Old Testament Prophecies That Prove That Jesus Christ Is the Only Savior of the World

By Garry L. Lybeck

This book unequivocally reveals the biblical truth that Jesus Christ is the ONLY Saviour of the world and clearly refutes the popular but erroneous belief that there are "many ways to God". Jesus Christ if exclusive! He and He alone is the only way to God and eternal life. As the Scriptures explicitly state: "No one can come to the Father except through Jesus Christ. He that has the Son, has that life, and he that does NOT have the Son, does not have that life. There is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven . . . by which we must be saved.!

Following prophecies from the very beginning of the Bible to the end (from creation to consummation), the author clearly underscores this fact as the "undeniable proclamation of the Holy Scriptures"!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Aug 29, 2022
• ISBN: 9781638747512

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Old Testament Prophecies That Prove That Jesus Christ Is the Only Savior of the World

Garry L. Lybeck

ISBN 978-1-63874-750-5 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-63874-751-2 (digital)

Copyright © 2022 by Garry L. Lybeck

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Unless otherwise noted, Bible quotations are taken from the New American Standard Bible

Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1994

The Lockman Foundation

Used by permission (www.Lockman.org)

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Dedication

Preface

Outline for Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Outline for Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Outline for Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Outline for Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Outline for Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Outline for Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Outline for Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Outline for Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Outline for Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Outline for Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Outline for Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Outline for Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Outline for Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Outline for Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Outline for Chapter 15

Chapter 15

References and Recommended Books

About the Author

Dedication

To my faithful wonderful wife and fellow worker in Christian ministry, I dedicate this book. Not only has Mildred been a supporter and companion in the work of ministry, but she has labored faithfully and long in typing my handwritten manuscripts and proofreading and organizing the materials for publication. She is second to none!

Preface

As the title of this work clearly states, Jesus Christ is exclusive(!) of all historical personages and leaders (or founders) of belief or faith systems. Christ is set apart, above, and beyond all! As John's gospel proclaims:

God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that Whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world but that the world might be saved through Him! (3:16–17)

While most people in our so-called postmodern society will certainly have to admit that Jesus Christ is the central figure in human history, the majority, while acknowledging His importance and His profound historical impact on human society, do not acknowledge His supremacy in their lives nor make a personal commitment to submit to Him as Lord and Savior.

However, they are then faced with a personal dilemma! The late great former-atheist-turned-Christian apologist professor at Oxford and Cambridge C. S. Lewis expressed it clearly in his magnificent book Mere Christianity:

I am trying here to prevent anyone from saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him (Jesus): I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God! That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and Kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come up with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to… We are faced, then, with a frightening alternative. This man…either was (and is) just what He said or else a lunatic or something worse… I have to accept the view that He was and is God. (pp. 52–53)

This profound man in human history that we know as Jesus Christ not only claimed to be the Son of God, but the Bible reveals Him as the Creator of the Cosmos! He was and is the second Person of the Holy Trinity who existed from eternity but submitted to be incarnated in human flesh—to take all human sin upon Himself, pay the ultimate judgment for human sin in order that humans, who accept His substitutionary sacrifice in their place, might have everlasting life—in God's eternity!

He came to reveal God to humanity and then take human judgment for sin upon Himself so that you and I can be forgiven and be given new life in Him!

Now you might ask, How can you justify such statements with attestable proof and undeniable facts that give you such confidence to state such things about this Man called Jesus?

Well, aside from the author's personal experience of a changed life and a lifetime of Christian ministry, as well as serious theological study and education, there is clear evidence in human history itself as well as absolute proof in the fulfillment of prophecies which were given hundreds—even over a thousand years—before Jesus Christ was born in the little town of Bethlehem that were precisely and literally fulfilled in Him!

First of all, we need to understand the verifiable fact that the Old Testament of the Bible was complete and in use long before Jesus was born. The autographs date hundreds of years before Christ!

Second, we have the Dead Sea Scrolls, which were discovered in 1947 in clay jars in a cave by the Dead Sea, which were found to contain all the Old Testament books except the book of Esther. These scrolls predate the birth of Jesus by perhaps over two centuries. Radiocarbon dating of the fabric in which these were wrapped reveals the age as before Christ, and the forms of the letters employed by the various scribes reveal their antiquity. The precise paleographic evidence represents the script to be sometime up to 250 BC.

The Dead Sea Scrolls containing the Hebrew text of the entire book of the prophet Isaiah is dated as early as 125–100 BC and is called by the famous archaeologist W. P. Albright as the greatest manuscript discovery of modern times.

Third, we also have the Septuagint manuscripts, which are the Old Testament Hebrew Scriptures translated from the original Hebrew into the Greek language.

This came about because of the conquests of Alexander the Great (333 BC) and the spread of the Greek language and culture. As a result, Greek became the common language among many different people—groups and countries. Thus, the Hebrew Scriptures were translated into Greek. This translation was made in the third and second centuries before Christ.

So then, the validity and antiquity of the Old Testament prophecies concerning the coming of a mighty One—the Messiah (the Anointed One)—who would appear at a certain time in human history, with a miraculous ministry and teaching about the kingdom of God (including the revelation of His sacrificial death by crucifixion and His resurrection) are clearly revealed in these Old Testament prophecies! Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament, was written some four hundred years before Jesus was born; so there was what is called the four hundred silent years between the conclusion of the Old Testament and the announcement by the angel to the Virgin Mary that she would be the Mother of the promised Messiah!

So we might say the first Christmas celebration occurred four hundred years after the closing of the Old Testament scriptures.

The problem that remains among uninformed people—and even in educational institutions—is the lingering effects of what is known as higher criticism. The proponents of this higher criticism sought to discredit the Bible as the inspired Word of God and deny what the Bible states about Christ, and so reduce Him to merely human proportions and a good man in human history.

Sadly, it seems that few people today are aware that these criticisms have been totally discredited and have no credence whatsoever! Higher criticism was constructed in an era when there was virtually nothing known about ancient times and customs, which have since been revealed by archaeological discoveries and investigation.

Likewise, thinking people have been deeply affected by profound thinkers and secular historians who have attempted to explain human history from purely naturalistic and secularistic perspectives. Yet these have failed to be able to justify their value judgments in any absolute terms. Like all of us, the secular historians are encircled by what is called the human predicament and the lack of an absolute historical perspective. Their theories and assessments are governed by making judgments based on personal, unjustified, unprovable concepts of human nature as well as on their personal bias. Therefore, because each of us lives in a certain era and historical time frame, there can be no way to see the future or know in any absolute historical sense that his concept will have any permanent validity. We must understand that there is no accurate human compilation of where human history is going! This leaves secular humans in crisis.

Do humans then have to continue without any certainty and leave unanswered the desperate cry for meaning in human life and human history? Yes, there is an answer; but we must understand, the answer will never come from the limited human concepts (or musings) of natural man.

The answer, as Dr. John Montgomery defines, is precisely the central contention of the Christian religion. God did enter human life—in the Person of Jesus The Christ; and did reveal to man the nature and significance of history and human life, and did bring man into contact with eternal values" (Where Is History Going?, p. 31).

But this brings us to the realization that humanity faces a huge obstacle: our problem is that humans are so self-centered!

Martin Luther expressed it by saying that man is curved in upon himself, and as a result, he views his own interests as more important than any other person's! Thus, we see that the cure for the human predicament must come from someone who is above our egocentric thinking.

Since God is all-knowing and knows the beginning to the end, we need to discover what He told us in the Holy Scriptures and grasp that magnificent and grand plan that we can discover in the Bible. That grand and magnificent plan will be fulfilled in God's Messiah—the Lord Jesus Christ!

Now then, this brings each reader to a personal problem. If what I have written thus far is true, we must come to a personal and rather frightening decision! What am I going to do about these revealed facts? and What about the fact that this same Jesus said He was going to come back to this earth a second time—not as a Savior and Redeemer but as Judge of those who reject His truth? Most people want to avoid even considering the personal implications!

After teaching the contents contained in this book in a series of lectures in two different locations, I was highly encouraged to put them into book form. As a result, these lectures are presented to you in total—in book form with the hope that they will bring these prophecies about the promised Messiah that were precisely fulfilled in the life and ministry of the Person we call Jesus Christ, and that you also will realize, therefore, that we are given absolute proof, beyond any shadow of doubt or contradictory debate, that this same Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world and the Redeemer of all those who personally place their trust in Him!

May you find encouragement in the fresh realization that those who put their trust in Him can be assured by these same scriptures that their sins are forgiven and that they have eternal life through Christ. This is known as the gospel or the good news of salvation. It is therefore up to you, the reader, to "accept" or "reject" what this book reveals.

Also, I have included special insertions to aid all of those who teach the Scripture. There is a teaching outline for each of the fifteen chapters (also along with my permission to use these in any form, provided credit is given to the author).

These chapters reveal the progression of God's master plan of salvation for humanity which He accomplished through the anointed Savior.

The reader should also be able to recognize the progression of God's plan for humanity in and through the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ, as I have endeavored to reveal throughout the chapters of this book.

It is my prayer that you will not only be intellectually stimulated but that your life will be enhanced and your faith renewed as you read the pages of this book.

When the Roman world fell into shambles, it was the eminent church leader Cyprian who gave this admonition to the followers of Christ: We want to stand upright amid the ruins of the world and not lie on the ground with those who have no hope.

Outline for Chapter 1

Introduction

The Jewish people and the first church only had the Old Testament scriptures.

These scriptures gave specific prophecies concerning a coming Messiah.

The first preachers of the church used the Old Testament to prove Jesus Christ is God's promised Messiah!

Exploring these prophecies should give you great assurance.

The First Glimpse of the Redemption's Story (Gen. 1:26–27, 2:16, 8:21–25)

Adam and Eve's covering of their nakedness.

God takes the initiative to provide a covering with the shedding of blood.

The First Prophetic Promise of a Coming Savior (Gen. 3:15, 21)

The seed of the woman—the virgin birth of Christ.

The defeat of Satan and evil will come through the woman's seed.

The First Institution of a Blood Sacrifice to Provide a Covering

A covering would be provided until the perfect One would come as a sacrifice.

The Passover Lamb also reveals the prophetic future (Exod. 12:12–14; Luke 22:20).

Conclusion

Christians need to provide the truth of Scripture to a skeptical society. We must link our minds with our hearts. We need to be equipped with the facts, the evidence, and the apologetics of the truth of Christianity.

Maranatha! Our Lord comes!

Chapter 1

The First Glimpse of Redemption's Story

After a lifetime in Christian ministry, I have come to the conclusion that most people who attend church services regularly have never consciously grasped or become aware of the fact that before the advent of Christ and (later) the writing of the New Testament scriptures, the Jewish people and the early church only had the Old Testament (better translated as the old covenant scriptures). These were categorized as the Torah/the Law, the Writings, the Psalms, and the Prophets. These books were the Hebrew Scriptures and the Bible of the first church; and in these Old Testament scriptures, there are a great number of specific prophecies regarding a coming Messiah—the Anointed One who would be the Savior of the world. Some of these sacred scriptures were written at least 1,400 years BC and had been carefully preserved by the Jewish community before the coming of Jesus Christ. Also, this devout Jewish community awaited and longed for this promised Messiah/Savior who would reign over Israel and the world. The Jewish community kept this expectation alive through teaching and observing the appointed feast days and special celebrations (especially as they observed the Passover feast).

Also, it seems obvious to me that a great number of Christians fail to understand the fact that contained in the Old Testament scriptures are a huge number of prophetic passages that clearly gives undeniable and absolute proof—not only of the fact that Jesus Christ really is the promised Savior but, if understood and honestly considered, facts that would alter people thinking and be life-changing factors that would impact human society, culture, governments, and the educational institutions of the world!

Now you might be wondering if such a statement as I am making here is mere hyperbole or excessive exaggeration, but be assured that such is not the case! These prophetic scriptures reveal and give undeniable proof firstly of the existence of an omniscient and omnipotent Creator, and second, this Creator God, through the agency of His Holy Spirit, inspired humans to write these scriptures and also to preserve them for humanity!

You see, if people recognized and acknowledged the one true God as the Creator of the cosmos and that His Word is true and reveals His will for human society and that one day He will hold everyone accountable for their response to His truth, the world would be changed and we would not have to be going through crisis after crisis and the continuous chaos so evident today in our world!

Also, after the coming of Jesus Christ, the promised and prophesied Savior, we have the New Testament (new covenant) written, which, together with the Old Testament, completes the canon of scripture. Saint Augustine explained it this way: The New Testament is veiled in the Old Testament, and the Old Testament is unveiled in the New Testament.

Third, no human—no matter what his claim—could possibly give precise and specific prophecies hundreds and even over a thousand earth years in advance and have these same prophecies come to pass exactly as stated with perfect accuracy!

Fourth, these Old Testament prophecies clearly identify Jesus Christ as the promised Savior! In fact, according to some Jewish scholars, there are some 500 Old Testament scriptures that refer to a coming Messiah. Canon Liddon made the claim that there are in the Old Testament scriptures 332 distinct predictions that were literally and precisely fulfilled in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ in His first coming! The others, of course, will be fulfilled when He comes the second time!

While I have not really verified Canon Liddon's figures, the truth that I am trying to make clear is that Israel always expected that Messiah would one day come to this earth. The Jewish people needed no education about the Messiah coming because there were so many prophecies written in the Old Testament regarding the coming One who would rescue and save Israel. Of course, we need to understand, as is seen in the New Testament gospel accounts, that there were many misconceptions about the personal ministry and role of Messiah when He came as well as