Maranatha! The Messiah is comin Maranatha! The Messiah is coming!

MHG#34 - March 2008 – THE MESSIAH, PROPHET, PRIEST & KING
coming!
Maranatha! The Messiah is comin
g!
THE SMALLEST BIBLE
For several centuries there have been various attempts to produce miniature
Bibles; some with no other purpose than to accomplish a feat in miniaturization.
Some used print that cannot be read by the naked eye.
In 2003, the world’s smallest Bible, weighing 10 grams and small enough to put
inside a match box, was printed by a US publishing company. The largest Bible
was printed in the US in 1884, and weighed 7 kg.
Both Bibles were displayed at a Christian book Fair in Chennai, India, in October
2003. But now Israelis scientists say they have created a …
BIBLE SMALLER THAN A PINHEAD
NANO-CHIP MAGNIFIED
DEC 20, 07. Israeli scientists said they had created the world’s smallest Hebrew
Bible, fitting the book on to a gold-coated silicon chip smaller than a pinhead.
Scientists at Technion, Israel’s Institute of Technology, were able to pack the
308,428 words of the Tanakh, (the Old Testament), onto a 0.5mm square of
silicon by etching its surface with particle beams.
Ohad Zohar, who directed the project, said he now wanted to take pictures of the
nano-Bible and blow it up to a seven-by-seven metre poster, which will make it
“possible to read the entire bible with the naked eye.”
The tiny Bible was developed as part of an educational drive to increase interest
in nano-science among teenagers.
COMMENT. The nano-technology is, of course, truly amazing. And even though
this nano-Bible cannot be read with the naked eye, it can be magnified to a
readable size if necessary.
But what how tragic today are the attempts to reduce the Bible by cutting out
parts that are not considered necessary, such as in the so-called “Abbreviated
Bible.”
“All Scripture is divinely-inspired - God-breathed, and is profitable for
teaching, for conviction and reproof, for correction, for training in
righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate and complete,
thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
MUTILATING THE BIBLE
Some so-called theologians have been tearing out passages from the Bible for
decades.
The story is told of a Christian lady who showed her mutilated Bible to her
modernist “pastor” one day. He looked at it, and then asked, “Why have many
pages been torn out, and parts of pages cut off? Who has done this to your Bible?”
The lady replied: “Pastor, you have often pointed out in your sermons that
certain passages are not authentic, and cannot be seen as reliable, and that many
passages don’t mean what they seem to say, or are not intended for these times.
So all those unreliable passages I cut out of my Bible.”
“I have hidden Your words in my heart
that I might not sin against You.”
“Your Word has revived and given me life.”
“Your Word is a lamp to my feet,
and a light to my path.”
(Psalm 119:11, 50, 105)
ECUMENICAL “WEEK OF PRAYER”
POPE AND WCC CALL FOR UNITY
JAN 25, 08. Pope Benedict XVI and the general secretary of the World Council
of Churches, Samuel Kobia, met at the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, on 20 Jan
2008, to pray for Christian unity.
At the centennial of the “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity” which began on
January 25 in Rome, the head of the WCC - the Ecumenical Body which groups
most non-Catholic Christian faiths, called for full communion and unity among
all denominations by the middle of this century.
MORE APOSTASY
VIRGIN BIRTH “NOT FOR EVERYONE”
The Sunday Mail, Australia, reported:
DEC 23, 07. AAP . The leader of the world’s Anglicans has described the
Christmas story of the three wise men as nothing but a “legend,” and says not all
followers must believe in the virgin birth of Jesus.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has picked apart elements
of the Christmas story, including how a star rose high in the sky and stood still to
guide the wise men to Jesus’ birth place. Stars simply don’t behave like that, he
said in a BBC interview.
Dr Williams said there was little evidence the three wise men had existed at all.
“It works quite well as a legend.” And while he believed in it himself, new
Christians need not leap over the “hurdle” of belief in the virgin birth before they
could join the church, he said.
REVIVAL
HENRY ALLINE
- A FLAME OF FIRE
(THE GEORGE WHITEFIELD OF NOVA SCOTIA, CANADA)
BY GREG GORDON
Used by permission of SermonIndex.net
HENRY ALLINE is virtually unknown to modern day Christians but is well
known in heaven. His life was fully spent for God on this earth as he laid up
treasures in heaven.
The life of Henry Alline is a contradiction to the compromising, convoluted,
comfortable Christianity that we see today. Alline “lost all for God” and cared
little for the opinions of men. His short life of ministry did more for the cause of
the Gospel than hundreds of ministers in his day. His life was consumed with
eternity. Alline cared not for this life and spent his health, money, time and
energy to serve God acceptably.
On horseback he preached the gospel of Jesus Christ to an entire province of souls
in less then ten years. Known as the “George Whitefield Of Nova Scotia.” he was
the instrument God used to send a Great Awakening to this part of Canada.
Professor Benjamin Rand shares: “Like a flame of fire he swept through the land
at a period when there brooded over Nova Scotia a spirit of darkness.” During the
times of the Great Awakening in America; God raised up a man who had his
view set firmly on eternity. Alline did not just preach a gospel but rather an
everlasting gospel in which he pleaded for men to justly believe. Alline was a man
who burnt out of God, laboring till he could labor no more.
Oh how we need to see men again in our generation full of energy and usefulness
to God. Alline fully committed all of himself to the work of God leaving nothing
for himself. His conversion in Nova Scotia, Canada marked a time that the land
would never forget.
As his entire ministry, his conversion experience was drastic and bold. There
were years that passed before he came to a full assurance of the calling of his
ministry and peace with God. At his calling into ministry, shouts of victory
echoed into the darkness as demon’s shuddered at the full resignation of a will to
God.
“My soul was set at liberty, and the land showed me my labor in the ministry,
and the call to preach the gospel. I cried out Amen, I’ll go, I’ll go, send me, send
me.” His cry was continually: “O eternity, eternity, unfathomable eternity! The
joy of the righteous but the dread of the wicked.”
Such a mindset and ministry was effective to bring multitudes into the kingdom of
God. One stanza to one of Alline’s five hundred hymns which he published in his
lifetime, reflects this truth: “O what a day! How ill the wicked stand. What scenes
immortal open to their view? All time deserted, mortal changes past. And they
awake, before the awful Bar, where grace and hope to them are known no more.”
SOULS KEPT BLIND
A frowning world is what any true gospel preacher approaches - a world that
crucified Christ and hates God. The Scriptures share this sobering reality:
“Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hates you.” Henry Alline experienced this
“hatred” from the lost souls to whom he pleaded, and more from the religious
established elite. Yet amidst such opposition Alline could joyfully write in his
journal:
“Although there was much opposition from earth and hell, the work of God was
still reviving.” And again: “I preached very often, and the peoples seemed to be
alarmed and greatly attentive to the gospel. I returned through Horton again,
where I met with some opposition. But God was kind to me, and gave me
strength to face a frowning world.”
Alline preached an uncompromising standard and a Biblical Gospel that made
many in his day raise their arms in protest. He found a principle very quickly in
his ministry and stated it repeatedly in his journals:
“O the damage that is done by unconverted ministers, and legal professors. I have
found them in my travels, more inveterate against the power of the Gospel than
the openly profane.”
These unconverted ministers, false professors, unregenerate priests stood firmly
against the preaching of repentance, holiness and a conversion experience. To
allude to the fact of any of their congregates being unregenerate would put their
preaching into question, so therefore they labored to silence Alline many times.
“Thousands of souls are kept blind, until they are gone beyond all recovery. To
carry on this infernal scheme, a number of anti-Christian ministers are laboring
night and day to prove that a feeling knowledge (assurance) of redemption in the
soul is not to be attained and that all such pretensions are a vain imagination and
a delusion; and they tell their hearers, if they do such and such, and are baptized,
join the church, come to the Lord’s table, and do their best in those outwards
things, all will be well. And thus they are murdering the precious and immortal
souls about them. O that God would awaken and convert them, or remove them.
And O that all mankind would believe that they need to be redeemed.”
Alline agreed with the views and urgency that Gilbert Tennent preached towards
unconverted ministers and their lack of ability to convert souls to God. Here is a
excerpt of a sermon by Tennant which Alline could have read in his day:
“I am verily persuaded the generality of preachers talk of an unknown and unfelt
Christ; and the reason why congregations have been so dead is, because they have
dead men preaching to them. O that the Lord may quicken and revive them for
His own Name’s sake. For how can dead men beget living children?”
PHYSICAL INFIRMITIES
Henry Alline was a companion to suffering. His life followed the path of many of
God’s generals: Brainerd, Hyde, McCheyene and others. His life bore witness to
the unchanging truth of Scripture:
“Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to
enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short season.” (Hebrews 11:25)
The list of the faithful in Hebrews 11 defined Alline’s life when it speaks of “being
destitute, afflicted, and tormented.”
Bodily afflictions and infirmities were common place for Alline. For him, to labor
for the gospel was much more important then keeping perfect health or having no
pain. Such thinking today would not only border on legalism in many Christian
circles, but fanaticism and even insanity.
Read some accounts from his journals showing the holy recklessness he had as
the gospel march drew him onward in complete and utter abandonment to
eternity and its values:
“Rode 30 miles and although I was so fatigued by riding in heavy rain that I
could scarcely walk when I got from my horse. Yet when I began to preach, I had
such a sense of the Redeemer’s cause, that I almost forgot my bodily infirmities.”
“I preached so often and rode so much that sometimes I would seem almost worn
out, and yet in a few hours I would be so refreshed that I could labor again for
twelve hours in discoursing, praying, preaching and exhorting, and feel strong in
my lungs.”
“About the first of September I was taken with a very sore throat, occasioned by
swelling, which continued some days; so that I could swallow nothing but a few
spoonfuls of liquids for my support. But I was enabled to speak in public when at
the worst, to my own astonishment and the astonishment of the others also.”
The acute awareness that he had contracted tuberculosis drove Alline to labor for
the Gospel even more intently. He “relentlessly” preached and traveled, crying
the cross of Christ to a deaf and blind humanity.
He became very ill by 1783 and “he drove himself to the very end of his
endurance.”
He died in New England after evangelizing the entire province of Nova Scotia in
less then ten years! At 35 years, this young fervent, pleading, robust man of God
breathed his last. Only heaven knows the fruits of his labors. Alline lost his health
for God.
A TOMBSTONE CRIES OUT!
W. B. Bezanson gave this testimony: “Henry Alline yielded his life in complete
compliance to the plan of God. Oh cannot this be for us? Cannot we surrender all
in obedience to the precious gospel of our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. If He is
not Lord of all, He is not Lord! ‘Yield yourselves unto God. as those that are alive
from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God’.”
Alline’s last words were: “Now I rejoice in Jesus.” After a short life of ministry
with God he gave up the ghost. Do you think he is going to stand before the
judgment bar of God ashamed at a life that was selfish and held onto its own
through self preservation? Perhaps Alline’s response to such a thought like this
would be: ‘Away with self! Crucify it! Put it to death. Oh the miserable thing of
self! All to Christ. All to God. Does He deserve anything less?’
After all the trials and tribulations he endured for the sake of the Gospel, Alline
entered his rest. Yet alas, Christians in our day are resting and “taking it easy” as
a damned world slips into a hell which has no exit. Alline saw this reality and
with the saintly Andrew Bonar cried in His spirit: “Oh they perish! They perish!”
The Puritans were known to say that we must “go through hell to get to heaven.”
And how true that statement is! Dear believer this is our hell - this earth, the wiles
of sin, and the temptations of the devil. The worst the Christian will experience in
this life is a myriad of attacks by the flesh, the world and the devil; and then we
will enter into all the joys of heaven and God. Yet for the masses of mankind it is
not so! May God sober us to realize not only our portion but the portion of the
wicked also, as it says in the Proverbs:
“The wicked is driven away in his wickedness: but the righteous hath
hope in his death.” (Proverbs 14:32)
Henry Alline’s tombstone reads: “Henry Alline 1748-1784, died at the age of 35.
Like a flame of fire he swept through the land. He was a burning and shining
light. Zealous travels in the cause of Christ. Languished on the way and
cheerfully resigned his life. He was vastly esteemed the Apostle of Nova Scotia.”
His gravestone sits before us as a landmark of what a life can do for God in this
earthly sojourn. It speaks loudly against our laxity, superficiality, liberalism and
mediocrity in the things of God. It cries out to a lost mankind that is going to an
eternal hell with everlasting burnings and torment. It laments over our lack of
vigor to live and die for the Saviour of our souls and of giving lip service to the
King and living as if there were no cross. Shall we stand before his tombstone and
with tears in our eyes say “God make me such a flame for Thee?”
Oh may God raise up more of these “flames of fire” in our generation to sweep
across the land of Canada today in revival fire. May it be so. Amen!
“I press on so that I may take hold of that for which the Messiah,
Y’shua took hold of me. Brethren, I do not consider that I have taken
hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and
reaching out to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the
prize of the upward call of God in Messiah Y’shua.”
(Philippians 3:12-14)
THE MESSIAH
PROPHET, PRIEST & KING
(#1 of 3-PART SERIES)
THE word Messiah is a transliteration of the Hebrew word Mashiah
h, which
means “anointed.” (h
h is a guttural ak sound). Mashiah
h is used 39 times in the Old
Testament, referring to “The LORD’s anointed,” - the High Priest or the King.
The word Messiah, in most English Bibles is used only twice in the Old
Testament.
“From the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until
the Messiah the Prince, there will be seven ‘sevens’ and sixty-two
‘sevens’ ... Then after the sixty-two ‘sevens’ the Messiah will be cut
off and will have nothing.” (Daniel 9:25, 26)
“Anointed,” referring to the Messiah, is used in at least two OT passages:
“The kings of the earth take their stand, and the rulers take counsel
together against YHWH and against His Anointed.” (Psalms 2:2)
“You have loved righteousness, and hated wickedness; therefore God,
Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness above Your
companions.” (Psalm 45:7)
In the New Testament also, Messiah is used only twice:
“Andrew found first his brother Simon and said to him, ‘We have
found the Messiah,’ (which translated means Christ the Anointed).”
(John 1:41)
“The woman said to Him, ‘I know that the Messiah is coming, the
One who is called the Anointed. When He comes He will explain all
things to us.” (John 4:25)
It may seem strange that the word Messiah is only used these few times. But
“Mashiah
h”, in the New Testament, has taken on the form of the Greek
translation, Christos, which is derived from the Greek verb chrio, meaning “to
anoint.” Christos has come across into English as Christ. In other languages it is
Christu, or Kris or a similar transliteration.
So Christ means Mashiah
h – The Anointed. And it is used more than 300 times in
the New Testament.
MESSIAH’S PRE-INCARNATE MINISTRY
In the Old Testament the Messiah is seen as ...
(1) the Angel (the Messenger) of YHWH, and,
(2) the Word of God – the Logos, which is the Greek word John uses to express
the eternal existence of the Messiah. (John 1:1, 14)
In His eternal role, the Messiah is the Executive of the Eternal Deity - the 3-inOne of which He is one. Messiah is also the Eternal Son; and as such He was the
Creator, the Word-Giver, the Message-Revealer, and the Manifestation of
Yahweh the Eternal One.
“No man has seen God at any time; but “the only begotten” - the
unique eternal Son who is, and who has been eternally in the bosom
(that is, in the intimate Presence) of the Father), has made Him
known.” (John 1:18)
In the Old Testament, the Messiah is always the One who was looked for – the
Deliverer and King who was to come.
THE INCARNATE MINISTRY
OF THE MESSIAH
(This means the ministry after the Messiah took on His human form.)
The expected Messiah needed to fulfil certain scriptural qualifications, including
the following:
MESSIAH MUST BE ‘THE HOLY ONE’
Sometimes God’s people are called holy ones because they are sanctified – set
apart. But the holiness of God is His inherent attribute. (No human, apart from
Y’shua, has ever possessed this inherent holiness.)
Yahweh, the eternal 3-in-One, is the absolute, “thrice-holy” One.
“And one called out to another and said, ‘Holy, Holy, Holy, is YHWH
of Hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory’.” (Isaiah 6:3)
“And you are to be holy to Me, for I, YHWH, am holy; and I have set
you apart from the peoples to be Mine.” (Leviticus 20:26)
“There is no-one holy like YHWH; indeed, there is no-one besides
You. There is no Rock like our God.” (1 Samuel 2:2)
The Messiah, according to David’s messianic-prophetic word, would be the Holy
One who would not see corruption.
“For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol (the grave or place of the
dead); neither will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.”
(Psalm 16:10)
During His ministry on earth, even demons recognised Y’shua as uniquely The
Holy One.
“What have we to do with You, Y’shua of Nazareth? Have You come
to destroy us? I know who You are - the Holy One of God!” (Luke
4:34)
In their prayer, after being released from jail, Peter and John emphasised that
Y’shua was the Holy servant of God:
“Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of
Israel, gathered together against Your holy Servant Y’shua, whom
You anointed … And now, LORD … grant that Your bond-servants
may speak Your word with full confidence and boldness, by extending
Your Hand to heal, and so that signs and wonders will take place
through the Name of Your holy servant Y‘shua.” (Acts 4:27-30)
MESSIAH MUST BE THE SON OF GOD
“I, yes, I have installed My King on Zion, My holy hill. I will
proclaim the decree: YHWH said to Me, ‘You are My Son. Today I
have begotten You - that is, established You in an official Sonship
position ... Ask of Me, and I will give the nations as Your inheritance,
And the very ends of the earth as Your possession ... Worship and
serve YHWH with awe, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss and do
homage to the Son.” (Psalm 2:6-7, 8, 11-12)
The apostle Paul quotes this prophecy in Acts 13:33, and says this Son is Y’shua.
And the writer of Hebrews also applies the same prophecy to Y’shua in Hebrews
1:5; 5:5; and 8:1.
MESSIAH WOULD BE THE CHIEF CORNER STONE
“The stone which the builders rejected has become ‘the head of the
corner’ – the cornerstone. This is from YHWH - it is His doing; it is
marvellous in our eyes.” (Psalm 118:22-23)
Y’shua challenged the chief priests and the Pharisees with this messianic
prophecy:
“Did you never read in the Scriptures, THE STONE WHICH THE
BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER
STONE. YHWH HAS DONE THIS, AND IT IS MARVELLOUS IN
OUR EYES?” (Matthew 21:42)
MESSIAH’S GENEALOGY
Old Testament prophecies stipulate that the Messiah would be of the seed of
Abraham (Gen 22:18), Isaac (Gen 17:19) Jacob (Num 24:17), Judah (Gen 49:10),
Jesse (Isaiah 11:1, 10), & David (Isaiah 9:6-7).
The genealogy of the Messiah in both Matthew 1:1-6 and Luke 3:31-34 lists all six
as ancestors of Y’shua.
THE BIRTH OF THE MESSIAH
Isaiah foretold the birth of Messiah to a virgin, and that He would be called
Immanuel - “God with us.”
“Therefore the Sovereign Master Himself will give you a sign: Look,
the virgin will conceive and will give birth to a Son, and will call His
Name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14)
The Angel of the LORD to Joseph>
“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Miryam as your wife;
for the Child conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will give birth
to a Son; and you shall call His name Y’shua (which means, YHWH
is salvation), for He will save His people from their sins.” (Matthew
1:20-21)
“All this took place to fulfil what the LORD had said through the
prophet: ‘Watch for this! The virgin shall conceive, and will give birth
to a Son, and they shall call His Name Immanuel;’ which translated
means, ‘God is with us.’ [Is 7:14]. (Matthew 1:22-23)
Gabriel to Miryam (Mary)>
“Look! You will become pregnant and will give birth to a son, and
you are to give Him the Name, Y’SHUA. He will be great and will be
called the Son of the Most High;; and the LORD God will give Him
the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of
Jacob for ever. There will never be an end to His kingdom.” (Luke
1:31:33)
The Messiah was therefore named Y’shua, and also called Emmanuel, and the
Son of God.
MESSIAH WOULD COME IN THE NAME OF YHWH
Coming just after the prophecy about the rejected stone that would become the
chief corner stone, are these words:
“Blessed is He who comes in the Name of YHWH.” (Psalm 118:26)
These were the very words the excited crowds shouted out as Y’shua rode into
Jerusalem on the donkey. They recognised Him as the Son of David, the
prophesied Messiah sent by Yahweh.
“The crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were
shouting, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David; BLESSED IS HE WHO
COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD; Hosanna in the highest’.”
(Matthew 21:9)
THE 3-FOLD MINISTRY OF THE MESSIAH
In Old Testament types we see several prototype duel roles …
AARON - Prophet and Priest. (Exodus 7:1; 28:1)
DAVID - Prophet and King. (Although David is not considered “one of the
prophets,” his Messianic psalms 8, 16, 22, 40, 69 & 110, are important prophetic
utterances. And his prophetic writings were more extensive than the prophet
Obadiah’s one chapter).
MALKITZEDEK (mal-kit-tzedek) - Priest and King. (Hebrews 7:1) – a type of the
Messiah.
In the Person of Jesus Christ – Y’shua the Messiah – we find the multi-tripartite
roles – Prophet-Teacher, Priest-Redeemer and King-Judge – all blended in
perfect harmony.
THE MINISTRY OF THE PROPHET
The Biblical concept of a prophet is one who is a channel or the means of
communicating God’s message to man. The prophet also has a mediatory work
that seeks to reconcile men to God.
The ministry of the Old Testament prophet was largely that of a reformer
restoring God’s people to their covenant blessings.
Prophecy in the Old Testament, and up to the apostolic age and the completion of
the Bible, was both fore-telling and forth-telling.
After the completion of the canon of Scripture, the NT prophet’s service was
forth-telling for the purpose of “edification and exhortation and consolation.”
(1 Corinthians14:3)
The commission of the prophet was to prophecy exactly what God said.
“I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and
I will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that
I command Him.” (Deuteronomy 18:18)
This prophecy is directly referring to the Messiah, and if it applies to the Messiah,
it doubly applies to all prophets of the LORD.
The test that proved a prophet was true, was that his prophecy was accurately
fulfilled.
“But the prophet who shall speak a word presumptuously in My
Name which I have not commanded him to speak, or which he shall
speak in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die …
“When a prophet speaks in the Name of YHWH, if the thing does not
come about or come true, that is the thing which YHWH has not
spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be
afraid of him.” (Deuteronomy 18:20, 22)
This is a warning of which all present-day would-be prophets need to take heed!
MESSIAH THE PROPHET
Y’shua was the final Prophet of all prophets. Of course, He was much more than
a prophet. He was the Eternal One. But Y’shua was a prophet, and He applied
the title of prophet to Himself:
“But Y’shua said to them, ‘A prophet is without honour only in his
own country and in his own house’.” (Matthew 13:37)
The two disciples on the way to Emmaus referred to Y’shua as a prophet:
“And He said to them, ‘What things?’ And they said to Him, ‘The
things concerning Y’shua of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in
deed and word in the sight of God and all the people.” (Luke 24:19)
The people of Israel called Y’shua “the prophet.” …
“When the people saw the sign that He had performed, (the feeding of
the 5000), they said, ‘This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the
world’.” (John 6:14)
“The Prophet” is referring to the Prophet that Moses spoke of …
A PROPHET LIKE MOSES
“YHWH your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from
among you, and from your countrymen; you shall listen to Him … I
will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I
will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I
command Him. And whoever will not listen to My words which He
shall speak in My Name, I Myself will call him to account.”
(Deuteronomy 18:15, 18-19)
Both Peter and Stephen quoted this prophecy, applying it to Y’shua.
Peter> “For Moses truly said to the fathers, ‘THE LORD (YHWH)
YOUR GOD WILL RAISE UP FOR YOU A PROPHET LIKE ME
FROM YOUR BRETHREN. HIM YOU SHALL HEAR IN ALL
THINGS, WHATEVER HE SAYS TO YOU. And it shall come to pass
that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly
destroyed from among the people’!” (Acts 3:22-23)
Stephen> “This is the Moses who said to the sons of Israel, ‘YHWH
your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brethren;
Him you shall hear’!” (Acts 7:37)
Moses foreshadowed Y’shua in many ways:
In my book, THE MESSIAH, there is a chapter entitled, “Moses Profiles the
Messiah.” It gives the Biblical references that show 27 likenesses between Moses
and Y’shua. Here is the simple listing:
1 Both Moses and Y’shua were born in a period when Israel was under foreign
rule
2 Cruel kings decided that both should be killed as infants
3 The faith of both Moses’ and Y’shua’s parents saved their baby’s life.
4 Both found protection for a time with the people of Egypt
5 Both displayed unusual wisdom and understanding
6 Both their characters were marked by meekness and humility
7 Both were completely faithful to God
8 Both were rejected by Israel for a time
9 Both were criticized by their brothers and sisters
10 Both were received by Gentiles after being rejected by Israel
11 Both prayed asking forgiveness for God’s people
12 Both were willing to bear the punishment for God’s people
13 Both endured a forty-day fast
14 Both spoke with God face to face
15 Both went up into a high mountain to have communion with God, taking
some of their closest followers with them
16 After their mountaintop experiences, both their faces shone with supernatural
glory
17 God spoke audibly from heaven to both Moses and Y’shua
18 Both Moses’ and Y’shua’s places of burial were
attended by angels
19 Both appeared alive after their deaths
20 Both were teachers
21 Both were shepherds to God’s people
22 Both revealed God’s Name to the people
23 Through both, God gave His people food from a supernatural source
24 Both brought deliverance to God’s people
25 Both brought healing to God’s people
26 Both worked great miracles
27 Both established and sealed with blood a covenant between God and His
people.
THE PROOF THAT Y’SHUA IS
THE GENUINE PROPHET
Old Testament prophets were identified by mighty works in addition to their
accurate fore-telling and forth-telling. And Y’shua surpassed all others in mighty
works, in addition to His qualifications as Teacher, Prophet, Priest, Redeemer,
and His sinless life.
PROPHETIC ACCURACY
The proof of His prophetic ministry was, and is, the absolute accuracy of His
predictions. Some of His most prominent prophecies were concerning His
betrayal by Judas, His being handed over to the chief priests, and then to the
Gentiles; Peter’s three-time denial; His scourging, crucifixion, death in Jerusalem,
and His resurrection on the third day; the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem
being trodden down by the Gentiles, the details of the Olivet discourse including
false Christs, terrorism, and the fear among nations because of the roaring of the
seas; and the parable of the Fig Tree – the rebirth of Israel.
And there is also the Messiah’s prophetic forecast from glory, of the course of
church history, in Revelation 2 & 3.
And as His prophecies concerning His lifetime were so accurately fulfilled, we are
totally confident that His prophecies concerning the endtimes - the Rapture, His
glorious return and the coming kingdom will also be precisely fulfilled. Not one
prophecy will fail.
MESSIAH WOULD BE A VISIBLE TEACHER
“Although YHWH has given you bread of adversity and water of
oppression, He, your Teacher will no longer be hidden, but your eyes
will see Your Teacher.” (Isaiah 30:20)
Y’shua was the anointed Teacher that Isaiah was referring to; and whom
Nicodemus called “Rabbi” (teacher).
During His 3½ years of ministry, Y’shua delivered a great mass of teaching and
preaching, of which a small amount has been preserved by the Holy Spirit in the
Bible.
According to a listing of the teachings and illustrations of Christ, in The Open
Bible, the Teacher touched on about 450 subjects.
Three major discourses given by the Master are recorded in the Gospels:
The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1–7:29). This sermon does not present the
Way of Salvation, but rather, the principles for righteous living in the Kingdom of
God. It contrasts the new Way of Messiah, to the old way of the Scribes and
Pharisees. It looks forward to the Millennial Kingdom, but it is a revelation of
God’s righteousness, and many of its principles are applicable to the children of
God today. It includes “The Lord’s (model) Prayer.”
The Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24:1– 25:46; Luke 21, and Mark 13). This is a
prophetic message concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, the course of the age,
the Tribulation, the endtime conditions and the glorious Return of the Messiah,
and the ensuing judgments on the nations.
The Master warns that the days prior to His coming will be like the days of Noah;
and He uses the Fig Tree as a parable about the revival of Israel in the endtimes
as a sign of His imminent return.
The Upper Room Discourse (John 13:1–17:26). This message was given, after the
dismissal of Judas, on the eve of His great sacrifice. It was presented to the eleven
disciples who were soon to become the foundation apostles of the Body of the
Messiah. It elaborates principles for the church age; the Way, love, abiding in the
spiritual Source (the Vine – Messiah), and the ministry of the Holy Spirit. It
reiterates the truth that He had come from the Father, and was going back to the
Father, and yet, He would come again and receive His people to Himself.
THE PARABLES
The Messiah’s usage of parables was foretold:
“Listen, O my people, to my instruction; incline your ears to the
words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable; I will speak
hidden things of old, which we have heard and known, for our fathers
have related them to us.” (Psalm 78:1-3)
“Then He spoke many things to them in parables … ” (Matthew 13:3)
At least thirty parables, given by Y’shua, are recorded in the Gospels.
THE MESSIAHSHIP OF Y’SHUA WAS ATTESTED BY
COUNTLESS MIRACLES, WONDERS AND SIGNS
Miracles would characterize the ministry of the Messiah:
“Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf
unstopped. The lame will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb
will shout for joy. For the waters will break forth in the wilderness and
streams in the Arabah.” (Isaiah 35:5-6)
“Men of Israel, hear these words: Y’shua of Nazareth, a Man
accredited by God among you by miracles, wonders, and signs which
God did through Him in your midst, as yourselves also know.” (Acts
2:22)
Y’SHUA’S PROPHETIC MINISTRY WAS ATTESTED ON THE MOUNT
Y’SHUA conversed significantly with the two great prophets, Moses and Elijah,
on the Mount of Transfiguration. And then the Father spoke out of the cloud”
“This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased. Listen to
Him!” (Matthew 17:5)
The words, “Listen to Him” indicated the Y’shua was indeed The Prophet of
which Moses had said, “You shall listen to Him!”
MESSIAH FULFILLED THE PROPHECIES
Y’shua not only prophesied, He fulfilled a whole line-up of prophecies concerning
the life and roles of the Messiah
“See, here I am! I have come - In the scroll of the book it is written of
Me; I delight to do Your will, O My God; Your Torah is within My
heart.” (Hebrews 10:5-7. Psalm 40:7-8)
On the way to Emmaus, the risen Saviour expounded, to the two disciples, the
Tanakh – the OT scriptures that were permeated with truth about Himself.
“And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, He explained to
them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.” (Luke 24:27)
In my book THE MESSIAH, there are 69 prophecies listed which have been
fulfilled in the genealogy, the birth, the life, sacrifice and resurrection of the
Messiah. And there are also three of the many prophecies that will be fulfilled at
His Return.
MESSIAH’S POST-RESURRECTION
PROPHETIC MINISTRY
In the 40 days between the resurrection and the ascension, Y’shua continued to
give teaching, particularly about the kingdom and the preaching of the Gospel.
Luke> “The first account I made, Theophilus, of all that Y’shua began
to do and teach, until the day when He was taken up to heaven.” (Acts
1:1-2)
From Heaven the Messiah dictated to John the details of the Apocalypse
(Revelation). Included, in chapters 2 & 3, is the Saviour’s prophetic outline of
church history throughout this age. (Each of the seven churches represents,
progressively, the seven eras of church history.)
Then, He expanded on the Olivet Discourse by giving details of the Great
Tribulation, and the Battle of Armageddon, and His descent in power and glory
to destroy the enemies of God.
MESSIAH’S PRESENT PROPHETIC MIINISTRY
The Master continues His ministry on earth through His Word, His Spirit, and
His sanctified people who are filled with the Spirit.
Y’shua> “‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in
the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I commanded you. And remember! I
am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)
“All Scripture is divinely-inspired - God-breathed, and is profitable for
teaching, for conviction and reproof, for correction, for training in
righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate and complete,
thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
A MESSAGE FOR US TODAY
Y’SHUA is indeed the Messiah, the Prophet who was to come to teach, to seek
and to save. And Stephen, the first martyr for the true Messiah said:
“Him you shall hear.” (Acts 7:37)
A timely word from Miryam:
“Whatever He says to you, do it!” (John 2:5)
Y’shua Himself said to His disciples:
“If you love Me, you will obey what I command.” (John 14:15)
And John says: “We love, because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19)
My dear believing friend, do we listen to Him? Do we hear Him? Do we love
Him? Do we obey Him?
Let’s think about it! And let’s renew our love, and our spirit of obedience to the
Master!
MARANATHA!
TO BE CONTINUED NEXT ISSUE
MESSIAH, THE PRIEST-REDEEMER
THE MISSION FIELDS
THE TIBETAN BUDDHIST WORLD
Tibet is still one of the hardest countries in the world towards the Word of God.
The Gospel is opposed by the lamaistic system on one hand, and the communist
Chinese government on the other.
Included with Tibet in the Tibetan Buddhist World are Mongolia, Bhutan,
sizeable Tibetan populations in Nepal, India, and the Russian republics of Tuva,
Buratya and Kalmykia.
Please pray for the religious and secular leaders of these nations, including the
Dalai Lama, and Namgyal Wangchuk, the new, young king of Bhutan who is to
be officially enthroned this year.
“Oh Father, that they may be saved! Father, reap a great harvest amongst these
peoples while it is still day!”
“YHWH the LORD is not slow concerning His promise, as some
understand slowness, but is patient toward you, not wanting anyone
to perish, but for everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)
DALAI LAMA MAY NAME HIS SUCCESSOR BEFORE
DEATH
Tibet’s spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama said he is open to naming his successor
before he dies, going against centuries of tradition but ensuring that China does
not interfere.
“If the Tibetan people want to keep the Dalai Lama system, one of the
possibilities I have been considering with my aides is to select the next Dalai
Lama while I’m alive,” he said. He said the successor could either be elected
“democratically” from among Tibetan Buddhist monks or named by him.
China, which sent troops into Tibet in 1950, recently issued rules that Tibetan
“Living Buddhas” needed permission from the officially atheist government to
be reincarnated. - AFP / Dec 2007
Tenzin Gyatso, the current Dalai Lama, is the 14th in the line of successive Dalai
Lamas which traces its “spiritual lineage” back to 1391. His recent statement
suggests that his Buddhist philosophy and understanding may have changed.
The Dalai Lama is purported to be a reincarnation of Chenrezig, a Buddhist
“deity,” who is an integral part of the Buddhist “Kunchok.” According to
Buddhist teaching, after a Dalai Lama dies, he reincarnates where and when he
pleases. The State Oracle of Tibet goes into a trance to find out where and when
the new incarnation has taken place. With the clues he discovers, a search is
undertaken to find the new child who is born to be the next Dalai Lama.
With this Tibetan Buddhist tradition background, the idea of a Dalai Lama being
chosen or elected, democratically or otherwise, sounds ludicrous.
And the Chinese communist rules about a Buddha needing Chinese permission to
be reincarnated is laughable. But that is Chinese politics. The communist party
tries to keep a lid on religion and any movement that it deems is an opposition.
The Bible teaches that every person has one life:
“It is appointed for all men to die once, and after that the judgment.”
(Hebrews 9:27)
At the judgment, the eternal destination of souls is determined by their
relationship to the Saviour of the world – Jesus, Y’shua, the Messiah and Son of
God – for He is the Provision of God for every one to be saved.
“He who believes (trusts) in the Son has eternal life; but he who does
not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on
him.” (John 3:36)
“And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name
under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be
saved.” (Acts 4:12)
And “God our Saviour … wants all men to be saved and to come to
the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator
between God and men - the Man, Y’shua (Jesus) the Messiah.” (1
Timothy 2:3-5)
PRAY FOR PAKISTAN
With all the political and terrorist turmoil in the country, there are other ongoing
tragedies, such as ...
NEARLY ONE MILLION ENSLAVED
In January 2007, BosNewsLife reported that nearly a million impoverished men,
women and children, most of them Christians, have been “illegally enslaved” on
the outskirts of Pakistan’s major cities.
Although its constitution forbids slavery in “21st century Pakistan, a deplorable,
archaic, and illegal system of bonded labour is alive and well,” said Jubilee
Campaign USA, an influential advocacy group which investigated the situation of
slaves.
While most slaves are Christians, Muslim descendents of low caste Hindus are
among those involved especially in “agriculture and the back-breaking work of
the brick kilns as well as in mines, the carpet industry, and domestic service,” the
Jubilee USA Director said.
Children of the brick kilns are denied “even basic education and are unaware that
they are legally free to leave their bondage or avail themselves of training that
could help them secure outside employment.”
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) reported that international
groups found “almost one million bonded laborers,” or slaves, in 4,000 brick kilns
across the country.” Physical and sexual abuse, especially of children, was
allegedly common, with women also reporting rape by kiln owners.
“This is what YHWH says: the One who made the earth, YHWH
who formed it and established it - YHWH is His Name - ‘Call to Me,
and I will answer you, and I will show you great and mighty things
which you do not know.” (Jeremiah 33:2-3)
INDIA: ANTI-CHRISTIAN VIOLENCE
Christians continue to be the focus of attacks in India after Hindu extremists
launched the spate of violent and meticulously planned attacks on Christians in
Kanhdamal Dist., Orissa, on 24 and 25 Dec 2007.
In the worst anti-Christian violence in India for 60 years, 95 churches and 730
homes have been destroyed. Thousands of Christians have been displaced.
Hindu fundamentalists are visiting house to house, demanding believers to
renounce their faith. But these believers are not willing to give up Jesus Christ.
And, as a result, they’re facing more persecution.”
In cases where a Christian ministry operated from rented premises owned by a
Hindu, the attackers were careful not to damage the building, but took all the
contents outside and set them on fire. Pray for India!