This is a message to unite ALL Christians, of ALL denominations, of ALL churches, of ALL groups, of ALL organizations on the most important and essential topic that exists in Christianity: The person, work, and teachings of Jesus the Messiah.
But not only do I intend, with this blog post, to unite ALL Christians, I also want to welcome and include any Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, or atheists who respect and admire Jesus of Nazareth, the Teacher and Prophet who lived 2,000 years ago in the Middle East.
This post focuses ONLY on the things ALL Christians agree on regarding Jesus.
Does God have a Son, and was He revealed in the Old Testament?
Beginning about 3,000 years ago, the Holy Scriptures of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) spoke of God having a special, unique, one-of-a-kind Son, who would one day be born on earth as a baby and grow up fulfill the promises God made to Abraham and to inherit the eternal Kingdom of the famous Jewish King, David Ben-Jesse.
The majority of Christians (based on the New Testament) believe that God's Son was alive with God in the very beginning. (John 1:1-3; John 17:1-5; John Chapter 6, Colossians 1:15-17; Hebrews 1:10)
The Old Testament appears to support this belief. For example, Psalm 110:1-4 seems to show that God's Son was alive at the time when the Psalm was written. Psalm 2 also speaks of God's Son as though He were alive at the time it was penned. Proverbs 30:4 was a little "sneak preview" and hinted at the fact that God had a Son in heaven.
Perhaps the most famous passage in the Hebrew Bible explicitly speaking of the Son of God is Isaiah 9:6-7:
| "For a child has been born to us, a son has been given to us. He shoulders responsibility and is called: Extraordinary Strategist, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. |
| His dominion will be vast and he will bring immeasurable prosperity. He will rule on David's throne and over David's kingdom, establishing it and strengthening it by promoting justice and fairness, from this time forward and forevermore. The LORD's intense devotion to his people will accomplish this." |
Many other Scriptures speak about a future permanent "Anointed King" and a "Servant" who would inherit David's Kingdom, without specifically referring to this future Man as the Son of God. The majority of Christians believe that this foretold "Messiah," is the same individual as God's Son.
Many prophecies (God-inspired predictions of the future) were made regarding this future King. Some of the most remarkable predictions were:
* The future King would appear on the scene 490 years after the order was given to rebuild the Jewish Temple, and then the King would be put to death. (Daniel 9:24-26)
* The future King would be born in Bethlehem, the city where David was from. (Micah 5:2)
* The future King would be humble, and would enter Jerusalem riding a donkey (Zechariah 9:9)
* The future King would be caught up to heaven and rule the universe next to God, with all people paying homage to Him. (Daniel 7:13-14)
* The future King would be an eternal High Priest at God's right hand. (Psalm 110:1-4)
* The future Servant would suffer and die for the sins of all people, to save them, and then be resurrected back to life. (Isaiah Chapter 53)
All of the Jewish prophets, from Isaiah to Jeremiah, to Ezekiel, to Daniel, to Zechariah, even to the small books, all predicted that a future Jewish Savior or Deliverer would come to bring salvation and hope one day.
Who is the Son of God?
One of the predictions briefly mentioned above (Daniel 9:24-26) prophesied that the foretold Messiah would appear on the scene 490 years after the order was given to the Jews by Persia to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. The prophecy also says the Messiah had to arrive before the rebuilt Temple is destroyed again (which occurred in 70 AD). So this prediction places the Messiah as having to arrive in the 30-33 AD time period.
Did a Messiah figure appear during the time of 30-33 AD? Yes indeed, One did!
The alleged eyewitness account in the Gospel of John, shows that a Man by the name of JESUS, who grew up in Nazareth, claiming to be the long-awaited Messiah, performed many miracles and signs from God, even walking on water and raising people from the dead!
The other Gospels in the New Testament claim that this same Jesus was a descendant of David, born in Bethlehem, and that He entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey, finally suffering and dying for our sins. After which, on the third day, He rose from the dead, and after 40 days, ascended into heaven to rule as King at God's right hand.
If you are not convinced by the Gospels and New Testament alone, consider these non-Christian sources of evidence for Jesus: Tacitus, Pliny the Younger, Lucian, the Babylonian Talmud, and Josephus (however, certain parts of Josephus are possibly spurious).
Wikipedia even says:
"Most modern scholars of antiquity agree that Jesus existed... and...two events subject to 'almost universal assent' are that Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist and was crucified by the order of the Roman Prefect Pontius Pilate. ... Most scholars agree that Jesus was a Galilean Jew who was born between 7 and 4 BC, in the closing stages of the reign of King Herod and died 30–36 AD, that he lived in Galilee and Judea, did not preach or study elsewhere, and that he spoke Aramaic and perhaps also Hebrew and Greek."
Things All Christians Agree On About The Son of God:
You will find that Christians disagree on many details about Jesus, His identity, His life, His teachings, etc. But here are the things ALL (or the vast, huge majority) believe and accept about Jesus:
* Jesus is the Unique, Only-Begotten Son of God.
* Jesus is the Messiah (also called Christ, which means God's Anointed King)
* Jesus is the Lord.
* Jesus is the Savior.
* Jesus was the Son of Man who was truly human.
* Jesus never committed sin and died for our sins.
* Jesus was raised from the dead.
* Jesus ascended into heaven.
* Jesus sits at God's right hand as King, Mediator, High Priest, and Intercessor.
Have You Met God's Son -- Perhaps You Know Him by a Different Name?
If you are a Jew, it's possible that you believe Jesus (Yeshua) was a good teacher. If you are a Muslim, you probably believe Jesus (Isa) was one of Allah's greatest prophets. If you're an atheist, you may respect Jesus for His outstanding moral teachings, especially the Golden Rule.
I commend you for your respect and admiration of this Man, and I wholeheartedly encourage you to dig deeper, research this Jesus-- decide for yourself -- just who was this Man? How did this lowly poor carpenter's son from a small town, 2,000 years ago, turn the world upside down, so much so that our calendars are based on a calculation of when He was born, and the celebration of His birth is the biggest holiday in the world?
How did this one Man convince and persuade thousands of Jews to give up everything they had, all their traditions and family history, and often, their very lives, for the sake of His teachings?
Go see the "Son of God" movie on February 28th to begin your journey to discover more about this remarkable and wonderful Man, and then read the Gospel of John at http://www.biblica.com/en-us/bible/online-bible/niv/john/1/
No comments:
Post a Comment