COULD JESUS HAVE CHANGED WHAT HAD BEEN PROPHESIED ABOUT HIMSELF?

COULD JESUS HAVE CHANGED WHAT HAD BEEN PROPHESIED ABOUT HIMSELF?

BY DR. MERVYN ABREO

         

          Let us study just one prophecy about ‘the Christ’ and see its fulfillment.

Jesus, Who was thoroughly well versed with Scripture, very well knew about the prophecies about ‘the Christ’: that He, as the Christ, would ride into Jerusalem, triumphantly entering the city, riding on a colt.

And He had done so! (Mathew 21:5, John 12:14, 15).

Now, the issue is, could He have refused to ride on a colt and instead ridden on a camel?

Of course He could have! He was a complete man who had a free will and one which He could operate as and how He wished. But He submitted to the will of His Father in obedience.

 And Who was the Father?

 The Father and He were one. (John.10:30, 17:22). So why would Jesus contradict Himself and do something other than what He had decided and what He had prophesied through His prophets?

We should also realize that the prophecies about Jesus were given essentially in order that the people would recognize that He was the Christ (the Messiah / the Anointed One).

So if Jesus would start doing something other than what was planned and prophesied, people would reject Him as the Christ, and lose their salvation, negating the very reason He had come down on earth for in the first place.

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VALIDITY OF THE BLOOD SACRIFICES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

VALIDITY OF THE BLOOD SACRIFICES IN THE OLD              TESTAMENT

BY DR. MERVYN ABREO

In other words, what value would the animal sacrifices in the Old Testament have, if Lord Jesus had not died? Or had He been killed, but without the shedding of blood?

‘TYPES’ AND ‘ANTI-TYPES’: The death of Jesus on the cross by the shedding of blood was the provision for the remission of our sins.  

           In the Old Testament, the people also needed a provision. This provision was the animal sacrifices which were regularly conducted. These animal sacrifices were the ‘type’ of the ‘Anti-type’ to come, namely the death of Jesus on the cross.

Therefore keeping the issue of prophecy in mind, could the ‘types’ be rendered meaningless if the ‘Anti-type’ had changed i.e. could the animal sacrifices in the Old Testament be rendered null and void had Jesus met his death by any other means rather than by the shedding of His blood,e.g. Death by hanging?

Definitely not!! Because as we have already seen, ‘prophesy is foretelling that which has already taken place in the future.’ Therefore prophecy and its fulfillment go on simultaneously.

          I have added: “that which has already taken place” because it denotes an irrevocable and an irreversible action or deed, i.e. one which has already taken place, and which cannot be changed or altered. And that is exactly what Biblical prophecy is all about!

          This will only be understood as we understand ‘time.’

           From our perspective, a prophecy or prediction about the future is made, at the present time. Sometime in the future, this prophecy comes to pass. And therefore we say that the incident that was prophesied about, has occurred or taken place, thus fulfilling the prophecy.

          And since we are ‘time’ oriented, we explain the above occurrence, as God’s ability to look into the future, and see what is going to happen. And then inform His prophet, who exists in the present, and who subsequently correctly predicts the future.

          But from God’s perspective (being Omnipresent and outside this realm of time) everything i.e. the prediction as well as the fulfillment, takes place simultaneously.

          So He visualizes the future, (which will not change unless He changes it, which obviously He will not), and reveals it to His prophet, who will in turn reveal it to the people. And the prophecy will definitely come to pass.

(Please read: “Secrets of prophesy revealed” available in this blog).

In other words if Jesus had met His death without the shedding of blood, then the prophecy too would have automatically changed.    E.g. If Jesus had met His death by, say strangulation, then all the Old Testament sacrifices would necessitate death of the animals by strangulation.

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Dear friend,

          I look forward to getting your feedback. Do write in to me at:

                                        drmervynabreo@gmail.com

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CAIN'S SACRIFICE REJECTED! WHY?

CAIN’S SACRIFICE REJECTED! WHY?!

BY DR. MERVYN ABREO

          When the time came for the two brothers, Cain and Abel, to make a sacrificial offering to God, each gave of the very best he had.

          Abel, who was a shepherd, took the best from his flock and offered up an animal sacrifice.

          Cain, who was a farmer and tiller of the soil, offered up the best of the grain, fruits and vegetables that he had cultivated. And which God had blessed him with.                                                            

          But God, while being pleased with Abel’s offering, was totally displeased with that of Cain. He not only rebuked him, but rejected him outright! Why?!

          Thousands of years later Jesus would die on the cross to atone for the sins of mankind.                                                         

          But what about all the people who lived before the actual event of the crucifixion, and who needed atonement for their sins?

          They were instructed to offer animal sacrifices. And the blood of bulls and goats was symbolic of the blood which Lord Jesus would shed on the cross for the remission of our sins!

          And these animal sacrifices and other symbols, e.g. the bronze serpent that Moses raised in the desert, became the ‘type’ of the ‘anti –type’ to come, which was Jesus Christ.                                                        

          But although both brothers didn't know this fact, they had definitely seen their parents conducting these animal sacrifices. And were obviously told that it was expected of them!

           Able acted out of faith, which propelled him into obedience, resulting in him becoming righteous before God. He was commended for this act in the great faith chapter of Hebrews. (Chapter 11: verse 4).

                                                             

          On the other hand we are warned not to imitate the evil Cain whose worthless sacrifice did nothing to help him, but only served to expose his pride and maintain his unworthiness with God, which propelled him to kill his righteous brother Able. (1 John 3:12).

                                                           

          Therefore, since only these ‘types’ would suffice till the time of the crucifixion, Abel’s sacrifice was accepted, while that of Cain rejected.

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BIBLICAL -- 'TYPES' & 'ANTI -- TYPES'

BIBLICAL – ‘TYPES’ & ‘ANTI – TYPES’

BY DR. MERVYN ABREO

          From the time of the crucifixion till today, all those who accept the blood of Jesus to pay for their sins, are saved.

           But what provision was there for all those before the crucifixion? For them were the ‘types’ of the ‘anti-type’ to come, which would be Jesus Christ! Most of the ‘types’ were blood sacrifices performed in the Old Testament.

 Here are a few examples:

ADAM and EVE: When they realized that they were naked, the Lord took the skins of the slain animals, made garments and clothed them, symbolically covering their sins with His blood. (Genesis 3:21).

CAIN and ABLE: Abel brought a bloody sacrifice which pleased the Lord. Whereas Cain brought fruits, and the Lord was displeased. (Genesis 4:2-6).

ABRAHAM: had to circumcise himself and all males eight days and above in order to form a covenant with God. (Genesis 17: 10-13).

PASSOVER: All the Israelites, before their exodus from Egypt, had to sacrifice a ‘year-old male lamb without blemish’ and apply its blood on both sides and on top of the door frames, so that the Lord would pass over and not kill them! (Exodus 12: 1-13).

          That is why John the Baptist cried out when he saw Jesus, “Look, the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29).

RAHAB the PROSTITUTE: She was instructed to tie a scarlet cord in the window, the red color of the cord symbolizing the blood of Jesus. (Joshua 6:22, 23).

TENT OF MEETING: Moses, “And you shall set the laver between the Tent of Meeting and the altar and put water in it.” (Exodus 40:7).

          Why was it necessary for one exact position for the laver to be demanded of Moses by God? The laver was to be placed directly “between [the doors of] the Tent of Meeting and the altar [of burnt offering],” thus completing the “cross” made by the arrangement of the furniture, from the arc to the altar.

           It could have no significance to the Jews at that time, but the One Who planned it had those in mind to whom Christ would one day say, “And these [very Scriptures] testify about Me! (John 5:39).

          How fitting that at the foot of that “cross” there should be the altar, picturing our complete surrender, and then the laver, picturing our cleansing, that we may enter in through Him Who alone is the Door to the eternal Holy of Holies. (John 10: 1-9). (“Tent of meeting” taken from “The Amplified bible”).      

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Dear friend,

          I look forward to getting your feedback. Do write in to me at:

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THE POPE, GALILEO & THE UNIVERSE

THE POPE, GALILEO & THE UNIVERSE

BY DR. MERVYN ABREO

THE UNIVERSE

          The Catholic Church believed that the earth was immovable and was at the center of the universe. In 1663 when Galileo discovered that the earth revolved around the sun, all hell broke loose.

                                                         

GALILEO

          And I don’t understand what the fuss was all about.

                                                  

POPE URBAN VIII

          When the Pope spoke about the ‘universe’ he was talking about all celestial bodies, whether they were stars, planets, moons or any other bodies ‘out there’.

 A SIMPLE TEST: Randomly choose any ten people you know and ask them this question:

          “What is the difference between a universe, a galaxy and our Solar System?”                                                                                                                   

GALAXY

          How many people know that ‘The Universe’ is defined as a totality of existence including planets, stars, galaxies and all matter and energy?

          And that the Milky Way is the Galaxy that contains our Solar System.

          I for one didn't’! I had to look it up.

                                                         

MILKY WAY

          If people of the twenty–first century still fumble for an answer, what would one expect from someone living in the seventeenth century?!

          Let us see what the then Pope had to go by. He was a man whose knowledge was based on the Bible.

           And this is what the Bible had said:

          “God made two great lights – the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night.” (Genesis 1:16).

          This obviously indicated that the two great lights, i.e. the sun and the moon, were expressly created for the benefit of the earth!

          “In the beginning You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the works of Your hands.” (Psalms 102:2).

          This showed that the earth was the central focus of God as He created the universe!

         

          “For this is what the Lord Almighty says: ……for whoever touches you touches the apple of His eye.” (Zechariah 2:8).

          Therefore, since man is at the center of everything created, then the earth is the focus of all creation.

                                                              

OUR SOLAR SYSTEM 

           It’s no big deal that the sun is at the center of the universe. If God had wanted to put the earth there He could very well have done so!

                                                           

               It doesn't matter in which corner of the Galaxy we are in.

          We will always be the apple of His eye and the centre of His attention!

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 Dear friend,

          I look forward to getting your feedback. Do write in to me at:

                                        drmervynabreo@gmail.com

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