God is Real: The Proof Is in the Pudding.

A message to Believers

It often comes as a surprise to many, especially those coming from skeptical or secular frameworks, that the existence of Jesus of Nazareth is not a matter of debate among credible historians. In fact, the overwhelming scholarly consensus—across the entire spectrum of belief, from devout Christian to atheist—is that Jesus was a real historical person. Bart Ehrman, a leading New Testament scholar and self-proclaimed agnostic atheist, is one of the foremost voices in this field. In his book Did Jesus exist? he writes plainly: “He certainly existed, as virtually every competent scholar of antiquity, Christian or non-Christian, agrees based on the evidence.” This admission carries great weight because Ehrman has built his academic career critiquing Christianity. Yet, on the historicity of Jesus, he remains crystal clear: Jesus lived, taught, and was crucified in first-century Judea.

This is echoed by Gerd Lüdemann, an atheist historian who likewise affirmed that it is historically certain Jesus’ disciples had real experiences after his death, which they interpreted as encounters with the risen Christ. Maurice Casey, an agnostic expert in New Testament Aramaic and Jewish history, also refuted the “mythicist” view and showed that Jesus was deeply embedded in the historical and linguistic culture of first-century Judaism. Even John Dominic Crossan—co-founder of the highly skeptical Jesus Seminar—affirmed the historical Jesus as a radical Jewish teacher whose movement had a transformational impact on the world. These men, despite their differences in worldview, all agree on one fact: Jesus of Nazareth existed and left a profound mark on human history.

But the historical integrity of the Bible doesn’t end there. The Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy by J. Barton Payne offers the most extensive scholarly catalog of fulfilled biblical prophecy ever compiled. Within it are 1,817 distinct prophecies, spanning over 8,000 verses—or approximately 27% of the entire Bible. Of those, over 1,200 have already been fulfilled with extraordinary specificity and accuracy. These aren’t vague predictions or generalized hopes, but detailed foretellings of historical events, the rise and fall of empires, and the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. No other religious text or historical source even comes close to this volume of fulfilled prophecy. The Bible stands alone in its prophetic track record, with a level of precision unmatched in human history. Payne’s scholarly work continues to serve as a benchmark for both theologians and historians alike.

And among all these fulfilled prophecies, one stands above the rest as perhaps the greatest geopolitical miracle the modern world has ever witnessed: the prophetic return and restoration of the nation of Israel. In Deuteronomy 30, Moses—before his death and before Israel ever entered the Promised Land—warned the nation of their eventual disobedience, exile, and scattering among the nations. But he also prophesied their return. Speaking for God, Moses declared: “Then the Lord your God will restore you from captivity, and have compassion on you, and will gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you… He will bring you into the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it” (Deuteronomy 30:3–5, NASB).

The fulfillment of that prophecy has been nothing short of astonishing. No other nation in human history has ever been completely conquered, dispersed across the globe for nearly 2,500 years, and then—against every geopolitical and sociological odd—returned to their ancestral homeland, re-established their ancient language, revived their culture, restored their capital, and once again emerged as a sovereign nation with military, economic, and technological strength. Yet Israel did exactly that. The rebirth of the nation of Israel in 1948, and its rapid rise to global prominence, is not only a political anomaly but a divine signature. The world saw it happen. It was witnessed not just in biblical prophecy but in real time—on the world stage, in modern news reports, by living generations. This is irrefutable historical evidence that aligns precisely with Scripture.

To put this in perspective, imagine if the United States were conquered and its people exiled across the earth for 2,500 years. Could anyone reasonably expect that after such a gap of time, the descendants of those exiles—now scattered, intermarried, and living in entirely different cultures—would return to reestablish the American constitution, restore English as the national language, reinstitute American culture, rebuild a government, reclaim Washington D.C., and revive its global influence? The idea is utterly unthinkable, humanly impossible. And yet this is exactly what happened with Israel. Not just once, but twice—first from Babylon, and again in the 20th century. No other nation has done this. Ever. Only Israel.

Taken together, the scholarly consensus on the historical Jesus, the unparalleled accuracy of biblical prophecy, and the modern restoration of Israel all converge into one compelling conclusion: the God of Israel is not a myth or cultural invention. He is the living God who acts in history, fulfills His word, and confirms His reality through events witnessed by the entire world. This is not just a matter of faith—it is a matter of record. And the record speaks for itself.