FAITH AND BELIEF PART 2 Example: In English we say: red car, but the word order in the Spanish language is: car red. Then if we were to translate them both into a third language with its own unique syntax, then you can see the confusion that this may sometimes cause in comparing them. This expository study of Psalm 22 is in no way complete, but it is sufficient to document to you just one of the many countless places in the Bible of Gods perfect Divine authorship, and that through realizing this, you can build faith in God, Jesus Christ, and all the promises in the written Word! Now with a prayer to Our Heavenly Father for; grace, wisdom, guidance, and understanding; In the Precious name of Jesus Christ: lets begin the documentation segment of our study of the sacrifice of love, and the proof of prophecies come to pass that ensures us that the Bible is the inspired Divine Word of God, and that through the blood of Jesus Christ we may each find forgiveness for all of our sins and the life eternal that was promised to us by God Almighty Himself. And we can believe in all the promises of God because, as it is written by the Apostle Paul; when God fashioned the Creation of the universe, He did not allow for Himself that He could lie. Titus 1:2 2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began. (KJV) PSALM 22 Psalm 22:1-End 1 My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?*1 why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? Explanation from above verse:*1 = Jesus quoting the phrase from *1 above, 1000 years later in the New Testament: Mark 15:34 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? (KJV) 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.*1 *Explanation from *1 above: These are the exact words of the mockers were foretold of 1000 years prior to them being said about Jesus as he hung on the cross. Below, in [Matt 27:43] we see them saying those very words. (Remember that we are comparing Hebrew and Greek translated into English). Matt 27:43 43 He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God. (KJV) 9 But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mothers breasts. 10 I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mothers belly. 11 Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.*1 Explanation from above verse:*1 = Fulfilment of the above prophecy, 1000 years later in the New Testament: Matt 26:56 56 But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled. (KJV) 12 Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round. *Explanation from above verse: Bulls means enemies, Jesus was surrounded by enemies. Bashan was known for having the strongest bulls in the region, Jesus was surrounded by the strongest of enemies (the high priests themselves), and they all gathered around to enjoy His slow death. 13 They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion. *Fulfillment of the prophecy above: 1000 years later in the New Testament, it is recorded that as the people who passed by, and even the chief priests gaped (mocked) at Jesus as hung there, dying on the cross: Matt 27:39-43 39 And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, 40 And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. 41 Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, 42 He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. 43 He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God. (KJV) 14 I am poured out like water*1, and all my bones are out of joint*2: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels*3. *Explanations from above verse: *1 = see verse below for prophecy fulled 1000 years later in the New Testament. *2 my bones are out of joint = From hanging on the cross. *3 = see verse below for prophecy fulled 1000 years later in the New Testament. John 19:34-35 34 But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. 35 And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe. (KJV) 15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws*1; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death. *Fulfillment of the prophecy of *1 above: 1000 years later in the New Testament, Jesus accomplished that which was written: John 19:28 28 After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. (KJV) 16 For dogs*1have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.*2 *Explanations from above verse: *1 dogs = In the Bible, heathen unbelievers are referred to as dogs. *2 they pierced my hands and my feet. = When they nailed Him to the cross. 17 I may tell all my bones*1: they look and stare upon me. *Fulfillment of the prophecy of *1 above, 1000 years later in the New Testament: This means that all His bones were intact and not one of them were broken. For any sacrifice to be offered up to God, it had to be perfect. [Ex 12:46 & Num 9:12] And Jesus Christ was That perfect sacrifice for all time! Below is the fulfillment of the prophecy that Jesus bones were all intact and unbroken. John 19:32-36 32 Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him. 33 But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: 34 But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. 35 And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe. 36 For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled*1, A bone of him shall not be broken. (KJV) *Explanations from above verse 36: *1 that the scripture should be fulfilled = What scripture fulfilled, you ask? The one we are studying, Psalm 22:17. 18 They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.*1 *Fulfillment of the prophecy of *1 above, 1000 years later in the New Testament: One thousand years later, Jesus would look down from the cross as he was dying, and see the soldiers fulfilling this prophecy below: 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. (KJV) 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 lions 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 LORDs: 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*1. *Explanations from above verse 31: Here we have an example of what I told you about prior to this Psalm, about the different syntax of the Hebrew and Greek languages. The sentence: that he hath done this in the Hebrew wording, is the exact same statement in the Greek as: It is finished. These are the very last words that the prophesied Messiah would say, 1000 years later from the cross. Below in [Jn 19:30] we see Christs very last words from the cross, and we see that He had in fact fulfilled the prophecy that was written of Him. Psalm 22 was written and fulfilled by the Divine intercession of Almighty God Himself, so that YOU, when you read of it 3000 years later (today), could believe! Was this all in vain, will you not believe? John 19:28-30 28 After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. 29 Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth. 30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. (KJV) That was an excellent scripture to bolster anyones faith. Stick around, we are going to study another one with the hope that you will begin to understand that those you meet on the street who tell you: There just aint no proof that God is real, just havent bothered to study Gods Word The Bible! Remember that between the giving of the above prophesy and the fulfilment of it, there was a one-thousand year span of time. Nobody but God Almighty Himself could have controlled the actions of the so very many people that had a part in bringing it to come to pass, each one acting as if on cue! And they were acting on cue; they were acting on Gods cue, they just didnt know it. For prophecy must come to pass exactly as it was written, it always has and it always will! And in seeing what has come to pass from the past, we can have faith that what is written about the future will also come to pass exactly as it is written. This was a rule and a safeguard that God built into the foundation of this world. There are three kinds of prophecy in the Bible; prophecy that has come to pass; the fulfilment of prophecy; and prophecy that is still future, yet to come to pass. Our previous look at Psalm 22 was an example of prophecy, and the New Testament scripture that was placed between the verses was the fulfilment of that prophesy. Now lets take a look at the perfect blending of; prophecy, prophecy came to pass, and prophecy that is going to come to pass, yet future, even from today. We are going to look at five scriptures that are so perfectly intertwined; Old and New Testaments, written in four different books of the Bible; whos statements I will document with a second witness from a half a dozen other books of the Bible, spanning a length of time over 3000 years; so that you can know with a surety, that only Almighty God Himself could have orchestrated it! First, for clarity I will supply a summary, and then I will illustrate it through the scriptures: 1). It all starts 3000 years ago, in approximately 1000 B.C., back in Psalm 22 (the one we just finished with) and the prophecy within it about Christs hands and feet being pierced (as He was crucified, nailed to the cross). 2). From there we move forward in time, to the book of Zechariah [Zech 9: 9-10], still in the Old Testament where both the 1st and the 2ndadvent of the Messiah is prophesied. 3). Then, while staying in the book of Zechariah, to [Zech 12:9-14] which prophesies the crucifixion (1st Advent of Christ) and foretells of the future yet, 2nd Advent of Christ. Bear in mind that this book of Zechariah was written in approximately 490 B.C., about 500 years before Jesus Christ was sent to the Earth and was crucified for us. Christs second Advent (2nd coming) is yet still future of our present day. 4). Next we will go the New Testament; Gospel of John, and read of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ coming to pass exactly as was foretold. 5). Then finally we will go to the book of Revelation where it tells of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ that happened at Christs 1st Advent, and which speaks also of a time yet to come; of the prophesied 2nd Advent of Christ when he will come to rule and judge the Earth. This sounds more confusing that it really is, just open your mind, and with the Grace of God it will flow smoothly for you. And when we are done; you will have the truth about the past, the present, and the future, laid before you from the Word of God. And there can certainly be no room for doubt as to God being the author of the universe and the creator of all that is within it! With what we learned in Psalms 22 fresh in our minds, lets stay in the Old Testament, book of Zechariah, and witness the prophecy of both the 1stAdvent (the Crucifixion) and the 2nd Advent, Christs return in our not-too-distant future, which is inaccurately referred to as the end of the world. For it is not an end, but it is a new beginning. Zech 9:8-12 8 And I will encamp about mine house because of the army, because of him that passeth by, and because of him that returneth: and no oppressor shall pass through them any more: for now have I seen with mine eyes. 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. This 9th verse speaks of Christs 1st Advent, which has come to pass, and is the one that we have been studying in Psalm 22. Below is the New testament book of Matthews account of it coming to pass: Matt 21:4-9 4 All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, 5 Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. 6 And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, 7 And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. 8 And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. 9 And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. (KJV) 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. This will happen at the 2nd Advent, when Christs returns, not lowly and meekly riding an ass this time, but to rule the world with a rod of iron, as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. As we see it come to pass in prophecy, in the book of Revelation: Rev 19:11-16 11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. (KJV) 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. 12 Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even to day do I declare that I will render double unto thee (KJV) Lets go to another scripture and read of Christ being crucified and of the 2nd advent. This is still in the Old Testament and prophesies of both of the comings of Jesus Christ. Remember; this was written in the year 490 B.C., almost 500 years before Christ would be crucified at the 1st Advent and at least 2500 years before the 2nd Advent, which of course has not happened yet. Zech 12:9-14 9 And it shall come to pass in that day*1, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. *Explanations from above verse: *1 in that day = The Lords day! At the second coming of Christ; the 2nd Advent when Christ shall return to rule the world. 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*1, 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. *Explanations from above verse: *1 And they shall look upon me they have pierced = You remember seeing this prophesied in Psalm 22, and come to pass in the New Testament; when they pierced Christs hands and his feet to the cross. They also pierced Him in the side with a spear. This verse 10 is showing us that the one they pierced (Christ) is the same one that is coming back (2nd Advent). And in the next verse we will see that the evil ones will at this time get their due rewards Gods Punishment. 11 In that day*1shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon. *Explanations from above verse: *1 in that day = The Lords day! At the second coming of Christ; the 2nd Advent when Christ shall return to rule the world. 12 And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart; 13 The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart; 14 All the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart. (KJV) There was something significant in those last four verses [Zech 12:11-14] regarding David, Nathan, Levi, and Shimei, but we will come back to them after we finish our present thought. Just keep it in the back of your mind, and I will refresh your memory on it later, when we address it. Back to this subject, lets go back to where we left off. We had just learned of the Old Testament prophecies about the 1st and 2nd advents of the Messiah Jesus Christ, and what those that crucified Him would be doing, where it was written: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced.[Zech 12:10]. We know of the fulfillment of the first half of that prophecy in the New Testament account of the 1st Advent of Jesus Christ when He was crucified, and below we review the fulfillment of that prophecy: John 19:32-37 32 Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him. 33 But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: 34 But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. 35 And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe. 36 For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken. 37 And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced*1. (KJV) *Explanations from verse 37 above: *1 = Here we see prophecy being fulfilled. In [Zech 12:10], written in 490 b.c., we read: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced. Now here in [Jn 19:37], written in an account from the events of that day, in a.d. 29, We read of Jesus Christ being crucified exactly as it was foretold of, we see the fulfillment of that prophecy: They shall look on him whom they pierced. *NOTE: If you are wondering why the soldiers were breaking the legs of those who had not died yet, it is because when someone is being crucified, they try to support their body weight with their legs to prevent hanging down with all their weight. If their legs are broken then they cannot hold themselves up, and their body weight pulling them downward cuts of their air supply and they died quickly by asphyxiation. The Sabbath was approaching and the high priests and church elders did not want the men on the cross during the Sabbath, for that would have been against the laws of the Sabbath. The irony of it being that these religious leaders had no problem demanding that the Romans murder an innocent man, the Son of God no less! This is where false teachers/preachers will lead you, they were around then and they are around now. And now we will finish up with what is to be, the future yet Prophesied 2nd Advent of Jesus Christ, and how it will be on earth in those days. We are going to the last book of the Bible, the book of Revelation, where we find an account of the events that will come to pass, future yet from our present day. The book of Revelation was written in approximately A.D. 94, by St. John. John was taken to the future, in Heaven, by the Spirit of the Lord; and shown things that would come to pass in the final days (Thus making it prophecy). This vision is of the 2nd Advent of Jesus Christ, when He returns as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, to rule the world. Rev 1:5-8 5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. 7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him*1: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. (KJV) *Explanations from verse 7 above: *1 and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him. = There it is again!! This time referring to the 2nd Advent of Christ, when He returns to judge and rule the world. You notice that most will not be happy on this day. Those are the ones who were deceived into worshiping antichrist thinking he was the true Christ come to rapture them. This is the danger in the false rapture doctrine. People will be praying to the false Christ for forgiveness thinking that it is the true Messiah. So when the True Christ returns at the second advent, they not only worshiped satan in ignorance, but they have un-repented sins on their soul. Also among those that are wailing are the ones who do not believe in God. They now realize that God and Jesus are very real; and that even though they chose not to believe in them, they are still subject to the punishment of the lake of fire! Judgement day is only bad if you are judged to eternal death. If you have overcome, then judgement day means rewards to you Eternal life. 8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. (KJV) Now put that thought off to the side in your mind, we are going to look at something different. You remember earlier that I told you; that there was something that was in the verses of [Zechariah 12:11-14] and that we would come back to them. Well lets cover that below. First I will resupply those verses to refresh the subject in your mind, and then we will look at another amazing hidden truth that God has built into the Bible that will go unnoticed if you havent learned to study Gods Word in depth. You can learn to understand Gods Word if you care enough to put forth the effort. God will never deny His truths and wisdom to anyone that loves Him enough to study in His Word! You dont have to become a religious fanatic; thats not of God, but you should spend a little time each day reading the letter that your Heavenly Father wrote directly to you The Bible. Even if it is only for five or ten minutes a day. The scriptures of the Bible are our instructions directly from God through His Prophets and Apostles. He will only judge us on the things that He has laid down in writing for us. Dont let any biblically illiterate so-called preacher, false teacher, self-appointed prophet, or rip-off artist, mislead you. If someone tells you something that is contrary to what God tells you in The Bible, then dont believe them. Because, sad to say, there are many people who seem like they are working for God but they are really working for Gods archenemy Satan. Though most of them dont even know it. They themselves have listened to false teaching and have become misled, and now they pass it on like a virus. Dont you end up following them, stick to Gods True Word and you will never go wrong! Youve heard the old saying Beware of wolves in sheeps clothing, well that quote came from the Bible, and in it, God was telling you that not everyone holding a Bible works for Him. Remember who it was that forced Pontius Pilates hand into crucifying Jesus Christ It was the High Priest; Ca-ia-phas, and the Chief Temple Elders. You can read the story of Jesus Christs prosecution and sentencing to death in [John 18:12-19:22]. It is amazing when you realize who really was responsible for the murder of Jesus Christ! I wonder why they dont teach that in Church on sundays. Maybe they dont think you could handle knowing the truth, or maybe they cant. Maybe they think that by you knowing the truth that God saw to it that you would have available to you, that with that wisdom you would expose the false teachers/preachers that are out there in abundant numbers leading you to the lake of fire. Either way; I will never apologize for Gods Word, if the truth offends, then be offended. Now dont get me wrong here; there are good Bible teaching, truth loving, men and women of God! And if you are fortunate enough to find a Ministry like that, then you should attend and support it. But because I realize that many who read this study may be beginning Bible students; I feel responsible to warn you that there are imposters out there, and they will hurt you if you are not prepared. If they arent working for God, you can guess whom they might be working for. Forewarned is forearmed! How can you be prepared? How can you know if you are studying with a good teacher of Gods Word, and not one of the aforementioned: Biblically illiterate so-called preachers, false teachers, self-appointed prophets, or rip-off artists? There is only one way, and this takes us right back to square one: You must study and read Gods Word for yourself, so that you can document for yourself what you have been taught. And if someone tries to tell you something that is contrary to what is in Gods Word, then its time to find a new teacher. What good would it do you to learn lies, and half truths? Just simply sitting on a Church pew once a week for an hour and throwing some conscious money in the basket will do nothing for you if you arent learning anything, except maybe turn you into a pew potato. Find good instruction Its out there, God will personally see to that! Trust only The Lord, double check all others. And yes that means double check this author as well, for he is not perfect, nor can any man be. O.K. now lets look at that scripture again and see a beautiful truth and proof from God to us. A prophecy written 2500 years ago, and it came to pass 2000 years ago, exactly as it was written. This was done for a reason, it was done for you today, it was done so that you could believe. Here is the scripture that I told you to remember and that we were going to come back to. Zechariah 12:11-14 11 In that day*1 shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon.*2 *Explanations from above verse: *1 In that day = On the Lords day; the second coming, the 2nd Advent when Christ shall return to rule the world. *2 Megiddon = This is the Hebrew name for the Greek place: Armageddon, youve heard of that place before, it is where the final battle will be fought by God against satan and his misguided followers. You can read of it in [Rev 16:16]. 12 And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart; 13 The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart; 14 All the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart. (KJV) There is something in the last three verses above [12,13 &14] that we should not let go by without notice. Why would God tell us that every family on Earth shall mourn at the return of Christ? But then specifically mention four families by name? David, Nathan, Levi, and Shimei (which in the Greek language is Semei). There is a reason for everything God does! In our verses above, Almighty God, through the prophet Zechariah, is telling the world of the coming Son of God, of the promised Messiah. But He goes much further than that, He has laid in place a means by which future generations to come, would know for sure that Jesus is the true Messiah and not an imposter. God gave us the family tree (genealogy) of the prophesied Messiah. He has given us the Savior Jesus Christs ancestors on His mothers side (God was Jesuss Fathers side). The four mens families that God singled out, in the whole world of peoples families to name, in verses [12-14] ( David, Nathan, Levi, and Shimei (which in the Greek language is Semei); are in Jesus Christs genealogy, they are His ancestors! The names are even in correct chronological order according to their birth! This scripture was put in writing, in the book of Zechariah, almost 500 years before Jesus was born. Only God could control that! In the New Testament book of Luke, we have the Genealogy of the Virgin Mary, Jesuss mother. You will notice that the genealogy of Jesus begins below in verse 23 And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli . . . Heli was Virgin Mother Marys father, the reason Joseph was referred to as the son of Heli is because in those days; if a man had no sons to carry on his name when he died, then his eldest daughters husband became his son by law, and to him would go the inheritance. Mother Mary had no brothers. Today we would know that as a son in law, although they dont become the heir and beneficiary in our culture. Below is Jesus Christs genealogy from the book of Luke, and I have embolden the four ancestors of Christ mentioned above in the prophecy, as well as God down at the end of the list, and Jesus up at the top end. Joseph is Virgin Mother Marys husband, and Jesuss stepfather. His genealogy is supplied first, but to save time I have only given the last couple verses of it. You can find the entire list in the 1st chapter of the book of Matthew. The last verse is all you really need to see that I am telling you right, and that this is Josephs genealogy, and that it is different from the one in Luke chapter 3, below it, which is in fact Jesuss mothers genealogy, and therefore the flesh side of Christ. God Himself being the other parent, by means of The Virgin birth. Matt 1:14-16 (The genealogy of Joseph; Jesuss stepfather) 14 And Azor begat Sadoc; and Sadoc begat Achim; and Achim begat Eliud; 15 And Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Matthan begat Jacob; 16 And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. (KJV) And now, Virgin Mother Marys genealogy; and thus, Jesus Christs earthly genealogy. You also will notice that in the other genealogies in the Bible: It reads like: xxxxx begat xxxxx, and xxxxx begat xxxxx . . . But here in the genealogy of Jesus, there are no begats, but instead: xxxxx who was the son of xxxxx, who was the son of. . . . There is a reason for every little thing in your Bible, if you have the wisdom to see it. That wisdom only can come from God through faith. Luke 3:21-38 (Virgin Mother Marys genealogy; and thus, Jesus Christs earthly genealogy) 21 Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, 22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased. 23 And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli, 24 Which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi, which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Janna, which was the son of Joseph, 25 Which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Amos, which was the son of Naum, which was the son of Esli, which was the son of Nagge, 26 Which was the son of Maath, which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Semei, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Juda, 27 Which was the son of Joanna, which was the son of Rhesa, which was the son of Zorobabel, which was the son of Salathiel, which was the son of Neri, 28 Which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Addi, which was the son of Cosam, which was the son of Elmodam, which was the son of Er, 29 Which was the son of Jose, which was the son of Eliezer, which was the son of Jorim, which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi, 30 Which was the son of Simeon, which was the son of Juda, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Jonan, which was the son of Eliakim, 31Which was the son of Melea, which was the son of Menan, which was the son of Mattatha, which was the son of Nathan, which was the son of David, 32 Which was the son of Jesse, which was the son of Obed, which was the son of Booz, which was the son of Salmon, which was the son of Naasson, 33 Which was the son of Aminadab, which was the son of Aram, which was the son of Esrom, which was the son of Phares, which was the son of Juda, 34 Which was the son of Jacob, which was the son of Isaac, which was the son of Abraham, which was the son of Thara, which was the son of Nachor, 35 Which was the son of Saruch, which was the son of Ragau, which was the son of Phalec, which was the son of Heber, which was the son of Sala, 36 Which was the son of Cainan, which was the son of Arphaxad, which was the son of Sem, which was the son of Noe, which was the son of Lamech, 37 Which was the son of Mathusala, which was the son of Enoch, which was the son of Jared, which was the son of Maleleel, which was the son of Cainan, 38 Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God. (KJV) Okay, I hope I havent been confusing with all this hopping around, but I always insist that when I state something from Gods Word, that I document everything directly back into the Bible, giving chapter and verse. You should insist on that from anybody who would presume to teach the Word of God to you! You must be very careful! In this final generation there are many false teachers that would deceive you into worshiping the anti-christ without you even knowing it until it is too late. The anti-christ will be imposter pretending to be Christ, and who is prophesied in the Bible to appear on this earth first, claiming to be the Messiah,before the True Jesus Christ Himself returns. That has a lot to do with why so many will mourn when Jesus Christ returns, because it is then that they will realize that they have been worshiping the anti-christ who is none other than satan himself, pretending to be Jesus Christ. Another study for another day, there are many other In-depth Bible Studies like this present one, that cover topics such as that. In closing, I know that this may seem a little overwhelming at first. There is no shame in going back and reading this study again. Perhaps I did not do as good of a job making clear some of the more complicated subjects as I would have liked to. What you have just studied was Gods Word from the Bible, and His Word is perfect. Sometimes man falls short in teaching it, but these truths that you have just learned will always be with you, you will not be able to look at the question Is God real, the same way again. It will never leave you. Pray to God for the wisdom to understand the simplicity of His Word, and His plan. God wants you to. He told us so. Faith can come and grow in an instant, with the help of our Heavenly father, but you must ask Him! Luke 11:9-10 (Jesus speaking) 9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. 10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. (KJV) I guess, in a way, that I really cant say that I blame a lot of people who have trouble believing and having faith in God, with what little theyve been taught about Gods Word today. But God and Jesus and salvation are not only reserved for the holy rollers, it is for everyone. God loves us all the same and He is so perfectly fair that He sent His only begotten Son; Jesus Christ, to be tortured and murdered for us, all of us, in that we may believe and have forgiveness and thus salvation: Luke 5:24-32 (Christ words in Bold) 24 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house. 25 And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God. 26 And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things to day. 27 And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me. 28 And he left all, rose up, and followed him. 29 And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them. 30 But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners? 31 And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. 32 I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. (KJV) And in the same way that the healthy dont need the doctor but the sick do; the believer doesnt need faith, but an unbeliever does. A final thought: Dont always be looking for some big gaudy miracle. God doesnt work that way; He doesnt have to. God doesnt run side show circus acts. Look for the little things at first and before you know it, you will be amazed at how much perfect sense the Bible makes, and through that, you come to realize how much perfect sense God makes! In the beginning, a new Christian is unsure of himself, unsure of his faith, that is normal and it is okay. Faith can come and grow in an instant! Heres an observation for you: You have just read a 13,369 word study, whose title is Faith and Belief, and it is about God. That speaks volumes as to your growing faith and love of the Lord, though you may not even realize it. God loves nothing more in this universe than to see one of His beloved children, whom He created, eager to learn of Him and His wondrous mysteries! Dont you think He didnt notice! In the eternal name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, God bless you always!
Posted on: Sat, 26 Jul 2014 02:57:00 +0000
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