Jesus predicted the events surrounding his death to make it obvious that he is the promised Messiah.
John 11:25 Jesus told her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in Me will live, even after dying.
Luke 18:31-33 Taking the twelve disciples aside, Jesus said, "Listen, we're going up to Jerusalem, where all the predictions of the prophets concerning the Son of Man will come true. 32 He will be handed over to the Romans, and He will be mocked, treated shamefully, and spit upon. 33 They will flog Him with a whip and kill Him, but on the third day He will rise again."
Luke 22:37 "For the time has come for this prophecy about me to be fulfilled: ‘He was counted among the rebels.’ Yes, everything written about me by the prophets will come true.”
John 13:19 "I tell you this beforehand, so that when it happens you will believe that I AM the Messiah."
If you met a very nice person today that predicted that they would be sentenced to the death penalty and all of their friends would desert them and then he would come back from the dead three days later you would think that they were insane. But that's exactly what Jesus did, he told us what would happen.
Jesus claimed to be the resurrection just a few days before Passion week, he told Martha that she will see her brother when he is resurrected, she knew that was true but what she didn't know is that Jesus was going to display his resurrection power right away. She wasn't going to have to wait very long to see her brother Lazarus alive again.
Jesus prophesied that he would be resurrected, he made a lot of detailed prophecies about his last days on earth and his return in three days. How could any ordinary man make such bold claims and then make it happen?
Jesus Predicted:
✔ The disciples would find an unridden colt when they entered town to prepare for Passover (Luke 19:30)
✔ When the disciples entered Jerusalem he predicted they would meet a man with a water pitcher who would have a room for them to meet in (Luke 22:10)
✔ His Words Would Be Everlasting (Matthew 24:35)
✔ The Story Of Mary Of Bethany would be well known (Matthew 26:11-13)
✔ His Own Betrayal By One Of His Disciples (Matthew 26:21-22)
✔ All Of His Disciples Would Leave Him (Matthew 26:31,32)
✔ Peter Would Deny Him Three Times (Matthew 26:33-34)
✔ He Would Suffer Because Of The Religious Rulers (Matthew 16:21)
✔ He Would Die By Crucifixion During The Passover (Matthew 26:2)
✔ His Resurrection From The Dead On The Third Day (Matthew 16:21)
✔ The Coming Of The Holy Spirit (John 14:26)
✔ The Destruction Of The City Of Jerusalem Within One Generation (Luke 19:43-44, 21:20)
✔ The Temple In Jerusalem Would Be Destroyed (Matthew 24:1-2)
✔ The People Would Be Scattered And The Holy Land Would Be Ruled By Gentiles (Luke 21:24)
✔ The Jewish People Would Be Persecuted (Luke 23:28-30)
✔ When the disciples entered Jerusalem he predicted they would meet a man with a water pitcher who would have a room for them to meet in (Luke 22:10)
✔ His Words Would Be Everlasting (Matthew 24:35)
✔ The Story Of Mary Of Bethany would be well known (Matthew 26:11-13)
✔ His Own Betrayal By One Of His Disciples (Matthew 26:21-22)
✔ All Of His Disciples Would Leave Him (Matthew 26:31,32)
✔ Peter Would Deny Him Three Times (Matthew 26:33-34)
✔ He Would Suffer Because Of The Religious Rulers (Matthew 16:21)
✔ He Would Die By Crucifixion During The Passover (Matthew 26:2)
✔ His Resurrection From The Dead On The Third Day (Matthew 16:21)
✔ The Coming Of The Holy Spirit (John 14:26)
✔ The Destruction Of The City Of Jerusalem Within One Generation (Luke 19:43-44, 21:20)
✔ The Temple In Jerusalem Would Be Destroyed (Matthew 24:1-2)
✔ The People Would Be Scattered And The Holy Land Would Be Ruled By Gentiles (Luke 21:24)
✔ The Jewish People Would Be Persecuted (Luke 23:28-30)
None of it made sense from the human perspective but it was all a part of God's plan to save the world. Jesus made the connection to the Old Testament prophets, he said that the predictions of the Messiah and his sufferings would be fulfilled in himself. He told us that it was going to happen and then it did! What a way to prove your authenticity as the Messiah!
"If a man can predict his own death and resurrection, and pull it off, I just go with whatever that man says"If you are struggling to believe that Jesus is the promised Messiah, that he is the one who was in the beginning with God and was God, that he is the divine Son of God, who can forgive all your sins and give you eternal life then take a look at the predictions that Jesus made in his last days and consider the odds of somebody making all this stuff come true.
-Andy Stanley
Jesus truly is the resurrection! He brought other people back from death, he came back after his own death and we have every reason to believe that he will resurrect us after we die if we have his life in us.
Thank you Lord for what was accomplished through your brutal death and victorious resurrection! You have made it easy to have faith in you!
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