The 39 books of the Old Testament were written over the course of 1500 years, starting with the creation of the universe and ending about 400 years before the coming of Jesus Christ.
To better understand Jesus Christ, in God’s perfect process, I think it’s a good reminder to look at where he came from. In the Old Testament, there are 61 major Messianic prophesies and approximately 270 ramifications that were fulfilled in one person, Jesus Christ.
Author and Teacher Josh McDowell, in his book, “Evidence That Demands a Verdict” writes; The Christian Publishing Company of Denver offered $1000 to anyone who could find someone other than Jesus, living or dead, who fulfilled only half the predictions concerning the Messiah. No one has ever been able to find anyone throughout history and present day, other than Jesus.
Look at this example concerning the Messianic prophesies fulfilled, not 61, not half, but only 8. “We find that the chance of any man or woman might have lived down to the present time and fulfilled all 8 prophesies is 1 in 10 to the 17th power. That would be 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000 (17 zeros after the 1.) In order to comprehend this staggering probability, suppose we take 10 to the 17th power of silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas. They will cover all of the state two feet deep. Now paint one silver dollar red and stir the whole mass thoroughly, all over the state. Blindfold a man and tell him that he can travel as far as he wishes, but at some point he must pick up one silver dollar and say that this is the right one. What chance would he have in getting the right one? Just the same chance that the prophesies would have had in writing these 8 prophesies (only 8) and having them all come true in any one man, from their day to the present time, providing they wrote them according to their own wisdom.” But they all came true in Jesus Christ.
In the ancestry of Jesus alone, prophesies are fulfilled. Let’s go back a few years.
Noah had 3 sons, Shem, Japeth and Ham. Today all the nations of the world can be traced back to these three men. In Genesis 9 and 10, God eliminated 2/3rds of them from the line of Messiahship. The Messiah will come through the lineage of Shem.
Continuing down, a descendant of Shem named Terah had 3 sons, Abram, Nahor and Haran. Once again, God eliminated 2/3rds of them and declared that the Messiah would be born through the lineage of Abram, later known as Abraham. Abraham had two sons, Ishmael and Isaac. Many of Abraham’s descendants were eliminated when God selected his second son Isaac. Isaac had two sons, Esau and Jacob. Many of Isaac’s descendants were eliminated when God chose his second son Jacob. In Genesis 28 we read that the Messiah will come through the lineage of Jacob. Jacob had twelve sons, who would become the twelve tribes of Israel. When God selected Jacob’s son Judah, He eliminated 11/12ths of the remaining descendants.
And with all the family lines within Judah’s tribe, Jessie was the divine choice. In Samuel we read that Jessie had 8 sons and God eliminated 7/8ths of Jessie’s family line and we see that the Messiah will come from the lineage of Shem, the race of the Jews, the line of Isaac, the line of Jacob, the tribe of Judah, the line of Jessie, but He will also be descended from Jessie’s youngest son, from the house of David.
Anne Graham Lotz, Billy Graham’s daughter, in her book entitled “Just Give Me Jesus” writes;
“With God’s unlimited power, He not only created all things, but even today He sustains all things by His powerful Word. Who do you know who says he doesn’t need God? Think about it for a moment.
Our planet is 93 million miles away from the sun. If the sun were any closer to earth we would burn up. If it were any farther away from earth, we would freeze. Just to keep things in perspective, our sun is so massive that 1.2 million planets the size of earth could fit inside it, still leaving room for 4.3 million moons. Our sun is the nearest star to our planet – the next nearest star is 4 times larger than our sun. Our galaxy alone contains more than one billion stars. That’s a million times a thousand stars!
Our planet tilts exactly 23 degrees on its axis, giving us 4 seasons a year. If it tilted any other angle, we would have massive continents of ice.
The moon is the exact distance from earth to give us two ocean tides a day. If it were any greater or lesser distance, the earth would be flooded.
The ocean floor is at a depth that gives us oxygen which sustains human life. If the depth were any different, the air we breathe would be poisonous.
The atmosphere is the exact density to keep meteors and space objects from hitting us. If it were any thinner, we would be constantly bombarded by objects from outer space.
And who keeps all this in perfect order? Who keeps the earth and the other planets from spinning out of control, or stars falling from the sky? Who keeps people upright on earth while it turns on its axis? The laws of nature? Gravity? And where did gravity come from? Who established the laws of nature? Who gives people the very breath they breathe?
The answer is none other that the almighty God, the same yesterday, today and forever. He is bigger than we can comprehend and greater than we think. Nothing is beyond His ability, whether it’s a problem to solve, a marriage to reconcile, a memory to heal, a guilty conscience to cleanse, a sin to forgive, a business to save, a budget to stretch, another mouth to feed, a body to clothe, a boss to please, a job to find, a habit to break, a prodigal to return, an addiction to overcome or anything else we could name.
I am reminded of a story that took place years ago when a man was driving his car down the road when the engine coughed, wheezed and sputtered before stalling. He tried everything possible to get it started again, but nothing would work. Finally he stood glaring at it, and in frustration, kicked the tire. Just then a long, sleek polished black limousine pulled up beside him, the chauffer opened the back door and an elegantly dressed gentleman appeared. This gentleman asked the driver what happened, and the man replied that he had no idea. The gentleman asked to have a look for himself under the hood of the car.
The man scoffed at the idea of such a finely dressed man having any knowledge of the mechanic’s of a car’s engine, but the gentleman persisted in his offer. He leaned over the engine, twisted a few wires, tapped a few cables, tightened a few plugs, and the engine responded immediately. As he closed the hood, the driver thanked him over and over. By the way, he asked. “What is your name?” The gentleman replied simply, “Henry Ford.” Henry Ford made the car so he had known exactly what was wrong and how to fix it.
If there is something that is broken in your life or if there is something that needs fixing, give it to Jesus. He made you, He certainly knows how to make things right. After all, He brought everything that exists into existence, and He knows you by name. Give Him a chance.
More than 2000 years ago a man was born contrary to the laws of nature. He never traveled extensively, only once did He cross the borders of that small country in which He lived and that was during His exile.
In infancy He startled Kings, in childhood He puzzled doctors. In manhood He walked across the ocean billows as if they were pavement, and He hushed the seas to sleep.
He never studied anatomy, yet He healed the multitudes without medicine and made no charge for His service. He never studied psychiatry, yet He has healed far more broken hearts than all the psychiatrists far and near. He never wrote a book, never composed a song, yet He alone has furnished the theme for more books and more songs than all the libraries in this land could hold.
He never marshaled an army, yet of all the armies that have ever marched, of all the navies that have ever sailed, of all the kings that have ever reigned, of all the parliaments that have ever sat, not one of them or all of them put together have affected your life or mine as much as this one solitary man.
And although time has spread more than 20 wide centuries between the people of this generation and the scene of His crucifixion, yet He still lives.
Harod could not kill Him; the grave could not hold Him. He stands forth in the highest pinnacle of Heavenly glory, proclaimed of God, acknowledged by angels, adored by saints and feared by devils as the one, living, incomparable Christ.
