No, I’m not going to go through each and every prophecy, but I do want to show that the threshold for claiming a fulfilled prophecy is embarrassingly low. Kancihen touched on it quite well, I think, and the author of the video series I linked to initially also did. The number of prophecies is an attempt to impress non-believers. Over 300 prophecies? Surely if one is not awed by such an amount than one must be willfully blind to the truth of Christianity, is what it implies.
As I mentioned above nê·ṣer means branch, but I haven’t see evidence that the term also mean “one from Nazareth” or that Nazarene means branch. The words are a bit similar, but it would be like saying that we knew Ike Turner would be a “louse” because he came from “St. Louis”.
It’s not a prophecy if the words have to be twisted or their meanings ignored to make it seem like they were fulfilled.
Then it should be easy to show that Immanuel was a title and that Jesus was called it. Again, words and definitions are twisted or ignored to make things seem like they fit (so long as one doesn’t look to hard).
I’m not saying that because there are those who would stretch what is and is not prophecy to laughable levels that Christianity isn’t true. It could very well be true, but this list of 300+ prophecies is a house of cards. It’s things like this and people who are willing and eager to violate the commandment on bearing false witness that give a poor impression of Christianity to non-believers.
Mike from NJ
It’s a relief to know we’re not going to go through each prophecy!
Although I agree with you to some degree, I do stand by my original post and I always feel that atheists are not willing to accept too much of what we believe. All those concepts I asked you to check out was for a reason. But you’d have to be really interested and the only reason you’d be really interested is if you were thinking of becoming christian and I doubt you are.
The Nazarene - branch thing is a play on words.
Immanuel means “God With Us”. Jesus was God With Us. I’m sure you know this - you sound very knowledgeable. So, yes, it was a title.
Jesus gave Peter the name Cephas in Aramaic because it means the rock, as Pietro is the masculine of pietra which means rock. It’s also a title.
You picked a couple of prophecies which you think were twisted in the wording to make them fit Jesus. Well, maybe some were. Are we sure He was born in Bethlehem, for instance?
BUT, are you willing to concede that some prophesies were fulfilled? There had been other supposed messiah’s that fulfilled one prophecy - I’m not even sure about two; maybe. But if you go beyond 4 or 5 the chances do become astronomical.
So, I mean, how many do you need? I had said that I personally will not use more than 15. Just Isaiah alone is incredible. 52, 53 and 54. But you’re saying the NT story was fixed to make it agree with the O.T.
So, in the end, it always comes back to the resurrection. Even Paul said it. If that’s not true, we’re the most pitied men on earth.
1 Corinthians 15:10-19
10But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me. 11Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
12Now 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, not even Christ has been raised; 14and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. 15Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. 16For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; 17and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. 18Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.
Yes. Mike from NJ, it all rests on the resurrection.
Fran