Three years later, in AD 31, Jesus was received as king and ruler on his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Note that the interval between 445 BC (the decree to rebuild Jerusalem) and AD 31 (the Messiah’s coming as king) is 476 years—the precise period predicted by Daniel some 300 years earlier! And that is only one of the over 300 prophecies concerning the life and death of Jesus Christ.

The skeptic will be quick to charge that those predictions could have been penned in after the fact. They could, except that the Septuagint was written centuries before the NT account. And since, as already explained, that account was written within the lifetime of eyewitnesses, any fabrication on the part of authors to fudge the facts would have been readily contested by any number of hostile contemporaries.

But perhaps, most importantly, the Written Word accords with what we know to be true about the world and ourselves—knowledge that requires years of education for us to “un-know”: Man is not a fluke product of matter and motion, but a creation endowed with meaning and purpose; there is a standard of “oughtness” that transcends the opinions of focus groups, town hall meetings, and legislatures; the natural inclination of man is against that standard as validated by untold centuries of human history; and the failure of religion, the State, Gaia, the Force, and the sovereign Self to “deliver” mankind indicates that man needs a Savior.

The Veritable Word of God

After weighing all of the evidence, the late paleographer and classical scholar, Sir Frederick Kenyon, concluded, “We have in our hands, in substantial integrity, the veritable Word of God.” He was in good company.

For over 2,000 years, paupers to princes have acknowledged the Divine authorship and transformational power of the Written Word. One of the earliest was Justin Martyr, who challenged early second century unbelievers to:

...come and partake of incomparable wisdom, and be instructed by the Divine Word, and acquaint yourselves with the King immortal . . . The Word exercises an influence which does not make poets: it does not equip philosophers who are skilled orators, but by its instruction it makes mortals immortal... Come, be taught; become as I am, for I, too, was as ye are... (Justin Martyr, Discourse to the Greeks)

Regis Nicoll is a freelance writer and a BreakPoint Centurion. His "All Things Examined" column appears on BreakPoint every other Friday. Serving as a men’s ministry leader and worldview teacher in his community, Regis publishes a free weekly commentary to stimulate thought on current issues from a Christian perspective. To be placed on this free e-mail distribution list, e-mail him at: centurion51@aol.com. Click here to visit Regis's Crosswalk.com blog.
This article originally appeared on BreakPoint April 25, 2008. Used with permission.