Some say Jesus Christ never existed.

1
Some say Jesus Christ never existed.

• Others claim he was not God.
• Still others denied his humanness.

2
JESUS CHRIST IS A MAN OF HISTORY

• Many critics argue that the only record of Jesus
  Christ is the New Testament.
• With this assumption they conclude He was a
  mythical character, fabricated from the
  imaginations of the Apostles.
• However, several historians have made references
  to Him.

3
Darkness at Jesus' crucifixion

• The darkness at Jesus' crucifixion is described
  as occurring from the sixth to the ninth hour (
  noon to 300 pm). Luke 2344
• Several gentile historians tried to explain the
  darkness as an eclipse of the sun.
• This could not have happened because the Jewish
  calendar is lunar in its base.
• Jesus died on Passover.
• It was a full moon and the moon was on the other
  side of the earth at the time.

4
The point here is not what cause the darkness.

• What is important is that the gentile historians
  in an attempt discredit the miraculous,
  unwittingly documented the darkness and the
  existence of Christ!

5
Flavius Josephus

• Born in 37 A.D.
• Jewish historian of the New Testament times.
• Worked for the Roman's.
• In Antiquities xviii33, he wrote of Jesus'.
  existence.
• In Antiquities xx91, he wrote of James, the
  brother of Jesus.

6
In 120 A.D., Suetonius, a Roman historian, wrote
about Christians.

• In 112 A.D. Plinius Secundus, known as Pliny the
  Younger, Governor of Bithynia in Asia Minor.
• He wrote to emperor Trajan asking if he should
  continue killing Christians.
• He was killing Christian men, women, and
  children.
• They refused to worship Trajan and curse Christ.
• Christians were guilty of meeting on certain days
  before light, singing songs to Christ as a God.
• They bound themselves by an oath not to commit
  any wicked deed such as fraud, theft, adultery,
  lying, and never to deny a trust when called upon
  to deliver it up.

7
Encyclopedia Britannica, 15th Edition, 1974.

• 20,000 words were devoted to Christ. This is more
  words than devoted to Aristotle, Alexander,
  Julius Caesar, Buddha, Confucius, Mohammed, or
  Napoleon Bonaparte.
• It states "These Independent accounts prove
  that in ancient times even the opponents of
  Christianity never doubted the historicity of
  Jesus, which was disputed for the first time and
  on inadequate grounds by several authors at the
  end of the 18th, and during the 19th and at the
  beginning of the 20th centuries."

8
JESUS CLAIMED TO BE GOD

• Jesus made direct claims to be the Son of God.
• No other recognized religious leader ever claimed
  to be God including Moses, Paul, Buddha,
  Mohammed, and Confucius.
• Jesus is the only one to claim to be deity.
• He was the only one able to convince a large
  portion of the world that He is God!
• His teachings were ultimate and final, over and
  above Moses and the prophets.
• He never added any afterthoughts or revisions to
  his words. Jesus never retracted or changed His
  teachings.
• He never guessed, supposed, or spoke with
  uncertainty.
• These qualities are very unlike any other human
  teachers or teachings.

9
During the trial of Jesus

• He admitted to His accusers, under oath, that He
  is and was the Son of God.

10
Matthew 2662 - 68

• And the high priest arose, and said unto him,
  Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these
  witness against thee? But Jesus held his
  peace. And the high priest answered and said unto
  him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou
  tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of
  God. Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said
  nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye
  see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of
  power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
  Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He
  hath spoken blasphemy what further need have we
  of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his
  blasphemy.

11

• Christ used the phrase "Thou hast said"
• In another place he used the phrase "Ye say that
  I am" Luke 2270
• This sounds evasive to our modern ears.
• However, "Ye say" is a Greek idiom for "yes".
• Jewish courtesy forbid a direct "yes" to an
  accusation with such grave consequences.
• The reaction of the priest shows he clearly
  understood Jesus to be claiming to be God.

12
Mark 1461-64

• But he held his peace, and answered nothing.
  Again the high priest asked him, and said unto
  him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?
  And Jesus said, I am and ye shall see the
  Son of man sitting on the right hand of power,
  and coming in the clouds of heaven. Then the
  high priest rent his clothes, and saith, What
  need we any further witnesses? Ye have heard
  the blasphemy what think ye? And they all
  condemned him to be guilty of death.

13

• John 194-7 is another example where the Jews
  believed Jesus' claim to be God as blasphemous.
• Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto
  them, Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye
  may know that I find no fault in him. Then came
  Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the
  purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold
  the man! When the chief priests therefore and
  officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify
  him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Take ye
  him, and crucify him for I find no fault in him.
  The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our
  law he ought to die, because he made himself the
  Son of God.

14
CLAIMED TO BE EQUAL TO THE FATHER

• In John 1030-33
• I and my Father are one. Then the Jews took
  up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered
  them, Many good works have I shewed you from my
  Father for which of those works do ye stone me?
  The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work
  we stone thee not but for blasphemy and because
  that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.
• Jesus claims "I and my Father are one".

15

• The Jews wanted to stone him for being a man and
  claiming to be God. They never stopped to
  consider if His claims were true. They assumed
  them to be false and therefore thought He
  deserved death by stoning.
• Jesus does not say "Wait! You misunderstood me.
  What I meant was....". Instead, He confirmed His
  statement.

16
Jesus referred to God as "My Father"

• In John 517-18 But Jesus answered them, My
  Father worketh hitherto, and I work. Therefore
  the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he
  not only had broken the sabbath, but said also
  that God was his Father, making himself equal
  with God.
• A Jew would not use this term without suffixing
  it with "in heaven". He made a claim the Jews
  could not misinterpret when referring to God as
  "My Father"

17
CLAIMS TO BE THE GREAT "I AM"

• In John 858 Jesus said unto them, Verily,
  verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was, I am.
  
• The "verily, verily" implies that what follows
  is certain and should be interpreted as the
  strongest possible meaning. It is clear that
  Christ did not want to be misunderstood.

18

• Jesus was clearly referring to Exodus 314 where
  God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM" and the Jews
  clearly understood Him to be claiming to be the
  great "I AM" i.e. God.
• A mere prophet would have humbled himself and
  said, "Thus saith the Lord".
• The Old Testament law required the death penalty
  for any human claiming to be God.
• Their actions of trying to stone Jesus clearly
  shows they believed Him to be a blasphemer.

19
Leviticus 2416 states the penalty of a
blasphemer.

• And he that blasphemeth the name of the LORD,
  he shall surely be put to death, and all the
  congregation shall certainly stone him as well
  the stranger, as he that is born in the land,
  when he blasphemeth the name of the LORD, shall
  be put to death.

20
He spoke to them in plain words

• Words the Jews understood and He made no attempt
  to clarify, retract or temper His claim in any
  way. The Jews understood His words as He
  intended.
• Jews believed there to be only one God. God
  speaking through Moses said in Deuteronomy 3239
  said ... There is no god besides me.
• Isaiah 4310 God said"... Before me no god was
  formed, nor will there be one after me...."

21
JESUS CLAIMS TO BE EQUAL TO GOD THE FATHER

• The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we
  stone thee not but for blasphemy and because
  that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.
  Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your
  law, I said, Ye are gods? If he called them
  gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the
  scripture cannot be broken Say ye of him, whom
  the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the
  world, Thou blasphemest because I said, I am the
  Son of God? If I do not the works of my Father,
  believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe
  not me, believe the works that ye may know, and
  believe, that the Father is in me, and I in
  him.John 1033-38

22
JESUS DESERVES THE SAME HONOR AS GOD

• That all men should honour the Son, even as
  they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the
  Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.
  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth
  my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath
  everlasting life, and shall not come into
  condemnation but is passed from death unto life.
  John 523
• Christ said, "That all men should honor the Son,
  even as they honor the Father...."
• Jesus told the Jews that by insulting Him, they
  are actually insulting God. It is God who is
  outraged by their bad treatment of Jesus.

23
To know Jesus is to know the Father

• - John 819 Then said they unto him, Where is
  thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me,
  nor my Father if ye had known me, ye should have
  known my Father also.
• John 149 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so
  long time with you, and yet hast thou not known
  me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the
  Father and how sayest thou then, shew us the
  Father?

24
Jesus made Himself an object of faith

• Christ instructed his disciples to believe in Him
  as they believe in God
• He made Himself an object of faith.
• In John 141 and following, Christ clearly states
  that their eternal future depended on Him and His
  work. He promised to prepare a place for them and
  return to claim them.
• He never hesitated, apologized, or contradicted
  Himself. He never recanted or modified anything
  He said. He spoke God's word as God would speak
  to them.
• Jesus said, "Heaven and earth will passaway but
  My words will not passaway." Mark 1331

25
PEOPLE WORSHIPED JESUS AND HE ACCEPTED IT
26
A Leper worshiped Him

• And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped
  him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make
  me clean. Matt 82

27
Jesus healed a blind man and he fell down and
worshiped Him.

• Jesus heard that they had cast him out and when
  he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou
  believe on the Son of God?He answered and said,
  Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him?
  And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen
  him, and it is he that talketh with thee. And
  he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.
  John 935-39

28
The disciples worshiped Him

• Then they that were in the ship came and
  worshipped him, saying, of a truth thou art the
  Son of God. Matt. 1433

29
Thomas worshiped Him and believed him to be God.

• Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger,
  and behold my hands and reach hither thy hand,
  and thrust it into my side and be not faithless,
  but believing. And Thomas answered and said
  unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto
  him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast
  believed blessed are they that have not seen,
  and yet have believed. John 2027-29

30
Jesus instructed Thomas to put his finger into
His wounds

• So that he might believe.
• Thomas' response was "My Lord and my God!".
• Jesus added that Thomas believed because he saw.
  Those that have not seen and still believe are
  blessed.
• He rebuked Thomas for his unbelief, NOT his
  worship of Jesus.

31
LESSER BEINGS REFUSED TO RECEIVE WORSHIP

• And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him,
  and fell down at his feet, and worshiped him.
  But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up I myself
  also am a man. Acts 1025-26
• John attempts to worships and angle . And I
  fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto
  me, See thou do it not I am thy fellowservant,
  and of thy brethren that have the testimony of
  Jesus worship God for the testimony of Jesus is
  the spirit of prophecy. Rev 1910

32
OTHER SUPPORTING EVIDENCE

• Paul said in Wherefore God also hath highly
  exalted him, and given him a name which is above
  every name That at the name of Jesus every knee
  should bow, of things in heaven, and things in
  earth, and things under the earth And that every
  tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
  to the glory of God the Father. Phil 29-11
• Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious
  appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus
  Christ Titus 213

33

• He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
  And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the
  Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus
  answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou,
  Simon Barjona for flesh and blood hath not
  revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in
  heaven. Matthew 1615-17
• Jesus blessed Peter instead of rebuking him as
  Jesus always did when confronted with error.

34

• Peter states, "Therefore let all Israel be
  assured of this God has made this Jesus, whom
  you crucified, both Lord and Christ." Acts 236

35
Paul called Jesus God

• "But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is
  for ever and ever a sceptre of righteousness is
  the sceptre of thy kingdom. Hebrews 18
• This is an obvious reference to Psalm 456
• Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever the
  sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre
• The Son is called God i.e. Jesus Christ is
  called God!
• Paul believed Jesus to be God!

36
Stephen's prayer to Jesus

• And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and
  saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. Acts 759
  
• Stephen believed Jesus to be Deity!

37
Jesus addressed God as Abba

• Means "father", more correctly "daddy" or some
  other close, intimate, affectionate name.
• No one before Jesus addressed God in this
  manner.
• Not even David used this term. The closest David
  came was "... like as a father ..."
• Like as a father pitieth his children, so the
  LORD pitieth them that fear him. Psalms 10313

38
He claimed to be able to forgive sins

• When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the
  sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee
  . Mark 25
• When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the
  sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven
  thee. Luke 748
• According to Jewish law only God could forgive
  sins.

39
Jesus claimed to BE the way, the truth, and the
life.

• Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth,
  and the life no man cometh unto the Father, but
  by me. John 146
• He did not say He knew, or taught the way. He did
  not show the way. He IS the Way!

40
Jesus is Life

• And this is the record, that God hath given to us
  eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He
  that hath the Son hath life and he that hath not
  the Son of God hath not life. I John 511,12

41
Jesus has all authority

• And hath given him authority to execute judgment
  also, because he is the Son of man. John 527
• These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory,
  and spake of him. John 1241
• Christ is described as the one seen by Isaiah
• In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the
  Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up,
  and his train filled the temple. Isaiah 61

42
Holy Trinity

• Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ
  Jesus Who, being in the form of God, thought it
  not robbery to be equal with God Phil 25-6
• For there are three that bear record in heaven,
  the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost and
  these three are one. 1 John 57

43
OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT COMPARISONS
44
(No Transcript)
45
Jesus Claimed to be God

• " A man who can read the New Testament and not
  see that Christ claims to be more than a man, can
  look all over the sky at high noon on a clear day
  and not see the sun."William Biederwolf

46
JESUS' MORAL INTEGRITY HAS NEVER BEEN SERIOUSLY
QUESTION BY CRITICS

• J.S. Mill, a skeptic and opponent of
  Christianity, wrote
• "About the life and sayings of Jesus there is a
  stamp of personal originality combined with
  profundity of insight in the very first rank of
  men of sublime genius of whom our species can
  boast. When this pre-eminent genius is combined
  with the qualities of probability the greatest
  moral reformer and martyr to that mission who
  ever existed upon the earth, religion cannot be
  said to have made a bad choice in pitching upon
  this man as an ideal representative and guide of
  humanity nor even now would it be easy, even for
  an unbeliever, to find a better translation of
  the rule of virtue from the abstract into the
  concrete than to endeavor to live so that Christ
  would approve of our life."

47

• William Lecky, a noted British historian and
  hostile to Christianity, wrote in "History of
  European Morals from Augustus to Charlemagne"
• "It is reserved for Christianity to present to
  the world an ideal character which through all
  the changes of eighteen centuries has inspired
  the hearts of men with an impassioned love has
  shown itself capable of acting on all ages,
  nations, temperaments and conditions has been
  not only the highest pattern of virtue, but the
  strongest incentive to its practice.... The
  simple record of these three short years of
  active life has done more to regenerate and
  soften mankind than all the disquisitions of
  philosophers and all the exhortations of
  moralists."

48
Napoleon once said

• "I know men and I tell you that Jesus Christ is
  not a man. Superficial minds see a resemblances
  between Christ and the founders of empires, and
  the gods of other religions. That resemblance
  does not exist. There is between Christianity and
  whatever other religions a distance of
  infinity.... Everything in Christ astonishes me.
  His spirit overawes me, and His will confounds
  me. Between Him and whoever else in the world ,
  there is no possible term of comparison. He is
  truly a being by Himself. His ideas and
  sentiments, the truth which He announces, His
  manner of convincing, are not explained either by
  human organization or by the nature of things....

49

• The nearer I approach, the more carefully I
  examine, everything is above me - everything
  remains grand, of a grandeur which overpowers.
  His religion is a revelation from an intelligence
  which is certainly is not that of man.... One can
  absolutely find nowhere , but in Him alone, the
  imitation or the example of His life.... I search
  in vain in history to find the similar to Jesus
  Christ, or anything which can approach the
  Gospel. Neither history, nor humanity, nor the
  ages, nor nature, offer me anything with which I
  am able to compare it or to explain it. Here
  everything is extraordinary."

50
OVERWHELMING EVIDENCE THAT JESUS IS LORD

• In conclusion, some may reject Christ on moral
  issues. When one accepts Jesus as their personal
  Savior, the sin in their life becomes repugnant
  to them and they must turn from their wickedness
  or turn away from Christ. Those unwilling to give
  up a sinful life style will choose to accept
  arguments to reject Him without regard to the
  true facts.

51
Jesus Christ was human

• Jesus could have called Himself the Son of God,
  instead most often He preferred to Identify with
  His humaity by calling Himself the Son of Man
  thorough out the Gospels

52

• And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us,
  (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the
  only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and
  truth. John 114
• And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto
  you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the
  angels of God ascending and descending upon the
  Son of man. John 114,51

53
1 Corinthians 1521,47

• 21   For since by man came death, by man came
  also the resurrection of the dead.
• 47   The first man is of the earth, earthy the
  second man is the Lord from heaven.

54
Romans 13   

• Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which
  was made of the seed of David according to the
  flesh

55
1 Timothy 25

• For there is one God, and one mediator between
  God and men, the man Christ Jesus

56
1 Timothy 316

•  And without controversy great is the mystery of
  godliness God was manifest in the flesh,
  justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached
  unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world,
  received up into glory.

57
1 John 42-3

• Hereby know ye the Spirit of God Every spirit
  that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the
  flesh is of God
•  And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus
  Christ is come in the flesh is not of God and
  this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye
  have heard that it should come and even now
  already is it in the world.

58
2 John 17   

• For many deceivers are entered into the world,
  who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the
  flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.