David and Jesus - Priest, Prophet, and King

[Luke_Wilbur]

I did find out about the Islamist circles discussing the possibility of O Dhul-Qarnayn being Cyrus the Great.

 

Surat Al-Kahf

 

18.83 And they ask you, [O Muhammad], about Dhul-Qarnayn. Say, "I will recite to you about him a report."

 

18:84 Indeed We established him upon the earth, and We gave him to everything a way.

 

18:85 So he followed a way

 

18:86 Until, when he reached the setting of the sun, he found it [as if] setting in a spring of dark mud, and he found near it a people. Allah said, "O Dhul-Qarnayn, either you punish [them] or else adopt among them [a way of] goodness

 

18:87 He said, "As for one who wrongs, we will punish him. Then he will be returned to his Lord, and He will punish him with a terrible punishment.

 

18:88 But as for one who believes and does righteousness, he will have a reward of Paradise, and we will speak to him from our command with ease."

 

18:89 Then he followed a way

 

18:90 Until, when he came to the rising of the sun, he found it rising on a people for whom We had not made against it any shield.

 

18:91 Thus. And We had encompassed [all] that he had in knowledge.

 

18:92 Then he followed a way

 

18:93 Until, when he reached [a pass] between two mountains, he found beside them a people who could hardly understand [his] speech.

 

18:94 They said, "O Dhul-Qarnayn, indeed Gog and Magog are [great] corrupters in the land. So may we assign for you an expenditure that you might make between us and them a barrier?"

 

18:95 He said, "That in which my Lord has established me is better [than what you offer], but assist me with strength; I will make between you and them a dam.

 

18:96 Bring me sheets of iron" - until, when he had leveled [them] between the two mountain walls, he said, "Blow [with bellows]," until when he had made it [like] fire, he said, "Bring me, that I may pour over it molten copper."

 

18:97 So Gog and Magog were unable to pass over it, nor were they able [to effect] in it any penetration.

 

 

Daniel 8

 

8:1 In the third year of King Belshazzar’s reign, a vision appeared to me, Daniel, after the one that had appeared to me previously.

 

8:2 In this vision I saw myself in Susa the citadel, which is located in the province of Elam. In the vision I saw myself at the Ulai Canal.

 

8:3 I looked up and saw a ram with two horns standing at the canal. Its two horns were both long, but one was longer than the other. The longer one was coming up after the shorter one.

 

8:4 I saw that the ram was butting westward, northward, and southward. No animal was able to stand before it, and there was none who could deliver from its power. It did as it pleased and acted arrogantly.

 

8:5 While I was contemplating all this, a male goat was coming from the west over the surface of all the land without touching the ground. This goat had a conspicuous horn between its eyes.

 

8:6 It came to the two-horned ram that I had seen standing beside the canal and rushed against it with raging strength.

 

8:7 I saw it approaching the ram. It went into a fit of rage against the ram and struck it and broke off its two horns. The ram had no ability to resist it. The goat hurled the ram to the ground and trampled it. No one could deliver the ram from its power.

 

8:8 The male goat acted even more arrogantly. But no sooner had the large horn become strong than it was broken, and there arose four conspicuous horns in its place, extending toward the four winds of the sky.

 

8:9 From one of them came a small horn. But it grew to be very big, toward the south and the east and toward the beautiful land.

 

8:10 It grew so big it reached the army of heaven, and it brought about the fall of some of the army and some of the stars to the ground, where it trampled them.

 

8:11 It also acted arrogantly against the Prince of the army, from whom the daily sacrifice was removed and whose sanctuary was thrown down.

 

8:12 The army was given over, along with the daily sacrifice, in the course of his sinful rebellion. It hurled truth to the ground and enjoyed success.

 

8:13 Then I heard a holy one speaking. Another holy one said to the one who was speaking, “To what period of time does the vision pertain – this vision concerning the daily sacrifice and the destructive act of rebellion and the giving over of both the sanctuary and army to be trampled?”

 

8:14 He said to me, “To 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be put right again.”

 

8:15 While I, Daniel, was watching the vision, I sought to understand it. Now one who appeared to be a man was standing before me.

 

8:16 Then I heard a human voice coming from between the banks of the Ulai. It called out, “Gabriel, enable this person to understand the vision.”

 

8:17 So he approached the place where I was standing. As he came, I felt terrified and fell flat on the ground. Then he said to me, “Understand, son of man, that the vision pertains to the time of the end.”

 

8:18 As he spoke with me, I fell into a trance with my face to the ground. But he touched me and stood me upright.

 

8:19 Then he said, “I am going to inform you about what will happen in the latter time of wrath, for the vision pertains to the appointed time of the end.

 

8:20 The ram that you saw with the two horns stands for the kings of Media and Persia.

 

8:21 The male goat is the king of Greece, and the large horn between its eyes is the first king.

 

8:22 The horn that was broken and in whose place there arose four others stands for four kingdoms that will arise from his nation, though they will not have his strength.

 

8:23 Toward the end of their rule, when rebellious acts are complete, a rash and deceitful king will arise.

 

8:24 His power will be great, but it will not be by his strength alone. He will cause terrible destruction. He will be successful in what he undertakes. He will destroy powerful people and the people of the holy ones.

 

8:25 By his treachery he will succeed through deceit. He will have an arrogant attitude, and he will destroy many who are unaware of his schemes.He will rise up against the Prince of princes, yet he will be broken apart – but not by human agency.

 

8:26 The vision of the evenings and mornings that was told to you is correct. But you should seal up the vision, for it refers to a time many days from now.”

 

The Cyrus Cylinder is traveling the United States

 

http://cyruscylinder2013.com

 

I am sure you would also agree that there was prophecy of the coming of Son of God before Jesus was even known.

 

The Qumran 4Q246-209, (Aramaic Apocalypse), is one of the Dead Sea Scrolls notable for its mention of the coming of a Son of God. Qumran 4Q246 is dated 33 years before the birth of Jesus.

 

1. He will be called the Son of God, and they will call him the Son of the Most High like a shooting star.

 

2. that you saw, so will be their kingdom, they will rule several years over

 

3. the earth and crush everything, a people will crush another people and nation (will crush) nation.

 

4. Blank (space left blank in the manuscript) Until the people of God arises and makes everyone rest from warfare.

 

5. Their kingdom will be an eternal kingdom, and their paths will be righteous. They will judge

 

6. the earth with truth, and all (nations) will make peace. The warfare will cease from the land,

 

7. and all (nations) will worship him. The great God will be their help,

 

8. He Himself will fight for them, putting peoples into their power, all of them

 

9. He will cast them away before him, His dominion will be an everlasting dominion and all the abysses

 

It is quite amazing that an ancient 4Q246-209 document with verses similar to Luke's gospel.

 

Luke 1

 

1:26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,

 

1:27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, a descendant of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary.

 

1:28 The angel came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one, the Lord is with you!”

 

1:29 But she was greatly troubled by his words and began to wonder about the meaning of this greeting.

 

1:30 So the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God!

 

1:31 Listen: You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.

 

1:32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David.

 

1:33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will never end.”

 

1:34 Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I have not had sexual relations with a man?”

 

1:35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called the Son of God.

 

I find it interesting that the Angel Gabriel appears in all three religions.

[Luke_Wilbur]

Is Pele-joez-el-gibbor-Abi-ad-sar-shalom Jesus, Cyrus, King Hezekiah or someone else?

 

The Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsa^a) dated in the range of 100 to 315 B.C.

 

Chapter 9 : Verse 5

 

For a child is born unto us, a son is given unto us; and the government is upon his shoulder; and his name is called Pele-joez-el-gibbor-Abi-ad-sar-shalom;

 

Chapter 9 : Verse 6

 

That the government may be increased, and of peace there be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it through justice and through righteousness from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of HaShem of hosts doth perform this.

 

 

According to Jeff A. Benner

 

"Pele-joez-el-gibbor-Abi-ad-sar-shalom"

 

in the Great Isaiah Scroll is translated to

 

"Elgibor the father of Ad, ruler of Hashalom"

 

http://www.ancient-h...selections.html

 

According to the the Talmud

 

Babylonian Talmud: Tractate Sanhedrin

Folio 94a

 

Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of hosts, send among his fat ones leanness. What is meant by, among his fat ones [bemishmanav] leanness? — The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Let Hezekiah, who hath eight [shemoneh] names, come and mete out punishment to Sennacherib, who hath [likewise] eight. Hezekiah, as it is written,

 

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, [ii] Counselor, [iii] Mighty, [iv] Judge, [v] Everlasting, [vi] Father, [vii] Prince, and [viii] Peace.

 

But is there not Hezekiah too? — That means, 'whom God hath strengthened;' alternatively, Hezekiah denotes 'Who strengthened' Israel [in their devotion] to their father in Heaven. Sennacherib, of whom it is written, Tiglath-pileser, [ii] [Tilgath-] pilneser, [iii] Shalmaneser, [iv] Pul, [V] Sargon, [vi] Asnapper, [vii] Rabba, and [viii] Yakkira. But is there not Sennacherib too? — [That means,] that his very conversation was strife; alternatively, that he prated with inflammatory speech against the Most High.

 

http://www.come-and-hear.com/sanhedrin/sanhedrin_94.html

[Guest wiki]

Hezekiah, in the Septuagint; Latin: Ezechias; was the son of Ahaz and the 13th king of Judah.Edwin Thiele has concluded that his reign was between c. 715 and 686 BC. He is also one of the most prominent kings of Judah mentioned in the Hebrew Bible and is one of the kings mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew.

 

According to the Hebrew Bible, Hezekiah witnessed the destruction of the northern Kingdom of Israel by Sargon's Assyrians in c. 720 BC and was king of Judah during the invasion and siege of Jerusalem by Sennacherib in 701 BC. Hezekiah enacted sweeping religious reforms, during which he removed the worship of foreign deities from the Temple in Jerusalem, and restored the worship of Yahweh, God of Israel, in accordance with the Torah. Isaiah and Micah prophesied during his reign.

 

Sargon II ( Akkadian Šarru-ukin "he [= the god] made firm the king", Arabic: سرجون' reigned 722 – 705 BC) was an Assyrian king. Sargon II became co-regent with Shalmaneser V in 722 BC, and became the sole ruler of the kingdom of Babylonia in 722 BC after the death of Shalmaneser V.

 

Under Sargon's rule, the Assyrians completed the defeat of the Kingdom of Israel, capturing Samaria after a siege of three years and exiling the inhabitants. This became the basis of the legends of the Lost Ten Tribes. According to the Bible, other people were brought to Samaria, the Samaritans, under his predecessor Shalmaneser V (2 Kings 18). Sargon's name actually appears in the Bible only once, at Isaiah 20:1, which records the Assyrian capture of Ashdod in 711 BC.

 

Sennacherib (pronounced /səˈnækərɪb/; Akkadian: Sîn-ahhī-erība "Sîn has replaced (lost) brothers for me") was the son of Sargon II, whom he succeeded on the throne of Assyria (705 – 681 BC.

 

King Hezekiah initially paid tribute to Assyria, but after King Sargon II death, he rebelled with the backing of Egypt. In response Sennacherib sacked a number of cities in Judah. He laid siege to Jerusalem, but soon returned to Nineveh, with Jerusalem not having been sacked, in order to put down an attempted coup. This event was recorded by Sennacherib himself, by Herodotus, Josephus, and by several Biblical writers.

 

 

Hezekiah made at least two major preparations that would help Jerusalem to resist conquest: the construction of Hezekiah's Tunnel (also known as the Siloam Tunnel), and construction of the Broad Wall.

 

When Sennacherib had come, intent on making war against Jerusalem, Hezekiah consulted with his officers and warriors about stopping the flow of the springs outside the city ... for otherwise, they thought, the King of Assyria would come and find water in abundance" (2 Chronicles 32:2-4).

 

The Assyrians recorded that Sennacherib lifted his siege of Jerusalem after Hezekiah acknowledged Sennacherib as his overlord and paid him tribute. The Hebrew Bible records that Hezekiah tried to pay off Sennacherib with three hundred talents of silver and thirty of gold as tribute, even despoiling the doors of the Temple to produce the promised amount, but, after the payment was made, Sennacherib renewed his assault on Jerusalem. (2 Kings 18:14-16) Sennacherib besieged Jerusalem and sent his Rabshakeh to the walls as a messenger. The Rabshakeh addressed the soldiers manning the city wall in Hebrew (Yĕhuwdiyth), asking them to distrust Yahweh and Hezekiah, pointing to Hezekiah's righteous reforms (destroying the High Places) as a sign that the people should not trust their king (2 Kings 18:17-35). The fundamental law in Deuteronomy 12:1-32 prohibits sacrifice at every place except the Temple in Jerusalem.

 

Some of the Assyrian chronicles, such as the baked-clay Taylor prism now preserved in the British Museum, and the similar Sennacherib prism, preserved in the Oriental Institute, Chicago, date from very close to the time. (see also: Military history of the Neo-Assyrian Empire) (The Taylor Prism itself bears the date "the month of Tammuz; eponym of Galihu, governor of Hatarikka" which is Tammuz in the year 689 BC, according to the Assyrian Eponym List). Assyrian accounts do not treat it as a disaster, but a great victory — they maintain that the siege was so successful that Hezekiah was forced to give a monetary tribute, and the Assyrians left victoriously, without losses of thousands of men, and without sacking Jerusalem. Part of this is contained in the Biblical account, but it is still debated fiercely by historians. In the Taylor Prism, Sennacherib states that he had shut up Hezekiah the Judahite within Jerusalem, his own royal city, like a caged bird.

 

His own account of this invasion, as given in the Taylor prism, is as follows:

 

 

Because Hezekiah, king of Judah, would not submit to my yoke, I came up against him, and by force of arms and by the might of my power I took 46 of his strong fenced cities; and of the smaller towns which were scattered about, I took and plundered a countless number. From these places I took and carried off 200,156 persons, old and young, male and female, together with horses and mules, asses and camels, oxen and sheep, a countless multitude; and Hezekiah himself I shut up in Jerusalem, his capital city, like a bird in a cage, building towers round the city to hem him in, and raising banks of earth against the gates, so as to prevent escape... Then upon Hezekiah there fell the fear of the power of my arms, and he sent out to me the chiefs and the elders of Jerusalem with 30 talents of gold and 800 talents of silver, and diverse treasures, a rich and immense booty... All these things were brought to me at Nineveh, the seat of my government.

 

According to the Bible, Sennacherib also withdrew because the "angel of Yahweh went out and put to death 185,000 in the Assyrian camp" (2 Kings 19:35).

 

According to the Hebrew Bible, King Hezekiah introduced religious reform and reinstated religious traditions. He resolved to abolish idolatry from his kingdom, and among other things that he did to this end, he destroyed the high places (or bamot) and "bronze serpent" (or "Nehushtan"), recorded as being made by Moses according to the command of Yahweh (Numbers 21:8), which became an object of idolatrous worship (2 Kings 18:4. ). In place of this, he centralized the worship of Yahweh at the Jerusalem Temple. Hezekiah also resumed the Passover pilgrimage and the tradition of inviting the scattered tribes of Israel to take part in a Passover festival. (2 Chronicles 30:5,10,13,26). Hezekiah is portrayed by the Hebrew Bible as a great and good king. He is one of the few kings praised so highly as to have “trusted in the Lord the God of Israel; so that there was no one like him among all the kings of Judah after him, or among those who were before him” (2 Kings 18:5).

2 Kings 19:15 records that Hezekiah went to the Temple and there he prayed, the first king of Judah to do so in about 250 years, since the time of Solomon.

[Guest Thomas]

 

Here is commentary on the meaning of "Pele-joez-el-gibbor-Abi-ad-sar-shalom"

 

by Dr. Mal Couch, Ph.D., Th.D.

 

http://scofieldministries.blogspot.com/2010/10/ask-dr-couch_27.html

 

The Jewish commentary does admit "The meaning of the Hebrew words is 'Wonderful in counsel is God the Mighty, the Everlasting Father, the Ruler of Peace.'" There is more to this one name. By the way, "the Everlasting Father" should better be translated "The Father of Eternity." This is referring to Christ. He is not God the Father, He is God the Son. Therefore, to say He is the Father of Eternity is far more accurate.

 

PELE means the Messiah is "extraordinarily marvelous," with the idea that He can speak "unheard-of" words. When the Messiah rules He will have awesome powers and will be the most outspoken with wisdom and righteousness.

 

JOEZ is the simple Hebrew word for "counselor." His advice will be perfect. He will not advise from the human standpoint but from the Divine! No human governor has ever expressed such perfection. He will rule with full authority and absolute wisdom!

 

EL is one of the most basic words for God. It is often used in a compound. He is "the High God." The Messiah is Very God/Very Man. Whatever can be said of God is said of Christ, the God-Man!

 

GIBBOR has the idea of God "the Strong One." It is used of a military leader. The Messiah is "manly, vigorous, a benevolent Despot, a hero, a warrior." It is a word used of the most powerful of animals. "The horse, crocodile." These animals represent the most fierce man can encounter—so is the Messiah. There will be no one like Him!

 

ABI is part of the phrase "ABI-AD, or Father of Eternity." He heads up the realm of The Forever! The Son of God, the Messiah, has always been! He was born into the realm of humanity but in spirit and soul, the Son has always existed, has always been! He is the eternal Son of God with no beginning and no ending.

 

SAR means "the leading person, the ruler, the chief." He is the Guardian, the military General, the Higher Being! The Messiah is no pushover, He is not passive. He is the ultimate Authority, the final Arbiter. He is the one will command full authority in His eternal earthly and cosmic realm!

 

SHALOM means the Messiah is the one who is full of kindness, salvation. He represents "personal wholeness" and completeness. When He rules He will have prosperous relationships—peace. He has peaceful intentions in His universal rule.

[Luke_Wilbur]

George Frideric Handel had a devout understanding of what is meant by the term Messiah


http://youtu.be/AZTZRtRFkvk

Who was Adonai's companion before the creation of the world? Wisdom, Jesus, the Holy Spirit?
All three?

Mishlei - Proverbs - Chapter 8

22. The Lord acquired me at the beginning of His way, before His works of old.

23. From the distant past I was enthroned, from the beginning, of those that preceded the earth.

24. I was created when there were yet no deeps, when there were no fountains replete with water.

25. I was created before the mountains were sunk, before the hills;

26. when He had not yet made the land and the outsides and the beginning of the dust of the earth.

27. When He established the heavens, there I was, when He drew a circle over the face of the deep;

28. when He made the skies above firm, when He strengthened the fountains of the deep;

29. when He gave the sea its boundary, and the water shall not transgress His command, when He established the foundations of the earth.

30. I was a nursling beside Him, and I was [His] delight every day, playing before Him at all times;

31. playing in the habitable world of His earth, and [having] my delights with the children of man.

32. And now, my children, hearken to me, and fortunate are those who observe my ways.

33. Hearken to discipline and become wise, and do not put it to naught.

34. Fortunate is the man who listens to me to watch by my doors day by day, to watch the doorposts of my entrances.

35. For he who has found me has found life, and he has obtained favor from the Lord.

36. But he who sins against me robs his soul; all who hate me, love death."

Matthew 12

12:38 Then some of the experts in the law along with some Pharisees answered him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.”

12:39 But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.

12:40 For just as Jonah was in the belly of the huge fish for three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.

12:41 The people of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented when Jonah preached to them – and now, something greater than Jonah is here!

12:42 The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon – and now, something greater than Solomon is here!

Hebrews 9

9:11 But now Christ has come as the high priest of the good things to come. He passed through the greater and more perfect tent not made with hands, that is, not of this creation,

9:12 and he entered once for all into the most holy place not by the blood of goats and calves but by his own blood, and so he himself secured eternal redemption.

9:13 For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow sprinkled on those who are defiled consecrated them and provided ritual purity,

9:14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our consciences from dead works to worship the living God.

9:15 And so he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the eternal inheritance he has promised, since he died to set them free from the violations committed under the first covenant.

9:16 For where there is a will, the death of the one who made it must be proven.

9:17 For a will takes effect only at death, since it carries no force while the one who made it is alive.

9:18 So even the first covenant was inaugurated with blood.

9:19 For when Moses had spoken every command to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats with water and scarlet wool and hyssop and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people,

9:20 and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that God has commanded you to keep.”

9:21 And both the tabernacle and all the utensils of worship he likewise sprinkled with blood.

9:22 Indeed according to the law almost everything was purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

9:23 So it was necessary for the sketches of the things in heaven to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves required better sacrifices than these.

9:24 For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with hands – the representation of the true sanctuary – but into heaven itself, and he appears now in God’s presence for us.

9:25 And he did not enter to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the sanctuary year after year with blood that is not his own,

9:26 for then he would have had to suffer again and again since the foundation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the consummation of the ages to put away sin by his sacrifice.

9:27 And just as people are appointed to die once, and then to face judgment,

9:28 so also, after Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many, to those who eagerly await him he will appear a second time, not to bear sin but to bring salvation

[Luke_Wilbur]

Hebrews 7:12 has so much meaning. It will take time for me to fully understand it.

7:12 For when the priesthood changes, a change in the law must come as well.

[Guest wiki]

The Rylands Library Papyrus P52, also known as the St. John's fragment, is a fragment from a papyrus codex, measuring only 3.5 by 2.5 inches (8.9 by 6 cm) at its widest; and conserved with the Rylands Papyri at the John Rylands University Library (Gr. P. 457), Manchester, UK. The front (recto) contains parts of seven lines from the Gospel of John 18:31–33, in Greek, and the back (verso) contains parts of seven lines from verses 37–38.[1] Since 2007, the papyrus has been on permanent display in the library's Deansgate building.

 

Although Rylands \mathfrak{P}52 is generally accepted as the earliest extant record of a canonical New Testament text, the dating of the papyrus is by no means the subject of consensus among scholars. The style of the script is strongly Hadrianic, which would suggest a most probable date somewhere between 117 CE and 138 CE. But the difficulty of fixing the date of a fragment based solely on paleographic evidence allows a much wider range, potentially extending from before 100 CE past 150 CE.

 

The fragment of papyrus was among a group acquired on the Egyptian market in 1920 by Bernard Grenfell. The original transcription and translation of the fragment of text was not done until 1934, by Colin H. Roberts.[4] Roberts found comparator hands in papyri then dated between the mid 1st and mid 2nd centuries, with the closest match of Hadrianic date. Since this gospel text would be unlikely to have reached Egypt before c. 100 CE[5] he proposed a date in the first half of the 2nd century. Over the 70 years since Roberts's essay, the estimated ages of his comparator undated literary hands have been revised (in common with most other undated antique papyri) towards dates a couple of decades older; while other dated comparator hands have subsequently been suggested with dates ranging into the second half of the 2nd century.

 

The papyrus is written on both sides, and the surviving portion also includes part of the top and inner margins of the page. The recto consequently preserves the top left corner of a right-hand page; while the verso preserves the top right corner of a left-hand page. The characters in bold style are the ones that can be seen in Papyrus.

 

Gospel of John 18:31-33 (recto)

 

the Jews, "For us it is not permitted to kill
anyone," so that the word of Jesus might be fulfilled, which he sp-
oke signifying what kind of death he was going to
die. Entered therefore again into the Praeto-
rium Pilate and summoned Jesus
and said to him, "Thou art king of the

Jews?"

 

Gospel of John 18:37-38 (verso)

 

a King I am. For this I have been born
and (for this) I have come into the world so that I would
testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth
hears of me my voice." Said to him
Pilate, "What is truth?" and this
having said, again he went out unto the Jews
and said to them, "I find not one

fault in him."

 

 

[Luke_Wilbur]

It is important to look at the past and see the moment when Jesus scolds the Israel's leaders for not recognizing Christ as their king and not living the Lord's Commandments.

 

Matthew 22

22:41 While the Pharisees were assembled, Jesus asked them a question:

22:42 What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he? They said, The son of David.

22:43 He said to them, How then does David by the Spirit call him Lord, saying,

22:44 The Lord said to my lord,

Sit at my right hand,

until I put your enemies under your feet?

22:45 If David then calls him Lord, how can he be his son?

22:46 No one was able to answer him a word, and from that day on no one dared to question him any longer.

23:1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples,

23:2 The experts in the law and the Pharisees sit on Moses seat.

23:3 Therefore pay attention to what they tell you and do it. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they teach.

23:4 They tie up heavy loads, hard to carry, and put them on mens shoulders, but they themselves are not willing even to lift a finger to move them.

23:5 They do all their deeds to be seen by people, for they make their phylacteries wide and their tassels long.

23:6 They love the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues

23:7 and elaborate greetings in the marketplaces, and to have people call them Rabbi.

23:8 But you are not to be called Rabbi, for you have one Teacher and you are all brothers.

23:9 And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.

23:10 Nor are you to be called teacher, for you have one teacher, the Christ.

23:11 The greatest among you will be your servant.

23:12 And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

23:13 But woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You keep locking people out of the kingdom of heaven! For you neither enter nor permit those trying to enter to go in.

23:14 Woe to you experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You devour widows property, and as a show you pray long prayers! Therefore you will receive a more severe punishment.

23:15 Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You cross land and sea to make one convert, and when you get one, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves!

23:16 Woe to you, blind guides, who say, Whoever swears by the temple is bound by nothing. But whoever swears by the gold of the temple is bound by the oath.

23:17 Blind fools! Which is greater, the gold or the temple that makes the gold sacred?

23:18 And, Whoever swears by the altar is bound by nothing.

23 But if anyone swears by the gift on it he is bound by the oath.

23:19 You are blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred?

23:20 So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.

23:21 And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and the one who dwells in it.

23:22 And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and the one who sits on it.

23:23 Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You give a tenth of mint, dill, and cumin, yet you neglect what is more important in the law justice, mercy, and faithfulness! You should have done these things without neglecting the others.

23:24 Blind guides! You strain out a gnat yet swallow a camel!

23:25 Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.

23:26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside may become clean too!

23:27 Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs that look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of the bones of the dead and of everything unclean.

23:28 In the same way, on the outside you look righteous to people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

23:29 Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous.

23:30 And you say, If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have participated with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.

23:31 By saying this you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets.

23:32 Fill up then the measure of your ancestors!

23:33 You snakes, you offspring of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?

23:34 For this reason I am sending you prophets and wise men and experts in the law, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town,

23:35 so that on you will come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.

23:36 I tell you the truth, this generation will be held responsible for all these things!

[Luke_Wilbur]

Isaiah prophesizes that the future ruler would recieve the Adonai's Holy Spirit and be perfect king.

Isaiah 10

 

11:1 A shoot will grow out of Jesse’s root stock,

a bud will sprout from his roots.

11:2 The Lord’s spirit will rest on him –

a spirit that gives extraordinary wisdom,

a spirit that provides the ability to execute plans,

a spirit that produces absolute loyalty to the Lord.

11:3 He will take delight in obeying the Lord.

He will not judge by mere appearances,

or make decisions on the basis of hearsay.

11:4 He will treat the poor fairly,

and make right decisions for the downtrodden of the earth.

He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,

and order the wicked to be executed.

11:5 Justice will be like a belt around his waist,

integrity will be like a belt around his hips.

11:6 A wolf will reside 16 with a lamb,

and a leopard will lie down with a young goat;

an ox and a young lion will graze together,

as a small child leads them along.

11:7 A cow and a bear will graze together,

their young will lie down together.

A lion, like an ox, will eat straw.

11:8 A baby will play

over the hole of a snake;

over the nest of a serpent

an infant will put his hand.

11:9 They will no longer injure or destroy

on my entire royal mountain.

For there will be universal submission to the Lord’s sovereignty,

just as the waters completely cover the sea.

11:10 At that time a root from Jesse will stand like a signal flag for the nations. Nations will look to him for guidance, and his residence will be majestic.

11:11 At that time the sovereign master will again lift his hand to reclaim the remnant of his people from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, 36 Hamath, and the seacoasts.

11:12 He will lift a signal flag for the nations;

he will gather Israel’s dispersed people

and assemble Judah’s scattered people

from the four corners of the earth.

11:13 Ephraim’s jealousy will end,

and Judah’s hostility will be eliminated.

Ephraim will no longer be jealous of Judah,

and Judah will no longer be hostile toward Ephraim.

11:14 They will swoop down on the Philistine hills to the west;

together they will loot the people of the east.

They will take over Edom and Moab,

and the Ammonites will be their subjects.

11:15 The Lord will divide the gulf of the Egyptian Sea;

he will wave his hand over the Euphrates River and send a strong wind,

he will turn it into seven dried-up streams,

and enable them to walk across in their sandals.

11:16 There will be a highway leading out of Assyria

for the remnant of his people,

just as there was for Israel,

when 51 they went up from the land of Egypt.

12:1 At that time 1 you will say:

“I praise you, O Lord,

for even though you were angry with me,

your anger subsided, and you consoled me.

12:2 Look, God is my deliverer!

I will trust in him and not fear.

For the Lord gives me strength and protects me;

he has become my deliverer.”

12:3 Joyfully you will draw water

from the springs of deliverance.

12:4 At that time you will say:

“Praise the Lord!

Ask him for help!

Publicize his mighty acts among the nations!

Make it known that he is unique!

12:5 Sing to the Lord, for he has done magnificent things,

let this be known 10 throughout the earth!

12:6 Cry out and shout for joy, O citizens of Zion,

for the Holy One of Israel acts mightily among you!”

[Luke_Wilbur]

Those closest to Jesus lost hope that he would deliver his promise of rising up in 3 days. They did not even recognize their savior until he revealed to them all the signs revealed by the Prophets of His coming. They then knew Christ had conquered death.

Luke 24

24:13 Now that very day two of them were on their way to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem.

24:14 They were talking to each other about all the things that had happened.

24:15 While they were talking and debating these things, Jesus himself approached and began to accompany them

24:16 (but their eyes were kept from recognizing him).

24:17 Then he said to them, “What are these matters you are discussing so intently as you walk along?” And they stood still, looking sad.

24:18 Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who doesn’t know the things that have happened there in these days?”

24:19 He said to them, “What things?” “The things concerning Jesus the Nazarene,” they replied, “a man who, with his powerful deeds and words, proved to be a prophet before God and all the people;

24:20 and how our chief priests and rulers handed him over to be condemned to death, and crucified him.

24:21 But we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. Not only this, but it is now the third day since these things happened.

24:22 Furthermore, some women of our group amazed us. They were at the tomb early this morning,

 

24:23 and when they did not find his body, they came back and said they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive.

 

24:24 Then 62 some of those who were with us went to the tomb, and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see him.”

 

24:25 So 64 he said to them, “You foolish people – how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!

 

24:26 Wasn’t it necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and enter into his glory?”

 

24:27 Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things written about himself in all the scriptures.

24:28 So they approached the village where they were going. He acted as though he wanted to go farther,

 

24:29 but they urged him, “Stay with us, because it is getting toward evening and the day is almost done.” So he went in to stay with them.

24:30 When he had taken his place at the table with them, he took the bread, blessed and broke it, 80 and gave it to them.

 

24:31 At this point 81 their eyes were opened and they recognized him.Then he vanished out of their sight.

 

24:32 They said to each other, “Didn’t our hearts burn within us while he was speaking with us on the road, while he was explaining the scriptures to us?”

 

24:33 So 90 they got up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem. They found the eleven and those with them gathered together

 

24:34 and saying, “The Lord has really risen, and has appeared to Simon!”

 

24:35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how they recognized him when he broke the bread.

 

[Guest UNCC]

Contact: James Hathaway
jbhathaw@uncc.edu
704-687-5743
University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Tomb exploration reveals first archaeological evidence of Christianity from the time of Jesus

The archaeological examination by robotic camera of an intact first century tomb in Jerusalem has revealed a set of limestone Jewish ossuaries or "bone boxes" that are engraved with a rare Greek inscription and a unique iconographic image that the scholars involved identify as distinctly Christian.

The four-line Greek inscription on one ossuary refers to God "raising up" someone and a carved image found on an adjacent ossuary shows what appears to be a large fish with a human stick figure in its mouth, interpreted by the excavation team to be an image evoking the biblical story of Jonah.

In the earliest gospel materials the "sign of Jonah," as mentioned by Jesus, has been interpreted as a symbol of his resurrection. Jonah images in later "early" Christian art, such as images found in the Roman catacombs, are the most common motif found on tombs as a symbol of Christian resurrection hope. In contrast, the story of Jonah is not depicted in any first century Jewish art and iconographic images on ossuaries are extremely rare, given the prohibition within Judaism of making images of people or animals.

The tomb in question is dated prior to 70 CE, when ossuary use in Jerusalem ceased due to the Roman destruction of the city. Accordingly, if the markings are Christian as the scholars involved believe, the engravings represent – by several centuries - the earliest archaeological record of Christians ever found. The engravings were most likely made by some of Jesus' earliest followers, within decades of his death. Together, the inscription and the Jonah image testify to early Christian faith in resurrection. The tomb record thus predates the writing of the gospels.

The findings will be detailed in a preliminary report by James D. Tabor, professor and chair of religious studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, to be published online in www.bibleinterp.com on February 28, 2012.

"If anyone had claimed to find either a statement about resurrection or a Jonah image in a Jewish tomb of this period I would have said impossible -- until now," Tabor said. "Our team was in a kind of ecstatic disbelief, but the evidence was clearly before our eyes, causing us to revise our prior assumptions."

The publication of the academic article is concurrent with the publication of a book by Simon & Schuster entitled "The Jesus Discovery: The New Archaeological Find That Reveals the Birth of Christianity." The book is co-authored by Professor James Tabor and filmmaker/professor Simcha Jacobovici. A documentary on the discovery will be aired by the Discovery Channel in spring 2012.

The tomb containing the new discoveries is a modest sized, carefully carved rock cut cave tomb typical of Jerusalem in the period from 20 BCE until 70 CE.

The tomb was exposed in 1981 by builders and is currently several meters under the basement level of a modern condominium building in East Talpiot, a neighborhood of Jerusalem less than two miles south of the Old City. Archaeologists entered the tomb at the time, were able to briefly examine it and its ossuaries, take preliminary photographs, and remove one pot and an ossuary, before they were forced to leave by Orthodox religious groups who oppose excavation of Jewish tombs.

In 2009 and 2010, Tabor and Rami Arav, professor of archaeology at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, working together with Jacobovici, obtained a license to excavate the current tomb from the Israel Antiquities Authority under the academic sponsorship of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Because of its physical location under a modern building (making direct access nearly impossible), along with the threat of Orthodox Jewish groups that would protest any such excavation, Tabor's team determined to employ a minimally invasive procedure in examining the tomb.

Funding for the excavation was provided by the Discovery Channel/Vision Television/Associated Producers. Jacobovici's team at the Toronto based Associated Producers developed a sophisticated robotic arm to carry high definition cameras, donated by General Electric. The robotic arm and a second "snake camera" were inserted through two drill holes in the basement floor of the building above the tomb. The probe was successful and the team was able to reach all the ossuaries and photograph them on all sides, thus revealing the new inscriptions.

Beyond the possible Christian connection, Tabor noted that the tomb's assemblage of ossuaries stands out as clearly extraordinary in the context of other previously explored tombs in Jerusalem.

"Everything in this tomb seems unusual when contrasted with what one normally finds inscribed on ossuaries in Jewish tombs of this period," Tabor said. "Of the seven ossuaries remaining in the tomb, four of them have unusual features."

There are engravings on five of the seven ossuaries: an enigmatic symbol on ossuary 2 (possibly reading Yod Heh Vav Heh or "Yahweh" in stylized letters that can be read as Greek or Hebrew, though the team is uncertain); an inscription reading "MARA" in Greek letters (which Tabor translates as the feminine form of "lord" or "master" in Aramaic) on ossuary 3; an indecipherable word in Greek letters on ossuary 4 (possibly a name beginning with "JO…"); the remarkable four-line Greek inscription on ossuary 5; and finally, and most importantly, a series of images on ossuary 6, including the large image of a fish with a figure seeming to come out of its mouth.

Among the approximately 2000 ossuaries that have been recovered by the Israel Antiquities Authority, only 650 have any inscriptions on them, and none have inscriptions comparable to those on ossuaries 5 and 6.

Less than a dozen ossuaries from the period have epitaphs but, according to Tabor, these inscribed messages usually have to do with warnings not to disturb the bones of the dead. In contrast, the four-line Greek inscription contains some kind of statement of resurrection faith.

Tabor noted that the epitaph's complete and final translation is uncertain. The first three lines are clear, but the last line, consisting of three Greek letters, is less sure, yielding several possible translations: "O Divine Jehovah, raise up, raise up," or "The Divine Jehovah raises up to the Holy Place," or "The Divine Jehovah raises up from [the dead]."

"This inscription has something to do with resurrection of the dead, either of the deceased in the ossuary, or perhaps, given the Jonah image nearby, an expression of faith in Jesus' resurrection," Tabor said.

The ossuary with the image that Tabor and his team understand to be representing Jonah also has other interesting engravings. These also may be connected to resurrection, Tabor notes. On one side is the tail of a fish disappearing off the edge of the box, as if it is diving into the water. There are small fish images around its border on the front facing, and on the other side is the image of a cross-like gate or entrance—which Tabor interprets as the notion of entering the "bars" of death, which are mentioned in the Jonah story in the Bible.

"This Jonah ossuary is most fascinating," Tabor remarked. "It seems to represent a pictorial story with the fish diving under the water on one end, the bars or gates of death, the bones inside, and the image of the great fish spitting out a man representing, based on the words of Jesus, the 'sign of Jonah' – the 'sign' that he would escape the bonds of death."

[Luke_Wilbur]

It is important to notice that Jesus did not rebuke the blind for calling him the 'Son of David.' Jesus rewarded faith in him with the gift of sight.

 

9:27 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, shouting, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”

 

9:28 When 53 he went into the house, the blind men came to him. Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.”

 

9:29 Then he touched their eyes saying, “Let it be done for you according to your faith.”

 

9:30 And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus sternly warned them, “See that no one knows about this.”

 

9:31 But they went out and spread the news about him throughout that entire region.

Luke 18

 

18:35 As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the road begging.

 

18:36 When he heard a crowd going by, he asked what was going on.

 

18:37 They told him, Jesus the Nazarene is passing by.

 

18:38 So he called out, Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!

 

18:39 And those who were in front scolded him to get him to be quiet, but he shouted even more, Son of David, have mercy on me!

 

18:40 So 116 Jesus stopped and ordered the beggar to be brought to him. When the man came near, Jesus asked him,

 

18:41 What do you want me to do for you? He replied, Lord, let me see again.

 

18:42 Jesus said to him, Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.

 

18:43 And immediately he regained his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they too gave praise to God

[Luke_Wilbur]

It is important to note that Jesus did not rebuke Nathanael for calling him to the Son of God and King of Israel.

John 1

1:43 On the next day Jesus wanted to set out for Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, Follow me.

1:44 (Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the town of Andrew and Peter.)

1:45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, We have found the one Moses wrote about in the law, and the prophets also wrote about Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.

1:46 Nathanael replied, Can anything good come out of Nazareth? Philip replied, Come and see.

1:47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and exclaimed, Look, a true Israelite in whom there is no deceit!

1:48 Nathanael asked him, How do you know me? Jesus replied, Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.

1:49 Nathanael answered him, Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel!

1:50 Jesus said to him, Because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.

1:51 He continued, I tell all of you the solemn truth you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.

Psalms 2

2:1 Why do the nations rebel?

Why 4 are the countries devising plots that will fail?

2:2 The kings of the earth form a united front;

the rulers collaborate

against the Lord and his anointed king.

2:3 They say, “Let’s tear off the shackles they’ve put on us!

Let’s free ourselves from their ropes!”

2:4 The one enthroned in heaven laughs in disgust;

the Lord taunts them.

2:5 Then he angrily speaks to them

and terrifies them in his rage, saying,

2:6 “I myself have installed my king

on Zion, my holy hill.”

2:7 The king says, “I will announce the Lord’s decree. He said to me:

‘You are my son! This very day I have become your father!

2:8 Ask me,

and I will give you the nations as your inheritance,

the ends of the earth as your personal property.

2:9 You will break them with an iron scepter;

you will smash them like a potter’s jar!’”

2:10 So now, you kings, do what is wise;

you rulers of the earth, submit to correction!

2:11 Serve the Lord in fear!

Repent in terror!

2:12 Give sincere homage!

Otherwise he will be angry,

and you will die because of your behavior,

when his anger quickly ignites.

How blessed are all who take shelter in him!

[Guest Antoinette]

Like Melchizedek, David was a royal priest, distinct from the Aaronic line.

 

Psalm 110

 

 

Here is the Lords proclamation to my lord:

Sit down at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool!

 

110:2 The Lord extends your dominion from Zion.

Rule in the midst of your enemies!

 

110:3 Your people willingly follow you when you go into battle.

On the holy hills 11 at sunrise the dew of your youth belongs to you.

 

110:4 The Lord makes this promise on oath and will not revoke it:

You are an eternal priest after the pattern of Melchizedek.

 

Tehillim - Psalms - Chapter 110

 

1. Of David a psalm. The word of the Lord to my master; "Wait for My right hand, until I make your enemies a footstool at your feet."

 

2. The staff of your might the Lord will send from Zion; rule in the midst of your enemies.

 

3. Your people will volunteer on the day of your host, because of the beauty of holiness when you fell from the womb; for you, your youth is like dew.

 

4. The Lord swore and will not repent; you are a priest forever because of the speech of Malchizedek.

 

An ephod is a sacred vestment worn by high priests. David used the sacred ephod to communicate with and praise Yahweh.

 

1 Samuel 23

 

23:9 When David realized that Saul was planning to harm him, he told Abiathar the priest, Bring the ephod!

 

23:10 Then David said, O Lord God of Israel, your servant has clearly heard that Saul is planning to come to Keilah to destroy the city because of me.

 

23:11 Will the leaders of Keilah deliver me into his hand? Will Saul come down as your servant has heard? O Lord God of Israel, please inform your servant!

Then the Lord said, He will come down.

 

23:12 David asked, Will the leaders of Keilah deliver me and my men into Sauls hand? The Lord said, They will deliver you over.

 

Prophets Shmuel I - Chapter 23

 

9. And David knew that upon him, Saul was plotting the evil; and he said to Abiathar the priest, "Bring near the ephod."

 

10. And David said, "O Lord God of Israel, Your bondsman has heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah to destroy the city because of me.

 

11. Will the citizens of Keilah deliver me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as Your bondsman has heard? O Lord God of Israel, tell now Your bondsman!" And the Lord said, "He will come down."

 

12. And David said, "Will the citizens of Keilah deliver me and my men into Saul's hands?" And the Lord said, "They will deliver."

 

2 Samuel 6

 

6:11 The ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months. The Lord blessed Obed-Edom and all his family.

 

6:12 David was told, The Lord has blessed the family of Obed-Edom and everything he owns because of the ark of God. So David went and joyfully brought the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David.

 

6:13 Those who carried the ark of the Lord took six steps and then David sacrificed an ox and a fatling calf.

 

6:14 Now David, wearing a linen ephod, was dancing with all his strength before the Lord.

 

6:15 David and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord, shouting and blowing trumpets.

 

Prophets Shmuel II - Chapter 6

 

11. And the ark of the Lord dwelled in the house of Oved-edom the Gittite three months; and the Lord blessed Oved-edom, and all his household.

 

12. And it was told to King David saying: 'The Lord has blessed the house of Oved-edom, and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of the Lord. And David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Oved-edom into the city of David with joy.

 

13. And it was when the bearers of the ark of God had trodden six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling.

 

14. And David danced with all his might before the Lord; and David was girded with a linen ephod.

 

15. And David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of [the] shofar.