|
~~~~~~~~~~
THE YOKE OF YESHUA
harmonizes the four
gospels ~~~~~~~~~~
For those who lived in Old Testament times the prophecies about the Messiah would not be obvious. They probably thought that David was speaking of his own trials when he felt forsaken, surrounded by vicious enemies, thirsting for water with pierced hands and feet, and his enemies casting lots for his garments (Ps. 22). Most likely they thought Isaiah described Israel’s calamities when he wrote about rejection, griefs, sorrows, wounds, stripes and oppression, and a lamb led to the slaughter (Is. 53). When the Psalms spoke about accusations by false witnesses (35), hated without cause (35), betrayed by a friend (41), given vinegar and gall (69), praying for enemies (109), bones not broken (34), body not decaying (16), and sitting at the right hand of God (110), people probably saw these as metaphorical speech about the psalmist, not realizing it would be literally fulfilled in the Messiah. Thanks to New Testament information, Christians can connect the dots. However, they would have missed some prophecies if God had not revealed them. Reading in Psalm 8: “What is man that you are mindful of him… For you have made him a little lower than the angels…” we wouldn’t have realized that him in the second sentence points to Christ (Heb. 2:9). When David says in Psalm 40: “Burnt offering and sin offering you did not require… I delight in your will, O my God, and your law is within my heart,” it sounds as if David wants to honour God with a thankful heart. However, Hebrews 5:5-10 shows that these words were prophesied about the Messiah. Consider these prophecies and questions:
Suggested Answers 1. Satan pushed mankind into sin and doom. Satan would be destroyed (the serpent crushed) when God's plan of salvation would be finished, allowing doomed humanity to pass over from eternal death to eternal life. When Jesus suffered and died on the cross, He paid the sin-debt of mankind in full, opened the way to salvation for those who want it, and thus triumphed over Satan. Thus Christ crushed Satan by dying for sinners. 2. Noah's ark symbolized salvation because it offered escape from coming doom. Only those who believed Noah's preaching and took refuge in the ark were saved. The fact that only a few were saved, accentuates the words of Jesus that those who take the narrow road of salvation are few. 3. Israel was saved from bondage after the ten plagues. By those plagues, the gods of Egypt and their followers were overcome (Ex. 12:12). In the end time many plagues will devastate unbelievers before believers will be taken to heaven, the promised land. The Pharaoh was a type of the Anti-Christ who will also try to control believers. 4. God's promise to Abraham that in his seed all nations would be blessed, became a reality when Christ died for sinners, and commanded His followers to take this good news (gospel) to all nations. The written and preached Word of God has indeed reached all nations. 5. Jesus fulfilled His prophetic ministry by bringing God's Word to humanity. That's the task of a prophet. 6. Jesus' royal power shone at its brightest when He showed His control over sickness, death and evil. With His return He will be hailed as King of kings and Lord of lords (Rev. 19:16). 7. Jesus is our unique High Priest, because He entered heaven with His own blood to wipe out all the sins of believers (Heb. 7:27, 9:12). 8. God created a sperm in Mary to fertilize her ovum. She was still a virgin at that time. (God is Spirit and did not have sexual intercourse with Mary.) At conception the spirit of God's Son, the second Person of the Trinity, came to dwell in this human being who became known as Jesus of Nazareth. Therefore He was both Son of God and Son of man. 9. Obviously the answer is: NO. No one can even foretell the next year accurately, let alone eight centuries. 10. Like all Israel, the disciples expected a triumphant Messiah who would lead their nation to victory over its oppressors. They did not understand that His first coming would be in humiliation and His second in glory. 11. To cloth Adam and Eve in animal skins, those animals had to lose their lives (blood). Abel's blood offering was accepted, Cain's non-blood offering not. All the animal offerings in the Old Testament pointed to the unique blood offering of Christ on the cross of Calvary (Heb. 9:22). 12. The fact that God has given humanity ample time to accept God's grace and forgiveness in Christ, shows His infinite mercy (John 3:16-17, 2 Pet. 3:9). Those who reject God's mercy persistently will feel His wrath. 13. Read Ps. 22 carefully and mark those words that became a reality for Christ. 14. After reading the two lists of Scripture, one can hardly conclude that God had not explained the two scenarios very clearly.
~~~~~~~
|