Subject: Evidences 8-26: 19 More Direct Facts in Isaiah pointing us to Jesus Christ

I’m a mechanical engineer and statistician by trade. When we think of “religious” people, statisticians and engineers are not the first group of people that come to mind. Why? Our society views religion as a “heart” issue, to be kept private, where individual values and meaning are derived. But Science and reason are “brainy”, for public consumption in our schools, where “serious academics” take place.

Since I’m now living in the “SHOW ME” state, let’s put the Bible under academic scrutiny and see if the facts support it’s claims. We have no direct evidence to go by, since no one is around who actually witnessed first-hand the events in the Bible, but that shouldn’t deter us. We can apply the same 3 types of evidence used in our society today in reaching a verdict on events no one witnessed:

1) Circumstantial Evidence = it can only infer towards a conclusion, but does not directly support it
(example: fingerprints at the scene of a crime). A conclusion based on circumstantial evidence is more valid when the circumstantial evidence mounts, which is the second type of evidence, called…
2) Corroborating Evidence = multiple pieces of circumstantial evidence all point to the same conclusion.
3) Forensic Evidence = type of circumstantial evidence that is supplied by an expert witness

Using these three sources of evidence, the two Scientific Methods of Forensics and Probability can be applied to the Bible as our means of investigation. Both sciences are recognized disciplines in our universities, where anyone can earn an advances degree in an analytical approach to problem solving.

Forensic Science: The word forensic comes from the Latin forensis, meaning “of or before the forum or courts.” Forensic Science is used every day in our legal system to present expert evidence to support or refute events that no one witnessed firsthand. Many of us love this type of sound analytics, as can be attested by the huge popularity of the “CSI” TV shows, which are based on Forensic Science.

Probability Science: It uses data to calculate the chance of a future event occurring. Businesses hire people specializing in this scientific approach: if an opportunity for future gain presents itself, data is analyzed in repeatable tests to calculate the chance of success in pursuing the opportunity.

Now, we validated the trustworthiness of Isaiah and the Old Testament in last week’s article, when we reviewed the Dead Sea Scrolls. Below are 19 more pieces of circumstantial evidence, to add to the 7 pieces from last week, for a total so far of 26, that point to Jesus Christ. We’ll apply Probability Science and Forensics next week to demonstrate why its rational that only Christ satisfies all the requirements.

8. Isaiah 7:14 = Messiah’s Virgin Birth fulfilled in Jesus = Matthew 1:21-23
9. Isaiah 9:1-2 = Messiah’s is the “Light out of Galilee” fulfilled in Jesus = Matthew 4:12-16
10. Isaiah 9:6 = Messiah’s Authority fulfilled in Jesus = Luke 2:10-11, John 3:16; Matthew 28:18
11. Isaiah 9:7 = Messiah’s Eternal Kingdom fulfilled in Jesus = Luke 1:31-33
12. Isaiah 11:1-2 = The Holy Spirit is with Messiah fulfilled in Jesus = Mark 1:10-11
13. Isaiah 28:16 = Messiah is our Foundation fulfilled in Jesus = Matthew 21:42
14. Isaiah 29:13 = Messiah is to be worshipped fulfilled in Jesus = Matthew 15:7-9
15. Isaiah 35:4-6 = Messiah’s Healing Ministry fulfilled in Jesus = Luke 7:20-23
16. Isaiah 40:3-5 = Messiah’s forerunner fulfilled in Jesus = Matthew 3:1-3
17. Isaiah 40:10-11 = Messiah’s is the “Great Shepherd” fulfilled in Jesus = John 10:11-14
18. Isaiah 42:1-4 = Messiah’s Meekness fulfilled in Jesus = Matthew 12:15-21
19. Isaiah 42:6-7 = Messiah is the Light to the Gentiles fulfilled in Jesus = Luke 2:30-32
20. Isaiah 49:5-6 = Messiah is God’s Salvation for man fulfilled in Jesus = Matthew 23:37; John 14:6
21. Isaiah 50:5-7 = Messiah’s Obedience fulfilled in Jesus = Matthew 26:39,67; John 8:29
22. Isaiah 52:13-15 = Messiah first humiliated, then exalted fulfilled in Jesus = Matthew 27:27-31; Philippians 2:9
23. Isaiah 55:1-3 = Messiah’s plea to come to Him fulfilled in Jesus = John 7:37-38; Matthew 13:44; Matthew 11:28-29; Acts 13:33-34
24. Isaiah 59:16-17 = Messiah’s Salvation fulfilled in Jesus = Mark 6:5-6; Ephesians 6:13-17
25. Isaiah 61:1-2 = Messiah’s Mission fulfilled in Jesus = Luke 4:18-21, Luke 21:20,22,24
26. Isaiah 61:2-3 = Messiah brings comfort and joy fulfilled in Jesus = Matthew 5:4; John 15:11