“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.
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!
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.
The Muslims keep boasting about Muhammad as the greatest prophet and greatest moral model of mankind. On the other hand, they keep attacking apostle Paul for being a fake messenger of God, liar, and fabricator of Trinity teaching. But who of them is deserving to be called a messenger of God? Below are different departments showing the contrariety between Paul and Muhammad. Their respective behaviors and teachings are absolutely opposite.
A. MESSENGER CONFIRMATION BY PREVIOUS PROPHETS
Jesus picked Paul (Saul) as His messenger for the Gentiles
[Acts 9:15-17] “Go!” said the Lord. “This man is My chosen instrument to carry My name before the Gentiles and their kings, and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for My name.” So Ananias went to the house, and when he arrived, he placed his hands on Saul. “Brother Saul,” he said, “the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here, has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
Peter (head of Jesus’ apostles) confirmed Paul as a messenger of God and wrote divine revelation;
[2 Peter 3:14-15] Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, and regard the patience of our Lord to be salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you
While no prophet or apostle confirmed Muhammad as a messenger of God, on the contrary, he received revelations from Satan;
[Quran 22:52] Never did We send a Messenger or a Prophet before you, but; when he did recite the revelation or narrated or spoke, Shaitan (Satan) threw (some falsehood) in it. But Allah abolishes that which Shaitan (Satan) throws in. Then Allah establishes His Revelations. And Allah is All-Knower, All-Wise:
B. MIRACLES PERFORMED AS A SIGN OF MESSENGERSHIP OF GOD
Paul Performed Miracles;
1. Paul drove away an evil spirit from a woman in the name of Jesus [Acts 16:16-18]
One day when we were going to the place of prayer, a female servant met us. She was possessed by an evil spirit that told fortunes. She made a lot of money for her owners by telling fortunes. She used to follow Paul and shout, “These men are servants of the Most High God. They’re telling you how you can be saved.” She kept doing this for many days. Paul became annoyed, turned to the evil spirit, and said, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” As Paul said this, the evil spirit left her.
2. Paul healed publius’ father and other sick people
[Acts 28:7-9] A man named Publius, who was the governor of the island, had property around the area. He welcomed us and treated us kindly, and for three days we were his guests. His father happened to be sick in bed. He was suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went to him, prayed, placed his hands on him, and made him well. After that had happened, other sick people on the island went to Paul and were made well.
3. Paul caused a troublesome person to become blind
[Acts 13:8-12] Elymas, whose name means [astrologer], opposed them and tried to distort the meaning of the faith so that the governor wouldn’t believe. But Saul, also known as Paul, was filled with the Holy Spirit. He stared at Elymas and said, “You are full of dirty tricks and schemes, you son of the devil! You hate everything that has God’s approval. Quit trying to distort the truth about the way the Lord wants people to live. The Lord is against you now. For a while you will be blind, unable to see the light of day.” Suddenly, Elymas couldn’t see a thing. He tried to find people to lead him. When the governor saw what had happened, he believed.
4. Paul resurrected a young man
[Acts 20:9-12] A young man named Eutychus was sitting in a window. As Paul was talking on and on, Eutychus was gradually falling asleep. Finally, overcome by sleep, he fell from the third story and was dead when they picked him up. Paul went to him, took him into his arms, and said, “Don’t worry! He’s alive!” Then Eutychus went upstairs again, broke the bread, and ate. Paul talked with the people for a long time, until sunrise, and then left. The people took the boy home. They were greatly relieved that he was alive.
5. Paul survived from poison
[Acts 28:3-6] Paul gathered a bundle of sticks, and as he laid them on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself to his hand. When the islanders saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “Surely this man is a murderer. Although he was saved from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.” But Paul shook the creature off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. The islanders were expecting him to swell up or suddenly drop dead. But after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.
While Muhammad could not performaMiracle and died from poison;
1. Muhammad could not perform a miracle
[Quran 17:90-93] And they say, “We will not believe you until you break open for us from the ground a spring. Or [until] you have a garden of palm tress and grapes and make rivers gush forth within them in force [and abundance] Or you make the heaven fall upon us in fragments as you have claimed or you bring Allah and the angels before [us] Or you have a house of gold or you ascend into the sky. And [even then], we will not believe in your ascension until you bring down to us a book we may read.” Say, “Exalted is my Lord! Was I ever but a human messenger?”
[Quran 13:7] And the disbelievers say: “Why is not a sign sent down to him from his Lord?” You are only a warner, and to every people there is a guide.
2. Muhammad died from poison
[Ibn Sa’d, Vol. 2, p. 249] The apostle of Allah and his companions ate from it. It (goat) said: “I am poisoned.” He [Muhammad] said to his Companions, “Hold you hands! because it has informed me that it is poisoned!” They withdrew their hands, but Bishr Ibn al-Bara expired. The apostle of Allah sent for her (Jewess) and asked her, “What induced you to do what you have done?” She replied, “I wanted to know if you are a prophet, in that case it will not harm you and if you are a king, I shall relieve the people of you. He gave orders and she was put to death.
[Sahih al-Bukhari 4428] Narrated `Aisha: The Prophet in his ailment in which he died, used to say, “O `Aisha! I still feel the pain caused by the food I ate at Khaibar, and at this time, I feel as if my aorta is being cut from that poison.”
Paul was a contemporary of Jesus and had met Him personally;
[Acts 9:3-6] Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”He asked, “Who are you, Lord?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.”
[Galatians 1:11-12] For I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel that was proclaimed by me is not of human origin, for I did not receive it from a human source, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.
While Muhammad was born 547 years after the time of Jesus, so he had no personal contact with him, nor he received revelations from Jesus
D. MORAL CONDUCT
Paul taught and practiced morality;
[1 Corinthians 6:9-11] Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
[Galatians 5:19-21] Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
[1 Corinthians 6:19-20] Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
While Muhammad practiced and taught immorality;
[Bukhari Kitabul Qadr 3:543] A man inquired, “We earn income from these bondwomen, (other narratives mention prostitution) so can we do coitus interrupts with them?” The Prophet said, “There is no sin in doing that”
[Sahih Muslim 1453a] A’isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported that Sahla bint Suhail came to Allah’s Apostle (may peace be upon him) and said: Messenger of Allah, I see on the face of Abu Hudhaifa (signs of disgust) on entering of Salim (who is an ally) into (our house), whereupon Allah’s Apostle said: Breastfeed him. She said: How can I breastfeed him as he is a grown-up man? Allah’s Messenger smiled and said: I already know that he is a young man. ‘Amr has made this addition in his narration: that he [Salim] participated in the Battle of Badr and in the narration of Ibn ‘Umar (the words are): Allah’s Messenger laughed.
[Sunan Abu Dawud, Number 2116] Aisha said: The Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) married me when I was seven years old. The narrator Sulaiman said: Or six years. He had intercourse with me when I was nine years old.
E. DEALING WITH FELLOW
Paul taught love and not to judge others;
[1 Corinthians 13:3-6] If I give all I possess to the poor and exult in the surrender of my body, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no account of wrongs. Love takes no pleasure in evil, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
[Romans 13:9-10] For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
[Romans 14:10-12] Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.
While Muhammad promoted hatred and judged others by killing them brutally;
[Sahih al-Bukhari 52:177] Allah’s Apostle said, “The Hour will not be established until you fight with the Jews, and the stone behind which a Jew will be hiding will say. “O Muslim! There is a Jew hiding behind me, so kill him.”
[Sahih al-Bukhari 8:387] Allah’s Apostle said, “I have been ordered to fight the people till they say: ‘None has the right to be worshipped but Allah’. And if they say so, pray like our prayers, face our Qibla and slaughter as we slaughter, then their blood and property will be sacred to us and we will not interfere with them except legally.”
[Sahih Muslim 31:5917] “Ali went a bit and then halted and did not look about and then said in a loud voice: ‘Allah’s Messenger, on what issue should I fight with the people?’ Thereupon he (the Prophet) said: ‘Fight with them until they bear testimony to the fact that there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is his Messenger’.”
F. TREATMENT OF MARRIAGE
Paul taught a married couple not to divorce;
[1 Corinthians 7:10-11] To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.
While Muhammad commanded a married couple to divorce;
[Sahih al-Bukhari 5261] Narrated `Aisha: A man divorced his wife thrice (by expressing his decision to divorce her thrice), then she married another man who also divorced her. The Prophet was asked if she could legally marry the first husband (or not). The Prophet replied, “No, she cannot marry the first husband unless the second husband consummates his marriage with her, just as the first husband had done.”
[Sahih Bukhari, Volume 3, Book 48, Number 827]
Narrated by Uqba bin Al-Harith: That he had married Um Yahya bint Abu Ihab. He said. “A black slave-lady came and said, ‘I suckled you both.’ I then mentioned that to the Prophet who turned his face aside.” Uqba further said, “I went to the other side and told the Prophet about it. He said, ‘How can you (keep her as your wife) when the lady has said that she suckled both of you (i.e. you and your wife?)” So, the Prophet ordered him to divorce her.
G. PERSONAL STATUS
Paul stayed unmarried for he devoted his life in spreading the word of God
[1 Corinthians 7:8-9] Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do.But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
While Muhammad lavished himself with sex by acquiring many wives plus concubines and sex slaves
Jesus was referring to the division of a family caused by His teaching. And His statement proves true, many family members turned divided because of Him. One example of this division is Jesus’ disciples who left their families to live with Him. Members of a family differ in Faith that’s why they become divided. How many members of families that left their homes so as to follow Jesus? and how many of them were killed? This division is very painful among the family members that’s why Jesus called His teaching as a ‘sword’ _for it cuts the hearts of men. Others opted not to follow Jesus and refuse His salvation because they cannot afford to lose their families or to lose their lives as a consequence of leaving their Faiths. In Islamic society, to kill a family member who left Islam is a commandment. That’s why Jesus said, “anyone who loves his father and mother or (son and daughter) more than me is not worthy of me”. The one who sticks to his family because he is afraid to die will lose his eternal life instead. While the one who is not afraid to die in following Jesus will find eternal life instead. Jesus only emphasized to us the cost of choosing Him, that we should carry the cross (painful consequence) in following His teaching if we want eternal lives.
Let us continue reading Matthew 10, from verse 35 to 39;
35For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’;
36and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’
37He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.
38And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.
39He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.
Let us also read the parallel verses from [Luke 12:51-53], they say;
51Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.
52From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three.
53They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
Jesus is the prince of peace [Isaiah 9:6]. He is referring not the literal sword to kill people, but He meant the sword of Spirit which is the “word of God”. Kindly read;
[Ephesians 6:17] Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
[Hebrews 4:12] For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it pierces even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
“Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses”
[1 Timothy 6:12]
Non-Catholics and Muslims condemn the Catholics for making confession to priests. They argue that confession should be made directly to God since only Him can forgive sins, so why a Catholic should confess to a priest? These people failed to realize that the Catholic Church is the owner of the Bible, thus Catholics know the Bible better than them. Why would we disclose our sins to God when He already knew our sins?
The confession of sin mentioned in the Old Testament was made to a Godly man (leader chosen by God or priest). A sinner came to a Godly man and confessed his/her sin to him, after confession, the Godly man would then pray to God for the forgiveness of the confessor. And this is what the priests are doing today in the Church, they receive confessions, after that, they plead to God for the forgiveness of the apellant. It is not the priest who forgives sins, but he just acts as an intercessor for the confessing sinner. God won’t hear the pleading of a sinful man, that’s why we need a Godly man to do the pleading for us sinners.
God commands us not to conceal our sins, meaning our brothers in Christ should know it, thus telling of sins should not be made to God but to our Godly fellows. Confessing our sins to Godly people is part of our burden so as to earn forgiveness from above. If your wife has committed a marital unfaithfulness, and she just hide it from you because only God can forgive, is it okay for you? And if your playmate broke your nose accidentally, is it okay for you if he won’t ask forgiveness from you because you have no right to forgive? Evidently, each of one us is part of this forgiving and interceding circle. If I forgive your sin against me you will also be forgiven by God, likewise my sins against my other fellow will be forgiven by God as well. That’s why the apostle James commanded us to confess our sins to one another, and pray for one another (James 5:16). In this verse, the apostle James is talking in general. His commandment does not mean that we should tell our sins to anyone, but to the people who are Godly, like the priests who are leaders appointed by God Jesus.
Confession of sins was already commanded by God and practiced by the Israelites even before the arrival of the New Testament [Numbers 5:7]. John the baptist also administered confession [Mark 1:4-5]. Jesus gave authority to His disciples to forgive sins, He told them, “If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven” (John 20:23). Take note that the apostles were appointed by Jesus to lead his church, so they were priests. Peter was the first head or pope of Christianity, and his priesthood along with other apostles were handed down to the Catholic priests of today. Therefore, if the priests won’t forgive you because you don’t want to confess your sins to them, your sins won’t be forgiven by God as well.
Biblical verses commanding us to confess our sins to one another;
OLD TESTAMENT
1. [Numbers 5:7] and must confess the sin he has committed. He must pay full compensation, add a fifth to its value, and give all this to the one he has wronged
2. [Leviticus 5:5-6] when anyone becomes aware that they are guilty in any of these matters, they must confess in what way they have sinned.As a penalty for the sin they have committed, they must bring to the Lord a female lamb or goat from the flock as a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for them for their sin.
3. [Leviticus 16:21] “Then Aaron shall lay both of his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the sons of Israel and all their transgressions in regard to all their sins; and he shall lay them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who stands in readiness.
4. [Leviticus 26:40] ‘If they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their forefathers, in their unfaithfulness which they committed against Me, and also in their acting with hostility against Me—
5. [Psalm 32:5] I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I did not hide; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD”; And You forgave the guilt of my sin.
6. [Psalm 38:18] For I confess my iniquity; I am full of anxiety because of my sin.
7. [Proverbs 28:13] Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.
8. [Nehemiah 9:2] And the seed of the children of Israel separated themselves from every stranger: and they stood, and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers.
9. [Jeremiah 3:13] But yet acknowledge thy iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God: and thou hast scattered thy ways to strangers under every green tree, and hast not heard my voice, saith the Lord.
10. [Jeremiah 14:20] We acknowledge our wickedness, O LORD, the guilt of our fathers; indeed, we have sinned against You.
11. [Joshua 7:19] And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me.
12. [Hosea 5:15] Then I will return to My place until they admit their guilt and seek My face; in their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.”
13. [Ezra 10:11] Now make confession to the Lord, the God of your fathers,and do his will
NEW TESTAMENT
1. [Matthew 3:5-6] People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region around the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.
2. [Matthew 16:19] I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
3. [Matthew 18:18] Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
4. [Mark 1:4-5] John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. People went out to him from all of Jerusalem and the countryside of Judea. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.
5. [John 20:23] If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
6. [Acts 19:18] Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done.
7. [Romans 10:9-11] . . . For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture says, Whosoever believes on him shall not be ashamed.
8. [2 Corinthians 2:10] When you forgive this man, I forgive him, too. And when I forgive whatever needs to be forgiven, I do so with Christ’s authority for your benefit
9. [1 Timothy 6:12] Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
10. [Hebrews 5:1] Every high priest is a man chosen to represent other people in their dealings with God. He presents their gifts to God and offers sacrifices for their sins
11. [1 John 1:9] If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
12. [James 5:16] Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.
† Jesus bore the sins of mankind, thus he took the pain and suffering resulted from the punishment imposed to us (mankind). He’s presenting himself to God as sinful mankind who was punished on a cross because of our sins. Prophet Isaiah foretold about the suffering Messiah, to quote;
[Isaiah 53:4-6] “Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. 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”
[Isaiah 53:12] “Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors”
COMMENT: The above verses foretell the fate of Jesus, who will become the bearer of our sins and taker of our punishment. He will become the intercessor between God and sinful mankind. Jesus though God in spirit, did not use his divine power to his advantage, instead he showed so much humility and used his humanity in going through worldly suffering. Consider the verses below;
[Philippians 2:5-8] Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, existing in the form of God, did not consider to be equal with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself, having taken the form of a servant, having been made in the likeness of men. And having been found in appearance as a man He humbled Himself, having become obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
† Jesus had authority on himself but he intentionally gave up his human life so as to redeem mankind, as he said;
[John 10:18] “No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.”
† Right after the fall of the first man, God had set up a plan to destroy Satan’s work. He said to the Serpent Satan;
“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” [Genesis 3:15].
COMMENT: This promised seed was fulfilled in Jesus who’s born to a woman (Mary). The reason why Jesus was sent by God is to destroy the devil’s work through his death. So that in Jesus death, he might deliver us from the power of death inflicted by Satan. Kindly read;
“He that commits sin is of the devil; for the devil sins from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil” [1 John 3:8]
“Since then the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” [Hebrews 2:14-15]
† All people sinned [Micah 7:2], therefore all people should be sentenced to death physically and spiritually since the penalty of sin is death. But because God so loved the world (John 3:16), He saved it by sending forth a spirit from Him (the Son) and dwelt in a man (Jesus) to obey the commandment accorded to humanity. Jesus presented himself as an atonement for sin like a sacrificial lamb. Only righteous or sinless man can enter into Heaven, but how can we be righteous if we are sinners since birth [Psalm 58:3]? A sinner cannot reconnect to the glory of God by himself. God looked for a sinless or holy man to be the reason He would not destroy mankind, but He had found no one [Ezekiel 22:30 & Isaiah 59:16]. Because God so loved mankind, He sent forth a spirit from Him and came down to Earth to take a human body (Psalm 104:30, Psalm 107:20, & John 6:38). This man obeyed the commandments of God perfectly and went through worldy suffering so that mankind won’t perish [Psalm 73:27]. Jesus bore our iniquities and died on our behalf so that we can become righteous and justified in the eyes of God the Father through him [Romans 3:25-26]. By Jesus’ suffering and anguish on the cross, God’s wrath becomes pacified;
“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” [Isaiah 53:11]
† Jesus was following the will of the Father, his fate was already foretold in the Scriptures thousand years before his birth. In fact his last word was, “it is finished” [John 19:30], referring to the fulfillment of the prophecies about him. Kindly check this speech of Jesus to his apostles after his resurrection;
“These are my words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled” [Luke 24:44]
† Mankind became separated from God thus they lost their everlasting life. Sinlessness means everlasting life while sinfulness means death, thus we are dead already because of sin. But through the resurrection of Jesus we can also be resurrected, all we have to do is to believe in his saving work and follow his will.
† Why is it that the spirit of God needed to dwell in a human body in order to save us mankind? The answer is;
“For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead” [1 Corinthians 15:21]
For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. [Romans 5:19]
† Only the human body of Jesus which was killed, but his spirit wasn’t. Even us ordinary humans, Satan cannot kill our souls. Only God can kill spirits including the spirit of Satan.
[Matthew 10:28] Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
† Why Jesus did not use his divine power to stop or skip the test of life? If Jesus avoided the wordly suffering, that is a cheating. How could he become righteous or sinless if he is a cheater? How could his saving work be qualified? The mission of Jesus was to obey the law perfectly, in this manner he saved mankind.
† Is the Father unfair by allowing Jesus to be killed? Nope, for He exalted Jesus to the highest place in return.
[Psalm 89:27] “And I will appoint him to be my firstborn, the most exalted of the kings of the earth”
[Isaiah 52:13] “Behold, My Servant will act wisely; He will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted”
[Hebrews 2:9] “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because He suffered death, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone”
[Philippians 2:9-11] “Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name above all names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”
Supposed Contradiction: In [Matthew 5:17-18], Jesus did not come to abolish the law, But in [Ephesians 2:13-15], Jesus abolished the law of Moses
Questioned verses:
[Matthew 5:17-18 & Luke 16:17] Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished
Contradict with
[Ephesians 2:14-15] In his body he has made Jewish and non-Jewish people one by breaking down the wall of hostility that kept them apart. He brought an end to the commandments and demands found in Moses’ Teachings so that he could take Jewish and non-Jewish people and create one new humanity in himself. So he made peace
[Hebrews 7:18-19] The former requirements are rejected because they are weak and useless. Moses’ Teachings couldn’t accomplish everything that God required. But we have something else that gives us greater confidence and allows us to approach God.
ANSWER: In [Matthew 5:17-18], Jesus does not say, “I uphold the law,” but merely says He came to fulfill all the things that were written about Him in Tanakh (Old Testament) being the Messiah, prophet or messenger, savior, etc.. Kindly read the supporting verses below:
[Luke 24:44] “These are my words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled”
[Matthew 26:53-54] Are you not aware that I can call on My Father, and He will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen this way?”
On the other hand, [Ephesians 2:14-15] does not say all the laws of Moses are abolished, but some of the demands found in Moses’ Teachings. Because there are laws of Moses that are intended only for the Israelites especially when it comes to cleansing and atonement rituals such as circumcision, animal sacrifice, food prohibition, and others. These mentioned Mosaic demands make the Jews separated from non-Jews. Jesus Christ, being our ultimate sacrificial lamb to God, the purifier of the world, superseded all these cleansing and atonement rituals. Circumcision is no longer necessary to the Church, animal sacrifice is no longer performed by us, impure animals that were forbidden to eat before were already purified by Him [Acts 10:15]. And because of this sacrifice and purification through Jesus, the Jewish and non-Jewish became one Church or humanity. The arrival of Jesus is also the arrival of the New Covenant, the everlasting covenant, which is intended for all peoples. This is to fulfill what God had promised roughly 700 hundred years before Jesus;
[Jeremiah 31:31-32] “The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD.
But when it comes to the Moral teachings, the Ten Commandments, and prophecies; Jesus confirmed them.
While in [Hebrews 7:18-19], it says that the Former Law is useless not in the sense that it’s wrong, but it is impossible for us to follow it. The one who can have eternal life is only the perfect or sinless man (Psalm 37:37 & Revelation 21:27), therefore it is impossible for us to enter into Heaven since mankind fell to sin. Because of our sinful nature, our body is weakened to combat the urges of sins. But in the New law or Covenant, Jesus is our perfecter and justifier of faith, thus very possible for us to follow it and enter the kingdom of God. Kindly read;
[Hebrews 12:2] Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
[Romans 3:26] to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
[Romans 8:3]
New International Version For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh,
New Living Translation 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.
GOD’S WORD® Translation It is impossible to do what God’s standards demand because of the weakness our human nature has. But God sent his Son to have a human nature as sinners have and to pay for sin. That way God condemned sin in our corrupt nature.
Amplified Bible For what the Law could not do [that is, overcome sin and remove its penalty, its power] being weakened by the flesh [man’s nature without the Holy Spirit], God did: He sent His own Son in the likeness of sinful man as an offering for sin. And He condemned sin in the flesh [subdued it and overcame it in the person of His own Son]
