Earth Day

Posted on April 22, 2024 by Jerry

 

4-22-24 Earth Day

Proverbs and Quotations:

“Striving to better, oft we mar what’s well.”  Shakespeare, King Lear I.iv.

My Comment:

Today is marked on my calendar as “Earth Day.”

I remember posting an appropriate proverb or quotation many years ago that seemed appropriate for my classes. I can’t find the quotation I used then. I’ll have to search for it in my lesson plans and use it another year. The Shakespeare quotation above will serve the  purpose in the interim.

I have been lately reading several books about the subject of worldview. Worldviews are the underlying philosophies that frame our thinking and belief systems, systems most of us are unaware of.

“Earth Day” belongs to a worldview that is incompatible with a Christian or Biblical worldview.

Perhaps most who acknowledge “Earth Day” also think highly of environmentalists and believe in “climate change,” and think climate is affected by human activity. They are concerned about carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and think this is a harmful byproduct of human activity and cow flatulence. They are concerned about “carbon footprints,” and want everyone to cut back on eating red meats. Some even speak of eating bugs and owning nothing as if this were an admirable goal. They also believe in evolution and think there are too many humans on our planet. They also believe in the viability of electric cars but at the same time think we can power our electric grid using windmills and solar panels. All this is puerile nonsense, believed by those who failed to pay much attention in physics class.

Last year for more than a month the skies here were so darkened by smoke from Canadian wildfires that our tomato garden failed miserably to grow and bear fruit. To add insult to injury, we had too much rain after that so that other gardeners in our immediate area lost their vegetable crops due to rotting in the field.

I suspect the Canadian wildfires resulted from mismanagement of the forests, mismanagement that was likely based upon the mistaken whims of environmentalists whose ideas are not based on genuine science or proper forest management. It is obvious that such mismanagement resulted in releasing into our atmosphere far more pollutants than legitimate human activity normally would. The unusual amount of rain may have resulted from “climate engineering,” also “solar management,” evidence for which is plainly visible for those who make the effort to look up to the sky to see those lines drawn by very silent airplanes whose so-called “chemtrails” remain in the  sky far longer than any exhaust seen from normal airplanes. This climate engineering is designed to reduce the amount of sunlight that reaches the surface of the earth to reduce global warming.

There are a number of Bible passages that may relate to these issues:

Revelation 11:18

18  And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.
King James Version

Jeremiah 51:25

25  Behold, I am against thee, O destroying mountain, saith the LORD, which destroyest all the earth: and I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and roll thee down from the rocks, and will make thee a burnt mountain.
King James Version

Matthew 24:22

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.
King James Version

Mark 13:20

20  And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect’s sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days.
King James Version

Ecclesiastes 1:4

4  One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.
King James Version

2 Peter 3:7

7  But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
King James Version

Be careful not to disdain what the Bible teaches. It is never safe to bet against the Bible!

Posted in Proverbs and Quotations | Tagged | Leave a comment

Is the claim Jesus is God the teaching of Jesus or Paul?

Posted on April 21, 2024 by Jerry

The Text:

1Pe 3:15 but in your hearts be consecrated to Christ as Lord, and always be ready to make your defense to anyone who asks a reason for the hope you have. But you must do it in gentleness and reverence, (Williams NT)

My Comment:

All of us need to learn to be better witnesses to our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. These days we do not need to become missionaries overseas. Many people either overseas or who come from overseas are within our circle of influence. I have found many opportunities on the Internet to share what the Bible teaches to people of other faiths from all over the world.

I share the following interchange I have lately had with a former Christian who is now a Muslim if I correctly understand his testimony.

The challenge:

I have a liitle challenge to any learned christian here.

Prove me that i am wrong.

Once we put a vital argument that Jesus never claim as God unequivocally,and all his followers knew it very well.Most deluded claim christian apologist will refute it according to Paul, the murderer and false apostle.

Using bogus books

Romans

Ephisians

Hebrew

Chorintians etc.

Is that Jesus words and teaching or Pauls ministry and the deceiver?

Compare it here.

John 4:19, 25-26 (KJV) The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.

The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.

Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.

 

My Response:

Since Messianic Bible prophecy in the Old Testament predicts and declares the deity of the Messiah in passages our Lord Jesus Christ Himself quoted as found in the record contained in the four Gospels, it is not necessary to depend on the writings of Paul to establish the doctrine of the Deity of Christ.

Opening Post (OP) Author Response to Me:

let us accept the fact even all four gospels had many self contradictory. Pertaining to the so called divinity. Just try to notice most of the words coming from Jesus is more vital to oppose it. Yes outside of it Paul elevated him into something, Aside the most developed in the book of john that can never be find in 3 synoptic gospels. And mostly from the OT the jews never had such knowledge that the messia or christ is pertaining to God, unless to a jews who converted in christianity.

My Reply:

You are correct when you assert:

“And mostly from the OT the jews never had such knowledge that the messia or christ is pertaining to God …”

Isaiah in a passage quoted by our Lord Jesus Christ supplies a clue as to why this was so:

Isa 6:9 And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.

Isa 6:10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.

God has been very careful to respect the freedom of the will of every person. He does not force us to believe the truth by providing overwhelmingly irrefutable or undeniable evidence such that it would be impossible for anyone to not believe what He has revealed in nature (Psalm 19:1-6) or in His written word (Psalm 19:7-14) in the Bible.

Only those who have an open mind and heart to truth are able to receive the abundant truth He has provided in His written word, the Bible.

Those who do not have an open mind and heart are unwilling to receive the truth of God’s Word but instead resist, deny, contradict, and even attempt to suppress the truth.

The synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) are just as clear and forthright in their witness to the Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ as is the Gospel of John if you read them carefully.

 

OP Author Gives His Testimony of How He as a Christian Became a Muslim:

that is the common excuses of every christian,and far more worst to accuse us we dont have spirit to understand everything which no one can understand the mystery but those who have the spirit.But to tell you honestly sir.

No any christian can say that we dont ask the spirit every time we pray and read the bible.Let me give you my self as an example.

We all knew that all of us were born as a Roman Catholic and influence by the church. But when the missionary conquer us we are more become active in the scripture. We tend to be more develop to be literate reading the bible .When i became a born again christian we knew for the fact how the church is being corrupted.

that is why we become more guided in scripture to understand. And yes all claim christian are relying more on that spirit.

I FOUGHT FOR hard to defend the christian taeching,even when id worked in Saudi i secretly preach the bible. That is how i risk my life in the name of bible and Jesus.

But we knew for the fact we have many question at back of our mind, Somethings that the message of Jesus are so few and it always incomplete and will follow by the narration of almost 3rd persons. Which is contardictory to the words of Jesus.

Like the common criticism when Jesus uttered my God My God why you have forsaken me?? That is one of the many questionable remarks of Jesus. And even my family sometimes ask me things .They thought Jesus is God why he called for another God??

Same the famous tiktok of a young child when he reading that Jesus as when he grow God nourished him with knowledege???

See even a young and pure mind do understand things.Which an adult will always denied as he already doctrinated or manipulated.That is why it is difficult to argue when a person are more theological than academic which logic is always at hand.

Ma sha allah! With out Islam the world has no any option to see the truth but just to stay in christian world with endless contradiction about historical Jesus.

It is happened even the time of Jesus ministry. That is why there are tons of theological view about Jesus.

Name it you will find it.

You have the claim monotheistic belief, dualism, trinitarianism, modalism, etch. It defend who is majority and in power he will become the claim orthodox. But it will not die in our generation. Even some of hereticals view are being murdered and outnumber. Still they are coming back and representing as different denonination. That is why Ma sha allah.I am proud to be a Muslim. Jesus still lives in me as my great prophet the messiah who submitted to God of Abraham as we believe as a muslim. That is a very safe side as we can still see in many biblical verse a very strong argument that no one can deny. Oh by the why why i explain my past life as a christian?

Just to prove if you are right and Jesus is God, He betrayed me. When i follow him sincerely when i was taught by the church. I never commited such sinfull way when i am a christian. Dont say because i am weak. remember our christian song. Let the weak say i am strong.

My Response:

Thank you for sharing some of your spiritual history.

You raise some interesting and very important questions in your comment.

For example, you mention that even a young child wondered about “when he reading that Jesus as when he grow God nourished him with knowledege???”

That question may be related to what is said in Luke 2:52,

Luke 2:52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.

This passage teaches us that Jesus was truly human, and increased in knowledge and maturity with His increasing age just like the rest of us do.

The writer of the book of Hebrews references this fact about our Lord Jesus Christ when he wrote:

Heb 4:14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.

Heb 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

Heb 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

The question about the words on the cross that Jesus spoke, a quotation from Psalm 22:1,

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

as recorded in Matthew 27:46,

Mat 27:46 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?

I have carefully explained in my notes for Matthew 27:46 in my digital reference work, The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury.

I have posted that information on my Real Bible Study site at the following link:

https://www.realbiblestudy.com/?p=2433

 

Author’s Reply to Me:

Yes sir, but still we are very clear how the trinitarian defending it. When we ask them if Jesus the man died, is God died too? And of course every trinitarian will say no! his body died but his divinity of being God will never and did not die. That is why the kid is right: if he is truly God in flesh why he should be nourished by other God? That is why trinitarian is a paradox argument. It will never stand. But to accept just a believer.

My Reply:

As for the question about “if Jesus the man died, did God die too?” one of several valid explanations would be that the Bible teaches that bodies may and do die but souls or spirits never die.

False cults and mistaken religions refuse to accept the fact that the Bible reveals to careful readers by the Rule of Necessary Inference that our Lord Jesus Christ possessed two natures in His one Person: a divine nature and a human nature.

Understanding this FACT about the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ clarifies our understanding about Who our Lord Jesus Christ is and what He has accomplished for those who believe by His death on the cross for us.

Author’s Reply to Me:

it is just plain notion that will never ever be the truth when we will ask Jesus and all his followers. People that time knew him very well and who and what is God that very distorted when we are going to ask christian..

Here a very simple with no mystery.

God is. A spirit and not a man like Jesus.

John 4:24 (KJV) God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Aside from the very own chapter and story.

JESUS AFFIRMED WHO HE IS.

BASE FROM THE UNDERSTANDING OF A WOMAN, AS IT IS BEING PROPHECIES SINCE FROM THEIR FOREFATHER.

John 4:19, 25-26 (KJV) The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.

The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.

Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.

As simple as that no such mystery no hokus pokus…sorry all your notion is false and our argument wil stay firm as long as we follow Jesus own words.

 

My Reply:

Did you notice in the very text of New Testament Holy Scripture that when the woman at the well spoke of her faith in a coming Messiah that Jesus told her, as you correctly quoted, “I that speak unto thee am he.”

The Hebrew Scriptures, our Old Testament, teach the Deity of the Messiah.

Peter makes this clear by what he writes when he states:

Pe 2:1 Stop being hateful! Quit trying to fool people, and start being sincere. Don’t be jealous or say cruel things about others.

1Pe 2:2 Be like newborn babies who are thirsty for the pure spiritual milk that will help you grow and be saved.

1Pe 2:3 You have already found out how good the Lord really is.

1Pe 2:4 Come to Jesus Christ. He is the living stone that people have rejected, but which God has chosen and highly honored.

1Pe 2:5 And now you are living stones that are being used to build a spiritual house. You are also a group of holy priests, and with the help of Jesus Christ you will offer sacrifices that please God.

1Pe 2:6 It is just as God says in the Scriptures, “Look! I am placing in Zion a choice and precious cornerstone. No one who has faith in that one will be disappointed.” (CEV, Contemporary English Version)

Notice especially what is stated in 1 Peter 2:3,

1Pe 2:3 If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. (KJV)

This verse (1 Peter 2:3) is a quotation from Psalm 34:8,

Psalm 34:8 Oh taste and see that Jehovah is good: Blessed is the man that taketh refuge in him.
American Standard Version

Notice very carefully that Peter applies what was said of Jehovah in the Old Testament to Jesus.

I have found 19 examples where the New Testament writers have applied to Jesus what was written in the Old Testament about Jehovah.

This is also seen in the narrative found in Acts 11:20, 21,

Act 11:20 And some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, which, when they were come to Antioch, spake unto the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus.

Act 11:21 And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord. (KJV)

Notice that in Acts 11:21 Luke uses the Old Testament phrase, “the hand of the Lord” (see Exodus 9:3). “It was proof of God’s approval of their course in preaching the Lord Jesus to Greeks (A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures, vol. 3, p. 157).”

When Luke writes at the end of Acts 11:21 that a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord,” “”Lord” refers to “the Lord Jesus,” as in verse 20 (Act 11:20), though “the hand of the Lord” is the hand of Jehovah, clearly showing that the early disciples put Jesus on a par with Jehovah. His deity was not a late development read back into the early history (A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures, vol. 3, p. 157).”

 

OP Author Reply to Me:

sir it is not the proper way to study scripture.First the author of John is not peter.The story of Peter doesn know how christ met the woman.

 

My Reply to OP Author:

I am sorry that you did not understand what I wrote in my comment.

I would kindly ask that you try to read it again.

I said nothing about the author of John being Peter.

When you write that “the story of Peter doesn’t know how Christ met the woman,” you may also be misunderstanding what John wrote in the fourth chapter of the Gospel of John.

As for what is the proper way to study Scripture, I may have far more experience than you may have about how to study the Scripture. I am most happy to encourage and help you understand more about how to do real Bible study.

 

 

Posted in Apologetics Issues--Other Faiths, Doctrinal Discussions | Tagged | Leave a comment

Daily Bible Nugget #838, John 8:56

Posted on April 12, 2024 by Jerry

 

3-31-24 Daily Bible Nugget 838 John 8v56

The Nugget:

John 8:56  Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.

The Challenge Answered:

Abe San You make the claim or statement above:

“Abraham saw Jesus according to your NT? Is there any passage in the OT confirming this fantastic claim of Jesus? None.
How can we then trust that claim?”

Since it is our Lord Jesus Christ who made the claim, to dispute the claim is to call the Lord Jesus Christ a liar.

I suggest you go back and think about how far off you must be in your thinking to ever state or write a claim like that.

I have meticulously studied every verse in the Bible and its cross references. My judgment is that the claim Jesus made is absolutely correct and is confirmed by the passages in the Old Testament or the Hebrew Scriptures to which He refers.

Jesus identified the problem and reason for the unbelief of the Jewish leaders of His day. Jesus told them that had they believed Moses, they would have believed Him, because Moses wrote of Jesus (John 5:46).

John 5:46  For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me.

Jesus also stated that they failed to search the Scriptures, stating that the Scriptures testified of Him (John 5:39).

John 5:39  Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

The way to find the Biblical answer which demonstrates the truth of the claim Jesus made in John 8:56 is to do a proper search of the Scriptures yourself.

To make the task easier for everyone, I have spent well over five decades collecting cross references from scholarly sources and placing them all in my published Bible study resources, The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and the greatly extended and more complete digital resource, The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury. I share these cross references on my Real Bible Study site. The site has a search feature. Place the verse reference “John 8:56” in the search box to see if I have posted the cross references for that verse. If I have not done so yet, leave a comment requesting that I post those references and I will do so.

My Comment:

I have followed my own advice today (Friday, April 12, 2024) and searched this site for John 8:56. It turns out I have not written about John 8:56 here before.

To Dig Deeper, Study the Cross References from The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury for John 8:56 as I have shared them below:

John 8:56
father. FS171G, +Gen 13:8, Rom 4:1.

Abraham. Joh 8:33; Joh 8:39, 40; Joh 8:53, Mal 2:10, Act 7:2.

rejoiced. or, leaped for joy. Gr. agalliaō (S# G21). Joh 5:35, Gen 15:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6; Gen 17:17; Gen 17:19; *Gen 22:13; *Gen 22:14; *Gen 22:18, Mat 13:17, Luk 2:28, 29, 30; Luk 10:24, Rom 4:18, 19, 20, 21, 22, *Gal 3:7, 8, 9; *Gal 3:14, 14, 16, 17, 18, Heb 11:13; Heb 11:39, 40, 1Pe 1:10, 11, 12.

to see. Joh 6:40, Mat 23:39, Luk 17:22, Heb 12:2; Heb 13:8.

my day. *Gen 18:14, Mat 13:17, *1Co 2:8.

he saw. Joh 1:3, **Gen 17:1, +**Gen 18:1, +*Exo 6:3, Act 7:38, +*Rev 1:8; Rev 15:3.

and was glad. or, rejoiced. Gr. chairō. Joh 3:29.

Note that for the key words “he saw” I added the new reference to +**Gen 18:1. At that reference in The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury I have given more cross references which demonstrate that Abraham saw and talked with Jesus in His pre-incarnate form. The point is that no man has ever seen God (John 1:18. John 4:24). In the Old Testament when individuals are reported as seeing God, they are actually seeing our Lord Jesus Christ who appeared to them as God, as Jehovah, and as the Angel of the Lord.

Posted in Apologetics Issues--Other Faiths, Daily Bible Nuggets, How to Study the Bible | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Daily Bible Nugget #837, Ephesians 1:13

Posted on March 31, 2024 by Jerry

 

The Nugget:

Eph 1:13  In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, (KJV)

Eph 1:12 that we who had first put our hope in Christ might praise His glory.
Eph 1:13 You too, as you have heard the message of the truth, the good news that means your salvation, and as you have trusted in Him too, have been stamped with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit,
Eph 1:14 who is the first installment of our inheritance, so that we may finally come into full possession of the prize of redemption, and praise His glory for it. (Williams NT)

Eph 1:13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, (ESV)

Eph 1:13 Christ also brought you the truth, which is the good news about how you can be saved. You put your faith in Christ and were given the promised Holy Spirit to show that you belong to God. (CEV)

My Comment:

I made the following response this Easter morning to a comment by a devout and sincere Roman Catholic who wrote of the contrasting views about salvation held by the Roman Catholic Church as compared to those of Protestants. My comment is intended to show there is a great contrast between Roman Catholicism’s view of salvation and how to receive it compared to what the Bible itself teaches:

There are things in your comment that are held to be true by the Roman Catholic Church but are not found in the Bible and are not in accord with what is found in the Bible.

First, the notion of “penance” is not taught in the Bible but is the result of a historic mistranslation of the underlying inspired Greek New Testament text of a word which should be rendered “repent.” Modern English Bible translations have corrected this error.

Second, the notion that grace is dispensed by the Roman Catholic Church by means of its Sacraments is a concept not taught in Scripture, but an error sometimes given the label “sacerdotalism.”

Third, the notion that ritual water baptism has any saving grace whatsoever is foreign to Scripture. It may be the result of a mistaken interpretation of John 3:5.

Nevertheless, I am most thankful that the Roman Catholic Church has maintained and does affirm and teach the Deity of Christ and the Doctrine of the Trinity, both of which most certainly are taught in the Bible.

Dig Deeper by Studying the Cross References given in the Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury for Ephesians 1:13,

Ephesians 1:13
ye also. **Eph 2:1; **Eph 2:11; **Eph 2:12, *Col 1:21, 22, 23, +*1Pe 2:10.

trusted. Eph 1:12, 2Ch 16:7, Psa 86:2; Psa 125:1, Pro 16:20, Song 8:5, Dan 3:28, Zep 3:12, Mat 12:21, Rom 15:12, Php 2:19.

after that ye heard. Eph 4:21, **+Joh 1:17, *Act 15:7; **Act 16:31; **Act 16:32, Rom 6:17; **Rom 10:14, 15, 16, 17, *Col 1:4, 5, 6; *Col 1:23, **1Th 2:13.

the word of truth. *Psa 119:43, Joh 17:17, *2Co 6:7, Gal 2:5, Col 1:5, **2Ti 2:15, *Jas 1:18, *1Pe 1:23.

the gospel. *Mar 16:15; *Mar 16:16, Act 13:38, 39; Act 15:7, +*Rom 1:16, 1Co 2:2; *1Co 15:1, 2, 3, 4, Php 1:27, +**2Ti 3:15, *Tit 2:11, **Heb 2:3, +*Jas 1:21.

of your salvation. Act 13:26.

in whom. Joh 5:23.

after that ye believed. Joh 5:24; Joh 7:39, Gal 3:2, *2Ti 1:12, 1Pe 1:8.

ye were sealed. +*Eph 4:30, Exo 28:11, Lev 14:14; Lev 14:17, *Est 8:8,
Song 4:12, Jer 32:10, +*Eze 9:4, Mat 27:66, Luk 15:22, +Joh 3:33; +*Joh 6:27, *Rom 4:11, *2Co 1:22, **2Ti 2:19, Rev 7:2, 3.

holy. +*Joel 2:28, *Luk 11:13; *Luk 24:49, *Joh 14:16; *Joh 14:17; *Joh 14:26; *Joh 15:26; Joh 16:7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, *Act 1:4; Act 2:16, 17,  18, 19, 20, 21, 22; Act 2:33; Act 9:31, Rom 5:5, Gal 3:14.

Spirit. FS121A1, +Luk 1:17 note. Rom 8:9; Rom 8:15, 16, 2Co 5:5, Gal 4:6, Php 2:1.

of promise. Eze 36:27; *Eze 37:14, *+Luk 24:49, Joh 4:14; Joh 14:16, 17; Joh 16:13, Act 1:4, Gal 3:2; Gal 3:14.

Posted in Apologetics Issues--Other Faiths, Apologetics--Christian, Bible Promises, Bible Study Tools, Daily Bible Nuggets, Doctrinal Discussions | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Daily Bible Nugget #836, Isaiah 53:7

Posted on March 29, 2024 by Jerry

 

The Nugget:

Isa 53:7  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. (KJV)

Isa 53:7  “He was treated harshly, but endured it humbly; he never said a word. Like a lamb about to be slaughtered, like a sheep about to be sheared, he never said a word.  (GNB, Good News Bible)

Isa 53:7  He was abused and punished, but he didn’t open his mouth. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. He was like a sheep that is silent when its wool is cut off. He didn’t open his mouth. (GW, God’s Word translation)

Isa 53:7 He was painfully abused, but he did not complain. He was silent like a lamb being led to the butcher, as quiet as a sheep having its wool cut off. (CEV, Contemporary English Version)

My Comment:

3-29-24 Isaian 53v7 UCRT full text references

 

Here is Isaiah 53:7 with its associated cross references as I have given them in my digital resource, The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury:

Isa 53:7  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.

He was oppressed. or, hard pressed. Mar 9:12, Act 26:23.

Mark 9:12
12  And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at nought.
King James Version

Acts 26:23
23  That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles.
King James Version

he was afflicted. Isa 53:4.

Isaiah 53:4
4  Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
King James Version

yet. Psa 38:13, +Mat 11:29; Mat 12:19; *Mat 26:63; *Mat 27:12, 13, 14, *Mar 14:61; *Mar 15:5, *Luk 23:9, *Joh 19:9, *1Pe 2:23.

Psalms 38:13
13  But I, as a deaf man, heard not; and I was as a dumb man that openeth not his mouth.
King James Version

Matthew 11:29
29  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
King James Version

Matthew 12:19
19  He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets.
King James Version

Matthew 26:63
63  But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God.
King James Version

Matthew 27:12-14
12  And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing.
13  Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee?
14  And he answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly.
King James Version

Mark 14:61
61  But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?
King James Version

Mark 15:5
5  But Jesus yet answered nothing; so that Pilate marvelled.
King James Version

Luke 23:9
9  Then he questioned with him in many words; but he answered him nothing.
King James Version

John 19:9
9  And went again into the judgment hall, and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer.
King James Version

1 Peter 2:23
23  Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:
King James Version

Here are more of the cross references I have given in The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury for Isaiah 53:7,

Isa 53:7  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.

opened not his mouth. FS108H6B, +Psa 38:13, Idiom for silence and submission. Psa 39:2, 1Pe 2:22, 23.

Psalms 39:2
2  I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, even from good; and my sorrow was stirred.
King James Version

1 Peter 2:22-23
22  Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:
23  Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:
King James Version

he is brought. T1940 (Messiah to be led as a lamb to the slaughter). “The Savior was neither ’driven’ nor ’dragged,’ but led: thereby the Holy Spirit informs us, once more, of His willing submission” (Pink, Comm. on John, vol. 3, p. 176). %Gen 3:24, =Lev 17:5, Jer 31:18, Mat 27:30, 31, Mar 14:53, Joh 10:17; $Joh 18:13, *>Act 8:32; *>Act 8:33, *1Co 5:7.

Genesis 3:24
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.
King James Version

Leviticus 17:5
5  To the end that the children of Israel may bring their sacrifices, which they offer in the open field, even that they may bring them unto the LORD, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the priest, and offer them for peace offerings unto the LORD.
King James Version

Jeremiah 31:18
18  I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus; Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke: turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the LORD my God.
King James Version

Matthew 27:30-31
30  And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.
31  And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him.
King James Version

Mark 14:53
53  And they led Jesus away to the high priest: and with him were assembled all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes.
King James Version

John 10:17
17  Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
King James Version

John 18:13
13  And led him away to Annas first; for he was father in law to Caiaphas, which was the high priest that same year.
King James Version

Acts 8:32
32  The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:
King James Version

Acts 8:33
33  In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.
King James Version

1 Corinthians 5:7
7  Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
King James Version

as a lamb. T1909 (The innocence and meekness of the Messiah). Exo 12:5; Exo 12:13, Lev 1:10; Lev 4:32, Jer 11:19, Joh 1:29; Joh 1:36, $Act 8:32, 33, 34, 35, 1Pe 1:19, Rev 5:6; Rev 13:8.

Exodus 12:5
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:
King James Version

Exodus 12:13
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.
King James Version

Leviticus 1:10
10  And if his offering be of the flocks, namely, of the sheep, or of the goats, for a burnt sacrifice; he shall bring it a male without blemish.
King James Version

Leviticus 4:32
32  And if he bring a lamb for a sin offering, he shall bring it a female without blemish.
King James Version

Jeremiah 11:19
19  But I was like a lamb or an ox that is brought to the slaughter; and I knew not that they had devised devices against me, saying, Let us destroy the tree with the fruit thereof, and let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be no more remembered.
King James Version

John 1:29
29  The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
King James Version

John 1:36
36  And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!
King James Version

Acts 8:32-35
32  The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:
33  In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.
34  And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?
35  Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.
King James Version

1 Peter 1:19
19  But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
King James Version

Revelation 5:6
6  And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
King James Version

Revelation 13:8
8  And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
King James Version

Here is Isaiah 53:7 with the rest of its associated cross references as I have given them in my digital resource, The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury:

Isa 53:7 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.

to the slaughter. +Gen 43:16, Mat 17:23, Mar 12:7, Rom 8:36.

Genesis 43:16
16  And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the ruler of his house, Bring these men home, and slay, and make ready; for these men shall dine with me at noon.
King James Version

Matthew 17:23
23  And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry.
King James Version

Mark 12:7
7  But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours.
King James Version

Romans 8:36
36  As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
King James Version

sheep. =Lev 1:10.

Leviticus 1:10
10  And if his offering be of the flocks, namely, of the sheep, or of the goats, for a burnt sacrifice; he shall bring it a male without blemish.
King James Version

before her shearers. +Gen 31:19, Act 8:32.

Genesis 31:19
19  And Laban went to shear his sheep: and Rachel had stolen the images that were her father’s.
King James Version

Acts 8:32
32  The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:
King James Version

is dumb. T1941 (Messiah to be dumb, that is, silent before his accusers). $Mat 27:12, 13, 14, Mar 15:3, $1Pe 2:23.

Matthew 27:12-14
12  And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing.
13  Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee?
14  And he answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly.
King James Version

Mark 15:3
3  And the chief priests accused him of many things: but he answered nothing.
King James Version

1 Peter 2:23
23  Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:
King James Version

opened not. Jas 5:6.

James 5:6
6  Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.
King James Version

Posted in Apologetics Issues--Other Faiths, Apologetics--Christian, Bible Historicity and Validity, Bible Prophecy, Bible Study Tools, Daily Bible Nuggets | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

On what day of the week was Jesus crucified?

Posted on March 28, 2024 by Jerry

 

The Text:

Luke 24:21  But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done.

The Question:

Which day–Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday–is the day of Christ’s crucifixion and death?

The Answer:

Thursday is the option that best meets the evidence in the New Testament record.

See the 1942 book by Roy M. Allen, Three Days in the Grave, for a full and accurate discussion of what is involved.

A key point of evidence is found in the statement of the two disciples on the Emmaus Road as given in Luke 24:21,

Luk 24:21  But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done.

If Sunday is the Third Day Since these things were done, then:

Saturday is the second day since these things were done;

Friday is the first day since these things were done.

Therefore,

Thursday is the day “these things were done.”

Take note of Mark 8:31,

Mar 8:31  And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.

A Friday crucifixion would violate four Scripture passages:

Mat 12:40  For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Mat 27:63  Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again.

Mar 8:31  And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.

Luk 24:21  But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done.

Roy Allen has definitively resolved any chronological issues you might think arise from a Thursday crucifixion in his book, Three Days in the Grave, New York: Loizeaux Brothers, 1942, 159 pages + fold-out chronological chart. 2000 copies printed.

I have shared his findings at length on my site.

Passion Week Chronology in Detail

Posted in Bible Historicity and Validity | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Key to Messianic Prophecy

Posted on March 26, 2024 by Jerry

 

The Text:

1Pe 1:11  Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. (KJV)

My Comment:

Our Lord Jesus Christ revealed the key to understanding Messianic Bible Prophecies to the two disciples who were returning home after a sad and disappointing day in Jerusalem when He told them:

Luk 24:25  Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:
Luk 24:26  Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?

Peter learned this truth from the Savior and repeats it in his first letter:

1Pe 1:11  Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.

I wish we had a full written transcript of exactly what Jesus taught the two disciples that day on the Emmaus Road!

Some members of one supposedly very ancient Church challenged me on the Internet that only their church was the One True Church because only their Church possessed the Unwritten Traditions from the very time of Christ and His Apostles.

So, I challenged them and requested them to furnish an Internet link to the content of the teaching Jesus gave those two disciples on the Emmaus Road, teaching Jesus repeated to His Apostles as a group later that day:

Luk 24:44  And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.
Luk 24:45  Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,
Luk 24:46  And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:
Luk 24:47  And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
Luk 24:48  And ye are witnesses of these things.

No one was able to furnish a full written transcript of what Jesus carefully taught the two disciples on the Road to Emmaus or what He taught again that evening to the assembled group of disciples. That Church seems to claim that it is in possession of the unwritten Traditions the rest of us don’t have, but in this case, given how important this information is–which they all heard–that Church can produce no trace. The claimed treasury of Tradition simply does not exist for this information. It reminds me of the words of the nursery rhyme, “Nothing in it, nothing in it, but the binding around it”! If that Church really does have it, show me the written Transcript!

The Security Office at one of the Detroit high schools where I taught had this significant sign on the door: “If it is not written, it did not happen.”

Fortunately, the clue given by Jesus to the two disciples on the Emmaus Road at Luke 24:26, a clue repeated by Peter in his first letter at 1 Peter 1:11, enables us like forensic detectives to study the associated cross references given in The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury to reconstruct a good part of the message Jesus must have given on that Resurrection Day.

Dig Deeper by reading the Cross References for 1 Peter 1:11 as given in The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury:

1 Peter 1:11
Searching. Gr. ereunaō (S# G2045, Joh 5:39). 1Pe 1:10, Pro 15:14, *Dan 8:15, Mat 13:17, Luk 10:24.

what manner of time. **Dan 9:2; **Dan 9:24, 25, 26; Dan 12:5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, Hab 2:1, 2, 3, 4, Gal 4:4, Php 4:5, Heb 9:9.

the Spirit. Gr. pneuma, +Mat 3:16. 1Pe 3:18, 19, Zec 7:12, Mar 12:36, Joh 14:17; Joh 16:7, Act 1:16; +Act 16:7, Rom 1:4; +*Rom 8:9, 1Co 10:4, *2Co 3:17; *2Co 3:18, *Gal 4:6, Php 1:19, Col 3:16, 1Ti 3:16, *Heb 9:14; Heb 10:15, *2Pe 1:21, Rev 3:1; *Rev 19:10.

of Christ. 1Pe 1:20, +*Joh 12:41, *1Co 10:4; *1Co 10:9, 2Co 3:17, 18, *Col 1:15, 16, 17.

which was in them. or, with them. Other translations handle as in, within, but this is not correct. Though God was with His people under the old economy, the Spirit of God did not indwell anyone until Pentecost (cf. Joh 14:17, 18 and notes) [LNT, fn e]. *Neh 9:30, Act 10:17.

did signify. or, point. Gr. dēloō (S# G1213, 1Co 1:11). Dan 12:8, 1Co 3:13, 2Pe 1:14.

when it testified beforehand. Gr. promarturomai (S# G4303, only here), to be a witness in advance, that is, predict (Strong). Psa 40:7; Psa 110:7, +Mat 26:24, +**Joh 5:39, Act 2:31; Act 7:52; Act 8:35, 1Co 15:4, Gal 3:17; Gal 3:23, Heb 2:6.

the sufferings. Gr. pathēma (S# G3804, Rom 7:5). 1Pe 2:21; 1Pe 3:18, 19, 20, 21, 22; 1Pe 4:1; 1Pe 4:13; 1Pe 5:1, *Psa 22:1-21; *Psa 69:1-21, Psalms 88:1, 2, 3, 4. *Isa 52:13; *Isa 52:14; *Isa 53:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, *Dan 9:24, 25, 26, *Zec 13:7, Mat 16:21; Mat 26:24, Luk 9:22; Luk 9:31; Luk 22:22; +*Luk 24:25, 26, 27; +*Luk 24:44, Act 2:23; +Act 3:18; *Act 17:3; Act 26:22, 23, +*1Co 15:3; +*1Co 15:4, 2Co 1:5, Heb 2:10; Heb 11:26; Heb 12:2.

the glory. or, glories. A common objection among the Jewish people who do not believe Jesus Christ is their Messiah is that there are many prophecies Jesus did not fulfill when He came. Peter here, and Jesus (Luk 24:26) furnish an absolute answer to that objection:

(1) the prophecies Jesus did fulfill pertain to “His sufferings.”

(2) the prophecies Jesus did not fulfill are reserved for the future when He comes in His full glory (Psa 102:16, Zec 14:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Mat 24:30, 31).

Several prophecies are recorded in the Hebrew Scriptures, our Old Testament, that present exactly this order even within a single chapter, as seen in these cross references to specific chapters in the Bible that present this order:

Psa 22:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, the sufferings; Psa 22:22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, the glory.

Psa 69:1-21, the sufferings; Psa 69:30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, the glory.

Isa 53:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, the sufferings; Isa 53:11, 12, the glory.

Those who disbelieve in the Messiahship of Jesus Christ do so in the face of the evidence: just how can we account for the many prophecies (T1874 to T1976) Christ did fulfill at His First Advent? These things really did happen. The argument from Historicity is unanswerable and irrefutable (2Pe 1:16 note).

In terms of the provisions of the Abrahamic (+Gen 12:2 note) and the Davidic Covenants (+2Sa 7:10 note), you cannot have a Messiah who fulfills one aspect (the glory) without the other aspect (the sufferings) being fulfilled first. It takes both aspects to fulfill the predictions presented in the Messianic Prophecies of the Hebrew Scriptures. 1Pe 1:3; 1Pe 1:7; 1Pe 1:13; 1Pe 1:21, 1Pe 3:21, 22; 1Pe 4:5; 1Pe 4:13, +*Gen 3:15; Gen 45:13; +*Gen 49:10, *Psa 22:22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31; Psa 45:3, 4, 5, 6, 7; *Psa 69:30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36; *Psa 72:17, 18, 19; +*Psa 102:16; *Psa 110:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6; *Psa 145:11, +*Isa 9:6; +*Isa 9:7; *Isa 11:10 mg. *Isa 49:6; *Isa 53:11; *Isa 53:12; Isa 55:5; Isa 60:1, 2, 3; Isa 60:9; Isa 60:13; Isa 60:19, *Dan 2:34; Dan 2:35; Dan 2:44; +*Dan 7:13; Dan 7:14, **Zec 2:8, 9, 10, 11, 12; +**Zec 6:13; +*Zec 14:9, Mat 6:13, *Mar 10:37, Luk 19:38; *Luk 23:42; +**Luk 24:26, **+Joh 12:41, *Act 26:22; Act 26:23, 1Co 2:7, +*1Th 2:12, 1Ti 1:11, Rev 19:7.

that should follow. or, after these things. Rev 22:6.

Posted in Apologetics--Christian, Bible Prophecy, Doctrinal Discussions | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Daily Bible Nugget #835, 1 Thessalonians 4:15

Posted on March 25, 2024 by Jerry

 

The Nugget:

1Th 4:15  For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. (KJV)

1Th 4:15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. (ESV)

The Muslim Challenge:

Paul made a false prophecy about the coming of Jesus during his lifetime…

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

My Answer:

For those who know how to read, are willing to read, and who actually do read with care, I post the following refutation of the Opening Post. I take this information from my digital Bible study resource, The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury, the note on “that we” in 1 Thessalonians 4:15,

1Th 4:15  For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

that we. FS39, Acts 17:27. Some have mistakenly drawn the inference that Paul here asserts he expected the return of Jesus in his own lifetime. This, of course, is an unwarranted inference which fails to take into account Paul’s own inspired prediction regarding the great apostasy and the coming of Antichrist given in 2 Thessalonians 2, events which Paul certainly did not suppose were to be compressed into his own lifespan. The fact that Christ revealed to Peter certain events which would transpire in his life (Joh 21:18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23), as well as to Paul (Acts 9:15; Act 20:23, 24; Act 27:24), must not be understood to deny the doctrine of the imminency of the return of Christ. Robertson notes Paul “was alive, not dead, when he wrote” (Word Pictures, vol. 4, p. 32). Paul sometimes associates himself with the living (as here, and Php 3:20, Tit 2:12, 13), and sometimes with the dead, (as **1Co 6:14, **2Co 4:14; 2Co 5:8, Php 1:21, 22, 23, 24; Php 2:17, 2Ti 4:6, 7, 8). By such words Paul simply associates himself with the class of the living to which he then belonged, as opposed to the dead, and was not making a statement about how soon Jesus would return, a secret which God has kept in his own counsel (+*Deut 29:29, Mat 24:36, +*Mark 13:32, +*Acts 1:7), as Hogg and Vine well observe (Comm. on 1 Thessalonians, p. 138). 1Th 4:17, 1Th 5:10, Psa 66:6, Hos 12:4, Mat 16:28 note. Mar 9:1, Luk 9:27, Rom 13:11; Rom 13:13, +1Co 6:14; 1Co 15:51, Php 3:20, Tit 2:12, 13.

Posted in Apologetics Issues--Other Faiths, Bible Prophecy, Bible Study Tools, Daily Bible Nuggets | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Messianic Prophecies in Isaiah 53

Posted on March 25, 2024 by Jerry

 

My Response to a Facebook Post that denied any Messianic Prophecy is found in Isaiah 53:

When you include a statement like this in your Opening Post you greatly diminish any claim you might make or have to knowing something about its subject:

“…you may start to assume that Isaiah is speaking of a singular person in his verses and make the mistake to think that this could be some ridiculous prophecy of Jesus like the sons of Satan i.e. the Greco-Roman Church has instilled in us since they stole all of the Hebrew manuscripts, and re-wrote them in their own pagan Greek languages.”

Thanks to the providential preservation of an entire scroll of the book of Isaiah found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, we have in that scroll a copy of the Hebrew text of that book which pre-dates all other extant Hebrew scrolls/manuscripts by a thousand years.

That ancient Hebrew scroll has only a very few minor differences from the Hebrew text printed in Hebrew Bibles today. This demonstrates the extreme care and accuracy of the intervening copyists who for all those years and more (until the days of the movable type printing press) preserved for us what the original text contained.

The same care was given in the careful copying and preservation of the New Testament manuscripts.

As for your diatribe against the Messianic Prophecy interpretation of Isaiah 53, you are entirely mistaken. There are ancient Jewish interpreters of this passage who regarded it as predictive prophecy of a coming Messiah.

For those who wish to honestly search the Scriptures for themselves, I share below just a portion of my list of the Messianic Prophecies from the Topic Number Index in my book, The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, “Messianic Prophecy,” topic numbers 1874–1976, on pages 1504-1505 of the first printing (2023), pages 1604-1605 of the first edition (1992) that relate to Isaiah 53:

1895. Messiah to be a healer of many. Isaiah 53:5.

1897. Messiah to be known and to save by His knowledge. Isaiah 53:11.

1899. Messiah to confound His questioners. Isaiah 52:13.

1906. Messiah to be sinless. Isaiah 53:9.

1908. The innocence and meekness of the Messiah. Isaiah 53:7.

1910. Messiah to be without guile [deceit]. Isaiah 53:9.

1938. Messiah to be led as a lamb to the slaughter. Isaiah 53:7.

1939. Messiah to be dumb (silent) before His accusers. Isaiah 53:7.

1940. Messiah to be guiltless. Isaiah 53:9.

1941. Justice was to be denied the Messiah. Isaiah 53:8.

1942. Messiah to be rejected by His own people. Isaiah 53:3.

1945. Messiah to be smitten. Isaiah 53:4.

1948. Messiah to be wounded and bruised. Isaiah 53:5.

1952. Messiah to be crucified with thieves. Isaiah 53:12.

1973. Messiah to be cut off in the prime of life at the time specified. Isaiah 53:8.

1974. Messiah to be buried in a rich man’s tomb. Isaiah 53:9.

At each of those verses in The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge I give the cross references to the other relevant Bible passages which shed further light on each verse.

Posted in Apologetics Issues--Other Faiths, Bible Prophecy, Bible Study Tools, False Religions | Tagged | Leave a comment

Daily Bible Nugget #834, Leviticus 18:5

Posted on March 23, 2024 by Jerry

 

The Nugget:

Lev 18:5  Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the LORD.

My Comment:

It is interesting but tragic to see that non-Christians, unbelievers, think they understand the Bible more accurately than Bible believing, Bible studying Christians do.

Some of you are constantly attacking the message of the Apostle Paul.

You seem to be attacking what you do not understand.

Abe AU above cited Romans 10:9, 13, then claimed Paul “promised them of easy way of obtaining ticket to heaven simply by acknowledging Jesus as their saviour.”

Try reading more of the context in order to begin to get a more accurate understanding of what is being said:

Rom 10:1 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.
Rom 10:2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.
Rom 10:3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
Rom 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

Unbelievers here are unfortunately in a similar state to the position of the Jews in Paul’s day: “For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.”

Notice what Paul states next:

Rom 10:5 For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them. (KJV)

Rom 10:5 For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. (ESV)

Paul is citing Leviticus 18:5,

Lev 18:5 Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the LORD. (KJV)

Lev 18:5 You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules; if a person does them, he shall live by them: I am the LORD. (ESV)

A careful comparison of Scripture with Scripture, a most important method of Bible study, will lead to the fact that there is yet another way of salvation previously revealed by God to Abraham, the way of faith:

Gen 15:6  And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness. (KJV)

Gen 15:6 And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness. (ESV)

In Scripture, therefore, the promise of eternal life (Leviticus 18:5, “shall live”) to those who perfectly keep God’s Law and so receive eternal life by works is set in contrast to those who receive eternal life by faith (Genesis 15:6 and Habakkuk 2:4).

No one (except the Lord Jesus Christ) has ever met the requirement of keeping the law perfectly so as to qualify to receive eternal life on the basis of works.

Proverbs 20:9  Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?

Ecclesiastes 7:20  For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.

Romans 3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

James 2:10  For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

Posted in Apologetics Issues--Other Faiths, Daily Bible Nuggets, Doctrinal Discussions, False Religions, How to Interpret the Bible Correctly, How to Study the Bible | Tagged , , | Leave a comment