Agape Chapel Ministries, Lagtang, Cebu, Philippines

Sunday School Bible Study, Sunday January 3rd, 2010

By Pastor Nick Bibile

Christ’s Authentication of the Old Testament

Authenticate means to prove it is genuine. Jesus authenticated the Old Testament to be the fixed canon (rule of law) of authority.

Scriptures where Jesus authenticated the Old Testament.

• Jesus said, “The scripture cannot be broken.” (John 10:35) Scripture referring to the Old Testament.
• Jesus said, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. ¹⁸ For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. (Mat 5:17-18). Meaning of tittle or jot in Greek is iwta iota ee-o'-tah. (Hebrew yōdh yod) It is the ninth letter of the Greek alphabet which is ‘i’. The smallest letter in the Greek alphabet. Smallest amount like one dot.
• Jesus said, “And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail.” (Luke 16:17) (NKJV)

ESV says the following

But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void.

• Jesus said, “For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.” (Mat 11:13)
• On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets. (Mat 22:40)

• New Testament is still not written at this time and Jesus is referring to the Old Testament.

• Creation, marriage – Matthew 19:4-6
• Authenticating the entire Old Testament Matthew 23:35. From the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah. Hebrew Old Testament and our Old Testament have the same books, yet the Hebrew Old Testament is prepared in chronological order and ours in topical order. The correct chronological order of the Old Testament begins with Genesis and ends with 2 Chronicles. The first martyr of the Old Testament is Abel we see in Genesis 4:8 and the last martyr of the Old Testament is Zechariah who was stoned to death while prophesying. (2 Chro 24:21-22) 2 Chronicles is the last book of the Hebrew Bible. Jesus is saying from Genesis to Chronicles (from the first to the last of the books)
• Great world wide flood of Noah’s time. (Matthew 24:37-38)
• Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Matt 10:15)
• The tragic end of Lot’s wife. ( Luke 17:32-33)
• Jonah swallowed by a fish. (Matt 12:40)
• Jesus responded to Satan the final authority is the word of God, quoting Old Testament scriptures, the rule of authority. (Matt 4:4, 7, 10) See Deut 8:3, 6:13,16) When Jesus said it is written, Greek grafw grapho graf'-o meaning it is absolutely true it is written in the Old Testament.
• House of God called a house of prayer. (Matt 21:13; Jer 7:11)
• Old Testament is on the Messiah, Jesus (Matt 26:24, 31) See Zech 13:7; Isaiah 53.
• Have you not read the scriptures referring to the Old Testament. (Matt 12:3; 19:4; 21:16; 22:31)
• He ordered the cleansed leper to obey the laws given to Moses referring to leprosy. (Matt 8:4)
• He taught the John the Baptist will fulfill the prediction of Malachi 3:1 (Matt 11:10)
• Authority of Scripture from Moses to prophets. (Luke 16:31)
• Rebuked the Saducees of error as they did not know the scriptures, O.T. (Matt 22:29-30)
• Jesus warned that Daniel’s prophecy of the abomination of desolation (Dan 9:27 ;11:31 ;12:11) was soon to be fulfilled. (Matt 24:15 ; Luke 21:20)
• Jesus said, the O.T scriptures testified about him. (John 5:39) Moses wrote about him. (John 5:46-47)
• After reading Isaiah 61:1-2 aloud in the synagogue, he said, “today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
• He told his disciples, scriptures on him will be fulfilled. (Luke 18:31; Matt 26:24, see Isaiah 53:12; Luke 22:37; Matt 26:31; 53-56)
• Quoting Psalm 22:1 moments before dying (Matt 27:46)
• After the resurrection, he told the disciples everything must be fulfilled written of him in the law of Moses, Prophets and Psalms, this covers the entire Old Testament. (Luke 24:44-47)