WHO RAISED LAZARUS FROM THE DEAD? PART II

WHO RAISED LAZARUS FROM THE DEAD? – PART II

BY DR. MERVYN ABREO

          In the first part of this article we see that, when Jesus asked that the stone that covered the tomb of Lazarus be removed, Martha cautions Him saying that, since he had been dead for four days, his body was decomposing and would be stinking!

          Then why would Jesus ask for the stone to be removed if Lazarus had not yet come to life?

          The explanation is that Lazarus was still dead! But Martha’s faith had not yet been kindled!

          And therefore Jesus had to give Martha a little push to get her to believe.

          And therefore Jesus now reminds her of their previous conversation, “did I not tell you that if you believed……”(Jh.11: 25,26).

          And with that reminder her faith was activated and Lazarus came back to life!

We see this happening several times in the Gospels:

           The blind beggar, and shouting out to Jesus for a healing. And Jesus telling him, receive your sight; your faith has healed you. (Lk. 18: 35-43).

          The paralyzed man picking up his mattress and going home. (Jh. 5: 8,9).

            The disciples distributing the loaves and fishes to feed the multitudes, when they knew with certainty the there were only five loaves and two fishes to start with. (Lk.9:16), (Jh. 6:1-15).    

          We have to take the first step and ‘step out in faith.’

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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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WHO RAISED LAZARUS FROM THE DEAD?

WHO RAISED LAZARUS FROM THE DEAD?

BY DR. MERVYN ABREO

          Before shouting, JESUS, first look at the following sequence of events:

(Found in the eleventh chapter of the Gospel of John)

Verse 39—Lazarus is dead for three days. And obviously stinking.

Verse 41—Lazarus is alive. Why? Because he is not stinking.

Verse 43, 44—Jesus calls out to Lazarus.

          Therefore it’s obvious that Lazarus was already alive when Jesus called out to him!

          Then who or what brought Lazarus back from the dead?!

          From my very childhood to this very day, whenever a teaching is given on ‘Lazarus raised from the dead’, it has always been said that Jesus called out, ‘Lazarus come forth,’ and the dead man came out!

          I have heard this interpretation given by nuns and priests, by Catechism teachers, as well as by every pastor, and every person without exception, who has spoken on this subject.

          In fact one pastor on the T.V., even went to the extent of saying that, hadn’t Jesus specifically called out to Lazarus, then every dead person would have come forth from their graves.

Jh. 11:39 – When Jesus tells them to remove the stone which covered the cave in which the dead body of Lazarus lay – Martha, the sister of the dead man cautions Him saying, “ by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.’’

          This is a statement based on experience, and as we know it, is a scientific fact: dead bodies decompose! And they stink!

Jh11: 41 – On Jesus’ behest, they took away the stone – and there was no bad odor.

           The reason? Lazarus had come to life!!

John 11 : 43,44 – Jesus called in a loud voice, “ Lazarus, come out!’’ And the dead man, now alive, came out.”

          THEREFORE LAZARUS WAS ALREADY ALIVE WHEN JESUS CALLED OUT TO HIM!!

Therefore several questions arise.

1) WHAT, OR WHO BROUGHT LAZARUS BACK TO LIFE?

       The answer lies in between versus 39 and 41.

     The answer is in verse 40: Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you (Martha) that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”

     Believed what?

     Here the answer lies in His earlier encounter with Martha (verses 25 & 26). Jesus had told her that if she believed in Him, though Lazarus was dead, yet he would come back to life.

        It was Martha’s belief, or faith in Jesus, that brought Lazarus back to life.

2) Why did Jesus say, “Lazarus, come out!” if it wasn’t to bring him back from the dead?

       Lazarus had been dead for four days and had just come back to life. Imagine his mental condition. He had been seriously ill, and knew that he was dying, without his friend Jesus to heal him. He gradually lapsed into unconsciousness and died, probably with his whole life flashing before his eyes.

        Suddenly he is brought back from the dead and wakes up on a cold slab, surrounded by silence, bound up with cloth, and not knowing where he is.

         He needed to get his bearings right and know that friends were around. He needed to hear a friendly voice.

 By calling out to Lazarus, Jesus was reassuring only him.

3) Then how do you explain “the crowd that was with Him when He called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead…..” (John 12: 17).

            It takes two to clap. It was Martha’s faith! But it was her faith and belief in Jesus that brought about the miracle!

SUMMARY: If Martha could do it, so can we. 
          But we can, and should do it, only in the mighty Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

           If you liked this article, then Part-II of the article by the same name, will fascinate you.

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ISRAEL-- A LAND FLOWING WITH MILK AND HONEY

ISRAEL-- A LAND FLOWING WITH MILK AND HONEY

BY DR. MERVYN ABREO

          The title can only be appreciated if the allegoric meaning behind it is taken into account.

‘The PROMISED LAND’:

          As its name suggests, it was the land promised by God to the Israelites. And it was towards this land that Moses was leading them after their escape from slavery when they were in Egypt.

          It was called ‘A land flowing with milk and honey.’ (Exodus 3:8).

        It amused me when a senior Israeli politician was quoted as saying that Israel would have been better off with oil, rather than with milk and honey.

WHY MILK AND HONEY?

          The Bible is full of allegories, and we have to keep this in mind to understand the deeper meaning of this promise.

MILK: It is a product of the animal kingdom.

          Animals produce all types of secretions: sweat to cool our bodies, digestive juices (containing enzymes) to digest our food, tears to moisten our eyes, and so forth.

          But the best secretion is milk. It is a secretion from the mammary glands. And it is life sustaining.

          In fact vegetarians are the biggest guzzlers of milk and milk products.

HONEY: It is a product of the vegetable kingdom.

          There are many products from this kingdom: fruits, vegetables, spices, rubber sap from rubber trees, etc.

          But, like its counterpart milk, honey is the best of all the products of the vegetable kingdom. It’s not only life sustaining, but has been medically proved to be healthier than sugar
.

          So, what God had promised the Israelites, when He had promised them with ‘a land flowing with milk and honey,’ was the very best land that this world could provide any inhabitants with.

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‘DECEIVER’ JACOB’S NAME CLEARED

‘DECEIVER’ JACOB’S NAME CLEARED BY ‘UNDERSTANDING TIME-SPACE-MATTER’ & ‘PRE-ELECTION/ PRE-DETERMINATION’

BY DR. MERVYN ABREO

          Here is a very odd situation in the Bible in which Jacob, not only cunningly fools his earthly father Isaac, and receives his blessings, but manages to even ‘fool’ his heavenly Father, God, Who sustains the blessings. Blessings which Jacob had received from his father Isaac, by deception, deceit and fraudulence.

THE STORY OF JACOB & ESAU: (Genesis27: 1-36).

Sequence of events in this tale of deceit:

          Jacob’s mother Rebekah over hears her husband Isaac instructing their son Esau to hunt game, cook it and give it to him to eat, so that he could bless Esau ‘in the presence of the Lord.’

          So Jacob, under the tutelage of his mother, impersonates Esau, and obtains Isaac’s blessing.

          Esau explains to Isaac what had actually conspired.

          Isaac believes him, but does not revoke the blessings he had showered on Jacob.

          Jacob, now a blessed man, runs away, fearing for his life at the hands of his brother Esau.

 TIME-SPACE’ & ‘PRE-ELECTION’

[Reader advised to read ‘Understanding time-space-matter’ & ‘pre-election/pre-determination’ for a better understanding.]

THE BIRTH OF JACOB & ESAU: (Gen. 32: 22-28).

          They were twins. Esau was delivered first, immediately followed by Jacob, who had grasped Esau’s heel.

Wrong interpretation:

          “Jacob” means, he grasps the heel, figuratively, he deceives. If someone grabs you by the ankle while you are walking, you trip, and may probably fall.           So if someone causes you to trip or fall, in your walk through life, such a person is called a deceiver.

Correct Interpretation:

          Medically when we doctors want to examine new- born babies, we use ‘reflexes’, similar to the knee or ankle jerks that are used in adults. In babies, when their palm is tickled, they close their fist. This is called the grasp reflex.

           So, during the process of delivery, when Esau’s ankle accidentally came into contact with Jacob’s palm, it set off the palmer reflex, causing Jacob to grasp Esau’s ankle, which had acted as an ‘irritant’.
        Unfortunately, as a result of this natural response, Jacob received a stigma, which would have stuck with him for the rest of his life, hadn't God intervened.

EVIL DEEDS OF ESAU:
1) He sold his birthright: Esau comes home famished, just when Jacob is cooking a stew. Jacob is willing to give it to him in exchange for Esau’s birthright. Esau, despising his birth right, swears an oath selling his birthright to Jacob. (Gen.25: 29-34).

          For him his god was his belly.

2) He married a Canaanite woman: He did this especially because he knew how displeasing Canaanite women were to his father, Isaac. (Gen. 28: 6-9).


NOTE: There was no reason for Rebecca to have manipulated the situation. God knew the hearts of both Jacob as well as Esau and would see that ultimately Jacob would be the one to be blessed. But that’s what faith is all about, and is a lesson for you and me.

‘TIME’ and ‘PRE-ELECTION’:

          Because of our knowledge of ‘time’ and ‘pre-election’, we realize that God, Who is Omnipresent (outside our time dimension- and eternally present) knew that, in the future, Esau would reject Him, whereas Jacob would always be faithful to Him.

           And that is why, when Jacob used deceit to gain God’s blessing, as well as those of his father, He let the blessings stay.

FROM THE NAME ‘JACOB’ TO ‘ISRAEL’:

          Jacob wrestled the whole night with God, and would take nothing less than a blessing. And God blessed him.

           No more would he be called ‘Jacob’, the deceiver, but would henceforth be called by his new name, a name that God gave him: ‘Israel’, meaning he struggles with God and man and survives. (Gen. 32: 22-28).

          Jacob, who had been born a ‘deceiver,’ now, rose to the level of the father of the Israelite nation.

Author’s note: A name is very important and so special care should be taken when choosing a name for our new born infant.

One of my subsequent article is: “You are what your name is.”

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SECRETS OF PROPHECY REVEALED

SECRETS OF PROPHECY REVEALED

BY DR. MERVYN ABREO

          My definition of prophecy is:
FORETELLING THAT WHICH HAS ALREADY TAKEN PLACE IN THE FUTURE!

          The normal definition of prophecy: foretelling the future. Or a prediction about what will happen.

          But to fully appreciate the meaning of a Biblical prophecy, I have concocted the new definition.

           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.’

(Read: ‘Understanding time-space-matter).

          ‘Time’ for us is a continuing period made up of the past, the present and the future.

          But God is Omnipresent, i.e. He is outside this realm of time. 
         God is continuously in a state of the present.

UNDERSTANDING PROPHECY: Now keeping this in mind we can appreciates how Biblical prophecy operates.

           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.
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Following topics will be covered in subsequent articles:

 Can a prophecy be changed? (PART II)

 Validity of blood sacrifices in the Old Testament. I.e. what would happen to the O. T. blood sacrifices had Jesus not been killed, or had died without the spilling of blood? (PROPHESY PART III)

 Could Jesus have changed what had been prophesied about Himself? (PART IV)

 Did God manipulate prophecies to make them come true?  (PART V).

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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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HARNESSING DARK ENERGY

HARNESSING DARK ENERGY

BY DR. MERVYN ABREO

           There is a recorded incident in which man was able to harness and put to use DARK ENERGY for his own benefit.

             We could learn the technique and do the same!

        When the Israelites were fighting their enemies, Joshua their leader ordered the sun and moon to stand still in order to ensure a complete victory and a total destruction of their enemies. (Book of Joshua: Chapter 10).

GRAVITY & CENTRIFUGAL FORCES: As the earth spins or rotates on its axis, everything on earth would normally have been thrown out into space, (as droplets of water fly off a dog as he shakes his wet body).

          But this doesn’t happen because of the gravitational pull of the earth that keeps us from flying off.

          Now, in the incident of Joshua, we very well know that what appeared to be the sun standing still was actually the earth’s rotation coming to a stop.

          But when this happened, the centrifugal force (throwing us off the earth) would no longer be acting, resulting in the opposite unopposed force of gravity pushing everything onto the surface of the earth.

          But this didn’t happen! Because another force came into play, which opposed the extra force of gravity.

          And that force is DARK ENERGY!

A COUNTER ARGUMENT: The force of gravity exerted on an object is proportional to the size of the object which is exerting the gravity. E.g. the moon is six times smaller than the earth and therefore the gravitational force is also six times less, resulting in an astronaut able to leap six times the distance he would here on earth.

           And because man is so small, the gravitational force will remain the same and man will not be affected by the centrifugal forces being neutralized when the earth stops spinning.

          But how do we know this? Such a situation has never occurred for scientists to study. And if such a situation is simulated, would the results be correct?

          And don’t forget Newton’s first law of motion:

          When a body is put into a state of motion it continues in the same state of motion unless compelled by an external force to act otherwise.

SPEED OF THE EARTH’S ROTATION: Though the speed is zero at the poles, it increases and is maximum at the equator. As the diameter of the equator is about 40,000 Kilometers and the earth takes twenty-four hours for one rotation, the speed at which earth rotates is about 1,600 k.m./hr. or 1000 miles/hour.

          So imagine the earth’s rotation suddenly coming to a stop! There would be utter chaos. It’s like a vehicle at top speed breaking, not within six feet, but at a dead stop.

          And therefore there has to be some other force to counter the laws of physics that have been challenged due to the development of a situation totally new and unexpected.

          And with our present knowledge, the only force that could meet such a criteria is DARK ENERGY!

DARK MATTER versus DARK ENERGY:

          Planets in our galaxy have to obey Sir Isaac Newton’s Laws of gravity i.e. the further they are from the centre the slower they orbit.

          But astronomers found that all stars, in distant Galaxies, move at the same speed. The only explanation was that the galaxy had more mass than one could see.

This was DARK MATTER! Its existence was proved beyond doubt by using cosmetology machines (Computer simulation), gravitational lensing etc.

          Dark matter was found to be the scaffolding on which the galaxies were built. And therefore it was considered to be something good.

DARK ENERGY: By using the Hubble telescope, astronomers came to the conclusion that the universe is expanding. But gravity should have slowed down the rate of expansion.

          But the rate of expansion is found to be increasing and that there is repulsion between the galaxies that is gradually blowing the universe apart.

          This unknown force, which opposes gravity, is called DARK ENERGY!

          Of the total mass in the universe: atoms 4-5%, dark matter 23%, and dark energy 73%.

          Dark energy appears to be growing stronger each day.

(Information from: Science Channel, Through the Worm Hole, Beyond the darkness- Episode 8).

DARK ENERGY & JOSHUA’S BATTLE:

          Therefore it was this dark energy that overcame the extra gravitational pull allowing man to function on earth when the earth stopped rotating.

          Besides neutralizing the extra gravity, dark energy caused celestial disturbance in the heavens causing the enemy to be thrown into confusion and raining down huge hail stones upon them, large enough to cause many of them to die.

          In the last few days (June 2013), in Switzerland, sudden storms and huge hailstones falling from the sky have left the people bewildered as to their cause. Any scientific connection or explanation?

CAUSE & EFFECT:

      Today, if scientists could establish some connection between these celestial disturbances or changes here on earth, and the ‘physical conditions or matter that caused them, e.g. dark matter and dark energy, then by studying these effects, we could not only definitely establish proof of their presence, but predict what changes would be taking place in the future, and prepare ourselves for forthcoming natural disasters or calamities.

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SECRETS OF PRE-ELECTION/PRE-DESTINATION REVEALED

SECRETS OF PRE-ELECTION/PRE-DESTINATION REVEALED

PRE-ELECTION VERSUS FREE WILL

BY DR.MERVYN ABREO

          This article clearly explains how two apparently contradictory situations can co-exist simultaneously and yet not clash with each other- having our destination pre-elected on one hand and enjoying the gift of a free will on the other.

          Many people feel they are pre-destined to go to heaven or to hell.   

          Strangely, these teachings are found in the Bible!   

           (A complete study of ‘time’ is detailed in the article: UNDERSTANDING  TIME-SPACE-MATTER).

See this particular Scripture verse:

          “…..For He CHOSE us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He PREDESTINED us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance to His pleasure and will – to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves. In Him we have REDEMPTION through His blood……..” (Ephesians 1:3-8)      

          And so, to understand the so called ‘unfairness’ of God we have to understand ‘TIME’.                          

          We live in this dimension of time, which is made up of a yesterday, today and a tomorrow.

          But time was not always in existence. Time, like the rest of creation was itself created. Therefore time had a beginning and will one day come to an end.

          Therefore: There was a ‘time’ before the beginning of time when there was no time. And there will be a ‘time’ after the end of time when there will be no time.

         Now God, who is the Creator of everything, including ‘time’, is outside the power or influence of time, making Him Omnipresent. He is therefore able to ‘go forward and backward’ in our time bound world.
     He can not only see what is happening in the present, but can also simultaneously view the past, as well as the future.

          It’s like watching a movie. We can scroll forward and see what is going to happen, or scroll backward and see what has already taken place.

                 

‘FREE WILL’ VERSUS ‘PRE-ELECTION/ PRE-DESTINATION’:

          Free will gives us complete control of our destiny, one in which not even God will interfere.

          Now, we also have a ‘contradictory’ situation existing simultaneously, which appears as though we have absolutely no control of our destiny: because some of us have been ‘pre-destined’ to go to heaven, while others have been ‘condemned’ to eternal damnation.

           But now, armed with the knowledge of God’s Omnipresent characteristic, and ‘time’, we are able to understand how these two opposing conditions can exist simultaneously, without opposing each other!

          At any given time in our lives the gift of freewill is ours to use. If, during our entire life, we choose to exert it to oppose Lord Jesus, and reject His provision for salvation i.e. the cross, then we have chosen to live a life away from Him (which is eternal damnation).

          If on the other hand, at any given moment of our lives, we choose to accept Him and His provision for salvation, then our status instantly changes, from sinner to saint. (Read: We are saints, not sinners).

          And since He is unaffected by our ‘time dimension’, our status as a saint does not come into effect at the moment we accept Him.
      And it is not only from that moment through eternity that we attain sainthood. But our status as a saint and our position in Him goes back in time, to even before creation, so that it can be said: “He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He pre destined us to be adopted as His sons………”

          Thus we control not only our future but also our past. The moment we change our position in Christ, from sinners to saints, we change our past status from ‘pre-elected for damnation’ to ‘pre-elected to salvation.’ 

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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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