teacher of such men 00:48:57.47\00:48:58.80 as receive the truth with pleasure. 00:48:58.83\00:49:01.00 He drew over to Him 00:49:01.04\00:49:02.37 both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. 00:49:02.40\00:49:05.17 He was the Christ." 00:49:05.21\00:49:06.54 This is coming from a Jewish scholar 00:49:06.57\00:49:07.98 who's not writing in the Bible. 00:49:08.01\00:49:11.25 It says, "And when Pilate, 00:49:11.28\00:49:13.68 at the suggestion of principal people among us, 00:49:13.72\00:49:17.02 had condemned Him to the cross, 00:49:17.05\00:49:19.05 those that love Him 00:49:19.09\00:49:20.42 at the first did not forsake Him. 00:49:20.46\00:49:22.72 For He appeared to them alive again after the third day." 00:49:22.76\00:49:27.46 So this is not just the Bible, friends. 00:49:27.50\00:49:29.06 This is history. 00:49:29.10\00:49:30.43 And even this Jewish historian says, 00:49:30.47\00:49:31.90 "Yeah, He was the Messiah. He appeared. 00:49:31.93\00:49:34.97 He rose from the dead." 00:49:35.00\00:49:37.61 "As the divine prophets had foretold these things 00:49:37.64\00:49:39.74 and ten thousand other wonderful things 00:49:39.77\00:49:42.14 concerning Him. 00:49:42.18\00:49:43.51 And the tribe of Christian continues with us. 00:49:43.55\00:49:46.11 And they're not extinct even to this day." 00:49:46.15\00:49:48.42 So I want you to consider what we've looked at Here. 00:49:48.45\00:49:50.79 There are prophecies that tell about the time of His birth, 00:49:50.82\00:49:53.89 that He'd be born of a virgin. 00:49:53.92\00:49:56.42 It tells us that the time of baptism, 00:49:56.46\00:50:01.46 the type of ministry, 00:50:01.50\00:50:02.90 the events of His betrayal, the manner of His execution, 00:50:02.93\00:50:06.13 His resurrection, His ascension. 00:50:06.17\00:50:07.57 This is all foretold in the Old Testament. 00:50:07.60\00:50:10.51 And the people say, 00:50:10.54\00:50:11.87 "Well, Pastor Doug, 00:50:11.91\00:50:13.24 we had a question they didn't read tonight. 00:50:13.27\00:50:14.61 How do you know the Bible's true and..." 00:50:14.64\00:50:17.11 What evidence will you accept? 00:50:17.15\00:50:20.12 What evidence will you accept? 00:50:20.15\00:50:21.82 The book has been supernaturally preserved. 00:50:21.85\00:50:23.79 Everything it says has come true, 00:50:23.82\00:50:25.99 and Jesus is the best evidence of all. 00:50:26.02\00:50:29.09 You start to put the pieces together, friends, 00:50:29.12\00:50:31.09 and you can see Jesus is what the whole Bible 00:50:31.13\00:50:33.73 is talking about, amen? 00:50:33.76\00:50:37.17 So why did He come? 00:50:37.20\00:50:39.23 Three quick reasons we're gonna review. 00:50:39.27\00:50:41.50 One, He came as our example. 00:50:41.54\00:50:44.21 Jesus, He said, 00:50:44.24\00:50:45.94 "I've given you an example 00:50:45.97\00:50:47.31 that you should walk as I've walked." 00:50:47.34\00:50:49.74 Jesus Christ came, and that, by the way, 00:50:49.78\00:50:52.41 is John 13:15, 00:50:52.45\00:50:54.52 "I want you to live as I've lived." 00:50:54.55\00:50:56.65 A Christian is a follower of Christ. 00:50:56.69\00:50:58.99 He came to show us The Father. 00:50:59.02\00:51:00.76 It's the second reason He came. 00:51:00.79\00:51:02.19 He said, "He who has seen Me has seen The Father." 00:51:02.22\00:51:06.53 And then finally, He said, 00:51:06.56\00:51:08.63 "I've come because I want to take your place." 00:51:08.66\00:51:11.63 He is our substitute. 00:51:11.67\00:51:13.67 He died as the sacrifice for our sins 00:51:13.70\00:51:15.60 because He loves us, 00:51:15.64\00:51:17.51 but there's something that we need to do. 00:51:17.54\00:51:19.91 We need to accept that sacrifice in our behalf. 00:51:19.94\00:51:24.31 You know, 00:51:24.35\00:51:25.68 when Jesus was being tried, Pilate said to Him, 00:51:25.71\00:51:28.92 "What am I supposed to do with Jesus, 00:51:28.95\00:51:30.92 who is called the Christ?" 00:51:30.95\00:51:32.29 Everyone really needs to answer that question. 00:51:32.32\00:51:34.42 He is the central figure of human history. 00:51:34.46\00:51:37.89 All of history dated from His birth. 00:51:37.93\00:51:40.06 You cannot just ignore Jesus. 00:51:40.10\00:51:42.30 He said, "If you're not with Me, 00:51:42.33\00:51:43.67 you're against Me." 00:51:43.70\00:51:45.33 There's no middle ground. 00:51:45.37\00:51:47.10 There's no Switzerland in this war 00:51:47.14\00:51:48.94 between good and evil. 00:51:48.97\00:51:50.31 Are you with Him? 00:51:50.34\00:51:51.67 You either accept Him and say, 00:51:51.71\00:51:53.04 "You are the Lord. I am gonna live for You. 00:51:53.07\00:51:55.18 I'm going to trust You to forgive my sins 00:51:55.21\00:51:57.81 and to give me a purpose for living," or not. 00:51:57.85\00:52:01.88 And to say, "I'm gonna wait on making that decision, " 00:52:01.92\00:52:04.62 is really to make a decision. 00:52:04.65\00:52:07.09 And we'd like to encourage people 00:52:07.12\00:52:08.46 to make that decision now. 00:52:08.49\00:52:10.83 God has given an incredible gift 00:52:10.86\00:52:13.33 that we might be forgiven. 00:52:13.36\00:52:15.83 I remember reading a story years ago about this, 00:52:15.86\00:52:18.90 a railway switch keeper in Prussia, over in Europe, 00:52:18.93\00:52:23.91 where they had this span that crossed a bridge, 00:52:23.94\00:52:26.91 a railroad track crossed a river 00:52:26.94\00:52:28.94 and there was a drawbridge. 00:52:28.98\00:52:30.61 And whenever the train was approaching, 00:52:30.65\00:52:32.11 it would toot its whistle 00:52:32.15\00:52:34.35 and he would raise this flag and said, 00:52:34.38\00:52:36.02 "All clear, keep going." 00:52:36.05\00:52:38.05 And one day, while he was at his station, 00:52:38.09\00:52:39.69 waiting for the train, 00:52:39.72\00:52:41.82 it tooted the whistle and he gave the all clear sign, 00:52:41.86\00:52:44.86 but that was also the day 00:52:44.89\00:52:46.23 that he had brought his 4-year-old son 00:52:46.26\00:52:47.60 with him to work, 00:52:47.63\00:52:48.96 and he had taken his eyes off his son 00:52:49.00\00:52:50.67 who had wandered out on the trestle 00:52:50.70\00:52:52.57 and he saw the train coming. 00:52:52.60\00:52:54.67 Knowing the speed of the train, 00:52:54.70\00:52:56.04 seeing how far out on the track his son was, 00:52:56.07\00:52:59.71 he thought, "What do I do? 00:52:59.74\00:53:01.21 If I leave the bridge up, 00:53:01.24\00:53:02.94 the train will go off 00:53:02.98\00:53:04.31 and all those people will perish in the river. 00:53:04.35\00:53:06.95 If I don't switch the train off the track, 00:53:06.98\00:53:09.98 my son's gonna perish." 00:53:10.02\00:53:12.45 And so he shouted out to his son, 00:53:12.49\00:53:14.76 "Lay down now, lay down and do not move." 00:53:14.79\00:53:18.69 And he knew the boy couldn't outrun the train. 00:53:18.73\00:53:21.53 And the boy just laid down. 00:53:21.56\00:53:23.43 The bridge went down. 00:53:23.47\00:53:25.03 The train went across the river, 00:53:25.07\00:53:27.84 and the man never knew, 00:53:27.87\00:53:29.20 and the people went by there, waving at the man in the booth. 00:53:29.24\00:53:32.57 They had no idea that, 00:53:32.61\00:53:34.04 what, the decision he had just made. 00:53:34.08\00:53:36.41 After the train passed, he ran out there, 00:53:36.44\00:53:38.38 expecting maybe to find 00:53:38.41\00:53:39.75 the mangled remains of his children. 00:53:39.78\00:53:41.18 His boy had obeyed and he was alive. 00:53:41.22\00:53:43.79 The whole train went over him. 00:53:43.82\00:53:46.35 Next day, the King of Prussia gave that man a reward 00:53:46.39\00:53:49.49 for being willing to sacrifice his son 00:53:49.52\00:53:52.39 to save all those people. 00:53:52.43\00:53:55.06 His son did not die. 00:53:55.10\00:53:57.80 You've probably heard variations of that story, 00:53:57.83\00:54:01.20 but it is true that 00:54:01.24\00:54:02.57 our Father gave His son and He did die. 00:54:02.60\00:54:05.11 And a lot of the world 00:54:05.14\00:54:06.47 doesn't even know as they go on their merry way 00:54:06.51\00:54:08.04 that they're alive today because of the grace of God 00:54:08.08\00:54:10.85 'cause the penalty for sin is death. 00:54:10.88\00:54:12.25 And why aren't these people all dead? 00:54:12.28\00:54:14.48 Because Jesus, by His sacrifice, 00:54:14.52\00:54:16.85 bought the human race time, 00:54:16.89\00:54:19.12 probation, to make a decision. 00:54:19.15\00:54:21.72 We've got just this life, one life, to make a decision. 00:54:21.76\00:54:25.66 That's why all the prophecies are there, 00:54:25.69\00:54:27.96 that you might have an encounter with Jesus. 00:54:28.00\00:54:31.27 And we wanna give you, and we wanna give you, 00:54:31.30\00:54:33.44 an opportunity to do that right now. 00:54:33.47\00:54:35.74 And those of you who are watching, 00:54:35.77\00:54:37.11 we've got a card. 00:54:37.14\00:54:38.47 We'd like to just pray for you. 00:54:38.51\00:54:39.87 And I'd like to encourage you, 00:54:39.91\00:54:41.38 you can download this card for free online, 00:54:41.41\00:54:44.98 to just make a decision tonight. 00:54:45.01\00:54:46.38 And we have ushers here 00:54:46.41\00:54:47.75 that'll pass out these cards for you 00:54:47.78\00:54:49.25 that are in our Spring Meadows auditorium. 00:54:49.28\00:54:52.79 Have you ever made a decision to accept Jesus? 00:54:52.82\00:54:55.32 We're gonna put some simple questions up there. 00:54:55.36\00:54:57.06 You can do that tonight 00:54:57.09\00:54:58.69 and you can have a personal relationship with Jesus. 00:54:58.73\00:55:02.13 First question is very simply, 00:55:02.16\00:55:05.20 "I believe that salvation comes only by grace 00:55:05.23\00:55:08.87 through faith in Jesus." 00:55:08.90\00:55:12.11 And you'll be getting your cards here, 00:55:12.14\00:55:13.71 but some of you watching 00:55:13.74\00:55:15.08 in your different groups and churches, you have these. 00:55:15.11\00:55:16.98 You can share them with the people attending. 00:55:17.01\00:55:19.91 If you believe that salvation only comes through faith 00:55:19.95\00:55:22.58 through the grace of Jesus, check that mark. 00:55:22.62\00:55:25.19 Make a decision. It does register in Heaven. 00:55:25.22\00:55:28.86 The next question, 00:55:28.89\00:55:30.43 "I want to repent of my sins 00:55:30.46\00:55:32.26 and surrender my life to Jesus." 00:55:32.29\00:55:34.03 If you want to be forgiven of your sins, 00:55:34.06\00:55:35.96 if you want the Lord to change your heart 00:55:36.00\00:55:37.47 and save you from sin, mark that. 00:55:37.50\00:55:39.90 You just come as you are and you ask Him. 00:55:39.93\00:55:42.40 And we'll be praying together. 00:55:42.44\00:55:45.31 Perhaps you're someone who once followed Jesus 00:55:45.34\00:55:47.28 and you've wandered away, 00:55:47.31\00:55:49.18 and we've got a statement there, 00:55:49.21\00:55:51.51 "I once followed Christ, 00:55:51.55\00:55:52.88 but I've drifted and I want to recommit my life to Jesus." 00:55:52.91\00:55:55.32 You know, 00:55:55.35\00:55:56.69 the Bible says you cannot live for the love of the world, 00:55:56.72\00:55:59.52 so mark that there. 00:55:59.55\00:56:01.69 Perhaps you've come, 00:56:01.72\00:56:03.06 you're a Christian and you just have some 00:56:03.09\00:56:04.43 special prayer. 00:56:04.46\00:56:05.79 We will be reading these cards. 00:56:05.83\00:56:07.20 You can write your prayer requests 00:56:07.23\00:56:08.56 on the back of your card 00:56:08.60\00:56:09.93 if you like for those that are local 00:56:09.96\00:56:11.37 or those who are attending with a group. 00:56:11.40\00:56:14.04 Write down your prayer requests. 00:56:14.07\00:56:16.77 Maybe you'd like to know more about what we're studying. 00:56:16.81\00:56:19.17 More of, "What does it mean to be a Christian? 00:56:19.21\00:56:21.24 And would someone please study, 00:56:21.28\00:56:22.84 or do you have some materials you can send to me?" 00:56:22.88\00:56:25.05 There's also information at the "Prophecy Encounter" 00:56:25.08\00:56:27.62 website that you can go to. 00:56:27.65\00:56:29.25 It's very simply prophecyencounter.com. 00:56:29.28\00:56:32.45 And you'll find out more there, 00:56:32.49\00:56:34.52 but the main reason we do these seminars 00:56:34.56\00:56:36.46 is because we want people to know 00:56:36.49\00:56:38.99 that the Bible is all about Jesus. 00:56:39.03\00:56:43.06 When Abraham went up the mountain with Isaac 00:56:43.10\00:56:45.13 and God said, 00:56:45.17\00:56:46.53 "Are you willing to give Me your son?" 00:56:46.57\00:56:50.27 He put the wood on Isaac's back. 00:56:50.31\00:56:52.77 The cross was placed on Jesus' back. 00:56:52.81\00:56:55.38 The father and the son 00:56:55.41\00:56:56.75 went to the mountaintop together. 00:56:56.78\00:56:59.18 Isaac was a willing sacrifice. 00:56:59.21\00:57:01.48 Jesus was a willing sacrifice. 00:57:01.52\00:57:04.59 Abraham was willing to give his son. 00:57:04.62\00:57:07.16 And that's the type of God who did give His son, 00:57:07.19\00:57:09.92 but when you read the Bible, 00:57:09.96\00:57:12.06 you're reading in the story of Joseph 00:57:12.09\00:57:13.70 and in the story of David and the story of Samuel 00:57:13.73\00:57:16.87 and Gideon, 00:57:16.90\00:57:18.23 it's all telling us about Jesus. 00:57:18.27\00:57:20.20 You're seeing shadows and a tapestry of Christ 00:57:20.24\00:57:22.77 all through this book 00:57:22.80\00:57:24.14 because God wants you to know them 00:57:24.17\00:57:26.07 and know Him 00:57:26.11\00:57:27.44 and have a personal relationship with His son. 00:57:27.48\00:57:29.74 You may feel a struggle going on 00:57:29.78\00:57:31.25 in your heart right now. 00:57:31.28\00:57:33.25 That's a battle between your God and your devil. 00:57:33.28\00:57:35.35 You can make a decision right now to say, 00:57:35.38\00:57:36.92 "Lord, I wanna surrender my life to You." 00:57:36.95\00:57:39.32 Matter of fact, before we go off the air, 00:57:39.35\00:57:40.96 would you please let me pray with you? 00:57:40.99\00:57:43.63 Father in heaven, 00:57:43.66\00:57:44.99 I know that people who are listening 00:57:45.03\00:57:47.30 are faced with that decision, 00:57:47.33\00:57:48.70 "What will I do with Jesus?" 00:57:48.73\00:57:50.93 You've shown Your love for us in that You so loved us, 00:57:50.97\00:57:53.67 You sent Your Son. 00:57:53.70\00:57:55.34 Help us to make a decision right now 00:57:55.37\00:57:57.47 to accept that incredible sacrifice, 00:57:57.51\00:58:00.08 to accept the forgiveness that You offer, 00:58:00.11\00:58:02.48 and Your grace to live a new life, 00:58:02.51\00:58:04.21 to be Your witnesses. 00:58:04.25\00:58:05.58 We thank You 00:58:05.61\00:58:06.95 and we pray that in Jesus' name, amen. 00:58:06.98\00:58:09.22