JESUS CHRIST OF THE BIBLE (2)

Most traditional churches believe that Jesus Christ was in the grave from Friday to Sunday - celebrated by Good Friday and Easter Monday. But in truth, He was in the grave from Wednesday to Saturday when He arose on a Sabbath day - a full three days and three nights in the grave! As Jesus said that no sign will be given except the sign of Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights (Jonah 1:17) so shall the Son of Man be  (Matt 12: 39-40) - nothing more and nothing less.

Jesus Christ was the WORD made flesh upon His incarnation as a Human Being. He was with God the Father right from the beginning (John 1: 1-2) and was the SpokesPerson of the Old Testament in the encounters with Moses. After His incarnation, the WORD became known as Jesus Christ, a Man born of the virgin Mary. Jesus always spoke and expressed the truth and will of God the Father. The truth and will of God are expressed in the Bible (The WORD in written form), the Laws of God and the gospel of the kingdom of God which Christ was commissioned to preach ('I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent ' -Luke 43).  Most preachers ignored the gospel and preach only the Person of Christ, mistaken that the kingdom of God is the church or the gospel about Christ (different from the gospel of Christ that the Lord preached) - but they are all separate and distinct (See Acts 8:12, Acts 28:31). A true minister of Christ must preach the full gospel or none at all.

The question as to why Jesus was delivered to the Romans to be executed is not fully understood by most Bible teachers. Most taught that the Jews do not have the mandate to put any of their own to death, citing John 18:31, 'It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death' . However, in practice, they do have the power to authorise capital punishment except where it involved treason or sedition against the Roman government. Stephen was accused of blasphemy and was stoned to death by the Jews (Acts 7:59-60), there is no mention of Roman government involvement in that case. On several occasions, the chief priests and scribes attempted to kill the Lord Jesus (Mark 11:18; Luke 19:47) and even the Jews (John 10:31), with or without approval from the Roman authority.

Although accused of blasphemy by the high priests, the religious leaders conspired to finish off Jesus through false charges of treason - by leaving the unpleasant task of execution to Pontius Pilate.  They were all mistaken into believing that Jesus was going to set up the kingdom of God there and then in His first advent. That would threaten their own authority among the Jews with tacit support from the Roman government. Fast forward two thousand years later, the church is still mistaken that Christ had already set up the kingdom of God when He first came - in the church and the through preaching the gospel of grace! The truth is the kingdom of God has yet to be established, but will only be when He returns (Rev 11:15).

It is a fact that the Lord Jesus Christ came to die for the sins of mankind and accepting Him as Saviour will give the hope of eternal life after resurrection. But this hope of eternal life will be realised only after His Second Coming, not anytime before. All who are dead, both believers and unbelievers, are sleeping in the grave, and not in heaven (John 3:13) or roasting in hell (Proverbs 30:4) as many Christians believe. Acts 2: 29 and 34 state unequivocally us that not even David - a man after God's own heart - has gone to heaven but is in the grave. Hebrews 11:13 further confirms that even the founding fathers of the Old Testament times have all died in faith, yet to receive their promise of eternal life! The Apostle Paul in Romans 8:19 states, 'the creation eagerly awaits for the revealing of the sons of God' - all those who are called and chosen as members of the Divine Family will be in the first resurrection when Christ returns.

The rest of all humanity who have ever lived will be resurrected as reconstituted flesh and blood mortals in the second resurrection towards the end of the millennium age and be given all the truth to accept Christ as Saviour. Those who refused will be annihilated in the lake of fire. All who received forgiveness and salvation though the shed Blood of Christ (Acts 4:12) will be given immortal life in the kingdom of God. Christ and His chosen saints will rule the earth and then the universe for all of eternity. All these and more are clearly stated in God's Plan of Salvation for mankind through the seven Holy Days' festivals found in Leviticus 23. These are God's universal truth meant for all mankind regardless of race, background or when they lived. But only a small group will have the faith to believe the WORD at face value and will be greatly rewarded.

JESUS CHRIST OF THE BIBLE (I)

Millions of people are celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ the world over every Christmas season. But sadly, few understand Who is He and what is the purpose of His ministry on earth and why is He coming again. Millions and perhaps billions down the centuries taught they know better, since the message of Christmas is well publicised and rooted in the festive season of merry-making, celebration and commerce. However, the true Jesus Christ of the Bible is far different from 'another Jesus' that the Apostle Paul spoke of in 2 Corinthians 11:4.

To begin with, Jesus was certainly not born on December 25 as the story weaved it out to be. Luke 2:8 tells us that there were shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night when Christ was born. Since it is winter season in December, both sheep and shepherd could not  be out in the field as it is rainy and cold. The likely explanation is that in the Roman world, December 25 is a time of merrymaking to celebrate the idolatrous pagan festival Saturnalia with exchanges of gifts and presents.

From a young age, Jesus was well acquainted with the Law of God - the commandments, statutes, precepts and judgments. He kept the Holy Days of God while He walked the earth. After all, as the Rock of the Old Testament (1 Cor 10:4), it was Jesus Christ who delivered the Ten Commandments to Israel atop Mount Sinai. As God of the Old Testament (John 1:1-3), Christ knew and understood the customs and traditions of the Jews very well.

Movies and paintings portray Jesus Christ as an effiminate Guy with long hair, as theologians mistaken Him to be a Nazarite sworn with Nazarite vows. But nowhere in Scriptures is mentioned that Christ had sworn such vows, otherwise He would not have drank wine and touched any dead body as that would be forbidden and considered unclean. If Jesus Christ had worn long hair, that would have gone against the customs of His times as man of those days kept their hair short. Scriptures teach that Christ escaped His enemies several times by merging with the crowd, and if He had kept long hair that would distinguish Him like a sore thumb. Besides, the Apostle Paul advised against keeping long hair for men (1 Cor 11:14) as it is a dishonour to do so. Certainly, such a distorted image of Christ falls squarely against the teachings of the Bible!

During the first centuries B.C and A.D., the Jews were very much oppressed by the Roman occupation in paying of taxes (up to 40 percent of their crop produce) in addition to the tithe (10 percent) for the Temple. In such harsh conditions, many were hopeful of the Messiah to come and deliver them from oppression of the Roman authorities. Many had been deceived by self-proclaimed false christ during those times, but only few truly believed Jesus Christ as the true Messiah as prophesied and sent by God the Father.

The Jews of the times of Christ could not accept Him as their Messiah because they misunderstood Scripture. They thought that their Messiah would come in pomp and glory to demolish the Roman Empire and set them free from bondage and establish an eternal kingdom based on various Old Testament prophecies. But man's ways are not God's ways (Isaiah 55:8). God sent Christ to proclaim the Gospel of the kingdom and to die for the sins of man, so that man can be reconciled back to God. Christ's first advent was to qualify to rule the kingdom of God upon His return when He overcome the temptations of Satan in the wilderness. Because Christ was obedient to the Father's will, He was granted the right to rule in the coming kingdom - the divine government that will bring justice and peace to the whole world. That has yet to happen - the Jews missed the mark and so do millions of Christians in Christendom today!

The Roman authorities felt threatened, and so do the Jewish religious leaders in the days of Christ because they were fearful that their own standing among the Jews and hence their jobs as civil servants of the Roman Empire would be undermined.  They inderstood that Christ was preaching the Gospel of the kingdom - the divine government that will replace all human governments - but they misundersood the exact timing. The religious leaders mistakenly thought that the kingdom of God would come in Christ's time on earth. Even Christ's own disciples got the timing wrong right up to the time of His ascension, when they asked Him, 'Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?' (Acts 1:6).

It is God the Father,  and not Christ Who called each and every one of His children to repentance (John 6:44,65) and lead the Christian way of life so as to be born into God's kingdom at the first resurrection (happen at Christ's Second Coming). And to be born into the kingdom of God - His divine Family - one must live according to the laws governing the kingdom of God. The teaching of the Sermon on the Mount is the epitome of the laws and principles governing the kingdom. What the millions in Christendom believe and practise today are mostly contrary to Scripture, being deceived into believing that the Old Testament has been done away with as 'Christ had nailed it to the cross' -and that those teachings are only for the Jews. As foretold by Christ and the Apostle Paul, most will simply miss it all!