The other day I decided to make a recording on my drive home. It deals with our Biblical standing on the death penalty and war. I hope you enjoy it.
Listen to the broadcast
Make sure you read the written conclusion at the bottom of this post!
Reference scriptures:
Matthew 5:38-42
You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
Matthew 5:17
"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
These are the scriptures that kicked off my thought process. Read and tell me what you think.
Fox's Book of Martyrs
This book details the manner in which the disciples met their deaths. Read it if you haven't. It will give you tremendous perspective.
Genesis 9:6
And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each man, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man. "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man.
This is the scripture that sets forth the death penalty. Many would separate it from the Mosaic Law (Law given to Moses) and say that it is exempt from the work of Jesus and therefore remains in effect today.
Genesis 4:3-4a
In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. 4 But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock.
This scripture demonstrates the precedent of giving the Lord an offering or sacrifice that was in practice even before the Flood.
Genesis 7:1-2
The LORD then said to Noah, "Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation. Take with you seven of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and two of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate,
This portion of scripture clearly shows that there was already an established distinction between clean and unclean animals. Noah knew exactly what God was asking him to do, no doubt, because the law had been given to these antediluvian (pre-flood) people.
Genesis 8:20
Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it.
Noah already knew to sacrifice to the Lord and did it right after the flood. Not only did he just sacrifice, but he sacrificed "clean" animals and birds. In the audio I say he sacrificed a lamb, but I was mistaken.
Romans 13:1-4
Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.
This is the Biblical order that the government has the authority to carry out capital punishment (the sword).
Conclusion
The laws we institute in our government become like the laws of gravity. If you leap from a cliff, it is nobody's fault that you fall to your death. In the same way, the laws of this country simply take effect when you commit a crime. You live under these rules by choice (more choice than you have over escaping gravity). Therefore, the only one to be blamed when a murderer is executed is the murderer.
War is simply an extension of our "gravity" in that if another nation or people attacks us they have subjected themselves to our laws. If they do not attack us then they are not under our laws. In the same way, if they make an agreement with us to abide by our laws, then they are subject to war if the agreement specifies such upon violation.
If you argue that the death penalty should be done away with because of a seriously flawed system then we have departed from the Biblical argument and I can level with you. When does a flawed human justice system become too flawed? That I can see.
Let me know what you thought. Thanks!
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Reasons Not to Believe
Upon further investigation, however, the whole thing seems more like a doubtful concoction. Amos Kloner, the original excavator of the tomb described the documentary as “nonsense” in his comments. Rather than first seeking a peer-reviewed scientific article to publish the theory the story was presented to the media and purported to be respectable. Jodi Magness, an archaeologist at the
After reading numerous articles concerning the story and documentary’s claims the argument for this actually being Jesus’ tomb becomes more and more shaky. DNA evidence is fractured and inconclusive. These were all common names that people of the day had. This family was from the area of
To make the claims that this documentary makes and to believe that it poses a true question or threat to the resurrection of Jesus and therefore Christianity is pretty ludicrous. It’s another notch for an uncaring atheist to throw out in an argument, but for the people seeking truth this is no more than a clever ploy to capitalize on the inquisitive market. Its popularity will make the filmmakers lots of money because it’s so controversial, but the truth will come out and the whole thing will eventually fall into obscurity. The basis it stands on can’t hold it up to scrutiny for very long. So, don’t worry brothers and sisters, your faith is well placed and will not fail you.
-Steve
Cooperman, Alan. (
Archeologists Denounce Documentary As Fiction. Retrieved
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Apologetics January 22, 2007
Topic1: Asked by Ed: It seems like the prevailing Christian view is, regarding accepting Jesus, that one has to accept Jesus to go to heaven. If we follow that logic, if one does not accept Jesus, that person goes to Hell. This says that the default is Hell. Unless one takes action, one goes to Hell.
What if that is backwards? If God loves us and wants us to join him, what if it is the other way around? What if the default is heaven? What if one has to reject Jesus to go to hell? If this were the case, it would explain why babies go to heaven. People who have never heard of Jesus and therefore, never had the opportunity to reject Jesus would go to heaven too. That answers a lot of questions.
Romans 1:20 says “For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” Therefore, it can be ascertained that the proof of God lies in his creation. That creation is His signature of sorts. Although the whole truth may not be known, i.e. Jesus Christ in all detail, the simple acknowledgement of the true creator might be what God is looking for.
Also take note of Romans 2:13-15: “For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.)” It is well known that God knows the hearts of men and judges accordingly. He has the knowledge of a wicked heart that, given the chance, would reject him. And he has the knowledge of a good heart that, given the chance, would accept him.
Finally, Romans
Friday, January 05, 2007
Truth
Recently I was asked about religion in general and whether there is an original standard that can be trusted and if so, how can it be known. This actually took place in my class studying religion and came from my teacher. I can tell by some of his statements that he doesn’t really believe in all this religion stuff, but he’ll take money to teach it. I only make that speculation about him—it may not be the case at all, but from what I gather, this is the case. At any rate, I took some time to respond to his questions and below is my response.
The idea that truth in the "sacred realm" cannot be known is an escapist mentality appealed to to avoid having to think about mortality, eternal responsibility, or possibly the realization of some previously unknown set of consequences. To write it off is either laziness or reluctance based on some preconceived notion about the subject instead of a conclusion based on evidence or lack thereof. I am not accusing anyone here of taking such a position; I bring it up because I meet with it frequently.
Now, barring rejection without good reason, what good reason is there to believe in a "sacred realm or reality"? In my years as an unbound Christian I've immersed myself (and consequently my faith with me) in many areas of critical thought. I haven't limited myself to merely reading the Bible and only reading critical analysis by other Christians. Instead, I've gone to many neutral, critical, and even anti-Christian sources to find out what has been said about my chosen faith.
First, let me explain a little about myself. As with many people that purchase a new car, I wouldn't know how it all worked before I bought it. I didn't feel that I needed to understand the fuel mixture computer as a prerequisite for buying my car--I just bought it based on face value and trusted that a new car would run. Similarly, I became a Christian without knowing much about the Bible. I was raised believing in Christianity as much as Santa-Clause. My child-like mind couldn't distinguish in a critical way to make an educated decision while I was young; I just accepted it because my parents accepted it and lived it. Later in life, I was faced with the decision to truly take this faith and define myself with it or to reject it and live life how I saw fit. Presented with a rudimentary understanding of the Bible and the faith, I chose to pursue it as my own for life.
From that point, I found myself asking question after question, but then found it difficult to get answers to those questions. I discovered opposition from non-Christians who pointed out elements that seemed contradictory and I was bombarded with questions about the nature of a loving God that exercised sovereign authority over a world filled with suffering and other questions like it. I began to lose my faith and seriously question my eternal destination. Throughout this time, I had only read my Bible sporadically, sometimes with large gaps of time between readings. I eventually realized that I was standing on my own strength.
After a long conversation with my new wife about my struggle, I resolved, with her support and advice, to actually read the Bible. During my reading I began to understand things that were complete mysteries to me before. The big questions about suffering, those who don't hear the message of Jesus Christ, and the nature of a Triune God all began to take shape in my mind with valid and surprisingly logical answers. An understanding of my faith gave me answers to these once difficult questions.
After finding my foundation right where it was supposed to be, I moved on to more difficult fields of study like Greek, historical accuracy, archeological confirmation, and scientific arguments. Needless to say, I've found nothing that has proven to be a true contradiction. There are differences in accounts, but these differences are complementary and not contradictory. There is some question about historical accuracy, but throughout our short archeological history the seeming inconsistencies have later been validated by more recent findings. And projects like RATE (Radioisotopes and the Age of The Earth) done by the Institute for Creation Research have shed light and validity on the Bible's claim to a young earth. Finally, the scriptures themselves, written over a 1700 year span, make amazing predictions that were later fulfilled with precise accuracy. In one instance, a specific number of years is given to the cutting off of the Messiah. The math comes out to exactly the time of Jesus' crucifixion.
I only say all this because I think it conveys a reliability to you the reader. Reliability is a basis for trust. This trust can be placed on the writings that have earned it. Then these trustworthy writings go on to make great claims about a reality outside our own and a God that created it all. So, what is the original standard and truth behind religion? That there really is something to it, and that some people don't just believe it for no good reason. The evidence and reliability is there, it just requires action on the part of the seeker.
Revelation 12 and Christmas
My mother-in-law Bonnie sent me a link to the blog of a friend of Maggie and I that provokes some thought. Rather than posting the body of what Kev said here, I'll give you a link to the article. This way, you'll have the opportunity to bookmark his site and visit it from time to time. It's always a good read because Kev is a talented writer. He was a journalist before going to China to teach at a university there. His current teaching profession is a major calling from God. So, take a trip over, read this article and others, and bookmark it to your favorites.
The link: Not So Silent Night
The link: Not So Silent Night
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Just a Theory
How would you respond to someone who tells you that he or she does not believe in biological evolution because it is "just a theory"?
In the event that I was told that evolution is “just a theory,” I’d respond as follows here. In March of 2005 a discovery was made that rocked the world of evolutionist scientists. An excavation took place in
It just so happens that many of the greatest opponents to evolution are Christians. Some of those Christians also happen to be respected scientists as well. One such group is the Institute for Creation Research (ICR). ICR began a project RATE (Radioisotopes and the Age of The Earth) that set out to study radioisotope relationships. “It was concluded that the uranium (238U) and polonium (Po) radiohalos frequently found in granitic rocks had to have formed simultaneously.2 This implies that hundreds of millions of years of radioactive decay (at today's rates) had to have occurred in a matter of a few days!” (Snelling, A 2005) Research this and then consider the implications that it presents. The documentation is extensive and ultimately calls the age of the earth into question. With a shortened lifespan for earth the evolutionary concept begins to come apart at the seams.
Another interesting element worth consideration is the map drawn by Admiral Piri Reis. During the year 1513, in the libraries of
Another difficulty within evolution is known as the Cambrian explosion. Many scientists grapple with the inconsistency between the theory and the evidence. “The question of how so many immense changes occurred in such a short time is one that stirs scientists. Why did many fundamentally different body plans evolve so early and in such profusion?” (WGBH Educational Foundation and Clear Blue Sky Productions, Inc. 2001) The proposed answers draw heavily on speculation.
Some point to the increase in oxygen that began around 700 million years ago, providing fuel for movement and the evolution of more complex body structures. Others propose that an extinction of life just before the Cambrian opened up ecological roles, or "adaptive space," that the new forms exploited. External, ecological factors like these were undoubtedly important in creating the opportunity for the Cambrian explosion to occur. (WGBH Educational Foundation and Clear Blue Sky Productions, Inc. 2001)
If one delves a little deeper into the claims listed above, these claims are exposed as suggested theories formed to answer the questions of the already struggling theory of evolution.
If one takes the time to research the opposition, a mere claim that evolution is “just a theory” becomes an understatement. A large amount of evidence undermines the concept and leaves a mere misallocation of time spent learning it. My answer would conclude with a challenge to back up the statement. Only by actually researching it can an individual speak with conviction on the matter.
References
Mayell, Hillary. (2005). T. Rex Soft Tissue Found Preserved. Retrieved
from
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/03/0324_050324_trexsofttissue.html
Snelling, Andrew A, Ph.D. (2005). Polonium Radiohalos: The Model for Their Formation Tested
and Verified. Retrieved
Hancock, Graham. (1995) Fingerprints of the Gods.
WGBH Educational Foundation and Clear Blue Sky Productions, Inc. (2001). The Cambrian
Explosion. Retrieved
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/03/4/l_034_02.html
Friday, December 22, 2006
Defibrillation
Statistic-June 24, 2004: More than 8 in 10 Americans are Christian, including roughly half who are Protestant and about a quarter who are Catholic.
• The following tribute is sometimes credited to Phillip Brooks, who wrote the hymn, “O Little Town Of Bethlehem.”
“He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman; He grew up in another village, where He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty. Then for three years He was an itinerant preacher. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family or owned a home. He didn’t go to college. He never visited a big city. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place where he was born. He did none of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but Himself.
“He was only thirty-three when the tide of public opinion turned against Him. His friends ran away. One of them denied Him. He was turned over to His enemies and went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a cross between two thieves.
“While He was dying, His executioners gambled for His garments, the only property He had on earth. When He was dead, He was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend. Nineteen centuries have come and gone, and today He is the central figure of the human race.
“All the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man on this earth as much as that one solitary life” (quoted in Kennedy, pp. 7-8).
• Jesus was not attractive. Isaiah 53:2 “He has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him” (NASB)
• Jesus had no wealth to launch a significant movement (Lk. 9:58; 2 Cor. 8:9).
• He was reared in one of the most despised communities of his country (see Mt. 2:23; Jn. 1:46; 7:52). The query, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” was proverbial in Canaan.
• He had no formal rabbinical training (Jn. 7:15). Even his own people had little regard for him (Jn. 1:11; 7:5; 6:66). And yet, somehow, he changed the world forever.
• In his famous speech on St. Helena, Napoleon exclaimed:
“I know men, and I tell you that Jesus Christ is not a man. Superficial minds see a resemblance between Christ, and the founders of empires and the gods of other religions. That resemblance does not exist. There is between Christianity and any other religion the distance of infinity . . . Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and myself founded empires. But upon what did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ alone founded his empire upon love; and at this hour millions of men would die for him” (Monser, pp. 503,508).
On the day of Pentecost, the church gained 3,000 men. (Acts 2:41) That’s minimum. Women and children were not counted.
By Acts 4:4, the number of men was 5,000. It is estimated that by the time Stephen was martyred, at the church was at least 20,000 strong.
From here, Christianity spread throughout the land and flourished.
Martyrs
1. Stephen: died by being stoned to death.
2. James the son of Zebedee, the elder brother of John: as James was led to the place of martyrdom, his accuser was brought to repent of his conduct by the apostle's extraordinary courage and undaunted ness, and fell down at his feet to request his pardon, professing himself a Christian, and resolving that James should not receive the crown of martyrdom alone. Hence they were both beheaded at the same time.
3. Philip: He was scourged, thrown into prison, and afterwards crucified, A.D. 54. Upper Asia
4. Matthew: killed by the axe. Parthia, and Ethiopia
5. James the brother of the Lord: At the age of ninety-four he was beat and stoned by the Jews; and finally had his brains dashed out with a club.
6. Mathias: He was stoned at Jerusalem and then beheaded.
7. Andrew, brother of Peter: he was taken and crucified on a cross, the two ends of which were fixed transversely in the ground. Edessa
8. Jude, brother of Jesus: crucified at Edessa, A.D. 72
9. Bartholomew: cruelly beaten and then crucified
10. Simon: crucified, A.D. 74
11. Thomas: thrust through with a spear.
12. Mark: was dragged to pieces by the people of Alexandria.
13. John: cast into a cauldron of boiling oil. He escaped by miracle, without injury afterwards banished to the Isle of Patmos, where he wrote the Book of Revelation and died of old age.
14. Luke: hanged on an olive tree
15. Peter: was crucified upside down in Rome.
16. Paul: beheaded by the sword at the order of Caesar Nero.
I counted a total of 30 times that we are warned not to forget about God or his words.
It seems that the world has forgotten however.
Acts 2:42-47 42They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Acts 4:32-33 32All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. 33With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all.
Acts 8:4-8 4Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. 5Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there. 6When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed. 8So there was great joy in that city.
Amazing and wonderful things occurred in the early days of the church. The question is why don’t those things happen with any sort of frequency now?
What are we missing that our fire is not spreading like the wildfire of the old church?
Christians today seem to have fallen into a comfortable rut.
We must be the ones that strike up a new revival. Young and old, strong and weak, it is our business to defibrillate the Christians of today and bring them back to being on fire for God.
2 Cor 4:16 16Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.
Matt 5:13-16 13“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. 14“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
Saturday, October 07, 2006
Interesting bulletin I received
Who really knows if Ben Stein really said this (or said exactly this) because I did get it via a My Space bulletin. But I found it to be profound nonetheless.
~Leah
::Added by Steve: I verified that this article is legitimate. It can be found among others at http://www.benstein.com/::
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Think about this...sad but very true If they know of him at all, many folks think Ben Stein is just a quirky actor/comedian who talks in a monotone. He's also a very intelligent attorney who knows how to put ideas and words together in such a way as to sway juries and make people think clearly.
The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary, Sunday, 12/18/05. Herewith at this happy time of year, a few confessions from my beating heart: I have no freaking clue who Nick and Jessica are. I see them on the cover of People and Us constantly when I am buying my dog biscuits and kitty litter. I often ask the checkers at the grocery stores. They never know who Nick and Jessica are either. Who are they? Will it change my life if I know who they are and why they have broken up? Why are they so important? I don't know who Lindsay Lohan is either, and I do not care at all about Tom Cruise's wife. Am I going to be called before a Senate committee and asked if I am a subversive? Maybe, but I just have no clue who Nick and Jessica are. If this is what it means to be no longer young , it's not so bad. Next confession:I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are: Christmas trees. It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, "Merry Christmas" to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu. If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away. I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution, and I don't like it being shoved down my throat. Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship Nick and Jessica and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him?I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where Nick and Jessica came from and where the America we knew went to. In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her "How could God let something like this Happen?" (regarding Katrina) Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, "I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?"In light of recent events...terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found recently) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school . the Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.Then Dr Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said OK. Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves. Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with "WE REAP WHAT WE SOW." Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says.Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace. Are you laughing? Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it. Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.
~Leah
::Added by Steve: I verified that this article is legitimate. It can be found among others at http://www.benstein.com/::
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Think about this...sad but very true If they know of him at all, many folks think Ben Stein is just a quirky actor/comedian who talks in a monotone. He's also a very intelligent attorney who knows how to put ideas and words together in such a way as to sway juries and make people think clearly.
The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary, Sunday, 12/18/05. Herewith at this happy time of year, a few confessions from my beating heart: I have no freaking clue who Nick and Jessica are. I see them on the cover of People and Us constantly when I am buying my dog biscuits and kitty litter. I often ask the checkers at the grocery stores. They never know who Nick and Jessica are either. Who are they? Will it change my life if I know who they are and why they have broken up? Why are they so important? I don't know who Lindsay Lohan is either, and I do not care at all about Tom Cruise's wife. Am I going to be called before a Senate committee and asked if I am a subversive? Maybe, but I just have no clue who Nick and Jessica are. If this is what it means to be no longer young , it's not so bad. Next confession:I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are: Christmas trees. It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, "Merry Christmas" to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu. If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away. I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution, and I don't like it being shoved down my throat. Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship Nick and Jessica and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him?I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where Nick and Jessica came from and where the America we knew went to. In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her "How could God let something like this Happen?" (regarding Katrina) Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, "I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?"In light of recent events...terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found recently) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school . the Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.Then Dr Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said OK. Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves. Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with "WE REAP WHAT WE SOW." Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says.Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace. Are you laughing? Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it. Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.
Friday, September 29, 2006
How Do I Get Saved?
So, you want to sign up for the persecution huh? Okay. First, imagine yourself as a child. Now, imagine Jesus knocking at a door. You’re standing on the inside and you open the door. Jesus walks in. This is taking place inside your heart. When you were a child, it was easy to show your open emotion. If you’re an adult male, it may be difficult to lower your walls and imagine running into the arms of a man, so imagine that you’re a little child, running into the arms of your heavenly father. Now, you must understand that you are not and never will be able to save yourself. No one else can save you either. “No man comes to the Father but by me,” Jesus said. I’m not picking on you by the way. “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” Everybody falls under the same desperate situation. Now that you know, admit your sin to God. Now believe that Jesus died on the cross and spilled his blood, taking the weight of the sins of the whole human race on his shoulders. He put an end to the debt on the cross two thousand years ago. Believe that he rose from the dead, conquering death for you and me. Our Savior lives. Now, choose to place your trust in him and live for him. You are now a believer in Jesus Christ and are saved from eternal death in hell. You’re in his arms now and you never have to leave. That was easy, huh? Okay, I’m saved. Now What?
Now What?
You are now a brother or sister of Jesus Christ. You will now be faced with struggles, hardship, failures, and problems. You’re now probably going to have to endure persecution from non-believers. You’ll be hated by some. You’ll always be misunderstood when you talk about the things of God by those who don’t know him. You’ve now got a bounty on your head in the eyes of Satan and his followers. You’re going to undergo spiritual attack that will attempt to keep you from moving past this point. I’m sad to say that many Christians fall prey to this attack and never go beyond the first step. I can tell you, however, that once you begin to push through the adversity, you’ll experience real faith. Your heart will experience peace that can’t be explained, joy that surpasses understanding, and love that goes beyond any you’ve ever known.
The first order of business is getting into a church or finding a group of believers to fellowship with. You can email me. I’m always available to talk to you because that is God’s calling on my heart.
Secondly, you need a Bible. Click Here to get a Bible. If you can’t get one because of financial hardship, email me and we’ll see what we can do. Once you have your Bible, you have the spiritual sustenance that’s going to maintain you daily. You need to spend as much time in it as you humanly can. In its absence, you become more vulnerable. Of course you’ll have questions, but that’s what we’re here for.
Third, maintain the relationship with God through prayer. Reading his word and prayer go hand in hand. He speaks to you through the Bible and your heart while in prayer. Talk to him like you would a father that knows everything about you, because that’s what he is. He is your Father, he is your God. Taking care of you is his business, so give it all to him.
Now, one of the key factors in becoming a Christian is leaving the old life behind. Remember this: once saved, you should not be comfortable in the life you lived before. You’re life needs to change radically for Jesus. Some people get discouraged by this, but let me tell you that while it seems daunting at first, it only gets better. That’s not to say that you’ll never encounter problems. In fact, you’ll probably encounter many problems. The very fact that you now follow Jesus brings them to you. You will learn to take joy when you encounter trials of many kinds. It is the only way to build your faith. The truth is there can never really be long lasting happiness unless you change and live for him. There is temporal satisfaction, but it’s temporal—it comes to an end. Momentary satisfaction doesn’t carry you to eternity, Jesus does. His yoke is easy and his burden is light. Don’t look at it as though coming to Jesus is giving you all kinds of new burdens; rather, you are the one with all the problems and Jesus offers to take them from you. He doesn’t have problems—he’s God. Once with Jesus, he’s going to raise you up and discipline you as a loving father would—it just happens that he’s a perfect father as well.
When you are told that you should take joy in the fact that you’re having problems, it’s because your faith is being tested. If you rise to the occasion and trust in Jesus during the crises your faith will be strengthened. Imagine working out and having sore muscles afterward. It may not be pleasant at the time, but getting through it and dealing with the pain results in strengthened muscles. Be comforted by the fact that God administers his lessons in bits and pieces being careful never to give you more than you can handle. He always gives you a way out of temptation and he always works to build you up.
Sometimes, your problems won’t be from God, they’ll be brought on by your own stupid choices. These problems, while your own fault, can result in bring you closer to God. In all honesty, there are many of these moments during your walk. Just keep in mind that you’re being unfaithful, not God. When you’re ready to admit your stupidity, he’s already there waiting for you. God is always faithful. When you stumble, just try to make it one step backward followed by two steps forward. Your faith should not revert to where it was when you were first saved. Keep it growing. Nurture it. If you find that you’ve gone back to your old ways, make the changes necessary. You’ll find that God’s been there waiting for you the whole time.
So, my word of advice to you is to continue to know God better. Love him with all your heart, mind, strength, and soul.
The first order of business is getting into a church or finding a group of believers to fellowship with. You can email me. I’m always available to talk to you because that is God’s calling on my heart.
Secondly, you need a Bible. Click Here to get a Bible. If you can’t get one because of financial hardship, email me and we’ll see what we can do. Once you have your Bible, you have the spiritual sustenance that’s going to maintain you daily. You need to spend as much time in it as you humanly can. In its absence, you become more vulnerable. Of course you’ll have questions, but that’s what we’re here for.
Third, maintain the relationship with God through prayer. Reading his word and prayer go hand in hand. He speaks to you through the Bible and your heart while in prayer. Talk to him like you would a father that knows everything about you, because that’s what he is. He is your Father, he is your God. Taking care of you is his business, so give it all to him.
Now, one of the key factors in becoming a Christian is leaving the old life behind. Remember this: once saved, you should not be comfortable in the life you lived before. You’re life needs to change radically for Jesus. Some people get discouraged by this, but let me tell you that while it seems daunting at first, it only gets better. That’s not to say that you’ll never encounter problems. In fact, you’ll probably encounter many problems. The very fact that you now follow Jesus brings them to you. You will learn to take joy when you encounter trials of many kinds. It is the only way to build your faith. The truth is there can never really be long lasting happiness unless you change and live for him. There is temporal satisfaction, but it’s temporal—it comes to an end. Momentary satisfaction doesn’t carry you to eternity, Jesus does. His yoke is easy and his burden is light. Don’t look at it as though coming to Jesus is giving you all kinds of new burdens; rather, you are the one with all the problems and Jesus offers to take them from you. He doesn’t have problems—he’s God. Once with Jesus, he’s going to raise you up and discipline you as a loving father would—it just happens that he’s a perfect father as well.
When you are told that you should take joy in the fact that you’re having problems, it’s because your faith is being tested. If you rise to the occasion and trust in Jesus during the crises your faith will be strengthened. Imagine working out and having sore muscles afterward. It may not be pleasant at the time, but getting through it and dealing with the pain results in strengthened muscles. Be comforted by the fact that God administers his lessons in bits and pieces being careful never to give you more than you can handle. He always gives you a way out of temptation and he always works to build you up.
Sometimes, your problems won’t be from God, they’ll be brought on by your own stupid choices. These problems, while your own fault, can result in bring you closer to God. In all honesty, there are many of these moments during your walk. Just keep in mind that you’re being unfaithful, not God. When you’re ready to admit your stupidity, he’s already there waiting for you. God is always faithful. When you stumble, just try to make it one step backward followed by two steps forward. Your faith should not revert to where it was when you were first saved. Keep it growing. Nurture it. If you find that you’ve gone back to your old ways, make the changes necessary. You’ll find that God’s been there waiting for you the whole time.
So, my word of advice to you is to continue to know God better. Love him with all your heart, mind, strength, and soul.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Witnessing
How do we witness?
First, ground yourself in your faith. It is your foundation. If you still have significant doubts keeping you from being sincere, then you need to get those worked out.
Let your mind think on God as often as you can. Put Him first in your life and you’ll speak about Him more naturally.
Many people love to bring up the hypocrisy in the church. Tell them not to let a hypocrite stand between them and God. And people aren’t perfect, that includes Christians.
People like to argue for intellectual reasons. 99 out of 100 people have some other reason for refusing Jesus. The intellectual argument is only a curtain hiding deeper issues. Accountability is the problem.
Some people have the idea that they’re too bad off and there’s no saving them. This person has the right idea, because there is nothing they can do to save themselves, but at this point, they may be open to receive the gospel of grace.
Always keep yourself sharpened and ready to go to work at any moment.
Inspiration is that we all die. The time could be very soon. Don’t just stand by and allow that person to continue without the knowledge of salvation. This is a knowledge that you can provide them.
Do they have assurance of where they’ll be going? If they seem to think so, go for their very foundation. What authority did they hear such a thing from? On what basis can they make such bold statements about the unknown?
Sometimes, you’ll get a quick result. At the same time, there are some people that take seriously invested time. You must work to build trust and depth forming a friendship before you can approach them head on. When you’re more of a friend, they’ll be more willing to hear what you have to say.
Being young creates a unique challenge, because many people think you’re just a kid without any real wisdom.
1 Timothy 4:12 Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.
The concept of being too young is wrong. Don’t let anything about who you are or how much knowledge you think you’re limited to get in the way of witnessing. Let God determine how ready you are.
Subtlety is powerful. When Jesus shines through you, you begin to shine like a city on a hill. (Matthew 5:14). Your example can break down your witnessing ability or set you up for it. Don’t allow yourself to appear hypocritical to those watching you.
Let’s clearly define what your job is all about. Your workplace has been given to you so you can make a difference for the kingdom of God. If you’re not serving God where you are, then you’re not where He wants you to be. That might be with your walk, where you’re working, or who you’re keeping company with.
My dad uses his work as a witnessing platform.
Don’t be intimidated and think, “Okay, I’m going to go and witness.” Your attitude should not be that you’re carrying out an obligation, but having meaningful conversation because you truly care and desire to see your friend saved.
Speak to them about where they think they’ll go when they die.
Ask them what assurance they have for going to heaven.
Share about your own assurance.
Be sure that you convey the true salvation message during conversation. Jesus died so we wouldn’t have to suffer an eternal death.
Finally, we have been charged with the task of preaching the gospel.
Mark 16:15 15And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.
But we also need to follow up and build up. Evangelizing is great, but you’re not carrying out the full mission unless you make disciples out of the new believers.
Matthew 28:19 19"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations
Always remember, that it is not only the words we say or the actions we make, but God who moves the hearts of men. You are His chosen method, but He is not limited to you. In other words, do not become discouraged because God is in control.
First, ground yourself in your faith. It is your foundation. If you still have significant doubts keeping you from being sincere, then you need to get those worked out.Let your mind think on God as often as you can. Put Him first in your life and you’ll speak about Him more naturally.
Many people love to bring up the hypocrisy in the church. Tell them not to let a hypocrite stand between them and God. And people aren’t perfect, that includes Christians.
People like to argue for intellectual reasons. 99 out of 100 people have some other reason for refusing Jesus. The intellectual argument is only a curtain hiding deeper issues. Accountability is the problem.
Some people have the idea that they’re too bad off and there’s no saving them. This person has the right idea, because there is nothing they can do to save themselves, but at this point, they may be open to receive the gospel of grace.
Always keep yourself sharpened and ready to go to work at any moment.
Inspiration is that we all die. The time could be very soon. Don’t just stand by and allow that person to continue without the knowledge of salvation. This is a knowledge that you can provide them.
Do they have assurance of where they’ll be going? If they seem to think so, go for their very foundation. What authority did they hear such a thing from? On what basis can they make such bold statements about the unknown?
Sometimes, you’ll get a quick result. At the same time, there are some people that take seriously invested time. You must work to build trust and depth forming a friendship before you can approach them head on. When you’re more of a friend, they’ll be more willing to hear what you have to say.
Being young creates a unique challenge, because many people think you’re just a kid without any real wisdom.
1 Timothy 4:12 Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.
The concept of being too young is wrong. Don’t let anything about who you are or how much knowledge you think you’re limited to get in the way of witnessing. Let God determine how ready you are.Subtlety is powerful. When Jesus shines through you, you begin to shine like a city on a hill. (Matthew 5:14). Your example can break down your witnessing ability or set you up for it. Don’t allow yourself to appear hypocritical to those watching you.
Let’s clearly define what your job is all about. Your workplace has been given to you so you can make a difference for the kingdom of God. If you’re not serving God where you are, then you’re not where He wants you to be. That might be with your walk, where you’re working, or who you’re keeping company with.
My dad uses his work as a witnessing platform.
Don’t be intimidated and think, “Okay, I’m going to go and witness.” Your attitude should not be that you’re carrying out an obligation, but having meaningful conversation because you truly care and desire to see your friend saved.
Speak to them about where they think they’ll go when they die.
Ask them what assurance they have for going to heaven.
Share about your own assurance.
Be sure that you convey the true salvation message during conversation. Jesus died so we wouldn’t have to suffer an eternal death.
Finally, we have been charged with the task of preaching the gospel.
Mark 16:15 15And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.But we also need to follow up and build up. Evangelizing is great, but you’re not carrying out the full mission unless you make disciples out of the new believers.
Matthew 28:19 19"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations
Always remember, that it is not only the words we say or the actions we make, but God who moves the hearts of men. You are His chosen method, but He is not limited to you. In other words, do not become discouraged because God is in control.
Saturday, August 19, 2006
Daniel's Seventy Weeks
The Seventy Weeks of Daniel is an intriguing prophecy that proves to be a challenging but fun study. As you probably know, this prophecy is pointing toward Jesus Christ I through a precise timeline. Today I’ll cover the details and mathematics of the prophecy.
• How did we arrive at Daniel’s seventy weeks in the first place?
• The Israelites were given the command to keep a Sabbath Year every seventh year.
Leviticus 25:1-7, “1 The LORD said to Moses on Mount Sinai, 2 "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'When you enter the land I am going to give you, the land itself must observe a sabbath to the LORD. 3 For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops. 4 But in the seventh year the land is to have a sabbath of rest, a sabbath to the LORD. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards. 5 Do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the grapes of your untended vines. The land is to have a year of rest. 6 Whatever the land yields during the sabbath year will be food for you—for yourself, your manservant and maidservant, and the hired worker and temporary resident who live among you, 7 as well as for your livestock and the wild animals in your land. Whatever the land produces may be eaten.”
Leviticus 26:14-20 14 " 'But if you will not listen to me and carry out all these commands, 15 and if you reject my decrees and abhor my laws and fail to carry out all my commands and so violate my covenant, 16 then I will do this to you: I will bring upon you sudden terror, wasting diseases and fever that will destroy your sight and drain away your life. You will plant seed in vain, because your enemies will eat it. 17 I will set my face against you so that you will be defeated by your enemies; those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee even when no one is pursuing you. 18 " 'If after all this you will not listen to me, I will punish you for your sins seven times over. 19 I will break down your stubborn pride and make the sky above you like iron and the ground beneath you like bronze. 20 Your strength will be spent in vain, because your soil will not yield its crops, nor will the trees of the land yield their fruit.
• In Jeremiah, God finally punishes Israel for its negligence. In the same way, we must pay close attention to our own negligence. Though we are under grace, God will still allow hardship into our lives as punishment. (Hebrews 12:4-13)
• Here God issues a seventy year sentence against them.
Jeremiah 25:8-11 “8 Therefore the LORD Almighty says this: "Because you have not listened to my words, 9 I will summon all the peoples of the north and my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon," declares the LORD, "and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and against all the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy them and make them an object of horror and scorn, and an everlasting ruin. 10 I will banish from them the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, the sound of millstones and the light of the lamp. 11 This whole country will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years.”
• The land itself was due a certain amount of lost rest.
2 Chronicles 36:21, “21 The land enjoyed its sabbath rests; all the time of its desolation it rested, until the seventy years were completed in fulfillment of the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah.”
• If we assume that each year of captivity was a year of rest that was missed then the seventy years could be making up for a lost rest for 490 years.
• Daniel’s prophecy marks out a 490 year period yet to come, thus placing Daniel in a sort of mid point in God’s plan.
• Daniel knew, by Jeremiah’s prophecy, that the issued amount of time for Israel’s punishment was nearing an end, so he offered up a prayer in Daniel 9:4-19. He confessed his sin and the sin of his people and requested that God lift his wrath and permit the temple to be rebuilt.
• Daniel received his answer from Gabriel. Gabriel came to him in the form of a man and told him not just of the rebuilding of the temple, but of the coming of the Anointed One.
• He got more than he bargained for.
• We pick up at this point. Now, let’s read one of the most radical prophecies of the Old Testament.
Daniel 9:20-27, 20 While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and making my request to the LORD my God for his holy hill- 21 while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice. 22 He instructed me and said to me, "Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding. 23 As soon as you began to pray, an answer was given, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed. Therefore, consider the message and understand the vision:
24 "Seventy 'sevens' are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy.
25 "Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven 'sevens,' and sixty-two 'sevens.' It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. 26 After the sixty-two 'sevens,' the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. 27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one 'seven.' In the middle of the 'seven' he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him. "
• This is the prophecy pinpointing the crucifixion of the Messiah. It's a little difficult to understand at first, but I'll guide you through the math. This excerpt extends, many believe, into the very end of time, but I won't approach that at this time.
• First, we are given this strange reference to sevens. These are known as heptads, or units of seven, and can mean days, weeks, or years. In this instance, it means years.
• When multiplied out, it gives us a measure of time equaling 490 years.
• The terminus a quo or starting point of the 490 years is "From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem..." The decree is as follows:
“1 In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before; 2 so the king asked me, "Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart." I was very much afraid, 3 but I said to the king, "May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?" 4 The king said to me, "What is it you want?" Then I prayed to the God of heaven, 5 and I answered the king, "If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it. 6 Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, "How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?" It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time.
7 I also said to him, "If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah? 8 And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the king's forest, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?" And because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests. 9 So I went to the governors of Trans-Euphrates and gave them the king's letters. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me."—Nehemiah 2:1-9
• Artaxerxes began his reign in the year 464 B.C., so 444 B.C. would be the year in which Nehemiah’s story begins.
• This is the decree spoken of by Daniel.
• It is believed that the city was rebuilt with walls, streets and moats during a 49 year span, the completion of the: “seven 'sevens”
• Knowing that the Jewish year consisted of 360 days, not 365 days we can do the math accordingly from 444 B.C.
1. The total number of years except for the final seven is 483 years from the issuance of the decree to the coming of the Anointed one.
2. We must multiply 483 years by 360 days to find out how many days that was by Jewish time standards. This comes out to 173,880 days.
3. If we take into account the number of leap years, which is 116 extra days that we factor into our years, we arrive at a figure of 173,764 days.
4. Now, using our time standard of 365 days, if we divide 173,764 by 365 we arrive at 476.07 years.
5. If we move from the month of Nisan, or around March or April, 444 B.C., by 476.07 years into the future, we arrive in the beginning of a few days into Nisan, 33 A.D. This is about the beginning of April.
• April of 33 A.D. is the proposed area of time that Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem occurred.
“while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me” –Daniel 9:21a
“26 In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, ‘Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.’ 29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31 You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.’” –Luke 1:26-33
• It is also notable that Gabriel brought both the prophecy to Daniel and the news to Mary about her pregnancy. His second appearance is possibly an unspoken clue as to the fulfillment of this particular part of the Daniel 9 prophecy.
• This all means that the precise time of Jesus' ministry was predicted by Daniel, who finished his writings in 532 B.C., more than five hundred years before the birth of Jesus.
• The precise mathematic calculation boggles the minds of skeptics.
Conclusion
In the end, there is no argument that stands up to scrutiny. Daniel clearly and beautifully points toward Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.
• How did we arrive at Daniel’s seventy weeks in the first place?
• The Israelites were given the command to keep a Sabbath Year every seventh year.
Leviticus 25:1-7, “1 The LORD said to Moses on Mount Sinai, 2 "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'When you enter the land I am going to give you, the land itself must observe a sabbath to the LORD. 3 For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops. 4 But in the seventh year the land is to have a sabbath of rest, a sabbath to the LORD. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards. 5 Do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the grapes of your untended vines. The land is to have a year of rest. 6 Whatever the land yields during the sabbath year will be food for you—for yourself, your manservant and maidservant, and the hired worker and temporary resident who live among you, 7 as well as for your livestock and the wild animals in your land. Whatever the land produces may be eaten.”
Leviticus 26:14-20 14 " 'But if you will not listen to me and carry out all these commands, 15 and if you reject my decrees and abhor my laws and fail to carry out all my commands and so violate my covenant, 16 then I will do this to you: I will bring upon you sudden terror, wasting diseases and fever that will destroy your sight and drain away your life. You will plant seed in vain, because your enemies will eat it. 17 I will set my face against you so that you will be defeated by your enemies; those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee even when no one is pursuing you. 18 " 'If after all this you will not listen to me, I will punish you for your sins seven times over. 19 I will break down your stubborn pride and make the sky above you like iron and the ground beneath you like bronze. 20 Your strength will be spent in vain, because your soil will not yield its crops, nor will the trees of the land yield their fruit.
• In Jeremiah, God finally punishes Israel for its negligence. In the same way, we must pay close attention to our own negligence. Though we are under grace, God will still allow hardship into our lives as punishment. (Hebrews 12:4-13)
• Here God issues a seventy year sentence against them.
Jeremiah 25:8-11 “8 Therefore the LORD Almighty says this: "Because you have not listened to my words, 9 I will summon all the peoples of the north and my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon," declares the LORD, "and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and against all the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy them and make them an object of horror and scorn, and an everlasting ruin. 10 I will banish from them the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, the sound of millstones and the light of the lamp. 11 This whole country will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years.”
• The land itself was due a certain amount of lost rest.
2 Chronicles 36:21, “21 The land enjoyed its sabbath rests; all the time of its desolation it rested, until the seventy years were completed in fulfillment of the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah.”
• If we assume that each year of captivity was a year of rest that was missed then the seventy years could be making up for a lost rest for 490 years.
• Daniel’s prophecy marks out a 490 year period yet to come, thus placing Daniel in a sort of mid point in God’s plan.
• Daniel knew, by Jeremiah’s prophecy, that the issued amount of time for Israel’s punishment was nearing an end, so he offered up a prayer in Daniel 9:4-19. He confessed his sin and the sin of his people and requested that God lift his wrath and permit the temple to be rebuilt.
• Daniel received his answer from Gabriel. Gabriel came to him in the form of a man and told him not just of the rebuilding of the temple, but of the coming of the Anointed One.
• He got more than he bargained for.
• We pick up at this point. Now, let’s read one of the most radical prophecies of the Old Testament.
Daniel 9:20-27, 20 While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and making my request to the LORD my God for his holy hill- 21 while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice. 22 He instructed me and said to me, "Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding. 23 As soon as you began to pray, an answer was given, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed. Therefore, consider the message and understand the vision:
24 "Seventy 'sevens' are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy.
25 "Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven 'sevens,' and sixty-two 'sevens.' It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. 26 After the sixty-two 'sevens,' the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. 27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one 'seven.' In the middle of the 'seven' he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him. "
• This is the prophecy pinpointing the crucifixion of the Messiah. It's a little difficult to understand at first, but I'll guide you through the math. This excerpt extends, many believe, into the very end of time, but I won't approach that at this time.
• First, we are given this strange reference to sevens. These are known as heptads, or units of seven, and can mean days, weeks, or years. In this instance, it means years.
• When multiplied out, it gives us a measure of time equaling 490 years.
• The terminus a quo or starting point of the 490 years is "From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem..." The decree is as follows:
“1 In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before; 2 so the king asked me, "Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart." I was very much afraid, 3 but I said to the king, "May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?" 4 The king said to me, "What is it you want?" Then I prayed to the God of heaven, 5 and I answered the king, "If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it. 6 Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, "How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?" It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time.
7 I also said to him, "If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah? 8 And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the king's forest, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?" And because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests. 9 So I went to the governors of Trans-Euphrates and gave them the king's letters. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me."—Nehemiah 2:1-9
• Artaxerxes began his reign in the year 464 B.C., so 444 B.C. would be the year in which Nehemiah’s story begins.
• This is the decree spoken of by Daniel.
• It is believed that the city was rebuilt with walls, streets and moats during a 49 year span, the completion of the: “seven 'sevens”
• Knowing that the Jewish year consisted of 360 days, not 365 days we can do the math accordingly from 444 B.C.
1. The total number of years except for the final seven is 483 years from the issuance of the decree to the coming of the Anointed one.
2. We must multiply 483 years by 360 days to find out how many days that was by Jewish time standards. This comes out to 173,880 days.
3. If we take into account the number of leap years, which is 116 extra days that we factor into our years, we arrive at a figure of 173,764 days.
4. Now, using our time standard of 365 days, if we divide 173,764 by 365 we arrive at 476.07 years.
5. If we move from the month of Nisan, or around March or April, 444 B.C., by 476.07 years into the future, we arrive in the beginning of a few days into Nisan, 33 A.D. This is about the beginning of April.
• April of 33 A.D. is the proposed area of time that Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem occurred.
“while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me” –Daniel 9:21a
“26 In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, ‘Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.’ 29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31 You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.’” –Luke 1:26-33
• It is also notable that Gabriel brought both the prophecy to Daniel and the news to Mary about her pregnancy. His second appearance is possibly an unspoken clue as to the fulfillment of this particular part of the Daniel 9 prophecy.
• This all means that the precise time of Jesus' ministry was predicted by Daniel, who finished his writings in 532 B.C., more than five hundred years before the birth of Jesus.
• The precise mathematic calculation boggles the minds of skeptics.
Conclusion
In the end, there is no argument that stands up to scrutiny. Daniel clearly and beautifully points toward Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.
Monday, June 19, 2006
Jesus Christ and Judaism - Revised
Who is Jesus Christ to the Jewish people?
For thousands of years the people known as the Jews have lived as God's chosen people. They have gone through captivity, exile, turmoil, and restoration. They have looked for thousands of years even to the present for a Savior of their people, or a Messiah.
Sadly, the Jewish majority in this world reject the Christian belief in a Savior named Jesus Christ. He is believed to be the promised messiah spoken of through the prophets of the Old Testament. Near 4 B.C., a child was born in Bethlehem by no causation of natural origin. The mother, a chosen woman named Mary, was a virgin when she became pregnant. She was given the child by the Holy Spirit. This child grew up in relative silence for thirty years. He then began a three year ministry and guided himself toward a purposeful conclusion.
His words spoke of love, repentance of sin, and great wisdom of all things. His actions reached the poor, the depraved, and the sick by his wonderous miracles and healing. Most importantly however, he acted as though given the power to forgive (Luke 5:17-26, Luke 7:36-50, Micah 7:18-20). This and his certain claim to be God (John 8:48-58, John 10:22-39) enraged the Jews. His impact on the people of that time and in that place was great and it gained the attention of the powerful Jewish leaders called Sanhedrin. These men saw the growing popularity of Jesus and conspired to kill him.
Though one would assume Jesus was caught and killed, this is not the case. He was never "caught" at all, but willingly went to be beaten, mocked, and crucified. "About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 'Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?'—which means, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'" His blood was spilled and he gave up his life. (Matthew 26-27).
It would seem that a terrible end came to this great and powerful man, and it is true that his followers fell into dispair upon his death. His followers had, in that back of their minds, expected him to deliver himself from his death by exercising his great power, but they were let down when he did not and passed from life.
Fortunately, this was not the end. Three days after the crucifixion Jesus rose to life again. His followers hadn't understood when he'd spoken of it prior, but he'd actually predicted his death and resurrection to them (Matthew 16:21-28, Matthew 20:17-19).
For forty days Jesus appeared many times to many people (Mark 16:9-20, John 20:10-31, John 21). His impact was powerful while he was alive and preaching, but his impact after the resurrection sent forth shock waves that are still being felt even today. He had died and shed his blood for the sin of the world. He was to be the perfect sacrifice, God's Lamb, that took away the sin of the world (John 1:29).
Now, back to the originial question, who is Jesus Christ to the Jewish people? Well, first it must be said that Jesus was a Jew. This should immediately dispell any thoughts of anti-semitism being ascribed to true Christians. Jesus probably grew up just like any other Jewish boy. He no doubt practiced all the traditions of the Jewish people and we're even told that he worked among them as a carpenter following in the trade of his step father Joseph.
The fact that Jesus is Jewish is no small matter. It was said in Isaiah 11:1-10 of Jesus, "A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD..." It continues on. The significance is that this book, Isaiah, is accepted as scripture by the Jews and it speaks of a lineage to a messiah coming from Jesse through the line of David. Jesus is a direct descendant of this line (Matthew 1, Luke 3:23-38). Genealogy was very important to the Jews and this prediction seven hundred years prior knew that.
Now, using some excerpts from the Old Testament, the scripture accepted by the Jews, I will attempt to convey the story of Jesus Christ. I warn you, these scriptures are astounding in their depiction.
The Prophecies
Genesis 3:14-15
14The LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, Cursed are you more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you will go, And dust you will eat All the days of your life; 15And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel."
This is the first of the messianic prophecies. It takes place after Adam and Eve eat of the forbidden tree and God is dealing out the curse. The Lord curses the deceiving serpent and then he refers to the seed of the woman. God refers to this seed as "He" which is peculiar. It paints a picture of a man stamping on the serpent's head while the only recourse of the serpent is to bruise his heel.
Genesis 12:3
3And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed."
Here, God speaks to Abram (before he is named Abraham) and tells him that through this single man "all the families of the earth will be blessed." Jesus Christ, along with all the Jews, were descended from Father Abraham.
Genesis 18:17-18
17Then the LORD said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? 18Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him.
Here, God is speaking of Abraham as he and his two companions walk on their way to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Genesis 22:1-18
1Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied.
2Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about."
3Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 4On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5He said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you."
6Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 7Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, "Father?" "Yes, my son?" Abraham replied. "The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?"
8Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together.
9When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied.
12"Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son."
13Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided."
15The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16and said, "I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me."
Here is a strange story, but once understood it becomes a beautiful picture of God's own sacrifice. It is interesting that Isaac carried the wood for his own sacrifice just as Jesus Christ carried his cross for at least part of the way (John 19:17).
Take note that Isaac asks, "where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" and Abraham answered with a very powerful response, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son."
Understand the significance that the Father is leading his son to be sacrificed. Next observe that Abraham mentions, though he perhaps doesn't fully understand the significance of his statement, that God Himself will provide the sacrifice. This seems to be a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ.
Finally, God tells him, "because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me."
God also did not withhold his only son, Jesus Christ (John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."). How else would all nations and families on earth be blessed except that Jesus Christ should die for their sin?
Psalm 22
1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from the words of my groaning?
2 O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, and am not silent.
3 Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
you are the praise of Israel.
4 In you our fathers put their trust;
they trusted and you delivered them.
5 They cried to you and were saved;
in you they trusted and were not disappointed.
6 But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by men and despised by the people.
7 All who see me mock me;
they hurl insults, shaking their heads:
8 "He trusts in the LORD;
let the LORD rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
since he delights in him."
9 Yet you brought me out of the womb;
you made me trust in you
even at my mother's breast.
10 From birth I was cast upon you;
from my mother's womb you have been my God.
11 Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.
12 Many bulls surround me;
strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
13 Roaring lions tearing their prey
open their mouths wide against me.
14 I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax;
it has melted away within me.
15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
you lay me in the dust of death.
16 Dogs have surrounded me;
a band of evil men has encircled me,
they have pierced my hands and my feet.
17 I can count all my bones;
people stare and gloat over me.
18 They divide my garments among them
and cast lots for my clothing.
19 But you, O LORD, be not far off;
O my Strength, come quickly to help me.
20 Deliver my life from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dogs.
21 Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
save me from the horns of the wild oxen.
22 I will declare your name to my brothers;
in the congregation I will praise you.
23 You who fear the LORD, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
24 For he has not despised or disdained
the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
but has listened to his cry for help.
25 From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
before those who fear you will I fulfill my vows.
26 The poor will eat and be satisfied;
they who seek the LORD will praise him—
may your hearts live forever!
27 All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to the LORD,
and all the families of the nations
will bow down before him,
28 for dominion belongs to the LORD
and he rules over the nations.
29 All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—
those who cannot keep themselves alive.
30 Posterity will serve him;
future generations will be told about the Lord.
31 They will proclaim his righteousness
to a people yet unborn—
for he has done it.
Whopping evidence Figure #1! Remember what Jesus cried out on the cross? ("My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" [Matthew 27:46]) This chapter in Psalm seems to point directly to the crucifixion, an act not even invented during David's time. David wrote it, but he seems to be describing someone else's suffering. When was David pierced? When were his bones out of joint?
Isaiah 7:14
14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
Immanuel means God with us. Remember that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin (Matthew 1:18-22) This prediction came seven hundred years before Jesus was born.
Isaiah 11:1-10
1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. 2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD - 3 and he will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; 4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. 5 Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist. 6 The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. 7 The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. 8 The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper's nest. 9 They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. 10 In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious.
This is the promise that the messiah would come through the line of King David. When Jesus Christ has finished his work, the whole prophecy will come to fruition.
Isaiah 52:13-53
13 See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. 14 Just as there were many who were appalled at him— his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness—15 so will he sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand.
1 Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken. 9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days. and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. 11 After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Whopping Evidence Figure #2!
"his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man
and his form marred beyond human likeness"
This sounds like the result of Jesus' torture and crucifixion.
"He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground."
A shoot from the root of Jesse?
"He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows,
and familiar with suffering. Like one from
whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we
esteemed him not."
Jesus Christ was despised (John 1:11 "He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him."). His own people crucified him, but Jesus said in Luke 23:34, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."
"Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all."
This is the picture of Jesus' sacrifice. Because of his death we are saved. He was the perfect sacrifice that took away our sin. He took it all, past, current and future sins, our iniquity, on his back and died in our place. We now have peace and are healed.
"After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities."
Though he died, it appears here that he sees the light of life and is satisfied. This seems to be a picture of the resurrection.
Micah 5:2-5
2 "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
from ancient times. "
3 Therefore Israel will be abandoned
until the time when she who is in labor gives birth
and the rest of his brothers return
to join the Israelites.
4 He will stand and shepherd his flock
in the strength of the LORD,
in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God.
And they will live securely, for then his greatness
will reach to the ends of the earth.
5 And he will be their peace.
This is the prophecy of the birthplace of the messiah. Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem (Luke 2:1-7). It speaks strongly of his shepherdship and majesty.
Who is Jesus Christ to the Jewish people?
No.
Who is Jesus Christ to all people?
Jesus came, he died, and overcame the grave by rising again. This is known, but what is less understood is that he brought the Old Covenant to a close and established a New Covenant. What is meant by this? The Old Covenant brought the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17) and Laws. This occurred in the Old Testament section of the Bible. (Testament means Covenant) Humankind cannot abide by the Ten Commandments as Jesus Christ demonstrated through his teachings (Matt 5:21-48), because, though we may abide outwardly, we do not abide in our hearts. This spoke pwerfully that all men have been rendered guilty and cannot enter heaven (Matthew 19:16-30). Mankind was thus faced with a problem: Who then can be saved?
The ministry, death, and resurrection of Christ can ultimately be understood by the following excerpt from Paul's writings in the letter to the Roman church:
Romans 3:21-26
21But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
You see, Jesus brought the Old Covenant, the one that separated mankind from God, to a close when he paid the price for all our sins. He simultaneously began a New Covenant that promises salvation through faith and following Jesus Christ. Jesus encounter with the rich man (Matthew 19:16-30) shows us the amount of surrender we must have in following Him. It is our striving of complete surrender and elevation of Him above all else that separates us. All that is required of us is to trust in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. From this, me may be certain that our eternal place is in heaven Him.
Conclusion
After seeing just a few predictions out of a great many more of the coming messiah and the fulfillment of Jesus Christ, the implications for the Jewish people suggest that they've missed their long sought after messiah.
Even more unfortunate is that a majority of Jewish people don't even know that they are to be looking for a messiah. Many hear the word messiah and it means nothing to them. Many people who claim to be Christians don't understand what they say they believe, but the Jew doesn't always understand what he believes either. So, if you decide to minister to a Jewish person, understand that they may not have any idea what you're talking about when you mention a "messiah." You'll need to tell them by explaining and showing them their own prophetic scriptures concerning a messiah. From this foundation, you can better introduce Jesus Christ and the Good News of salvation.
John 3:1-21
1Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him."
3In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."
4"How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"
5Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' 8The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." 9"How can this be?" Nicodemus asked.
10"You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things? 11I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. 14Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.
16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. 19This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."
For thousands of years the people known as the Jews have lived as God's chosen people. They have gone through captivity, exile, turmoil, and restoration. They have looked for thousands of years even to the present for a Savior of their people, or a Messiah.
Sadly, the Jewish majority in this world reject the Christian belief in a Savior named Jesus Christ. He is believed to be the promised messiah spoken of through the prophets of the Old Testament. Near 4 B.C., a child was born in Bethlehem by no causation of natural origin. The mother, a chosen woman named Mary, was a virgin when she became pregnant. She was given the child by the Holy Spirit. This child grew up in relative silence for thirty years. He then began a three year ministry and guided himself toward a purposeful conclusion.
His words spoke of love, repentance of sin, and great wisdom of all things. His actions reached the poor, the depraved, and the sick by his wonderous miracles and healing. Most importantly however, he acted as though given the power to forgive (Luke 5:17-26, Luke 7:36-50, Micah 7:18-20). This and his certain claim to be God (John 8:48-58, John 10:22-39) enraged the Jews. His impact on the people of that time and in that place was great and it gained the attention of the powerful Jewish leaders called Sanhedrin. These men saw the growing popularity of Jesus and conspired to kill him.
Though one would assume Jesus was caught and killed, this is not the case. He was never "caught" at all, but willingly went to be beaten, mocked, and crucified. "About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 'Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?'—which means, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'" His blood was spilled and he gave up his life. (Matthew 26-27).It would seem that a terrible end came to this great and powerful man, and it is true that his followers fell into dispair upon his death. His followers had, in that back of their minds, expected him to deliver himself from his death by exercising his great power, but they were let down when he did not and passed from life.
Fortunately, this was not the end. Three days after the crucifixion Jesus rose to life again. His followers hadn't understood when he'd spoken of it prior, but he'd actually predicted his death and resurrection to them (Matthew 16:21-28, Matthew 20:17-19).
For forty days Jesus appeared many times to many people (Mark 16:9-20, John 20:10-31, John 21). His impact was powerful while he was alive and preaching, but his impact after the resurrection sent forth shock waves that are still being felt even today. He had died and shed his blood for the sin of the world. He was to be the perfect sacrifice, God's Lamb, that took away the sin of the world (John 1:29).
Now, back to the originial question, who is Jesus Christ to the Jewish people? Well, first it must be said that Jesus was a Jew. This should immediately dispell any thoughts of anti-semitism being ascribed to true Christians. Jesus probably grew up just like any other Jewish boy. He no doubt practiced all the traditions of the Jewish people and we're even told that he worked among them as a carpenter following in the trade of his step father Joseph.
The fact that Jesus is Jewish is no small matter. It was said in Isaiah 11:1-10 of Jesus, "A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD..." It continues on. The significance is that this book, Isaiah, is accepted as scripture by the Jews and it speaks of a lineage to a messiah coming from Jesse through the line of David. Jesus is a direct descendant of this line (Matthew 1, Luke 3:23-38). Genealogy was very important to the Jews and this prediction seven hundred years prior knew that.
Now, using some excerpts from the Old Testament, the scripture accepted by the Jews, I will attempt to convey the story of Jesus Christ. I warn you, these scriptures are astounding in their depiction.
The Prophecies
Genesis 3:14-15
14The LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, Cursed are you more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you will go, And dust you will eat All the days of your life; 15And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel."
This is the first of the messianic prophecies. It takes place after Adam and Eve eat of the forbidden tree and God is dealing out the curse. The Lord curses the deceiving serpent and then he refers to the seed of the woman. God refers to this seed as "He" which is peculiar. It paints a picture of a man stamping on the serpent's head while the only recourse of the serpent is to bruise his heel.
Genesis 12:3
3And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed."
Here, God speaks to Abram (before he is named Abraham) and tells him that through this single man "all the families of the earth will be blessed." Jesus Christ, along with all the Jews, were descended from Father Abraham.
Genesis 18:17-18
17Then the LORD said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? 18Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him.
Here, God is speaking of Abraham as he and his two companions walk on their way to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Genesis 22:1-18
1Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied.
2Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about."
3Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 4On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5He said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you."
6Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 7Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, "Father?" "Yes, my son?" Abraham replied. "The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?"
8Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together.
9When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied.
12"Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son."
13Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided."
15The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16and said, "I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me."
Here is a strange story, but once understood it becomes a beautiful picture of God's own sacrifice. It is interesting that Isaac carried the wood for his own sacrifice just as Jesus Christ carried his cross for at least part of the way (John 19:17).Take note that Isaac asks, "where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" and Abraham answered with a very powerful response, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son."
Understand the significance that the Father is leading his son to be sacrificed. Next observe that Abraham mentions, though he perhaps doesn't fully understand the significance of his statement, that God Himself will provide the sacrifice. This seems to be a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ.
Finally, God tells him, "because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me."
God also did not withhold his only son, Jesus Christ (John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."). How else would all nations and families on earth be blessed except that Jesus Christ should die for their sin?
Psalm 22
1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from the words of my groaning?
2 O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, and am not silent.
3 Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
you are the praise of Israel.
4 In you our fathers put their trust;
they trusted and you delivered them.
5 They cried to you and were saved;
in you they trusted and were not disappointed.
6 But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by men and despised by the people.
7 All who see me mock me;
they hurl insults, shaking their heads:
8 "He trusts in the LORD;
let the LORD rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
since he delights in him."
9 Yet you brought me out of the womb;
you made me trust in you
even at my mother's breast.
10 From birth I was cast upon you;
from my mother's womb you have been my God.
11 Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.
12 Many bulls surround me;
strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
13 Roaring lions tearing their prey
open their mouths wide against me.
14 I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax;
it has melted away within me.
15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
you lay me in the dust of death.
16 Dogs have surrounded me;
a band of evil men has encircled me,
they have pierced my hands and my feet.
17 I can count all my bones;
people stare and gloat over me.
18 They divide my garments among them
and cast lots for my clothing.
19 But you, O LORD, be not far off;
O my Strength, come quickly to help me.
20 Deliver my life from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dogs.
21 Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
save me from the horns of the wild oxen.
22 I will declare your name to my brothers;
in the congregation I will praise you.
23 You who fear the LORD, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
24 For he has not despised or disdained
the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
but has listened to his cry for help.
25 From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
before those who fear you will I fulfill my vows.
26 The poor will eat and be satisfied;
they who seek the LORD will praise him—
may your hearts live forever!
27 All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to the LORD,
and all the families of the nations
will bow down before him,
28 for dominion belongs to the LORD
and he rules over the nations.
29 All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—
those who cannot keep themselves alive.
30 Posterity will serve him;
future generations will be told about the Lord.
31 They will proclaim his righteousness
to a people yet unborn—
for he has done it.
Whopping evidence Figure #1! Remember what Jesus cried out on the cross? ("My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" [Matthew 27:46]) This chapter in Psalm seems to point directly to the crucifixion, an act not even invented during David's time. David wrote it, but he seems to be describing someone else's suffering. When was David pierced? When were his bones out of joint?
Isaiah 7:14
14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
Immanuel means God with us. Remember that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin (Matthew 1:18-22) This prediction came seven hundred years before Jesus was born.
Isaiah 11:1-10
1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. 2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD - 3 and he will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; 4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. 5 Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist. 6 The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. 7 The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. 8 The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper's nest. 9 They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. 10 In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious.
This is the promise that the messiah would come through the line of King David. When Jesus Christ has finished his work, the whole prophecy will come to fruition.
Isaiah 52:13-53
13 See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. 14 Just as there were many who were appalled at him— his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness—15 so will he sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand.
1 Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken. 9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days. and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. 11 After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Whopping Evidence Figure #2!
"his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man
and his form marred beyond human likeness"
This sounds like the result of Jesus' torture and crucifixion."He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground."
A shoot from the root of Jesse?
"He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows,
and familiar with suffering. Like one from
whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we
esteemed him not."
Jesus Christ was despised (John 1:11 "He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him."). His own people crucified him, but Jesus said in Luke 23:34, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."
"Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all."
This is the picture of Jesus' sacrifice. Because of his death we are saved. He was the perfect sacrifice that took away our sin. He took it all, past, current and future sins, our iniquity, on his back and died in our place. We now have peace and are healed.
"After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities."
Though he died, it appears here that he sees the light of life and is satisfied. This seems to be a picture of the resurrection.
Micah 5:2-5
2 "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
from ancient times. "
3 Therefore Israel will be abandoned
until the time when she who is in labor gives birth
and the rest of his brothers return
to join the Israelites.
4 He will stand and shepherd his flock
in the strength of the LORD,
in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God.
And they will live securely, for then his greatness
will reach to the ends of the earth.
5 And he will be their peace.
This is the prophecy of the birthplace of the messiah. Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem (Luke 2:1-7). It speaks strongly of his shepherdship and majesty.
Who is Jesus Christ to the Jewish people?
No.
Who is Jesus Christ to all people?
Jesus came, he died, and overcame the grave by rising again. This is known, but what is less understood is that he brought the Old Covenant to a close and established a New Covenant. What is meant by this? The Old Covenant brought the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17) and Laws. This occurred in the Old Testament section of the Bible. (Testament means Covenant) Humankind cannot abide by the Ten Commandments as Jesus Christ demonstrated through his teachings (Matt 5:21-48), because, though we may abide outwardly, we do not abide in our hearts. This spoke pwerfully that all men have been rendered guilty and cannot enter heaven (Matthew 19:16-30). Mankind was thus faced with a problem: Who then can be saved?
The ministry, death, and resurrection of Christ can ultimately be understood by the following excerpt from Paul's writings in the letter to the Roman church:
Romans 3:21-26
21But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
You see, Jesus brought the Old Covenant, the one that separated mankind from God, to a close when he paid the price for all our sins. He simultaneously began a New Covenant that promises salvation through faith and following Jesus Christ. Jesus encounter with the rich man (Matthew 19:16-30) shows us the amount of surrender we must have in following Him. It is our striving of complete surrender and elevation of Him above all else that separates us. All that is required of us is to trust in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. From this, me may be certain that our eternal place is in heaven Him.
Conclusion
After seeing just a few predictions out of a great many more of the coming messiah and the fulfillment of Jesus Christ, the implications for the Jewish people suggest that they've missed their long sought after messiah.
Even more unfortunate is that a majority of Jewish people don't even know that they are to be looking for a messiah. Many hear the word messiah and it means nothing to them. Many people who claim to be Christians don't understand what they say they believe, but the Jew doesn't always understand what he believes either. So, if you decide to minister to a Jewish person, understand that they may not have any idea what you're talking about when you mention a "messiah." You'll need to tell them by explaining and showing them their own prophetic scriptures concerning a messiah. From this foundation, you can better introduce Jesus Christ and the Good News of salvation.
John 3:1-21
1Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him."3In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."
4"How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"
5Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' 8The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." 9"How can this be?" Nicodemus asked.
10"You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things? 11I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. 14Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.
16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. 19This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."
Thursday, June 08, 2006
Alton Gansky Asks, "Why do you think so few men buy books in Christian bookstores?"
Alton Gansky asks why men frequent Christian book stores less than women.
I recently read an article put out by Biola University that pointed out the increasing feminization of the church. It was titled, "The Feminization of the Church: Why Its Music, Messages, and Ministries Are Driving Men Away." The article points out the fact that there is a well known deficiency of men in the church today caused by the church's inclination to cater to women.
Some say it started with the industrial revolution, when men were required to leave home and enter the work force. Family farming was no longer the most viable of occupations. So, women were left to be the leader of the household while their husbands spent long hours at work. The man was distanced from his family. Isn’t it true that society as a whole is being feminized?
As capitalistic drive increased, so did self interest and greed. Men eventually became rough and rugged heathens instead of strong and admirable spiritual leaders. The responsibility fell on the woman to attend church and rear the children properly. Women began to outnumber men in church services. Church was steadily became more of a place for women and children than it was for men.
In response to this imbalance, many churches began to retool the ministry to accommodate the new audience. Without the presence of strong, decisive men in the church, it was allowed to shift with culture.
Now, take an honest look at your own church. How many events and functions are actually for men? Your church might have a women’s bible study, a women’s craft day, a women’s breakfast, a women’s tea, a women’s support group, three women’s retreats throughout the year, a quilting day, a women’s prayer meeting, an annual women’s banquet, of course many ministries geared toward the children of those women, and one men’s bible study that meets weekly. Oh, and they’re talking about going on a retreat sometime in the future, maybe. Of course, I’m exaggerating a little, but then again, I might be describing your church. Men sometimes see the church as a big ladies' club.
It’s interesting to note that men are much more present in churches that are just getting their start. This is probably because risk and decision making is involved in a new church. Men thrive on this sort of thing. However, once a church is established or has been established a long time, men find themselves out of place.
The truth is that love songs, a romantic relationship with Jesus, crying in prayer, etc., are all things that men don’t always particularly look for in their own lives. The idea is even perpetuated that these more feminine experiences are actually godlier. Men get the idea that the church is a nurturing place that serves to help weaker people in need of support. A man who prides himself for being the head of the household isn’t naturally inclined to present himself as weak. His mind is set to appear strong for his family. The article quotes Mike Erre, director of a men’s ministry at Rock Harbor Church in Costa Mesa California, as saying, “The classic example is the worship pose of the eyes shut and the arms raised in this tender embrace, singing a song that says, ‘I’m desperate for you. You’re the air I breather.’ Guys don’t talk to guys like that.” It’s also notable that men who are in the church are actually portrayed hugging and crying in highly emotional circumstances. Promise Keepers has moved its ministry away from this portrayal and toward a tougher, manlier advertising strategy because they realized that a man doesn’t want to be “reduced” to crying and hand holding. To quote Hank Hill, “It just ain’t right.”
Now, take into consideration the fact that many a Christian book is written in this same spirit of feminization. The writers know in that back of their minds that the audience consists of mostly women, so they write the books for the people who’ll buy them. It’s only common sense that they’d write what sells and what the church is centered around. Thinking, in the first place, that Christianity is for women and wussy men who need a crutch, men who value their strength and manhood are unwilling to even enter such a store. It would risk his image.
So, that may be the reason for men’s absence in Christian book stores, and, for that matter, in the church as well. Promise Keepers has an oft repeated statistic (quoted in the Biola article) that goes as follows: “[W]hen a mother comes to faith in Christ, her family follows 34 percent of the time, but when a father comes to faith, his family follows 93 percent of the time.” Perhaps the church needs to shift back to a good balance again. What can you do?
I recently read an article put out by Biola University that pointed out the increasing feminization of the church. It was titled, "The Feminization of the Church: Why Its Music, Messages, and Ministries Are Driving Men Away." The article points out the fact that there is a well known deficiency of men in the church today caused by the church's inclination to cater to women.
Some say it started with the industrial revolution, when men were required to leave home and enter the work force. Family farming was no longer the most viable of occupations. So, women were left to be the leader of the household while their husbands spent long hours at work. The man was distanced from his family. Isn’t it true that society as a whole is being feminized?
As capitalistic drive increased, so did self interest and greed. Men eventually became rough and rugged heathens instead of strong and admirable spiritual leaders. The responsibility fell on the woman to attend church and rear the children properly. Women began to outnumber men in church services. Church was steadily became more of a place for women and children than it was for men.
In response to this imbalance, many churches began to retool the ministry to accommodate the new audience. Without the presence of strong, decisive men in the church, it was allowed to shift with culture.
Now, take an honest look at your own church. How many events and functions are actually for men? Your church might have a women’s bible study, a women’s craft day, a women’s breakfast, a women’s tea, a women’s support group, three women’s retreats throughout the year, a quilting day, a women’s prayer meeting, an annual women’s banquet, of course many ministries geared toward the children of those women, and one men’s bible study that meets weekly. Oh, and they’re talking about going on a retreat sometime in the future, maybe. Of course, I’m exaggerating a little, but then again, I might be describing your church. Men sometimes see the church as a big ladies' club.
It’s interesting to note that men are much more present in churches that are just getting their start. This is probably because risk and decision making is involved in a new church. Men thrive on this sort of thing. However, once a church is established or has been established a long time, men find themselves out of place.
The truth is that love songs, a romantic relationship with Jesus, crying in prayer, etc., are all things that men don’t always particularly look for in their own lives. The idea is even perpetuated that these more feminine experiences are actually godlier. Men get the idea that the church is a nurturing place that serves to help weaker people in need of support. A man who prides himself for being the head of the household isn’t naturally inclined to present himself as weak. His mind is set to appear strong for his family. The article quotes Mike Erre, director of a men’s ministry at Rock Harbor Church in Costa Mesa California, as saying, “The classic example is the worship pose of the eyes shut and the arms raised in this tender embrace, singing a song that says, ‘I’m desperate for you. You’re the air I breather.’ Guys don’t talk to guys like that.” It’s also notable that men who are in the church are actually portrayed hugging and crying in highly emotional circumstances. Promise Keepers has moved its ministry away from this portrayal and toward a tougher, manlier advertising strategy because they realized that a man doesn’t want to be “reduced” to crying and hand holding. To quote Hank Hill, “It just ain’t right.”
Now, take into consideration the fact that many a Christian book is written in this same spirit of feminization. The writers know in that back of their minds that the audience consists of mostly women, so they write the books for the people who’ll buy them. It’s only common sense that they’d write what sells and what the church is centered around. Thinking, in the first place, that Christianity is for women and wussy men who need a crutch, men who value their strength and manhood are unwilling to even enter such a store. It would risk his image.
So, that may be the reason for men’s absence in Christian book stores, and, for that matter, in the church as well. Promise Keepers has an oft repeated statistic (quoted in the Biola article) that goes as follows: “[W]hen a mother comes to faith in Christ, her family follows 34 percent of the time, but when a father comes to faith, his family follows 93 percent of the time.” Perhaps the church needs to shift back to a good balance again. What can you do?
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Ashes to Apolgetics
For those of you who are interested, I'm planning on starting apologetics meetings again. This time, they'll be monthly, instead of semi-weekly, they'll be geared not only to answering questions, but to equipping you with the ability to actively search for answers, and we may have a rotation on locations.
I'm hoping for a group that's ready to delve into some serious study and some deeper questions. I not only want to teach others, but also to be taught. I believe that the Bible holds layers upon layers of mystery and intrigue that's just waiting to be uncovered. Apologetics should be an active study, without limitation, without curricular boundaries, and without end. I want each person to not only contribute in the meeting, but to study and hypothesize during the month. With thirty or so days between studies, I think that each individual should have ample time to gleam some truth, or root out some confusing excerpt, or dissect a complicated set of scriptures.
Apologetics is sorely missed by yours truly. I'm excited to get it going again. Perhaps I can document some of our findings here on the sadly neglected Blessed X.
I'm hoping for a group that's ready to delve into some serious study and some deeper questions. I not only want to teach others, but also to be taught. I believe that the Bible holds layers upon layers of mystery and intrigue that's just waiting to be uncovered. Apologetics should be an active study, without limitation, without curricular boundaries, and without end. I want each person to not only contribute in the meeting, but to study and hypothesize during the month. With thirty or so days between studies, I think that each individual should have ample time to gleam some truth, or root out some confusing excerpt, or dissect a complicated set of scriptures.
Apologetics is sorely missed by yours truly. I'm excited to get it going again. Perhaps I can document some of our findings here on the sadly neglected Blessed X.
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