The Fulfillment of Prophecies: Jesus as the Messiah

Show Notes

Episode 411:
On this intruiging episode, we dove into two passages from Luke and Acts where Jesus appears to the disciples in Jerusalem. We highlighted how Jesus fulfilled numerous prophecies from the Old Testament, inviting listeners to investigate and test his claims. We emphasized the importance of studying the evidence for the resurrection and the credibility of Jesus' claims.

What is The Bible Guys?

Whether you’ve been following Jesus for years or you’re just starting to ask questions, there’s a seat for you here.

Join Jeff and Chris for honest conversations about Scripture, faith, and the everyday stuff we all navigate. With humor, personal stories, and plenty of back-and-forth, The Bible Guys explore what the Bible says and how it connects to your life.

Subscribe, bring your questions, and get to know the Bible one conversation at a time. Head over to TheBibleGuys.com for more information!

You're listening to The Bible Guys, a podcast where a couple of friends talk about the Bible in fun in practical ways. Hey, welcome to the Bible Guys. My name is Chris and I'm Jeff. And here we are at a different location. That's right. So our regular studio wasn't available today, yes, and so we're sitting on the stage at Heritage Church, yes, and making it happen. And by the way, for those of you who are listening, which actually are most of our listeners, most of our listeners are listening, Yeah, yeah, instead of watching, because I guess they watch and listen, so they could be all listeners. Okay, yeah, sure, but only summer watchers. That's right. So what is the ratio, by the way, Almost fifty to fifty, is it? Yeah? Well, hey, we're on the stage at Heritage Church. For those of you who are watching and don't attend Heritage Now, we're filming this just a few days actually, after our Easter weekend services. That's right. So on the stage we had fourteen services. We had another five services at the other location. It's pretty intense. Yeah, it was amazing. I was pretty wiped out afterwards. Yeah, I would say so, but you know, you and I split the services. But like Trey saying all fourteenth, yeah, yeah, it was pretty crazy. And Rachel, well, if you got a good horse, ride it right, you know what I mean. So I can't believe his voice held up. He did a great job. Yeah, they did a great job. And by the way, just in case you're wondering, we had about eighty five hundred people show up in person about three thousand online for eleven five hundred dish give or take a few, which is pretty humbling and pretty incredible. Yeah, it was fantastic, just a fantastic weekend all the way around. So it's always fun when you get the whole family together and celebrate the resurrection. And yes, it was very powerful. We had a lot of people make first time professions of faith and it was just really incredible. So I agree. Well, hey, we are talking about the Eastern time slot or events. There's a really great question that came in online and so we have a segment called Stumped the pastor so this one is to stump you today. I think, yeah, do we need a jingle for that Stump the pastor how about like a sound effect there? Yes, something yeah, Okay, how about if I read it? Okay, you go ahead, So Cecilia, g thank you, Cecilia. It writes in this my question is about Judas is scariot since the betrayal was preordained in the Old Testament. Did Judas ever stand a chance of being saved? Did Jesus choose him knowing that his heart would ever be pure? Would never be pure? Or were all the disciples quote unquote available to fulfill the prophecy and Judas just happened to be the one whose heart never really really developed faith in Jesus. I saw Jesus Christ Superstar on Broadway, and I watched the movie The Passion every year at Easter, and I can't help to feel a little sorry for Judas. Can you guys speak into this, says Cecilia. Well, there you go. It's a great thinking question question. So really it's a question about predestination. That's correct. Yeah, because because what you're really asking, Cecilia, is you're asking it's sort of the chicken or the egg kind of a thing, which is, you know, did God predict knowing Judas's choices or did or was Judas just had no other choice but to fulfill God's prediction? Yes, So did God choose Judas because God knew Judas would betray Jesus? Or was Judas made so that he would betray Jesus? Yeah, which, by the way, if you want to take that one, you know preordained prophecy in the Old Testament about somebody, you know, betraying him for thirty pieces of silver. Then the other questions are, you know, did the Roman soldiers have no choice but to crucify Jesus? Did you know, did Caiaphas have no free will but to condemn Jesus or Pilots or you know all of these guys, Or did God just know what was going to happen in advance? It really opens up the can of worms to not only all the events around surrounding Easter and his death, Baryl and resurrection, but it also opens it up to today in twenty twenty four. And so what's your answer, Well, you know, it's it's a funny thing. Here's actually my official answer. My official answer is I believe yes and no. I believe that just because I believe that God gives us free choice, I believe you and I have absolute free choice. And I believe that God absolutely knows that we are going to choose. So I know a lot of different people who've talked a lot about this free destination, Calvinism, right, or the Reformed Christianity. You know, there's a lot of debate about that. And you know, if we have absolute free will, then that means God knows all of our choices and he doesn't necessarily know what we're going to choose. Or maybe God knows all of our choices, but he knows which choice we're going to make. I believe that's the case. I believe that He knows all of our choices that we could make, but he also knows the choice that we will make. I believe we have free will. I believe Judas had free will just like everybody else. But God absolutely knew that it was going to be Judas. That's what I believe. Yeah. So, and then you're also very comfortable in saying we don't know, yeah very much, right, because the mystery of God is so I have on my phone all of the verses about predestination. Okay, So I pulled him up and I said, Okay, what are all the verses on predestination? And there are Ephesians one, Romans eight, Acts thirteen, Romans nine, and then a few Old Testament obscurities, and then one Peter one sort of does. And then there's a couple predictions and prophecies. Oh, you know, the son of Man is going to be betrayed, that kind of thing. So in every case, so you only have maybe you know less than a does, and scriptures about it. And in every case the only quite honestly this I don't want to insult anybody or step on anybody's toes, but the only thing it says in any of these verses is that God knows right like like like he is chosen, uses phrases like forull ordained yep or predestined or chose yep, and and uh and and so again. In my mind, I believe it's both. I believe that God knows because so for every verse, and you know, I love doing this. I make my Calvinist friends upset. I make my Armenian friends upset, you know, because I never will land on one side or the other. I'm content to live in the tension between these two things too. But for every verse, where you can you know, identify predestination, you can also find whosoever will may come kind of idea right where God talks about free will and more verses. So it's pretty close to equal. But the here's my response to this. So this is really really a great question, and we've him hard around this for a little bit. So here's the thing. God is not inside time. So when you use a phrase like predestined, what you're talking about is is minutes and days, you know, minutes and hours and days and years. That's that's it's it's predestined in time. But because I believe God's not in time, time is inconsequential to him. It's all now right, And so in that context, then he could he could look into Judas's life and know that's the decision Judas made. Thus Judas was there, and so yeah, it is kind of a chicken and egg kind of a thing which came first. I don't know that any sinner deserves any more compassion than any other. None of us deserve compassion, but God gives grace anyways. And what we do know is that Judas did not repent, So so Judas being is so the prophecy in the Old Testament was not that Jesus would be betrayed for thirty pieces of silver, and that the betrayer must go to hell. Right, so Judas all sin is forgivable. Right, But the Bible does say that, you know, Judas went to his own place and kind of implies the eternal destruction that he didn't repent, and that's the issue. So repentance was one of those things that is always available, whether he was Jesus did say the ordained that he would give, you know, give Jesus up, well, Jesus. Jesus did say it's better for that man who's going to betray me, better for him not to be born, and he also said headed for destruction. Yeah, so before Jesus even betrayed him. But again that's what I'm saying is there's no time, so the decision was already known before it happened, right, Yeah, I believe that as well. You know, the Bible indicates in so many places that a day is like a thousand years, which is like wow, and but then the opposite of that is in a thousand years is like a day, and so it's like what, how does that even make any sense? So so yeah, I believe that as well. In fact, uh, somebody I read something online the other day. I shouldn't even bring it up, but remember the transfiguration right where Jesus, you know, his face shone like the sun, and then Peter, James and John were up there, and then they saw Moses and Elijah. Somebody proposed I read this thing where it said I wonder if, because God doesn't exist outside of time, I wonder if Moses and Elijah. Oh excuse me, that's what I meant, but because men don't, I wonder if in that moment, Elijah and Moses were called to that moment in their lifetime, which which could mean that they had this experience. That's another that'll be another stump. But you know, it's kind of it's kind of like those kind of thoughts, right well, when you start talking about time, it's a confusing thing, right even for the best scientists. Science Stein and a bunch of others struggled with that, and it's it's really fascinating stuff makes for interesting movies, yeah, But ultimately, you know, what it comes down to is God knows and at the same time, people are free, and there's a tension between those two issues. And so when I say it, you know, Judas doesn't deserve any more compassion than anybody else. We all can have compassion one towards another fact that we're sinners, but at the same time we all made our choices, and so there's there's a struggle there. Yeah. So anyways, great questions to see you. Yes, man alive, good thinking, And ultimately that was a ten minute answer to say, we're not sure that's exactly correct, that's exactly correct, but at the same time downloading all the thoughts. Yeah, yeah, Well I think it's fun. I think there's value in this. And this is what I wanted to say earlier is sometimes you're very comfortable to say we don't know, and I'm comfortable to accept that from you, And at the same time I'm uncomfortable because I think that it's important to work through plausible answers. What's the evidences in scripture even though there's not a direct reference, and go, hey, here's a plausible response. Right. I'm not content to just leave things with I don't know. I want to always say what is a plausible And I feel the exact same way about ever about everything. I prefer somebody to say, even though we don't know, Kama, what I believe. Is this based on this evidence? That's correct? Yeah, all right, okay, So we have two passages, two short passages Luke chapter twenty four, forty four through forty nine, and then also Acts one four through five here and this is where Jesus appears to the disciples in Jerusalem. And you know these are there's several appearances after the resurrection, and this is one of them. So here's what it says in Luke chapter twenty four. It says, then he said, when I was with you before, I told you that everything written about me in the Law Moses, and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled. And then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said, yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day. And it was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of my name to all nations beginning in Jerusalem. There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent. And you are witnesses of all these things. And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes, and fills you with power from heaven. And then it Acts Chapter one, four and five, it says once when he was eating with them, he commanded them to not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gifty promise. As I told you before, John baptized with water. But in just a few days, you'll be baptized with the Holy Spirit. Yeah, you'll be baptized with the Holy Spirit. Now. It's interesting too, because earlier a couple of podcasts ago, we read that Jesus breathed on them, they received the Holy Spirit. But at the same time, he's not necessarily saying that he only met with the twelve here right, once he was eating with them, he commanded them, do not lead Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift. It's not specifying an Acts one that he's only talking to the eleven. That's correct. So he's probably, you know, announcing to those who have not yet received the Holy Spirit that they're going to Yeah, and it doesn't say that they received the Holy Spirit. There's no indication that when Jesus briefed on them and said, oh, received the Holy Spirit, that they end that moment received the Holy Spirit. As much as you're saying you're going to receive the Holy Spirit, because he keeps referencing this idea, and traditionally, historically we would view Acts chapter one two as the Holy Spirit coming upon people at Pentecost. So anyways, here you go, Jesus is talking and he says, hey, I've already told you this that every single prophecy about me has to be fulfilled, every single one. And this is one of the indicators of for us to be able to go through scripture and look at all the different prophecies of the Messiah and then measure Jesus by He invites you to measure him and his authenticity by whether or not every single prophecy was fulfilled. Yeah, well you know that. You know, this reminds me of is on Palm Sunday here at Heritage, I was diving into just the scriptures that were fulfilled even in that last week of Holy Week when Jesus entered into Jerusalem, you know, Triumphlantry and then fulfilled dozens and dozens and dozens of scriptures. In fact, I referenced some of them and when I looked them up, and I really dove into him even Psalm twenty two. The details about his crucifixion. I was reading those things, and I was like, holy cow, there's over a dozen details about his crucifixion just in Psalm twenty two, right, right. And so it's interesting also because he makes a comment and says it was written that he was suffer and rising in on the third day. And I've met people my entire life who think that Jesus had to bake in the tomb for at least seventy two hours in order to qualify that statement. Right, So, in other words, he has to be in the tomb for three full days. I didn't literally mean bake. No, you're talking kidding. I was kidding, yeah, yeah, yeah, like a dean. You know, I've been in seventy two hours. No, of course, not bake. But and you're content with the idea that he was in there for parts of each of those Well, I mean, the scripture is really clear, super clear, exactly when he died on Friday. Because there's indications that the Pharisees wanted to hurry the crucifixion or the or the sentencing before the Sabbath came because they said, we have to do this quickly because it's unlawful. To somebody of the Sabbath, so they had to hang them on the cross on Friday. And it tells us very specifically that at three o'clock he breathes. Last. The next day started at six pm. We know that, so we know for a fact that he died at three pm. And so even though he three pm on Friday, three pm on Friday, again, that is three hours before Saturday, because their Jewish calendar ran from six pm to six pm, sundown to sundown, and so so therefore, I don't know how long it takes somebody to take a body and place him in the tomb. But clearly he was in the tomb before, before the sabbath, the sabbath, right, because you know, you could sing a time frame between three o'clock and six pm, right, he was in the tomb. He was in the tomb. That counts as one day. That counts as on well, because it counts as the day of Friday, because he didn't say I'll be in the tomb for three days, that's my point. He said on the third day, so that counts as day one, but not one full day. And then I referenced it with Jonah. He said, as Jonah was in the whale for three days and three nights. So yeah, yah, yeah, yeah, he did say three days. Yeah he did. Yeah, that's right. But what you're saying is, according to the evidences in scripture, the fact that he was in the tomb on Friday at any point counts as a day. Yes, he was there that day on Friday, he was there that day on Saturday, and then after the day started on Sunday. Yes, and we know that it's really clear that they went to the tomb while it was dark the scripture says, and then the other gospel say just at sunrise the earthquake, so it was just at that moment. So that's pretty specific, although it doesn't lean the hour. So if you're assuming that the sunrise happened at six am, then he was in the tomb approximately thirty eight or thirty nine hours. If it was later than that, or if it took them longer to bury him, that's the give and take. So there you go. Anyways, but you're talking about the specificity of prophecies. Yeah, and just keeping mind that that again he had fulfilled prophecy with every single action, you know, And so that's all I'm trying to point out is it wasn't a violation because he said on the third day. Yeah, So he says everything that was written about me in the Law of Moses, everything that was written about me in all of the prophets, everything that was written about me in the Psalms, right, So basically he's referring to everything that had all of the Bible that had been written up to his point. Right, So everything in the Old Testament YEP Old Testament, and so his in the Life Application Study Bible notes, it mentions his role as prophet was foretold in Deuteronomy chapter eighteen, his sufferings were prophesied and Psalms twenty two in Isaiah fifty three. His resurrection was predicted in Psalm sixteen in Isaiah fifty three. And you can go on and on and on and on and on. So Jesus is inviting you to investigate him based on all of the prophecies and claims of the Messiah, and that where he was born, how he lived his life, the things that he said and that he did, and then ultimately all of those that lead up to his death, burial, and resurrection. And if you can disprove one of them, then Jesus isn't the Messiah. That's correct, that's his claim. So you're talking about confidence in the Word of God and talking about confidence in what he actually fulfilled. He's saying, if you can disprove one and this is why so many people, you know, atheists in particular, really reject miracles or they really reject the resurrection. If they can try to disassemble one of those two things, then Jesus isn't really who he says he was. And so he's inviting them to say that or to study that, to investigate it. And I would too. If you're struggling with faith, if you're trying to figure out what to believe about Jesus, now dig in. There are so many resources about whether or not we can trust the resurrection. I really like Lee Strobel has written a lot of good books, you know, the Case for Christ, the Case for the real Jesus, the Case for a Creator. You can go on. And so Lee Strobel has a degree, a law degree from Yale and then became he was I think the youngest editor for law editor for Chicago Sun Times, and his wife became a Christian and he was a little bit mad about it because they were committed atheists, and so he decided to do an investigation to try to disprove Christianity. And that's what he decided was Jesus makes this claim and says, hey, everything I already told you, everything that was said about the Messiah, I had to fulfill. And so he decided, okay, if I can disprove anything, and he decided to particularly go after the resurrection, and in the meantime, as he begun doing this study with experts all around the country, doing all kinds of interviews, he winds up becoming a Christian because he couldn't disprove Jesus' claims. And then he writes all these really great books, and he writes them investigatively, having interviewed in the books some of the greatest thinkers and greatest minds on these things. And so, hey, there's a lot of good resource out there. Go out and read the Case for Christ if you're struggling with this, because these are the claims Jesus made, and he invites you to test him on it. And it reminds me also of Louis Giglio. So Louis, and as matter of fact, we're starting small group tonight when we're recording this, and tonight is our first session with our small group with Louis studies a couple of weeks ago. Yeah, a couple of weeks ago for the listener, right, but anyway, it's incidental information they didn't need. Yeah, well, Louis Giglio basically did the same thing that Lee s Trouble did. So he has two sort of major themes in his messages proving, you know, the case for the Creator and the case for Christ and everything else. But basically he goes large into the universe, talking about the precision of the universe that's one angle, and he does this tremendous thing, and then he goes inward and he looks at biology and then he just goes inward, which is what Lee Struble does too. Right on the case of the Creator. He goes inward and he talks, he looks at the human DNA and how God's designed the body and things like that, And it's remarkable how when you're presented with all that evidence and you're like, okay, you know, even even basic logic and basic design, you know, I thought that that was pretty pretty incredible. So I thought Lee did a great job. So Jesus then says, Hey, the Holy Spirit's going to come just as God promised, and so go wait for me in Galilee or in Jerusalem. I'm sorry. And so this is about forty days what we know in the Book of Acts. It doesn't mention it in these other passages, but in the Book of Acts, the Bible says that it was forty days from the resurrection until the ascension, and then after that, you know, or they waited, I'm sorry, not from the resurrection. They waited for forty days and then Pentecost came and that's when the Holy Spirit came. So well, Jesus is about to ascend on tomorrow's podcast. That's correct. So and that will complete this whole series that we've been in. Yeah, isn't that neat? Which is pretty crazy? Sureous. So well, that's about our time, and so we will see you hopefully as we wrap up this series next time on the Bible. Guys. H