Who He Is and Who He Isn't

The Lamb of God

"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation."--Colossians 1:15

Who is Jesus Christ? That should be an easy answer for most people but for some reason it isn't. 

To some folks he's just an ancient historical figure who started his own religion 2,000 years ago with 12 ragtag disciples. To others, he is the Son of the Living God, but not equal to God in power or providence. And to others, he is merely a prophet who lived a righteous life on earth but was tragically murdered by moral reprobates. To most Jews, he remains a rebel from Judaism; a charlatan who fulfilled none of the prophecies concerning the promised Jewish Messiah.

How can we determine who the real Jesus Christ is? Simply by examining the evidence. And the evidence is found throughout the Bible's Old Testament scriptures that identify Christ as the Jewish Messiah and Savior of the world and no one else. How can we be so sure? The rabbis and many modern skeptics claim that the modern Bible we read is corrupt because it contains nothing but a mishmash of unreliable translations and re-translations pieced together by folks who didn't have access to the ancient, original manuscripts.

That's hogwash. The modern translations, such as the New King James and the NIV (New International Version) have been translated directly from manuscripts that date back to the first and second centuries C.E. The writers of those manuscripts were not only contemporaries of Christ, they were also familiar with the prophetic writings of Israel's ancient prophets that clearly identified Christ as the long-awaited Messiah. Concerning the validity of Christ as the Messiah, the apostle Peter, who lived and walked with Christ wrote this: "And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a shining light in a dark place, until the morning star rises in your hearts." (2 Peter 1:20)

Here are some of the prophecies that identified Jesus Christ as the Messiah: Christ's virgin birth; (Isaiah 7:14, Eighth Century B.C.) Christ's birthplace in Bethlehem; (Micah 5:2, Sixth Century B.C.) Christ's appearance in Jerusalem riding a donkey; (Zechariah 9:9, Sixth Century B.C.) Israel's rejection of Christ as her Messiah and His appearance in Israel as the ultimate, eternal sacrifice for sin; (Isaiah 53) Christ's crucifixion; (Psalm 22, 1,000 B.C.) His resurrection (Psalm 16:10, Isaiah 52) and the exact time of His appearance in Israel. (Daniel 9:25-26, Sixth Century B.C.)

Furthermore, the Dead Sea Scrolls, that were discovered in 1947 in caves located near the Dead Sea, date back to the First Century B.C. and contain many of the prophetic books of the Old Testament that spoke about Christ. The scrolls were discovered to contain the same exact prophecies concerning the Jewish Messiah that the modern bible translations contain. So the argument is fallacious that modern bible translations are unreliable concerning the ancient prophecies that revealed the Jewish Messiah. The modern translations--with the exception of the translation circulated by the Jehovah Witnesses--are completely reliable. 

Who is Jesus Christ? He is the Son of the Living God; the Second Person of the Trinity; the Savior of the world and God incarnate. He is Israel's eternal king and he is coming again soon to rescue Israel from her enemies and to execute judgment upon a wicked and rebellious world that is highly religious and highly reprobate. 

And He is the only path to eternal life. (John 14:6) No religion, creed or humanistic system of righteousness can save you. Only Christ can wash away your sins and bring you eternal life. But that comes by faith, not by the works or sacraments of a man-made religious system. All you have to do is acknowledge that you are a sinner to Christ; ask for His forgiveness of your sins and commit your life to Him. It's that easy. But make sure you're serious because false confessions fool only those who profess them. It's your choice.