The Old Testament literally has, according to most scholars, anywhere from 200-400 prophecies that were fulfilled by Jesus. This fact alone should cause one to realize that for one person to fulfill all of them, hundreds of years after the completion of the Old Testament, would make it literally impossible for mankind to invent such a person. Only an all knowing God, who knew the future in advance, could allow a very special person to exist who could fulfill all of these prophecies.
Norman Geisler gives us a few examples of prophecies fulfilled by Jesus when he shares the following:
“The Old Testament, which even the most ardent critic acknowledges was in existence centuries before Christ, predicted the where (Micah 5:2), the when (Dan. 9:26), and the how (Isa. 7:14) of Christ’s entry into the world. He would be born of a woman (Gen. 3:15) from the line of Adam’s son Seth (Gen. 4:26), through Noah’s son Shem (Gen. 9:26-27), and Abraham (Gen. 12:3; 15:5). He would come through the tribe of Judah (Gen. 49:10) and would be the son of David (2 Sam. 7:12f.). The Old Testament predicted that Christ would die for our sins (Psalm 22; Isaiah 53; Dan. 9:26; Zech. 12:10) and would rise from the dead (Pss. 2:7; 16:10). All of these supernatural prophecies were uniquely fulfilled in Jesus Christ.”1
And the four gospel accounts of Jesus in the New Testament, which have been attested by scholars to be clearly historical biographies, paint a picture of the most incredibly unique person in all of history – Jesus! The Bible is the most unique book in history and is clearly a divine book written by God. Its unity is so amazing that it could never have been written by mere men without the Holy Spirit superintending the entire process.
John Walvoord illustrates this point well when he shares:
“Where in all the world could sixty-six books be collected from more than forty authors, be written over a period of more than sixteen hundred years, and yet form one united and continual presentation of divine truth? If the Bible is not inspired by God, it would be a greater miracle than its own inspiration. The unity of Scripture is one of the convincing evidences that the Bible is not a natural book, but a book which God Himself directed and produced through human authors.”2
Thus, the most unique book of all time speaks of the most unique person of all time – Jesus! Not only that but consider the following facts that taken as a whole, mankind could never have conceived of in one man:
First, who could conceive of a man who was both fully human and fully God. Jesus was fully God and fully man in one person. Christ, throughout His entire life, was always 100% man and 100% God. This is one of the great mysteries of Scripture. Trying to fully comprehend how this is possible can only be reconciled in the mind of God. We just need to accept this and marvel at the uniqueness of Christ.
Second, who could conceive of a man who would live His entire life without ever sinning.
Third, who could conceive of a man who would be born without an earthly father. Christ was miraculously conceived. While Adam was miraculously created by God from the dust of the earth, only Christ was miraculously conceived through virgin conception.
Fourth, who could conceive of a man who claimed to be God, shared a message of salvation in no other name but His, could read minds, and perform incredible supernatural miracles.
Fifth, who could conceive of a man who would willing die for all humanity and tell his closest disciples that He would rise from the dead to prove His divinity and offer salvation to sinners through His shed blood.
Sixth, who could conceive of a man whose teachings on ethics and right living are the purest ever taught by any individual who ever lived.
And seventh, who could conceive of a man who would literally change the course of human history in a myriad of ways. Historian, Philip Schaff, summed it up best when he shared:
“This Jesus of Nazareth, without money and arms conquered more millions than Alexander, Caesar, Mohammed, and Napoleon; without science or learning, He has shed more light on things human and divine than all philosophers and scholars combined; without the eloquence of schools, He spoke such words of life as were never spoken before or since, and produced effects which lie beyond the reach of orator or poet; without writing a single line, He set more pens in motion and furnished themes for more sermons, orations, discussions, learned volumes, works of art, and songs of praise, than the whole army of great men of ancient and modern times.”3
My friends who could conceive of a man like Jesus – quite frankly no one but God Himself!
1 https://jashow.org/articles/the-uniqueness-of-christ/#Christ_Is_Superior_to_Buddha
2 Charlie H. Campbell, Apologetics Quotes (Carlsbad, California: The Always Be Ready Apologetics Ministry, 2020), p. 15.
3 https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/8345526-jesus-of-nazareth-without-money-and-arms-conquered-more-millions