Later on the day of Jesus' resurrection, the Lord joined two of His followers as they traveled to Emmaus. Even though His presence was with them they didn't realize it. Jesus did reveal Himself to them but not before enlightening them through the scriptures. Click on the link below to see how this story applies to us. #BibleStudy #Devotions #Jesus #Luke
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From the time that Jesus made His Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem, significant events happened each day that week ending with His arrest, death, and resurrection. This is a must have Holy Week devotional eBook. Click on the Link below to get your free copy.
Twas the Night of Christmas
Poetic story of the night Jesus was born
Click the link to view the story video, download a printable coloring book, and have access a link for the full color illustrated book.
https://christian-perspectives.ck.page/283cf8f91a
If I told you that my whole life had been changed by a run-in with an auto assembly line worker, you wouldn’t believe me. If I told you I’d known several people who had the same experience, you’d wonder what we’d been smoking. In our technologically advanced society, we tend to look down on such people.
Yet history and reality teaches us the exact opposite. Here are quotes from ‘respected’ people, all experts in their fields, who talk about a man who was only “visible” for 3 years, had no formal education and no support from leaders, shakers or movers in his day. Enjoy!
A Civil War general, lawyer, politician and atheist, Lew Wallace set out on a 6 year mission to destroy & disparage Christianity. He wrote a book as a result of his very biased research. You may have heard of it. It’s a little book. It’s called “Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ”. It became the best selling novel of the 19th century and is regarded as the most influential Christian book of that era (www.christianheritagefellowship.com/ben-hur-the-conversion-of-lew-wallace/).
He said, “After 6 years given to the impartial investigation of Christianity as to its truth or falsity, I have come to the deliberate conclusion that Jesus Christ was the Messiah of the Jews, the Savior of the world and my own personal Redeemer”. While writing the 2nd chapter of his book, he found himself on his knees, crying out, “My Lord and my God.” The evidence was overwhelming.
H.G. Wells, a science fiction writer & historian said, “I am an historian, I am not a believer, but I must confess as a historian that this penniless preacher from Nazareth is irrevocably the very center of history. Jesus Christ is easily the most dominant figure in all history.”
Napoleon, French general, politician, Emperor and also not a believer, said “I know men and I tell you Jesus Christ is no mere man. Between Him and every other person in the world there is no possible term of comparison. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne and myself founded empires; but what foundation did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded an empire upon love; and at this hour millions of men would die for Him.” Napoleon also said that while he was alive, men would die for him. But he could not believe that men would die for him after he died. And yet that is exactly what believers in Jesus were doing….dying for Jesus several hundred years after He died.
Albert Einstein, the 20th century’s most respected scientist said “I am a Jew, but I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene. Jesus is too colossal for the pen of phrase-mongers, however artful…No one can read the gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life. Theseus and other heroes of his type lack the authentic vitality of Jesus.”
One man wrote, “Here is a man who was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He worked in a carpenter shop until He was 30, and then for 3 years He was an itinerant preacher. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never owned a home. He never had a family. He never went to college. He never put His foot inside a big city. He never traveled 200 miles from the place where He was born. He never did any of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but Himself. He had nothing to do with this world except the naked power of His Divine manhood. While still a young man, the tide of popular opinion turned against Him. He was turned over to His enemies. He went thru the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a cross between 2 thieves. His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had on earth while He was dying, and that was His coat. When He was dead, He was taken down and laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend. Such was His human life. He rises from the dead. Twenty centuries have come and gone and today He is the Centerpiece of the human race and the Leader of the column of progress. I am within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, and all the navies that were ever built, and all the parliaments that ever sat, and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as has that One Solitary Life.” James C. Hefley – Christian writer.
What have you done with this man? This same man, Jesus, said that He rose from the dead, conquered the grave and is coming back again to settle all scores. Do you believe Him?
For His Kingdom,
Dave Maynard
https://bsssb-llc.com
Let’s start by defining the word ‘sin’. Sin literally means ‘to miss the mark’. To miss the mark of what? The mark of perfection. So sin is imperfection. Since none of us are perfect, we’re all sinners. But imperfect compared to who or what? Compared to God who is perfect (Deuteronomy 32:4).
God’s core nature is holy and pure. He cannot be in relationship with sin in any manner (Habakkuk 1:13). To do so would be to violate the very essence of who He is.
God is merciful & loving but also just. Our sins are like crimes to Him and crimes must be punished. How would you like to live in a society where rape is excused or tolerated? Wouldn’t you rather live in a society where justice prevailed? Where these acts were dealt with and you could feel safe walking the streets?
The solution lies in a combination of God’s loving mercy and His perfect justice. Mercy cannot overlook or forgive sin without it being dealt with. Unfortunately,sin never stays the same or gets less. It always gets worse, it naturally spreads. 1st Corinthians 5:6 says a little leaven leavens the whole loaf. If God were tolerant of our sin, heaven would be no better than life on Earth. And since sin always increases, in eternity heaven would be much worse than Earth is now. It is God’s just nature that sin be separated from purity, that wrongs be righted and that evil be vanquished.
Since we, being sinners, cannot pay for our own sins, God Himself came down to Earth, lived a perfect life and paid for our sins Himself. As long as we realize it by giving our lives over to Him, His justice and mercy are both satisfied (Romans 3:24,25 & 6:23, 1st John 5:11-13). By giving our lives over to Him now, when we die He will take away our sin nature completely. He will not have violated our free will, yet heaven’s purity will be maintained and we can have fellowship with Him for an eternity (Micah 6:8).
Those who do not accept His offer of forgiveness will have to pay the penalty for sin themselves. The Bible says that payment is spiritual death…separation from God forever (Romans 6:23 & Revelation 20:14,15). By their own choice, they will have rejected God. They don’t want to be in His presence for all eternity and He will honor that request.
All this is why God cannot tolerate sin.
Book reference:
“77 FAQ’s about God and the Bible” by Josh McDowell & Sean McDowell, page 56
For His Kingdom,
Dave Maynard
https://bsssb-llc.com
Let’s understand that there are 3 different types of healing.
– God has built into nature, including our bodies, a self-healing process. You get a cold but your body naturally heals itself. Everyone has this ability.
– God has allowed us to discover certain medical remedies, whether they are drugs or medical procedures.
– God also heals miraculously but only on certain individuals.
It’s the miraculous healings that we question. Why does He heal some people but not others?
There are 35 recorded miracles of Jesus in the gospels. Only 10 mention faith in Jesus. In most of the cases, faith is not mentioned as a pre-condition of the healing. So some of the miraculous healings require faith (Matthew 8:13 9:22 9:29,30 17:19,20) but others don’t (Luke 8:26-39 John 18:10).
Jesus also didn’t heal everybody. In John 5:1-5, many people at the pool of Bethsaida needed healing but Jesus only healed one, a blind and deaf man. This man didn’t have faith in Jesus. He didn’t even know who healed hm until later (John 5:12,13).
Like today in our western countries, Matthew 13:15 applies…”For this people’s hearts have become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.”
Some miracles are done so people will believe in Jesus. The apostles healed people as a confirmation of their message (Acts 3:1-26). There are also special gifts of healing that are given to certain people (1st Corinthians 12:11). But even then, not everyone they pray for is healed.
Miraculous healings tend to be a sign to people unfamiliar with the gospel message. In today’s world, there are more miraculous healings in unevangelized countries. Yet there are still healings in already evangelized countries. So miraculous healings illustrate Jesus’ redemptive mission. Bringing sight to a blind man, hearing to a deaf person, bringing sanity to a deranged person, feeding 5,000 people on a mountainside…these are all things nobody but God could do. These healings made people stand up and take notice of Jesus’ message in a way that nothing else could.
Here’s a couple of things to consider:
1) If God healed everybody, people would be drawn to the miracle and not to the message. We humans have a great tendency to rationalize. I think we would rationalize these miracles away. We may come to think that we’re owed healing. In Luke 16, the rich man asked Abraham to send his family special messages that they might believe. Abraham said they already had enough proof and they still didn’t believe. He said that even if someone rose from the dead (foreshadowing Jesus’ resurrection) that they still wouldn’t believe.
2) If God healed everybody, He’d be taking a consequence of our own actions. Adam and Eve had a perfect world but it wasn’t enough for them. They rebelled and brought sin into the world. Sin brought death, disease and destruction with it (Romans 5:12). So the question shouldn’t be “Why doesn’t God heal everybody?”. It should be “Why does He heal any of us at all?”.
What were the results of Jesus’ miraculous healings? Some became believers, some didn’t and some became believers until following Jesus became too hard (John 6:66). Ultimately, we don’t have a pat answer for why God miraculously heals some people but not others. But that shouldn’t stop us from rejoicing when He does miraculously heal someone. Maybe God heals some people now as a way of reminding us that a complete healing will come later on when He returns and will go on for an eternity (Revelation 21:4,5 & 22:1-5).
Website reference:
www.letusreason.org/Biblexp239.htm
http://carm.org/why-doesnt-god-heal-everyone
For His Kingdom,
Dave Maynard
https://bsssb-llc.com
Warning: This article contains graphic descriptions of torture & death
S-21 was an interrogation, torture & execution center. From 1975-1979 the communist Khmer Rouge forcibly took over Cambodia. Of 14,000 prisoners who entered S-21, only 7 are known to have survived. Out of a population of 8 million people, 2 million were killed. Out of 11,000 university students, only 450 survived. 9 out of 10 doctors were killed. They killed anyone who was educated so they wouldn’t be a threat to them.
In 1976, the Khmer Rouge converted a high school complex into S-21. The head of it was Comrade Duch (pronounced DOIK). He was an extremely efficient killing machine. He kept detailed records of every torture session, every murder. His henchmen would hang prisoners upside down with their head in a bucket of urine and feces. Throats were slit, heads were bashed with a shovel, necks were broken with a hoe. Babies were killed by swinging them by the legs and smashing their heads against a tree. Comrade Duch was extremely efficient.
In 1979, the Vietnamese invaded Cambodia, put a stop to the Khmer Rouge and handed the country over to the Cambodians. Duch didn’t have time to destroy his records. He just disappeared. He was presumed dead. Christopher LaPel had lived thru this disasterous time by the grace of God. He became a believer, then a pastor, then he started training other pastors at his Institute. Today over 200 churches can trace their origins back to his ministry. His cousin was killed at S-21.
Hang Pin started coming to LaPel’s meetings. He was 55 years old, frail, depressed and heavily burdened. LaPel lead him to the Lord. When he was baptized, an immediate transformation took place. For every teaching, Pin took extensive notes. He couldn’t get enough teaching about Jesus. He was excited. His dress even reflected his new demeanor. He had a new lease on life and he wanted to tell everybody about Jesus and His forgiveness. Before long, Pin received his pastoral certificate. In their graduation picture, LaPel had his hand on Pin’s shoulder. He considered him to be his best student. Pin went back to his hometown, lead his children to the Lord and started a small, thriving church. He also worked with World Vision, a Christian aid group. LaPel eventually lost touch with Pin.
Then in 1999, LaPel got a phone call from 2 American reporters that rocked his world.The reporters had proof that Pastor Hang Pin was Comrade Duch. When they told LaPel that they had confronted Pin with their suspicions he confessed that it was true. Pin readily confessed his crimes and gave himself up to authorities. He was put on trial by United Nations tribunal and found guilty. He was sentenced to life imprisonment. In Cambodia, there is no appeal or parole ever. Pin said, “They have my body. Jesus has my soul.” Pin (Duch) told the tribunal everything he could remember. He identified his signature on the death & torture records that were found at S-21, which was now a museum. He has asked the relatives for forgiveness but only expects that from God. Duch tells everyone who will listen about his crimes and about the grace & forgiveness of God that set him free.
In 2008, LaPel came face-to-face with Duch in his prison cell. LaPel’s first words to Duch were, “…I love you as a brother in Christ. I forgive you for what you did to my family.” LaPel said it wasn’t easy buthow could he (LaPel) receive forgiveness from Jesus for his sins and then refuse to forgive Duch for his sins, no matter how egregious they were. Duch’s testimony made headlines all over the world. And so did his story about God’s forgiveness and grace. Today Duch is peaceful and filled with the joy of the Lord. Duch shares Jesus with the guards and the other Khmer Rouge prisoners. LaPel visits him regularly. Duch says, “I’m not a prisoner, I’m a free man…I deserve death, I deserve punishment…” but Jesus has set me free.
In Buddhism, the main religion of Cambodia, there is no forgiveness of sins. In the next life, you’ll get payback for what you’ve done in this life. LaPel & Duch thank God for His forgiveness and His grace. LaPel has said many Cambodians are hearing of Duch’s strong faith. They’re beginning to understand that Jesus offers forgiveness and grace in this life. These things are unknown to Buddhists. Isn’t it just like God to turn the Killing Fields into the Harvest Fields. Now that’s resurrection power.
For a detailed account of this story and many more about God’s grace, read the book “The Case for Grace” by Lee Strobel.
For His kingdom,
Dave Maynard
http://BSSSB-LLC.com
Have you ever wondered why the Jews don’t accept Jesus as their Messiah?
There were several factions that made up the Jewish Sanhedrin (the ruling religious council).
The Sadducees: They rejected any concept of a Messiah. They didn’t believe in an afterlife. When you died, you were dead and gone, your soul was snuffed out of existence. They were the rich, ruling elite. They had made friends with the Romans and were in a comfortable position. They didn’t want to ‘rock the boat’ with Rome.
The Scribes: While most of them believed in 2 Messiahs, they were only looking for one---the ruling Messiah, who would set them free from Roman rule and establish God’s everlasting Kingdom.
The Pharisees: Thy observed the Mosaic laws strictly. They were very content with the condition of their souls as they mostly saw themselves as superior to the common person. They believed in a Messiah but couldn’t decide if there was one or two of them. They also wanted to establish God’s eternal Kingdom right away, hence they were looking for a political Messiah to overthrow Rome.
The Essenes: They believed in eternal life. They strictly observed the Mosaic laws even more than the Pharisees. and were looking for the Messiah. They didn’t worship in the Temple as they believed the Temple was polluted by backslidden Jews. They were a separatist sect.
In the 1st century. The Jews had 2 conflicting biblical pictures of their Messiah…one of a suffering servant and one of a reigning, kingly leader.
The suffering servant…Isa 53:2-8 & Ps 22:6-16…he would suffer & die for their sins
The reigning, kingly ruler…Ps 2:2-4 & Jer 23:5,6…he will reign & rule in peace and set up his earthly kingdom with Jerusalem as the center.
There was a variety of views on who the messiah was. Some Jews thought there would be one messiah fulfilling both roles one right after the other, others thought there would be 2 messiahs coming at the same time, while some thought that the suffering servant was the nation of Israel and that the Messiah would be a kingly, ruling one. Very few, if any, thought that it would be one messiah at two different times.
Then along came this itinerant preacher from the backwoods of Nazareth. He had the audacity to insult them and call them hypocrites. After all, they were the experts in religion, not this unlearned, untutored former carpenter. What was worse was that the people initially liked Him. With the crowds He was attracting, there might even be a revolt against Rome. What these sects had built up under Roman rule could be wiped out in a flash. And he certainly wasn’t the political, kingly messiah that most of them had longed for. He wasn’t from God as He didn’t recognize the godly lives they were leading and how they had observed the Laws of Moses. Something had to be done. Very few of the Jewish leaders believed Him, although many would after His resurrection (Acts 6:7…”So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith”).
Because of the Jews rejection of Him, Jesus said Matt 23:39 “For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord”.
Following Jesus’ resurrection, Peter said Acts 3:19-21 & Zechariah 12:10 (“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.”
Was Jesus the only one ever to claim to be the Jewish Messiah?
From 4 BC-70 AD, there were 7 ‘Messiahs’:
-Judas, son of Ezekias
-Simon, a slave of King Herod
-Anthronges, a shepard
These 3 came after King Herod’s death in 4 BC
-Jesus
-Menahem, a descendant of Judas of Galilee
-John of Gischala
-Simon bar Giona
These 3 came between 66-70 AD
There had been messiahs after the 1st century but they had all died (and stayed dead) and none of them fulfilled anywhere near the messianic prophecies that Jesus did.
See the 365 messianic prophecies from https://www.bibleprobe.com/365messianicprophecies.htm
Pull up http://christiananswers.net/dictionary/messianicprophecies.html.
In regards to #20 (Daniel’s prediction of the exact date when the Messiah would be revealed to Israel and the exact date when the Messiah would be killed)….Daniel 9:20-27 (Daniel received this revelation in 535 BC about the coming of the ‘anointed one’…’Messiah’ in the Hebrew language)…ancient people used lunar calendars which had 30days/month & 12 months in a year for 360 days/year. Each seven may represent one year, so 69 sevens x 7 years x 360days/Hebrew prophetic year = 173,880 days.
The decree to rebuild Jerusalem was given by Artaxerxes on March 14, 445 BC (the 1st day of Nisan that year…see Nehemiah 2:1-6). Using the actual 365 day calendar along with adjustments for leap years and the final adjustment of dropping one leap year every 128 years, this brings us to April 6, 32 AD.
Jesus’ ministry began in the fifteenth year of Roman Emperor Tiberius Caesar (Luke 3:1), whose reign began in 14 AD. Jesus’ ministry lasted 3 years. 14 AD + 15 years + 3 years = 32 AD. According to the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England (the official timekeeper of the world), the Sunday before Passover that year was on April 6th…the very day that Jesus rode into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday)…read Matt 21:9, this is a reference to Ps 118:22-26, which is a messianic psalm. After that time, the Anointed One would be cut off (killed). Following that time, the city & Temple would be destroyed (Rome destroyed them in 70 AD).
FYI….a few other Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah:
He is a King & rides on a donkey (Zech 9:9)
He suffers and is rejected (Isa 53:1-3)
Is crucified and pierced (Ps 22:16)
Lots are cast for His clothing (Ps 22:18)
None of His bones are broken (Ps 34:19,20)
He’s given gall & wine (Ps 69:20-22)
Pierced with a spear (Zech 12:10)
Posterity will serve Him (Ps 22:30)
Betrayed by a friend (Ps 41:9)
Betrayed for 30 pieces of silver (Zech 11:12,13)
The silver is cast on the Temple floor, then used to buy a potter’s field (Zech 11:13)
Also, since the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD, the Jews cannot trace their tribal heritage anymore. So their Messiah must have come before that as one of the conditions was that He must be from the tribe of Judah. Jesus is the only serious candidate EVER.
Genesis specified his ancestry
Isaiah revealed the manner of his birth & death
Micah told of his birth place
Psalms & Zech told of his betrayal, his accusation by false witnesses, his manner of death and his resurrection.
The probability of one person fulfilling just 48 of these 365 messianic prophecies by chance is one chance in a trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, ten trillion (1 chance in 10157th power). That would be like saying if you took the number of atoms in our universe and then took the number of atoms in a trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion billon of our universes and marked one of them. What would be your chance of picking that marked one out? Scientists have defined a zero chance of possibility as being one chance in 1053rd power. So, if something doesn’t have a one chance in 1053rd of happening, it’ll NEVER happen. One chance in 1054th is 10 times impossible. One chance in 1055th is 100 times impossible. So one chance in 10157th power is wayyy beyond impossible. And that’s just Jesus fulfilling 48 Old Testament Messianic prophecies.
For His Kingdom,
Dave Maynard
https://bsssb-llc.com
Here's an idea for a Christmas present. My book, "Random Thoughts on Life, Love, Laughter and Living for Jesus". See it at http://covenantbooks.com/books/?book=random-thoughts-on-life-love-laughter-and-living-for-jesus.
From a friend's book review...
"I received his book about a week ago.
I started reading it and was enthralled.
I was halfway through it before I realized it. I had bible study homework and chores that took some precedence for a few days. And recovery from a bad cold.
I picked the book up again at about 1:00 am and was just going to read a couple of the sketches.
It is now 5:24 AM and I just finished it.
I can’t say enough good things. I plan on giving copies to several friends and family for Christmas.
The book is a series of sketches including all kinds of subjects relevant to believers. Some are personal; some biographical; some just a lot of fun facts. I laughed, rejoiced, cried and thanked God.
This book is available on Amazon.
Buy it, you won't be sorry."
What a GREAT blog from a scholar over at Y-Jesus.com. In America, I’m running into more people who think that Jesus has had a much bigger negative impact on our country than a good one. This blog shows very succinctly the positive impact that Jesus Christ has had on the world.
“Despite evidence to the contrary, there are people who still insist that Jesus is a #myth. But myths have little, if any, impact on history. The historian Thomas Carlyle said, “The history of the world is but the biography of great men.”¹
There is no nation or regime which owes its foundation or heritage to a mythological person or god.
But what has been the impact of #Jesus Christ?
The average Roman citizen didn’t feel his impact until many years after his death. Jesus marshalled no army. He wrote no books and changed no laws. The Jewish leaders and Roman Caesars had hoped to wipe out his memory, and it appeared they would succeed.
Today, all we see of ancient Rome is ruins. Caesar’s mighty legions and the pomp of Roman imperial power have faded into oblivion. Yet how is Jesus remembered today? What is his enduring influence?
Amazingly, Jesus made all of this impact as a result of just a three-year period of public ministry. When noted author and world historian H. G. Wells (and not a believer) was asked who has left the greatest legacy on history, he replied, “By this test Jesus stands first.”4
Yale historian Jaroslav Pelikan writes of him, “Regardless of what anyone may personally think or believe about him, Jesus of Nazareth has been the dominant figure in the history of Western culture for almost twenty centuries… It is from his birth that most of the human race dates its calendars, it is by his name that millions curse and in his name that millions pray.”5
If Jesus didn’t exist, one must wonder how a myth could so alter history.” Who do you think Jesus was?
With you on the journey,
Dave Maynard
Messiah is a Hebrew word that means “the anointed one”. When translated into Greek (the common language for most of the ancient world), it becomes “Christos”. This is where we get the English word “Christ” from. To the Jews, Messiah would be someone empowered by God to save people and establish God’s Kingdom on Earth.
The problem was that the Jews saw two very different pictures of the Messiah in their scriptures (the Christian Old Testament). One picture was of a Kingly Messiah who would come and set the Jews free. The other was of a suffering servant.
The Kingly Messiah (or the Son of David) is seen in scriptures likeIsaiah 9:6-7 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.
And Isaiah 11:1-10 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… 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. 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.
But the suffering servant Messiah (or the Son of Joseph) is seen in scriptures like Isaiah 53:1-5 Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 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. 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. 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…
For the Son of Joseph comparison, this is taken from https://jesusplusnothing.com/studies/online/thetwocomings.htm:
-Joseph, like Jesus, was his father’s beloved son.
-Joseph was despised by his brothers.
-Joseph was betrayed for silver coins after his brethren plotted, betrayed and sold him.
-Joseph was falsely accused and imprisoned.
-Joseph was imprisoned with two criminals; one lives, one dies! Likewise Jesus was crucified with two criminals – one who found spiritual life and one didn’t.
-Joseph was then exalted to the right hand of Pharaoh, authority given to Him over all Egypt. Likewise, —Jesus was exalted to the right hand of the Father and given all authority.
-Joseph then took a gentile bride. Like Jesus took a bride (spiritually) for Himself predominantly from the gentile nations.
-Later, during 7 years of hard famine, Joseph’s brothers were forced to come to him. In the future, there is still seven years of hardship (called the day of Jacob’s trouble) that Israel as a nation will have to go through. They will at this stage be brought to the place where they will acknowledge Jesus!
-At first they don’t recognize Joseph, and he treats them harshly to bring repentance.
-Joseph reveals himself to his brothers and they are reconciled amongst many tears. Likewise, there shall be great weeping once Israel finally acknowledges their Messiah Jesus. See Zech 12:10-11.
-Joseph treats his brothers with kindness saying ‘What you meant for evil, God meant for good, to accomplish… the saving of many lives.’ What a great picture of Jesus!
The Jews of Jesus’ time were confused as to how their Messiah would appear.Some believed that one person would fulfill both pictures at one time. Others believed that two people would fulfill these pictures separately. What they didn’t see was that one person would fulfill these pictures at two different times. In other words, they didn’t see one person fulfilling the suffering servant picture, then waiting a time (what we Christians call the church age), then coming back to fulfill the Kingly Messiah.
While Jesus partially fulfilled the Kingly Messiah at His 1st coming (He told of and introduced God’s Kingdom), He will completely fulfill it at His 2nd coming. But He did completely fulfill the suffering servant Messiah at His 1st coming. And that is what this study is about. To the skeptic, many of our proofs will be explained away. But when we compute the probability of one person, out of a population of the entire world, fulfilling all of the suffering servant prophecies, that is convincing to all but the hardest skeptic. In other words, there are some people, that no matter how much proof you give them, they will not be convinced.
God starts out by telling us that He will provide us with a Savior (Genesis 3:15). I will now quote you the Old Testament scripture and it’s New Testament fulfillment. Then God gets more specific and says…
-that He will be an Israelite (Israel didn’t exist at this time) from the tribe of Abraham (Genesis 22:18 & Galatians 3:16)
-He will be a descendent of Isaac, not Ishmael (Genesis 21:12 & Luke 3:23-34)
-He will be a descendent of Jacob, not Esau (Numbers 24:17 & Luke 3:23-34)
-Of Jacob’s 12 sons, He will be a descendent of Judah (Genesis 49:10 & Luke 3:23-34)
-He will be a descendent of Jesse’s (Isaiah 11:1-5 & Luke 3:23-34)
-Of all of Jesse’s sons, He will be a descendent of David (Jeremiah 23:5-6 & Luke 3:23-31)
-A messenger come before Him, to prepare the way and announce His coming (Isaiah 40:3 & Matthew 3:1-3)
-He will begin His ministry in a particular area, Galilee. Not in Samaria, Judah, Moab, Ammon, Gilead, Edom or Aram (Isaiah 9:1 & Matthew 4:12-17)
-He’ll be rejected by the people He grew up with (Psalm 69:8 & John 7:3-5 and Matthew 13:54-58)
-Leaders will oppose Him (Psalm 2:1-2 & Matthew 12:14 and 26:3,4)
–He will be rejected as God’s Messiah (Psalm 118:22-23 & Matthew 21:42)
-He will teach in many parables (Psalm 78:2 & Matthew 13:34-35)
-He will perform many miracles (Isaiah 35:5-6 & Matthew 9:35)
-He will suddenly and forcefully enter the Temple (Malachi 3:1 & John 2:15-16)
-He will come into Jerusalem riding on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9 & Matthew 21:1-5)
–He will enter Jerusalem as a King exactly 483 years after the declaration of Artaxerxes to rebuild the Jewish Temple (see https://bsssb-llc.com/daniels-prophecy-about-the-coming-of-the-messiah/)
-His message will be for everyone (Isaiah 49:6 & Acts 26:23)
-He will be a ‘stone of stumbling’ to the Jews. They will not embrace Him as their Messiah (Isaiah 8:14 & Romans 9:31-33)
-He will heal the deaf and the blind (Isaiah 35:5 & Matthew 11:5)
–He will make a new, everlasting covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34 & Hebrews 10:15-20)
-He will be a prophet like Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15, 18, 19 & Acts 3:18-22)
-He will be hated without good reason (Psalm 35:19 and 69:4 & John 15:24-25)
-He will do the will of God (Psalm 40:6-8 & Hebrews 10:5-9)
-He is ‘anointed’ by God (Psalm 45:6, 7 & Hebrews 1:8, 9)
-He will care for the poor and needy (Psalm 72:12-14 & Luke 7:22)
-He will speak to people in parables (Psalm 78:2 & Matthew 13:10-16, 34-35)
-He will pray for His enemies (Psalm 109:4 & Matthew 5:44)
-His Spirit will be poured out on believers (Joel 2:28-32 & Acts 2:16-23)
-A new priesthood is established (Zechariah 3:8 and Isaiah 61:6 & 1st Peter 2:5, 9)
–He will be raised from the dead (Psalm 16:8-11 & John 20 & Acts 1:3 and 2:32 and 13:34-37)
-He will ascend on high (Psalm 68:18 & Luke 24:51 and Ephesians 4:8)
-Death is swallowed up in victory (Isaiah 25:8 & 1st Corinthians 15:54-57)
It’s possible that one man could fulfill several of these prophecies. It’s impossible that one man could fulfill every single one of these prophecies. Because the Jewish Temple was destroyed in 70AD, the Jewish Messiah had to come before then. Otherwise, they would have no way to trace His lineage (all the lineage records were kept in the Temple. Since then, only 1 or 2 tribes can be traced and they are not the tribe of Judah) and for Him to fulfill the prophecies pertaining to the Temple. The only person before 70AD that could fulfill all of these suffering servant prophecies was Jesus. Read about the Messianic prophecies probabilities on https://www.bsssb-llc.com/prophecy-probability/.
For someone to deny that Jesus fulfilled the suffering servant prophecies would be irrational. Such a person cannot be reasoned with.
God did indeed, provide us with not only a road map to the Messiah but with an exact map to who, when and where that Messiah would appear in human history. Therefore, humanity is without excuse as to who, when and where God’s Messiah is. He has made it very clear that who His Messiah is and why He came down to Earth. All we have to do now is to accept Him into our hearts. May you have the joy of knowing Him.
For God’s Messiah,
Dave Maynard
https://bsssb-llc.com
Some people ask this question to cast doubt on whether God is fair. But it is a legitimate question, so let’s explore it.
Another good example of this is Helen Keller. She was blind & deaf. When she finally learned to communicate with the outside world, someone told her about Jesus. Her response was…So that’s His name. I’ve known Him for years, I just didn’t know His name. God had revealed Himself to her even though she was blind & deaf.
So it’s not the case of God not getting His message to someone who is seeking after the truth (Acts 10:34,35). To anyone who honestly desires to know God, He will somehow reveal Himself to them. He gives everyone some light. If they want more, He will give them more. If they don’t want more, He will honor that also. Will people go to hell because they haven’t heard of Jesus? No! God will reveal Himself to everyone that wants to know. What they do with it is up to them.
For His kingdom,
Dave Maynard
https://BSSSB-LLC.com
Many religions believe in Jesus. The Bible even says the demons believe in Jesus (James 2:29—“You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder”). But what we need to determine is :
– what do they mean by “believe”?
– how do they define Jesus? There is more than one Jesus (Matthew 24:23-26 “…For false Christs…will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect-if that were possible…”). I can say I believe in Dave Maynard who lives in Jackson, Michigan but there are 3 Dave Maynards who live in Jackson, Michigan and they are all quite different people. You need to be more specific.
– you need to determine if their definition of Jesus is correct. Three people may give you direction to a certain destination but if two of them are wrong and you believe them, you’ll never reach your intended destination.
Now let’s look at the two different types of belief.
– one is just an acknowledgement of something. I believe the sky is blue but that doesn’t impact my life. I will not dedicate my life to proving the sky is blue. This type of belief or acknowledgement has no effect on my life. The demons believe that Jesus is Lord but they don’t allow that belief to transform them (James 2:29).
– the other belief is a transformational belief. Christians not only believe in Jesus, they have received Him into their life. He comes in and transforms our lives (John 1:12 “Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.”).
According to the most basic of laws, the law of non-contradiction says that “A” cannot be “non-A”. If Islam says Jesus is one thing and Christianity says He is something different, both cannot be right. Either they’re both wrong or one is wrong and one is right.
Now let’s look at how certain religions/belief systems define Jesus.
Christianity…Jesus is God in the flesh, a part of the trinity, God the Son, who came down from heaven, died for our sins, rose from the dead for our justification and will come back to set up Kingdom for all eternity.
Judaism…Jesus was just a human being, a Jew who some people mistakenly believed was the promised Jewish Messiah. He was a Jewish prophet who lived and died in 1st century Palestine. There is only one God, not a trinity, and Jesus is not Him.
Islam…Jesus was a great prophet in a line of prophets (Moses, David, Solomon, Jonah, etc.) but Mohammed was the greatest prophet of all. Jesus lived and died in 1st century Palestine. To say Jesus is God is blasphemy. Jesus was only a human being. They don’t believe in the trinity nor do hey believe he was crucified.
Hinduism…God is an impersonal force, an undefinable thing. Hinduism recognizes thousands of lesser gods but they’re all part of one big impersonal force called Brahma. Jesus may be one of these lesser gods or just a human being. They don’t believe in the trinity. He lived and died in 1st century Palestine.
Buddhism…most Buddhists are atheists. Some Buddhists believe that Buddha was a god. Jesus may have been a teacher who lived and died in 1st century Palestine. Jesus isn’t really much of a factor in Buddhism. Obviously, they don’t believe in the trinity.
Transcendental Meditation…Jesus is not God Almighty. He had the divine essence as a man. Unlike most people, He discovered His divine essence. Each part of creation makes up “God”. God is in you and me and in that tree, the mountains, sky, etc. God is not personal. God is an “it”. They don’t believe in the trinity. Jesus, as an enlightened man, lived and died in 1st century Palestine.
Unity School of Christianity…Jesus is only a man who gained a “Christ consciousness.” Jesus had been reincarnated many times and lived many lives before. Jesus didn’t die for our sins and will not return a 2nd time. God is an impersonal entity, a principle. They don’t believe in the trinity. Jesus was a human being who lived and died in 1st century Palestine.
Mormonism…God is an office that you can be elevated to. Our God was once a man with a physic al body the same as ours. If you’re a good Mormon in this life, you may become a Jesus on another world. Eventually you may become God on another world also. Jesus was created as a spirit child of God the Father and the Heavenly Mother. His earthly body was created thru a sexual union of God the Father and Mary. Mormons don’t believe in the trinity.
Jehovah’s Witnesses…There is one God called Jehovah. They do not believe in the trinity. Jesus is not God Almighty but he is a Mighty God, just lesser than God Almighty. Before He came to earth, he was Michael, the Archangel. Jesus is the first thing that Jehovah God created. Jesus’ body decayed in the grave but his spirit was resurrected. Their belief is similar to the Arian heresy of the 4th century that the early church condemned at the Council of Nicea (which is where we get the Nicene Creed from).
Christian Science…Jesus was not God. God has never been a human. He didn’t die on the cross, wasn’t resurrected and isn’t coming back again. God is an impersonal life force. God is all that exists. Anything material (like you and me) is just an illusion. Jesus was just a man who displayed the Christ consciousness. Sin, evil, sickness and death are not real, only illusions. Jesus was a man who lived and died in 1st century Palestine.
While there are many other religions, in all of them Jesus is either just a man who lived and died in 1st century Palestine or he is one of many “divine” people.
– in the Bible, Jesus claims to be God (John1:1, 8:58)
– that all other gods are false gods (Isaiah 44:6,8,9).
– He claims to be the only way to God (John 14:6)
Jesus claimed to be God and backed up those claims by fulfilling over 300 messianic prophecies, something that no one has come close to since. He also proved it by His resurrection from the dead. He left many historical proofs of this.
Either Jesus is who He claims to be or He is not. There is no middle ground. Who your definition of Jesus is, is extremely important. He only leaves you with 3 choices. Either Jesus is who He says He is or He is not. If He is not, then He is either a liar or a lunatic. But Jesus told people not to lie. How could a lunatic or a liar give the world the highest ethical teachings the world has ever known, a fact endorsed even by His critics? Not many sane people would call Jesus a lunatic or a liar. That only leaves one choice…that He is God.
To those people who say He was only a good teacher, consider these claims of His;
-He told people that if they ate His flesh and drink His blood, they would have eternal life (John 6:53,54).
-He can give life to people after they die (John 11:25,26). In other words, He told people to trust Him with their eternal destiny.
-He is God (John 10:30)
– He will raise Himself from the dead (John 2:19-21)
If your science teacher said these things about himself, I’m sure you’d run for the door and never come back. Jesus did not leave the good teacher option open for us.
All the other prophets or messiahs of other religions have died and are in the grave. Jesus is the only major religious figure to have conquered the grave. He is the only major religious figure to predict His own death….and resurrection. The bodies of all the other religious figures are in the grave. Jesus’ grave has been empty for 2,000 years. Even the Jewish religious leaders of His day didn’t disagree that His grave was empty. They only tried to explain why it was empty. Their explanations fell flat (see “The Real Easter Story” on this website for verification of the empty grave).
Jesus was so different from all the other gods, guru’s, messiahs, teachers or founders of all the other religions. He is so popular that all the other religions try to incorporate Him into their religion. While his has happened with a few other religious leaders that were put into a few other religions, Jesus has been put into almost every religion. No other religious leader comes close to His popularity.
Then there are these other milestones:
– the Bible is the best selling book of all time
– Christianity has stood the test of time despite periods of severe persecution
– the Bible is quoted more than any other book in history
– our calendar is centered around this obscure peasant born in a remote backwater village
– His short 3 years of ministry has effected the world more than any other person’s entire life has.
– more people will willingly lay down their life rather than deny belief in Him
– more people have testified that He has changed their life for the better than any other person or god in the world throughout history.
– more books have been written about Him than any other person or movement in all of history.
– more compassionate ministries (Salvation Army, soup kitchens, orphanages, food pantries, medical care, grief care, etc.) have started and existed because of His command to feed the hungry, cloth the naked, etc.
Yes, indeed, Jesus is far different from any other leader, religious or not, that world has ever known.
Who do you think Jesus is? Your eternal destiny hangs on your answer.
Recommended Resources:
Books;
“Kingdom of the Cults” by Walter Martin
“So What’s the Difference” by Fritz Ridenour
Plus many, many more that can be purchased at www.christianbook.com
Websites;
https://carm.org
https://www.watchman.org/
For His Kingdom,
Dave Maynard
http://BSSSB-LLC.com
In the news...
We've had a record number of new memberships to our global Christian social media network.
For the month of July we've had a total of 79 people to join our network,
this brings our total membership to 3051 people!!
Our new members are from the countries of China, Papua New Guinea, India, Nigeria, Brazil, Canada, Swaziland, Zambia, and the United Kingdom.
Within the United States members have joined from the following states; Virginia, Georgia, New York, Florida, Maryland, Texas, Delaware, Tennessee, Wisconsin, California, Maryland, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina.
Please help me welcome our new members to the Network Family!
Below is the link to see all new members https://heypapipromotions.com/profiles/members/
Here are some other links so members can fellowship and support each other.
Chat Room:
https://heypapipromotions.com/chat
Events/Activities:
https://heypapipromotions.com/events
Recent News (Blogs)
https://heypapipromotions.com/profiles/blog/list
Prayer Request:
https://heypapipromotions.com/forum
Share the news, invite your family and friends to join our Network!
Membership is always FREE and all our welcome!
Have a blessed week!
Saints of God, let's come together for prayer. Let's come together for revival. We MUST see the Lord move. Come Your Kingdom! Be Done Your Will, Lord!
Join the Prayer Army. We are looking for three hundred (300) prayer warriors, intercessors and praisers to take territory for the Kingdom of God. Psalm 2:8 "Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession."
Tell Them Prayer Page (Jesus Is Lord Over The Golden Triangle)
This is the new post to our Prayer Army site. You are invited to join us! https://www.facebook.com/groups/PrayForBeaumont/
Good morning Prayer Army!
Monday, the last Monday before the New Year begins. The Lord gave me the theme: "If You Obey HIS Word, Your Vision Will Be Seen In 2015!"
Ask the Lord today to give you your personal and ministry "marching orders for the New Year. Write them down and look at them (Write the vision, make it plain...that they may run that readeth it). Know that this is the VISION the Lord has for you in the coming year and Go After It, as was told to the people of Israel.
There are souls in the valley of decision waiting for you and I to get it together in the Spirit and walk in the anointing that the Lord has given us!
By the way, invite someone to join the Prayer Army. Events will be coming soon!
From the book, "First Things First", Russel Board writes on the subject of Prayer.
Today, we continue, with Dr. August S. Francis, to cover the subject of Prayer and the Types of Prayer that are covered, overall, in the Word of God. Prayer is conversation with the Lord and we must take it very seriously. How can we do the work of the Lord without speaking to the one we work for. Let's take a look at His Word!
The new Remnant Church Bible Institute broadcast, "I Can Talk To God" (PRAYER) at http://tobtr.com/s/7187545. Let's go into the things of the Lord!
Remnant Church Bible Institute
Tell Them Prayer Page (Jesus Is Lord Over The Golden Triangle)
