I don't understand the question. Are you asking a question about logic, (i.e. how do we know that x = x)?
How does anyone know that He was Jesus?
I don't understand this question either. There are many different ways of taking this question, so if you have a genuine question, you need to clarify and focus the question.
What did the One Holy Apostolic Church of the day want to do to Jesus?
When you say "the day", to what time period are you referring? Without knowing that, I cannot know exactly what you are asking.
You asked some good questions about discerning prophets under the old covenant. And a person might discern the truth of the Church just by seeing its character and testimony. But in this era, no one has more ecclesial authority than the Apostles and the bishops whom they have ordained. As Jesus Himself said, “He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me.” (Luke 10:16) That does not mean that the bishops are in every way infallible. Nor does it mean that a bishop could not be rightly rebuked by an unbeliever, if the bishop was in sin. If a person claiming to be a prophet were to arise today, and were to reject what the Catholic Church teaches and has always taught, we would know him to be false prophet.
I know that scripture is plain on the big issues
If that were true, then all 20,000+ Protestant sects are dividing the body of Christ over petty issues.
If the scriptures were so hierarchal
I never claimed that the scriptures are hierarchical.
These being the same bishops who hide the sins of their priests? These being the same bishops who advocate breaking civil law in direct violation of scripture?
If you want to learn about the relation between the moral state of the bishop and the efficacy of the sacraments he administers, study the Donatist controversy.
I, sir, am not willing to delegate my salvation to fallible men.
I don’t know exactly what you mean by “delegate my salvation”. But everything I know about Jesus I have learned through fallible men. If you have a direct pipeline to heaven, good for you.
I prefer to take the writing of Paul to heart and take responsibility for my own salvation, to believe on the Lord, to confess my sins to Him, the only Mediator between God and men, to study the Word, and be prepared to testify whenever the case arises.
Catholics believe and practice all those things too, so that isn’t the issue that separates Protestants and Catholics. The fundamental issue on which all the other issues depend, is whether Christ gave authority to a living Magesterium or not. The answer to that question can be found both by studying Scripture and the Church fathers.
-A8
I can't make it any simpler. When all those desciples were wandering around following Jesus, how did they know He was the real deal? How did they know they weren't following a fake? How did the converts know after His ascension that the Apostles were telling them the truth? How do we, today, know that the Jesus of Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John is really THE Jesus?
When you say "the day", to what time period are you referring? Without knowing that, I cannot know exactly what you are asking.
Alright, what did the One Holy Apostolic Church that was set up by God in Exodus, and was in full effect during Jesus' earthly ministry want to do to their Messiah?
You asked some good questions about discerning prophets under the old covenant.
I cannot find a verse that indicates the manner in which prophets are discerned changing with the New Covenant. The questions remain. How were those OT prophets identified as true prophets? How was/is Jesus identified as the Messiah? Was it through a church or through other means?
If a person claiming to be a prophet were to arise today, and were to reject what the Catholic Church teaches and has always taught, we would know him to be false prophet.
That is not how the Bible says to identify prophets.
Regarding Luke 10:16 - Jesus appears to be talking to the 70, not the 12. That may or may not matter, but in my search of the context, I discovered this little gem:
Luk 9:49 John answered and said, "Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name; and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow along with us."Luk 9:50 But Jesus said to him, "Do not hinder him; for he who is not against you is for you."
If that were true, then all 20,000+ Protestant sects are dividing the body of Christ over petty issues.
You ought to give them respect and call them Protestant Churches, because that is what they are. I, personally, cannot figure out why there are so many different Protestant Churches. I suspect they all have issues with governance. I do know that I don't agree with them, either.
If you want to learn about the relation between the moral state of the bishop and the efficacy of the sacraments he administers, study the Donatist controversy.
I have no need to learn such things. The church that teaches their followers must confess their sins to a priest prior to receiving communion, even though the very priest administering both sacraments is living in hidden sin, is hypocrisy enough for me.
I don’t know exactly what you mean by “delegate my salvation”. But everything I know about Jesus I have learned through fallible men. If you have a direct pipeline to heaven, good for you.
By "delegate my salvation" I mean that when one participates in a top-down, hierarchal system of religion, one is essentially shifting the responsibility for one's salvation to the church. Swallowing the jagged "doctrines of men" pill without putting it to the utmost scriptural test and sitting in that pew consuming whatever comes off the pulpit en total is delegating ones salvation.
Catholics believe and practice all those things too, so that isn’t the issue that separates Protestants and Catholics. The fundamental issue on which all the other issues depend, is whether Christ gave authority to a living Magesterium or not. The answer to that question can be found both by studying Scripture and the Church fathers.
Those outside Catholicism have far more issues than just the keys. I am no defender of Protestantism, but they are spot on when it comes to salvation through grace alone. Adult Baptism, confessing ones sins to Jesus rather than men, not praying to dead people, a priesthood versus what Paul lays out in 1 Timothy, the state of the dead, man, I could go on and on. The key to understanding the "keys" is Mat 16:17. Christ's identity was revealed to Peter by God, Peter didn't figure it out. Therefore, the rock is not a man, but rather divine intervention - the Holy Spirit. Those outside of Rome see far too much "doctrine of men" in Rome and far too little Commandments of God for us to accept that the "keys" reside there.