

Is Jesus for the Jewish?

By William Dean Hamilton

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2014 William Dean Hamilton

Table of contents

Introduction

Prophecy

Introduction to prophecy

Man of Sorrows

Who is the Redeemer?

Zechariah

The Harmony of the Branch

The LORD is Our Righteousness

Palm of the Hand

A Few Chapters from Isaiah

Psalms 22-24

Crush the Head of the Serpent

Promises to David

The House of David like God

God Loves David

The End of Psalm 18

The Good Shepherd

The Chosen Man

One Shepherd

Smite the Shepherd

Daniels prophecy

Jeremiah 31

Gall to Drink

Thirty Pieces of Silver

The Lowly King

The Son of Man

Salt of the offering

Darkness

Elisha Greater than Elijah?

Hold the Skirt of a Jew

Greater Works

If the Time wasn't Shortened

The Increase in Wars

The Gospel is Preached to all Nations and Languages

1/3 of the World and Counting

Psalm 110

Psalm 2

The Spirit of the LORD

Fine Fruits

The Stony Heart

Redeemed

The Ransom

Who is the Servant?

Another Rock?

Psalm 16

Fishing for Men

The Third Day

Judas

The Seven Churches of Asia

Prophecies in the Psalms

Other Arguments

What are the Possibilities?

If God Became a Man, then what would he be like?

Pact Made Directly with God

The Blind and Forgiven

The only High Priest with the Qualifications to do the Job

Empty Tomb

Size of the scroll in Zechariah

Molten Calf

Historical Evidence of the Rock

Eusebius

Reliability of New Testament Texts

The Beginning and the End

Symbolic Verses and double meanings

Introduction

Adam

Joseph

Noah

Samson

The Story of Isaac and Abraham

Daniel and the Lion's Den

Solomon

The Feasts

David's Brothers

Two Widows

Strike the Rock

Fasting

Hannah and Mary

Jesus and Elisha

Jesus and Moses

Samson and John

Parables

Ezekiel's Vision

Common Objections

Sacrifice

God is One Name

The Invisible God

Is Jesus God according to the New Testament?

Did Jesus Abolish the Torah?

The Jewish Didn't Recognize the Messiah

Anti-Semitism

Closing

Bibliography

Introduction

I have written this book so that if anyone who is Jewish wants to see if Jesus is the Messiah, they can read and see the amazing amount of evidence that Jesus is not only the Messiah, but God. I haven't read very many other books on the subject, but one difference that think would separate the book is that I believe that Jewish people can be saved. I have wondered about this since I was a child. Obviously Jewish people were saved before Jesus came. At what point did they have to convert to retain salvation (since I was a child I have realized that one cannot lose salvation)?

But looking at the scriptures I see Luke 12:8-9:

8. Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God:

9. But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.

It seems straightforward until you get to the next verse.

10. And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven.

So you have to confess Jesus before men, but if you blasphemy against him, it'll be forgiven? It was years later when I understood. John 1:1, 14:

1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

14. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

In the Trinity, Jesus is not represented as the son. John 5:7:

7. For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

If we see Jesus as being God's word, then anyone who is saved is saved by faith in the Word of God, but anyone who blasphemies against the historical man Jesus will be forgiven. Thus, Jewish people can be saved.

Abraham was saved because he had faith in the word of God. Moses led the people of Israel from Egypt because he had faith in the word of God. Judaism was such a radical change from all of the other religions not only because of the singularity of God, but because of the lack of icons and idols. When you take away all of the physical representations of God, then all that is left of him is his Word (and thus meaning). This is essential to God's plan, and has created a religion that has surpassed all others in longevity and popularity.

Open your hearts and hear the truth. May God above bless you in reading this book. I hope that you get something from this book, even if you do not agree with me. I hope none of you is offended because I say the forms of God's name, but do we honor God more by hiding his name or shouting it from the rooftops? I also have to say his name sometimes because it is crucial to some arguments.

Prophecy

Introduction to prophecy

I am going to let you first know about the many prophecies that Jesus fulfilled and a few that were made by Jesus or other New Testament writers that have come true. Moses gives us a test for the prophet in Deuteronomy 13:1-3:

1"If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder,

2 and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, 'Let us go after other gods'—which you have not known—'and let us serve them,'

3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

Deuteronomy 18:18-22:

18 I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.

19 And it shall be _that_ whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require _it_ of him.

20 But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.'

21 And if you say in your heart, 'How shall we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?'—

22 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.

1.The prophet does not say to worship other gods.

2. The prophet can foretell the future.

Jesus wouldn't be disqualified on the first account because he isn't saying that he is another god, he says he is God.

Let's look at a prophecy from the Old Testament and a prophecy from Jesus that seem to contradict. Ezekiel 36:10:

10. And I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, even all of it: and the cities shall be inhabited, and the wastes shall be builded:

Historically, this refers to the restoration of the Jewish people to Israel in the past century.

Jesus said in Matthew 11:20-23:

20. Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not:

21. Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

22. But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.

23. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.

Jesus cursed these three cities. If both of the passages were God's Word, Jesus' statements about the three cities would be clarifications of the previous promise of restoration of the cities of Israel. If Jesus isn't a prophet, why hasn't God restored these cities to Israel? Not only do you have the direct fulfilling of a prophecy of Jesus, it is at odds with the prophecy of God. Have you read how God dealt with Baal and the other gods? If Jesus wasn't a prophet, would the God of Heaven allow it to seem that he has fulfilled a prophecy in direct opposition with his own prophet and the Law of Moses?

Man of Sorrows

Isaiah 53:1-12:

1. Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?

2. For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

3. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

5. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

6. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

7. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

8. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

9. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

10. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt 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.

11. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

12. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

The line, "He was wounded for our transgression and bruised for our iniquities" speaks of the substitutionary principal that is present in only the New Testament. This is affirmed by the line, "He bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressor." The line about Jesus making his grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death was fulfilled very literally with Jesus, a rich man gave him his grave and he was crucified with two thieves. In addition, it is said that he died a relatively young man, and had no seed. There something implied in "he shall prolong his days" rather than a long life. His life being prolonged referred to his resurrection for it also says he is to die, and his seed are those who he has saved. The Messiah is also identified with a lamb.

Who is the Redeemer?

Psalms 35:1-3:

1. Plead my cause, O Lord, with them that strive with me: fight against them that fight against me.

2. Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for mine help.

3. Draw out also the spear, and stop the way against them that persecute me: say unto my soul, I am thy salvation.

Psalms 28:8-9:

8. The Lord is their strength, and he is the saving strength of his anointed.

9. Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance: feed them also, and lift them up for ever.

Here we have David saying to God that God is his salvation and strength. This indicates that God is responsible for David's salvation, not David.

Genesis 48:16:

16. The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of thee.

Who is the Angel who redeems?

Isaiah 47:4:

4. As for our redeemer, the Lord of hosts is his name, the Holy One of Israel.

Are we sure?

Isaiah 49:7-9:

7. Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the Lord that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee.

8. Thus saith the Lord, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages;

9. That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places.

So, it is God who is the redeemer, and it is the Holy One of Israel that is given for the new covenant with God. This perfectly fits Jesus and his role in establishing a new covenant. He is also a servant to rulers, although rulers have worshiped him. This states that the nation abhors him; the nation generally referred to in the Bible is Israel, which also fits Jesus.

Isaiah 61: 9-10:

9. And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the Lord hath blessed.

10. I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

This says the same thing in a different way. We see here that salvation is equated with clothing covering, as God covers sins. It is God that saves us from God's wrath.

Amos 2:6:

6. Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes;

Jesus was betrayed for thirty pieces of silver, and he was literally poor and was sold as a covering for sin for the poor (which symbolizes the spiritually poor).

Proverbs 20:9:

9. Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?

Deuteronomy 8:17:

17. And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth.

Deuteronomy 9:4:

4. Speak not thou in thine heart, after that the Lord thy God hath cast them out from before thee, saying, For my righteousness the Lord hath brought me in to possess this land: but for the wickedness of these nations the Lord doth drive them out from before thee.

In the verses from Deuteronomy, God is speaking about the land of Israel, but this is a symbol of salvation. It isn't our responsibility for our deserving of God's good grace, but it is only because of the greatness of God and his plan that we are accorded salvation. And if not, what about these verses, which tell of how God will blot out our sins?

Isaiah 43:25:

25. I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.

How can God be just if he forgives sin without punishment. It is the blood of Jesus that reminds us of the gravity of our mistakes. Here is an example of grace from the Law in the Old Testament. It is not by our own hand that we are clean.

Psalms 40:1-3:

1. I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.

2. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.

3. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.

(you said Dave) Notice that David was in Hell (metaphorically), but it was God who took him out, not himself. It was God who put the song in David's mouth.

Isaiah 45:22-25:

22. Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.

23. I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.

24. Surely, shall one say, In the Lord have I righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed.

25. In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory.

This is the Gospel, or good news, of Jesus. It is in God's work that salvation shall come to us.

Jeremiah 17:24:

24. And it shall come to pass, if ye diligently hearken unto me, saith the Lord, to bring in no burden through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, but hallow the Sabbath day, to do no work therein;

The entering into Jerusalem is salvation, and on the day which God appoints, we shall do no work within it. We shall enter by the gift of God.

Zechariah

Zechariah 3:1-7:

1. And he shewed me Joshua (Hebrew form of the name Jesus) the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him.

2. And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?

3. Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.

4. And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.

5. And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord stood by.

6. And the angel of the Lord protested unto Joshua, saying,

7. Thus saith the Lord of hosts; If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by.

Here we find Joshua, or Jesus, the high priest wearing filthy garments. He wore filthy garments because he has bone the sin of others, we know these are not from his own sin because God says "if you will walk in my ways." He puts on the clean garments to show that the sin has passed from him, as when Jesus was resurrected.

Zechariah 3:8-10:

8. Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the Branch.

9. For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.

10. In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbour under the vine and under the fig tree.

Here God says he will remove the iniquity of the land in one day by a stone. The stone is identified with God himself. The eyes are a symbol of the will, and seven is a symbol of perfection, so the stone will have a perfect will, or sinless. These things are then identified with the servant Branch.

Zechariah 4:1-7:

1. And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep.

2. And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, And behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof:

3. And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof.

4. So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord?

5. Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.

6. Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.

7. Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.

8. Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

9. The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you.

10. For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole earth.

The gold symbolizes salvation and the sevens again symbolize perfection. The light of the lamps is perfect, and Zerubbabel is an ancestor of Jesus, the promises of God to him are dealt with in greater detail in another chapter. Grace is a gift that is not warranted, this is salvation not by action, but through faith in the Word. The great mountain is sin that becomes a plain before Zerubbabel. Zechariah 4:11-14:

11. Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof?

12. And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves?

13. And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.

14. Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.

Messiah is another word for anointed. Jesus is seen represented here twice because of the differences in his two missions and because he comes twice. The Messiah is seen as being the cause of the light in the lamps through the oil, a symbol of the Holy Spirit.

Zechariah 5:1-4:

1. Then I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a flying roll.

2. And he said unto me, What seest thou? And I answered, I see a flying roll; the length thereof is twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof ten cubits.

3. Then said he unto me, This is the curse that goeth forth over the face of the whole earth: for every one that stealeth shall be cut off as on this side according to it; and every one that sweareth shall be cut off as on that side according to it.

4. I will bring it forth, saith the Lord of hosts, and it shall enter into the house of the thief, and into the house of him that sweareth falsely by my name: and it shall remain in the midst of his house, and shall consume it with the timber thereof and the stones thereof.

This is talking about the Word of God, and basically stating that no one can be justified, so it is a curse for the whole earth. This is in sharp contrast to the shouts of grace in the previous chapters.

Haggai 2:4-9:

4. Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the Lord; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the Lord, and work: for I am with you, saith the Lord of hosts:

5. According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not.

6. For thus saith the Lord of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land;

7. And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts.

8. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of hosts.

9. The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the Lord of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts.

Haggai is speaking to two symbols of Jesus here, Zerubbabel, an ancestor of Jesus and Joshua, or Jesus. God says that he will shake all nations in a little while and that the desire of all nations will come and he will fill the house with glory. In this, he is not speaking about the literal Temple, but about Jesus. Jesus shook the nations, and has filled the house of God with glory. The silver and gold, which are symbols of something of value, in the previous section it was salvation, but here it represents our offerings, are God's. God is the one who has made the ultimate sacrifice for our salvation. The glory of the later house is greater than the former because now the entire world knows of the glory of God by Jesus and his Word.

The Harmony of the Branch

Isaiah 11:1-2:

1. And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:

2. And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord;

Here God tells us that the branch will come forth from Jesse, this is referring to David's father, and the spirit of God will rest upon him.

Isaiah 11:3-5:

3. And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:

4. But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth: with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.

5. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.

"Branch shall judge the world in righteousness and he shall slay some with his mouth." This is referring to the fact that in judgment there has to be damnation. He will be righteous and faithful. This identifies Branch with God, because God is the judge of the world, and no one can be sinless except God.

Isaiah 11:6-9:

6. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.

7. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

8. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den.

9. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.

This speaks of Branch's protection of his people and the harmony that will result in his ministry. Again, who but God would have that power, who but God would God give that power to. This identifies Branch with Jesus, because it was the cross that allowed harmony when there was none that existed in the Law.

Isaiah 11:10:

10. And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.

Branch here is depicted as being an ensign for the gentiles. The rest is the rest of Jesus, where it is God's responsibility for our salvation, not ours.

Jeremiah 33:15:

15. In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land.

Here we have the Branch being described in the terms of the Messiah. Note it is God who judges the earth, but here it is the Messiah.

Jeremiah 3:15-17:

15. And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.

16. And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the Lord, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the Lord: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be done any more.

17. At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart.

This describes the Law passing away from the land; this is what happens when we aren't saved because of works, but by the grace of God.

The LORD is our Righteousness

Jeremiah 23:4-6

4. And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the Lord.

5. Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.

6. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

This again confirms that it is not our righteousness that saves us, it is God's. We don't have the ability to lead perfect lives described by the Law. Jeremiah 23:34-40:

34. And as for the prophet, and the priest, and the people, that shall say, The burden of the Lord, I will even punish that man and his house.

35. Thus shall ye say every one to his neighbour, and every one to his brother, What hath the Lord answered? and, What hath the Lord spoken?

36. And the burden of the Lord shall ye mention no more: for every man's word shall be his burden; for ye have perverted the words of the living God, of the Lord of hosts our God.

37. Thus shalt thou say to the prophet, What hath the Lord answered thee? and, What hath the Lord spoken?

38. But since ye say, The burden of the Lord; therefore thus saith the Lord; Because ye say this word, The burden of the Lord, and I have sent unto you, saying, Ye shall not say, The burden of the Lord;

39. Therefore, behold, I, even I, will utterly forget you, and I will forsake you, and the city that I gave you and your fathers, and cast you out of my presence:

40. And I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten.

The Word of God shouldn't be treated like a burden, for it is God who bears the burdens in this house. What a perfect description of grace.

Palm of the Hand

Isaiah 49:16:

16. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.

This is spoken from God's point of view and is related to Jesus' crucifixion wounds. The saved are upon his palms, the reason for his crucifixion. The hand is a symbol of will, thus is it by God's will that those who are saved are saved. The walls of the saved are before God because he has laid their sin upon himself.

A Few Chapters from Isaiah

Isaiah 51:4:

4. Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation: for a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people.

Here God promised a new Law. There has only been one new Law suggested, that is Jesus' Law.

Isaiah 57:15:

15. For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

God's purpose is to revive the meek, and here he identifies himself with another, who also seems to be himself.

Isaiah 60:1-6:

1. Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.

2. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.

3. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

4. Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side.

5. Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.

6. The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall shew forth the praises of the Lord.

This depicts how Jesus' message went to the gentiles instead of the Jews. This also has to be about the Messiah because they lift their eyes to whom God is talking to, not God himself, although God says he won't give his glory to another.

Isaiah 62:2:

2. And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name.

Here we have again the Messiah going to the gentiles instead of the Jews. Being called by a new name symbolizes salvation, or it could refer to the name Christian.

Psalms 22-24

Psalms 22:1-31:

1. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?

2. O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent.

3. But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.

4. Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.

5. They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.

6. But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.

7. All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,

8. He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.

9. But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts.

10. I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly.

11. Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.

12. Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.

13. They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.

14. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.

15. My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.

16. For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet

17. I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.

18. They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.

19. But be not thou far from me, O Lord: O my strength, haste thee to help me.

20. Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog.

21. Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.

22. I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.

23. Ye that fear the Lord, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.

24. For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.

25. My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him.

26. The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the Lord that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.

27. All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.

28. For the kingdom is the Lord's: and he is the governor among the nations.

29. All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul.

30. A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.

31. They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.

This is the first of three Psalms that portray Jesus' crucifixion, death, and resurrection. The Psalm starts out by stating Jesus' last words on the cross. The repetition of the phrase "my God" indicates that God is still his God, despite the fact that His Spirit had left Jesus. Jesus was really a man, God transferred himself into the body of a human, but obviously, the full glory of God cannot be in one man. Therefore God was still in heaven, and omnipresent in the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God came into Jesus when he was baptized, and that was when he started to perform miracles, however he never sinned because the will of God was his own. So, to Jesus, the most terrible part of God pouring his wrath out on him was that the Spirit of God left him.

The next few verses present themselves as a justification of God. God hears the prayers of the fathers and delivered them. Next Jesus cries that he is a worm, despite the fact he insists that he has trusted in God since in his mother's womb. This is symbolic of the sins of the world being placed upon Jesus. The Bulls and lions surrounding him, and despising him are symbolic of the powers of this world. Compare Mark 15:31-32:

31. Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save.

32. Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him.

Here is verse 14 again: I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.

Compare with John 19:34:

34. But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.

Today we have the medical knowledge to say that for blood and water to come out of his side, Jesus' heart had to rupture. This fulfills "my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels." This also wouldn't have been apparent to the writers of the Gospel and therefore couldn't have been faked. "I tell my bones" is a very apt description of one who is hanging on a cross, as is they pierced my hands and feet.

Compare John 19:23-24:

23. Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout.

24. They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did.

Without an explanation like this, the Psalm wouldn't make sense, since they would either divide the garments or cast lots for them. In the next few verses, Jesus praises God in front of the assembly of Israel and shows his mercy to the weak. Then Jesus says God will be praised to the ends of the Earth. In the Gospel stories, Israel was always preached to first, then to the Gentiles.

"None can keep alive their own soul," a very New Testament statement. The next Psalm speaks of the death of Jesus, and the beginning of his overcoming death.

Psalms 23:1-6:

1. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

3. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

4. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

5. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup Runneth over.

6. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

This describes the death of Jesus after he was killed on the cross. Jesus speaks of himself as a sheep being led by the LORD. God is in control, and his Messiah shall rule forever despite death. "Restoreth my soul" refers to the resurrection of Jesus. The Messiah is described as being stuck with the rod of men in Samuel, but here the rod of God comforts Jesus.

Psalms 24:1-10:

1. The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.

2. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.

3. Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place?

4. He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.

5. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

6. This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah.

7. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.

8. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.

9. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.

10. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.

This is the overcoming of Jesus. Notice that the only one who can fulfill all of the requirements is the LORD himself, however the person is called Jacob because he is of the Messianic line. Notice also that the LORD addresses himself- one of the reasons which people who are Christians, but do not believe that Jesus is God, give as a reason that Jesus cannot be God is that Jesus talks to God. This Psalm shows that God can talk to himself, even if this is only for our understanding.

Crush the Head of the Serpent

Genesis 3:15:

15. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed: he will crush your head and you will bite his heel.

1st John chapter 3:8:

8. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

The significance of the phrase her seed is the virgin birth, since that was the only time that there would be an offspring that was only from a woman. There never has been a person who has not sinned. Even if there were such a one, he would have no authority or power to crush Satan's work. God has the plan, the power, and the authority. Here that one is represented as being the seed of Eve.

In Isaiah chapter 7:14 we read:

14. Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

The word that is translated as virgin does not mean that literally, but it contains the connotation of virgin. The reason for the language is that this is a verse that has a double meaning. Here is the context: Isaiah 7:4-13:

4. And say unto him, Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted for the two tails of these smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, and of the son of Remaliah.

5. Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah, have taken evil counsel against thee, saying,

6. Let us go up against Judah, and vex it, and let us make a breach therein for us, and set a king in the midst of it, even the son of Tabeal:

7. Thus saith the Lord GOD, It shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass.

8. For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin; and within threescore and five years shall Ephraim be broken, that it be not a people.

9. And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah's son. If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established.

10. Moreover the LORD spake again unto Ahaz, saying,

11. Ask thee a sign of the LORD thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above.

12. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the LORD.

13. And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also?

Then verse 14. This is actually a sign about a war in Israel's history. However, with the above statement and considering the fact that Immanuel means "God with us," it would seem to represent more.

Isaiah chapter 8:6-8:

6. Forasmuch as this people refuseth the waters of Shiloah that go softly, and rejoice in Rezin and Remaliah's son;

7. Now therefore, behold, the Lord bringeth up upon them the waters of the river, strong and many, even the king of Assyria, and all his glory: and he shall come up over all his channels, and go over all his banks:

8. And he shall pass through Judah; he shall overflow and go over, he shall reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel.

Then we have Isaiah chapter 9:1-16:

1. Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations.

2. The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.

3. Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy: they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.

4. For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian.

5. For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire.

6. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

7. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

8. The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it hath lighted upon Israel.

9. And all the people shall know, even Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria, that say in the pride and stoutness of heart,

10. The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: the sycamores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars.

11. Therefore the LORD shall set up the adversaries of Rezin against him, and join his enemies together;

12. The Syrians before, and the Philistines behind; and they shall devour Israel with open mouth. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

13. For the people turneth not unto him that smiteth them, neither do they seek the LORD of hosts.

14. Therefore the LORD will cut off from Israel head and tail, branch and rush, in one day.

15. The ancient and honorable, he is the head; and the prophet that teaches lies, he is the tail.

16. For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed.

We have a son born to us called God, who is the Father and the Prince, which is the son of the king. We have the leaders of Israel causing the people to err, as the chief priests, the Pharisees and the Sadducees did. We have the people that walked in darkness, like the sinners and the gentiles Jesus preached to, seeing great light.

We see the "increase of his government and the peace of it never ending", but in Genesis 49:10 "the scepter shall not depart from Judah until Shiloh come." How can the scepter depart from Judah if the Messiah's government never decreases, unless the Messiah doesn't establish a kingdom the first time he is on earth?

We read that the "ancient and honorable" is the head, but will be cut with the tail that teaches lies. Can ancient and honorable really describe anyone but the LORD? Cut off in one day with the tail perfectly fits in and describes the death of Jesus and the symbolism of the ability for God to be able to judge the world and not find all lacking (in other words, God couldn't judge the world according to his will if none were saved.

We see that this will come from Galilee of the nations, where Jesus preached at the beginning of his ministry. The LORD has broken the yoke of burden. This as a whole represents the fact that it is up to God to decide who will be saved and it is his battle with Satan, not ours. This does not mean that we do have the responsibility to try and resist sin, but that our power to overcome sin lies not in ourselves, but rather in God. In the Tenac, there are battles after battles, it is when the people of God go to him, ask for help, and have faith in his words that the victories come.

Deuteronomy 20:1-4:

1. When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the Lord thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

2. And it shall be, when ye are come nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people,

3. And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them;

4. For the Lord your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.

Samuel 17:45-47:

45. Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.

46. This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.

47. And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hands.

As David provides an example, so should we follow. It isn't through the tools he gives us, but through his will that we accomplish what has to be done. Though the battle is his, it is up to us to bring about change. We cannot determine with our eyes what will be important. A young shepherd boy going against a giant must have seemed foolish to those around him. God's way is strange to us who are steeped in sin, blinded by the walls which we have constructed, but it is just and right.

Promises to David

David was probably the greatest king in all the history of Israel, and God made promises to him. 2nd Samuel 7:12-16:

12. And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.

13. He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.

14. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:

15. But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee.

16. And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.

He is talking about a future king. Jesus wasn't that king either, at least not the first time he came to Earth. The other messiah, the son of Joseph was seen as the suffering servant. There are three offices in the Old Testament that were signified by anointing (Messiah means the Anointed One). The Priest, the king, and the prophet. You have the idea that one will come as a king and the other as the priest. The priest came first. This had to be the order in which they came because, as we read in Genesis 49:10:

10. The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come, and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.

And how can the scepter depart from Israel if Shiloh (understood to be the Messiah) sets up an everlasting kingdom?

Rabbi Rachmon says, "When the members of the Sanhedrin found themselves deprived of their right over life and death, a general consternation took possession over them; they covered their heads with ashes, and their bodies with sackcloth, exclaiming: 'Woe to us, for the scepter has departed from Judah, and the Messiah has not come!"

This was around 7 AD and was seen as the final stage of the departing of power from the line of Judah. Herod the Great had succeeded the Maccabean princes- the last Jewish rulers over Jerusalem. So even by Jewish sources, the Messiah should have come by 7AD. I know there have been other times when the Kingdom has passed from Jewish hands, but this was the first time the power to judge over life and death had passed from the line of Judah.

The House of David like God

2nd Samuel 19:27-28:

27. And he hath slandered thy servant unto my lord the king; but my lord the king is as an angel of God: do therefore what is good in thine eyes.

28. For all of my father's house were but dead men before my lord the king: yet didst thou set thy servant among them that did eat at thine own table. What right therefore have I yet to cry any more unto the king?

This shows that David is used as a symbol of the Messiah, and the Messiah is God. It also shows the grace of God restores those who were as dead and he sets them at his table.

2nd Chronicles 6:36:

36. If they sin against thee, (for there is no man which sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them over before their enemies, and they carry them away captives unto a land far off or near;

Here again is the reason that people cannot be saved by their own good graces.

God Loves David

Psalms 89:38-51:

38. But thou hast cast off and abhorred, thou hast been wroth with thine anointed.

39. Thou hast made void the covenant of thy servant: thou hast profaned his crown by casting it to the ground.

40. Thou hast broken down all his hedges; thou hast brought his strong holds to ruin.

41. All that pass by the way spoil him: he is a reproach to his neighbors.

42. Thou hast set up the right hand of his adversaries; thou hast made all his enemies to rejoice.

43. Thou hast also turned the edge of his sword, and hast not made him to stand in the battle.

44. Thou hast made his glory to cease, and cast his throne down to the ground.

45. The days of his youth hast thou shortened: thou hast covered him with shame. Selah.

46. How long, Lord? wilt thou hide thyself for ever? shall thy wrath burn like fire?

47. Remember how short my time is: wherefore hast thou made all men in vain?

48. What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah.

49. Lord, where are thy former loving kindnesses, which thou swarest unto David in thy truth?

50. Remember, Lord, the reproach of thy servants; how I do bear in my bosom the reproach of all the mighty people;

51. Wherewith thine enemies have reproached, O Lord; wherewith they have reproached the footsteps of thine anointed.

The covenant of David is the promise that one of his sons will be the Messiah, and this identifies him with the suffering servant of Isaiah. He will be rejected, and God will break him down and make him see the grave. Only afterwards will he be exulted. This also says the servant will bear the reproach of his enemies in his bosom, as Jesus did.

The End of Psalm 18

Psalms 18:43-50:

43. Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people; and thou hast made me the head of the heathen: a people whom I have not known shall serve me.

44. As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me: the strangers shall submit themselves unto me.

45. The strangers shall fade away, and be afraid out of their close places.

46. The Lord liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.

47. It is God that avengeth me, and subdueth the people under me.

48. He delivereth me from mine enemies: yea, thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man.

49. Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name.

50. Great deliverance giveth he to his king; and sheweth mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for evermore.

Here is a Psalm of David, it was literally fulfilled in his life, but also contains double meanings. Jesus fulfills this verse by being the primary prophet to the heathen people. The Gospel spread quickly throughout the world, this wasn't true for David, who conquered peoples, but didn't bring God to people beyond Israel's border. Jesus did and was also a literal stranger to most of the people who obey his word.

God identifies this verse as being Messianic with the phrase "to his seed evermore," for David's everlasting seed is the Messiah. We have also read in other chapters how God identifies Jesus with the rock. Yahweh liveth, a strange phrase, of course he lives, the only possible application where there would be meaning in this verse is the resurrection of Jesus.

The Good Shepherd

Ezekiel 34:23-29:

23. And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.

24. And I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the Lord have spoken it.

25. And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods.

26. And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing.

27. And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase, and they shall be safe in their land, and shall know that I am the Lord, when I have broken the bands of their yoke, and delivered them out of the hand of those that served themselves of them.

28. And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither shall the beast of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid.

29. And I will raise up for them a plant of renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the shame of the heathen any more.

Here we see that David is the shepherd and prince and the servant. What does the title shepherd mean?

Isaiah 40:11:

11. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

So this is again is the identification of the Messiah with God. Prince is the son of the king, the ultimate ruler, which has to be God. The word servant is used throughout Isaiah in reference to the suffering servant, and this is an identification that both are connected.

God breaks the bond of their yokes, again this is a reference to God's plan of salvation, it doesn't say that he would help them accomplish themselves, but he would be entirely responsible. The plant is also the Messiah, seeding and growing are used as extended metaphors in both Testaments. The identification of Jesus as the Word of God fits very well with this idea because it is the Word of God that makes us grow in righteousness and in our knowledge of God.

The Chosen Man

Jeremiah 50:44:

44. Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the swelling of Jordan unto the habitation of the strong: but I will make them suddenly run away from her: and who is a chosen man, that I may appoint over her? for who is like me? and who will appoint me the time? and who is that shepherd that will stand before me?

It almost seems like a rhetorical question until you realize God says in the previous verses he is talking about someone. The only possible answer to these questions is Jesus. The lion is a symbol of the king, water is a symbol of God's Word and the Shepherd is another term for the messiah.

One Shepherd

Ezekiel 37:24-28:

24. And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them.

25. And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children's children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever.

26. Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore.

27. My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

28. And the heathen shall know that I the Lord do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.

Here David is called the king and the prince. This refers to the fact that Jesus is God's son and God at the same time. If this doesn't seem to be right in your eyes, think of another possible meaning to this verse. This talks about a new covenant, and how God will be our God forever. God will be the one in charge here, so again the Messiah is identified with God.

Smite the Shepherd

Zechariah 12:7-11:

7. The Lord also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against Judah.

8. In that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the Lord before them.

9. And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

10. And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.

11. In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon.

Zechariah 13:1-9:

1. In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.

2. And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land.

3. And it shall come to pass, that when any shall yet prophesy, then his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live; for thou speakest lies in the name of the Lord: and his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth.

4. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the prophets shall be ashamed (or another translation is disappointed or withered) every one of his vision, when he hath prophesied; neither shall they wear a rough garment to deceive:

5. But he shall say, I am no prophet, I am an husbandman; for man taught me to keep cattle from my youth .

6. And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.

7. Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones.

8. And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein.

9. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God.

In Jesus we find fulfillments to all of these things:

1. The house of David be as God, not the usual dispersement of praise for a God who says that he will give his glory to none other.

2. The feeble as David, this is according to the substitutionary principal of salvation.

3. First born, only son (of God).

4. Pierced.

5. A fountain opened to clean the house of David and Jerusalem, also a perfect description of grace with ties to the Messianic line.

6. Killed by family (Abraham's children, or the saved).

7. Rejected from being a prophet by brethren.

8. Doesn't wear the garments of deception.

9. Jesus never made a direct claim to be a prophet, only said that a prophet is not without honor except in his own country, said John the Baptist wasn't a prophet, but he was greater than a prophet (if John the Baptist was too great to be a prophet, then God Almighty would be too great to be a prophet).

10. Jesus used, as did God in the Old Testament, an extended metaphor regarding sowing seeds as synonymous with spreading the Gospel.

11. Wounded in the house of friends in his hands.

12. Jesus withered in a manner as his disciples left him (until after he was resurrected).

13. The LORD's sword will attack the Shepherd.

14. Three people were crucified, one lived after being resurrected, a third shall be left.

15. The third part shall pass through the fire and live, this relates to the third of humanity being Christian.

Daniels prophecy

This is one of the most important prophecies in the Old Testament regarding the Messiah. Let us consider Josh McDowell's interpretation.

"In Daniel 9:24-27, a prophecy is given in three separate parts concerning the Messiah. The first part states that at the end of 69 weeks, the Messiah will come to Jerusalem. (The 7 and 62 weeks are understood as 69 seven-year-periods.) The starting point of the 69 weeks is the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem.

"The second part states that after the Messiah comes, He will be cut off (Idiom for His death). Then the prince to come will destroy Jerusalem and the temple.

"All of the above, according to Daniel 9: 24-26, takes place after the 69 weeks of years. But Daniel 9:24 mentions 70 weeks (7+62+1), not just 69. The final week is described in Daniel 9:27. Many scholars believe 9:27 discuses a different person and time than that of 9:26. Even though the author refers to the prince, the reference is probably to another prince who is to come later in history. (Double references are somewhat common in prophecy. For example, a reference may refer to King David and later to Christ.) This is supported by their actions: The prince in 9:27 forces Jewish practices to stop, but the prince in 9:26 has just destroyed the temple! So probably this prince comes later after the temple is rebuilt, which is yet to occur. Anyway, no matter which way one interprets the 70th week (the last seven years of the prophecy); the first two parts of the prophecy still can be examined historically....

Daniel 9:24-27:

24. Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.

25. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.

26. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.

27. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

"Length of a prophetic year. The calendar used in the scriptures must be determined from the scriptures themselves.

"Historically- compare Genesis 7:11:

11. In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.

"And chapter 8:4:

4. And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.

"And the two of these with Genesis 7:24:

24. And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days.

"And Genesis 8:3:

3. And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated.

"Beginning of 70 weeks

"There are several commandments or decrees in Israel's history which have been suggested as the terminus quo (beginning) of the 70 weeks. These are:

1. The decree of Cyrus, 59 B.C. (Ezra 1:1-4).

2. The decree of Darius, 519 B.C. (Ezra 5:3-7).

3. The decree of Artaxeres to Ezra, 457 B.C. (Ezra 7:11-16).

4. The decree of Artaxeres to Neminiah, 444 B.C. (Neminiah 2:1-8).

"However, the only one that appears to fit the data accurately is number four, the decree of Artaxeres to Neminiah.

"J.D. Wilson comments on the starting point of the prophecy: 'The... decree is referred to in Neh. ii. It was in the twentieth year of Artaxeres. The words of the decree are not given, but its subject matter can easily be determined. Neminiah hears of the desperate condition of Jerusalem. He is deeply grieved. The king asks the reason. Nehemiah replies, 'the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchers, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire.' The King bids him make request. He does so promptly, asking an order form the King that 'I be sent to the city that I may rebuild it.'

'This decree then is the 'commandment to restore and rebuild Jerusalem.' There is no other decree authorizing the restoration of the city. This decree authorized the restoration and the book of Neminiah tells how the work was carried on. The exigencies of their various theories have led men to take some other decree for their terminus quo of their calculations, but it is not apparent how any could have done so without any misgivings. This decree of Neh. ii is the commandment to restore and rebuild Jerusalem; no other decree gives any permission to restore the city. All other decrees refer to the building of the temple and the temple only."

"Way-mark of the first seven weeks.

"It took 49 years to rebuild the city (V.25).

"The close of the Hebrew prophecy and the Old Testament cannon is noteworthy, marked 49 years after 444 B.C.

"If Daniel is correct, the time from the edict to restore and rebuild Jerusalem (Nissan 1, 444 B.C.) to the coming of Messiah to Jerusalem is 483 years (69 x 7), each year equaling the Jewish prophetic year of 360 days (173,880 days).

"The terminal event of the 69 weeks is the presentation of Christ Himself to Israel as the Messiah as predicted in Zechariah 9:9. H. Hoehner, who has thoroughly researched this prophecy in Daniel and the corresponding dates, calculates the date of this event:

"Multiplying the sixty-nine weeks by seven years of each week by 360 days gives a total of 173,880 days. The difference between 444 B.C. and A.D. 33 then is 476 solar years. By multiplying 476 by 365.24219879 or by 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, 45.975 seconds [there are 365 ¼ days in a year], one comes to 173,855 days, 6 hours, 52 minutes, 44 seconds, or 173,855 days. This leaves only 25 days to be accounted for between 444 B.C. and A.D. 33. By adding the 25 days to March 5 (of 444 B.C.), one comes to March 30 (of A.D. 33) which was Nisan 10 in A.D. 33. This is the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem."

This is an excellent example of God prophecy, it wasn't the year, or the month, but the very day that was predicted. There are a few other ways people have tried to interpret this prophecy, however, none have led to a Messiah, the most important event of the prophecy! There is also the line in verse 26, "he shall be cut off, but not for himself," that perfectly describes Jesus' substitutionary principal on the cross.

Jeremiah 31

Jeremiah 31:15:

15. Thus saith the Lord; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rachel weeping for her children, she refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not.

This passage refers to the exile and return of the ten tribes of Israel. There is also a double meaning about the slaughter of the innocents by King Herod. It is said that this cannot refer to Rachel's children, because she isn't the mother of Judah. However, if we look at the passages referred to in the prophecy, it refers to the cities of Judah. It is more probable that this refers to the whole of Israel left at this point in history.

Still, the children are of the line of Leah, not Rachel. This was a duel prophecy concerning both events, not just a singular one. Therefore, the passage refers to Rachel's children in accordance with the first prophecy. As for the second prophecy, she would also mourn and be grieved by the loss of the children, which would be her step children.

Genesis 35:17-19:

17. And it came to pass, when she was in hard labour, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not; thou shalt have this son also.

18. And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni: but his father called him Benjamin.

19. And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem.

Therefore, Rachel died in Bethlehem, where the children were killed. This might be the cause of the passage mentioning her name instead of Leah's. We have one life passing as another one comes to life; this is perfect symbolism for the Gospel of Jesus.

There is extra Biblical evidence for the slaughter of the innocents:

"Macrobius, who wrote in the beginning of the fifth century, narrates that Augustus, having heard that among the children whom Herod had ordered to be slain in Syria was the king's own son, remarked: "It is better to be Herod's swine than his son" (Saturn., II, 4)."

Gall to Drink

Psalms 69:4-33:

4. They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away.

5. O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from thee.

6. Let not them that wait on thee, O Lord God of hosts, be ashamed for my sake: let not those that seek thee be confounded for my sake, O God of Israel.

7. Because for thy sake I have borne reproach; shame hath covered my face.

8. I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother's children.

9. For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.

10. When I wept, and chastened my soul with fasting, that was to my reproach.

11. I made sackcloth also my garment; and I became a proverb to them.

12. They that sit in the gate speak against me; and I was the song of the drunkards.

13. But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O Lord, in an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation.

14. Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink: let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters.

15. Let not the waterflood overflow me, neither let the deep swallow me up, and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me.

16. Hear me, O Lord; for thy lovingkindness is good: turn unto me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies.

17. And hide not thy face from thy servant; for I am in trouble: hear me speedily.

18. Draw nigh unto my soul, and redeem it: deliver me because of mine enemies.

19. Thou hast known my reproach, and my shame, and my dishonour: mine adversaries are all before thee.

20. Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none.

21. They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

22. Let their table become a snare before them: and that which should have been for their welfare, let it become a trap.

23. Let their eyes be darkened, that they see not; and make their loins continually to shake.

24. Pour out thine indignation upon them, and let thy wrathful anger take hold of them.

25. Let their habitation be desolate; and let none dwell in their tents.

26. For they persecute him whom thou hast smitten; and they talk to the grief of those whom thou hast wounded.

27. Add iniquity unto their iniquity: and let them not come into thy righteousness.

28. Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous.

29. But I am poor and sorrowful: let thy salvation, O God, set me up on high.

30. I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.

31. This also shall please the Lord better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs.

32. The humble shall see this, and be glad: and your heart shall live that seek God.

33. For the Lord heareth the poor, and despiseth not his prisoners.

In the Psalm, David is crying out because he has been persecuted by Saul and the gentile kings. He is saying that they have hated him without cause. He says he has repaid what he has not stolen, much like Jesus paid for the sinners transgressions. However, the most important line is where he says they gave him gall for drink. This was fulfilled by Jesus in Matthew 27:34:

34. They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.

Jesus did not drink the gall because the effect of it was to deaden the pain. To criminals it would have been seen as mercy, but not to a savior. The humble shall see this and live, this refers to the salvation according to the grace of God. This verse is also important because the Messiah is called servant.

Thirty Pieces of Silver

Matthew 28:9-10:

9. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying,

10. 'And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value. And gave them for a potter's field as the Lord appointed me'

The passage is actually in Zechariah 11:12-13. However we find in Jeremiah several related passages. Jeremiah 32:9:

9. And I bought the field of Hanameel my uncle's son, that was in Anathoth, and weighed him the money, even seventeen shekels of silver.

And in Jeremiah chapter 32:15, 42:

15. Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Take these evidences, this evidence of the purchase, both which is sealed, and this evidence which is open; and put them in an earthen vessel, that they may continue many days.

42. Men shall buy fields for money, and subscribe evidences, and seal them, and take witnesses in the land of Benjamin, and in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, and in the cities of the mountains, and in the cities of the valley, and in the cities of the south: for I will cause their captivity to return, saith the LORD.

While obviously this was not the main meaning of these passages, Matthew connected the passages. The main gist of these passages is that Israel will be restored to their land and that the Babylonians will be expelled. If we think of this in symbolic terms, the Jewish people will have salvation, and the sinful world will be judged.

This related to Zechariah 11:4-17:

4. Thus saith the LORD my God; Feed the flock of the slaughter;

5. Whose possessors slay them, and hold themselves not guilty: and they that sell them say, Blessed be the LORD; for I am rich: and their own shepherds pity them not.

6. For I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land, saith the LORD: but, lo, I will deliver the men every one into his neighbor's hand, and into the hand of his king: and they shall smite the land, and out of their hand I will not deliver them.

7. And I will feed the flock of slaughter, even you, O poor of the flock. And I took unto me two staves; the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bands; and I fed the flock.

8. Three shepherds also I cut off in one month; and my soul loathed them, and their soul also abhorred me.

9. Then said I, I will not feed you: that that dieth, let it die; and that that is to be cut off, let it be cut off; and let the rest eat every one the flesh of another.

10. And I took my staff, even Beauty, and cut it asunder, that I might break my covenant which I had made with all the people.

11. And it was broken in that day: and so the poor of the flock that waited upon me knew that it was the word of the LORD.

12. And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver.

13. And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD.

14. Then I cut asunder mine other staff, even Bands, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

15. And the LORD said unto me, Take unto thee yet the instruments of a foolish shepherd.

16. For, lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, which shall not visit those that be cut off, neither shall seek the young one, nor heal that that is broken, nor feed that that standeth still: but he shall eat the flesh of the fat, and tear their claws in pieces.

17. Woe to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock! the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened.

So this verse foretells the Messiah and how when God breaks his Shepard's staff called Beauty, that the covenant will be broken. The covenant has been broken by the Jewish people because the standards were too high for anyone to have obtained. So, this verse is connected to the other verse in an abstract way in which Matthew wanted to show.

This is an amazing prophecy, and we see that God sets up another shepherd, and casts the old shepherd off. The old shepherd is Satan, or literally sin, and the new shepherd is Jesus. Then we have the many details that were prophesized about the betrayal of Jesus, like Judas giving the thirty silver pieces back and it being used to buy the Potter's Field, which was used to bury foreigners, a symbol of the redemption of the gentiles.

The Lowly King

Zechariah 9:9-11:

9. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.

10. And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth.

11. As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water.

This describes Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a colt to bring salvation. This also describes the substitutionary principal, the pit wherein is no water is Hell, where there is no Gospel.

Proverbs 27:26:

26. The lambs are for thy clothing, and the goats are the price of the field.

The Lamb is Jesus; the clothing is the protection against the wrath of God. He saves goats, who are the unsaved, which relates to the story of Potter's field.

The Son of Man

Psalms 8:4-8:

4. What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

5. For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.

6. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:

7. All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;

8. The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.

Here we have the reference to the title "son of man." This tells us that the son of man has two states, one lower than the angels, and one where all the works have been put in his control. This fits perfectly with Jesus, he became a normal human being with no power or riches, and then he was ascended into heaven where he is now king, and will rule over everything.

Job 25:6:

6. How much less man, that is a worm? and the son of man, which is a worm?

Here we have the son of man being called a worm. This is interesting because of all of the promises made to the son of man. The sin of the people came upon Jesus, and therefore he would be considered a worm in that regard.

Daniel 7:13-14:

13. I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.

14. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

This identifies the Son of man with God, and the title son of man shows he will also be a man. The word man here is literally Adam, so there is a connection here of one that is descended from the man who fell from grace originally. The wonderful thing about Jesus is that he reverses the pattern. Adam is also the first in the messianic line.

Salt of the offering

Leviticus 2:13:

13. And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt.

The salt symbolizes both the wrath of God and also the sustaining nature of him. Both of these seem to fit very well with the theology of the Gospel.

Darkness

Amos 8:9:

9. And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord God, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day:

Matthew 27:45:

45. Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.

The Jewish people of the period kept time by twelve hours from sunrise to sunset. Therefore, the sixth hour would be at noon, and the ninth hour would be three o'clock. What sort of reliability can we expect from the Gospels regarding a prophecy in the Tenac?

Thallus, the Samaritan-born historian.

One of the first Gentile writers to mention Christ is Thallus, who wrote in 52 A.D. However, his writings have disappeared and we only know of them from fragments cited by other writers, One such writer is Julius Africanus, a Christian writer about 221 A.D. One very interesting passage relates to a comment from Thallus. Julius Africanus writes:

"Thallus, in the third book of his histories, explains away this darkness as an eclipse of the sun- unreasonable, as it seems to me (unreasonably, of course, because a solar eclipse could not take place at the time of the full moon, and it was at the season of Paschal(Passover) full moon that Christ died)."

Phlegon, a first century Historian, is also mentioned by Julius Africanus. After Africanus' remarks about Thallus' unreasonable opinion of the darkness, he quotes Phlegon that "during the time of Tiberius Caesar an eclipse of the sun occurred during the full moon."

Phlegon is also mentioned by Origen in Contra Celsum. Phlegon says: "And about this darkness... Phlegon recalls it in the Olympiads. He says that 'Phlegon mentioned the eclipse which took place during the crucifixion of the Lord Christ, and no other (eclipse), it is clear that he did not know from his sources about any (similar) eclipse in previous times... and this is shown by the historical account itself of Tiberius Caesar.'"

Two important quotes from early historians-who indicate that the event had no natural explanation.

Elisha Greater than Elijah?

Jesus spoke symbolically of the Law and the prophets saying Moses and Elijah. Elijah is arguably the greatest prophet in the Tenac. But we read about this interesting passage in 2nd Kings 2:9-12:

9. And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.

10. And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.

11. And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

12. And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.

But Elisha is not a more important than Elijah, why is this? He brought great miracles to Israel to be sure, but there is a greater significance to this passage than what was fulfilled at that time.

John the Baptist was a figure that was said to have been a symbolic Elijah, if Israel had believed. This means that he wasn't the literal Elijah which was brought up to heaven, but a figure like in Malachi 4:5-6:

5. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord:

6. And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

Therefore, it is the prophet that comes after Elijah that is the greatest prophet. If we understand that John the Baptist was a prophet that came in the spirit of Elijah, then this verse was certainly fulfilled by Jesus.

Deuteronomy 21:17:

17. But, he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all he hath: for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his.

There is a connection with this statement and Elisha receiving a double portion of Elijah's spirit, he is as a son, and the beginning of his strength. What a perfect description of Jesus. Elijah is the symbol of the prophets, so it is fitting that his symbolic son would be Jesus.

Isaiah 40:1-8:

1. Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.

2. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem; and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she hath received of Jehovah's hand double for all her sins.

3. The voice of one that crieth, Prepare ye in the wilderness the way of Jehovah; make level in the desert a highway for our God.

4. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the uneven shall be made level, and the rough places a plain:

5. and the glory of Jehovah shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken it.

6. The voice of one saying, Cry. And one said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field.

7. The grass withered, the flower fadeth, because the breath of Jehovah bloweth upon it; surely the people is grass.

8. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth; but the word of our God shall stand forever.

Here we have Israel's iniquity being pardoned and the mountains and valleys being made level. This is the story of the Gospel, where God has humbled himself and raised up the sinner. Everything has been made equal and there is true justice. The double portion again shows the firstborn relationship, this time for judgment, which again fits perfectly with Jesus.

Compare Matthew 3:1-3:

1. And in those days cometh John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, saying,

2. Repent ye; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

3. For this is he that was spoken of through Isaiah the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make ye ready the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

And John 1:6-15:

6. There came a man, sent from God, whose name was John.

7. The same came for witness, that he might bear witness of the light, that all might believe through him.

8. He was not the light, but came that he might bear witness of the light.

9. There was the true light, even the light which lighteth every man, coming into the world.

10. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world knew him not.

11. He came unto his own, and they that were his own received him not.

12. But as many as received him, to them gave he the right to become children of God, even to them that believe on his name:

13. who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

14. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth.

15. John beareth witness of him, and crieth, saying, This was he of whom I said, He that cometh after me is become before me: for he was before me.

Malachi 3:1-4:

1. Behold, I send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant, whom ye desire, behold, he cometh, saith Jehovah of hosts.

2. But who can abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's soap:

3. and he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi, and refine them as gold and silver; and they shall offer unto Jehovah offerings in righteousness.

4. Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto Jehovah, as in the days of old, and as in ancient years.

Matthew 11:12-14:

12. And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and men of violence take it by force.

13. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.

14. And if ye are willing to receive it, this is Elijah, that is to come.

Matthew 17:10-13:

10. And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elijah must first come?

11. And he answered and said, Elijah indeed cometh, and shall restore all things:

12. but I say into you, that Elijah is come already, and they knew him not, but did unto him whatsoever they would. Even so shall the Son of man also suffer of them.

13. Then understood the disciples that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.

John 1:21-23:

21. And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elijah? And he saith, I am not. Art thou the prophet? And he answered, No.

22. They said therefore unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?

23. He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said Isaiah the prophet.

It seems that there is a claim that John was Elijah, but then when they ask him he tells them he isn't. How are we to understand this? John was not literally Elijah, but he was a prophet who came in the spirit of Elijah. From the context of the passage, we determine that he was not the complete fulfillment of the passage, and that there will be another prophet who comes in the spirit of Elijah, if not the literal prophet himself.

Jesus says that if they had accepted him that he would have completely fulfilled the prophecy. This should be understood as a purely hypothetical situation since God knew what was to happen. These passages all seem to fit together nicely, I didn't quote every single verse in Malachi, but if you read chapters three and four, you can see that the LORD was speaking on the same general subject in both verses, and you can see that there is a connection between one who cries in the wilderness and Elijah.

This is another example of how well the New Testament perfectly fulfills the Old Testament and how there is no example in history which would fulfill the prophecy except Jesus.

Hold the Skirt of a Jew

Zechariah 8:23:

23. Thus saith the Lord of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.

Ten is symbolic for completeness, so here we have the nations holding the skirt of a Jew. This is fulfilled by Jesus, as he is the spiritual leader of many nations.

Greater Works

John 14:21:

21. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

Mathew 24:35:

35. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

These are two rather astounding things for anyone to say. But let us look at the person who said them. Jesus was surrounded by accusations of being a bastard all of his life. He never attained any personal wealth. He had to flee from his home country when he was a child to avoid being killed by Herod. He did nothing which any history book would have made mention of until after he was thirty years old. He never wrote a book or held public office.

Jesus never did anything that we usually associate with greatness. He won no military battles. He was not held in high esteem by the religious and political rulers. He was not popular with the wealthy. His ministry lasted for only three years and ended with his public execution. People tried to stone him when he told them the truth. He was part of a minority group that was oppressed by its government.

Christians have been persecuted from the beginning. There were ten royal persecutions in the Roman Empire. As a joke, Nero used to dip Christians in wax, light them on fire, and quote the New Testament, "You will be the light of the world."

There have been many times in history when anyone who was found to be a Christian was killed. There was a period in France for three and a half years. The Muslims have killed all of the Christians living in their countries at points in history. The communists have persecuted the church throughout their history.

Yet, the man who had to be one of the biggest underdogs in world history said to believe in him and do greater works, and his words would not pass away. The Christian church in its various forms does more charity than any other organization or group of organizations. Furthermore, he is the most famous person of all time.

Will his words pass away? No, more people read the Bible than any other book, now and in all of history. More people believe his words than any other man's. Jesus captured something within man so basic to his whole being that it has surpassed time and fashion. More people are familiar with the Patriarchs from Christianity than from Judaism. If you don't believe in Jesus, you have to respect that he has done good in the world. He is part of the reason that anyone who is Jewish should be proud of their heritage.

But there's more than that. The God I know from the Old Testament wouldn't have put up with this Jesus if he weren't the real thing. God is never in a big hurry to reveal himself or to change things, but when he acts, we all know.

When God led the People out of Egypt, he didn't show any mercy to the Egyptian gods. Archeologists tell us of how the plagues on Egypt were specifically designed to show the LORD's superiority to the supposed gods. The entire Old Testament is filled with the accounts of how God's prophets triumphed over pagan gods.

Jesus did not make a claim just to be a god; he claimed to be the LORD. Is there any bigger blasphemy? To say these things and then have Jesus' religion surpass in numbers and historical importance Judaism would be unthinkable to the LORD if it weren't true.

If the Time wasn't Shortened

In Matthew 24:22, we find a remarkable prophecy regarding the last days:

22. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

Of course, this hasn't been fulfilled yet, but in the day in which he spoke it, it would not have been possible. He speaks of flesh, not just all humanity, but all creatures. This would only be possible during a nuclear war. This indicates insight that is not human alone.

The Increase in Wars

Matthew 24:5-8:

5. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

6. And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

7. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

8. All these are the beginning of sorrows.

These are the end time prophecies; that there will be in increase in wars and rumors of wars. There always have been wars, but we have seen two world wars in the last century and the cold war, the biggest threat of a war which ever was. There are many conflicts going on right now around the world, and it seems like the wars that we in the U.S. are involved with are downplayed in recent years, like our involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan.

There also has been a rise in famine, and it would seem that this has the potential to be much worse in the next few years with the increase of global population. As far as the pestilence, there has been the virtual elimination of many diseases in the last few centuries, but now new strains of bacteria and viruses are becoming resistant to the old medicines. There is a real potential for major outbreaks of disease. Then there is AIDS, which is hardest hitting in Africa, and other poor places.

This is an amazing prophecy regarding our time, and it involves many factors which could not have been seen at Jesus' time. I have heard some people give doubts in regards to prophecy if there is a natural explanation for things which happen. God doesn't say that he will cause supernaturally things which a prophet says, but he says that these things will happen. This is an amazing thing, perhaps more amazing than if God were directing events in a visible way.

The Gospel is Preached to all Nations and Languages

Matthew 24:14:

14. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

This is an important prophecy concerning the end times, which we are now in. The end is very near, but this is in the terms of God and not men, so who can say how near the end we are. The Gospel of Jesus has indeed been preached to all nations, this prophecy has been fulfilled for several years, even in places where Christianity is forbidden; the miracle of radio has reached all nations.

1/3 of the World and Counting

In Zechariah 13:7-9 we read:

7. Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones.

8. And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein.

9.And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God.

So here it is saying that a third of the people shall live and be God's people. As of 2011 there were 6.9 billion people in the world and 2.2 billion Christians, a little less than a third.

Psalm 110

Psalms 110:1-7 literal translation.

1. Of David. A psalm. A statement of Yahweh to my Lord. Sit at My right hand, until I set Your enemies a stool for Your feet.

2. The rod of Your strength will send Yahweh out of Zion. Rule in the midst of Your enemies.

3. Your people {will be} willing in the day of Your strength. In the majesties of holiness. From the womb of the dawn, to You the dew of Your youth.

4. has sworn Yahweh and not will repent. You {are} a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

5. The Lord (at) Your right hand shatters in the day of His anger kings.

6. He will judge in the nations. He will fill with corpses. He will shatter heads over land much.

7. From the brook in the way. He will drink. Therefore, He will lift up the head.

Here David attributes God as calling the Messiah as his lord. He also says he is a high priest like Melchizedek. Genesis 14:18-24:

18. And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.

19. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:

20. And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.

21. And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself.

22. And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the Lord, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth,

23. That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich:

24. Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.

Melchizedek was the high priest of God and the king of Salem (which means peace), or Jerusalem. This puts a different spin on the Messianic prophesies, not only God is identifying the Messiah with himself, he is stating that the Messiah will be both a king and a priest. Compare this with Zechariah which states there will be two Messiah, one a king, and one a high priest. This tells us that the role of Messiah will be split into two functions. This doesn't make sense until you see how the prophecies were fulfilled in Jesus.

Psalm 2

Psalms 2:1-12:

1. Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?

2. The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying,

3. Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.

4. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.

5. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.

6. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.

7. I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my son; this day have I begotten thee.

8. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.

9. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.

10. Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.

11. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

12. Kiss the son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

Samuel 22:3

3. The God of my rock; in him will I trust: He is my shield, and the Horn Of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence.

Job 4:17-21:

17. Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker?

18. Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged with folly:

19. How much less in them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, which are crushed before the moth?

20. They are destroyed from morning to evening: they perish for ever without any regarding it.

21. Doth not their excellency which is in them go away? they die, even without wisdom.

This would imply that the Messiah is indeed God, for he is the only one that the Bible says you are to trust. The king depicted here cannot be David, for he is not God's son.

The Spirit of the LORD

In several verses in the Old Testament, there are references to the Spirit of the LORD coming down on the Messiah.

Isaiah 11:1-2:

1. And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:

2. And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord;

Isaiah 42:1:

1. Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.

Isaiah 61:1-6:

1. The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

2. To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;

3. To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.

4. And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.

5. And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.

6. But ye shall be named the Priests of the LORD: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.

Psalms 45:1-7:

1. My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.

2. Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever.

3. Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty.

4. And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things.

5. Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies; whereby the people fall under thee.

6. Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre.

7. Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

The Christian tradition sees the oil as being symbolic of the Holy Spirit. This fits in with all of the verses mentioning oil and the title of Messiah, which means anointed one. I have heard arguments that there is no such thing in the Tenac because the word spirit also means breath or wind. But here are two verses that demonstrate what I mean. 1st Samuel 11:6-7:

6. And the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard those tidings, and his anger was kindled greatly.

7. And he took a yoke of oxen, and hewed them in pieces, and sent them throughout all the coasts of Israel by the hands of messengers, saying, Whosoever cometh not forth after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done unto his oxen. And the fear of the Lord fell on the people, and they came out with one consent.

2nd Chronicles 15:1-2

1. And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded:

2. And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; the Lord is with you, while ye be with Him; and if ye seek Him, He will be found of you; but if ye forsake Him, He will forsake you.

So, these verses show that there is a Spirit of God, and of course it is just an aspect of God for our human understanding of him. The previous verses show that this Spirit of God will come to rest on the Messiah. Here is the New Testament fulfillment in Matthew 3:16-17:

16. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:

17. And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Fine Fruits

Proverbs 8:19-36:

19. My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver.

20. I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment:

21. That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures.

22. The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.

23. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.

24. When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water.

25. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth:

26. While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world.

27. When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth:

28. When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep:

29. When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth:

30. Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him;

31. Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men.

32. Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways.

33. Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not.

34. Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.

35. For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the Lord.

36. But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.

If we read this passage literally as being spoken by David it doesn't seem to make any sense, for the things he describes are not of man, but of God. Theologically, Jesus stated he was the Word of God, this would be the Bible. This is the only way that this passage makes sense.

The Stony Heart

Ezekiel 11:19-21:

19. And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:

20. That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.

21. But as for them whose heart walketh after the heart of their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their way upon their own heads, saith the Lord God.

Here God is saying that in the new covenant, he will give us a new heart to do his will, and that obedience or disobedience is according to our spirit, not according to the letter of the Law, by which no one can be perfect.

Ezekiel 11:25-30:

25. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.

26. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

27. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

28. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be My people, and I will be your God.

29. I will also save you from all your uncleannesses: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you.

30. And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen.

Here God continues the theme in the previous verses and again reaffirms it is his not our responsibility for salvation.

Redeemed

Isaiah 63:8-11:

8. For he said, Surely they are my people, children that will not lie: so he was their Saviour.

9. In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.

10. But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them.

11. Then he remembered the days of old, Moses, and his people, saying, Where is he that brought them up out of the sea with the shepherd of his flock? where is he that put his holy Spirit within him?

Here again God redeems Israel, and he is identified with an angel.

Isaiah 63:14-19:

14. As a beast goeth down into the valley, the Spirit of the Lord caused him to rest: so didst thou lead thy people, to make thyself a glorious name.

15. Look down from heaven, and behold from the habitation of thy holiness and of thy glory: where is thy zeal and thy strength, the sounding of thy bowels and of thy mercies toward me? are they restrained?

16. Doubtless thou art our father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not: thou, O Lord, art our father, our redeemer; thy name is from everlasting.

17. O Lord, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servants' sake, the tribes of thine inheritance.

18. The people of thy holiness have possessed it but a little while: our adversaries have trodden down thy sanctuary.

19. We are thine: thou never barest rule over them; they were not called by thy name.

The Spirit of the LORD causes the people to rest; this is because salvation isn't the work of men's hands. It is God who has caused the separation between the gentile and the Jew. God is the true father of all men not Abraham. Abraham couldn't have produced a child himself by any means; it had to be the LORD. Abraham couldn't have insured his children would have become a great nation; it was the LORD's work.

The Ransom

Psalms 49:7-11, 15:

7. None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him:

8. (For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:)

9. That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption.

10. For he seeth that wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish person perish, and leave their wealth to others.

15. But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me.

Here again God plainly states his redemption of the people of God, and states that it could be no one but God who does so.

Psalms 89:20-27:

20. I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him:

21. With whom my hand shall be established: mine arm also shall strengthen him.

22. The enemy shall not exact upon him; nor the son of wickedness afflict him.

23. And I will beat down his foes before his face, and plague them that hate him.

24. But my faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him: and in my name shall his horn be exalted.

25. I will set his hand also in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers.

26. He shall cry unto me, thou art my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation.

27. Also I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth.

Here we find the Messiah called servant and the Son of God. Being the firstborn of God after so many generations of men seems to imply that there is something different about his being God's son (Rather than like Adam was the son of God). This fits exactly with Jesus. The enemy of God is Satan, which indicates that the Messiah is sinless. Horn is a symbol of power, so his power will be exulted in God.

Psalms 89:28-32:

28. My mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with him.

29. His seed also will I make to endure for ever, and his throne as the days of heaven.

30. If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments;

31. If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments;

32. Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes.

The Messiah will be important in the covenant, and although here this isn't called the new covenant, there are other passages that indicate the Messiah will be important in establishing the new covenant. This also sees the Messiah as the everlasting king, which identifies him with God, and that his children will live forever, or go to heaven. This passage also reflects on the consequence of sin, which is the rod and stripes, which would apply to Jesus, as he withstood the wrath of man and stripes of the whip because of the sin of his people.

Psalms 89:33-37:

33. Nevertheless my loving kindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail.

34. My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.

35. Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David.

36. His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me.

37. It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven. Selah.

Sometimes the sun is used in the Bible as a symbol of God himself, so this passage again shows that Messiah will be God. The moon is sometimes used as a symbol of the saved in the earth, as the moon reflects the sun's light.

Who is the Servant?

Isaiah 44:1, 21:

1. Yet now hear, O Jacob my servant, and Israel, who I have chosen:

21. Remember these things, O Jacob, and Israel; for thou art my servant: I have formed thee; thou art my servant: O Israel, thou shalt not be forgotten of me.

Isaiah 45:4:

4. For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel my chosen, I have called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me.

Isaiah 41:8:

8. But thou, Israel, my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend,

Isaiah 43:10:

10. Ye are my witnesses, saith Jehovah, and my servant whom I have chosen; that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.

Isaiah 48:20:

20. Go ye forth from Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans; with a voice of singing declare ye, tell this, utter it even to the end of the earth: say ye, Jehovah hath redeemed his servant Jacob.

Isaiah 49:3:

3. and he said unto me, Thou art my servant; Israel, in whom I will be glorified.

In about half of these, it sounds like the servant is two people- Israel and Jacob. But these are two names for the same person. Israel has become identified with the nation of Israel, who would Jacob be referring to? It is not uncommon for important figures in the Messianic line to refer to the Messiah.

Isaiah 37:35:

35. For I will defend this city to save it for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.

Also in Psalm 89:3 we find a similar passage:

3. I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant,

And in Zechariah 3:8:

8. Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the Branch.

Elsewhere in Zechariah the Messiah is called the Branch.

Isaiah 53:1-8:

1. Who hath believed our message? and to whom hath the arm of Jehovah been revealed?

2. For he grew up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

3. He was despised, and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and as one from whom men hide their face he was despised; and we esteemed him not.

4. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

5. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

6. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and Jehovah hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

7. He was oppressed, yet when he was afflicted he opened not his mouth; as a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep that before its shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth.

8. By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who among them considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due?

Jesus didn't speak during part of his trial when accused; this was because as the one who all sins were put on, in a manner of speaking he was guilty.

Job needs to be redeemed

Job 1:1:

1. There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.

Job 42:1-6:

1. Then Job answered the Lord, and said,

2. I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee.

3. Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not.

4. Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.

5. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.

6. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.

And also Job 19:25:

25. For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:

And who is this redeemer?

Isaiah 52:9-15:

9. Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem; for Jehovah hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.

10. Jehovah hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

11. Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; cleanse yourselves, ye that bear the vessels of Jehovah.

12. For ye shall not go out in haste, neither shall ye go by flight: for Jehovah will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your reward.

13. Behold, my servant shall deal wisely, he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high.

14. Like as many were astonished at thee (his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men),

15. so shall he sprinkle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they understand.

Yes, it is none other than God himself who is the redeemer.

Psalm 19:14:

14. Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.

In addition, if you have any doubts, Psalm 78:35:

35. And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer.

Isaiah 49:22-26:

22. Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Behold, I will lift up my hand to the nations, and set up my ensign to the peoples; and they shall bring thy sons in their bosom, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders.

23. And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their faces to the earth, and lick the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am Jehovah; and they that wait for me shall not be put to shame.

24. Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered?

25. But thus saith the Lord, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children.

26. And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I the Lord am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.

Isaiah 42:1-8:

1. Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.

2. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.

3. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.

4. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.

5. Thus saith God the Lord, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:

6. I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;

7. To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.

8. I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.

Here we have the servant; he is seen as being God's elect, or chosen of God. It is interesting that it predestination of salvation is more accepted in the Christian Church. The nature of Jesus is not to shout and raise his voice, but to show mercy. This also shows the Servant as giving a law, and being a light to the Gentiles, which fits Jesus and Christianity. God gives the servant for a New Covenant, and opens blinded eyes. Jesus preformed that particular miracle several times. Bringing prisoners out of prison fits with the substitutionary theology surrounding Jesus. It is only God who is given glory, even though he says he will raise up the servant.

Another Rock?

Isaiah 28:16:

16. Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.

The stone he references is himself. It is a tested and precious stone that makes a sure foundation. There is also the identification of God with the rock throughout the Old Testament.

Psalm 16

Psalms 16:1-10 (literal translation):

1. A secret treasure of David. Watch over me, O God, for I take refuge in You.

2 You have said to Yahweh, My Lord You {are} my goodness not is apart from You.

3. As for the saints who on the earth they {are} and the excellent all my delight {is} in them.

4. will multiply Their sorrows, and another {god}{if} they run after. not I will pour their drink-offerings of blood. And not I will take their names on my lips.

5. Yahweh {is} the portion of my lot and my cup. You will uphold my destiny.

6. The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places. Yes, a inheritance beautiful {is} to me.

7. I will bless Yahweh, who advised me. Also {in} the nights teaches me my reins.

8. I have set Yahweh before me always, for {He is} at my right hand. not I will be shaken.

9. Therefore, is glad my heart and rejoices my glory also my flesh will rest in hope.

10. For not You will leave my soul to Sheol. not You will give Your Holy One to see corruption.

11.You will teach me the way of life. fullness of joys {is}in Your presence. Pleasures at Your right hand forever.

This is a Psalm of David, and he tells what someone says to God. Therefore, this person isn't David. He is a priest, as he is in charge of drink offerings of blood. He delights in the saints on the earth. Yahweh is his inheritance and his teacher. Yahweh protects him from going to Sheol and he says that his Holy One won't see corruption. This seems to indicate that he is God's Holy One. He is in the presence of God when the Psalm is being written. This indicates that he is an unusual being, compare Micah 5:2:

2. But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

And Psalms 30:3:

3. O Lord, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.

This indeed shows the Gospel of Jesus again. God redeems

Fishing for Men

Ezekiel 47:9-11:

9. And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whither the river cometh.

10. And it shall come to pass, that the fishers shall stand upon it from Engedi even unto Eneglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many.

11. But the miry places thereof and the marishes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt.

Compare this to Luke Chapter 5:1-11:

1. And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret,

2. And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets.

3. And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.

4. Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.

5. And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.

6. And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.

7. And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.

8. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.

9. For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken:

10. And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.

11. And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.

The saltiness passing from the waters is symbolic of the life giving quality of the water of the Gospel, as we cannot live on salt water. Also, salt symbolizes the judgment of God, which passes with the Gospel. When Jesus came, the fishermen raked in the fish (or souls).

The Third Day

Hosea 6:2:

2. After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.

A reference to the fact that Jesus arose on the third day, and that it is in his rising that we will live.

Judas

Psalms 41:9:

9.Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.

Compare to John 13:18-19:

18. I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me.

19. Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he.

John13:25-26:

25. He then lying on Jesus' breast saith unto him, Lord, who is it?

26. Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.

While we're on the subject, we should consider Proverbs 27:6:

6. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

The wounds of a friend refer to Jesus' wounds, the kisses of an enemy refer to Judas' betrayal of Jesus.

Psalms 55:12-16:

12. For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him:

13. But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance.

14. We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company.

15. Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell: for wickedness is in their dwellings, and among them.

16. As for me, I will call upon God; and the Lord shall save me.

This prophecy foretells that the Messiah will be betrayed by his own friend, like Judas betrayed Jesus, and that the betrayer would die quickly, as Judas did. The prophecy also refers to the fact that it is the saved that are responsible for Jesus' death by our sin, and that is part of the redemption that was grievous to Jesus to bear.

The Seven Churches of Asia

In the book of Revelation, Jesus comes to John and tells him to write letters to seven churches in Asia. There are three interpretations to this passage that I agree with. The first is that there were seven literal churches in Asia; the second is that the passages apply to all of us in all ages, and the third is that there are seven periods in church history foretold by the letters.

For this book, the importance is the seven periods of church history, this is another example of New Testament prophecy, and this indicates that John was a prophet of God. I have heard of Jewish people who say that Jesus was a great man, or a prophet, but didn't think he was the Messiah, or who said he was the Messiah, but didn't believe he was God. John is the author of Revelation, and it is his Gospel that proclaims Jesus to be God the clearest.

Revelation 1:19-2:7:

19. Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;

20. The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.

1. Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;

2. I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:

3. And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.

4. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

5. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

6. But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

7. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

A few points to clear up first, angel is a bad translation of Greek, the word also means messenger so the messenger of the church is who is supposed to hear the messages. The messenger can be interpreted as any of us as we talk to people about God and his good news or as the Bible itself. The last line in each of each message to a church ends with a promise of some kind to the over comer which equates to salvation. Since this doesn't have any bearing on the discussion of prophetic events, it will be omitted in all other letters, and this is why there is a one-verse gap in between the rest of the passages.

The first period of time is the Apostolic Age, A.D. 33-98. This started when Jesus was killed and resurrected and ended when John, the last of the Disciples, died in about 98 A.D. The Disciples were very excited about the resurrection of Jesus and their lives were changed as a result. They went and suffered persecutions for the sake of the Gospel. Because they were first-hand eyewitnesses, they accurately portrayed Jesus and his life. The early church caught on fire. Over time though, the Disciples died, most by persecution of Rome. The love the church had at first faded and they began to forget some of the teachings of the apostles.

At the church I attend, the new minister has a tendency to have Communion every month or two. I think this is bad, because it makes it less special. This is often the case with repetition. The Gospel is a thing which has meaning on many different levels, very simple people can understand the Bible, but intellectual people can spend their lives trying to understand all of it. This is deceptive and we can think that we understand all about the Bible, and it can lose its special value to us. This is what happened to the early church. As time went on there also appeared other people who didn't have the same opinions and taught differently.

"They hate the Nicolaitans," most authorities believe that this refers to a sect of people who believed in Jesus, but taught that there are no limits to the grace of God, and therefore repentance is of no value.

Revelation 2:8-10:

8. And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;

9. I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.

10. Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

The age of Caesars 98-312 A.D.. "Those who say they are Jews but are not," this states that there is not any difference in God's eyes between those who are saved and Jewish and those who are saved and Christian, for there isn't a different name given to them. This is the basic Gospel theology always presented in the Bible. The Jews who were not Jews were probably the Gnostics, who believed that Jesus was God, but didn't believe that God could have ever become a man because flesh was sinful. This was a very strong religious sect in the first few centuries, despite the fact that it was against the Gospels and directly attacked by Paul. I'm sure also in this time there were many other sects who practiced theology against what the Bible taught.

"Tribulation ten days" refers to the ten-year period of persecution from 303 to313 A.D. under the Roman Emperor Diocletian. At this time was the most severe persecution of the church, and also refers to ten different persecutions by the Roman Empire.

"Dead being alive" seems to have a double meaning. The first is that this was a time where many people died for the name of Jesus, but they were secure in having eternal life. The second meaning is that while the church became less and less loving to God when the Disciples died, they were now enjoying a great revival. How odd it seems that the harder the church has it the better it does, but when we see the Church in Laodicea (the church which represents our time period), it begins to make more sense.

Revelation 2:12-16:

12. And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;

13. I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.

14. But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.

15. So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.

16. Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

This was the Age of Constantine, 312-590. Constantine was the first Roman Emperor to promote Christianity. Constantine had a dream where God told him that he would win by a symbol, a symbol that was the common symbol for Christianity. He had the symbol painted on all of his solder's shields and won a victory, which he thanked God for. This victory secured him as Emperor.

He wasn't a Christian in the truest sense; he frequently mixed images of himself, Christ, and a pagan sun god together. The symbol which he painted on his shield also could be interpreted as a pagan symbol. As a result, pagan ideas influenced the Christian Church. "Eat things sacrificed to idols," is symbolic of this mixing.

The reference to the Nicolaitans is because the belief that "grace without limits = be evil," is more common and widespread under the weakened Church. The sword that comes from his mouth is the Word of God, seen earlier in the chapter as being a two-edged sword. This is because the Word of God has two sharp edges, one of salvation, the other being damnation.

Revelation 2:18-25:

18. And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass;

19. I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.

20. Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.

21. And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.

22. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.

23. And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.

24. But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden.

25. But that which ye have already hold fast till I come.

The Dark ages 590-1517. It is a little surprising that Jesus acknowledges some good works, faith, and patience in this period of church history. Perhaps when Jesus said, "the latter surpasses the first," he is referring to the present day Catholic Church, which has given up the doctrine of indulgences (and anti-Semitism) and is known for their charity and faith. This also might refer to a revival of the common people, although they had poor spiritual leadership.

The combination of Christianity and paganism flourished in the Middle Ages, and this is evident by the importance of saints and the Virgin Mary. There were many fanciful tales regarding saints, and this is the era that put them in almost a position where they were regarded as deity. Christianity turned into superstition.

Popes and Kings alike tried to relate themselves to figures in the Old Testament to establish their authority, and strengthen their power. The Black Plague occurred at this time, it is a very literal fulfillment of Jesus' threat to kill all those that lie with Jezebel. Jezebel symbolizes paganism in the true church, like the Old Testament woman she represents.

Revelation 3:1-4:

1. And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.

2. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.

3. Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.

4. Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.

Age of Reformation 1517-1750. This is the time of the Protestant Reformation, and while this did bring about some positive changes in the Church, it still was largely uncaring. "They have a name as if they should live, but they are dead," it is not enough to have good theology, one must also feel the love of God and man in your heart. There were too few that had that love, and because of it, the church was ready to perish. The Church did better when it was persecuted than when it was required by law. I'm sure that the infighting between the Protestant and Catholic Churches didn't help win people for God.

"Coming like a thief in the night" is a reference to when Jesus returns, for he says he will come like a thief in the night and if the master of the house knew when to expect him that he would have guarded his belongings properly. This is a strange verse, since there are more prophecies obviously he wouldn't be coming back at that time. Perhaps we should see that this is how we should live, as if Jesus could come back any day, and prepare for it, we are only a heartbeat away from death.

Revelation 3:7-10:

7. And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;

8. I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.

9. Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.

10. Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.

Missionary Age 1750-1925. This is the period during which the most successful missionary projects in history have occurred. This is when America and Africa were converted to Christianity. When we try to do what God wants, God blesses us. Perhaps that was one of the reasons that the people in the Age of Reformation forgot. There was not as many power struggles at this time, only the preaching of God's word.

Revelation 3:14-19:

14. And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; these things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;

15. I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.

16. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

17. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

18. I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eye salve, that thou mayest see.

19. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

Age of Apostasy 1925- End of Time. This is the period that represents now. I think in just reading the verses you can probably see the truth in the predictions. We have material goods, we don't have wisdom and humility. The literal city of Laodicea was famous for its eye salve, and we in our age can do more to correct vision that at any time in the past, but we need the eye salve of God. The gold refined by fire doesn't seem to fit with modern interpretations of the Bible, which forsake miracles and divinity.

The fire doesn't fit in with our striving to be good enough, but afraid to be religious fanatics. I have heard many people say that they are good enough and they don't have to go to church. People cannot repent if they cannot see they are sinners in the eyes of God. How far do we have to fall to love God?

Prophecies in the Psalms

A few years ago I was blessed to hear about the hidden prophecies in the Psalms. Two books were written on the subject. I was surprised to find out the authors hadn't heard about the other's book, and each listed a few different prophecies. The idea of these books is that the Psalms, possibly because Psalms is the 19th book of the Bible, correspond to the years starting in 1901. So Psalm 1 is 1901 Psalm 2 is 1902 and so on. Since this would only confirm that the Tenac is inspired by God, perhaps you wonder why I mention it.

Since reading the both books I have wondered if there is any connection between the Psalms and the Book of Revelations. I searched through the Psalms looking for seals or trumpets, anything that would tie in. A few months after I had given up, a possibility came to me. The seal judgments were opening seals on scrolls, and the Psalms are composed of five books, which would have been scrolls when they were written. The dates point to the event at some point within the time frame.

Psalms Book I 1901-1941

Revelations 6:1-2:

1. And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.

2. And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.

And Mathew 24:14:

14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

And Revelations 19:11-16:

11 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him _was_ called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.

12 His eyes _were_ like a flame of fire, and on His head _were_ many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself.

13 He _was_ clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.

15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

16 And He has on _His_ robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND  
LORD OF LORDS.

These verses plainly tell us that it is Jesus that is on the white horse, and that he is conquering as the Word of God. This corresponds to the Seven Churches of Asia period of Philadelphia which went from 1750 to 1925 discussed in the previous chapter. The Word of God was preached in all nations starting at that time frame. This represents the greatest missionary period of all time.

Psalms Book II 1942-1972

Revelations 6:3-4:

3 And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.

4 And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.

This represents World War II, the war with the largest amount of casualties.

Psalms Book III 1973-1989

Revelations 6:5-6

5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.

6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

Penny is a bad translation, and represents the average wage for a person for a day. This is describing high worldwide inflation after the end of the Bretton Woods era during the 1970's, and price increases due to OPEC oil embargoes. It also describes the plight of vast areas of poverty throughout the globe in undeveloped countries, such as the famine in Ethiopia. Do not hurt the oil and the wine is symbolic of the seal not affecting the rich countries as much, and also the saved. While there are greater numbers of impoverished today, the free trade era has helped ensure a minimal living for many people in undeveloped and heavily populated areas, such as China, Africa, and India.

Psalms Book IV 1990-2006

Revelations 6:8:

8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

The pale horse has been always interpreted as a plague of some sort, and HIV has been named as the worst plague of all time by the United Nations. While there were a number of conflicts during this period, obviously there wasn't a fourth of the Earth killed by AIDS, war, famine and animals; this was to indicate the killing was more prevalent in a fourth of the earth. In 1990 1.4 billion people lived in India and Sub-Saharan Africa while the total world population was 5.3 billion, which figures to be 25.7% of the world's population. Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest percentage of HIV infections, while India has the most cases of HIV infection. There were many areas in Sub-Saharan Africa that were ravaged by war and famine during this time, and India had problems with rebels and border disputes.

Psalms Book V 2007-2150

Revelations 6:9-11

9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:

10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?

11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

This is the age of martyrdom. I don't think this is a complete fulfillment of theses passages, but there were an estimated 900,000 Christians martyred in the Republic of Congo. It is certainly possible that another period of martyrdom will occur in the next few years as there are negative sentiments in Muslim and communist countries. In the US and in other industrialized countries segments of the population seem to embrace antireligious bigotry. It has been reported that the number of martyrs doubled in 2013 to a little over 2,000 a year, mostly due to increase in Syria. These are verified numbers, there are many more killed in North Korea and Iran, for example, where the governments have suppressed the information. Some estimates run as high as 100,000 killed per year.

Other Arguments

What are the Possibilities?

The New Testament tells us that Jesus claimed to be God. What are the possibilities of that statement?

A. The authors of the New Testament are liars.

B. Jesus was insane.

C. Jesus was a liar.

D. Jesus was God.

Let us examine all of the possibilities.

A. The authors of the New Testament are liars.

The record of the New Testament speaks for itself. When Jesus was on trial, and before his death, all of his disciples fled. Three days after he died, they claimed to have seen him. After this, there were many persecutions of Christians by the Roman Empire. Tradition holds that only Judas, who committed suicide after he betrayed Jesus, and John didn't become martyrs. John was imprisoned several times for preaching the Gospel.

So out of all who fled during Jesus' trial, none recanted their story, even under the threat of death. At the time of the persecutions, it must have seemed like Christianity would have been an endangered species. If all a person had to do to save their lives was to confess the truth, you would have thought they would have done it- at least one of them. They not only didn't recant, but they continued to spread the Word.

Tradition holds that all of them lived to old ages preaching to all corners of the globe. It seems strange to me that none of them got tired and fell away. I'm sure that you have known someone close that has fallen away. Time and distance will tear apart relationships and ideas. Jesus' ministry was only a period of three years. There must have been some life-changing event to pull all of them together like that. Does it seem right that it was a lie?

B. Jesus was insane.

People have followed insane people before, but let's face it, do insane people have the ability to present a theology and personality that is accepted in many cultures and lands over a two-thousand year period of time? I know of no other. Jesus claimed to be God in a monotheistic culture, and that all depended upon him for salvation. If he was insane, he wouldn't have been mildly neurotic; he would have been a raving lunatic.

Phillip Schaff, historian said, "Is such an intellect- clear as the sky, bracing as the mountain air, sharp and penetrating as a sword, thoroughly healthy and vigorous, always ready and always self-possessed- liable to a radical and most serious delusion concerning His own character and mission? Preposterous imagination!"

C. Jesus was a liar.

Jesus taught the highest standards of morals ever conceived upon this planet. I have seen Jewish scholars criticize him for exceeding what they have interpreted as the Law. They say that it is too hard for people to accept the old standard, let alone the new ones. Jesus claimed to be without sin. If this was true, then he was also a hypocrite. He was held under close public scrutiny for most of his ministry, even the Jewish community who didn't accept him never brought forth a charge against him, except claiming to be God, being a bastard, and not hallowing the Sabbath.

His claiming to be God is natural. The claim that Jesus was a bastard is a natural given the events in Jesus' life and is dealt with in greater detail in another chapter. As for the charge of not keeping the Sabbath hallow, it is recorded in Luke 13:14-17:

14. And the ruler of the synagogue, being moved with indignation because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, answered and said to the multitude, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the day of the Sabbath.

15. But the Lord answered him, and said, Ye hypocrites, doth not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering?

16. And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan had bound, lo, these eighteen years, to have been loosed from this bond on the day of the Sabbath?

17. And as he said these things, all his adversaries were put to shame: and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him.

Compare with Deuteronomy 5:14-15:

14. but the seventh day is a Sabbath unto Jehovah thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy man-servant and thy maid-servant may rest as well as thou.

15. And thou shalt remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and Jehovah thy God brought thee out thence by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm: therefore Jehovah thy God commanded thee to keep the Sabbath day.

Jesus is saying that the Sabbath is a day of rest, but also a day of remembrance of the goodness of God. God saves on the Sabbath, see the similarities of Egypt as a symbol of Satan and the binding and the loosening by God. It doesn't seem likely that Jesus would have been a liar considering how rational he was. If he was a liar, it led to his death, which is against the grain of his rationality.

4. Jesus was God.

It seems the only likely possibility, but If you aren't convinced yet, read on, there's more.

If God Became a Man, then what would he be like?

I have devised the following list of logical things a person would expect if Yahweh were to become a man

Have an unusual entrance to life

B. Have an unusual exit to life

C. Posses supernatural powers

D. Speak the greatest things ever spoken

E. Be very unusual from others

F. Be without sin

G. Have a great influence on the whole world

H. Have a theological understanding beyond that of ordinary men

I. Posses power over death

J. Fulfill a number of prophecies

K. Be Jewish

L. Be the Messiah

Do you agree these seem logical? Does Jesus live up to the logical expectations that I have set forth here? I shall discuss the points one by one.

A. Have an unusual entrance to life.

If we would answer this question, the whole debate would be over. No one can say if the Virgin Birth is true without accepting the testimony of the New Testament. This is addressed in the New Testament, however, and therefore is part of my overall statement that the New Testament accurately depicts what God would be like if he were a man without contradicting the Old Testament. I have also explained elsewhere that the extra Biblical accounts are not contradictory to the virgin birth, but the accounts are exactly what one would expect if the event had happened.

B. Have an unusual exit to life.

Crucifixion is a very unusual exit to life. It wasn't known to authors of the Old Testament; however forms of the word "pierce" occur very prominently throughout the text. We know more about the details of the death of Jesus than the death of any other person in antiquity. The substitutionary principal of Jesus is by itself in theology. The darkness when he died has been confirmed by non-Christian eyewitnesses.

C. Posses supernatural powers.

There are reports of Jesus' supernatural powers, or miracles, reported by Romans, Jews, and Christians. How many people have been able to convince opposition groups that they have supernatural powers? Not any I can think of.

D. Speak the greatest things ever spoken.

This point is subjective, but try and think of another who has spoken greater things. Not many people have had their words last as long as Jesus. The Bible is the number one best seller year after year in language after language. People quote or paraphrase Jesus even if they are not religious.

E. Be very unusual from others

Think of all that Jesus accomplished in the three years of his ministry, and this without doing anything that a person does to be regarded as great. Jesus was different from other men in the authority that he taught, and the manner in which he lived. Jesus is the most famous and popular person in history.

F. Be without sin.

There was a written testimony in the New Testament that Jesus never sinned, and no one has ever said that they were eye witnesses to a sin he committed. I couldn't have preformed this same feat, could you?

G. Have a great influence on the whole world

When the atheists bang their feet against the coffee table, they swear by saying Jesus' name, or God's name. They might not admit it, but does this not show that they have been influenced in some small way by Jesus? Many famous people regularly put down the Christian Religion; doesn't this show that the Christian religion is indeed a standard by which culture is measured? The Christian Church is the largest church in the world.

H. Have a theological understanding beyond that of ordinary men

There have been those who have said that Jesus was a Pharisees, and then make a list of similar theologies to back up their thinking. There are those who have identified Jesus with the Sadducees because of other similarities. Lastly, there are those who identify Jesus with the Essenes because of other similarities.

In any school of theology, there will be a line of thinking. In this line of thinking there will be valid and invalid points based on the point-of-view of the people who devised them. Therefore, if God were to become a man, he would be able to out-reason others (as the New Testament shows Jesus doing) and he would find points of similarities and differences with all of the theological groups.

We have a tendency in life to project our reasoning onto others. In the book "Men are from Mars Women are from Venus," the author shows how this is fallacy by using the example of women's verses men's perspectives. I don't think that you would get someone who would have the range of theological debate that Jesus had unless he had a miraculous power to see beyond a singular point of view.

Posses power over death

Jesus fulfilled this a number of times, he raised at least three people from the dead and himself. The most amazing thing about this is the historical evidence is for his own raising from the dead. The lives of his disciples were changed after his death. There were numerous reports of sightings after his death.

Fulfill a number of prophecies

Jesus claimed to be the Word of God, so there is also an expectation that there should be many double meanings and symbolic passages. This is covered in greater detail in my chapter Symbolic Verses and Double Meanings. As you have read there are numerous prophecies fulfilled in Jesus, several that only Jesus could have fulfilled.

Be Jewish

Not only is Jesus Jewish, he is the most famous son of Abraham, transcending time, language, and culture in this identity.

L. Be the Messiah

Midrash Tehillim on Psalm 21:1:

"God calls King Messiah by His own name. But what is his name? Answer: Jehovah is a man of war" (from Exodus 15:3).

Echa Rabbathi, on Lamentations 1:16:

"'What is the name of Messiah?' R. Abba Ben Bahana has said: Jehovah is His name, and this is proved by ' This is His name''" (Jeremiah 23:6)

And I end with a quote from Thomas Schultz:

"Not one recognized leader, not Moses, Paul, Buddha, Mohammed, Confucius, etc., has ever claimed to be God; that is, with the exception of Jesus Christ. Christ is the only religious leader who has ever claimed to be deity and the only individual ever who has convinced a great portion of the world that he is God."

This is not exactly true, kings have claimed to be gods before, but after the end of their political influence this is disregarded. Jesus is the only person to found a major religion while not having political influence.

Pact Made Directly with God

There is one unusual thing about our two religions, and that is that God speaks to people without a priest. There is usually understood in religion to be an intercessor with the god or gods so that the average person doesn't have to have direct contact with God. Moses was one example of someone like this in our own religion, but then there were average people like Abraham or Amos that God spoke to. The New Testament talks about Jesus being our High Priest, one who possesses the humanness of man and the ritual cleanness to be an intercessor as no one else could be. Without Jesus, there seems to be a place missing.

Didn't the people cry out to Moses to go away and not have God come so close to them or they would die? Jesus is the reason that we can communicate with God, and without him, God seems a bit out of reach for those of us with dirty hands. God has said that no one could gaze upon his face without dying, how could we go to Heaven without someone like Jesus shielding us from God's glory?

The Blind and Forgiven

There are a few verses of scripture that if I were a Jewish scribe in the first century, and I did not believe in Jesus, I would have to repute. These are things that there is many reported eyewitnesses for. For example, Mathew 9:2-7:

2. And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.

3. And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth.

4. And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?

5. For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk?

6. But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.

7. And he arose, and departed to his house.

And also in the same chapter verses 27-33:

27. And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us.

28. And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord.

29. Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.

30. And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it.

31. But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country.

32. As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil.

33. And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake: and the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel.

This is important in consideration of Psalm 146:8:

8: The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind: the Lord raiseth them that are bowed down: the Lord loveth the righteous:

Isaiah 35:4-8:

4. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.

5. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.

6. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.

7. And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes.

8. And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called the way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.

Isaiah 32:3-4:

3. And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of them that hear shall hearken.

4. The heart also of the rash shall understand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly.

Both of these are obvious claims by Matthew that Jesus is God, and both are presented as happening in public. How easy it would be to say that the events never happened if they didn't. But no word is mentioned refuting these claims in the Talmud or any other writings. The Talmud claims Jesus to be a worker of magic who led the children of Israel astray and an illegitimate son of a Roman solder named Pantera.

The point is, even when there is fraud that succeeds, there is another side to the story. There are many people who would have known whether these events happened at all. For some reason history has been silent. Not to forget Pantera, let us assume for the sake of argument that Matthew 1:18-25 is true:

18. Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

19. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.

20. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

21. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

22. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,

23. Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

24. Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:

25. And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.

It is reasonable to assume that when they were engaged, both of them told their families and some friends. Somewhere along the line before Jesus was born, many people in the local community would have found out Mary was pregnant. If they asked Mary what happened she would have had to either lie and say it was Joseph's or say she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Joseph, before he had his revelation from an angel, might have expressed concern to a friend or relative that he hadn't gotten Mary pregnant. Between all of this, and considering how much people like to talk about such things, we could see where this story is very likely to have developed without any contradiction to the events in Matthew. I also might add that this suggests that Jewish scribes who have related these tales about Jesus did not lie about what they knew; this would have been an accurate tale to them.

The only High Priest with the Qualifications to do the Job

There is one qualification that Jesus has that no other potential High Priest has which would allow him to remain clean while performing said duty. The Muslims have made a cemetery in front of where the Temple Mound is. One of the restrictions of being ceremonially clean is that you have to not touch a dead body or walk where a dead body has been laid to rest.

When Jesus returns, the dead will all rise and thus make the ground clean again. Only Jesus can walk into the restored Temple ceremonially clean

Empty Tomb

Jesus is the only major religious leader to have an empty tomb. What happened to the body?

There are three distinct possibilities.

1. Jesus didn't die, he only fainted.

2. The disciples stole the body

3. Jesus was resurrected

1. Jesus didn't die, but fainted, then appeared to his disciples.

Professor E.F. Kevan says "On his feet, which had been pierced through and through two days back, He walks without difficulty the two leagues (about seven miles) between Emmaus and Jerusalem. He is so active, that during the repast He disappears suddenly out of sight of his fellow travelers, and when they return to the capital to announce the good news to the apostles, they find Him there again! He has overtaken them. With the same quickness which characterizes all His movements, He presents Himself suddenly in the room in which the disciples are assembled.... Are these the actions of a man who had just been taken down half-dead from the cross, and who has been laid in a grave in a condition of complete exhaustion? No."

This doesn't mention that he would have had to push the boulder away, a boulder which historians think is so large it would take two people to move. Then he would have had to get away from the Roman guards posted outside- guards which faced the death penalty if they deserted or fell asleep.

If Jesus had pulled this off, would he have perpetrated the lie of resurrection to his beloved disciples? It doesn't seem to fit with his character.

2. The disciples stole the body.

To believe this possibility, you have to believe that the disciples who ran off when Jesus was apprehended, stole the body, while vicious Roman guards were guarding it. You would also have to believe that this theft would have had a profound spiritual effect on them, as is evident from the Gospels, Acts and Church Tradition.

3. Jesus was resurrected.

Can you think of any grounds to argue against?

Size of the scroll in Zechariah

Zechariah 5:2:

2. And he said to me, "What do you see?" And I answered, "I see a flying scroll; its length is twenty cubits and its width ten cubits"

From the context of the passages it is obvious that the scroll is the Word of God. A cubit is 17.5 inches so the area of the flying scroll is 10x20x17.5x17.5=61,250 square inches. The Great Isaiah Scroll, one of the Dead Sea Scrolls is 24 feet by 11 inches, so the area of it is 24*12*11=3,168 square inches. If we divide the 61,250 by 3,168 we get that the Zechariah scroll is 19.33 times larger than the Great Isaiah Scroll.

I have made a chart which represents the length of Isaiah and the Bible for a few of the Bibles that I have on hand.

As you see the differences go from about 20% above and below what the length of Isaiah times 19.33 is. This is a clear indication that God meant that the New Testament was included in the Word of God.

Molten Calf

The Judaic commentaries of the Law were kept oral at the beginning to prevent them from being considered equal to inspired scripture. The weight of the oral tradition has become so great that people see it as a way to escape sin. I see similarities between the strict observance of oral law and the molten calf.

Exodus 32:1-14:

1 And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.

2 And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.

3 And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.

4 And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

5 And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the Lord.

6 And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.

7 And the Lord said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:

8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

9 And the Lord said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people:

10 Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation.

11 And Moses besought the Lord his God, and said, Lord, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?

12 Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.

13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.

14 And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.

Here we have the children of Israel taking off their earrings to make a calf of gold. The golden earrings symbolize something valuable that they heard (The Law) that they fashioned into the work of their own hands. The oral tradition of Judaism was not written down to begin with so that it would not become equal in weight to the scriptures. Notice that the children of Israel say that it is the golden calf that has taken them out of the land of Egypt. Egypt is symbolic of sin, so this is like someone saying that it is the oral tradition that has kept the people from sin, but it has to be God himself and his Word that keeps people from sin. Notice that the people sacrificed to the calf, as people make sacrifices in their lives to meet the requirements of the oral tradition. It was Moses symbol of the Law, which is part of the Word that led the chosen people from Egypt; it was not the work of men's hands.

Historical Evidence of the Rock

Mr. James Charlesworth made some interesting observations in his essay "Jesus, Early Jewish Literature, and Archaeology."

"...prior to the nineteenth century there were no competing sites for Golgotha...In the late 1970s excavators exposed part of the foundations of Hadrian's Roman Forum in which the Temple of Aphrodite was constructed around 125 C.E. This temple had buried Golgotha, and perhaps Jesus' tomb. Now, major discoveries confirm, in my opinion, that the church of the Holy Sepulchre houses the rock on which Jesus was crucified...."

"It is now clear, thanks to excavations in the late 1970s, that a rock inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and traditionally called Calvary, still rises approximately thirteen meters above bedrock. The exposed rock, moreover, bears the marks of ancient quarrying: It is a rejected portion of an ancient pre-exilic Israelite white stone (malaki) quarry. By the first century B.C.E. this area had evolved from a seventh- to eighth-century rock quarry, to a refuse dump, and finally to a burial site, since Jewish tombs clearly predating 70 are visible. It is possible that the final phase in the first century before 70 was a garden as described by the author of John (see John 19:41)."

"I am convinced that it is on this exposed fist of rejected rock that Jesus had been crucified. It was outside the walls and near a public road in 30; hence it fits all the Jewish (see Lev 24:14, and Mishnah Sanh 6.1) and Roman requirements of a spot for executions."

"Perhaps the early Christians living in Jerusalem knew what archaeologists only recently have discovered. It is possible that they celebrated Jesus' crucifixion by reciting Psalm 118:22:"

"The stone which the builders rejected; this has become the head of the corner."

"In fact this tradition, recorded in 1st Peter(2:7), is also attributed by Luke to Peter, when he spoke to the high priest in Jerusalem: 'this is the stone which was rejected by you builders' (Acts 4:11). The pronoun 'this' could be a double entendre for both Calvary and Jesus."

Eusebius

Eusebius of Caesarea, Church History: Book III Chapter 20: The Relatives of our Saviour: "Of the family of the Lord there were still living the grandchildren of Jude, who is said to have been the Lord's brother according to the flesh. Information was given that they belonged to the family of David, and they were brought to the Emperor Domitian by the Evocatus. For Domitian feared the coming of Christ as Herod also had feared it. And he asked them if they were descendants of David, and they confessed that they were. Then he asked them how much property they had, or how much money they owned. And both of them answered that they had only nine thousand denari, half of which belonged to each of them; and this property did not consist of silver, but of a piece of land which contained only thirty-nine acres, and from which they raised their taxes and supported themselves by their own labor." Then they showed their hands, exhibiting the hardness of their bodies and the callousness produced upon their hands by continuous toil as evidence of their own labor. And when they were asked concerning Christ and his kingdom, of what sort it was and where and when it was to appear, they, answered that it was not a temporal nor an earthly kingdom, but a heavenly and angelic one, which would appear at the end of the world, when he should come in glory to judge the quick and the dead, and to give unto every one according to his works. Upon hearing this, Domitian did not pass judgment against them, but, despising them as of no account, he let them go, and by a decree put a stop to the persecution of the Church. But when they were released they ruled the churches because they were witnesses and were also relatives of the Lord. And peace being established, they lived until the time of Trojan. These things are related by Hegesippus.

Evidence that Jesus was really of the Davidic line and that the basic theology was set early in time, contrary to what some theologians have taught.

Reliability of the New Testament Texts

John Rylands' Manuscript (A.D. 130) is located in the John Rylands Library of Manchester, England (oldest extant fragment of the New Testament). Because of its early date and location (Egypt), some distance from the traditional place of composition (Asia Minor), this portion of the Gospel of John tends to confirm the traditional date of the composition of the Gospel about the end of the first century.

That textual variations do not endanger doctrine is emphatically stated by Sir Frederic Kenyon (one of the great authorities in the field of New Testament criticism): 'One word of warning already referred to, must be emphasized in conclusion. No fundamental doctrine of the Christian faith rests on a disputed reading....'"

Of all the books in antiquity there are many more copies of the New Testament and they are written in fourteen languages. It would be impossible for anyone to change any of the New Testament documents. A manuscript of Mark that dated from about 50 A.D has been discovered.

The Beginning and the End

The Bible is a complete story with a beginning and an ending. In the Tenac, there is no real end to the story of the Bible, but in the New Testament, there is an ending to the work of God. The ending is very much tied to the beginning. Compare:

Genesis 1:1:

1. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

Genesis 1:10:

10. And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.

Revelation 21:1:

1. And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

God redoes his creation, a new heaven and a new earth.

Genesis 1:5:

5. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

Revelation 21:25:

25. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.

The night comes first in the Biblical day, symbolizing sin in the world and the rule of men instead of God. With God in charge, there is no night.

Genesis 1:16:

16. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.

Revelation 21:23:

23. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.

Glorious indeed. The passage is great in metaphorical and literal meanings.

Genesis 2:10:

10. And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.

Revelation 22:1:

1. And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.

This utilizes the extended metaphor of water for the Word of God. Man's life began in the Garden of Eden by a river and it will be so through eternity. The number four is absent from the second passage since that number represents the physical world.

Genesis 3:16:

16. Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

Revelation 21:4:

4. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

Genesis 3:17:

17. And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;

Revelation 22:3:

3. And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:

The curse begins with sin and ends with God.

Genesis 3:1-4:

1. Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

2. And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:

3. But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

4. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

Revelation 20:10:

10. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

The Devil appears very early in the Bible and is destroyed at the end.

Genesis 3:22-24:

22. And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:

23. Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.

24. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

Genesis 2:17:

17. But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Revelation 22:2:

2. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

The tree of life is kept from humanity until all of the work of God has been completed. It is restored to us by the grace of God.

Symbolic Verses and double meanings

Introduction

There are many verses in the Old Testament that are symbolic of Jesus or that have double meanings about him. The reason that we can expect this is John 1:1-3, 14:

1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2. The same was in the beginning with God.

3. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

14. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

We see here that Jesus claims to be God, not another God, but the same God, and that he was the Word. What would you expect if God was in some way an actual book and he revealed himself as a person? You would expect that there would be references to him as a person all throughout the book. Given the historical nature of the Bible and the fact that it is the inspired words of God, even times when someone such as David was speaking about himself, not only should we not be surprised that these things might have a secondary meaning pertaining to Jesus, but we should expect it. This chapter is about verses that symbolize Jesus and double meanings.

Adam

Genesis 2:15-3:24:

15. And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

16. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:

17. But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

18. And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.

19. And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.

20. And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.

21. And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;

22. And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.

23. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

24. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

25. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
Chapter 3

1. Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

2. And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:

3. But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

4. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

5. For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

6. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

7. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

8. And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.

9. And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?

10. And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

11. And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?

12. And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

13. And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

14. And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:

15. And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

16. Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

17. And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;

18. Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;

19. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

20. And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.

21. Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

22. And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:

23. Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.

24. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way of the tree of life.

Adam in this story symbolizes Jesus and Eve the church. Adam has to take care and keep the garden, which is like salvation. Adam names all of the animals. This is symbolic of how Jesus will judge the nations. Naming is important in symbolism regarding salvation. For example Genesis 17:5:

5. Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.

And also Genesis 30:6:

6. And Rachel said, God hath judged me, and hath also heard my voice, and hath given me a son: therefore she called his name Dan.

The name Dan means judge, the other names in this account refer to the circumstances by which they were conceived.

God takes Eve from Adam's rib. This is parallel to the account in John 19:34:

34. But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.

The blood symbolizes the sacrifice and the water symbolizes the Word or Spirit of God. This is where the church came from, the sacrifice and Word or Spirit of God. They became one flesh, or were married which is a frequent symbol in the whole of the Bible for the relationship of God and the Church. They both were naked, this stands for the fact they were in a sinful condition, but at the time they did not recognize it. The woman gave Adam the fruit to eat after she had eaten; this is symbolic of the church giving Jesus her sins. In the literal story, they made aprons of fig leaves, in other words, they tried to cover their sin themselves. God comes back and they realize they are in a sinful state and they hide from God because they are naked. While this is not a continuation of the symbolism that had been before, it is a continuation of the theme of New Testament style salvation.

I have commented already about "enmity between her seed and your seed." Notice when God curses Adam, he talks about him sowing the field. This is in striking resemblance to the Parable of the Sower in Mattew13:3-9:

3. And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;

4. And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:

5 . Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:

6. And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.

7. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:

8. But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.

9. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Then Jesus explains what he means. Matthew13:18-23:

18. Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.

19. When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.

20. But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;

21. Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.

22. He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.

23. But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

Then God clothed them with the skins of animals. This had to involve the killing of an animal. The blood sacrifice was what was necessary to cover their sins—and it had to come from God. Then we have God throwing Adam and Eve out form the Garden of Eden and placing a cherubim with a flaming sword at its entrance. This is symbolic of God's judgment, there is the garden, which symbolizes salvation, and then there is the angel who holds a sword, who symbolizes damnation. God sends Adam out to till the ground from where he came, and again I think of the parable of the sower sent out to fill the world with the gospel of Jesus.

Joseph

I usually quote from the Bible all the passages that apply to what I am saying, but the story of Joseph goes from the 37th to the 50th chapter of Genesis. Here is a summary:

In Joseph's first dream, he dreams that he is a sheaf of wheat and his brothers come and worship him. This has to do with the extended metaphor about the word of God being wheat, and the spreading of the wheat is the spreading of the good news of God. The other sheaves of wheat bow down to him, literally his brothers in the historical events, but this is symbolic of believers. This is another identification of the Messiah as being God.

In Joseph's next dream, he dreams the sun, the moon and stars worship him. In the historical events, Jacob, Joseph's father, sees himself as the sun, his wife as the moon, and the stars as his sons. He ridicules the boy for this, but keeps the saying in his mind. The sun is used as a symbol of God. The moon is used as a symbol of the believers, and this is also true of the stars. This is another passage that clearly identifies the Messiah as God, whom else would God bow down to?

Jacob loved Joseph more than his brothers and gave him a long coat. Clothing is symbolic of a covering for sin, or being righteous. Joseph's brothers were jealous of him, and intended to kill him, but instead they, took off his coat, threw him in a pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites as a slave. When they took off his coat, that was like he was being subject to God's wrath, and this is supported by being in the pit, similar to Sheol. The pit had no water in it, the water being a symbol of the Word of God.

He was sold to the people who were not of God, by the people of God, and they lifted him out of the pit. This symbolizes Jesus being subject to God's wrath for people who are not yet the people of God.

Joseph went to Egypt, as did Jesus for a time, and this was in the long run to show the glory of God to people who were not God's people and in a land which isn't God's land. They took a goat, killed it, and put the blood on Joseph's coat. Jesus said that when Judgment Day comes, the goats will be separated from the sheep. The goats represent the sinners. So it is the sinners blood which is on Joseph's coat, and that is what they convince the father with that Joseph is dead. This is the substitutionary principal of the Gospel.

Ruben, who left after they cast Joseph in the pit, returns to the pit and mourns because he can't find Joseph, whom he was planning to rescue. This is similar to how the Disciples Peter and John returned to the tomb and were distraught because they couldn't find Jesus' body there. Joseph was sold to the captain of the guard, who was named Potiphar, which means dedicated to Ra, the sun god. He came to trust Joseph and put him in charge of all of his possessions, save what he ate. God blessed him. This is the same as if we trust Jesus, if we trust him and put our possessions and ourselves in his charge, then we will be blessed by God. This is true even if we have been dedicated in the past to other things, even wicked things like a pagan god.

Potiphar's wife came to Joseph and wanted him to lie with her. Joseph didn't want to, as he was a faithful servant to Potiphar. She repeated her request of him several times, and eventually was alone with him and grabbed his garment off of him. She told her husband that it was Joseph who tried to lie with her and when she screamed, he ran off and left his clothes. The wife here is symbolic of the church, which is made up of people who sin. It is their sin that puts Jesus under the wrath of God, which is symbolized by his going to prison and being without clothes.

Then Joseph was put into prison with the butler and the baker. The butler had a dream where he was serving the pharaoh again and Joseph told him it would come to pass. The baker had a dream in which he had baskets on his head. Joseph told him this meant that he would be killed by the pharaoh. Both of the things came true. Joseph had said that the dreams were from God, and that he could interpret them. One of the dreams was of salvation and the other dream was of damnation, they only were heard by Joseph because he was facing the wrath of the king. Jesus is the part of God who judges because he was the one who faced the wrath of God.

The pharaoh had two dreams, one that seven fat cows were eaten by seven thin cows, the other that seven fat ears of grain were eaten up by seven lean ears of grain. None of his magicians could interpret the dream, and the butler remembered how Joseph interpreted his dream, and told this to pharaoh. The pharaoh listened to the butler and sent for Joseph. Joseph shaved and changed his clothes and then was put before the pharaoh. The shaving is symbolic of Jesus dying and the changing of clothes is a symbol of his resurrection. Joseph interpreted the dream to the pharaoh as being that there would be seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine which would swallow up the fat years. Joseph told the pharaoh what he should do to protect himself. The pharaoh set Joseph up over Egypt and he saved all of the grain that he could while the seven years of plenty came. Then the world came to him because they needed food. This is like Jesus giving the world the gospel.

Ten of Joseph's brothers came to buy grain from him, but they didn't recognize him. Joseph treated them roughly and sent all of them away except Simon, who had to stay there until they brought Benjamin back with them. Joseph did this so that they would bring Benjamin down to him before he reveled himself to them. When he sent them away, he put their money back in their sacks for the grain they had bought.

When we go to Jesus, he gives us what we need, and does it with no cost. Jesus knows all that are appointed to him, and will go to great lengths to find the one that is missing.

So, they returned to Egypt with Benjamin, and Joseph made a banquet for them. After the banquet was over, Joseph sent them away, again with their money in their sacks, but he had his servants place his silver cup in Benjamin's sack. After they had left, Joseph sent his steward after them and he found the cup in Benjamin's sack. Joseph wanted to keep Benjamin there, but Judah said for Joseph to keep him instead.

Joseph couldn't control himself any longer and revealed himself to his brothers and told them to move to Egypt with their father. The pharaoh had been so well pleased with Joseph, that he told him to have his family come to Egypt and he would give him the best of the land. So they did, and then the famine pressed hard upon the people, and they sold their cattle and money to pharaoh for food. Then they had nothing left, so they sold themselves as slaves to pharaoh. After this, Jacob and Joseph died, and Genesis ends.

Sometimes, bad things happen to us, but it is the grace of God working in us in ways we cannot comprehend as of yet. The same is true here, as Joseph played a few tricks on his brothers, but in the end gave them good. The people of God had to go out to Egypt from the Promised Land to show the power and glory of God to the other people of the world. It is so with us, for only by our actions can people know God, so sometimes we have to be where we do not want to be.

Noah

The story of Noah goes from Genesis 6:5 to Genesis 9:17. Again, this is a long story, so I will sum it up for you. God looked at earth and saw the wickedness was great, so he decided to destroy the earth with a flood. God commanded Noah to make an Ark, and load two of all of the unclean animals and seven of all of the clean. Noah was also to bring his three sons and their wives.

The rain fell for forty days and nights and Noah, his wife and his children entered the ark with the animals. God shut up the ark. The living things that were on the face of the earth died. The flood covered the land 150 days and then God made the flood stop. The ark rested on the mountain of Ararat. After ten months the top of the mountains became visible. Noah sent out a raven and a dove, the dove returned, and he sent it out again after a week. The dove didn't return the second time. God told Noah to leave the ark.

Noah took one of each of the clean animals and sacrificed them to God and God promised not to destroy the earth with a flood. God told Noah that the animals would be afraid of man and that man could eat them. God said not to eat meat with blood and not to kill or the life of the murderer would be forfeit. He affirmed his covenant with Noah that there would be no destruction of the earth with a flood, and the symbol of this is a rainbow.

Noah and his children represent the saved people, and the flood is God's Word. The ark is Jesus, which saves the people of God from the flood. The period of forty days is symbolic of testing. The meaning of Noah's name, rest, in the first portion, is symbolic as the entering into the period of grace. God does the work. Note that God is the one who shuts the door of the ark.

The flood destroys the people of the world because of their wickedness. Noah sends out a dove and a raven to test whether the waters have abated. This is also a demonstration of the judgment of God. The raven goes out into the world and eats, because it is a scavenger. The dove returns to the ark, like all the children of God. When Noah sends the dove out again, it returns with an olive branch, the symbol of Israel.

After the flood, Noah makes a sacrifice to God; again a symbol of Jesus' sacrifice, and after that, God says even though the hearts of men are wicked, he will not destroy the earth again with a flood. The sacrifice is one of total faith in God also, as there are only seven of all the clean animals on earth at that time. Then he promises a covenant with Noah and his people. This is a story about how our salvation is a gift from God and not our earned right.

Samson

Judges 14:5-20:

5. Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnath, and came to the vineyards of Timnath: and, behold, a young lion roared against him.

6. And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done.

7. And he went down, and talked with the woman; and she pleased Samson well.

8. And after a time he returned to take her, and he turned aside to see the carcase of the lion: and, behold, there was a swarm of bees and honey in the carcase of the lion.

9. And he took thereof in his hands, and went on eating, and came to his father and mother, and he gave them, and they did eat: but he told not them that he had taken the honey out of the carcase of the lion.

10. So his father went down unto the woman: and Samson made there a feast; for so used the young men to do.

11. And it came to pass, when they saw him, that they brought thirty companions to be with him.

12. And Samson said unto them, I will now put forth a riddle unto you: if ye can certainly declare it me within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty sheets and thirty change of garments:

13. But if ye cannot declare it me, then shall ye give me thirty sheets and thirty change of garments. And they said unto him, Put forth thy riddle, that we may hear it.

14. And he said unto them, Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness. And they could not in three days expound the riddle.

15. And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they said unto Samson's wife, Entice thy husband, that he may declare unto us the riddle, lest we burn thee and thy father's house with fire: have ye called us to take that we have? is it not so?

16. And Samson's wife wept before him, and said, Thou dost but hate me, and lovest me not: thou hast put forth a riddle unto the children of my people, and hast not told it me. And he said unto her, Behold, I have not told it my father nor my mother, and shall I tell it thee?

17. And she wept before him the seven days, while their feast lasted: and it came to pass on the seventh day, that he told her, because she lay sore upon him: and she told the riddle to the children of her people.

18. And the men of the city said unto him on the seventh day before the sun went down, What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion? And he said unto them, If ye had not plowed with my heifer, ye had not found out my riddle.

19. And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, and slew thirty men of them, and took their spoil, and gave change of garments unto them which expounded the riddle. And his anger was kindled, and he went up to his father's house.

20. But Samson's wife was given to his companion, whom he had used as his friend.

In this passage, honey is used as a symbol of salvation.

Exodus 3:8:

8. And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite.

Proverbs 24:13-14:

13. My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste:

14. So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off.

The lion is the symbol of the king, or Jesus. Samson is also a symbol of Jesus here (I know that makes for two things symbolic of Jesus in the story, but there are other times when God is shown as more than one thing in a story, it represents the fact that he is the beginning and end of our salvation). Samson's wife is a symbol of the church. The wedding of Jesus and the church is an ongoing theme in the whole Bible.

Samson kills the lion (Jesus) and finds inside salvation. He gives this to his father and mother. When those present at the wedding feast figured out the riddle of salvation, Samson killed thirty men of Ashkelon, who symbolize the unsaved people, and takes their garments (Covering for sin) and gives it to the others at his wedding party. Then they give Samson's wife to one of his companions. This is symbolic of the church's being separated from Jesus until he returns to earth. He also saves her from being burned by fire, as Jesus saves from the fires of Hell.

In the story, Samson also breaks two of the laws of the Nazarites. One is touching a dead body; the other is drinking wine (although not explicitly stated in the English text, the word which is translated feast has the connotation of a drinking feast). Jesus was without sin until he took on the sins of the world, when he gave the honey (salvation) to his parents, he was at the point when sin came upon him by killing the lion with his bare hands. When he invites those who will be at the wedding feast, then he is responsible for insuring their salvation with his taking on sin, so at each point of sin there is the bringing of salvation to others.

In Judges 16:4-31 we read the story of Samson and Delilah:

4. And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.

5. And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said unto her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him; and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver.

6. And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee.

7. And Samson said unto her, If they bind me with seven green withs that were never dried, then shall I be weak, and be as another man.

8. Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green withs which had not been dried, and she bound him with them.

9. Now there were men lying in wait, abiding with her in the chamber. And she said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he brake the withs, as a thread of tow is broken when it toucheth the fire. So his strength was not known.

10. And Delilah said unto Samson, Behold, thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: now tell me, I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest be bound.

11. And he said unto her, If they bind me fast with new ropes that never were Occupied, then shall I be weak, and be as another man.

12. Delilah therefore took new ropes, and bound him therewith, and said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And there were liers in wait abiding in the chamber. And he brake them from off his arms like a thread.

13. And Delilah said unto Samson, Hitherto thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: tell me wherewith thou mightest be bound. And he said unto her, If thou weavest the seven locks of my head with the web.

14. And she fastened it with the pin, and said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awaked out of his sleep, and went away with the pin of the beam, and with the web.

15. And she said unto him, how canst thou say, I love thee, when thine heart is not with me? thou hast mocked me these three times, and hast not told me wherein thy great strength lieth.

16. And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death;

17. That he told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a rasor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother's womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.

18. And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, Come up this once, for he hath shewed me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and brought money in their hand.

19. And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him.

20. And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And He awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the Lord was departed from him.

21. But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house.

22. Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven.

23. Then the Lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice: for they said, Our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand.

24. And when the people saw him, they praised their god: for they said, Our god hath delivered into our hands our enemy, and the destroyer of our country, which slew many of us.

25. And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, that they said, Call for Samson, that he may make us sport. And they called for Samson out of the prison house; and he made them sport: and they set him between the pillars.

26. And Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand, Suffer me that I may feel the pillars whereupon the house standeth, that I may lean upon them.

27. Now the house was full of men and women; and all the Lords of the Philistines were there; and there were upon the roof about three thousand men and women, that beheld while Samson made sport.

28. And Samson called unto the Lord, and said, O Lord God, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.

29. And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left.

30. And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life.

31. Then his brethren and all the house of his father came down, and took him, and brought him up, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the buryingplace of Manoah his father. And he judged Israel twenty years.

Delilah is a symbol of those who are saved, and they are not saved by their own works. Samson is betrayed by his feelings to Delilah, even beyond the point of reason. He allows himself to he captured and killed because of his love for her. When he is shaved, that is a symbol of his dying and that is why the strength leaves him. It is also the last of his Nazarite rules he abandons. As in the previous segment, he takes on sin at the symbolic point of death. When he grows his hair back, this symbolizes the resurrection of Jesus.

When the Philistines bring him to their place of worship, he kills them along with himself. God's judgment is only perfect and just because someone has taken on the sins of the believers, like when Samson is destroyed with the Philistines. He is avenged for his two eyes because the eyes symbolize his will, as Jesus it was his perfect will, which was taken from him when he died because the sinner's sin was put upon him.

The Story of Isaac and Abraham

Genesis 22:1-18:

1. And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.

2. And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

3. And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.

4. Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.

5. And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.

6. And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.

7. And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?

8. And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.

9. And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.

10. And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.

11. And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.

12. And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.

13. And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.

14. And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.

15. And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time,

16. And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:

17. That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;

18. And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

There are a number of parallels to the Gospels:

1. The only son in both accounts.

2. The son is the son of the exalted father (the meaning of Abraham's name which symbolizes God).

3. God will provide the sacrifice.

4. The sacrifice in both accounts was a person and a lamb.

5. Isaac was as good as dead in his father's eyes for three days then saved; Jesus was dead for three days and then was raised.

6. It was faith in the Word of God that saved Abraham, as Jesus is the Word of God.

7. Abraham's seed was to have the gate of his enemies, God is the only righteous judge, and therefore Abraham's seed is God. Abraham also uses the I Am phrase to symbolize the connection with God.

8. Rode a donkey to the area around Jerusalem (in Abraham's case, it was before Jerusalem existed).

9. The innocent was saved by the substitutionary sacrifice.

The parallels are astounding, especially when you consider they keep happening in story after story.

Daniel and the Lion's Den

Daniel 6:3-16:

3. Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.

4. Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him.

5. Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God.

6. Then these presidents and princes assembled together to the king, and said thus unto him, King Darius, live for ever.

7. All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counsellers, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions.

8. Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.

9. Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree.

10. Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.

11. Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God.

12. Then they came near, and spake before the king concerning the king's decree; Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall ask a petition of any God or man within thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said, The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.

13. Then answered they and said before the king, That Daniel, which is of the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, but maketh his petition three times a day.

14. Then the king, when he heard these words, was sore displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him: and he laboured till the going down of the sun to deliver him.

15. Then these men assembled unto the king, and said unto the king, Know, O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians is, that no decree nor statute which the king establisheth may be changed.

16. Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.

17. And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel.

18. Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: neither were instruments of musick brought before him: and his sleep went from him.

19. Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions.

20. And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?

21. Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever.

22. My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.

23. Then was the king exceeding glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. Therefore, Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God.

24. And the king commanded, and they brought those men which had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all their bones in pieces or ever they came at the bottom of the den.

25. Then king Darius wrote unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you.

26. I make a decree, that in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the living God, and stedfast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end.

Daniel was agreed by all to be faultless, even his accusers and the king. Daniel was cast into the lion's den because he prayed to God. Notice that the decree was like a decree from God, no one should worship anyone but the king (the king symbolizes God). This was a decree that couldn't be altered, God doesn't let anyone into Heaven by the backdoor, and he has justly paid for our sins. Daniel is innocent, but is thrown into the lion's den anyway. The lion's den symbolizes God's judgment. So, this symbolizes Jesus being persecuted even though he was innocent, and being persecuted by God.

Because Daniel prevailed, his accusers (Satan means accuser) here cast into the lion's den. Also, the king made a decree that people of all nations worship the God of heaven. This is also similar to the account of Jesus, in that after his death and resurrection God told Peter to preach the gospel to all nations. Also, notice that the king sealed the lion's den with his signet, symbolizing that this is a sure action, and that his word cannot be altered.

Solomon

Psalms 72:1-19:

1. Give the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the king's son.

2. He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment.

3. The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness.

4. He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor.

5. They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations.

6. He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth.

7. In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth.

8. He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.

9. They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust.

10. The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.

11. Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him.

12. For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper.

13. He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy.

14. He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight.

15. And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba: prayer also shall be made for him continually; and daily shall he be praised.

16. There shall be an handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon: and they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.

17. His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed.

18. Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things.

19. And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen.

These verses contain double meanings, and originally referred to Solomon. There was a partial fulfillment of these verses in 1st Kings 3:28:

28. And all Israel heard of the judgment the king had rendered; and they stood in awe of the king because they perceived that the wisdom of God was in him, to render justice.

1st Kings 5:18:

18. But now the Lord, my God, has given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary nor misfortune.

1st Kings 5:1:

1. And Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the river to the land of the Philistines, and to the border of Egypt; they brought presents and served Solomon all the days of his life.

1st Kings 10:22-23:

22. For he had at sea a ship of Tarshish with a ship of Hiram: once every three years the ship of Tarshish came bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.

23: Thus, King Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth in riches, and in wisdom.

1st Kings 10:1-2, 10:

1. Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon because of the Name of the Lord, she came to test him with riddles.

2. And she came to Jerusalem with a great retinue, with camels bearing spices and very much gold and precious stones.

10. Then she gave the king 120 talents of gold and a very great quantity of spices and precious stones; never again came such an abundance of spices as that which the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

1st Kings10:24-25:

24. And the whole earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his mind.

25. Every one of them brought his present: articles of silver and articles of gold, and garments, armor, spices, horses, and mules; and so it was year by year.

However, upon closer inspection, Solomon cannot be the only one referred to in these passages. There is the verse, "all kings shall fall down before him, and all the nations shall serve him." While Solomon had control of the largest kingdom in the history of Israel, he did not rule the entire world. In addition, the only one than deserves and should have worship is God. Then we have that prayer would be made for him continuously and he will be daily praised, again this is further from what is a man's position in the world. Then we have the statement that "they shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endures" which has no application to Solomon in the current time period.

"He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth." Water represents the Gospel or the good news of God's word as we saw a few chapters ago. John 1 verses 1 and 14:

1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

14. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

So, you see how the two fit together. Then there is "For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper. Verse 13: He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy. Verse 14: He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight. Verse 15: And he shall live," Here could it be Solomon that redeems peoples' souls? Isaiah chapter 43 verse 11:

11. I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.

"And he shall live," What can that mean? It is obvious than anyone you would be talking about would be alive, unless this speaks of the resurrection of Jesus. This verse cannot be referring to Solomon, it has to be talking about God, the savior, the redeemer, the only one worthy of praise and prayer, the only one who will being peace and justice, the only one whose name will be feared forever.

There are those who say that this verse in 2nd Samuel 7:12-14 refers to Solomon:

12. And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.

13. He shall build an house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever.

14. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:

However, if it was mainly referring to Solomon, where is his kingdom now? As a Christian, I can at least have faith that Jesus is reining in heaven. Solomon was never beat with the stripes of men, Jesus was. I hope you can at least see that this verse implies that if the son were to take on the sins of the world, the natural consequences would be that the son would be beaten with the punishment of men. Yes, Solomon built the Temple, but Jesus built a whole new religion. So, what is more important, the Temple, or what the Temple symbolizes?

The Feasts

There have been many Christian references to Jesus as the Passover Lamb, but there is Christian significance to all of the Feasts in the Bible.

1. Passover and the feast of the unleavened bread:

Exodus 12-3-31:

3. Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:

4. And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.

5. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:

6. And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.

7. And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.

8. And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.

9. Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof.

10. And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.

11. And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the Lord's Passover.

12. For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord.

13. And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.

14. And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.

15. Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.

16. And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you.

17. And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever.

18. In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even.

19. Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land.

20. Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread.

21. Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the Passover.

22. And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning.

23. For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the Lord will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.

24. And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever.

25. And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the Lord will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service.

26. And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service?

27. That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the Lord's Passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped.

28. And the children of Israel went away, and did as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.

29. And it came to pass, that at midnight the Lord smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle.

30. And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead.

31. And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the Lord, as ye have said.

These are the similarities with Jesus:

1. Leaven is in the New Testament a symbol of sin. Jesus is without sin. Also, even though it is not explicitly stated in the Tenac, notice how well it fits into the context of the passage. "Lamb without blemish," also a sign that the sacrifice has no sin.

2. Lamb of God.

3. 1st born son killed.

4. The Jewish people, symbolic of all that are saved, are not killed, the Egyptians, symbolic of the people of this world, are killed.

5. The blood of the lamb saves the people from the righteous wrath of God.

6. Eat and roast with fire until it is totally consumed, this is symbolic of God's wrath, and it compares with Daniel's vision of Hell when you look at the literal meaning of the word interpreted forever as being so far away it drops out of sight, or until it is completely destroyed.

7. The eating of the Passover lamb compares with the Last Supper, where Jesus tells his disciples to eat it as if they were eating his flesh.

2. First fruits

Leviticus 23:10-15:

10. Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest:

11. And he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it.

12. And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf an he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto the Lord.

13. And the meat offering thereof shall be two tenth deals of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto the Lord for a sweet savour: and the drink offering thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of an hin.

14. And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your God: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

15. And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the Sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven Sabbaths shall be complete:

Here we have the same language regarding the lamb as in Passover, and we might assume that the significance is the same. Of greater importance in this passage is that we are to give the first fruits to God. When the crops are not assured and none else have been harvested, then to give at that time we are showing that we trust God. In that we are not to eat even if the corn is parched, that shows greater faith.

In Corinthians 15:20-23 we read:

20. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.

21. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.

22. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

23. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.

This ties the feast in with the life of Christ, who is like the first good wheat harvested. I'm sure you recognize the extended metaphor used in the Old and New Testaments.

3. Pentecost

16. Even unto the morrow after the seventh Sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the Lord.

17. Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals; they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the Lord.

18. And ye shall offer with the bread seven lambs without blemish of the first year, and one young bullock, and two rams: they shall be for a burnt offering unto the Lord, with their meat offering, and their drink offerings, even an offering made by fire, of sweet savour unto the Lord.

19. Then ye shall sacrifice one kid of the goats for a sin offering, and two lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of peace offerings.

20. And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits for a wave offering before the Lord, with the two lambs: they shall be holy to the Lord for the priest.

21. And ye shall proclaim on the selfsame day, that it may be an holy convocation unto you: ye shall do no servile work therein: it shall be a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.

22. And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am the Lord your God.

The exhortation to the poor is similar to what Jesus taught. The call to do no work is a mirror of the Sabbath rest. It is this rest that Jesus has provided for us, and this is because it was God who made everything for us, including our salvation. No work is required for our salvation; we follow the Law in thanks to God, and in faith that the Law will make our lives richer and fuller.

Acts 2:1:

1. And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

2. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

3. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.

4. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

The Holy Spirit falling on the Disciples on Pentecost is symbolic of the effect that God will have upon us. It is the effect of the Holy Spirit in our lives which takes place of the need for our works, and which exhort us to greater good than we can accomplish alone.

4. Trumpets

24. Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a Sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.

25. Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord.

Matthew 24:31:

31. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

This is also tied to the meaning of the trumpets in Joshua 6:3-6:

3. And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days.

4. And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams' horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets.

5. And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.

6. And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said unto them, Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord.

This is symbolic of the judgment upon the sinners and of his giving salvation to those he has chosen. The Ark of the Covenant shall be used to judge those not worthy by God's standards, and it shall be by the grace and power of God, by means which the people of the world do not understand, that he shall judge the world.

5. Atonement

Leviticus 23:27-32

27. Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord.

28. And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the Lord your God.

29. For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people.

30. And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people.

31. Ye shall do no manner of work: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

32. It shall be unto you a Sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your Sabbath.

This is further amplifying the points I have already made. Those who don't mourn over their downfalls, and struggle with their sin, are not saved. However, at the same time, we cannot work for our salvation.

6. Tabernacles

Leviticus 23:34-43:

34. Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the Lord.

35. On the first day shall be an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.

36. Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord: on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord: it is a solemn assembly; and ye shall do no servile work therein.

37. These are the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord, a burnt offering, and a meat offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, every thing upon his day:

38. Beside the Sabbaths of the Lord, and beside your gifts, and beside all your vows, and beside all your freewill offerings, which ye give unto the Lord.

39. Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the Lord seven days: on the first day shall be a Sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a Sabbath.

40. And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days.

41. And ye shall keep it a feast unto the Lord seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month.

42. Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths:

43. That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.

Zechariah 14:16-18:

16. And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.

17. And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.

18. And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the Lord will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.

Those who don't come down for the feast of the Tabernacles get no rain; the rain again is a symbol of the Bible or the Holy Spirit. This is emphasizing that God is the God of the whole world, and that his worship will cover the whole world.

Meaning of Names

Here is a study of the meanings of the names of David's brothers which are listed in 1st Chronicles 2:13-15:

13. And Jesse begat his firstborn Eliab, and Abinadab the second, and Shimma the third,

14. Nethaneel the fourth, Raddai the fifth,

15. Ozem the sixth, David the seventh:

The meaning of the names:

Eliab- God of his father

Abinidab- father of generosity

Shimma- the hearing of prayer

Nethaneel- given of God

Raddi- domineering/ rule

Ozem- strength

David-beloved

So, if we put these all together we get "God of his generous father heard prayer and gave a strong, beloved one to rule." This applies to David and perfectly fits with Jesus. It is also important when we consider the names of other people and the possibility that they also have meaning.

1 Chronicles 1:1-27:

1. Adam, Seth, Enosh,

2. Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared,

3. Enoch, Methuslah, Lamech,

4. Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

So, from this we get the names of Adam through Noah:

Adam- man (Not literally, but adam is used in the Bible as a noun meaning man)

Seth-substituted

Enosh- mortal

Kenan- repaired

Mahalalel- praise of God

Jared-a descendent

Enoch-consecrated

Methuslah- man who is offshoot or branch

Lamech- made low

Noah-rest

So we have- man substituted for mortal, repairs the praise of God, he is a consecrated descendent, an offshoot made low bringing rest. This is basically the Gospel of Jesus. It is the substitutionary role of Jesus that brings us, who are but sinners, close to God. It is Jesus who brings rest in the Law, the offshoot or Branch made low for us. In verse after verse, God calls for us to rest.

Two Widows

1st Kings 17:10, 17-23:

10. So he arose and went to Zarephath; and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.

17. And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him.

18. And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? thou art come unto me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son!

19. And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into the chamber, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed.

20. And he cried unto Jehovah, and said, O Jehovah my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son?

21. And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto Jehovah, and said, O Jehovah my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again.

22. And Jehovah hearkened unto the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived.

23. And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother; and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth.

Luke 7:12:

12. Now when he drew near to the gate of the city, behold, there was carried out one that was dead, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her.

Luke 7:15:

15. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he gave him to his mother.

In both instances, they meet a widow at a gate, the son died or is dead, and both are raised then given to the mother.

Strike the Rock

In Exodus, we read a series of curious accounts that do not seem to make a lot of sense in literal meaning.

Exodus 17:5-7:

5. And the Lord said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go.

6. Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.

7. And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying, Is the Lord among us, or not?

And then in Numbers 20:8-13:

8. Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.

9. And Moses took the rod from before the Lord, as he commanded him.

10. And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?

11. And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.

12. And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.

13. This is the water of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with the Lord, and he was sanctified in them.

The result of the LORD cursing Moses is in Deuteronomy Chapter 34 verses 5-12:

5. So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord.

6. And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Bethpeor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day.

7. And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.

8. And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days: so the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended.

9. And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the Lord commanded Moses.

10. And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face,

11. In all the signs and the wonders, which the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land,

12. And in all that mighty hand, and in all the great terror which Moses shewed in the sight of all Israel.

This is continued in Joshua 1:1-8:

1. Now after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord it came to pass, that the Lord spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying,

2. Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.

3. Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.

4. From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.

5. There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

6. Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.

7. Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.

8. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

In conventional wisdom, these passages don't make very much sense. Moses was explained as being the most important prophet of all time and then he isn't allowed to lead the people into the Promised Land. To help understand this passage, we need to think of it in symbolic terms.

Moses was the prophet that the Law was given to. In the important tale of the Passover, Moses led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. Moses symbolizes the Law, the Israelites are the people who are saved, and slavery to Pharaoh symbolizes slavery to the system of the world, or sin. Therefore, the Law, or in other words the knowledge of good and evil, leads people from sin.

However, if the Law leads people from sin, why can't the Law lead people into the Promised Land of salvation? In Deuteronomy 32:1-4 we read about the identity of the rock, and the meaning of the water:

1. Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.

2. My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass:

3. Because I will publish the name of the Lord: ascribe ye greatness unto our God.

4. He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.

God is the rock, and his word is the water. So, the Law cannot lead the people into salvation because the Law struck God (the only interpretation of this to make sense would be God in the form of Jesus) to bring forth his Word (the Gospel). Because of this Joshua (the Hebrew form of the name Jesus) had to be the one to lead the people into the promised land of salvation.

Fasting

1st Kings 19:8:

8. And he (Elijah) arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.

Matthew 4:1-2:

1. Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

2. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.

Here we have the similarity of 40 days, that being the number that symbolizes testing. Both would have had to be supernaturally aided by God to survive, they had to trust him to provide for them.

Hannah and Mary

1 Samuel 1:1-28:

1. Now there was a certain man of Ramathaimzophim, of mount Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite:

2. And he had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.

3. And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the Lord of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the Lord, were there.

4. And when the time was that Elkanah offered, he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions:

5. But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah: but the Lord had shut up her womb.

6. And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the Lord had shut up her womb.

7. And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of the Lord, so she provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat.

8. Then said Elkanah her husband to her, Hannah, why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? am not I better to thee than ten sons?

9. So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the Lord.

10. And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore.

11. And she vowed a vow, and said, O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no rasor come upon his head.

12. And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the Lord, that Eli marked her mouth.

13. Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken.

14. And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee.

15. And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord.

16. Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial: for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto.

17. Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him.

18. And she said, Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad.

19. And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before the Lord, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the Lord remembered her.

20. Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the Lord.

21. And the man Elkanah, and all his house, went up to offer unto the Lord the yearly sacrifice, and his vow.

22. But Hannah went not up; for she said unto her husband, I will not go up until the child be weaned, and then I will bring him, that he may appear before the Lord, and there abide for ever.

23. And Elkanah her husband said unto her, Do what seemeth thee good; tarry until thou have weaned him; only the Lord establish his word. So the woman abode, and gave her son suck until she weaned him.

24. And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bullocks, and one ephah of flour, and a bottle of wine, and brought him unto the house of the Lord in Shiloh: and the child was young.

25. And they slew a bullock, and brought the child to Eli.

26. And she said, Oh my lord, as thy soul liveth, my lord, I am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the Lord.

27. For this child I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him:

28. Therefore also I have lent him to the Lord; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the Lord. And he worshipped the Lord there.

Luke 2:22-38:

22. And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord;

23. (As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;)

24. And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.

25. And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.

26. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ.

27. And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law,

28. Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,

29. Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:

30. For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,

31. Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;

32. A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.

33. And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.

34. And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against;

35. (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.

36. And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity;

37. And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.

38. And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

In both narratives, the mother was childless before being specially blessed by the LORD. After the birth of both, they went to Jerusalem to be presented to the LORD. Eli the High Priest received Samuel and Simeon greeted Jesus. Simeon was with a prophetess whose name was Anna, which is another form of Hannah.

Jesus and Elisha

2nd Kings 4:42-44:

42. And there came a man from Baalshalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley, and full ears of corn in the husk thereof. And he said, Give unto the people, that they may eat.

43. And his servitor said, What, should I set this before an hundred men? He said again, Give the people, that they may eat: for thus saith the Lord, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof.

44. So he set it before them, and they did eat, and left thereof, according to the word of the Lord.

Matthew 15:34-38:

34. And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes.

35. And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.

36. And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.

37. And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full.

38. And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children.

Jesus and Moses

Jesus and Moses had some similar events happen in their lives. Both were delivered from a violent death in their infancy (The story of how Moses was drawn out of the water is in Exodus 1:22-2:10).

Matthew 2:16:

16. Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men.

God chose each as redeemers for the people. Exodus 3:10.

10. Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.

The whole story of the cross is about the redemption of the saved by Jesus. Both worked as mediators between the LORD and the people. Exodus 20:19:

19. And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.

1st Timothy 2:5:

5. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

Both made intersession on behalf of sinful people. Exodus 32:7-14:

7. And the Lord said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:

8. They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

9. And the Lord said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people:

10. Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation.

11. And Moses besought the Lord his God, and said, Lord, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?

12. Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.

13. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.

14. And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.

Romans 8:34:

34. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

Samson and John

Judges 13:2:

2. And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bare not.

Luke 1:7:

7. And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.

Judges 13:4-5:

4. Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink no wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing:

5. for, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come upon his head; for the child shall be a Nazirite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to save Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.

Luke 1:15:

15. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and he shall drink no wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.

Judges 13:24-25:

24. And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and Jehovah blessed him.

25. And the Spirit of Jehovah began to move him in Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

Luke 1:80:

80. And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his showing unto Israel.

There are a number of similarities in these verses, the sanctification to God, the barrenness of the womb, the wilderness, and the Nazarite-like vows.

Parables

Psalms 78:1-2:

1. Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

2. I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:

Jesus fulfilled this Psalm in much of his sayings. Here is one in Matthew 13:34:

34. All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them:

Jesus' parables are among the most famous of his sayings. Upon studying the parables, we find that there are many layers of meanings in these dark sayings, yet they also have an ability to convey the message of salvation in a way that those less educated can understand. Jesus was very concerned about the lesser educated of the Law and those deemed sinners. Perhaps that is why God chose to place Jesus in Galilee instead of a place like Jerusalem.

The use of the shepherd in the Old Testament is interesting. It describes a person who is responsible for a docile creature. I have been told that in Jesus' time, the shepherd had become a second-class citizen. They usually were poor and since they spent a lot of time in the fields, they often were not as well groomed as their brethren.

This seems to be an analogy of how God works. He works through the prophets and kings for the common people. Sometimes it is the less educated people who have the strongest faith in God. I have read numerous articles and books by people who don't believe in the Bible, but have committed their lives to studying Biblical history. Do you think God will approve of those in the universities who have researched all their lives, but don't believe that Moses parted the Red Sea? Do you think that God will approve of a man who has to work two jobs to feed his family, but doesn't have time to study the Bible, but believes it?

Studying the Bible is good, but pride is not. God loves the underdog. It seems to be why God chose David, Abraham, and Israel. I understand the "poor" in the Bible to refer to the poor in wallet and the poor in religion. God shows us as many meanings as we care to take the time and find. Compare with Job 5:9-16:

9. Which doeth great things and unsearchable; marvellous things without number:

10. Who giveth rain upon the earth, and sendeth waters upon the fields:

11. To set up on high those that be low; that those which mourn may be exalted to safety.

12. He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise.

13. He taketh the wise in their own craftiness: and the counsel of the froward is carried headlong.

14. They meet with darkness in the daytime, and grope in the noonday as in the night.

15. But he saveth the poor from the sword, from their mouth, and from the hand of the mighty.

16. So the poor hath hope, and iniquity stoppeth her mouth.

Ezekiel's Vision

Ezekiel 1:1-28 (literal)

1. Now it was in the thirtieth year, in the fourth {month} in the fifth {day} of the month, as I {was} among the captives by the River Chebar, were opened the heavens and I saw visions of God.

2. On the fifth of the month, it {was} the year the fifth of the captivity of the king Jehoiachim,

3. becoming became the word of Yahweh to Ezekiel, the son of Buzi, the priest in the land of the Chaldeans by the River Chebar. And was upon him there the hand of Yahweh.

4. And I looked, and behold, a wind of storm came out of the north, a cloud great, and a fire flashing itself, and a brightness to it all around, and out of its middle, like the color of polished bronze out of the middle of the fire.

5. Also from its middle {came} the likeness of four living creatures. And this {was} how they looked. The likeness of a man {was} to them.

6. And four faces to each, and four wings to each of them.

7. And their feet {were} feet of straightness. And the sole of their feet {was} like the sole of the foot of a calf. And they sparkled like the color of copper burnished.

8. And the hands of a man from under their wings on the four of their sides. And their faces and their wings {were} to the four of them,

9. joining each one to the other their wings. not They did turn in their going. Each one toward the front of their face they went.

10. And the likeness of their faces, the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right {side} to the four of them. And the face of an ox on the left {side} to the four of them. And the face of an eagle to the four of them.

11. So their faces {were}. And their wings were spread upward. To each the two {wings} were joined {of} each one, and two {wings} covering their bodies.

12. And each toward the front of their faces went. To where was there the spirit to go, they went. Not they did turn in their going.

13. And the likeness of the living creatures, they appeared like coals of fire burning, {and} like the appearance of torches. It {was} continually circling among the living creatures. And bright the fire {was} and out of the fire went forth lightning.

14. And the living creatures kept running and returning, like the appearance of a flash of lightning.

15. And I looked at the living creatures, and look, wheel one {was} on the earth beside the living creatures, with the four of its faces.

16. The appearance of The wheels and their workmanship like the color of beryl, and the likeness one {was} to the four of them. And their appearance and their workmanship like was the wheel in the middle of the wheel.

17. On the four of their sides. In their going they went. Not They did turn in their going.

18. And their rims, even high to them even awesome to them. And their rims {were} full of eyes all around the four of them.

19. And in the going of the living creatures, went the wheels beside them. And in the lifting up of the living creatures from upon the earth, were lifted up the wheels.

20. Where upon was there the spirit to go, they went there. {Their} spirit to go. And the wheels were lifted up along with them. For the spirit of the living creature {was} in the wheels.

21. In their going these went. And in their standing still, these stood still. And in their being lifted from upon the earth, were lifted up the wheels along with them. For the spirit of the living creature {was} in the wheels.

22. And a likeness {was} over the heads of the living creature an expanse, like the color of crystal awesome, stretched out over their heads from above.

23. And under the expanse their wings {were} straight, the one toward the other. To each two {wings} covering on this {side}, and to each two {wings} covering on that {side} {of} their bodies.

24. And I heard the sound of their wings, like the sound of waters great. Like the voice of the Almighty. In their going the sound of tumult like the sound of an army. In their standing still, they let down their wings.

25. And there was a voice from upon the expanse that {was} over their heads. In their standing still {and} they let down their wings.

26. And from above the expanse that {was} over their heads looking like a stone of sapphire, {was} the likeness of a throne. And on the likeness of the throne {was} a likeness in appearance like a man on it from above.

27. And I saw {Him}, like the color of polished bronze looking like fire within it all around. From the likeness of His loins and upward, and from the likeness of His loins and downward, I saw {Him}, looking like fire, and brightness to it all around.

28. As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of the rain, so appeared the brightness all around. This {was} the appearance of the likeness of the glory of Yahweh. And {when} I saw, even I fell on my face, and I heard a voice of One speaking.

The Living creatures are depicted as being in the likeness of a man. Their feet are the feet of straightness, symbolizing perfection in will (the foot being the symbol of will). The middle is like bronze out of a fire. Bronze is a symbol of God's judgment, and think of a calf's foot in relation to the Mosaic offerings. This ties it all together. The basic story of the Gospel is here already.

The lion is a symbol of a king; the Gospel according to Mathew emphasizes Jesus' kingly status. The Eagle symbolizes the deity of Jesus as recorded in John. The ox symbolizes the sacrifice Jesus made, emphasized in Mark. The qualities of Jesus as a man are stressed in Luke.

The frequency of the references to fire indicates that God is a God of judgment, there would be no need for the cross if God didn't need to judge all. They proceed out forward, again symbolizing their moral correctness. They move as lightning, fast and with a flash of light. This is how Jesus described his coming back. Mathew 24:27:

27. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

The eyes are important because of the ideas of judgment, light and straightness of path. God heads in the direction that his omnipotence determines, not as a man. The sound of their wings was like the word of God and continues the water and Word of God symbolism. Upon the Cherubim is a throne and on it is a man. This symbolizes Jesus' ascension to the throne. The rainbow refers to the covenant that God made to Noah about not destroying the world with a flood again, however his appearance is a like bronze and fire, indicating that he will destroy the world again.

The first chapter ends with Ezekiel saying that this was the appearance of God, but does not specifically say that the Cherubim are God. Are angles omnipotent? Do angles have wings that speak like the almighty? Do angles judge, or does God? The Cherubim are God.

Common Objections

Sacrifice

The Tenac says God does not delight in the sacrifice.

All of the passages in Leviticus and others that talk about animal sacrifice have no meaning or application in the modern world, unless Jesus was the Messiah. There are no sacrifices now. The entire issue seems to have been put away with Hosea 6:5-7:

5. Therefore have I hewed them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of my mouth: and thy judgments are as the light that goeth forth.

6. For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

7. But they like men have transgressed the covenant: there have they dealt treacherously against me.

Nevertheless, this is but one verse from the prophets. What about the other 201 times the word sacrifice appears in the Tenac? Does God go into specific details about the times and manners of sacrifice when they have no meaning? Why does God recall in his book when the patriarchs offered sacrifices to him if they have no meaning?

Yes, the sacrifices of animals cannot atone for sins, but that does not rule out these sacrifices being symbolic of a greater sacrifice. Can an ordinary man atone for the sins of the world? No, it is ridiculous. Could God? Anything is possible with God. The prophets say the sacrifice cannot be blind, lame, or have a blemish, this is only possible with the perfection of God. Could anyone but God live a sin-free life?

If it was not a man that was symbolized by all of the Old Testament sacrifices, then what? For we read in Isaiah 1:11:

11. To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.

The sacrifices of Leviticus aren't enough, and God tells us a man will come for a sacrifice for all of us which will then be greater than all the previous sacrifices. Who could the man be but God himself? Who is the savior? 2nd Samuel chapter 2 verse 3:

3. The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence.

God is One Name

God is one god named Yahweh and he says it is a sin to worship a god with another name.

God goes under many names in the Bible. Yahweh, Elohim and El Shadday, for example. There isn't any question that we are talking about one god. It is logical to conclude that when we are speaking about the same God, he assumes different names because of the vastness of his being. Jesus, or Yeshuah, is a form of the name Yahweh. It means Yahweh saves, or very literally, I Am that Saves.

Jesus said in John 8:23:

23. I Am from above: I Am not of this world. I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I Am he, ye shall die in your sins.

The I Am which is repeated in this verse means the same as the name Yahweh. Can anyone but God forgive sins? If you aren't sure about this, think if someone assaulted your father and then sought you to forgive him the sin he had committed against your father. You could reason with your father, you could personally forgive the man for what he had done to your father, but you couldn't forgive the sin to your father. Jesus did not claim to be another god, but he claimed to be God.

As far as the trinity, the Tenac does present three different representations of God. It presents God as a spirit "Moving upon the face of the waters" in the creation story. Ruwach in Hebrew means wind, breath, or the spirit of a rational being. The Greek word that is translated in the New Testament as Holy Spirit is pneuma, which means breath, spirit, mental disposition, or vital principal. You can see the similarity of the meanings of the two words.

In Genesis, Jacob wrestles with a man and later declares him to be God. (Genesis 32:24-30) Therefore, God can reveal himself in the form of a man. We also read in Isaiah 9:6, a son will be born to us who is God.

The idea from both the New and Old Testament is that God reveals himself in more than one way and that he can become human. It is clear from all of the scriptures that God could become a man; he spoke the universe into existence, why couldn't he become a man?

God in Hebrew is Elohim or literally Gods, but it is mostly used as it was a singular noun. There are those who say that Elohim is used by the scripture in the singular to indicate a judge, but let us look at a particular verse used for discussion. Exodus 7:1:

1. And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee (Elohim) to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet.

Does a judge have a prophet? No, only a god has a prophet, and Moses will be like God unto Pharaoh. Moses is a symbol of the Law, and of judgment of that Law, since he was the prophet to receive the Law. Jesus is the Word of God, and therefore Moses was a symbol of Jesus.

Then there is Genesis 35:7, 9:

7. And he built there an altar, and called the place Elbethel: because there God appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother.

9. And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Padanaram, and blessed him.

The word appeared in plural in verse 7 and singular in verse 9 (in Hebrew).

Joshua 24:19:

19. And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.

He is singular, but holy is plural. 1st Samuel 6:20:

20. And the men of Bethshemesh said, Who is able to stand before this holy LORD God? and to whom shall he go up from us?

This time, holy is in the singular. Genesis 1:1, 27:

1. And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

27. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

We see that frequently God switches back and forth from the singular to the plural. The reason for this is that God is one, but he reveals himself to us in more than one way. This also speaks of God as being the image from which man was created, also indicating that in some ways God has been and can be a man. Jesus should not be seen as a separate entity from God, but rather a physical manifestation of God. The idea that the trinity is contradictory to the Old Testament is only true if we understand the trinity to mean three different Gods, which isn't what the Bible teaches at all.

The Invisible God

Due to the invisible nature of God, Jesus could not be God.

Exodus 19:21:

21. And the LORD said unto Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish.

Leviticus 16:2:

2. And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat.

The New Testament agrees as in 1st Timothy 1:17:

17. Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

But we have to keep in mind verses like Genesis 32:30:

30. And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.

So how do we reconcile these things? There can only be one answer as far as what I can see. The LORD cannot be seen in his full glory by man or he will die. The LORD can appear in some physical form to men and they will not be affected in the same way.

I have seen an explanation that Jacob wrestled with an angel instead of God. He said that he wrestled with God, since angel means also messenger and since the angel was the messenger of God, he is like God. This doesn't seem to make very much sense, especially because Jacob says he has seen God face to face.

Genesis 16:7-10:

7. And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur.

8. And he said, Hagar, Sarai's maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai.

9. And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.

10. And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.

The Angel of the LORD said he would multiply her seed; this is beyond the bounds of a mere messenger.

Exodus 3:2-4:

2. And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

3. And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.

4. And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.

Here the Angel of the LORD seems to turn into God. So I think we can safely say the Angel of the LORD is God. That also means that the archangels would be God, since the word arch means head, and if God represents himself as an angel, who else could be the head angel? And also Genesis 19:12-13:

12. And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place:

13: For we will destroy this place, because the outcry against its people has become great before the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it.

However, it was God who destroyed these cities: Genesis 19:24-25:

24. Then the Lord rained down upon Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven.

25: And He overthrew those cities and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and whatever grew on the ground.

So the men said they were sent to destroy the city, but God rained fire on the city from heaven. This is something no one in the form of a man could do. Moreover, if the men were not God taking on a human form, then why did he send angels in the form of men to earth on the mission to destroy the cities?

Judges 13:6:

6. Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, A man of God came unto me, and his countenance was like the countenance of an angel of God, very terrible: but I asked him not whence he was, neither told he me his name:

Judges chapter 13:8-11:

8. Then Manoah intreated the LORD, and said, O my Lord, let the man of God which thou didst send come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born.

9. And God hearkened to the voice of Manoah; and the angel of God came again unto the woman as she sat in the field: but Manoah her husband was not with her.

10. And the woman made haste, and ran, and shewed her husband, and said unto him, Behold, the man hath appeared unto me, that came unto me the other day.

11. And Manoah arose, and went after his wife, and came to the man, and said unto him, Art thou the man that spakest unto the woman? And he said, I am.

12 And Manoah said, Now let thy words come to pass. How shall we order the child, and how shall we do unto him?

13 And the angel of the Lord said unto Manoah, Of all that I said unto the woman let her beware.

14 She may not eat of any thing that cometh of the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing: all that I commanded her let her observe.

15 And Manoah said unto the angel of the Lord, I pray thee, let us detain thee, until we shall have made ready a kid for thee.

16. And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Though thou detain me, I will not eat of thy bread: and if thou wilt offer a burnt offering, thou must offer it unto the LORD. For Manoah knew not that he was an angel of the LORD.

17. And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, What is thy name, that when thy sayings come to pass we may do thee honour?

18. And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret?

19. So Manoah took a kid with a meat offering, and offered it upon a rock unto the LORD: and the angel did wonderously; and Manoah and his wife looked on.

20. For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame of the altar. And Manoah and his wife looked on it, and fell on their faces to the ground.

21. But the angel of the LORD did no more appear to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was an angel of the LORD.

22. And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God.

23. But his wife said unto him, If the LORD were pleased to kill us, he would not have received a burnt offering and a meat offering at our hands, neither would he have shewed us all these things, nor would as at this time have told us such things as these.

The angels answers Manoah's question with "I am," and also Manoah said they have seen God. These verses show that this isn't a one-time association of the Angel of the LORD with God himself.

Is Jesus God according to the New Testament?

Some people say that the New Testament doesn't teach that Jesus is God.

Luke 2:52:

52. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.

Some people ask, "If Jesus was God, then how could he grow in wisdom and stature?" in addition, "if God died, then who raised Him from the dead?" and "If Jesus was God, why did he pray to God?" For example:

Matthew 26:53:

53. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?

Matthew 4:1-11:

1. Then was Jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

2. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward hungry.

3. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

4. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

5. Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,

6. And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

7. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

8. Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;

9. And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

10. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

11. Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

The reason I grouped these verses together is that the answer for them is the same. God became Jesus, and when he did, he actually became a man, not a figure of a human, but a literal person. Thus, Jesus had to grow, didn't have control over the earth, and could be tempted by Satan. As a person he didn't have any supernatural powers, it was only because of the Holy Spirit that he was able to perform miracles. He also wasn't omnipotent, as human mind cannot be omnipotent, so sometimes he had to pray for guidance or for help. God did not send his whole being into Jesus, this would be impossible, and so God still was in Heaven in control. Jesus has been identified with the Word of God, which is not infinite as God is, but is finite.

There is another reason why Jesus prayed. He was a person who did not sin, and as a person who didn't sin, he had to pray to God and serve as an example for us. This is part of the reason that Jesus talked about his Father the way he did, as giving him authority and so forth. It also stands to reason that throughout Jesus' development God had to use the Holy Spirit to guide him and instruct him. In other chapters I have shown that in the Psalms God talks to himself for our benefit.

It is interesting to me that the worst part of Jesus' crucifixion is when the Spirit of God leaves him, Matthew 27:45-46:

45. Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.

46. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

Despite the immense physical pain Jesus was undergoing, this is the only recorded complaint of Jesus on the cross. The second "my God" is to signify that God is still his God. This is an example for us, to show us that separation from God is the worst thing that can happen in life, and that we should still reach even when it seems all is lost.

Did Jesus abolish the Torah?

This is an important question that I thought I knew the answer to, but I am having doubts. When doing the first version of the book, I was convinced that most Christians have it wrong and that the Torah and the eating of only clean foods was still in place. I have changed my mind now. The blood signs, like circumcision and animal sacrifices were signs pointing to Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. Circumcision has been replaced with baptism; this is an outward sign that shows that one is a believer.

Matthew 5:17-18:

17. Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.

18. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

But there are these passages Matthew 15:17-20:

17. Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?

18. But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.

19. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:

20. These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.

The Literal Bible, Mark 7:19:

19. Because not it does enter of him into the heart, but into the belly, and into the latrine goes out, purging all the foods?

But the one thing I couldn't figure out for a long time was what the eating restrictions would be symbolic of and what would have changed, but then I thought of Acts Chapter 10 verses 11-16:

11 And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth:

12 Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air.

13 And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.

14 But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.

15 And the voice _spake_ unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, _that_ call not thou common.

16 This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven.

This was a sign for Peter to go to the gentiles. So clean foods were associated with the Jewish people, and after Jesus came then the Gospel was opened up to all people. The not eating of unclean animals was a symbol that the Gospel was to be first presented to the Jewish people, as they are the chosen ones.

The Jewish didn't recognize the Messiah

If Jesus is the Messiah, why didn't the Jewish people recognize that he was?

The answer has several different facets to it. The fundamental reason is that it was not God's plan for the Jewish people to be in the Christian church. I believe that the Jewish people are a separate people unto God from the gentiles, and although both have equal opportunities to be saved, they are meant to have different faiths. I think that God acts to reveal different truths to different people and has used this to keep the Jewish people separate from the gentiles.

If all the Jewish people had accepted Jesus as their Messiah, there would be no Jewish people today, not even Christian-Jewish. After all, who wouldn't allow their daughter to marry a gentile Christian? The intermarriage would have blended the two groups together until there was no distinction between the two. This would not allow for the restoration of Israel, as prophesied, and it would take away from the meaning of the Bible.

The biggest testament to the validity of the Bible today is the state of Israel. No other group of people have existed apart from their country for so long and kept the faith of their fathers. No other people have made their way back home after such a long journey.

I have heard other people's explanations for why the Jewish people didn't recognize Jesus as the Messiah, but none of them seem to ring quite true. One is that there are two Messiahs in the Bible, one the Rabbis call the son of David, and one who is called the son of Joseph. The son of David is understood to be the kingly Messiah. He is to establish the kingdom of God on earth. I have heard quite a few dismissals saying the Jewish people wanted this Messiah and didn't really care about the other one. The usual reasons given for this are Roman oppression, civil injustice, and nationalism. This doesn't make any sense to me at all. While I don't claim to be an expert on Judaism, I have read quite a few books on Jewish history and theology. I can't imagine that the Jewish people wouldn't have accepted a spiritual leader. Political leaders aren't as important to the Jewish people as spiritual leaders.

I think that the reason is that the Jewish people were not prepared to accept a Messiah who was greater than Moses was. The Jewish scholar Maimonides wrote "The Messiah will be a very great Prophet, greater than all the Prophets with the exception of Moses our teacher...His status will be higher than that of the Prophets and more honorable, Moses alone excepted. The Creator, blessed be he, will single him out with features wherewith He had not singled out Moses; for it is said with reference to him (Isaiah 11:3) 'And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD; and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither decide after the hearing of his ears.'"

But then, why would the Messiah be greater than Moses? Moses was chosen by God to receive the Law and write the first five books of the Bible, no small task. He is certainly viewed as the most important of Old Testament prophets. But God chose David because he desired to build a temple for the LORD. God seemed to choose Moses because he saw the potential that Moses had, not because he was extraordinarily righteous (at the time).

Therefore, God promised David that he would never lack a son to sit on his throne. At what time did he promise such things to Moses? Moses wasn't even allowed to lead the people to the Promised Land. I believe that this stems from the eminence given to the Law by Jewish theologians.

The rejection is explicitly stated in Malachi 3:1-2:

1. Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.

2. But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap:

Isaiah 8:13-17:

13. Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.

14. And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

15. And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken.

16. Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.

17. And I will wait upon the Lord, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him.

Isaiah 29:10-13:

10. For the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered.

11. And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed:

12. And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned.

13. Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:

The acceptance of Jesus by the Jewish is given as a sign of the end times, when the age of the Gentiles will be over. I think the time is close, but that is God's time and who knows how that relates to our time frame.

Anti-Semitism

There have been a few people, and I am ashamed to say that some of them are Christian, that say that the Gospels are anti-Semitic. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Out of the sixty-six books of the Bible, only two are written by people who are not Jewish. Those two books are written by one individual, Luke.

If the New Testament were written by anti-Semitic people, wouldn't they have tried to cover up the fact that they and Jesus were Jewish? You see in the New Testament how Jesus got into arguments about the interpretation of scripture, and that it was the Pharisees that he disagreed with the most. However, upon examination, we find that it was indeed the Pharisees that he was closest to in terms of theology (the Pharisees were the most conservative of the religious groups at the time, they believed in the whole of the Tenac and eternal life, while the other groups did not).

I find that in my life, as I get closer to God, that I notice how far I am from being a perfect person. In fact, sins seem to grow in importance with righteousness. I think that God critiques us more as we come closer to him. Isn't it interesting that Jesus used the strongest words against those who were the theologically closest to him? Could we interpret this as anti-Semitism on Jesus' behalf? Of course not.

Then there is Matthew 15:23-24:

23. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.

24. But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Who will argue that Jesus' message being sent first to the house of Israel is anti-Semitic? It is true, most of the Jewish people in that day did not recognize Jesus as the Messiah, but many did. As I have stated before, I don't think it was the will of God for the Jewish people to join Christianity at that time.

Here is the big one- Mathew 27:24-25:

24. When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.

25. Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.

This speaks of the Jewish people as having been responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus. This is misunderstood theological symbolism. To all of the New Testament authors, being Jewish was equivalent to being a saved person. Paul says, "All who have faith in Jesus are partakers in the promises to Abraham." It was not until Antioch in the Book of Acts that people are referred to by the term Christian, at least until that time, it was considered a sect in Judaism. Therefore, the symbolic meaning of this text is that all that are saved are responsible for crucifying Jesus, because of their sins. John was a Jew; it would be ridiculous to ascribe to him anti-Semitic statements, or rather, for us to interpret them as such.

In the real world, the High Priest was a puppet of the Perfect, Pontius Pilate, and he could be fired from his job (or killed) if he didn't stop any insurrections. The High Priest was also not a High Priest by the standards of the written or oral Law. There had been plenty of revolutions against Rome, and many Jewish people had been killed in retaliation. It has been suggested that most of the people who cried against Jesus were actually Temple workers who might have acted against Jesus because they were employed by the High Priest. It seems that it was this evil world system- along with the will of God- that killed Jesus. It certainly was not the responsibility of the average Jewish person.

Jesus also said that the greatest commandments were to love your neighbor and God. When asked who our neighbor was, he related the tale of the Good Samaritan. The Samaritans were a group descended from either Joseph or Issachar, and had fallen into idolatry. So they were in a sense fallen Jews, and it was one of these people that Jesus chose to be a symbol of the neighbor that helped the stranger after the stranger's cries were ignored by the religious authorities. Jesus never would have wanted anyone to hate a Jewish person, for all will be blessed that bless Israel.

Closing

I know all of you that read this book will not become Christians, but I hope that you learned something about the Bible or history in any case, and I hope you are blessed. I had written a similar book a few years back and was going to republish it, but thought a few of the chapters needed revising. I have changed the book a great deal and it is really a new book.

The old book was concentrated on rebutting arguments of a Jewish apologist, and if there are some arguments that you have heard that I did not address, chances are they would be in the other book. Is Jesus the Messiah is still available in both print and electronic versions.

If any of you have been convinced by my arguments, I would like to point you in the right direction for a church. The two biggest evils in a church are not accepting the Bible as being the inspired Word of God and signs and wonders. While I do believe that the Bible is the Word of God, I also believe that God can use symbols and figures of speech to convey his message. There is a large school of thought in the church that thinks the Bible was written later and the stories were handed down. This is how certain scholars try and remove the supernatural elements in the Bible. The record shows that the New Testament was written down very early and most of the elements that people pose as challenges, like Paul not speaking well in Greek or Pilate not being governor at the right time, have been now dismissed by modern archeology.

Signs and wonders are identified with Satan in the New Testament, except when they happen in the Bible. The most common form this takes in the modern time is speaking in tongues. The Bible references this only a few times, like on Pentecost, but for the modern era there are only supposed to be tongues spoken in a church unless there is an interpreter. This eliminates all speaking in tongues at a church that is supposed to be speaking in the language of angels. I am not going to recommend a particular denomination, but will leave finding a church to you, dear reader, as it is a very personal choice, but wanted to make sure that you do not fall into these common traps.

God bless.

Bibliography

Books

Bruce, F.F. Archaeological Confirmation of the New Testament, Revelation and the Bible, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1969

________. The New Testament Documents: Are they Reliable? 5th revised edition. Downer's Grove: Inter-Varsity Press, 1972

Charlesworth James Jesus' Jewishness, (New York, New York :The Crossroad Publishing Company, 1996

Douglas, J.D. and Tenney, Merrill C. NIV Compact Dictionary of the Bible, Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1989

Drazin, Michoel Their Hollow Inheritance, Safed, Israel: G.M. Publications

Elder, John Phrophets, Idols and Diggers, Indianapolis, New York: Bobbs-Merrill, 1960.

Famighetti, Robert, William McGeveran Jr, Lori Wiesenfeld, Beth Ellis, Kevin Seabrooke, Elizabeth Lazzara, Jacqueline Laks Gorman, Geoffrey Horn, Eileen O'Reilly, Donald Young. The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2000, Mahwah, New Jersey: World Almanac Books, 2000

Free, Joseph Archaeology and Bible History, Wheaton: Sripture Press Publications, 1969

Geisler Norman L. and Nix William E. A General Introduction to the Bible, Chicago, Illinois: Moody Press, 1968

Gray, John Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus, New York: HarperCollins Publishers Inc., 1993

Hoehner, Harold Chronological Aspects of the Life of Christ, Grand Rapids, Zondervan Publishing House, 1977

Jacoby, Felix Die Framnente der Griechischen Historiker, Berlin: Wiedmann 1923

Kenyon Fredric G.The Story of the Bible, Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1969

________. Our Bible and the Ancient Manuscripts New York: Harper and Brothers,1941

Kevan Ernest F. The Resurrection of Christ, London: The Campbell Morgan Memorial Bible Lectureship, 1961

McDowell, Josh Evidence that Demands a Verdict, San Bernardino, CA, Here's Life Publishers, Inc., 1979

Metzger, Bruce The Text of the New Testament, New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1968

Schultz, Thomas History of the Christian Church, Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdsmans Publishing Co., 1910, reprint from original, 1962

Shenkman, Richard Legends, Lies & Cherished Myths of American History. New York, New York, William Morrow and Company Inc., 1988

Wilson Joseph D. Did Daniel Write Daniel? New York, Charles C. Cook, n.d.

Other Media

Microsoft Encarta 98 Encyclopedia. Microsoft Corporation.

The Bible Library Special Edition 4.0, 1999 (A general reference, King James, American Standard and Morris Literal Translations of the bible.) Ellis Enterprises Inc.

Extras

Check out my homepage at www.WilliamDeanHamilton.net

Also look for Dawn on Lake Tiberias and Other Stories, also available for free on Smashwords and my other book Would You Do What They Did? Great Christian Leaders from our Past.
