VII. Confirmation
by Nonbelievers and Hostile Eyewitnesses.
A. Satan cited
Scripture as authoritative.
B. Many people
witnessed the miracles and acts of God, Jesus
Christ, the Holy Spirit, the prophets and apostles.
The
apostle Paul, before Governor Festus and King Herod Agrippa II:
25But he said, “I am not mad, most noble Festus, but speak
the words
of truth and reason. 26For the king, before whom I also
speak
freely, knows these things; for I am convinced that none of these
things
escapes his attention, since this thing
was not done in a corner. 27King Agrippa, do you believe
the
prophets? I know that you do believe.”
1. The population of the children of
And Moses said, “The people whom I am among are
six hundred thousand men on foot; yet
You have
said, “I will give them meat,
that they may eat for a whole month.’
2. Miraculous
feeding of over 100 people.
42 Then a man came from Baal Shalisha,
and
brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of
barley bread,
and newly ripened grain in his knapsack. And he said, “Give it to the
people,
that they may eat.”
43But his servant said, “What? Shall
I set this before one hundred men?”
He said again, “Give it to the people, that they may eat; for thus says
the
LORD: “They shall eat and have some left over.”‘ 44So he set
it
before them; and they ate and had some left over, according to the word
of the
LORD.
3. Miraculous feeding of over
5,000 people, plus healings.
Matthew
14:13-21
13 When Jesus heard it, He departed
from there by
boat to a deserted place by Himself. But when the multitudes
heard it, they followed Him on foot from the
cities. 14And when Jesus went out He saw a great
multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick. 15When it
was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, “This is a deserted
place, and
the hour is already late. Send the multitudes away, that they may go
into the
villages and buy themselves food.”
16But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away. You
give
them something to eat.”
17And they said to Him, “We have here only five loaves and
two fish.”
18He said, “Bring them here to Me.” 19Then He
commanded
the multitudes to sit down on the
grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to
heaven,
He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the
disciples
gave to the multitudes. 20So
they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of
the
fragments that remained. 21Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and
children.
Mark 6:30-44
30 Then the apostles gathered to Jesus
and told
Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught.
31And
He said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest
a
while.” For there were many coming and going, and they did not even
have time
to eat. 32So they departed to a deserted place in the boat
by
themselves.
33But the multitudes [NU-Text and M-Text read they] saw them departing, and many knew
Him and ran there on foot from all the
cities. They arrived before them and came together to Him. 34And
Jesus, when He came out, saw a great
multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were
like
sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things.
35When
the day was now far spent, His disciples came to Him and said, “This is
a
deserted place, and already the hour is late. 36Send them
away, that
they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy
themselves bread;
[NU-Text reads something to eat and omits the rest of this
verse] for
they have nothing to eat.”
37But He answered and said to them, “You give them something
to eat.”
And they said to Him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of
bread
and give them something to eat?”
38But He said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and
see.”
And when they found out they said, “Five, and two fish.”
39Then He commanded them to make them all sit down in groups
on the
green grass. 40So they sat down in ranks, in
hundreds and in fifties. 41And when He had taken the
five loaves and the two fish, He looked up to heaven, blessed and broke
the
loaves, and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and the two
fish He
divided among them all. 42So they all ate and were filled.
43And
they took up twelve baskets full of fragments and of the fish. 44Now
those who had eaten the loaves were about [NU-Text and M-Text omit about] five thousand men.
Luke
9:10-17
10 And the apostles, when they had
returned, told
Him all that they had done. Then He took them and went aside privately
into a
deserted place belonging to the city called
13But He said to them, “You give them something to eat.”
And they said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless
we go and
buy food for all these people.” 14For there were about
five thousand men.
Then He said to His disciples, “Make them sit down in groups of fifty.”
15And
they did so, and made them all sit down.
16Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking
up to
heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to
set before
the multitude. 17So they all ate and were filled, and twelve
baskets
of the leftover fragments were taken up by them.
John 6:1-14
1 After these things Jesus went over the
4Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near. 5Then
Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great
multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy
bread,
that these may eat?” 6But this He said to test him, for He
Himself
knew what He would do.
7Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is
not
sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.”
8One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said
to Him,
9”There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small
fish, but
what are they among so many?”
10Then Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was
much
grass in the place. So the men sat down,
in number about five thousand. 11And Jesus took the
loaves, and
when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the
disciples [NU-Text omits to the disciples, and the disciples] to those sitting down; and likewise
of the fish, as much as they wanted. 12So when they were
filled, He
said to His disciples, “Gather up the fragments that remain, so that
nothing is
lost.” 13Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve
baskets
with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by
those who
had eaten. 14Then those men,
when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, “This is truly the
Prophet
who is to come into the world.”
4. Followed
by the miraculous feeding of over
4000 people, plus healings.
Matthew 15:29-39
29 Jesus departed from there, skirted
the
33Then His disciples said to Him, “Where could we get enough
bread
in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?”
34Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?”
And they said, “Seven, and a few little fish.”
35So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.
36And
He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and
gave them
to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude. 37So
they
all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of
the
fragments that were left. 38Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and
children. 39And He sent away the multitude,
got into the boat, and came to the region of Magdala. [NU-Text reads Magadan]
Mark 8:1-10
1 In those days, the
multitude being very great and having nothing to eat, Jesus
called His disciples to Him and said to them, 2”I have
compassion on
the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and
have
nothing to eat. 3And if I send them away hungry to their own
houses,
they will faint on the way; for some of them have come from afar.”
4Then His disciples answered Him, “How can one satisfy these
people
with bread here in the wilderness?”
5He asked them, “How many loaves do you have?”
And they said, “Seven.”
6So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.
And He
took the seven loaves and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His
disciples
to set before them; and they set them before the multitude. 7They
also had a few small fish; and having blessed them, He said to set them
also
before them. 8So they ate and were filled, and they took up
seven
large baskets of leftover fragments. 9Now those who had
eaten were
about four thousand. And He sent
them away, 10immediately got into the boat with His
disciples, and
came to the region of Dalmanutha.
9Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up? 10Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up? 11How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread?--but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
5. Regional
healings involving great multitudes.
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23 And Jesus went about all |
|
Mark 1:35-39 35 Now in the morning, having
risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a
solitary place; and there He prayed. 36And Simon and those
who were with Him searched for Him. 37When they found Him,
they said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.” |
|
Luke 4:42-44 42 Now when it was day, He
departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowd sought Him and
came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them; 43but
He said to them, “I must preach the |
17 And He came down with them and stood
on a
level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great
multitude of people from
all
And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when
He was
seated His disciples came to Him.
|
1 When He had come down from the
mountain, great multitudes followed Him. 2And
behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are
willing, You can make me clean.” |
|
Mark 1:40-45 |
|
Luke 5:12-16 12 And it happened when He was in
a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus;
and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, “Lord, if You are
willing, You can make me clean.” |
And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a
command to
depart to the other side.
Now when the multitudes saw it, they marveled [NU-Text reads were afraid] and glorified God, who had
given such power to men.
24He said to them, “Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping.” And they ridiculed Him. 25But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. 26And the report of this went out into all that land.
And when the demon was cast out, the mute spoke. And the multitudes
marveled, saying, “It was never seen like this in
But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion
for them,
because they were weary [NU-Text and M-Text read harassed]
and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.
As they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes
concerning John: “What
did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?
But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew from there. And great multitudes
[NU-Text
brackets multitudes as
disputed] followed Him, and He healed them all.
And all the multitudes were amazed and said, “Could this be the
Son of
David?”
While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His
mother and
brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him.
Matthew
13:2
And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He
got into
a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.
Matthew
13:34
All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and
without a
parable He did not speak to them,
Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And
His
disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the tares
of the
field.”
And although he wanted to put him to death, he feared the multitude,
because they counted him as a prophet.
|
34 When they had crossed over, they came to the land of [NU-Text reads came to land at] Gennesaret. 35And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent out into all that surrounding region, brought to Him all who were sick, 36and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched it were made perfectly well. |
Mark
6:53-56 53 When they had crossed over,
they came to the |
And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them there.
Now as they went out of
Matthew
20:31
Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but
they cried
out all the more, saying, “Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!”
|
8And a very great multitude
spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the
trees and spread them on the road. 9Then the multitudes who
went before and those who followed cried out, saying:
Luke
13:35
|
|
So the multitudes said, “This is Jesus, the prophet from
Nazareth of
Galilee.”
Matthew
21:26
But if we say, “From men,’ we fear the multitude, for all count
John as
a prophet.”
But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes,
because they took Him for a prophet.
And when the multitudes heard this, they were astonished at His
teaching.
Matthew
23:1
Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples,
3Then they came to Him, bringing a
paralytic who
was carried by four men. 4And when they could not come near
Him
because of the crowd, they uncovered
the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down
the bed
on which the paralytic was lying.
5When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son,
your
sins are forgiven you.”
Then He went out again by the sea; and all the multitude came
to Him,
and He taught them.
7 But Jesus withdrew with His disciples
to the
sea. And a great multitude from
Then the multitude came together again,
so that
they could not so much as eat bread.
And a multitude was sitting around Him;
and
they said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers [NU-Text
and
M-Text add and Your sisters] are
outside seeking You.”
And again He began to teach by the sea. And a great multitude
was
gathered to Him,
so that He got into a boat and sat in
it on the
sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the
sea.
Now when they had left the multitude, they
took
Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with
Him.
Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great
multitude gathered to
Him; and He was by
the sea.
So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed
Him and thronged Him.
Mark 5:25-26
25Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, 26and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. 27When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. 28For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.”
29Immediately the fountain of her blood
was dried
up, and she felt in her body that she
was healed of the affliction. 30And Jesus, immediately
knowing
in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My
clothes?”
31But His disciples said to Him, “You see the multitude
thronging You, and You say, “Who touched Me?”‘
32Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him. 33And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue. 34Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.”
Then He arose from there and came to the region of
Now they came to
Mark
12:12
And they sought to lay hands on
Him, but feared the multitude, for they
knew He had
spoken the parable against them. So they
left Him and went away.
Luke
5:1
So it was, as the multitude pressed
about Him to hear the word of God,
that He stood by the
Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to
put out
a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes
from
the boat.
However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes
came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities.
18Then behold, men brought on a bed a
man who was
paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him. 19And
when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and
let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before
Jesus.
20When He saw their faith, He said to him, “Man, your sins
are
forgiven you.”
17 And He came down with them and stood
on a
level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great
multitude of people from all
8For I also am a man placed under
authority,
having soldiers under me. And I say to one, “Go,’ and he goes; and to
another, “Come,’
and he comes; and to my servant, “Do this,’ and he does it.”
9When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him, and
turned
around and said to the crowd that
followed Him, “I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not
even in
Israel!” 10And those who were sent, returning to the house,
found
the servant well who had been sick. [NU-Text omits who had been sick]
When the messengers of John had departed, He began to speak to the multitudes
concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A
reed shaken
by the wind?
And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to
Him from
every city, He spoke by a parable:
Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the
Gadarenes [Spelled Rephaiah
in
So it was, when Jesus returned, that the multitude welcomed
Him, for
they were all waiting for Him.
for he had an only daughter about twelve years of age, and she was
dying. But
as He went, the multitudes thronged Him.
And Jesus said, “Who touched Me?” When all denied it, Peter and those
with him [NU-Text
omits and those with him] said,
“Master, the multitudes
throng and press You, and You say, “Who touched Me?”‘ [NU-Text omits and You say, “Who touched Me?” ]
And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute. So it was, when the
demon had
gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled.
In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had
gathered
together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His
disciples
first of all, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is
hypocrisy.
Then He also said to the multitudes, “Whenever you see a cloud
rising
out of the west, immediately you say, “A shower is coming’; and so it
is.
And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame;
and all
the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were
done by
Him.
Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to
them,
And hearing a multitude passing by, he asked what it meant.
Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives,
the whole multitude
of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for
all the
mighty works they had seen,
And a great multitude of the people followed Him,
and women who also mourned and lamented Him.
In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame,
paralyzed,
waiting for the moving of the water.
But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had
withdrawn, a multitude
being in that place.
Then a great multitude followed Him,
because they
saw His signs which He
performed on those who were
diseased.
Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude
coming
toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these
may eat?”
The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when
they
heard that Jesus was coming to
6.
Jesus exorcises a man with an unclean demon, spreading fame.
|
Mark 1:21-28 |
Luke 4:31-37 31 Then He went down to |
7. A
great multitude witnesses the healing of the epileptic.
|
Matthew
17:14-21 14 And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and
saying, 15”Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an
epileptic [Literally moonstruck] and
suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the
water. 16So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could
not cure him.” |
|
Mark 9:14-29 14 And when He came to the
disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and
scribes disputing with them. 15Immediately, when they saw
Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted
Him. 16And He asked the scribes, “What are you discussing
with them?” |
|
Luke 9:37-42 37 Now it happened on the next
day, when they had come down from the mountain, that a great
multitude met Him. 38Suddenly a man from the multitude
cried out, saying, “Teacher, I implore You, look on my son, for he is
my only child. 39And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he
suddenly cries out; it convulses him so that he foams at the mouth; and
it departs from him with great difficulty, bruising him. 40So
I implored Your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.” |
8.
Acknowledgement of Lazarus’ resurrection; a great multitude
praises
Jesus when He enters
|
John 12:1-19 1 Then, six days before the
Passover, Jesus came to
Matthew
21:9 Luke
13:35
Matthew
21:5 |
|
9. Approximately
120 disciples, post-Resurrection.
And in those days Peter stood up in
the midst of the disciples [NU-Text
reads brethren] (altogether the number of
names was about a hundred and
twenty), and said,
10.
Approximately 3000 people become Christians, post-Resurrection.
And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and
were
confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language.
Acts
2:41
Then those who gladly [NU-Text omits
gladly] received his word
were baptized; and that day about
three thousand souls were added
to them.
However, many of those who heard the word
believed; and the number of the men came to
be about five thousand.
14And believers were increasingly added
to the
Lord, multitudes of both men and women,
15so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid
them on
beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might
fall on
some of them. 16Also a multitude
gathered from the surrounding cities to
Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied
greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were
obedient to
the faith.
And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by
Philip,
hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.
Then the churches [NU-Text reads church ... was edified]
throughout
all
But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with
envy; and
contradicting and blaspheming, they opposed the things spoken by Paul.
12. The
ministry of Paul and Barnabas adds multitudes of believers.
Now it happened in Iconium that they went together to the synagogue of
the
Jews, and so spoke that a great multitude
both of the Jews and of the Greeks believed.
Then all the multitude kept silent and listened to Barnabas and
Paul
declaring how many miracles and wonders
God had worked through them among the Gentiles.
Also, many of those who
had practiced magic brought their books together and
burned them in the sight of all.
And they counted up the value of them,
and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver.
13.
Over 500 witnesses to the resurrected Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:1-28
1 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you
the gospel
which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand,
2by
which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached
to
you--unless you believed in vain.
3For I delivered to you first of all that which I also
received:
that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4and
that
He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the
Scriptures, 5and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the
twelve.
6After that He was seen by over
five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to
the
present, but some have fallen asleep. 7After that He was
seen by
James, then by all the apostles. 8Then last of all He was
seen by me
also, as by one born out of due time.
9For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be
called
an apostle, because I persecuted the
12 Now if Christ is preached
that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that
there is
no resurrection of the dead? 13But if there is no
resurrection of
the dead, then Christ is not risen. 14And if Christ is not
risen,
then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. 15Yes,
and
we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God
that He
raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up--if in fact the dead do not
rise.
16For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. 17And
if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your
sins!
18Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
19If
in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most
pitiable.
20 But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the
firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21For since by
man came
death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22For
as in
Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 23But
each
one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are
Christ’s
at His coming. 24Then comes the end, when He delivers the
kingdom to
God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and
power.
25For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet.
26The
last enemy that will be destroyed is death. 27For “He has
put all
things under His feet.” [Psalm 8:6] But when He says “all things are
put under
Him,” it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted.
28Now
when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also
be
subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.
See also
Dr. Phil Fernandes. “The Creed of 1 Corinthians 15:3-8: Ancient Evidence for Christ’s Resurrection,”
http://www.biblicaldefense.org/Research_Center/Journals/Vol1No8/vol1no8-1.htm
Webster’s College Dictionary:
Mean(3), “n. 1. Usu. Means, an
agency, instrument, or method used to attain an end. 2.
Means, a.
available resources, esp. money. B. considerable financial resources: a
person
of means.”
Motive: “n. 1. Something that causes a person to act in a certain way, do a certain thing, etc.; incentive. 2. The goal or object of a person’s actions: Her motive was revenge.”
The
Bible provides examples of individuals, and groups of individuals, with
the
means, motive and opportunity to refute oral and written testimony of
the
historical records. These records circulated throughout the
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Mark
16:14-18 14 Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. 15And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18they [NU-Text reads and in their hands they will] will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” |
|
Luke
24:36-49 36 Now as they said these things,
Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, “Peace to
you.” 37But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed
they had seen a spirit. 38And He said to them, “Why are you
troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39Behold
My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a
spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.” |
|
John
20:19-23 19 Then, the same day at evening,
being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the
disciples were assembled, [NU-Text omits assembled]
for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to
them, “Peace be with you.” 20When He had said this, He
showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when
they saw the Lord. |
|
Acts 1:6-8 6Therefore, when they had come
together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore
the kingdom to |
And the gospel must first be preached
to all the nations.
but now made manifest, and by
the prophetic Scriptures made
known to all nations,
according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to
the
faith--
Now when this epistle is read
among you, see that it is read also
in the church of
the Laodiceans, and that
you likewise read the epistle from Laodicea.
I charge you by the Lord that this
epistle be read
to all the holy [NU-Text
omits holy] brethren.
Blessed is he who reads and those
who hear the words of this prophecy,
and
keep those things which are
written in it; for the time is near.
These eyewitness accounts, circulating throughout the region--and ultimately, the world--gave opponents the opportunity to refute those accounts. The following is a list of kings, rulers and other authorities with the means, motive and opportunity to correct what was said about them, their nation, or any historical account with which they were involved. As it turns out, no correction was necessary. The authors of the Biblical accounts told the truth.
1. Pharoah Siamon (Unnamed in 1 Kings) and Queen Tahpenes. Contemporary of King Solomon.
Under
the article titled “
Now Solomon made a treaty with Pharaoh king
of
1
Kings 11:17-20
17that Hadad fled to go to
2.
Pharoah
Sheshonk I/Shishak. Contemporary of King Rehoboam. Also spelled Shoshenq, or Shishak,
first king (reigned 945–924 BC) of the 22nd dynasty of
Encyclopedia
Britannica notes “Sheshonk came from a line of princes or sheikhs
of Libyan
tribal descent whose title was “great chief of the Meshwesh” and who
appear to
have settled in Heracleopolis in Middle Egypt, although another
tradition
placed the line in Bubastis in the eastern Nile River delta. Sheshonk
probably
ascended the throne without a struggle, making
“According
to the Old Testament, “Shishak king of
1
Kings 14:25-26
25It happened in the fifth year of King Rehoboam that
Shishak king
of
3.
Pharoah Shabaka (Unnamed in 2 Kings). Contemporary of the
prophet
Isaish, King Hezekiah flourished , late 8th and early 7th
centuries BC. Hebrew Hizqiyya, Greek Ezekias
son of Ahaz,
and the 13th successor of David as king of
In
the article titled “
4.
Tirhakah, King of
The
article at http://christiananswers.net/dictionary/tirhakah.html
reports that Tirhakah was “the last king of
5.
Pharoah So. Contemporary of Ahaz king of Judah and
Hoshea,
son of Elah and king of
The
article at http://christiananswers.net/dictionary/so.html
discusses So (Nubian, Sabako) as “an Ethiopian king who brought
“He
was bribed by Hoshea to help him against the Assyrian monarch
Shalmaneser (2
Kings 17:4). This was a return to the policy that had been successful
in the
reign of Jeroboam I.”
And the king of Assyria uncovered a conspiracy
by Hoshea;
for he had sent messengers to So, king of Egypt, and brought no tribute
to the
king of Assyria, as he had done year by year. Therefore the
king of
6. Pharoah Necho II. Contemporary of Josiah, king of Judah, Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Achbor the son of Michaiah, Shaphan the scribe, and the prophet Jeremiah. Flourished 7th century BC
Encyclopedia
Britannica reports that Necho II was “king of
“According
to the Greek historian Herodotus, Necho began the construction of a
canal from
the
“Herodotus
also reports that Necho sent an expedition to circumnavigate
In his days Pharaoh Necho king of
2 Chronicles 35:20-27
20 After all this, when Josiah had
prepared the
temple, Necho king of
23And the archers shot King Josiah; and the king said to his
servants, “Take me away, for I am severely wounded.” 24His
servants
therefore took him out of that chariot and put him in the second
chariot that
he had, and they brought him to
25Jeremiah also lamented for Josiah. And to this day all the
singing
men and the singing women speak of Josiah in their lamentations. They
made it a
custom in
26Now the rest of the acts of Josiah and his goodness,
according to
what was written in the Law of the LORD, 27and his deeds
from first
to last, indeed they are written in the book of the kings of
Jeremiah 46:1-27
The word of the LORD which came to Jeremiah the
prophet
against the nations. 2Against
Concerning the army of Pharaoh Necho, king of
3”Order the
buckler and
shield,
And draw near to battle!
4Harness the
horses,
And mount up, you horsemen!
Stand forth with your
helmets,
Polish the spears,
Put on the armor!
5Why have I seen
them
dismayed and turned back?
Their mighty ones are beaten
down;
They have speedily fled,
And did not look back,
For fear was all around,”
says the
LORD.
6”Do not let the
swift
flee away,
Nor the mighty man escape;
They will stumble and fall
Toward the north, by the
River
Euphrates.
7”Who is this
coming up
like a flood,
Whose waters move like the
rivers?
8Egypt ri