In our Bible reading, my wife and I are both going through the Law that God laid out for His chosen people to live by. Last night, she pointed out something that I have often thought about as well, namely that the commands of the sacrificial system that God made a part of His Law seem very odd. As modern readers, most of us have never seen any such religious practice, nor can we fully picture it in a realistic way. Though the Israelites had witnessed all sorts of animal sacrifice in Egypt and elsewhere, the demands of the sacrificial system that God required of them were strange and alien to them as well. As with everything that God does, there is a purpose behind even this.
The immediate purpose of God giving them such a system of sacrifice was to make their way of approaching and interacting with Him totally unique, in comparison with all other sacrificial systems that had been devised in the world. What they were to do could never be confused with what was done in worshipping the false gods of the rest of the world. They were marked as unique and special by the blood of these sacrifices, especially the priests.
For example, my wife pointed out that after God had given them very detailed instructions about the making of priestly garments for the Levites, which included a concern for keeping the garments clean, God then made it clear that those garments were to sprinkled with the blood of sacrifice to make them ready for God's service. Blood can be washed out of clothing with water while it is still wet, but not if it is allowed to soak and dry. Though the priestly garments would be washed, it would only be after they had performed their duties as priests. What was to be cleaned from the garments was any filth caused by those wearing them while doing their duty, but the stains from the blood that was sprinkled upon them would remain. This especially becomes significant in light of the New Testament.
The ultimate purpose of the sacrificial system was to point to the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus Christ would make for us all. Concerning the sacrificial system that God imposed in the Old Testament, the Bible says, "For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect." (Hebrews 10:1, NKJV) The sacrifice of Jesus Christ, when He died on the cross, was the crowning moment of those "good things to come." The Bible explains, "But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" (Hebrews 9:11-14, NKJV) The only thing in this world that could ever compare with what Jesus Christ did for us, was the sacrificial system of the Old Testament and only because it was a unique symbol of the unique sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for us.
The sacrifice of Jesus leaves a mark on all those who believe in Him, setting us apart as His own, much like the blood that sprinkled the priests in the Old Testament. The Bible declares, "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy." (1 Peter 2:9-10, NKJV) Because of His unique sacrifice, we are a unique people, following the One True God through a world that denies Him. To be His is to be set apart by His blood for serving Him. It is something that should effect how we live in obvious ways. The Bible reminds us, "If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin." (1 John 1:6-7, NKJV) I pray that His blood has left a mark on your life as it has on mine!
"Dear Lord, help us to remember Your sacrifice and its purpose today. Please work in our lives to show the difference that You have made there through the blood of Your sacrifice of love. May we stand apart from the ways of this world, while we stand in it to serve You! Amen."
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Friday, March 02, 2007
The Truth and Ossuaries
Down through the centuries people have attempted to disprove that Jesus resurrected from the dead. These attempts have sometimes been very sophisticated, but most of the time they have been very shallow in arguing their case against the record of the Bible. Recently, a new effort has been undertaken that is both sophisticated and shallow, using a combination of 2,000 year old ossuaries and modern-day falsehood. But like all the others before it, this argument still falls short of the "truth" found in God's Word.
An ossuary is a box that was used to store the bones of a person in the Middle-East during the time that Jesus Christ walked on Earth. A person's bones would only be placed in an ossuary after being dead for at least a year. Ossuaries were identified with the name of the deceased, much like modern day tombstones, but also with the name of their father (i.e. John, the son of Zebedee). In 1980, several ossuaries were discovered in a tomb just outside of Jerusalem. These ossuaries had provocative names inscribed on them, such as Jesus, the son of Joseph, and Judah, the son of Jesus, among others said to be in the same family. At the time of the discovery, archaelogists, with no allegiance to the Biblical record or any commitment to defend it, found no connection with Jesus of Nazareth or his family. These archaelogists explained that it was simply a family that lived in the same time period as Jesus Christ. Now in 2007, the Discovery Channel is ready to air a documentary entitled "The Lost Tomb of Jesus," which uses these same ossuaries as evidence that the bones of Jesus and his family have been discovered.
Nothing new has been learned about these ossuaries. They still list some of the most common names to be found in Judea during the time of Christ. They were still found in an entirely different place than where most of the family of Jesus lived and died, which is the city of Nazareth in Galilee. There is still no convincing evidence that the ossuary inscribed with the name of Jesus contains the bones of Jesus Christ. In fact, the evidence of the Bible and history stands against such a claim. This is simply an old lie renovated for a new age.
Biblically, the disciples of Jesus Christ witnessed His death, His resurrection, and His ascension. The New Testament records their proclamation of that fact, as well as the things they suffered for it. History agrees that the disciples gained nothing in worldly terms from what they proclaimed concerning Jesus Christ. No-one would suffer and die for something that they knew to be a lie. None of them would have been enduring persecution and preaching that Jesus had arisen from the dead, if his bones were being stored in an ossuary near Jerusalem. They had nothing to gain in this world for doing so!
In contrast to the disciples, those who produced this documentary and those who are supporting it think that they have everything to gain in doing so. The world is clambering for anything that seems to counter the Bible. Skeptics rejoice over every new lie, because it is a "truth" that is more acceptable to them than what is really the "truth" concerning Jesus. Somehow, it makes the skeptic feel better to think that he or she has evidence to support their rejection of the "truth." Every skeptic starts with the presupposition that the Bible could not be true and so virtually anything else has more credibility, especialy if it counters the Biblical record. Therefore, as another Easter approaches to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the doubters of the world are attempting to undermine the faith of millions with a few boxes full of bones.
The book of Proverbs illustrates the difference between the efforts of the skeptics and the believers this Easter. The Bible says, "He who speaks truth declares righteousness, but a false witness, deceit. There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword, but the tongue of the wise promotes health. The truthful lip shall be established forever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment." (Proverbs 12:17-19, NKJV) On one hand, false witnesses are spreading lies that masquerade as the truth, but on the other hand, faithful witnesses of the truth are declaring what is right. False witnesses only hurt those who listen to them, damaging their faith, or even killing their chances at receiving the eternal life that the living Jesus is offering them. Faithful witnesses can only help those who listen to them, introducing them to the One who wants to heal them from the disease of sin, so that they will live forever with Him!
This Easter, what will you believe and what will you proclaim? Don't hesitate to tell what you know to be the "truth" about Jesus. The things that the skeptics say today are loud and deceptively convincing, but their lying will only last "for a moment." What you have to say about the truth "shall be established forever," long after they have learned the error of their ways in Hell. Now is the time to take a stand for the Truth of God's Word, so that some might believe and be saved from the destruction that the enemy's lies will cause!
Jesus said that the Word of God is "Truth" (John 17:17b). That's why Paul points to the Scriptures as being enough evidence for anyone to believe. Paul said, "Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you -- unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures..." (1 Corinthians 15:1-4, NKJV) This is the question that you must ask yourself: Is the Bible enough evidence for me?
I've heard it said that the greatest evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ is a changed life. That statement is not quite right, because the greatest evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the Bible, but a changed life runs a close second! My life was changed because I believed the evidence of the Bible and rejected the lies of this world! I hope and pray that you will do the same.
"Lord God in Heaven, thank-you for telling me the true story of Jesus in Your Word. I never could have heard it any other way. Help me to tell someone else that story today and everyday. Amen."
An ossuary is a box that was used to store the bones of a person in the Middle-East during the time that Jesus Christ walked on Earth. A person's bones would only be placed in an ossuary after being dead for at least a year. Ossuaries were identified with the name of the deceased, much like modern day tombstones, but also with the name of their father (i.e. John, the son of Zebedee). In 1980, several ossuaries were discovered in a tomb just outside of Jerusalem. These ossuaries had provocative names inscribed on them, such as Jesus, the son of Joseph, and Judah, the son of Jesus, among others said to be in the same family. At the time of the discovery, archaelogists, with no allegiance to the Biblical record or any commitment to defend it, found no connection with Jesus of Nazareth or his family. These archaelogists explained that it was simply a family that lived in the same time period as Jesus Christ. Now in 2007, the Discovery Channel is ready to air a documentary entitled "The Lost Tomb of Jesus," which uses these same ossuaries as evidence that the bones of Jesus and his family have been discovered.
Nothing new has been learned about these ossuaries. They still list some of the most common names to be found in Judea during the time of Christ. They were still found in an entirely different place than where most of the family of Jesus lived and died, which is the city of Nazareth in Galilee. There is still no convincing evidence that the ossuary inscribed with the name of Jesus contains the bones of Jesus Christ. In fact, the evidence of the Bible and history stands against such a claim. This is simply an old lie renovated for a new age.
Biblically, the disciples of Jesus Christ witnessed His death, His resurrection, and His ascension. The New Testament records their proclamation of that fact, as well as the things they suffered for it. History agrees that the disciples gained nothing in worldly terms from what they proclaimed concerning Jesus Christ. No-one would suffer and die for something that they knew to be a lie. None of them would have been enduring persecution and preaching that Jesus had arisen from the dead, if his bones were being stored in an ossuary near Jerusalem. They had nothing to gain in this world for doing so!
In contrast to the disciples, those who produced this documentary and those who are supporting it think that they have everything to gain in doing so. The world is clambering for anything that seems to counter the Bible. Skeptics rejoice over every new lie, because it is a "truth" that is more acceptable to them than what is really the "truth" concerning Jesus. Somehow, it makes the skeptic feel better to think that he or she has evidence to support their rejection of the "truth." Every skeptic starts with the presupposition that the Bible could not be true and so virtually anything else has more credibility, especialy if it counters the Biblical record. Therefore, as another Easter approaches to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the doubters of the world are attempting to undermine the faith of millions with a few boxes full of bones.
The book of Proverbs illustrates the difference between the efforts of the skeptics and the believers this Easter. The Bible says, "He who speaks truth declares righteousness, but a false witness, deceit. There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword, but the tongue of the wise promotes health. The truthful lip shall be established forever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment." (Proverbs 12:17-19, NKJV) On one hand, false witnesses are spreading lies that masquerade as the truth, but on the other hand, faithful witnesses of the truth are declaring what is right. False witnesses only hurt those who listen to them, damaging their faith, or even killing their chances at receiving the eternal life that the living Jesus is offering them. Faithful witnesses can only help those who listen to them, introducing them to the One who wants to heal them from the disease of sin, so that they will live forever with Him!
This Easter, what will you believe and what will you proclaim? Don't hesitate to tell what you know to be the "truth" about Jesus. The things that the skeptics say today are loud and deceptively convincing, but their lying will only last "for a moment." What you have to say about the truth "shall be established forever," long after they have learned the error of their ways in Hell. Now is the time to take a stand for the Truth of God's Word, so that some might believe and be saved from the destruction that the enemy's lies will cause!
Jesus said that the Word of God is "Truth" (John 17:17b). That's why Paul points to the Scriptures as being enough evidence for anyone to believe. Paul said, "Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you -- unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures..." (1 Corinthians 15:1-4, NKJV) This is the question that you must ask yourself: Is the Bible enough evidence for me?
I've heard it said that the greatest evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ is a changed life. That statement is not quite right, because the greatest evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the Bible, but a changed life runs a close second! My life was changed because I believed the evidence of the Bible and rejected the lies of this world! I hope and pray that you will do the same.
"Lord God in Heaven, thank-you for telling me the true story of Jesus in Your Word. I never could have heard it any other way. Help me to tell someone else that story today and everyday. Amen."
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