God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.
John 4:24
What is a spirit? In my definition, spirit is an existence which has life in itself that we cannot see and touch, unless it transforms into a physical being like God can. God, angel, and ghost are spirits that can interact or communicate with people. But there are also spirits that cannot communicate with us. These are wisdom/mind, feeling/emotion, energy/might/power, word/verbal statement, etc.
Wisdom is a spirit because it exists and it is working. Without wisdom, we cannot have an idea on how to perform our daily works.
Feeling is a spirit because it exists and it is working. Without our feelings, we cannot have relationships with one another. If we get hurt we suffer from the pain inside us.
Energy is also a spirit since it exists and it is working. Without the living existence of energy, we cannot rise up and walk. Without the energy of God, heavenly bodies won’t float in the universe (Hebrews 1:3).
Word is also a spirit for it exists and it is working. When someone speaks, you hear it and react to it. When God uttered ‘let there be light’ to create a ‘light’, the word ‘let there be light’ is a spirit. This is the reason why Jesus is also called ‘the spirit or word of God’. The Bible says, “You send forth your spirit, they are created” (Psalm 104:30), and in other passage it says, “He sent forth his word and healed them” (Psalm 107:20). So spirit & word are used interchangeably here.
When Jesus said, “worship God in spirit”, he meant we should worship God in our hearts (emotions), minds (thoughts), and might (energy). Below are verses commanding us to worship God in spirit;
1. [Deuteronomy 6:5] “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
2. [Deuteronomy 30:6] “Moreover the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.
3. [John 4:23-24] But a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such as these to worship Him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
4. [John 7:24] Stop judging by outward appearances, and start judging justly.”
5. [Hebrews 4:12] For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
6. [1 Corinthians 2:11] For who among men knows the thoughts of man except his own spirit within him? So too, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
7. [1 Corinthians 10:25] Eat anything that is sold in the market without letting your conscience trouble you.
8. [Philippians 3:3] For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh
9. [Romans 1:9] God, whom I serve with my spirit in preaching the gospel of His Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you
10. [Romans 2:29] No, a man is a Jew because he is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man’s praise does not come from men, but from God.
11. [Romans 14:17] for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
12. [Galatians 5:25] Since we live by the Spirit, let us walk in step with the Spirit.
13. [1 Peter 1:13] Therefore prepare your minds for action. Be sober-minded. Set your hope fully on the grace to be given you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
14. [1 Peter 3:15-16] But in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give a defense to everyone who asks you the reason for the hope you possess. But respond with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who slander you will be put to shame by your good behavior in Christ.
15. [1 Timothy 1:5] The goal of our instruction is the love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and a sincere faith.
16. [Hebrews 10:22] let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
17. [2 Corinthians 10:4-5] For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;
18. [2 Timothy 2:19] But God’s truth stands firm like a foundation stone with this inscription: “The LORD knows those who are his,” and “All who belong to the LORD must turn away from evil.”
19. [Romans 8:13] For if you live according to the flesh, you shall die: but if by the Spirit you mortify the deeds of the flesh, you shall live.
What is the proper prayer position? Muslims used to claim that Jesus was a muslim because he prostrated when he prayed like the way they do, which is raising their buttocks in the air. This is how they define the word “prostration”, but the Merriam Websters dictionary defines the word “prostrate” as stretched out with face on the ground in adoration or submission as shown on the photo above. The Bible accounts that both prostrate and kneeling positions were done by the people who worshiped God in Biblical times, and God had no problem with those positions. Yahweh did not impose any prayer position, that means He can accept prayer in any position. However, most of the Biblical people prayed in kneeling position like what Christians are doing. Below are biblical passages about the early believers of God who prayed in kneeling or prostrate positions.
Quoted from the Old Testament:
1. [Genesis 24:26] And the man knelt down and worshiped Yahweh.
2. [Genesis 24:48] And I knelt down and worshiped Yahweh, and I praised Yahweh, the God of my master Abraham, who led me on the right way, to take the daughter of the brother of my master for his son.
3. [Genesis 41:43]And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt.
4. [Exodus 4:31] The people believed, and when they heard that the LORD had paid attention to them and that he had seen their misery, they knelt low and worshiped.
5. [Exodus 12:27] you will say, ‘It [is] a Passover sacrifice for Yahweh, who passed over the houses of the {Israelites} in Egypt when he struck Egypt; and he delivered our houses.'” And the people knelt down and they worshiped.
6. [Exodus 34:8] And Moses hurried and knelt down to the earth and worshiped.
7. [Deuteronomy 9:25] “Thus I prostrated myself before the LORD; forty days and forty nights I kept prostrating myself, because the LORD had said He would destroy you.
8. [Psalm 95:6] O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.
9. [1 Chronicles 29:20] Then David said to the whole assembly, “Blessed be the LORD your God.” So the whole assembly blessed the LORD, the God of their fathers. They bowed down and paid homage to the LORD and to the king.
10. [2 Chronicles 6:13] Now Solomon had made a bronze platform five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high, and had placed it in the middle of the courtyard. He stood on it, knelt down before the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven
11. [Ezra 10:1] While Ezra prayed and made this confession, weeping and falling facedown before the house of God, a very large assembly of Israelites—men, women, and children—gathered around him, and the people wept bitterly as well.
12. [1 Kings 8:54] Now when Solomon had finished praying this entire prayer and petition to the LORD, he got up before the altar of the LORD, where he had been kneeling with his hands spread out toward heaven.
13. [Isaiah 45:23] By Myself I have sworn; truth has gone out from My mouth, a word that will not be revoked: Every knee will bow before Me, every tongue will confess allegiance.
14. [Isaiah 49:23] Kings will be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. They will bow to you facedown and lick the dust at your feet. Then you will know that I am the LORD; those who hope in Me will never be put to shame.”
15. [Daniel 6:10] But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God.
16. [Ezra 9:5] At the evening offering, I got up from my humiliation with my tunic and cloak torn, and I fell on my knees, spread out my hands to the LORD my God,
Quoted from the New Testament:
1. [Matthew 8:2] Suddenly a leper came and knelt before Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”
2. [Matthew 9:18] While Jesus was saying these things, a synagogue leader came and knelt before Him. “My daughter has just died,” he said. “But come and place Your hand on her, and she will live.”
3. [Matthew 17:14] When they came to the crowd, a man came up to Jesus and knelt before Him.
4. [Matthew 21:25] The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.
5. [Matthew 26:39] Going a little farther, He fell facedown and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.
6.[Mark 1:40] And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
7. [Mark 5:6] When the man saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees before Him.
8. [Mark 5:22] A synagogue leader named Jairus arrived, and seeing Jesus, he fell at His feet
9. [Mark 10:17] And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?
10. [Mark 14:35] Going a little farther, He fell to the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour would pass from Him.
11. [Luke 5:8] When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees. “Go away from me, Lord,” he said, “for I am a sinful man.
12. [Luke 8:41] Just then, a synagogue leader named Jairus came and fell at Jesus’ feet. He begged Him to come to his house,
13. [Luke 17:16] And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan
14. [Luke 22:41] And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray,
15. [John 11:32] When Mary came to Jesus and saw Him, she fell at His feet and said, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”
16. [Acts 7:60] Falling on his knees, he cried out in a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
17. [Acts 9:40] Then Peter sent them all out of the room. He knelt down and prayed, and turning toward her body, he said, “Tabitha, get up!” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up.
18. [Acts 20:36] When Paul had said this, he knelt down with all of them and prayed.
19. [Acts 21:5] But when our time there had ended, we set out on our journey. All the disciples, with their wives and children, accompanied us out of the city and knelt down on the beach to pray with us.
20. [1 Corinthians 14:25] and the secrets of his heart will be made clear. So he will fall facedown and worship God, proclaiming, “God is truly among you!”
21. [Romans 14:11] It is written: “As surely as I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow before Me; every tongue will confess to God.”
22. [Philippians 2:10] that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
23. [Ephesians 3:14-15]For this reason I kneel before the Father,from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.
“The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Jesus Christ, [Matthew 13:41-42]
Jesus Christ opens the book of life
A. Quoted from Tanakh/Old Testament
1. [Psalm 2:6] “But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain.”
2. [Psalm 8:6] You made him to have dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet
3. [Psalm 72:11] And let all kings bow down before him, All nations serve him.
4. [Psalm 89:27] “I also shall make him My firstborn, The highest of the kings of the earth.
5. [2 Samuel 7:12-16] “When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be a father to him and he will be a Son to Me”
6. [Daniel 2:37] “You, O king, are the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the strength and the glory.
7. [Daniel 7:14] “And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed”.
8. [Isaiah 9:6] For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
B. Quoted from the New Testament
1. [Luke 10:22] All things are delivered to me by my Father: and no man knows who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him.
2. [John 3:35] The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in His hands.
3. [John 5:22] For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son,
4. [John 5:25-29] Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.
5. [Matthew 13:40-43] As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age.The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil.They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.
6. [Matthew 25:31-32] “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.
7. [Mark 13:26-27] At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And He will send out the angels to gather His elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
8. [Acts 10:42] And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead.
9. [Acts 17:30-31] Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raisingHim from the dead.”
10. [2 Corinthians 5:10] For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
11. [Romans 2:16] on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.
C. Quoted from Quran and Hadiths
1. [Quran 43:61] And indeed, Jesus will be [a sign for] knowledge of the Hour, so be not in doubt of it, and follow Me. This is a straight path.
[Ibn Kathir’s explanation on Koran 43:61]
(And he shall be a sign for (the coming of) the Hour.) means, sign and “One of the signs of the Hour will be the appearance of `Isa son of Maryam before the Day of Resurrection. ” Something similar was also narrated from Abu Hurayrah, Ibn `Abbas, `Abu Al-`Aliyah, Abu Malik, `Ikrimah, Al-Hasan, Qatadah, Ad-Dahhak and others. Many Mutawatir Hadiths report that the Messenger of Allah said that `Isa will descend before the Day of Resurrection as a just Ruler and fair Judge.
2. [Sahih al-Bukhari 3448] Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah’s Apostle said, “By Him in Whose Hands my soul is, surely (Jesus,) the son of Mary will soon descend amongst you and will judge mankind justly (as a Just Ruler) . . .
[Sunan Ibn Majah 4078] It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet said: “The Hour will not begin until ‘Eisa bin Maryam comes down as a just judge and a just ruler. He will break the cross, kill the pigs and abolish the Jizyah, . . .
Biblical verses telling about the suffering Messiah
QUOTED FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT
1. [Isaiah 49:7] This is what the LORD says– the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel– to him who was despised and abhorred by the nation, to the servant of rulers: “Kings will see you and stand up, princes will see and bow down, because of the LORD, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”
2. [Isaiah 50:6] the Lord says, I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting.
3. [Isaiah 53:2-4] He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face, He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted.
4. [Isaiah 53:5-6] But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
5. [Isaiah 53:7] He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.
6. [Isaiah 53: 8] By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the living For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due
7. [Isaiah 53:9] His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.
8. [Isaiah 53:10] But the LORD was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand.
9. [Isaiah 53:11] As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities.
10. [Isaiah 53:12] Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors.
11. [Psalm 22:1] My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?
12. [Psalm 22:6-8] But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by everyone, despised by the people. All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads: “He trusts in the LORD; let the LORD rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.”
13. [Psalm 22:14-15] the Lord says, “I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted within Me. My mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death.
14. [Psalm 22:16-17] Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet. All my bones are on display; people stare and gloat over me. They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment”.
15. [Psalm 16:10] For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.
16. [Psalm 31:5] “Into your hands I commit my spirit; deliver me, LORD, my faithful God.”
17. [Psalm 50:15] And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.
18. [Psalm 69:7-9] Because for Your sake I have borne reproach; Dishonor has covered my face. I have become estranged from my brothers, And an alien to my mother’s sons. For zeal for Your house has consumed me, And the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.
19. [Psalm 69:20-21] You know my reproach, my shame and disgrace. All my adversaries are before You. Insults have broken my heart, and I am in despair. I looked for sympathy, but there was none, for comforters, but I found no one. They poisoned my food with gall and gave me vinegar to quench my thirst.
20. [Psalm 77:2] In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord; In the night my hand was stretched out without weariness; My soul refused to be comforted.
21. [Psalm 86:7] In the day of my trouble I shall call upon You, For You will answer me.
22. [Zechariah 11:13] Then the LORD said to me, “Throw it to the potter, that magnificent price at which I was valued by them.” So I took the thirty shekels of silver and threw them to the potter in the house of the LORD.
23. [Zechariah 12:10] “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only son, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son”.
24. [Daniel 9:26] After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed.
25. [Micah 5:1-2] “Now muster yourselves in troops, daughter of troops; They have laid siege against us; With a rod they will smite the judge of Israel on the cheek.
QUOTED FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT
1. [Matthew 16:21] “From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life”
2. [Matthew 17:12] but I say to you that Elijah already came, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wished. So also the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.”
3. [Matthew 20:18-19] “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death, and will hand Him over to the Gentiles to mock and scourge and crucify Him, and on the third day He will be raised up.
4. [Matthew 26:28] For this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
5. [Mark 8:31] “He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again”
6. [Mark 9:12] And He said to them, “Elijah does first come and restore all things. And yet how is it written of the Son of Man that He will suffer many things and be treated with contempt
7. [Mark 9:31] For He was teaching His disciples and telling them, “The Son of Man is to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him; and when He has been killed, He will rise three days later.”
8. [Mark 10:33-34] saying, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and will hand Him over to the Gentiles. They will mock Him and spit on Him, and scourge Him and kill Him, and three days later He will rise again.”
9. [Luke 9:22] saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised up on the third day.”
10. [Luke 17:25] But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.
11. [Luke 18:31-32] Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things which are written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished. For He will be handed over to the Gentiles, and will be mocked and mistreated and spit upon,
12. [Luke 20:13-15] The owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’ But when the vine-growers saw him, they reasoned with one another, saying, ‘This is the heir; let us kill him so that the inheritance will be ours.’ So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What, then, will the owner of the vineyard do to them?
13. [Luke 20:13-15] The owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’ But when the vine-growers saw him, they reasoned with one another, saying, ‘This is the heir; let us kill him so that the inheritance will be ours.’ So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What, then, will the owner of the vineyard do to them?
14. [Luke 24:20] and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to the sentence of death, and crucified Him.
15. [Luke 24:25-26] And He said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?”.
16. [Luke 24:46] and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day,
17. [John 12:27] “Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour.
18. [John 19:37] And again another Scripture says, “They will look on him whom they have pierced.”
19. [Acts 3:18] But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled.
20. [Acts 17:2-3] And according to Paul’s custom, he went to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ.
21. [Acts 26:22-23] So, having obtained help from God, I stand to this day testifying both to small and great, stating nothing but what the Prophets and Moses said was going to take place; that the Christ was to suffer, and that by reason of His resurrection from the dead He would be the first to proclaim light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.”
22. [1 Corinthians 2:8] the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory
23. [1 Corinthians 15:1-4] Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
24. [2 Corinthians 1:5] For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Chris
25. [1 Peter 1:11] trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow.
26. [1 Peter 2:21-25] For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls
27. [1 Peter 4:1] Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin.
28. [Hebrews 2:14] Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil
29. [Hebrews 13:11-12] For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside the camp. Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate.
1. [Job 42:7-8] After the LORD had spoken these words to Job, He said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is kindled against you and your two friends. For you have not spoken about Me accurately, as My servant Job has. So now, take seven bulls and seven rams, go to My servant Job, and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. Then My servant Job will pray for you, for I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. For you have not spoken accurately about Me, as My servant Job has.”
2. [Psalm 50:3-5] He will break the long silence which Heaven has observed. “Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence…He shall call to the heavens above, and to the earth, that He may judge His people. Gather my saints together unto me; those that have a covenant with me by sacrifice.”
3. [Psalm 51:16-17] You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering. The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.
4. [Psalm 51:19] Then you will be pleased with sacrifices offered in the right spirit—with burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings. Then bulls will again be sacrificed on your altar.
5. [Proverbs 21:3] To do righteousness and justice is desired by the LORD more than sacrifice.
6. [Daniel 9:27] “And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.”
7. [Jeremiah 19:13] And the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses of Judah shall be unclean as the place of Topheth: all the houses upon whose roots they have sacrificed to all the host of heaven, and have poured out drink offerings to strange gods.
8. [Ezekiel 16;20-21] You even took the sons and daughters you bore to Me and sacrificed them as food to idols. Was your prostitution not enough? You slaughtered My children and delivered them up through the fire to idols.
9. [Ezekiel 45:16-18] “All the people of the land shall give to this offering for the prince in Israel”. It shall be the prince’s part to provide the burnt offerings, the grain offerings and the drink offerings, at the feasts, on the new moons and on the Sabbaths, at all the appointed feasts of the house of Israel; he shall provide the sin offering, the grain offering, the burnt offering and the peace offerings, to make atonement for the house of Israel.” Thus says the Lord GOD, “In the first month, on the first of the month, you shall take a young bull without blemish and cleanse the sanctuary
10. [Zechariah 14:21] Indeed, every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy to the LORD of Hosts, and all who sacrifice will come and take some pots and cook in them. And on that day there will no longer be a Canaanite.
11. [Hosea 6:4-6] Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of My mouth, and My judgments go forth like lightning. For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. But they, like Adam, have transgressed the covenant; there they were unfaithful to Me.
12. [Hosea 12:11] Is there iniquity in Gilead? They will surely come to nothing. Do they sacrifice bulls in Gilgal? Indeed, their altars will be heaps of stones in the furrows of the field.
QUOTED FROM NEW TESTAMENT
1. [Matthew 26:28] This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
2. [Acts 24:17] After several years, then, I returned to Jerusalem to bring alms to my people and to present offerings.
3. [1 John 2:2] He Himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
4. [1 John 4;10] And love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
5. [Romans 3:25] God presented Him as an atoning sacrifice through faith in His blood, in order to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance He had passed over the sins committed beforehand.
6. [Romans 8:3] The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.
7. [1 Corinthians 5:7] Get rid of the old yeast, that you may be a new unleavened batch, as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.
8. [Hebrews 5:3] And therefore he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins.
9. [Hebrews 7:27] Unlike the other high priests, He does not need to offer daily sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people; He sacrificed for sin once for all when He offered up Himself.
10. [Hebrews 9:28] so also Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await Him.
11. [Hebrews 10:12] But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God
12. [Hebrews 10:18] And where these have been forgiven, an offering for sin is no longer needed.
13. [Hebrews 10:26] Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice that will cover these sins.
God says, “I will stand guard to protect my temple from those who come to attack. I know what’s happening, and no one will mistreat my people ever again.”
Zechariah 9:8
The Muslims keep claiming Jerusalem as their ownership, they accuse the Jews of grabbing Jerusalem from them. But who really owns Jerusalem, the Muslims or the Jews?
In the sixth century, the Muslims (Rashidun army) conquered Jerusalem, and many Jews had fled and scattered upon other parts of the world. The Arabs begun Islamizing the holy land. Because of the Muslims’ control of Jerusalem and their abusive treatment on the remaining Jews esp. Christians, the Catholic Church was forced to form an army called ‘Crusade’ to liberate the holy land. They were able to take Jerusalem back from the hands of Muslims in the year 1099. But in the year 1187, the Muslims (Saladin) captured the City again. In 1229, a Crusade was formed anew and regained control of the holy land. But in the year 1517, the Muslims (Ottoman) reconquered the City and ruled it for 400 years. Then in 1917, the United Kingdom ended the Muslims’ control on Jerusalem. And then the British government allowed the return of the remnants of the Jews living in different parts of the world to Israel from 1950’s to 1960’s with the help of the United Nations. This is also in fulfillment of the Biblical prophecy that says God will bring back the remnants of His people to their land (Amos 9:14-15; Jeremiah 32:37; & Isaiah 14:2).
and I will bring my people Israel back from exile. “They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them,” says the Lord your God. (Amos 9:14-15)
The great sufferings of the Jews in the hands of their torturers served as their purgative cleansing. Because of this, God restored his attention to the Jews and planted them back into the Holy land. And this time, God won’t allow His people to be mistreated anymore and be uprooted from their homeland again (Zechariah 9:8).
The Arabs who occupied Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine, and other Middle East countries today are just foreigners since they originated from Arabia. Just like the dominant people that occupied the United States, New Zealand, and Australia who are British since they originated from Great Britain. The same case with the dominant people that occupied South America of today, for they are Latin people which originated from Europe.
A.) Biblical verses proving that Jerusalem belongs to the Jews since at the time of Judah (the first born of Jacob/Israel) 3,000 years ago
Quoted from the Old Testament
[Joshua 15:63] But the tribe of Judah could not drive out the Jebusites, who lived in the city of Jerusalem, so the Jebusites live there among the people of Judah to this day.
[Zechariah 12:2] “I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem.
[1 Kings 15:4] Nevertheless, for David’s sake the LORD his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem by raising up a son to succeed him and by making Jerusalem strong.
[2 Kings 14:2] He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan; she was from Jerusalem.
[2 Kings 15:2] He was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. His mother’s name was Jekoliah; she was from Jerusalem.
[2 Kings 21:13] And I will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samaria, and the plumb line of the house of Ahab, and I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down.
[2 Kings 24:8] Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. His mother’s name was Nehushta daughter of Elnathan; she was from Jerusalem.
[2 Chronicles 6:6] But I have chosen Jerusalem that my name may be there, and I have chosen David to be over my people Israel.’
[2 Chronicles 25:1] Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan; she was from Jerusalem.
[2 Chronicles 26:3] Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. His mother’s name was Jekoliah; she was from Jerusalem.
[2 Chronicles 34:32] Then he had everyone in Jerusalem and Benjamin pledge themselves to it; the people of Jerusalem did this in accordance with the covenant of God, the God of their ancestors.
[Ezra 1:1] “This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: ‘The LORD, the God of heaven, who has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, has appointed me to build a house for Him at Jerusalem in Judah.
[Ezra 10:7] A proclamation was then issued throughout Judah and Jerusalem for all the exiles to assemble in Jerusalem.
[Ezra 10:9] Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin assembled at Jerusalem within the three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month. And all the people sat in the open square before the house of God, trembling because of this matter and because of the heavy rain.
[Nehemiah 2:13] I went out by night by the Valley Gate to the Dragon Spring and to the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that were broken down and its gates that had been destroyed by fire.
[Nehemiah 11:1] Now the leaders of the people settled in Jerusalem. The rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of every ten of them to live in Jerusalem, the holy city, while the remaining nine were to stay in their own towns.
[Psalm 122:1-9] A Song of Ascents. Of David. I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!” Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem! Jerusalem—built as a city that is bound firmly together, to which the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord. There thrones for judgment were set, the thrones of the house of David.
[Isaiah 62:6-7] On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have set watchmen; all the day and all the night they shall never be silent. You who put the Lord in remembrance, take no rest, And give him no rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes it a praise in the earth.
[Jeremiah 17:25] then kings and princes will enter through the gates of this city. They will sit on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses with their officials, along with the men of Judah and residents of Jerusalem, and this city will be inhabited forever.
[Jeremiah 18:11 ] Now therefore, tell the men of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem that this is what the LORD says: ‘Behold, I am planning a disaster for you and devising a plan against you. Turn now, each of you, from your evil ways, and correct your ways and deeds.
[Jeremiah 29:2] This was after King Jehoiachin, the queen mother, the court officials, the other officials of Judah, and all the craftsmen and artisans had been deported from Jerusalem.
[Jeremiah 33:16] In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’
[Lamentations 1:7] Jerusalem remembers in the days of her affliction and wandering all the precious things that were hers from days of old. When her people fell into the hand of the foe, and there was none to help her, her foes gloated over her; they mocked at her downfall.
[Daniel 9:2] In the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.
[Joel 3:1] “For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,
[Zechariah 1:16] “Therefore this is what the LORD says: ‘I will return to Jerusalem with mercy, and there my house will be rebuilt. And the measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem,’ declares the LORD Almighty.
[Zechariah 2:2-4] Then I said, “Where are you going?” And he said to me, “To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its width and what is its length.” And behold, the angel who talked with me came forward, and another angel came forward to meet him and said to him, “Run, say to that young man, ‘Jerusalem shall be inhabited as villages without walls, because of the multitude of people and livestock in it.’”
[Zechariah 8:3-5] Thus says the Lord: I have returned to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts, the holy mountain. Thus says the Lord of hosts: Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of great age. And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets.
[Zechariah 12:3] On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who lift it will surely hurt themselves. And all the nations of the earth will gather against it.
[Zechariah 12:10] “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.
[Zechariah 14:8-11] On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea and half of them to the western sea. It shall continue in summer as in winter. And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day the Lord will be one and his name one. The whole land shall be turned into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem. But Jerusalem shall remain aloft on its site from the Gate of Benjamin to the place of the former gate, to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king’s winepresses. And it shall be inhabited, for there shall never again be a decree of utter destruction. Jerusalem shall dwell in security.
[Micah 4:2] And many nations shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
Quoted from the New Testament
[Matthew 2:3] When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him;
[Matthew 23:37] “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not!
[Luke 2:41] Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover.
[Luke 13:33] Nevertheless, I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.’
[Luke 21:20-24] “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written. Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
[Luke 24:47] And that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
[Acts 1:4] And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me;
[Acts 1:8] But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
[Galatians 4:25-26] Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother
[Revelation 21:2] And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
[Revelation 21:10] So he took me in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and he showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.
B.) Quranic verses telling that Allah assigned the Holy land, Jordan, and Palestine to the children of Israel
[Qur’an 5:20-21] Remember Moses said to his people: “O my people! Call in remembrance the favour of Allah unto you, when He produced prophets among you, made you kings, and gave you what He had not given to any other among the peoples. O my people, enter the Holy Land which Allah has assigned to you and do not turn back [from fighting in Allah ‘s cause] and [thus] become losers.”
[Qur’an 17:104] And We said to the Children of Israel after him: “DWELL IN THE LAND, then, when the final and the last promise comes near [i.e. the Day of Resurrection or the descent of Christ [‘Iesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary) on the earth]. We shall bring you altogether as mixed crowd (gathered out of various nations).
[Tafsîr Ibn ‘Abbâs on Quran 17:104]
(And We said unto the Children of Israel after him) after his destruction: (Dwell in the land) the land of Jordan and Palestine; (but when the promise of the Hereafter) when resurrection after death; and it is also said that this means: when Jesus son of Mary descends (cometh to pass we shall bring you as a crowd gathered out of various nations.)
1. [Deuteronomy 6:4-6] “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart
2. [Psalm 86:10] For You are great and perform wonders; You alone are God.
3. [Isaiah 42:8] I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.
4. [Isaiah 43:10-11] “You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD, “and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me. I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is no savior.
5. [Isaiah 44:6]Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God
6. [Isaiah 45:18] “For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the Earth and made it; …I am the Lord; and there is none else.”
7. [Isaiah 45:21] Declare what is to be, present it– let them take counsel together. Who foretold this long ago, who declared it from the distant past? Was it not I, the LORD? And there is no God apart from me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none but me.
8. [Zechariah 14:9] And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.
9. [Malachi 2:10] Do we not all have one Father? Did not one God create us? Why do we profane the covenant of our ancestors by being unfaithful to one another?
QUOTED FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT:
1. [John 10:30] I and the Father are one
2. [John 10:38] But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.”
3. [John 14:7] If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.”
4. [John 14:10-11]Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me? The words I say to you, I do not speak on My own. Instead, it is the Father dwelling in Me, performing His works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me—or at least believe on account of the works themselves.
5. [Mark 12:28-29] One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important? “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength”
6. [1 Corinthians 8:6] yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.
7. [1 Corinthians 12:4-11] Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as He wills.
8. [1 Timothy 2:5] For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
9. [James 2:18-19] But someone will say, “You have faith and I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that God is one. Good for you! Even the demons believe that— and shudder.
10. [Revelation 4:8] “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!
Biblical verses about the Creation of the Universe
OLD TESTAMENT
1. [Genesis 1:7] So God made the expanse and separated the waters beneath it from the waters above. And it was so.
2. [Genesis 1:9] And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
3. [Genesis 1:14-19] And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good
4. [Isaiah 40:12] Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?
5. [Isaiah 40:15] Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he takes up the isles as fine dust.
6. [Isaiah 40:22] God sits above the circle of the earth. The people below seem like grasshoppers to him! He spreads out the heavens like a curtain and makes his tent from them.
7. [Isaiah 42:5] The LORD God created the heavens and stretched them out. He shaped the earth and all that comes from it. He gave life to the people who are on it and breath to those who walk on it. This is what the LORD God says:
8. [Isaiah 44:24] Thus says the LORD, your redeemer, and he that formed you from the womb, I am the LORD that makes all things; that stretches forth the heavens alone; that spreads abroad the earth by myself;
9. [Isaiah 45:12] I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded
10. [Isaiah 42:5] Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:
11. [Isaiah 48:13] “Surely My hand founded the earth, And My right hand spread out the heavens; When I call to them, they stand together
12. [Job 26:7] He stretched out the north over the empty place, and hanged the earth upon nothing.
13. [Job 26:10]“He has inscribed a circle on the surface of the waters. At the boundary of light and darkness.
14. [Job 28:24-25] For he looks to the ends of the earth, and sees under the whole heaven; To make the weight for the wind; and he apportions the waters by measure.
15. [Job 38:8-9] Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it broke forth, as if it had issued out of the womb? When I made the clouds its garment, and thick darkness its swaddling band
16. [Proverbs 8:29] When He set for the sea its boundary So that the water would not transgress His command, When He marked out the foundations of the earth;
17. [Proverbs 30:4] Who has ascended into heaven and descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has wrapped the waters in His garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name or His son’s name? Surely you know!
18. [Jeremiah 5:22] Do you not fear Me?’ declares the LORD. ‘Do you not tremble in My presence? For I have placed the sand as a boundary for the sea, An eternal decree, so it cannot cross over it. Though the waves toss, yet they cannot prevail; Though they roar, yet they cannot cross over it.
19. [Jeremiah 10:12] It is he who made the earth by his power, who established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding stretched out the heavens.
20. [Jeremiah 33:22] As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured: so will I multiply the descendants of David my servant, and the Levites that minister unto me.
21. [Jeremiah 33:25] “Thus says the Lord: ‘If My covenant is not with day and night, and if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth
22. [Jeremiah 31:35] Thus says the Lord, Who gives the sun for a light by day, The ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night, Who disturbs the sea, And its waves roar (The Lord of hosts is His name)
23. [Psalm 8:3] When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained
24. [Psalm 19:4-6] . . . In the heavens He has pitched a tent for the sun, like a bridegroom emerging from his chamber, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. It rises at one end of the heavens and runs its circuit to the other; nothing is deprived of its warmth.
25. [Psalm 40:26] Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.
26. [Psalm 104:6] You covered it with the deep as with a garment; The waters were standing above the mountains.
27. [Psalm 104:19-20] He appointed the moon for seasons; The sun knows its going down. You make darkness, and it is night, In which all the beasts of the forest creep about
28. [Psalm 104:30] You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the earth.
29. [Psalm 136:7-9] To Him who made great lights, For His mercy endures forever; The sun to rule by day, For His mercy endures forever; The moon and stars to rule by night, For His mercy endures forever
30. [Psalm 147:4] He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name.
31. [Isaiah 66:1] Thus says the LORD, “Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool Where then is a house you could build for Me? And where is a place that I may rest?
32. [Proverbs 8:27] When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he drew a circle upon the face of the depth
NEW TESTAMENT
1. [John 1:3] Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made.
2. [2 Peter 3:5] For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God,
3. [Hebrews 1:2] In these last days he has spoken to us through his Son. God made his Son responsible for everything. His Son is the one through whom God made the universe.
4. [Hebrews 1:3] The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
5. [Colossians 1:16] For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.
6. [Colossians 1:15-17] The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
7. [1 Corinthians 8:6] yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we exist. And there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we exist.
1. [Job 15:14] “What is man, that he should be pure, or he who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
2. [Job 29:14] I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my judgment was as a robe and a diadem.
3. [Proverbs 21:3] To do righteousness and justice is desired by the LORD more than sacrifice.
4. [Isaiah 11:4] but with righteousness He will judge the poor, and with equity He will decide for the lowly of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth and slay the wicked with the breath of His lips
5. [Isaiah 42:6] “I am the LORD, I have called you in righteousness, I will also hold you by the hand and watch over you, And I will appoint you as a covenant to the people, As a light to the nations
6. [Isaiah 45:23] “I have sworn by Myself, The word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness And will not turn back, That to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance.
7. [Isaiah 46:13] I am bringing my righteousness near, it is not far away; and my salvation will not be delayed. I will grant salvation to Zion, my splendor to Israel.
8. [Isaiah 51:5] “My righteousness is near, My salvation has gone forth, And My arms will judge the peoples; The coastlands will wait for Me, And for My arm they will wait expectantly.
9. [Isaiah 51:6] “Lift up your eyes to the sky, Then look to the earth beneath; For the sky will vanish like smoke, And the earth will wear out like a garment And its inhabitants will die in like manner; But My salvation will be forever, And My righteousness will not wane.
10. [Isaiah 53:11] As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities.
11. [Isaiah 56:1] Thus says the LORD, “Preserve justice and do righteousness, For My salvation is about to come And My righteousness to be revealed.
12. [Isaiah 59:16] And He saw that there was no man, And was astonished that there was no one to intercede; Then His own arm brought salvation to Him,And Hisrighteousness upheld Him.
13. [Isaiah 61:11] For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, And as a garden causes the things sown in it to spring up, So the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise To spring up before all the nations.
14. [Isaiah 64:6] But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteous deeds are like filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
15. [Psalm 9:7-8] But the LORD abides forever; He has established His throne for judgment, And He will judge the world in righteousness; He will execute judgment for the peoples with equity.
16. [Psalm 17:15] As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness; I will be satisfied with Your likeness when I awake
17. [Psalm 96:12-13] He shall have the homage of inanimate creation. “Then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice before the Lord: for He cometh, for He cometh to judge the earth: He shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with His truth,”
18. [Jeremiah 33:15] ‘In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch of David to spring forth; and He shall execute justice and righteousness on the earth
19. [Ezekiel 13:12] “Therefore, son of man, say to your people, ‘If someone who is righteous disobeys, that person’s former righteousness will count for nothing. And if someone who is wicked repents, that person’s former wickedness will not bring condemnation. The righteous person who sins will not be allowed to live even though they were formerly righteous.’
20. [Ezekiel 14:14] then even if these three men–Noah, Daniel, and Job–were in it, their righteousness could deliver only themselves, declares the Lord GOD.
21. [Daniel 9:22-24] “Seventy weeks have been determined concerning your people and your holy city to put an end to rebellion, to bring sin to completion, to atone for iniquity, to bring in perpetual righteousness, to seal up the prophetic vision, and to anoint a most holy place.
22. [Daniel 12:3] Then the wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever and ever.
23. [Zephaniah 2:3] Seek the LORD, All you humble of the earth Who have carried out His ordinances; Seek righteousness, seek humility Perhaps you will be hidden In the day of the LORD’S anger.
Quoted From New Testament
1. [Romans 3:25] God presented Him as an atoning sacrifice through faith in His blood, in order to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance He had passed over the sins committed beforehand.
2. [Romans 10:10] For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
3. [Galatians 3:5-6] So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard? So also Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.
4. [Galatians 5:5] For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness.
5. [Romans 14:17] “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
6. [Hebrews 1:8-9] But about the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.”
7. [James 3:18] And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
8. [2 Peter 1:1] Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours
9. [Philippians 3:9] and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God on the basis of faith
Non-Catholics keep accusing and even ridiculing the Catholics for carrying holy statues and marching in a festival procession to the house of God while singing and dancing. They also criticize the Catholic Church for celebrating fiestas for the Saints, allowing its members to eat and drink during this occasion. But are these practices going against the teaching of God? Let us check the Bible;
1. The Israelites went in procession, carrying holy statues (Ark of the Covenant) to the house of God
[Psalm 118:27] The LORD is God, and he has given us light. March in a festival procession with branches to the horns of the altar.
[Psalm 42:4] I will remember these things as I pour out my soul: how I used to walk with the crowd and lead it in a procession to God’s house. [I sang] songs of joy and thanksgiving while crowds of people celebrated a festival.
[Psalm 55:14] We shared sweet fellowship together; we walked with the crowd into the house of God.
2. David danced before the Ark of the Covenant (having two angel statues on it) with all his might
[2 Samuel 6:12-15] . . . So David went and had the ark of God brought up from the house of Obed-edom into the City of David with rejoicing. When those carrying the ark of the LORD had advanced six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened calf. And David, wearing a linen ephod, danced with all his might before the LORD, while he and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting and the sounding of the ram’s horn.
COMMENT: What David and all the house of Israel were doing is comparable to Sinulog, where people are carrying holy statues with dancing, shouting, and blowing wind instruments.
3. God’s people in the old held feasts, and they ate and drank
[Genesis 21:8] “Isaac grew, and on the day of the child’s weaning, Abraham held a great feast.”
[Genesis 26:30] So Isaac prepared a feast for them, and they ate and drank.
[Esther 9:19] So to this day, rural Jews living in remote villages celebrate an annual festival and holiday on the appointed day in late winter, when they rejoice and send gifts of food to each other.
[2 Kings 6:23] So he prepared a great feast for them, and after they had finished eating and drinking, he sent them away, and they returned to their master. So the bands from Aram stopped raiding Israel’s territory.
[2 Chronicles 30:13] A very large crowd of people assembled in Jerusalem to celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread in the second month.
[2 Chronicles 30:21] So the people of Israel who were present in Jerusalem joyously celebrated the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days. Each day the Levites and priests sang to the LORD, accompanied by loud instruments.
[John 5:1] “Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for a feast of the Jews.”
[Colossians 2:16-17] “Therefore do not let anyone condemn you in matters of food and drink, or of observing festivals, new moons, or sabbaths.”
4. God commands his people to celebrate feasts, and to enjoy eating and drinking
[Exodus 12:14] “This day shall be a memorial feast for you, which all your generations shall celebrate with pilgrimage to the LORD, as a perpetual institution.”
[Exodus 23:14] “You will have three special festivals each year. You must come to my special place to worship me during these festivals.
[Numbers 6:20] The priest shall then wave them as a wave offering before the LORD. This is a holy portion for the priest, in addition to the breast of the wave offering and the thigh that was presented. After that, the Nazirite may drink wine
[Deuteronomy 16:14] “You must rejoice at your feast, you, your son and your daughter, your serving men and women, the Levite, the foreigner, the orphan and the widow living in your community.”
[Nehemiah 8:10] And he said to them: Go, eat fat meats, and drink sweet wine, and send portions to them that have not prepared for themselves: because it is the holy day of the Lord, and be not sad: for the joy of the Lord is our strength.
[Esther 9:22] “he told them to celebrate these days with feasting and gladness and by giving gifts to each other and to the poor. this would commemorate a time when the jews gained relief from their enemies, when their sorrow was turned into gladness and their mourning into joy.”
[Ecclesiastes 2:24] Nothing is better for a man than to eat and drink and enjoy his work. I have also seen that this is from the hand of God.
[Ecclesiastes 8:15] So I commended the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for a man under the sun than to eat and drink and be merry. For this joy will accompany him in his labor during the days of his life that God gives him under the sun.
[Ecclesiastes 9:7] Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God now accepted thy works.
[Amos 9:14] and I will bring my people Israel back from exile. “They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit.
[Nahum 1:15] Look, there on the mountains, the feet of one who brings good news, who proclaims peace! Celebrate your festivals, Judah, and fulfill your vows. No more will the wicked invade you; they will be completely destroyed.
[John 2:7-10] Jesus told the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” So they filled them to the brim. “Now draw some out,” He said, “and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not know where it was from, but the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, “Everyone serves the fine wine first, and then the cheap wine after the guests are drunk. But you have saved the fine wine until now!”
[Isaiah 25:6] In Jerusalem, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies will spread a wonderful feast for all the people of the world. It will be a delicious banquet with clear, well-aged wine and choice meat.
[Jeremiah 31:12] They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion; they will be radiant over the bounty of the LORD–the grain, new wine, and oil, and the young of the flocks and herds. Their life will be like a well-watered garden, and never again will they languish
[Matthew 8:11] And I tell you this, that many Gentiles will come from all over the world—from east and west—and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven.
[Mark 14:25] Truly I tell you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it anew in the kingdom of God.
[Luke 13:29] They will come from east and west, from north and south, to share the banquet in the kingdom of God.
[Luke 14:15] When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.”
[Luke 22:28-30] “You have stayed with me in my time of trial. And just as my Father has granted me a Kingdom, I now grant you the right to eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom. And you will sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
[Hebrews 12:22] Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God (the heavenly Jerusalem), to myriads of angels, a festive gathering,
CONCLUSION
Celebrating fiesta for the saints, eating and drinking wine, and procession of holy things are biblical. What is forbidden is that when you eat and drink wine too much.
[Deuteronomy 21:20] The parents must say to the elders, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious and refuses to obey. He is a glutton and a drunkard.’
[Proverbs 23:20] Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat,
[1 Corinthians 5:11] But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.
[1 Corinthians 6:10] nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
