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CHRISTIAN APOLOGETICS BY ISAIAH'S PROPHECIES
Part IV: Christ Predicted In His Death, Burial And Resurrection
(Isaiah 52:13-53:12)
  1. Introduction
    1. The credibility of the Christian faith falls or rises on the credibility of Jesus Christ.
    2. That being so, the Christian faith bears the great responsibility of explaining how its Founder, Jesus Christ could be God if He was admittedly crucified to death by His enemies.
    3. The death of Christ and what occurs after that are supplied in prophetic form in a scroll that secular authorities date existed well before Jesus' birth, and that prophecy with these events verify our faith:
  2. Christ Predicted In His Death, Burial And Resurrection, Isaiah 52:13-53:12.
    1. The Isaiah scroll of the Dead Sea Scrolls consists of all 66 chapters of Isaiah's prophecy, and is written as a single literary unit credited to Isaiah. It is dated by paleontologists around 150 B. C., or approximately 146 years before Christ's birth, Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, vol. 3, page 320.
    2. This scroll predicts Messiah would die, be buried and rise from the dead in ways Jesus of Nazareth later reportedly and credibly fulfilled in the Gospel records as follows:
      1. Reportedly, Jesus of Nazareth fulfilled the predictions of Isaiah 52:13-53:12 concerning the Messiah:
        1. Isaiah 53:1 predicted the Messiah would have his message's credibility shown by miracles not be believed by the nation. Jesus of Nazareth fulfilled this prediction according to John 15:24-25.
        2. Isaiah 53:2 predicted Messiah would come from a lowly background which would cause others not to respect Him. John 1:45-46; 7:41-42 record how Jesus was disrespected for His origin in Galilee.
        3. Isaiah 53:3 predicted Messiah would be despised and rejected of men. Jesus predicted his own mistreatment by Israel's rulers in Mark 10:33-34 and Matthew 26:47-26 records that mistreatment.
        4. Isaiah 53:4-6 predicted Messiah would be considered disciplined of God for sin when in reality, He would be bearing the sins of men vicariously in His death. Matthew 27:39-44 record how the passersby, Israel's leaders and even the thieves on the cross mocked Jesus as rejected even by God!
        5. Isaiah 53:7 predicted Messiah would suffer passively as a sheep before his shearers. Matthew 27:13-14 shows how Jesus did not answer His persecutors when He didn't have to say anything, and He spoke to Pilate only to correct a possible misconception of His kingdom (John 18:33-37) and the high priest only when ordered under oath to do so in compliance with Mosaic Law (Mtt. 26:62-64).
        6. Isaiah 53:8 predicted Messiah would be cut off in oppression with no one in his generation understanding that He was dying for man's sins. This was evident in Matthew 27:39-44.
        7. Isaiah 53:9 predicted Messiah would be buried with the wealthy because He had been peaceable and honest. Matthew 27:57-60 records how Jesus of Nazareth was buried in a wealthy man's tomb.
        8. Isaiah 53:10 predicted Messiah would have His days prolonged in resurrection even though he poured out His soul as a sin offering unto death. The Gospel records all speak of the bodily resurrection from the dead by Jesus of Nazareth, Mtt. 28:6; Mk. 16:1-6; Luke 24:1-6; Jn. 20:1-31.
        9. Isaiah 53:11-12 with 52:15a predicted Messiah would justify all who acknowledge Him in faith, and that by way of the payment of their sins in His death. This is exactly what Jesus of Nazareth does to all who believe in Him according to John 3:16 and 2 Corinthians 5:21.
      2. Jesus of Nazareth credibly fulfilled Isaiah 52:13-53:12 as follows:
        1. Paul left his readers open to challenge his report on Christ's resurrection by stating that over 250 witnesses who had at one time seen Him after His resurrection were still living in 1 Cor. 15:4-6!
        2. Matthew 28:15 reported Israel's leaders still claimed Jesus' disciples had stolen His body when he wrote his Gospel. Since the disciples could have been tortured to deliver the body and destroy the Christian faith much in keeping with the wishes of these leaders, the fact that they still told this story that Matthew left his readers the opportunity to verify themselves reveals Israel's leaders could not produce the body: it had vanished, a great and credible evidence to the resurrection!
Lesson: (1) Jesus of Nazareth fulfilled prophecy on Messiah's death and resurrection that was made well before His time (a) as is verified by science and (b) by the internal credibility of the writings of the New Testament Scripture themselves. (2) Hence, the Christian faith is VALID as being the true faith!