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The Life of Christ: Prophet, Priest, & King
Introduction To The God-Man
Isaiah 9:6
A child could not be given; the son could not be born. Jesus Christ is
both God and man. As God he is equal with God, and as man he is equal with
man. Standard
A child could not be given because Jesus would have entered into the earth
illegally. The child, Jesus, had to be born in order to satisfy the claims
of man. Like wise, Christ could not be born because that would give God
a beginning. Christ had to be given in order to satisfy the claims of God.
Jesus became a man in the womb of Mary, but Christ (deity) existed eternally.
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Micah 5:2
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John 1:1-2
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Psalm 93:2
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Psalm 90:2
Hypostatic Union
God becoming a man or the uniting of humanity with deity is called the
Hypostatic Union:
HUPO: Under
STASIS: That which stands
That which stands under—-a foundation.
Literally: Tangibility, reality, substance
It is imperative that you identify with Jesus’ humanity, and equally imperative
that you believe in his deity.
Jesus—Humanity
Christ—Deity
Jesus Christ—Hypostatic Union—emphasis on his humanity
Christ Jesus—Hypostatic Union—emphasis on his deity
Son of David—Hypostatic Union—emphasis on his humanity
The thrust of a verse containing the name of his hypostatic union is determined
by the order of these i.e., whether the action goes from God to man or
from man to God.
Jesus Christ—Man to God
Christ Jesus—God to man
Philippians 4:19
Ephesians 3:14
Jesus The Mediator
We (men) approach the mediator in the name of his humanity. He approaches
the Father in his deity and receives the answer. We receive the answer
to our petition from his humanity.
We pray in the name of Jesus, not in the name of Christ.
Jesus is not 50‰ God and 50‰ man. He is 100‰ God and 100‰ man. He can satisfy
all the claims of God because he is God. He can satisfy all the claims
of man because he is man.
Jesus Christ is God in the form of man; as completely God as if he were
not man; as completely man as if he were not God.
Isaiah 9:6
He is God.
He is the Father.
He is deity taking on flesh.
Luke 4:8 & Hebrews 1:6
Hebrews 1:8
The Father calls Jesus God!
Religion vs. Grace
Religion and grace are definitely not synonymous.
GRACE:
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God does all the work, gives it to man - man receives it and God gets all
the credit.
RELIGION:
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Man does all the work and offers it to God - expecting him to receive it
, and man gets all the credit.
Jesus Christ bearing the sin of the world!
In the ark of the covenant were found:
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Matthew 26:2
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Matthew 28:1-5
The Character Of God
1.
Sovereignty
2.
Absolute Righteousness
3.
Justice
4.
Love
5.
Eternal Life
6.
Omnipresence
7.
Omniscience
8.
Omnipotence
9.
Immutability - Unchangeable
10.
Veracity - Truthful
END OF INTRODUCTION
Why Did God Become Human?
The Slave Market
Spiritual death, separation from God, is passed upon all men through Adam.
Eve is never mentioned in the reckoning of the imputation of sin.
Genesis 1:20-25
Every living thing in creation produces after its kind. You can’t plant
the seed of a radish and get an oak tree. This is a primeval law. Romans
3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.
Amplified
Since all have sinned and are falling short of the honor and glory which
God bestows and receives.
Romans 5:12, 18-19
We have all sinned in Adam. When Adam sinned against God, the judgment
and condemnation that came upon him came upon all mankind.
1 Corinthians 15:21-22
Notice that the scriptures continually point to the singular...by one man,
by man, in Adam, etc. Nowhere in scripture does it say that in Eve all
sinned, or through Eve death passed upon all men. And there is a very good
reason why scripture avoids making statements like those.
1 Timothy 2:13-14
Adam was given the command not to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge
of good and evil before woman was ever created. Adam knew that he was openly
defying the command of God when he ate of the fruit.
And Adam was not deceived, but the woman was bamboozled, cajoled, manipulated,
duped, flim-flammed, hoodwinked, hustled and deceived.
The woman was not held responsible; Adam was held responsible for the transgression.
How could Jesus possibly be born outside the slave-market of sin? How could
Jesus be born out from under the dominion of Satan?
Spiritual death is passed on through the father, and not through the mother!
It is through the man that sin is passed on to each successive generation.
Leviticus 17:11, 14
The only way Jesus could be born outside the curse of a sinful nature was
to be born of a virgin.
Genesis 3:15
Throughout all history, Satan was looking for a man to come as Messiah.
He continually attacks the men of God.
Then Satan realized that Messiah’ was going to come through the lineage
of David the king. So Satan set to work at once on the line of David, and
the kingly lineage of David was cursed through Solomon.
1 Kings 11:11-12
Although God does not take the kingdom away from Solomon, God says that
the kingdom will be taken away from his (Solomon’s) son and given to a
servant of Solomon. The curse is finalized in the life of one Jeconiah
(Coniah or Jehoiachin).
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2 Kings 24:6-15
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Jeremiah 22:24-30
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1 Chronicles 3:16-17
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1 Chronicles 3:1-6
Solomon took David’s place as king.
1 Chronicles 3:10-17
The remainder of the kingly lineage of David.
Matthew 1:6-16
Luke 3:23-32
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Joseph came from David the king through Solomon the king.
The legal line of Jesus’ lineage.
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Mary came from David the king through Nathan the nobody.
The blood line of Jesus’ lineage.
Tempted, But no Sin
Luke 4:1
John 2:1
John 10:1-2
All of the work was done by his humanity, but we believe on his deity to
be saved.
Perfect humanity died for cursed humanity.
Matthew 26:39-42
Jesus was tempted at the beginning of his ministry and at the end of it.
He was tempted, but he did not yield to temptation. Temptation is not a
sin, yielding to temptation is a sin.
Miracles & Healings - Works of His Humanity
Acts 10:38 Jesus of Nazareth = Humanity
Jesus did no mighty works until’ he was anointed by and with the Holy Ghost.
We will do no mighty works until we are anointed with the Holy Ghost.
Jesus would not have to wait until age thirty to do these mighty works
if he did them from his deity. He would not have to wait to be anointed
with the Holy Ghost (deity) if he did mighty works from his deity.
Jesus never performed a miracle for himself.
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THE ANOINTING ALWAYS WORKS FOR THE BENEFIT OF OTHERS.
Matthewl4:15 ff
The power for miracles and healings came from God, but Jesus had to allow
that power to flow through his humanity.
The Work of Suffering & Death
What Jesus bore in his body was for the benefit of your body.
What Jesus bore in his spirit was for the benefit of your spirit!
Creation of The World
Psalm 8:3
Creation of Man
Psalm 119:73
Work of Salvation
Psalm 77:15
Isaiah 52:10
Isaiah 53:1
Humanity on The Cross
Jesus hung on the cross for six hours:
Crucified 9:00 a.m.
Became sin 12:00 p.m. (bought salvation) (died spiritually)
Died physically 3:00 p.m.
The Barrier Between God Man
Jesus Christ is the barrier between God and man. The mediator is also the
barrier. Jesus said, “No man cometh unto the Father but by me.”
No one is going to be JUDGED for his sins.
Everyone is going to be judged for their attitude toward Jesus.
The reason God became a man was to pay the penalty for man’s sin. Because
it was a righteous man who first sinned, justice demanded that a righteous
man pay the penalty for the sin of the first.
In becoming a man, God instituted the plan of substitution.
The Son of God became the son of man so that the sons of men might become
the sons of God!
He became what he was not so we could become what he was.
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He became sin ... we become righteous
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He became sick ... we become well
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He became poor ... we become rich
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He became dead ... we become alive
2 Corinthians 5:17-21
Verse 18 declares that we have the same ministry as Jesus.
Verse 19 states plainly; God is not imputing the trespasses of men against
them.
There is only ONE sin that the Holy Spirit convicts people of; the only
sin not paid for on the cross.. .rejection of Jesus Christ.
John 16:7-11 The Anchor Bible
Still I am telling you the truth: it is for your own good that For if I
do not go away, the Paraclete will never come to you; whereas, if I do
go, I shall send him to you. And when he does come, he will prove the world
wrong about sin, I go away. about justice, and about judgment. First, about
sin-in that they refuse to believe in me. Then, about justice-in that I
am going to the Father and you can see me no longer. Finally, about judgment-
in that the Prince of this world has been judged.
John 16:7-11 The Jerusalem Bible
Still, I must tell you the truth: it is for your own good that I am going
because unless I go, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I do go,
I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will show the world about
sin, about who was in the right, and about judgment: how wrong it was,
about sin: proved by their refusal to believe in me; about who was in the
right: proved by my going to the Father and you seeing me no more; about
judgment: proved by the prince of this world being already condemned.
Sin
The Paraclete will focus on the expression of disbelief that culminated
in the death of Jesus Christ. All other individual sins are an expression
of man’s sin nature. But the sin of unbelief on Jesus Christ as Lord and
Savior is a culpable sin that depicts an unreasonable choice of evil and
merits God’s eternal wrath
Justice
Secondly, the Paraclete will prove the world wrong about justice by showing
that Jesus, whom the world had condemned as guilty, was really innocent
and just.
Some of the Church Fathers, including Augustine, and even some of the reformers
thought that vs. 10 made reference to the justice of the Christian by faith.
But the “I am going to the Father” shows that the theme of the verse is
the vindication of Jesus.
Judgment
Finally, the Paraclete will prove that in condemning Jesus, the world itself
was judged. Since the time of Jesus’ passion and death represents the confrontation
of Jesus and the Prince of this world, then Jesus’ victory over death was
also his victory over Satan. The very fact that Jesus stands justified
before the Father means that Satan has been condemned and has lost his
power over the world.
Those who believe in Jesus participate in his victory over Satan. Those
who do not believe in Jesus participate in the eternal judgment of Satan.
When you do something wrong and feel convicted, that is not the Holy Spirit.
You are convicted by your own recreated human spirit. In verse 8, Sin,
Justice and Judgment are all in the singular. The Holy Spirit only convicts
people of one sin.
Romans 8:16; 9:1
When you hear the Word of God, it is the Holy Spirit who quickens the Word
to your heart. When you violate the Word of God, it is your spirit, previously
quickened to God’s Word by the Holy Spirit, that convicts you of your sins!
Your spirit is like soil. Soil merely grows what is planted there; good
or bad. You are going to be convicted (by your spirit) based upon what
you have sown into your spirit. If you sow religious tradition into your
spirit you are going to be convicted in line with your religious tradition.
If, however, you sow the Word of God into your spirit, you are going to
be convicted in line with the Word of God.
If it was the Holy Spirit that convicted us of all sins, we would all be
convicted of the same thing.
TV., Movies, cards, etc. People are convicted in line with the teachings
they have taken in. The Bible has both commands and guidelines. Commands
are to be obeyed, guidelines are to help us make personal choices.
Romans 14:1-8, 14, 22
The Prophet’s Ministry
The Prophet’s ministry deals with Jesus’ life on earth.
Matthew 21:10-11
(Jesus the prophet; not Christ)
Jesus called himself a prophet
Mark 6:4
Definition of a Prophet
To constitute the office of a prophet, a man or woman is first of all a
minister. He or she has the calling of God in life, and he or she has at
least two of the revelation gifts operating in ministry at all times, as
well as the gift of prophecy. Luke 4:18-19 John 4:15-19 7
Seven Statements From The Cross
1.
Luke 23:34
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Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.
2.
Luke 23:43
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Today shalt thou be with me in Paradise.
3.
John 19:25-27
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Woman, behold thy son! Behold thy mother!
THOSE STATEMENTS WERE ALL MADE BEFORE NOON
4.
Matthew 27:46
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My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
5.
John 19:28
6.
John 19:30
7.
Luke 23:46
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Father, into thy hands I commend (dismiss) my spirit.
Statements 1 and 7 Jesus says Father. Statement 4 Jesus says my God.
3 Chambers Of Hell
Paradise or Abraham’s Bosom
For Believers
This chamber was closed by Christ after he had preached to the captives
and was resurrected.
Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure:
and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth,
shall descend into it. Isaiah 5:14
Hell—Place of Torments
For Unbelievers
This, however, is not eternal hell. Eternal hell is something entirely
different and is referred to as the lake of fire.
Tartarus\2 Peter 2:4-5
For Fallen Angels
No men are in here, and this is not the same thing as the abyss (bottomless
pit).
Jesus Christ went to all three places 1 Peter 3:18-20
Psalm 22 is Jesus’ prior ministry on earth as a prophet. This psalm was
fulfilled by Jesus Christ.
Psalm 22:1 FULFILLED Matthew 27:46
Psalm 22:6 FULFILLED
Psalm 22:8 FULFILLED
Matthew 27:48
Psalm 22:18 FULFILLED Matthew 27:35
Psalm 22 deals mainly with
sin bearing.
Isaiah 53:3-5 (sickness bearing)
GRIEFS = SICKNESSES
SORROWS = PAINS
Rotherham Translation (Emphasized Bible)
Despised was he and forsaken of men, Man of pains and familiar with sickness,-Yea
one from whom the face is hidden Despised, and we esteemed him not. |Yet
surely| sicknesses ||he|| carried, And as for our pains he bare the burden
of them,- But ||we|| accounted him stricken, Smitten of God, and humbled.
Yet ||he|| was pierced for transgressions that were ours, was crushed for
iniquities that were ours,- ||The chastisement for our well-being|| was
upon him, And by his stripes there is healing for us.
Some teach that this passage in Isaiah is speaking of spiritual sickness
and spiritual pain But the Holy Spirit has given us his commentary on this
passage in the book of Matthew. In Matthew 8:16-17, we observe that physical
healing is what takes place, and that same physical healing was for the
fulfillment of Isaiah 53:3-5.
Healing in The Atonement
There are those who, even today, teach that there was no healing in the
atonement, and offer as evidence the fact that we are not healed when we
are born again.
The Sacraments
Of the three Christian sacraments incorporating ritual elements: water
baptism, anointing with oil, and communion, only communion commemorates
the cross.
Water Baptism........Water Anointing with
Oil...Oil
Communion............Bread and Wine
The Bible neither mentions the body or the stripes of Jesus when speaking
of salvation nor mentions the blood of Jesus when speaking of healing.
The blood of Jesus is for our salvation, and the body of Jesus is for our
healing.
Healing Without Salvation
Luke 22:50-51
John 9:1-41
Healing is for the natural man; salvation is for the spiritual man.
Jesus gives us two avenues of approach.
1.
Healing: where we approach Jesus through our natural man.
2.
Salvation: where we approach Jesus through our spiritual man.
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Two separate acts of faith centered in the same person.
Prophecies of Jesus
His Betrayal
Matthew 26:21, 23, 25
His Time in Hell & Resurrection
Matthew 12:40
The Coming of The Holy Spirit
John 14:16-20, 26
The Tribulation & Millennium
Matthew 24:3, 9-51
The Church Age does not operate in the same fashion as the Jewish Age.
The Bible refers to the dispensation of the Church as the ‘MYSTERY’.
Romans 11:25
Romans 16:25
1 Corinthians 4:1
Ephesians 3:3-4, 9
Colossians 1:26-27
The Mystery
Musterion
Among the ancient Greeks ‘the mysteries’ were religious rites and ceremonies
practiced by secret societies into which anyone, who so desired, might
be received. Those who were initiated into these ‘mysteries’ became possessors
of certain knowledge, which was not imparted to the uninitiated, and were
called ‘the perfected,’ cp. 1 Corinthians 2:6-16 where the Apostle has
these ‘mysteries’ in mind and presents the gospel in contrast thereto;
here ’the perfected’ are, of course, the believers, who alone can perceive
the things revealed. W.E. Vine, Expository Dictionary of New Testament
Words (Minneapolis, MN, 1984), p.769.
When you run across this word you are basically looking at teaching and
doctrine for the Church Age. Jesus used this word with his disciples in
Matthew 13:11 and Mark 4:10-11.
Paul was the Apostle to the Gentiles; Romans 11:13; 15:16. Paul’s mission
was to complete or fulfill the gospel (Col. 1:25).
Things Included In The Mystery Doctrine
Individual Priesthood of The Believer
In the Old Testament we see a tribe of priests (Levi). This priestly tribe
was not God’s perfect will. According to Exodus 19:6, God had ordained
that Israel should be a kingdom of priests, not merely have a priestly
tribe.
In the New Testament we see that each believer has his own priesthood before
God.
Indwelling of The Holy Spirit
In the Old Testament the Holy ghost would come upon certain individuals
at certain times or seasons. Once a particular work had been accomplished,
the Holy Ghost would depart from that individual.
In the New Testament we see that believers enjoy the continually abiding
presence of the Holy Ghost.
In-filling Of The Holy Spirit
Seven gifts operated in the 0. T.
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Two were added (tongues & interpretation)
1 Corinthians 13:8
1.
Fail and vanish both mean to gradually come to and end
2.
Cease means to stop immediately
3.
Tongues started immediately with the Church; tongues will cease immediately
at the end of this age. The other 7 gifts will begin to fail at yáthat
time, and by the end of the tribulation period, some seven years, they,
too, will have ceased.
Difference between indwelling and in-filling is seen in a parable: Luke
10:30-35.
The Church
While the OT prophets were blessed with a wealth of revelation, not one
of them was given any idea about the advent of the church.
The Body of Christ
Since the church was not revealed during the OT, it is not surprising that
the Body of Christ was not revealed either.
Teaching on Spiritual Gifts
Though 7 of the 9 gifts were in operation during the OT period, there was
no formal instruction on their use presented in scripture. That instruction
came with the mystery.
All after Pentecost
Things Not Included in The Mystery
The Death of Jesus
The Ascension
His Seating at The Right Hand of The Father
Tribulation
Millennium
Eternal State
All before Pentecost
END OF THE PROPHET’S MINISTRY
The Priest’s Ministry
Psalm 23
Exodus 17:1-7 Rod = type of judgment
Numbers 20:1-11 Rod = type of priesthood
Christ today is our High Priest Hebrews 3:1. Priesthood is one of the family
rights given to the first-born of Israel. In fact the first-born had three
privileges: rulership, priesthood, and heirship.
When we are born again we meet Jesus Christ in two areas, namely, fellowship
and relationship. Sin effects fellowship, not relationship.
The Carnal Christian
When you are born again you enter into a relationship with God that is
designed to be eternal. This relationship entitles you to fellowship, which
is temporary. Sin breaks fellowship with both God and the people of God.
The priesthood is our means of getting back into fellowship with the Lord.
When you are out of fellowship with the Lord you are carnal. When you are
in fellowship with the Lord you are spiritual.
The carnal Christian is out of fellowship with God, but he has not lost
his relationship as a part of the family (Yet!).
Sins do not separate a sinner from God, it is the sinner’s attitude toward
Jesus Christ that separates him from God. The sinner has neither relationship
nor fellowship with God; consequently, even if he did confess his sin -
not believing on Jesus Christ - he would not be forgiven and cleansed.
A sinner is saved by confessing his belief in Jesus not by confessing his
unbelief.
Leviticus 16:1-22
The priest kills the bullock to atone for his own sins, and he sprinkles
the blood upon the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies. He then kills the
goat to atone for the sins of the people; again, sprinkling the blood upon
the mercy seat. By the shedding of blood, Israel’s relationship is temporarily
restored.
The scapegoat is for the confessing and bearing away of sins. Few people
realize the significance of this action. The priest confesses the sins
of the children of Israel, putting them upon the head of the goat. The
goat is then lead away from the people into the wilderness. But the sins
that the priest confessed were sins that had already been atoned for by
the blood of the first goat. Through this confession, Israel is brought
back into fellowship with God.
The priest cannot confess the sins of the people until atonement is made
for those sins and the blood of the goat sprinkled upon the mercy seat.
Until atonement is made the wrath of God is upon all who have sinned and
he will not listen to confession.
Confession is for the sin of the believer; the man or woman who has had
their sin atoned for by the blood of the lamb.
Jesus has sprinkled the blood of the sacrifice upon the mercy seat. We,
in our priesthood as believers, are now able to confess our sin and be
forgiven and cleansed.
1 John 1:6-9
Speaking to believers.
V.9confession=HOMOLOGEO
HOMO = the same
LOGEO = to speak
We break with sin through maturity not through promising to do better.
God does not require your promise to do better.
The Order of Melchizedek
Jesus is a High Priest after the order of Melchizedek. The immediate question
is who and what was Melchizedek? Hebrews chapter seven says he was a man.
Biblically, however, Melchizedek is a type of Jesus Christ.
Genesis 14:18-20
Surprising as it may be, we only have these three verses of Old Testament
scripture giving us an account of Melchizedek, yet they are rich with information.
We are not told where Melchizedek came from or where he went to; he is
just suddenly there.
King of Salem: Salem is an earlier form for Jerusalem
Melchizedek is the first priest mentioned in the bible; over 400 years
before the Levitical line. He is the only person, other than Jesus Christ,
who is both a king and a priest.
Bread And Wine
A type of the atonement. Melchizedek was a priest of the most high God.
God can not meet man on any terms other than atonement.
Abraham had already been blessed when he gave tithes of all.
Hebrews 7:1-21
Verse 3
Without father, without mother, without genealogy (apator, ametor, agenealogetos).
The first two words are old words, the third was coined by the author of
the book (found nowhere else) and simply means “devoid of any genealogy.”
The record in Genesis tells nothing of any genealogy. Melchizedek stands
alone. He is not to be understood as a miraculous being without birth or
death. Melchizedek has been made more mysterious than he is by reading
into this interpretation what is not there. Made like (aphomoiomenos).
Perfect passive participle of aphomoioo, old verb, to produce a facsimile
or copy, only here in NT. The likeness is in the picture drawn in Genesis,
not in the man himself. Such artificial interpretation does not amount
Yáto proof, but only serves as a parallel or illustration. Unto the Son
of God (toi huioi tou theou). Associative instrumental case of huios. Abideth
a priest (menei hiereus). According to the record in Genesis, the only
one in his line just as Jesus stands alone, but with the difference that
Jesus continues priest in fact in heaven.
Verse 4
Now consider how great this m-a-n was...
Jesus Christ is the eternal High Priest of the most high God, and we are
the under-priest’s. We do our service in the outer court (when we minister
to one to another) and in the Holy Place (when we offer up prayer and praise
to God). Compare this with 1 Peter 2:5,9.
END OF THE PRIEST’S MINISTRY
The King’s Ministry
Psalm 24
Son of David is a term for Jesus’ hypostatic union.
Prophecies proclaiming Messiah would come through David:
-
Isaiah 11:1
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Jeremiah 23:5; 33:15
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Ezekiel 37:25
David was told that Messiah would come through him:
David’s reaction is given in the following verses:
David’s prophecy concerning Messiah coming through his lineage:
How is Son of David a Term For His Hypostatic Union?
Luke 3:31-33
For David to have a son, that son would have to be a man; but to rule forever
he must be God.
The genealogy of Jesus in the book of Matthew is the legal line. The emphasis
of the book of Matthew is Jesus the King. For Jesus to be King of the Jews
he would have to come through David and be a Jew. In Matthew 1:1 we see
that Jesus is the son of David the King who was the son of Abraham the
Jew (father of Jews).
The emphasis of the book of Luke is Jesus the man. In Luke 3:23-38 we see
that Jesus goes all the way back to Adam, the first man.
The genealogy found in Matthew has some very interesting information that
we will look at.
1. Josiah did not beget Jeconiah, at least not directly; Jeconiah was the
grandson of Josiah. This genealogy skips an entire generation, which happens
on more than one occasion here.
-
Not all the people mentioned in the Matthew genealogy are Jews; some are
Gentiles. Furthermore, some (at least four) are women, and three of them
are Gentile women.
-
Why does this genealogy skip a generation, and why are gentiles mentioned?
The secret to this genealogy is the fact that only believers are listed;
people who never believed in the God of Abraham are omitted.
2. Abraham begat Isaac... Why is Ishmael not mentioned? Because of unbelief,
not because Ishmael was born of a hand maid, or the fact that she was a
gentile. Isaac had children by Gentile concubines and his sons are mentioned
here. Abraham was a Gentile before he became a Jew. It was Abraham’s faith
that made him a Jew.
Josiah had three sons: Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim (begat Coniah), and Zedekiah.
Josiah was a good and righteous king. After Josiah came Jehoahaz, and he
was taken into captivity. Next Jehoiakim was put upon the throne, and he
was taken into captivity. His son, Jeconiah, at eighteen years old, was
put upon the throne; his reign lasted three months. Finally Zedekiah was
put upon the throne, and his reign lasted eleven years.
The Prophecy of Daniel’s Seventy Weeks
A week = seven years
One day = one year
cp. Numbers 14:34 and Ezekiel 4:6
Daniel 9:2 Daniel understands the number of years.
Daniel 9:24 This is 490 years to the millennium.
Daniel 9:25
...from the going forth of the commandment... that took place on March
14, B.C. 445.
Seven weeks = This takes us to the end of the book of Malachi. 7x7=49
Sixty-two weeks = Messiah was cut off.
62x7=434
434 + 49 = 483 years
7 + 62 = 69 weeks
69 x 7 = 483 years
Conclusion to The Life of Christ
What Does His Humanity Mean To Us?
It should be obvious that there is some special significance to the humanity
of Jesus Christ. Indeed, there are a number of benefits derived from the
humanity of Jesus Christ.
1.
His humanity sanctifies our humanity.
-
“By the will of God we have been sanctified through the offering of the
body of Jesus Christ once for all.” (Hebrews 10:10)
-
There is a tendency to put down and ridicule the bodies we find ourselves
living in. The proclivity of man is to see his body as weak, foul, and
cursed. But in this verse of scripture, we find that, through Jesus Christ,
our bodies have been made holy. It is a bad idea, at best, to despise the
holy things of God; we have been made the temple of the Holy Spirit.
-
As a result of the sanctification of our bodies, we are free to enjoy pleasures
that touch our humanity. Our flesh doesn’t crawl in God’s presence, the
proximity of absolute Holiness; how much more should we feel at ease concerning
the natural things of this world.
2.
His humanity has redemptive significance.
-
“Jesus said unto them, ‘I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall
not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst ... and the bread
which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh ... Truly, truly,
I say unto you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his
blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood
has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day”’ (John 6:35,
51- 54).
-
The idea Jesus is endeavoring to get across to his hearers is the idea
of self-sacrifice. He is explaining, in what may be considered some of
the most graphic language found in the NT, that through his body our bodies
would be fortified. Everything that man has needs to avoid death is found
in his body and his blood.
3.
His humanity is our guaranteed access to the throne of God.
-
“We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters
into the inner shrine (the throne-room of God) ... where Jesus has gone
as a forerunner on our behalf.” (Hebrews 6:19-20).
-
The Key word here is “prodromos” = “forerunner”. When Jesus entered into
the throne-room of heaven, humanity had, for the first time, a human representative
in heaven’s Holy of Holies. In Jesus Christ, humanity is already seated
at the right hand of the Father.
-
“Prodromos,” in Bible days, was used especially in a war setting to describe
an advance guard of soldiers whose task was to clear the way for the following
army. In naval warfare it was used to describe a scout ship, or perhaps
the most powerful vessel in the fleet, which could lead the other ships
into battle - as, for example, in Nelson’s day, great ships-of-the-line
took an advance position, and received the brunt of the enemy’s fire-power
as the two fleets clashed.
-
Jesus said, “I go to prepare a place for you, and I will come and take
you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” (John 14:3). Jesus has
cleared the way for us to follow after him; therefore, we have access to
the same things he has access to. We are in no way excluded from the riches
and glory found in the heavenly arena.
4.
His humanity is our guarantee of eternal life.
-
“...We see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels,
crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that
by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone ... Since therefore
the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the
same nature, that through death he might destroy him who had the power
of death, that is, the devil.” (Hebrews 2;9, 14).
Jesus was flesh and blood, just like we are; and he died physically just
like we die. Death was just as final and end for him as it is for us, but
death could not hold him.
What Does His Deity Mean to Us?
Before the appearance of Christ, it was easy enough to believe that God
existed, but not so easy to believe that God cared. God’s actions in Christ
show us that he does care. God has acted in Christ to create for us perfect
pardon of all sin and perfect life in his eternal kingdom. In Christ, God
wept; he was hungry and thirsty; he slept; he was lonely and weary.
After man’s sin in the garden, God determined to take full responsibility
for the fall of mankind. God loved the man and the woman and he was not
willing to allow them to perish. There was no way for fallen man to make
right the wrong that had been done; therefore, God determined that he must
become a man himself and pay the price to set things in the right once
again.
God (Christ) emptied himself of his position as God, not his powers as
God, and became a man. Christ assumed the human nature and the these two
natures (human and divine) became co-equal. As a man God met all the requirements
of justice in bridging the gap between God and man.
Final Propositions
After much debate with myself I decided the best way to finish this course
on the life of Christ was to introduce material from Dr. Chant’s book,
Immanuel - The Doctrine of Christ.
Now it is time to put all that we have discovered into the form of propositions
that will, hopefully, present the truth, prevent error, and come as close
as human words can ever come to defining the mystery of Christ.
These propositions may stretch the minds of some of my readers, who may
prefer to move on to the three delightful quotes that close this chapter.
But if you want to grasp an orthodox view of Christ, and come to understand
your Savior as nearly as possible, then ponder this summary -
1.
In the man Jesus of Nazareth there is but one person, who is the son of
God, the eternal Logos.
2.
However, while Jesus is only one person he does possess two natures, one
human, and one divine. The divine nature has belonged to Logos from eternity;
the human nature was assumed by the Logos through the incarnation; so that
now the Logos possesses both natures in perfect balance with each other.
3.
The human and divine natures are not fused or merged into each other; they
remain distinct and separately distinguishable, but exist within the one
person, the Logos, in complete harmony.
4.
The Logos did not come upon an existing human person, one who had an already
existing identity, but rather assumed a human nature at the moment of conception
in Mary’s womb, and at once imparted his personality to that nature (remember
that there is only one person, not two). The personality of Jesus of Nazareth
is that of the Logos.
5.
Within Jesus there is a single awareness; that is, he does not think of
himself now as a man, and now as God, but simply thinks of himself as himself
There is no hint in scripture of a divided consciousness in Christ. There
is in him only one self, not two.
6.
If there were two natures in Christ, were there also two wills? Controversy
over this question led to the excommunication (in 681) of a number of church
leaders, including a Pope! Honorius I allowed that Christ possessed ‘two
natures, unmixed, undivided, unchanged, both operating what was characteristic
of each", but he also argued that Christ possessed only one will, that
of the Logos. For this he was anathematised by the Council of Constantinople,
which insisted that Christ had two wills, human and divine, with the human
will ever in voluntary submission to the divine. The issue still remains
unresolved. Many thinkers since the 7th. century, including many great
modern theologians, have pronounced the Council wrong on this matter and
the Pope right, - that is, they reckon that Christ has one will, not two.
Others disagree. The argument hinges on whether a “Nature” can exist without
its own will. Thus some argue that the human nature of Christ must have
had a human will. Others contend that the Logos himself supplied his own
will to the human nature he assumed at the time of the incarnation.
-
What is the correct position? Who knows! It seems a small point on which
to excommunicate anyone, let alone a Pope! My feeling is that just as Jesus
possessed a single consciousness, so also he possessed a single will. But
whether or not this was so in theory, it was certainly true in practice;
for if Jesus did possess a separate human will, then it was (and is) totally
subservient to the will of the Logos, so that he always appeared to be,
and acted as, a person with single, undivided volition.
7.
The divine nature of Christ remains impassable; that is, incapable of experiencing
inflicted suffering or death, free from ignorance, insusceptible to weakness
or temptation. Yet the Son of God still suffered and died, but did so through
his human nature - so that the man Jesus of Nazareth died, but the Logos
did not (and could not) die.
8.
The properties of both natures are now the properties of the one person,
Christ, so that he can be said to be omnipotent, omniscient, and so on:
but also (during the years of his incarnation and still in heaven) to be
subject to human limitations. However, care must always be taken to avoid
suggesting that any human weakness has passed over to the divine nature,
or that any uniquely divine property has been communicated to the human
nature.
9.
We are careful to talk about the “union”, not the “fusion” of the two natures,
noting that Jesus as a man could exercise divine powers only derivatively,
and the Logos vice versa. There is an analogy here with the way the soul
acts through the body, and the body through the soul; each practice however,
during the years of his incarnation, Jesus drew on no other power or resource
save what was available to him as a righteous man limitlessly filled with
the Holy Spirit (John 3:34).
10.
The end result of this union of the two natures in one person has been
to create a Savior who is not God-in-man, or God-and-man, nor man-in-God,
but, rather God-man.
Now let me conclude this chapter with some sayings of the old divine, Thomas
Watson -
“Christ took our flesh that he might make the human nature appear lovely
to God, and the divine nature more lovely to man ... He humbled himself
more in lying in Mary’s womb than in hanging on the cross. It was not so
much for man to die, but for God to become man was the wonder of humility
... That man should be made in God’s image was a wonder; but that God should
be made in man’s image is a greater wonder.”
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