From: theirony2013@gmail.com   
      
   On 2026-01-02 09:57, Steven Douglas wrote:   
   >   
   > Mike  posted:   
   >> On 2026-01-01 16:39, Steven Douglas wrote:   
   >>> Mike  posted:   
   >>>> On 2026-01-01 13:27, Steven Douglas wrote:   
   >>>>> Mike  posted:   
   >>>>>> On 2025-12-31 16:00, Steven Douglas wrote:   
   >>>>>>> Mike  posted:   
   >>>>>>>> On 2025-12-31 13:46, Steven Douglas wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>> I'm not claiming that the following is proof of Jesus,   
   >>>>>>>>> but I am claiming that it is some very good evidence   
   >>>>>>>>> of the existence of Jesus.   
   >>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>> There are many references to the coming Jesus in the   
   >>>>>>>>> Old Testament, especially in the Book of Isaiah. Here   
   >>>>>>>>> are a few examples:   
   >>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>> Isaiah 7:14: "Therefore the Lord himself will give you   
   >>>>>>>>> a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son,   
   >>>>>>>>> and will call him Immanuel [God with us]".   
   >>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>> Isaiah 9:6: "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son   
   >>>>>>>>> is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder.   
   >>>>>>>>> And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty   
   >>>>>>>>> God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."   
   >>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>> Isaiah 53:5: "But He was pierced for our transgressions,   
   >>>>>>>>> He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastisement for   
   >>>>>>>>> our peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed."   
   >>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>> There are other examples in other books of the Old Testament,   
   >>>>>>>>> but this one is particularly noteworthy:   
   >>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>> Proverbs 30:4: "Who has ascended into heaven and descended?   
   >>>>>>>>> Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has wrapped the   
   >>>>>>>>> waters in His garment? Who has established all the ends of   
   >>>>>>>>> the earth? What is His name, and what is His Son’s name?   
   >>>>>>>>> Surely you know!"   
   >>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>> The following is from Moses, as he told the people that   
   >>>>>>>>> there would be another prophet after him:   
   >>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>> Deuteronomy 18:15: "The Lord your God will raise up for   
   >>>>>>>>> you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers —   
   >>>>>>>>> it is to Him you shall listen."   
   >>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>> So those are just a few examples of the many references to   
   >>>>>>>>> Jesus that appear in the Old Testament. During the time that   
   >>>>>>>>> Jesus lived, and while he never left the Holy Land during   
   >>>>>>>>> His three-year ministry, Jesus knew that the Gospel would   
   >>>>>>>>> be preached throughout the world as the End Times approached   
   >>>>>>>>> (as He claimed in Matthew 24:14),   
   >>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>> How could He have known that His ministry (conducted entirely   
   >>>>>>>>> in one tiny part of the world) would become known throughout   
   >>>>>>>>> the world -- unless He really is who He said he is?   
   >>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>> After the three-year ministry of Jesus was concluded, much   
   >>>>>>>>> was written about Jesus in the ensuing years -- and those   
   >>>>>>>>> writings are not confined to the Gospel accounts. There   
   >>>>>>>>> are several high-profile secular historians who wrote about   
   >>>>>>>>> Jesus. In doing so, they confirmed that Jesus was a real   
   >>>>>>>>> person and a historical figure. Here are some examples:   
   >>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>> Tacitus, a first century Roman politician and historian   
   >>>>>>>>> who was not friendly to Christians or Christianity. In   
   >>>>>>>>> his writings titled "Annals", he wrote that Jesus was   
   >>>>>>>>> executed by Pontius Pilate. Why would a Roman politician   
   >>>>>>>>> and historian waste time writing about a supposed "myth"   
   >>>>>>>>> (unless Jesus was real), when Rome was concerned about   
   >>>>>>>>> the growing popularity of Christianity and wanted to   
   >>>>>>>>> crush it?   
   >>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>> Pliny the Younger, a first century Roman governor (in   
   >>>>>>>>> what is today northern Turkey), who wrote to Emperor   
   >>>>>>>>> Trajan asking how he should deal with the growing number   
   >>>>>>>>> of Christians. He stated his concern that they worshipped   
   >>>>>>>>> "Christ as a god." Obviously something real was happening,   
   >>>>>>>>> not just some random "myth".   
   >>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>> Suetonius, a first century Roman biographer who was also   
   >>>>>>>>> not a friend of Christianity. He wrote about disturbances   
   >>>>>>>>> in Rome among Jews who were divided over Jesus. The early   
   >>>>>>>>> Christians were, of course, Jews -- as was Jesus. Suetonius   
   >>>>>>>>> wrote that these disturbances were caused by "Chrestus"   
   >>>>>>>>> (meaning Christ).   
   >>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>> And probably the best known of the secular sources who   
   >>>>>>>>> documented the existence of Jesus is Flavius Josephus, a   
   >>>>>>>>> first century Jewish historian who wrote about Jesus in   
   >>>>>>>>> "Antiquities of the Jews". There are claims that some of   
   >>>>>>>>> his writing may have been tampered with -- but what is   
   >>>>>>>>> undisputed is that he DID write about Jesus as a historical   
   >>>>>>>>> figure.   
   >>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>> There are other examples of secular historians who wrote   
   >>>>>>>>> about Jesus, but I'll stop here for now to keep this from   
   >>>>>>>>> getting too long. But anyone who cares to really study this   
   >>>>>>>>> topic  will soon realize that there is enough evidence of   
   >>>>>>>>> the existence of Jesus from secular sources (in addition   
   >>>>>>>>> to the Gospels themselves) that make it difficult to   
   >>>>>>>>> believe that Jesus was merely a "myth".   
   >>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>    
   >>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>> 1. Old Testament “prophecies”   
   >>>>>>>>          - Isaiah 7:14 (“virgin will conceive”) uses   
   >>>>>>>>            Hebrew word *almah*, meaning “young woman,”   
   >>>>>>>>            not necessarily “virgin.”   
   >>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>> The word "almah" appears elsewhere in the Old Testament in   
   >>>>>>> the context of virginity. But nevertheless, however the word   
   >>>>>>> is translated in Isaiah 7:14, what remains is that a young   
   >>>>>>> woman will conceive and give birth to a son who will be called   
   >>>>>>> Immanuel (God with us).   
   >>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>          - Isaiah 53 may refer to Israel collectively, not a single   
   >>>>>>>>            messianic figure.   
   >>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>> He was pierced for our transgressions, along with all of   
   >>>>>>> us being healed by his wounds. It's clearly referring to   
   >>>>>>> the crucifixion of Jesus.   
   >>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>          - Many passages are interpreted *after the fact* to match   
   >>>>>>>>            Jesus’ life.   
   >>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>> Give some examples.   
   >>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>> 2. Jesus’ knowledge of worldwide ministry   
   >>>>>>>>          - Claims in Matthew 24:14 are faith-based, not independently   
   >>>>>>>>            verifiable.   
      
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