I foretold the former things long ago, my mouth announced them and I made them known then suddenly I acted, and they came to pass. . . . (5) Therefore I told you these things long ago before they happened I announced them to you so that you could not say, 'My idols did them my wooden image and metal god ordained them. The Old Testament contains an extensive body of Messianic prophecy foretelling of Jesus Christ. Such prophecy is found in the Greek Septuagint version of the Old Testament, which was completed more than a century prior to the first advent of Christ. So it is certain that Messianic prophecy was not written after the fulfillment of such prophecy. Jesus and his disciples could not have fabricated the fulfillment of Messianic prophecy. Apart from the divine plan of God, they had no control over such things as the family line of Jesus, the birthplace of Jesus, or the time of Jesus birth. But these things and many other facts about the Messiah were foretold through prophecy. Seethe training module Messianic Prophecy for details. In nature and in the Scripture, God has revealed enough for people to come to know him. So an apologist can appeal to nature and to the Scriptures in defense of God.
