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Jesus Christ my Savior and Lord…
He was beaten (scourged with a flagrum) almost to the point of death, spit on, slapped/punched, mocked, stripped and then spikes were driven through His wrists and both feet. Roman soldiers made a crown of thorns and pushed down on His head. Then He hung there crucified, suffering, gasping for air for hours on a wooden cross to bear all of our sins. Jesus predicted His Death. The first time Jesus predicted His death is detailed in Matthew 16:21–23, Mark 8:31–32, and Luke 9:21–22. Jesus predicted His death again in Matthew 17:22–23, Mark 9:30–32, and Luke 9:43–45. This occurred shortly after the Transfiguration, when Peter, James, and John saw Christ in His heavenly glory. Also in Matthew 20:17–19, Mark 10:32–34, and Luke 18:31–34 again describe other times Jesus predicted His death. He spoke to His disciples as they were heading up toward Jerusalem for Passover, and He told them how He would be mocked, scourged, crucified, and then rise again.
https://www.gotquestions.org/Jesus-predict-His-death.html
Luke 23:34-37
But Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots (gambled for His clothing)dividing up His garments among themselves. And the people stood by, looking on. And even the rulers were sneering at Him, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if this is the Christ of God, His Chosen One.” The soldiers also mocked Him, coming up to Him, offering Him sour wine (vinegar) to drink, and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself!”
Jesus told the Twelve Apostles that he would be mocked and flogged (scourged): “They will condemn [the Son of Man] to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified” (Matthew 20:18-19). Hundreds of years prior to Jesus, Isaiah foretold/prophesied the abuse that the Messiah would endure: “I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting” (Isaiah 50:6)
Yes He forgave them, even those who mocked, spit upon, pulled out His beard, beat, scourged Him, gambled for His clothes and killed Him. There are those doing the same today. A day is coming up when He will judge everyone.
Read Isaiah chapter 53. Jesus fulfills this prophecy 700 years later:
https://biblehub.com/nasb/isaiah/53.htm
According to most scholars, Jesus actually fulfilled 200-400 Old Testament prophecies. Another scholar, Alfred Edersheim, concluded that there are at least 456 passages in the Old Testament that Jewish Rabbis historically have interpreted as being about the Messiah. http://www.about-jesus.org/complete-chart-prophecies-jesus.htm
Acts 2:24
God raised Him from the dead, releasing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for Him to be held in its clutches.
1 Corinthians 6:14
Now God has not only raised the Lord, but will also raise us up through His power.
Romans 8:11
But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
Matthew 7:15
Watch out for false prophets (teachers, pastors etc). They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.
Matthew 24:26-27
So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
In other words don’t believe those [who appear to be wise] that say “The Messiah is over here or over there”.
Everyone will know the very moment Jesus returns.
Acts 17:31
He (God The Father) has set a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man (Jesus The Son) whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all people by raising Him from the dead.”
Jesus Christ declared that He “did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). The question then arises – why did we need to be ransomed? The idea of a ransom is a payment that must be made in exchange for the release of a person.
Everyone has the chance to be saved and spend eternity with Jesus Christ in a place called Heaven as long as they repent (turn from their sinful life), trust and place their faith in Him.
In John 4:23-24 Jesus says to the woman at the well. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
Gods Grace is a gift and even though we deserve eternal punishment He will forgive us and give us eternity in Heaven as long as we repent of our sin and turn and follow Him.
Colossians 1:13-14
For the Father rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
In John 13:34-35
Jesus said, I’m giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples: if you have love for one another.
Acts 1:11 (Two angels in the form of men appeared next to them)
They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”
Matthew 24:44
So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
Romans 10:9-11
that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
Ephesians 2:8-9
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast
John 3:16-18
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
Matthew 24:42
Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.
Revelation 1:8
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”
This is an update to my blog post on June 2nd titled “Is The Bible a Fairytale?”. I will refer you to one of the most biblically sound apologetic websites called Christian Apologetic Research Ministry (CARM). They posted this article written by Matt Slick back in 2009 “Manuscript evidence for superior New Testament reliability”.
Here is the beginning of the article including charts in the link to follow: The New Testament is constantly under attack, and its reliability and accuracy are often contested by critics. If the critics want to disregard the New Testament, then they must also disregard other ancient writings by Plato, Aristotle, and Homer. This is because the New Testament documents are better-preserved and more numerous than any other ancient writings. Because they are so numerous, they can be cross checked for accuracy . . . and they are very consistent… (click link to see rest of post) https://carm.org/about-the-bible/manuscript-evidence-for-superior-new-testament-reliability/
There are over 17 million search results to “the bible is fairy tale”. While I am a mere Christian and not a theologian, I do know one thing, and that is the Bible is not a fairy tale. There is more and more archaeological evidence everyday to support the Bible’s history. Not to mention, believers understand that the Bible is a collection of books and letters inspired by The Holy Spirit. Please read this clear explanation from the “Got Questions” site: Is the Bible a fairy tale?
The proof to the believer is in (Romans 5:1-2) Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” (Matthew 21:22) “And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” (John 3:16) “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life,” and (Romans 15:13) “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” My sincere hope (in peace and love) is that everyone who reads this post will follow this next link and come to saving knowledge and faith in Jesus Christ: Unbelievers should tremble at the immense holiness of God. The reality of their sin should frighten and sicken them. And the redemptive work of Christ should thrill them to the core. Together the … (minimize the next window) Repent and Believe
You may have heard various explanations on this verse, interpreted plainly yourself, or just kept reading over it, but the way Jesus says it is clear when viewed in context.
Dr. J. Vernon McGee’s wonderful commentary on Matthew 7:6 (play audio).
GotQuestions.org commentary: Before Jesus says, “Do not cast your pearls before swine,” He says, “Do not give dogs what is sacred.” An analogy mentioning dogs is also used in Proverbs: “As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly” (Proverbs 26:11). A dual reference to swine and dogs is also found in 2 Peter 2:22, “Of [false teachers] the proverbs are true: ‘A dog returns to its vomit,’ and, ‘A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.’” In His sermon, Jesus uses dogs and pigs as representative of those who would ridicule, reject, and blaspheme the gospel once it is presented to them. We are not to expose the gospel of Jesus Christ to those who have no other purpose than to trample it and return to their own evil ways. Repeatedly sharing the gospel with someone who continually scoffs and ridicules Christ is like casting pearls before swine. We can identify such people through discernment, which is given in some measure to all Christians (1 Corinthians 2:15–16).
The command not to cast your pearls before swine does not mean we refrain from preaching the gospel. Jesus Himself ate with and taught sinners and tax collectors (Matthew 9:10). In essence, the instruction in Matthew 7:6 is the same that Jesus gave to His apostles when He said, “If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town” (Matthew 10:14). We are to share the gospel, but, when it becomes apparent that the gospel is not welcome, we are to move on. We are responsible to share the good news; we are not responsible for people’s response to the good news. Pigs don’t appreciate pearls, and some people don’t appreciate what Christ has done for them. Our job is not to force conversions or cram the gospel down people’s throats; there’s no sense in preaching the value of pearls to swine. Jesus’ instruction to His apostles on how to handle rejection was to simply go elsewhere. There are other people who need to hear the gospel, and they are ready to hear it.
