The historical evidence is weighty.

• The testimony of those who have become Christians throughout nearly 2,000 years. Their lives have been changed.
• The existence of the Church today. It has survived nearly 2.000 years of intense persecution. It must come from something that happened.
• The testimony of the calendar. The date of our morning newspaper or calendar years witness to the fact that Jesus lived.
• The testimony of the fish symbol. This secret symbol has been found on the grave stones of early Christians. It contained the letters that came to mean “Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour”.
• The testimony of written documents.

1. Jewish documents – The Talmud & Josephus.
2. Roman documents – Pliny, Tasicus & Hitonius.
3. Christian documents – The Gospels & Epistles. 15,000 manuscripts.
4. The testimony of written documents.
5. The Church Fathers – Polycarp, Augustine, etc.

• The celebration on Sunday. The Jewish nation have always observed Saturday as the first day of the week. Sunday was observed by the Church. This was the day Jesus was raised from the dead.

The prophetical evidence is weighty.

• Prophecy fulfilled at Christ’s First Coming.

1. Born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14 with Matthew 1:18,24,26)
2. Born at Bethlehem (Micah 5:2 with Matthew 2:1)
3. Ministry of miracles (Isaiah 35:5,6 with Matthew 9:35)
4. Betrayed by a friend (Psalm 41:19 with Matthew 10:4)
5. For 30 pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12,13 with Matthew 26:15)
6. Wounded and bruised (Isaiah 53:5 with Matthew 27:26)
7. Smitten and spit upon (Isaiah 50:6 with Matthew 26:67)
8. Crucified (Psalm 22:16 with Luke 23:33)
9. Rejected by Jews (Isaiah 53:3 with John 7:5,48)
10. Bones not broken (Psalm 34:20 with John 19:33)
11. Buried in rich man’s tomb (Isaiah 53:9 with Matthew 27:57-60).

• Prophecy fulfilled today.

1. Israel becoming a nation again. In 1948 this happened. Ezekiel 36 & 37.
2. World conditions have deteriorated – False Christs, wars and rumours of war, famines, earthquakes, apostasy and false prophets. Matthew 24.
3. The rise of Russia. Ezekiel 38.
4. Spiritual apathy like the days of Noah. Luke 17:26-30.
5. Travel and knowledge becomes greatly advanced. Daniel 12:4.

• Prophecy fulfilled at Christ’s First Coming.

1. Born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14 with Matthew 1:18,24,26).
2. Born at Bethlehem (Micah 5:2 with Matthew 2:1).
3. Ministry of miracles (Isaiah 35:5,6 with Matthew 9:35).
4. Betrayed by a friend (Psalm 41:19 with Matthew 10:4).
5. For 30 pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12,13 with Matthew 26:15).
6. Wounded and bruised (Isaiah 53:5 with Matthew 27:26).
7. Smitten and spit upon (Isaiah 50:6 with Matthew 26:67).
8. Crucified (Psalm 22:16 with Luke 23:33).
9. Rejected by Jews (Isaiah 53:3 with John 7:5,48).
10. Bones not broken (Psalm 34:20 with John 19:33).
11. Buried in rich man’s tomb (Isaiah 53:9 with Matthew 27:57-60).

• Prophecy fulfilled today.

1. Israel becoming a nation again. In 1948 this happened. Ezekiel 36 & 37.
2. World conditions have deteriorated – False Christs, wars and rumours of war, famines, earthquakes, apostasy and false prophets. Matthew 24.
3. The rise of Russia. Ezekiel 38.
4. Spiritual apathy like the days of Noah. Luke 17:26-30.
5. Travel and knowledge becomes greatly advanced. Daniel 12:4.

• The Resurrection proof.

1. Jesus predicted His resurrection (John 2:18-21).
2. The empty tomb. What happened? The various theories of sceptics do not explain the evidence. Some say the disciples stole the body or somebody else stole the body. (The Romans or the Jewish leaders) There is also the swoon theory The resurrection of Jesus best fits the evidence and cannot be disproved. Where is the body?
3. There were 500 eye-witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus. (1 Corinthians 15:1-8).
4. The grave-clothes. Again, where is the body?
5. The change that came over Paul.

• The Verdict. There are only three possible verdicts

1. Liar
2. Lunatic
3. Lord

You must act on this verdict. You must be a hearer and doer of the Word. See James 1:22 & Mark 4:9. To say that Jesus was only a great moral teacher or a great good man is to say that He is either a Liar or a Lunatic. There is also evidence in the lives that have been, and are now being changed by the incredible power of the Christian faith.