Genesis 3 says, “So the LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly, and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” [Verses 14-15]

Here is how the math and numbers work. The calculated odds of Jesus fulfilling just eight predictive  prophecies are an astronomical 1:10 to the 17th power. So how big is that number? It is 1 possibility  in 100,000,000,000,000,000. Scientist and mathematician Don Stoner said in his book Who  Designed God, “Suppose that we take 1017 or 100,000,000,000,000,000 silver dollars and lay them  on the face of Texas. They will cover all the state two feet deep.” That is a lot of silver dollars.  

He continues to explain the probability of Jesus fulfilling the eight predictive prophecies: “Now  mark one of these silver dollars 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 he must pick up one (the marked) silver  dollar and say that this is the right one. What chance would he have of getting the right dollar? Just  the same chance that the prophets would have had of writing these eight prophecies and having  them all come true in any one man, from their day to the present time, providing they wrote using  their own wisdom.” What Don Stoner is saying is the odds of eight different prophets writing  prophecies about Jesus at different points in time without God’s divine input are the same as a  blindfolded man picking the one correct marked silver dollar out of 100,000,000,000,000,000 silver  dollars. 

The list I included in the previous section contains 20 predictive prophecies that Jesus fulfilled. It is  said Jesus fulfilled more than 300 total Old Testament prophecies. The odds of anyone other than  the Messiah fulfilling that many prophecies get so large we cannot comprehend them. Fulfilling 20  prophecies would be more like covering the whole earth two feet deep in silver dollars and having  someone pick out one marked dollar with one try. It is statistically impossible for Jesus not to be  the Messiah; God made sure of that. 

Thallus (AD 52), a historian, wrote, trying to explain away the darkness at the Crucifixion

Tacitus (ca. AD 56-120), a Roman historian, referred to Christ, his execution by Pontius Pilate, and the existence of Christians in Rome during the great fire.

Suetonius Tranquillus (AD 69-140), a Roman historian and biographer of 12 Roman Caesars, wrote that the Jews were making constant disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus, so they were expelled from Rome around AD 41-49.

Mara Bar-Serapion (AD 70), a Syrian philosopher, wrote a letter to his son mentioning Jesus of Nazareth.

Pliny the Younger (AD 61-113), the Roman legate of North Turkey, sent letters to Trajan asking how to deal with the Christians and explained what they believed and how they acted.

Flavius Josephus (AD 37-100), a Jewish historian, wrote in detail about Jesus and many of the historical events also covered in the New Testament.

Lucian of Samosata (AD 115-200), a Greek satirist, wrote that Christians worshiped and obeyed Jesus and believed they would live for eternity because of it.

Matthew says, “As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’” (Matthew 3:16—17)

Mark says, “At that time Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son; whom I love; with you I am well pleased.’” (Mark 1:9—11)

Luke says, “When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.’” (Luke 3:21—22)

John says, “Then John [the Baptist] gave this testimony: ‘I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, “The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.” I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen  One.’” (John 1:32—34)

Jesus’ baptism was an extremely significant event because God himself revealed that Jesus is his Son. He did it through John the Baptist’s revelation about who the Messiah would be, and then God spoke from heaven and said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him, I am well pleased.”

Jesus said, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).

Jesus stated, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30).

Jesus said to a paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven” (Mark 2:5). The Jewish people believed only God could forgive sins, so by Jesus saying that he forgave the man’s sins, he was saying that he is God.

Jesus declared, “Very truly I tell you … before Abraham was born, I am!” (John 8:56-58), and that verse is a reference back to Exodus 3:14 when God revealed Himself as “I AM.” By saying this, Jesus was effectively saying, “I am God.”

Jesus asked his disciples if they had read the scripture, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone” (Matthew 21:42; Mark 12:10; Luke 20:17). He was repeating the Old Testament scriptures of Isaiah 28:16 and Psalm 118:22, and he was telling them that he is the cornerstone. Peter says, “Jesus is, ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone’” (Acts 4:11).

When Jesus was on trial he was asked who he was. The text in Mark says, “But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” “I am” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” (Mark 14:61-62).

Jesus turned water into wine. (John 2:6-7)

Jesus walked on water. (Matthew 14:22-36; Mark 6:45-56)

Jesus calmed a raging storm. (Matthew 8:23-27)

Jesus used seven loaves and fish to feed 5000 people. All four Gospels detail this miracle. (Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:31-44, Luke 9:12-17; John 6:1-14).

On two occasions, Jesus gave the fisherman a great haul of fish. Once in Luke 5:1-11 during his ministry and once in John 21:1-14 after his resurrection.

Matthew says, “When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, two  demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one  could pass that way. ‘What do you want with us, Son of God?’ they shouted. ‘Have you come  here to torture us before the appointed time?’ Some distance from them, a large herd of  pigs was feeding. The demons begged Jesus, ‘If you drive us out, send us into the herd of  pigs.’ He said to them, ‘Go!’ So, they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd  rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water.” (Matthew 8:28—32) 

Luke says, “Then he went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath, he taught the people. They were amazed at his teaching because his words had authority. In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an impure spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, ‘Go away! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are-the Holy One of God!’ ‘Be quiet!’ Jesus said sternly. ‘Come out of him!’ Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him. All the people were amazed and said to each other, ‘What words these are! With authority and power, he gives orders to impure spirits and they come out!’" (Luke 4:31- 36)

Luke says, “Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, ‘You are the Son of God!’ But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak because they knew he was the Messiah.” (Luke 4:41)

The Gospels of Mark and Luke both say that Jesus had driven seven demons out of Mary Magdalene. (Mark 16:9 and Luke 8:2)

Jesus healed the sick many times. Matthew says, “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them” (Matthew 4:23-24).

This list is not exhaustive, but here are some healing examples: Jesus healed a leper (Mark 1:40-45), a person with paralysis (Matthew 9:1-8), and a woman with a blood issue (Luke 8:43-48). He opened the eyes of two blind men (Matthew 9:27-31), restored speech to a mute (Matthew 9:32-33), healed an invalid man at a pool (John 5:1-9), restored hearing and speech to a mute man (Mark 7:31-37). Jesus cleansed ten lepers (Luke 17:11-19), and he restored the ear of the high priest’s servant that Peter cut off when they came to arrest Jesus (Luke 22:50-51).

Jesus raised Jairus, a synagogue ruler’s daughter, from death in Mark 5:42 and Matthew 9:18-19, 23-26: “While he was saying this, a synagogue leader came and knelt before him and said, ‘My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.’ Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples. … When Jesus entered the synagogue leader's house and saw the noisy crowd and people playing pipes, he said, ‘Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep.’ But they laughed at him. After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. News of this spread through all that region.”

Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. John says, “Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. ‘Take away the stone,’ he said. ‘But, Lord,’ said Martha, the sister of the dead man, ‘by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.’ Then Jesus said, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?’ So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, ‘Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.’ When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, ‘Take off the grave clothes and let him go.’” (John 11:38-44)

Jesus raised a widow’s son in the village of Nain from the dead. Luke says, “The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.” (Luke 7:15)

Matthew says, “From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ (which means ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’) When some of those standing  there heard this, they said, ‘He’s calling Elijah.’ Immediately one of them ran and got a  sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. The  rest said, ‘Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.’ And when Jesus had  cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. 

At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth  shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had  died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into  the holy city and appeared to many people. When the centurion and those with him who  were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified and  exclaimed, ‘Surely he was the Son of God!’” (Matthew 27:45-54) 

Mark says, “At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at  three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which  means ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’) When some of those standing near  heard this, they said, ‘Listen, he’s calling Elijah.’ Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine  vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. ‘Now leave him alone. Let’s see if  Elijah comes to take him down,’ he said. With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. The curtain  of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood there  in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, ‘Surely this man was the Son of God!’" (Mark  15:33-39) 

Luke says, “It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands, I commit my spirit.’ When he had said this, he breathed his last. The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, ‘Surely this was a righteous man.’” (Luke 23:44-49)

John says, “Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture  would be fulfilled, Jesus said, ‘I am thirsty.’ A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a  sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. When he  had received the drink, Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’ With that, he bowed his head and gave up  his spirit.” (John 19:28-30)

A. Jesus cries out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”(Matthew 27:46)

This verse is often misunderstood without proper context and references. Jesus knew  the Old Testament. When Jesus cries out, he is quoting the first verse of Psalm 22. Psalm  22 was written by King David somewhere around 1000 years before the crucifixion. If you  read the text of Psalm 22, you will see that King David vividly described what occurred  during the crucifixion. When Jesus cried out, he was saying to the Jews nearby who could  hear him, look at Psalm 22 to understand this event. Here are some of the verses: 

The Jews attending the crucifixion would have immediately understood Jesus’ reference to Psalm 22 when he cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” This statement would have been very empowering to the disciples and Jesus’ followers. People still look at Psalm 22 today as fulfilled predictive prophecies. Saying this was also very condemning to the Jews that were having Jesus crucified.

B. Darkness covered the land from noon until 3p.m., and this was not an eclipse.

Scientists can predict eclipses accurately today. They have worked backward through time and have concluded that a natural eclipse did not happen around the time of Jesus’ crucifixion. Luke says in his text that the sun stopped shining, indicating that this was a sunny day before the darkness occurred.

C. Jesus died, proving he was indeed a man.

Historians and Bible scholars agree that, Jesus died on the cross. The Romans were exceptional at brutally killing people. Jesus’ crucifixion was mentioned by other historians in their writings. The historians of the time did not dispute that Jesus lived or died by crucifixion.

D. The veil of separation was torn in two from top to bottom.

While God’s people were under the old covenant, there was always a separation between God and them. God spoke to his people through his chosen intermediaries like Moses and King David, the judges, the priests, and then the prophets

The ark of the covenant rested in a separate temple room called the Most Holy Place, or  the Holy of Holies. This room was separated from the rest of the temple by the veil of  separation. Only the High Priest, who was ritually pure and a direct descendant of Aaron, after special preparation, could go behind the curtain into the Most Holy Place once per  year on the Day of Atonement. Anyone else who entered that area would die.

When Christ died, the veil of separation was physically torn in two from top to bottom. The veil's tearing represents the barrier between God and man being removed by Jesus’ death and the atonement of sins.

Jesus’ death and the tearing of the veil of separation signified the old covenant's end and the start of the new covenant. Jesus became our permanent High Priest and advocate to the Father for all people. Under the New Covenant, Jesus provides us direct access to the Father.

Hebrews says, “For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people” (Hebrews 2:17).

E. The earth shook hard enough to crack rocks and open tombs.

By its description in the text, we can assume that this was an earthquake type of event. So a sunny day became dark for three hours while Jesus was on the cross, and when he died, the earth shook hard enough to crack rocks and open tombs.

F. The bodies of many holy people in the tombs were raised to life.

I read over this verse many times before I grasped what it said occurred. It says tombs broke open, and the holy people in the tombs were raised to life. The next verse says, “They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.” The Bible in Acts 1:11 says Jesus will return the same way he left, and when he does, the dead in Christ will rise from their tombs first, and then the believers that are still alive in Christ will be caught up together with them in the clouds (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17). The holy people rising at the crucifixion was a mini demonstration of what is to come.

G. The centurion who witnessed it all said, “Surely he was the Son of God!”

Roman emperors maintained control of their empire through fear. They crucified people regularly, leaving them on the cross as a visual deterrent, demonstrating what would happen to anyone opposing their rule. The centurion in charge of Jesus’ crucifixion probably crucified people regularly. On this day, though, things were very different, leading him to conclude, "Surely this man was the Son of God!"

H. God’s wrath was fully satisfied by Jesus’ righteousness and sacrifice.

Jesus followed the moral law and lived a sinless life, earning his righteousness, which made him the perfect sacrifice for sin, the Lamb of God. Because Jesus was perfect and righteous, his sacrifice satisfied God’s wrath toward sin.

While Jesus was on the cross, God poured out his wrath toward all sin on Jesus. It was God’s wrath that killed Jesus. We don’t fully know what happened to Jesus between his death and resurrection. Many biblical scholars believe Jesus was separated from God during this time.

In Matthew chapter 26, just before Judas betrays Jesus, Jesus stopped to pray at the garden of Gethsemane. Jesus told the disciples, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to  the point of death” (v.38). While praying, Jesus asked God, “My Father, if it possible, may  this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will” (v.39). The pain Jesus was  about to experience on the cross would have been extreme beyond anything imaginable, but he knew the pain would end. I believe the thought of being separated from God, his  Father, for even a moment, was also causing Jesus’ dire anguish leading up to the  crucifixion.

Matthew says, “After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: “He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.” Now I have told you.’ So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples” (Matthew 28:1-8).

Mark says, “When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, ‘Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?’ But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. ‘Don’t be alarmed,’ he said. ‘You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, “He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you”’” (Mark 16:1-7).

Luke says, “On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: “The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.”’ Then they remembered his words. When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others” (Luke 24:1-9).

John says, “Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!’ So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)” (John 20:1-9).

God is perfectly holy and perfectly just, and sin cannot exist in his presence—God’s wrath destroys sin. We have each sinned and rebelled against God, and for justice to occur, we deserve to die for our sins. Please understand this. We are not saved from our sins—we are saved from God’s wrath towards us because of our sins.

Jesus chose to die on the cross in our place. He could have easily escaped and avoided the cross if he decided to. The Bible tells us that he had escaped his pursuers numerous times in the past when it “wasn’t his time.” When his time had come and the Scriptures were fulfilled, Jesus chose to die on the cross for us so that we could become righteous through his sacrifice and forgiveness. Jesus was not obligated to die for us—he chose to die for us.

The apostle Paul says, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (1 Corinthians 5:21), and “Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!” (Romans 5:9).

Hebrews says, “But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God” (Hebrews 10:12).

Luke says in the book of Acts,“In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice [righteousness] by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead” (Acts 17:30-31).