here are as many gods
as there are nations to erect them and if you were born in
Intelligent design:
The fact that we need much of what is in our body to live such as a heart
or lungs, and the system that process the food and breaks it down to feed
the very blood themiesat gives life should tell us quite a bit about intelligent
design. Even the blood pressure is important and if not at the correct pressure
one way or the other we would either die or be very sick. The human body has
many glands that produce chemicals that are in the exact portion necessary
to react with other chemicals in a process to cause thousands of functions
in our mind and body. What about the fact we see things in color and can smell
that which is foul to that which is pleasant.
Without intelligent design our eyes could have been placed on the top of
our feet, or our nose could have been under our arm pits. We could even survive
if evolution or some such thing caused our existence in such a way. We could
survive without teeth at all as we know many have and do for years. Why would
evolution think to give us teeth? When we truly think about our own bodies
and how we can taste food and smell a rose, or feel temperatures of hot and
cold to each degree should in its self convince us that someone not only with
intelligence but love and concern for how we get along designed us. Why would
evolution care if we enjoyed the different taste of fruit? All that would
be required is for those foods that are poison to be bitter and those foods
that are not to be sweet. What about the fact that humans would not even exist
without the man being designed and created with the reproductive tools needed
and also being near the woman as she is designed to receive the sperm into
her egg? How does the egg know to shut the door after one sperm has entered?
How does the egg even know there are more sperm coming?
Did you know that there are things in nature that are completely separate,
but can not survive without the other? Many pairs of species are mutually
and completely dependent upon each other even if one is an insect and the
other is a plant. For example, fig trees require fig gall wasps to pollinate
them, and the wasps require the figs to live. The Wasp cannot survive on any
other diet except the figs! If these two were not created at the same time
and close to each other, neither one would exist today. This type of relationship
is called mutualism. It is when two completely separate organisms depend on
each other for survival and both benefit.
So what can we say about our bodies and nature?
A creator God would have to have tested all the many thousands of aspects
of all the creation in order to balance it in all the ways it is balanced.
We did not even get into the rotation of the Earth and its orbit around the
Sun. We did not get into the fact that if the Earth was a fraction off in
or, out of its orbit, or if the Earth did not spin around its axes the speed
and way it does we could not even exist or our weather patterns and seasons
would be so affected that some things might survive but many others would
not! We did not get into the design and delicate balance between the thousands
of seeds and the seasons.
It is evident that if the universe and Earth did not function exactly as it
does the temperatures would vary from hot to cold and not even take the time
to let some things exist. We must remember the very true statement that life
has to come from life. Do you still believe that all this just happened or,
did some thinking, as well as a caring creator design it all? I'm sure the
reader could come up with many more examples of intelligent design if they
thought about it.
The Holy Father and Jesus are a Family:
Our research has revealed that humans are the only created beings on Earth
that needs the family and social relationships for life. That is interesting
because we also find through research that God the Father, and Jesus the Son,
are also involved in a family relationship. They also want us to be involved
with them in a social and family relationship. (We will cover this subject
in more detail later in chapter seven.) All other gods such as the cow, eggs,
trees, the sun, moon, the cross, and statues of humans are false gods and
should not be a part of worshipping the true creator God. We can test and
prove that these false gods cannot create, heal or cause life to exist because
they never have and we have only seen them sit silent unmoving and useless
as far as being a god is concerned.
If we are going to worship someone or something as God,
shouldn't we be very sure they are in fact God?
I realize this is a question most people would rather ignore because
it takes a lot of work to research it, and if one finds they have been worshipping
the wrong god, or worshipping God in the wrong way, they are faced with the
task of finding the true God. There are a lot of different religions in this
world all claiming to be Christian, but they do not agree, nor teach fully,
according to the Bible. Baptist ministers teach what the
If the many different Christian religions don't agree with each other, or even with what Jesus brought from the Holy Father, then how can each of these churches be named Christian? Ever heard someone say..."well WE believe" or I'm a Baptist, or I'm a Catholic. These people are correct…they are a Baptist or Catholic…but are they truly Christian? Do they follow and obey the Christ, named Jesus? Again, there can only be one true Christian doctrine, and that has to come from the Messiah, via the written word given in the Bible! The fact is if they follow the teachings of men and worship the gods of men, then they are the churches of men, and not of God! Let’s take a look at scripture, perhaps in a way you never dared to do in your life. But first let’s understand that one of the first things we must realize about studying the bible is that it's very important to study without preconceived judgments or opinions. It’s very important to get ourselves out of the way and see, as well as accept, what the written word truly teaches. We need to receive understanding from the Holy Spirit as we study the scriptures by getting on our knees asking God to open our understanding by His Holy Spirit. This way we can truly come to an understanding of who Jesus is, and come to know what the plan of salvation is. We can then come to the true savior, in true repentance, receiving in ourselves, at baptism, the Holy Spirit that will help us in our daily walk in this life as a Christian. Have you considered that you can’t even expect your prayers to be answered if you are praying to false gods? That my friend should cause us all great concern!
The
divinity of Jesus:
Jesus came almost 2,000 years ago claiming to be the Messiah, the very Son of God. He claims we must come to Him in order to receive salvation, and that the Old Testament prophesied of Him many times and that He would fulfill all these Prophecies. The thing we must do is take Him up on His word, and look into the Old Testament where He claims it spoke of Him, and see for ourselves if it says what He claims it says, and then check to see if the New Testament accounts back it up. A good place to start is the Prophesy in the Old Testament that God gave in order to prove when the Messiah would come, and by what sign people would know He was truly the Anointed. "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel." Isa 7:14. Notice the Lord Himself will give the sign of a virgin birth. This is to say that God would not allow anyone to come with all these signs unless He was the Messiah. Let's look at what's recorded in Matt 1:22-23 that backs this up "So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us." Note that the old King James version spelled the name "Immanuel" with an "E" but the correct spelling is with an "I" and the Name "Jesus" is a Greek word that is spelled Iesous (ee-ay-sooce'); and is of Hebrew origin [3091] which means a patriarch. In this case it refers to any of the very early Biblical personages regarded as the fathers of the human race, comprising those from Adam to Noah (antediluvian patriarchs) and those between the Deluge and the birth of Abraham. (Webster's Dictionary.)
Let's take a look at the situation, as Jesus had to live it during His life as a human. Here He was an unknown person from a place called Nazareth. It was know that Nazareth was "a city of sin" as we see from history and reflected in John 1:45-46. When Jesus began His ministry of the Gospel message He was not known or respected as a teacher among the people. He was just a carpenter and was supposed uneducated, and one who ate and drank with tax collectors and sinners. (Mark 2:16.) So Jesus was also an outcast of those respected as the authority and leaders of God's chosen people. He came to teach a doctrine that was not being taught (at least correctly) by the great teachers of His day. The people were cunningly made to believe that unless a man was "approved by the scholars" he should not have the authority to preach. The reason for this is so those at the top could insure THEIR doctrine is taught in all studies. Just like today if one does not belong to “the club” they are outcast and the people are told that this outcast is a false minister. (Never mind if God sent him!) So when Jesus began teaching contrary to the teaching of the Pharisees, He came under fire at once not only by the people, but also by the established institutions. From the very day Jesus refuted them using their own scriptures, they began to do their best to discredit Him in every way, and they knew that if they were unable to do so, His teachings would bring to light the truth and they would be exposed as false teachers.
The Pharisees attack:
Let's
look at some of the ways the Pharisees tried to discredit Jesus and we will
see how those who claim authority today try to discredit God's people.
1) They claimed He could not be a teacher from God because He would eat with
tax collectors and sinners. Matt 9:11. (So don't be seen with a known sinner
until they have cleaned up their act completely overcoming their sins.)
2) They pointed out that they fast often, but Jesus' disciples did not fast. Matt 9:14. (This was to say they were righteous, and because the disciples did not fast then they were sinners. They completely missed the Old Testament scriptures that taught of the new covenant that did not require fasting as righteousness.)
3) They pointed out that His disciples were doing what was not lawful to do
on the Sabbath when they picked corn to eat. Matt 12:2-3. (This was to say
Jesus and His disciples could not be of God because they were lawbreakers.
Again, they missed the point of the Messiah and the new covenant.)
4) They tried to publicly discredit Him by asking for a sign. They wanted
to try and prove to the people He was false when He could not (or would not)
do it. Matt 12:38. However when Jesus did show His authority by healing the
sick, or causing the blind to see, they stated that He did it by the power
of the Devil.
5) They pointed out that His disciples transgressed the tradition of the elders
when they did not wash their hands while eating bread. Notice that this was
just the "tradition" of the elders, and not the law of God. Matt
15:1-2.
After they could not refute Jesus in all this they sought to get Him in trouble with the governing authority by plotting a way to entangle Him with His own words. They first confessed what they knew to be true stating they knew He was the Messiah and, He taught the way of God in truth, and that He would teach the truth regardless of who He was speaking to or about. Then they asked; "what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?" Matt 22:15-17. They thought He would denounce any regard to man's government knowing then that this would give them the leverage they needed to go to Rome and have this man put to death for treason. But Jesus is wise and knew their hearts and told them to render to Caesar that which belonged to Caesar, and render to God, which belonged to God. When all this failed they did the only thing they could, and that was to get Him on something He did say, but twisting it in such a way as to make it sound wrong. Remember that they brought out that Jesus had claimed to be the Son of God, and the savior of all mankind, and that He would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days? This was considered as blasphemy and a reason to put Him to death according to their law. And so He was accused, and so He was put to death. And so they rejected their savior.
What they did not understand was that Jesus came by the authority of God and was the greatest of all the prophets God had ever sent. He came with a message that could only come once, and be delivered by someone so great that the message could never be destroyed by the powers of darkness in high places. This message is a living on going message because it was delivered by a blood sacrifice from God Himself, and as God swearing on Himself, there can be no greater or complete eternal promise to those that will believe. This is the very reason NO MAN should ever change the true gospel or the doctrines of Jesus; lest he be cursed. Let's take heed to what we preach as the word of God; let's study to find the truth so we can preach by the authority of the very Son that sits on the throne in heaven and let's never forget that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth!
An
Anti-Christ Teaching:
The anti-Christ attempt to destroy anything that validates Jesus' divinity
and according to them Mary the mother of Jesus was not a virgin. The fact
that God sent an angel to tell Joseph, as God had inspired the prophet Isaiah
to speak and say that God Himself would give the sign of a virgin birth has
no meaning for them. In fact, the deceivers say that the word "virgin"
in Isaiah 7:14 actually means, "the young woman" not virgin. This
is where he uses cunning lies to deceive. He states (hoping you will not check
up on him) that the Hebrew word `almah for virgin in Isaiah 7:14 means "young
girl", when in fact bethulah is the Hebrew word that best conveys "young
girl". `Almah is the clearest word Isaiah could have chosen to convey
the idea of virginity. Let's look at how `almah is used in the Song of Sol.
6:7-8. "Like a piece of pomegranate are your temples behind your veil.
There are sixty queens and eighty concubines, and virgins without number."
Look at the word virgin ('almah). The meaning here is clearly "virgin"
in regards to a woman whom has never been with a man! Brethren, if they were
not virgins in the true sense, they absolutely would not have been chosen
for the King. There are many other contexts in which a young girl's virginity
is used with the word `almah. Thus `almah appears to be used more for the
concept of "virgin" than that of "maiden," yet always
of a woman who had not borne a child. This makes it the ideal word to be used
in Isa. 7:14. Also remember the statement a few verses down "and shall
call His name Immanuel." The name Immanuel means God among us. This title
could not be given to anyone other than the Messiah, so when the angel told
them His name would be called Emmanuel, they knew who this child was. Matt.
1:20-23.
Let's look at some things that no ordinary man could do or fake. Remember, many people that were present recorded Jesus' actions. Even some that did not follow Him were forced to admit in the end that He truly was the Son of God. There has never been to my knowledge a false Christ that can claim all the authentic points of Prophesy that Jesus can claim. One fact that many people leave out about the coming Messiah is, that Prophesy stated there would be one that would come before Him in the spirit of Elijah. Mal 4:5-6. "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse." Let's also look at what Jesus taught concerning John the Baptist. Matt 11:7-15 "As they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? "But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. "But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet." For this is he of whom it is written: 'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You. Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come. "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"
So we see that there was one who came in the power of Elijah preparing the way for Jesus the Messiah, and we will see later on in this book that Elijah is to come again in these last days to prepare the way for Jesus' second coming. It's very possible one of the two witnesses of Revelation 11 will come in the spirit of Elijah, because they are preparing the way for Jesus' second coming, crying for repentance, and they will also be given power very much like Moses and Elijah. Please note that I'm not saying that these men are Moses and Elijah resurrected, but that they will come in the spirit of these men.
Jesus' True Lineage:
Those with the spirit of anti-Christ say that Jesus could not be the Messiah,
and say it can be proven through His lineage. Man can't be the judge on this
matter so let's go into a court of law that can't be refuted and let God
be the judge of all the facts concerning Jesus' family ties to King David
and prove if Jesus is in fact who He claims to be. The accuser presents his
case by saying Jesus could not be the Christ because His lineage did not go
through King Solomon. He asserts that God stated the throne would be established
through the lineage of King David and so had to go through King Solomon who
was King David's son. The accuser brings out the Old Testament, and reads
from I Kings 9:4-5; "Now if you walk before Me as your father David walked,
in integrity of heart and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have
commanded you, and if you keep My statutes and My judgments, "then I
will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, as I promised
David your father, saying, 'You shall not fail to have a man on the throne
of Israel.'
After reading he states: "We see here that God promised to establish the throne of Solomon's kingdom over Israel forever! Which means the Messiah would have to come from that lineage. He states that the written word of God is proof, and cannot be refuted." Then he goes to the lineage of Joseph recorded in Matt 1:1-18; and after reading he states that we can see clearly that Joseph's lineage was in fact from King Solomon. The deceiver states now that Jesus claimed He was conceived of the Holy Spirit, and not of Joseph, so He could not be the anointed one who would sit on the throne of David because He was not born of Joseph. It would seem that he has proven from the Old Testament and Jesus' own words and lineage that Jesus could not be the Messiah prophesied to come. This is very important because if Jesus is to be our savior then He MUST meet the entire test of Old Testament scripture. I'm sure there are some reading this know the answer to this deception that Darrel Conder used to deceive many of God's people. Some brethren just discount the statements he made and continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah without looking into it. That may be fine for some however I and my wife must know why we believe what we do.
If we take the facts given above at face value and not study into it deeper such a cleaver statement could deceive us! It is very true that if Jesus' lineage had to be through the lineage of King Solomon Jesus could not be our savior and the Messiah. Let's look into God's word and turn back to I Kings 9:4-7; and notice vs. (6 & 7); "If King Solomon kept God's commandments, and statutes, and never serve other gods or worship them; his throne would continue forever, which means it would have to be the same throne the Messiah would sit upon forever, also. Question is; did King Solomon turn from God and worship other gods? Let's turn to I King 11:4-6 "For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the LORD his God, as was the heart of his father David. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and did not fully follow the LORD, as did his father David."
We see here King Solomon did in fact serve other gods and worshipped them. Yes, the Word of God is proof, and cannot be refuted." What did God say to King Solomon concerning the promise? "Therefore the LORD said to Solomon, "Because you have done this, and have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant." I King 11:11. Because God promised that the anointed would have to come from the lineage of King David, but now could not bring it through Solomon's lineage, because he worshipped other gods; whom did God give it to? The term used here, "give it to your servant." Can also mean "give it to your younger" and as you will soon see this is what God must have meant.
Let's turn to Luke 3:23-38; so we can find the answer through a lineage many
would never consider, Mary the mother of Jesus. The reason many would not
consider Mary's lineage is because by law, the lineage of Mary (or any woman)
was not allowed in Jesus' time, so the term "as was supposed the son
of Joseph, the son of Heli," was used. We found that Heli is used only
once in the bible so the question was who is this man? After much research
we found that Heli was the father of Mary, so we are looking at the lineage
of Mary through her father. Mary's lineage in fact traces to Nathan who was
also a son of King David, but just as important he was also the younger brother
of Solomon as proven in the records of 1Chr 14:3-7; 1Chr. 3:5. Let's read
it. "Then David took more wives in
Closing statements:
The lineage of Jesus is not only a matter of record in the New Testament,
but in the Old Testament as well. The fact that the accuser states that Jesus
had to be born of the lineage of Solomon in order to be the Messiah is ludicrous
in light of the fact that the Messiah is pure, and had to come from a lineage
that was never defiled, like Jehoiakim and his son Jechoniah, as well as coming
from King David, as God had promised. You see how God tricked Satan into thinking
he had to attack the lineage of King Solomon in order to destroy the seed
of the Messiah thus preventing salvation for the World long before its time.
As Satan was working on those from Solomon's lineage Nathan's lineage was
growing unmolested. The true lineage of Jesus proves without a doubt He is
the Christ who was prophesied to come and give His life as the eternal sacrifice
and a ransom for the world as the old temple sacrifices pictured. "I
submit into evidence the record of Jesus' true lineage." (See chart in Appendix).
The One with the Keys of David is the Messiah:
There are many men coming in the name of Jesus, stating they have been given
the keys to the Kingdom of heaven. They teach that only one man at any given
time can have the keys and the one who have received the keys are the head
of the true Church of God, and we must follow them as they are the ones God
is working with, and revealing truth to. They all tend to teach that they
also have the ear of God and can even bring new doctrines to the church. A
very important question is if this is true we need to know who is telling
the truth about who should have these keys, right? Because this is so important
let's take a look into the bible to find out what is truly taught and not
what some man teaches that could be for his own gain. The scripture many use
to teach that God has given them the keys is Matt 16:18-19. which states "And
I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My Church,
and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the
keys of the Kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound
in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
This scripture seems to state that Jesus turned over the keys of the Kingdom to Peter, and as the ministers today teach, someone must inherit these keys down through time, and the one who receives them will be God's only true lead minister heading up God's true Church. When scripture is quoted to try and prove man's ideas we must study deeper before we accept it as truth so let's take a close look at this verse in Matt 16:18-19. Let's read it and look at it as if we were in a court of law. "And I also say to you that you are "Peter", (This word "Peter" in the Greek is "Petros" meaning a small piece of rock) Then Jesus continues to state...and on this "rock" (This word in the Greek is "petra " meaning a large rock) I will build My Church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it and I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." We see here now that this scripture denotes two different sizes of rocks, one a pebble, (Peter - Petros) and the other a large stone (Jesus - Petra). When Jesus stated that "on this "rock I will build my Church." Jesus was in truth speaking of Himself as the "Petra" (The large rock.)
Is there scripture in the old Testament Prophecies that state this very thing and if so who was the Prophecy speaking about? Let's look at the scriptures that verify this in Isa 22:22, to find out. "The key of the house of David" I will lay on His shoulder; so He shall open, and no one shall shut; and He shall shut, and no one shall open." We find in our research that the keys to the house of David are referring to the promise that the Messiah shall sit on the throne of David, and the throne with the keys belongs to Him alone. Isa 9:6-7 "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this." Notice that the very thing Jesus stated in the scripture in Matt 16:18-19 that "whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." is also stated about the Messiah in old Testament Prophecy. This information should put to rest any teaching that some minister has the Keys to the Kingdom.
There are many other important keys that belong to the Messiah which are the keys to the grave, and death that will be used to call us in the resurrection. Rev. 18:1. The keys to the seven seals of which no one in heaven or earth were found worthy to open. The keys to enter into the Holy of Holies to speak to the Holy Father for us. The keys to all the churches. The keys to the bottomless pit that will be given to the angel to lock Satan, and the demons, as well as the great false prophet in before Jesus returns. The keys to the new city that will come down from God the Father. Can a man have these keys? Can a man use them the way Jesus will? Can a man enter into heaven and speak to the Father for all mankind? Is there any on earth worthy to hold these keys? I think not! We read in Rev 3:7, which is yet future, that Jesus (the Lamb of God) will still have these keys. Let's read it. "These things says He who is holy, He who is true, "He who has the key of David," He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens", and in Rev. 1:18 Jesus states "I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death."
It's Jesus (not some Pope or minister) with these keys who will call many
from their graves, and then those who remain of His called-out ones to become
Spirit born Children of God at His second coming. The truth is, Jesus would
never turn the keys of the Kingdom over to any man or angel. God the Father
is the supreme ruler, and Jesus sits at His right hand. Remember in Rev. 5:2
"Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who
is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?" Just as there
was no one worthy except Jesus the Messiah to open the seals, there's no one
in heaven or earth except Him worthy to have the keys to the Kingdom. Any
man would have to be perfect in all things to be able to use the keys in a
way that was for the good of all but the scriptures teach that no man or woman
on earth is righteous as we find in Rom 3:10-11. "As it is written: "There
is none righteous, no, not one; The scripture in Rom7:18-19 also states that
in this human flesh dwell no good thing. Let's read it so we can see for ourselves.
"For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for
to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.
For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do,
that I practice." So brethren if the apostle Paul would not think he
was worthy then I submit that no one should ever be so bold as to think they
can have the very keys that were given to the Messiah alone. There is not
one scripture that states any of the apostles had the keys to the
There are those however that have in the past and do today try to take them, but this only shows they are the false ministers that Jesus warned us about in many scriptures. Remember, Jesus stated that no one can come to the Father except through Him. That means He alone has ALL the keys to the Kingdom that is coming. It was Satan from the very beginning that wanted to rule in God's place, and it's this very attitude that God hates and will put down when He returns. When anyone sets up a hierarchical type Church government and states that they have been given the keys to the Kingdom of heaven, they are taking upon themselves the great authority of God Himself. They are putting themselves in the place of the Messiah thus becoming a false messiah, because the true Messiah is the ONLY one from the house of David with these keys as we read in old Testament Prophecy, so don't be taken in by these false ministers, and false Christ.
History also proves Jesus as the Messiah:
Many Roman sources show awareness that Jesus was an historical figure as well
as a teacher of the new covenant. Roman historians, like Tacitus, (Annals
15.44) record that the Christian movement began with Jesus, who was sentenced
to death by Pontius Pilate. Suetonius (Claudius 25.4) refers to the expulsion
of the Jews from
The Babylonian Talmud says that Jeshu ha-Nocri (Jesus) was a false prophet who was hanged on the eve of the Passover for sorcery and false teaching, and other Jewish sources tell us that He was a Jewish teacher who was put to death for sorcery and false prophecy, and that He had a brother named James. Remember the Jews will record Jesus as a teacher to this day but will not recognize Him as the Messiah. The Jewish evidence is valuable because of the hostility between Jews and Christians at the time, and although they denounce Jesus, they prove His existence, and as you will see by the four miracles listed below they validate His divinity. I read about the four miracles in the book titled “Restoring the Original Bible” by Dr. Ernest Martin a number of years ago and then researched it for myself and found it to be correct. The information below is from my own research.
The Jews Sanhedrin murdered
Jesus, as well as the apostles, and they have wanted to eradicate all Christian
teachings since. Those that are against Jesus the Messiah get very upset when
we denounce their religion, and try to make it seem we are against them as
a people, but we are NOT AGAINST them as a people. If fact they are our brothers,
but as long as they try to eradicate the teachings of Jesus concerning the
new covenant, we must continue to defend it.
I have no way of going back in time to prove if these things
truly happened no more then I can go back to prove all the history of the
United States so we can only take this information at the same face value
as all history, however, there is no reason for them to have falsified this
information because they were writing it down as it occurred and there were
many priests who witnessed these things as well. In fact Josephus the Jewish
historian was one of those priests in the temple at the time. These four miracles
listed below occurred not just once or twice, but for 40 years. The fact that
these four signs are in the Jerusalem Talmud and those recorded by Josephus
proves that the Jewish authorities recognized their validity. They may not
have understood the true meanings of these miracles, but they did not deny
them! I believe, and think you will see that they were a warning by God Himself,
to the Jewish leaders in the temple that they had rejected the Messiah who
God sent to redeem the world as was prophesied in their own Torah. So
God would remind them for 40 years, before the temple was to be destroyed,
as Jesus foretold.
Miracle 1) The high priest would select a stone from a closed box for the right hand goat on the Day of Atonement ceremonies. It was desirable to pick the white stone because the white stone pictured the coming Messiah. For a period of 40 years from the year of Jesus' death, and resurrection from A.D. 30 to A.D. 70 the high priest always selected at random the black stone for the right hand goat on the Day of Atonement ceremonies. Although the white stone was picked at random from the closed box in times past, the priest never was able to select the white stone again after Jesus' resurrection.
Miracle 2) The western lamp of the Menorah, which was to stay lit continually, went out every night for 40 years without fail. The western lamp represented the Messiah and was to stay lit until the Messiah was to come. The fact that it went out every night regardless of what they tried to do to keep it burning showed He had came, and this started right after Jesus was crucified.
Miracle 3) The crimson thread (cord) on the garment of the high priest never turned white for 40 years, although it changed from white to crimson throughout the years prior to Christ as was supposed, God either being satisfied, or dissatisfied with their actions. The fact that it stayed crimson for 40 years right after Jesus was crucified showed that God was not pleased with the ones who rejected Jesus' sacrifice.
Miracle 4) The last miracle was that the Hekel gate opened on their own accord, until R. Yohanan b. Zakkai rebuked them. (The Jerusalem Talmud, Sotah 6:3) The works of Josephus relate this event in "Wars of the Jews" page 582 - 3 which states; "Moreover, the eastern gate of the inner [court of the] temple, which was of brass, and vastly heavy, and had been with difficulty shut by twenty men, and rested upon a basis armed with iron, and had bolts fastened very deep into the firm floor, which was there made of one entire stone, was seen to be opened of its own accord about the sixth hour of the night. Now those that kept watch in the temple came hereupon running to the captain of the temple, and told him of it; who then came up thither, and not without great difficulty was able to shut the gate again. This also appeared to the vulgar to be a very happy prodigy, as if God did thereby open them the gate of happiness. But the men of learning understood it, that the security of their holy house was dissolved of its own accord, and that the gate was opened for the advantage of their enemies. So these publicly declared that the signal foreshowed the desolation that was coming upon them." This was also prophesied by Zechariah (Zec.11:1.)
More History as Proof:
Many events concerning the Messiah (the Anointed) are prophesied in the Old
Testament, and fulfilled in the New Testament. Although we can tie these Old
Testament prophecies to Jesus we still have the scoffers saying that these
things were written in after the fact, or just made up altogether. What did
God say in Deut 18:21-22? "And if you say in your heart, 'How shall we
know the word which the LORD has not spoken?'--"when a prophet speaks
in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that
is the thing which the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously;
you shall not be afraid of him." It is very important to note that God
is saying He will not allow any event to come to pass if He did not send the
prophet. Just as we saw concerning the prophases of Jesus' birth in Isa. 7:14,
that God would be the one that would give the sign of a virgin birth. It cannot
happen unless God allows it to happen, and that should be proof enough. The
same can be true of Jesus and the New Testament. Let's read what Jesus foretold
in Matt. 24:1-3 "Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and
His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said
to them, "Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not
one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down."
Jesus prophesied that the temple would be destroyed. Did God back Him up on this showing that Jesus was truly sent by God? In A.D. 70 the temple was destroyed, and as Josephus recorded just prior to its destruction some very strange events occurred. 1) A great light shone around the altar for a half-hour. 2) The great and heavy gate that took 20 strong men to close opened by itself. (This showed that God was letting in their enemies.) 3) Then at the feast called "Pentecost" there was a great earthquake, and a great noise, and after that they heard a sound as of a great multitude, saying, "Let us remove hence" Josephus War VI. 3. P.582. God left the temple, and then it was destroyed, and notice, God left the temple on Pentecost, the very day the Holy Spirit was given to God's first fruits 40 years earlier. Remember that God the Father will not back up the Prophesy if He did not agree with the one who was Prophesying, and Jesus foretold that the temple would be destroyed. As all Jews, and the children of Israel know; God always protected His Temple down through time, unless He was very angry with the priest; so the very fact that God warned the priest for 40 years (the time of testing) and then allowed it to be destroyed should tell the Jews something. The very fact that the temple has not been rebuilt for over 2,000 years should tell the Jews that Jesus is the Messiah they have been looking for.
Prophesies that Predicts Jesus' Purpose and Crucifixion:
Jesus stated that He would be in the grave three days and three nights,
but if we use what man teaches and count the time from Friday (Good Friday)
at the 9th hour (3 p.m.) to the so called Sunday resurrection to see if we
can get 3 days and 3 nights we will see it does not add up. If you want to
do a test on this, go ask someone how long Jonah was in the belly of the great
fish? (With out mentioning Christ's resurrection.) Then ask them to tell you
what completes three days and three nights? If they have not caught on at
this point, ask about the scripture where Jesus stated He would be in the
grave the same amount of time that Jonah was in the belly of the great fish.
Matt. 12:40-41. We must understand that the fact He stated three days and
three nights is one of the proofs, or signs of who would be the coming savior.
Jesus cannot be your savior if He was not in the grave three days and three
nights, and even Jesus Himself stated what was meant by a day and a night.
Let's read; Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If
anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of
this world. John 11:9. Jesus stated... "The men of Nineveh will rise
up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented
at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here."
Matt 12:41.
More Prophesies to be explained:
There's some interesting Prophesies
recorded in the Old Testament that describes Jesus, and the crucifixion that
just could not be faked. These descriptions of the Messiah point to Jesus
in every way. Isa 53:1-12. "Who has believed our report? And to whom
has the arm of the LORD been revealed? For He shall grow up before Him as
a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground." The statement "as
a root out of dry ground" means Jesus came at a time when the priests
of Jerusalem were teaching doctrines of the old Babylonian religion and the
ground of the true doctrines was dry and the truth was dead. Mal 3:3 "He
will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; he will purify the sons of
Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer to the LORD an
offering in righteousness." (Notice that the Messiah would purify the
sons of Levi which is the priesthood, and Jesus did just that, and then became
the offering in righteousness for them and all mankind.) Jesus was a Jew but
He was and is to this day against the religious leaders of His day because
they lead the people away from the truth about the Messiah. Notice in Mal.
3:3 that He was to purify the sons of Levi which meant the priesthood. Any
serious student of the Bible will know that Jesus quoted from the Old Testament
often proving the priests doctrines were lies, and He would even refer to
the Great Sanhedrin as a den of vipers. (They hated Jesus for exposing the
false teachings they brought from Babylon and those they made up for their
own gain.) Continuing in verse 2 of Isa. 53 "He has no form or comeliness;
and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised
and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid,
as it were, our faces from Him; he was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him
stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions,
he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon
Him, and by His stripes we are healed."
"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. (This is speaking of the spiritual healing we receive through His sacrifice) He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; he was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment, and who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of My people He was stricken. And they made His grave with the wicked-- but with the rich at His death because He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; he has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, he shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand. He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, (Counted as a criminal) and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors."
When one looks at these statements written hundreds of years before Jesus was born, we must ask…If Jesus was not the true Messiah God the Father sent, then how did He get everyone to go along with it all so well? It was said of Him that no one would believe Him, and He would be despised, and rejected, and Jesus was. Also notice when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. God hides truth in a place we least expect it because He desires for us to accept the truth because it's true; not because some man looks good or has a smooth way of speaking. Satan easily deceives many people by sending someone that is handsome and a smooth speaker. Satan uses this type of person so people will follow a man, and not the truth.
Continuing on…"He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted." People mocked Jesus as He hung there on the stake saying…"If You're the Christ, save Yourself." Most people rejected Jesus, and even laughed at Him when He would proclaim He was the Messiah. Luke 23:39 Also, notice that "He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed." (The term and "by His stripes we are healed" means that He was beaten beyond recognition so we could receive physical healing from the Father.) This is exactly what Jesus did for all mankind. Notice in vs. 6 that the Lord laid all OUR sins on Him. Also see 1Pet. 2:24. In vs. 9 "And they made His grave with the wicked-- but with the rich at His death, because He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth." Matt. 27:38; Matt. 27:57-60. Jesus was killed with thieves on each side and buried in the rich man's tomb. Although Jesus had to suffer and die for our transgressions, God our Father has prospered Him, and will prosper Him even more as many people come to Him for salvation to live in the God family forever. In vs. 12 "He made intercession for the transgressors." Rom. 8:26; Rom. 8:27; Rom. 8:34 & Heb. 7:25.
We can find another outstanding prophecy about Jesus' crucifixion recorded in the book of Psalms. "They gape at Me with their mouths, like a raging and roaring lion. I am poured out like water, and all My bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it has melted within Me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and My tongue clings to My jaws; you have brought Me to the dust of death. For dogs have surrounded Me; the congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots." Ps 22:13-18. King David wrote these words describing in great detail the agony of hanging on a stake, yet King David never had it happen to him. Also notice the account of them dividing His garments among them, and for His clothing they cast lots. This was recorded in Mark 15:24 "And when they crucified Him, they divided His garments, casting lots for them to determine what every man should take." We can just read over these words without thinking about them, or we can deeply consider the facts here. Could Jesus have fulfilled this Prophesy by acting it out just because He read about it in the Psalms? That's what the pagans and anti-Christ would have us believe, but many people witnessed this event and recorded it just as it happened. Let's carefully think about how one would fake this and get everyone to go along.
What were the other notable events witnessed by thousands of people? Matt. 27:50-53. Imagine seeing your mother or grand-father whom you know for a fact died, walking around. God resurrected these people back to physical life to prove that Jesus was truly the Son of the LIVING GOD who has power over life itself. There was a great earthquake at the very time of Jesus' death and the veil of the temple was torn in two showing that mankind now had direct access to God our Father, bringing in a new covenant that would be finalized at Pentecost seven weeks later. This may not seem very important to many Christians today but the Jews knew just what it meant! It was a rending of the old covenant--to be replaced with the new covenant. No longer was the temple needed for sacrifice, burnt offerings, meal offerings, and such. Jesus had become the eternal sacrifice for all who would believe and repent and be baptized in His Name. Even those who did not believe at first had to change their mind when they witnessed these great events as we see recorded in Matt 27:54. "So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, (Like the veil being torn in two) they feared greatly, saying, "Truly this was the Son of God!"
Another Anti-Christ Lie:
The anti-Christ will say there have been many men who have come saying they
were the Christ, and had just as much proof as Jesus. The fact is Jesus exhibited
ALL the fruits of the Holy Spirit in His life as well as the fulfillment of
Prophesy. That's impossible if He was not the Son of God, and our savior that
was prophesied to come. Love is the greatest test that never fails to prove
the absolute genuine Christian character and as we read in John 10:11-15,
Jesus was the true shepherd and we see here why He was the good shepherd.
"I am the good shepherd; The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.
But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep,
sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches
the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and
does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep,
and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father;
and I lay down My life for the sheep."
We see here that we can even to this very day know if someone is coming in the true Name of Jesus and preaching the true Gospel by the fact that they will be doing it the same way Jesus did. A person can say anything, and even sound very convincing, but what we truly love, and our true motives will come out in time and when it gets down to ones very life all truth is made known. God the Father loves us so much that He gave the life of His Son so we could be redeemed to Him. Jesus could have sinned, and been lost forever, because His flesh was subject to sin and death just as ours. God and Jesus took a great risk, and Jesus stated that there's no love greater than for a man to give his life for his friends. John 15:12-14. "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you." Did you catch that? Jesus called us His friend; what greater thing can we have but to be the friend of God?
Let's ask these anti-Christ' who claim that these false christ' were not any different than Jesus, to show us where are their works? Where's the power of their sacrifice? Where's this kind of love that can come from the Holy Father and Jesus alone? Do the Old Testament Prophecies declare their works? Can they prove by their lineage they came from King David by way of Nathan? Was any born of a virgin whom conceived from the very Holy Spirit of The Holy Father in heaven? Did Elijah the Prophet come before them? Did the veil of the temple tear at their death? Did any have the power to bring the dead back to life or heal those that believed? Where's their proof? They have no proof…just lies! There are far too many requirements that must be complied with for any man to be able to work out. The only one that could have possibly complied with all the requirements noted in this chapter would have to be sent by the Holy Father in Heaven.
Just Who Was Jesus?
Jesus and His apostles were poor, and lived a life of great hardship. Later on
the apostles were beaten, stoned, starved, rejected, cast into prison, and
murdered for the gospel of Jesus the Messiah. Did they go through all that for
money, and glory, or was it because they knew Jesus was the Son of the living
God? These men knew there was no end to their suffering until death, and their
suffering was due to their preaching of which they could quit any time. It
would surely take all the things they witnessed while with Christ, as well as
to see Him beaten, and dead on the stake, then alive, completely healed three
days later; for them to give their lives for the true gospel Jesus preached.
Was the Christ of the Bible a pale faced skinny young man who had long hair flowing down His back kneeling in a long purple robe like we see in the pictures? Did Jesus walk around timid, lacking in courage, lacking in self-confidence, boldness or determination? No! The TRUE Jesus, your savior, spoke with an unmistakable ring of AUTHORITY in His voice because He knew He was sent by the Holy Father. He was not intimidated by the Great Sanhedrin. He spoke with great knowledge coupled with wisdom as the Father gave Him to speak. He understood the Scriptures better than the religious leaders of His day. He refuted, and condemned the Babylonian Jewish religion of the Great Sanhedrin by the words of the Old Testament. Unlike what the false teachers of today want you to believe, Christ was not skinny or weak; remember He was a carpenter by trade and had to work with His hands. He had great endurance carrying large timbers and stone. He had to cut these beams and stone with the tools of His day. His hands were callused, His muscles very strong. He fasted 40 days in the wilderness and spoke to great crowds for hours in the hot sun with a booming voice. He cast out the moneychangers with a whip, and boldly went to the Pharisees and Sadducees and publicly branded them as hypocrites. Brethren, the Jesus of your Bible is not the weakling portrayed by the false teachers of this world! The true Jesus, The Son of the living God, is a real hero anyone can admire and look up to for strength, wisdom and truth. He is the very type of person we should want to imitate.
He is the ROCK of our salvation, and the only true savior of mankind. There's no other savior; there can be no other way to the Kingdom except through Jesus the Messiah. He is able to bring us into the Kingdom if we will just trust, and obey Him, and follow Him wherever He goes. Jesus would never keep the holidays of Christmas, Easter, or Halloween. He would never have anything to do with a cross as a thing to use in worship to the Holy Father in heaven. Jesus is the true loving shepherd that would never use people for gain like the false ministers do with the tithing burden they place on poor widows. Brethren, don't let one of these wolves in shepherd's clothing lead you away from such a great loving and powerful friend as we have in our Messiah Jesus.
Table of Contents | Chapter three