The question regarding Yeshua as the crucified Jewish Messiah has been denied and strongly refuted by the
followers of Judaism since the crucifixion of Yeshua by the Romans in
approximately 29 A.D. However, as we all know, the denial or
acceptance of any historical figure does not render its subject myth nor
man. The only relative foundation for the existence of any religious
faith or expression must come from the Divine Scriptures which are set
forth and established as the only known absolute truth, the
Word
of God.
It was, is, and will continue to be, a common occurrence
among many people to wrongly interpret God's Divine Plan
for man. In most part this error is caused by long held traditional
beliefs, lack of faith and motivation, or simply a failure to study and
search God's Word for His divine truth. We are ALL, both men
and women, compelled and obligated as God's creation
to seek out and
determine what God's will is for our lives and then to fulfill this
will. Let us never forget, our time and physical presence on this earth
is limited.
Scripture teaches us that Yeshua was and is to
make two primary appearances to God's chosen people,
Israel. In His first appearance to the Jews, Yeshua took upon Himself the
characteristics of a meek and lowly servant who would pay the ultimate
sacrifice for the redemption of both Jews and Gentiles
alike. Yeshua's second appearance to Israel is to be that of a mighty
king leading legions of angels and believers to the tribulation rescue
of His chosen people.
It was God's plan to offer salvation to the
Jews first, then to the Gentiles, "But he answered and said, I
am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matthew
15:24). This was in keeping God's earlier promise to Abraham that, "Now
the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and
from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I
will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless
thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I
will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and
in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed" (Genesis 12:1-3).
"And in thy
seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;
because thou hast obeyed my voice"
(Genesis 22:18).
This blessing is eternal life resulting from
the blood atonement sacrifice made by Yeshua, not only for the
Jews, but for all mankind. "And she (Mary) shall bring
forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: (Yeshua) for he shall save
his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21). "The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh
away the sin of the world" (John 1:29).
Apostle Paul continued this teaching of the
Abrahamic covenant by stating, "For I am not ashamed of the
gospel of Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth;
to the Jew first, and also to the Greek"
(Romans 1:16). "Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth
evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; But glory, honor, and
peace, to every man that worketh good,
to the Jew first, and also to
the Gentile: For there is no respect of persons with God" (Romans 2:9-11).
It must be understood, whenever Adam and Eve
partook of the forbidden fruit and sinned against God's direct
commandment in the Garden of Eden, (Genesis 3:6) their actions
immediately invoked upon all human life, because all generations
were still in Adam's loins, the unavoidable, predetermined curse of the
Creator. Man had of his own FREE-WILL chosen
to allow Satan to enter into his eternal soul and spirit. This resulted in a presence of
satanic
power of which man had/has no strength nor ability to expel.
Adam and Eve's first attempt to cover their sins was, "And
the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and
they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons"
(Genesis 3:7).
Man's attempt to cover his sin with a sacrifice
of plant material was rebuffed by God. "Unto Adam also
and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them"
(Genesis 3:21). This was the first recorded shedding of blood in
Scripture. "And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and
without shedding of blood is no
remission" (Hebrews
9:22). Whenever Cain tried to sacrifice vegetables unto God rather than a
blood offering, his sacrifice was rejected. However, the
blood offering of Cain's brother, Abel, was acceptable to God, but resulted in his murder by his jealous brother Cain (Genesis
4:1-8).
Under the Mosaic Law, and even today, we are
commanded by God, "Moreover ye shall eat no manner of
blood, whether it be of fowl or beast, in any of your dwellings"
(Leviticus 7:26). "For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life
thereof: therefore I said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall eat the
blood of no manner of flesh: for the
life of all flesh is the blood
thereof: whosoever eateth it shall be cut off" (Leviticus
17:14).
God has made it perfectly clear that mankind is in a fallen condition
and
in need of forgiveness of his sins. "All have sinned, and
come short of the glory of God" (Rom.
3:23). Seeing that man is unable to forgive his own sins, then there must be someone with the power and
resources to buy back from Satan that in which Adam and Eve so freely
gave away. What did
Adam and Eve forfeit to Satan? Mankind's ability to stand before his
Creator
with a clear conscience having an innocent and righteous presence.
As such, there is a problem. The Bible
teaches that one soul is worth more than, "For what is a
man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or
what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matthew
16:26). Then it becomes evident that mankind is unable to pay the overwhelming
price for the redemption of his soul. If the shedding
of blood of bulls and other animals was only a temporary solution, and even
much less valuable, then what hope have we? "For the
law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the
things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by
year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then
would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the
worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But
in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year" (Hebrews 10:1-3).
Thus our omnipotent God predestined an eternal
plan of redemption. "I gave my back to the smiters, and my
cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from
shame and spitting" (Isaiah 50:6). These were the
prophetic events that were to surround Yeshua at his blood atonement
sacrifice. "Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and
others smote him with the palms of their hands" (Matthew
26:67). "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him;
and with his stripes we are healed" (redeemed from sin).
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own
way; and the LORD
hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 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" (Isaiah
53:5-7).
"The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him,
and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh
away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). "So Christ was once
offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear
the SECOND time without sin unto salvation" (Hebrews
9:28).
In today's world of ideals we are faced
with many choices. The manner in which we as individuals conduct
ourselves is ultimately determined by our beliefs. Some of
the things we are asked to believe are: we evolved from monkeys, we
can approach God by following religious rituals and laws, there is no God and mankind controls all destiny, or we can accept
the freedom and promises of salvation offered by the sacrificial gift
of Yeshua.
I ask, if after you have truthfully
reviewed the alternatives, which prevails as the most common sense
approach?
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