Three Stages of Jesus' Earthly Mission

Many people who try to argue that Jesus is not God have failed to understand that there were three stages to Jesus' mission on earth. Let's review those together from Scripture: 

1. Self-Humiliation

The first stage was His self-humiliation. This is the one that many people overlook or fail to understand when they erroneously deny the deity of Christ. They try to argue that if Jesus had to pray to God, then He could not be God. They also argue that if He could die, then He cannot be God, since God cannot die. But let me explain it to you like this.

The Word was with God and was God eternally, but then the Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. This is called the incarnation. 

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being...And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." (Joh 1:1-3,14)

In order for that to happen, the Word had to empty Himself of all His glory (including all of His divine attributes). That is called the kenosis or emptying (Phil 2:7), which was part of His humiliation. 

"Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men." (Php 2:5-7)

Notice that Paul said Christ emptied Himself. That word "emptied" comes from the Greek word "kenoo" meaning to abase or to empty. The word "kenoo" comes from the Greek word "kenos", which is where we get the English theological term kenosis. We use the word kenosis to refer to the fact that Christ first emptied Himself of all His glory.

Thus He limited Himself in His human form to the same limitations every person has, so that He could be tempted in every way just as we are yet without sin (Heb 4:15). He was the divine Son of God completely dependent upon the Heavenly Father for everything. He only did what He saw the Father doing (John 5:19). He only said what the Father commanded Him to say (Joh 12:49). And in the garden of Gethsemane, He suffered under the weight of what He was about to go through, which was to carry all the sins and infirmities of the whole world in His body on the cross, and feel complete separation from the Father (Mat 27:46). But each time He prayed about it, He submitted to the Father's will and said to Him, "Yet not as I will, but as You will" and "...My Father... may your will be done." (Mat 26:39,42; cf. Lk 22:42). Hence He did go to the cross and die for the sins of all mankind, which was the Father's will. For it was the Lord's will to crush Him (Isaiah 53:10). 

His humiliation also included His experiencing temptation (Mt 4), experiencing hunger, thirst, fatigue, rejection, suffering, rejection, betrayal, His passion, shame, disgrace, being beaten and spat upon, His crucifixion, and death. All of that was part of His humiliation. All four gospels record this historical fact that He was crucified, died, and was buried (Mat 27; Mk 15; Lk 23; Joh 19). 

Some people mistakenly think that Jesus did all of His miracles simply by virtue of the fact that He was God. But that is not true. Scripture tells us that after He was baptized in water, He received the baptism with the Holy Spirit. This is how He became endued with power. He did all of His miracles by the power of the Holy Spirit, the same way that we do them by faith in Jesus' name as His followers. He showed us the way that we should walk in all things including this.

2. Resurrection

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the second stage of His earthly mission, and it is well documented in all four gospels (Mt 28; Mk 16; Lk 24, and Jn 20), as well as the epistles and the Apocalypse of John. He is the One who was dead and behold He is alive forever and ever (Rev 1:18). He is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End (Rev 22:13). And He still refers to the Father in Heaven as "My God" (Rev 3:2, 12).

After His resurrection, He appeared to many people. The apostle Paul summarizes these appearances:

"For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas (Peter), then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also. For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God." (1Co 15:3-9).

His appearances did not end with the ones recorded in Scripture. He has continued to appear to many people in these last days, including to many Muslims around the world and others from all nations.

3. Exaltation

The exaltation of Christ is the third stage of His earthly mission, which includes his ascension into heaven, His glorification, and His coronation as King of Kings, where He sat down at the right hand of God. This is also well documented in Scripture, including in the gospels (Mk 16:19; Lk 24:51) and the epistles (Heb 10:11-14; Acts 7:55–56; Romans 8:34; Ephesians 1:20; Colossians 3:1; Rev 3:21). Paul puts it like this:

"Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Php 2:8-11).

That last part of the passage speaks of the fact that He is coming back again as Judge of all men. 

Closing Words

I have explained from Scripture that there were three stages to Christ's earthly mission, which included His self-humiliation, His resurrection, and His exaltation. Moreover, I have emphasized that His self-humiliation included His kenosis, incarnation, temptation, suffering, rejection, betrayal, crucifixion, and death. I have also explained that His exaltation included His ascension, glorification, and enthronement at God's right hand. But let us never forget that He is also coming back to judge the earth in righteousness. I pray that He would find me ready on that day, and hope the same is true for you, too.

Attribution notice: Most Scriptures quotations taken from the NASB, copyright The Lockman Foundation, used by permission. Graphic image courtesy of Eric Echols, used per the Fair Use Act for commentary and educational purposes only.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also like Is Jesus God?, Coronation of Christ as King, Supremacy of Christ, The Sinlessness of Christ, The Son of Man, and Christ's Two Ascensions. I also recommend my daughter Charity's music video called Coronation in Jerusalem. You may also access the Main Directory for this blog, or my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what G-d's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of G-d, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe. 

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

The Titles of Christ

Our wonderful Lord Jesus has many titles in Scripture. Here are some of them, although not all of them:

Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, our Peace, the Christ, the Son of the Living God, the Son of the Most High God, the Son of the Blessed One, the Holy One of God, the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End, the Word of God, the Word of Life, the Way, the Truth, the Life, the eternal Life, the Living One, the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Ruler of the kings of the earth, the Head over every power and authority, King of kings, Lord of lords, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls, the Chief Shepherd, the Good Shepherd, the Lamb of God, Savior, Redeemer, the Son of Man, the Righteous One, the Sun of Righteousness, the bright Morning Star, our Advocate, Immanuel, the Bread of Life, the Light of the world, the Branch, the true Vine, and the Door.

Now here are some of the Scriptures where those titles come from:

Isaiah 9:6 - "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

Isaiah 47:4 - "Our Redeemer—the Lord Almighty is his name— is the Holy One of Israel."

Luke 4:33-34 - "In the synagogue there was a man possessed by the spirit of an unclean demon. He cried out in a loud voice, 'Ha! What do You want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are, the Holy One of God!'”

Isaiah 7:14 - "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel."

Matthew 1:23 - “'The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel' (which means 'God with us')."

Ephesians 2:14 - "For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility..."

Matthew 16:16 - "Simon Peter answered, 'You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.'"

Mark 5:7 - "He shouted at the top of his voice, 'What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God's name don't torture me!'"

Mark 14:61-62 - "But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer. Again the high priest asked him, 'Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?' 'I am,' said Jesus. 'And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.'”

Matthew 14:33 - "Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, 'Truly you are the Son of God.'”

John 1:1,14 - "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."

John 1:29 - "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, 'Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!'"

Revelation 5:8, 11-12 - "Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints...Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice:

'Worthy is the Lamb who was slain
To receive power and riches and wisdom,
And strength and honor and glory and blessing!'"

John 4:42 - "Then they said to the woman, 'Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.'”

Acts 5:31 - "Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins."

Acts 13:23 - "From this man’s seed, according to the promise, God raised up for Israel a Savior—Jesus—"

Ephesians 5:23 - "For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body."

Philippians 3:20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,

Col 2:10 - "And in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority."

John 8:12 - "When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'”

John 9:5 - Jesus said, "While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

John 10:7-9 - "Therefore Jesus said again, 'Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.'"

John 10:14-15 - "I am the Good Shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—  just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep."

John 15:1 - Jesus said, “I am the true Vine, and my Father is the Gardener."

Isaiah 11:1 - "A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit."

Hebrews 3:1 - "Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus." (KJV)

1 Peter 2:25 - "For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls." (KJV)

1 Peter 2:25 - "For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls." (NASB)

1 Peter 5:4 - "And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away."

John 6:35 - "Then Jesus declared, 'I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.'"

John 14:6 - "Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'"

1 John 1:1-2 - "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us."

Acts 28:31 - "He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!"

Romans 1:4 - "And who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord."

1 John 2:1 - "My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One."

Acts 3:14 - "You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you."

Acts 7:52 - "Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him—"

Acts 22:14  - “Then he said: ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth."

Malachi 4:2 - "But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves."

Revelation 1:18 - "I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades."

Revelation 3:14 - “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation."

Revelation 4:4-5 - "John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits[a] before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood..."

Revelation 17:14 - "They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.”

Revelation 19:16 - "On His robe and on His thigh He has this name written: King of kings and Lord of lords."

Revelation 22:13 - "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End."

Revelation 22:16 - “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.” (cf., 2 Pe 1:19; Rev 2:28)

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible New International Verion, copyright Zondervan, used by permission.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, I recommend reading Supremacy of Christ, You're Better Off Following Jesus, Christ the Beginning, Light of the World, The Bodily Form of the Lord Jesus Christ, Is Jesus God?, There's No One Like the Lord, and Jesus is Yehova. You may also access the Main Directory for this blog, or my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.  

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

The Sinlessness of Christ

In this day and age when liberal pastors and theologians are challenging the sinlessness of Christ, it would do our souls well to protect ourselves from such lies by holding fast the faithful Word. If anyone doubts whether Christ was sinless, they need only to examine the Scriptures to see that He was. Here are seven verses that speak of the sinlessness of Christ:

He Committed No Sin
“He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” (1 Pe 2:22, NIV). The meaning of this verse is clear. Jesus Christ committed no sin.

He Had No Sin
"God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Cor 5:21, NIV). Once again, the the Bible says that Jesus had no sin. The only sin he ever had was yours and mine, which he bore in his body and paid the penalty for on the cross.

In Him There is No Sin
"You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin." (1Jn 3:5). As with the previous verses written by the apostles Peter and Paul, the apostle John here affirms that there is no sin in Jesus Christ.

Without Sin
"For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin." (Heb 4:15). The Scripture plainly says that Jesus was without sin.

Always Pleasing to God
Jesus said, "And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him." (Joh 8:29). The Lord explicitly says that He was always pleasing to God, and God would not have always been pleased with Him if he had committed even a single sin.

Without Blemish or Defect
"For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect." (1 Pe 1:18-19, NIV). The apostle describes Jesus as a lamb without blemish or defect. If he had committed even one single sin, then he would not be without blemish or defect.

Perfect as the Heavenly Father is Perfect
Jesus said, "Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Mat 5:48). He taught us that we must be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect. Since Jesus did not require us to do anything that He Himself did not do, we know that He was perfect. And just in case there is any uncertainly over what the word "perfect" means, Jesus compared this to the Father's perfection. That's the highest level of perfection, which He Himself was walking out, and He said we must be like that.

He said, "I and the Father are one." (Joh 10:30). Since Jesus and the Father are one, we would expect perfection from Him just as the Father is perfect. The apostle alludes to His perfection when he says, "For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form." (Col 2:9). This means that all he fullness of the Godhead, which includes His perfection, dwells in Jesus in bodily form.

Putting it All Together
In these seven verses, along with the supplemental ones I quoted in the final section, we have explicit, biblical proof that Jesus was in fact sinless. According to God's Word, He committed no sin, He had no sin, in Him there is no sin, He was without sin, He was always pleasing to God, He was without blemish or defect, and perfect as the heavenly Father is perfect. The implications of this for us are twofold.

First of all, He alone is the one person who is entirely without sin. All of us have sinned and fallen short of God's glory, except for Jesus, since He is God incarnate. He came and led a sinless life, and then died on the cross as our sacrifice of atonement to take away our sin. He died in our place, the innocent for the guilty. He's a perfect Savior, and your life is in good hands when you turn it over to Him, trusting Him to save you.

Secondly, if Jesus lives in you, and you no longer live, because you have been crucified with Christ, then we know what kind of fruit that should produce in your life. It should produce only the good fruit of the Spirit, like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. Christ will not produce any sin in us, but only righteousness, holiness, and truth. As we trust and obey the Lord, abiding in His Word, we will see the evidence of that in our lives, because He is a perfect Lord. Since He was sinless, then we, too, should aim for perfection.

Perhaps the best way to summarize these two implications is with the words of John the apostle, who said, "My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One." (1 Jn 2:1, NIV).

I hope this has give you a new appreciation for Jesus our perfect Lord and Savior, and some insight into what it means for us to follow in His steps.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible New International Verion, copyright Zondervan, used by permission. Other Scriptures taken from the NASB, copyright The Lockman Foundation, used by permission. Image may be subject to copyright of ShareFaith.com, used per the Fair Use Act for educational and commentary purposes only.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, I recommend reading Aim for Perfection, Following in His Steps, and Called to Be Blameless.  Supremacy of Christ, You're Better Off The Bodily Form of the Lord Jesus Christ, Is Jesus God?, and Jesus is Yehova. You may also access the Main Directory for this blog, or my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

There's No One Like the Lord

In my previous article, I wrote about the Supremacy of Christ, and in this post I'd like to continue along that same theme. I want to take this opportunity to exalt the Lord and give Him all the praise for who He is. Let's look at the Scriptures that say there is no one like the Lord, and remember that the same is true of both God the Father Almighty and Jesus Christ His Son, because Jesus is the image of the invisible God (Col 1:15) and the exact representation of His being (Heb 1:3).

The prophet Jeremiah said, "No one is like you, LORD; you are great, and your name is mighty in power."  (Jer 10:6, NIV)

God certainly proved to Pharaoh that there was no one like Him in all the earth when He unleashed the full force of His plagues against him. "Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Get up early in the morning, confront Pharaoh and say to him, "This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me, or this time I will send the full force of my plagues against you and against your officials and your people, so you may know that there is no one like Me in all the earth."'" (Exodus 9:13-14)

After Moses led the Israelites across the Red Sea out of Egypt, he sang a song, which says in part: "Who among the gods is like you, Lord? Who is like you— majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders? (Exodus 15:11)

When Moses pronounced a blessing on the tribe of Asher, he said, “There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, who rides across the heavens to help you and on the clouds in his majesty." (Deuteronomy 33:26)

King David prayed, "Among the gods there is none like you, Lord; no deeds can compare with yours." (Psalm 86:8)

Hannah prayed, “There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides You; there is no Rock like our God." (1 Samuel 2:2)

The apostle Paul said that Jesus is "far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come." (Eph 1:21)

He is incomparable. He is matchless. Since there is no one else even in His league, and no one even comes close, He is peerless. He is far above all others who have ever been, who are now, and who shall ever be throughout eternity. He is highly exalted to the right hand of God and reigns supreme. He is the Name above all names. Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God -- the Son of the Blessed One, the Son of the Most High God. He is the Holy One of God. He is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. He is the First and the Last, the Living One who was dead and behold He is alive forever and ever. He holds the keys of death and hell. He is ready to judge the living and the dead. He searches the hearts and minds of men. He holds the key of David. What He opens no man can shut, and what He shuts no man can open. He is the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the ruler of God's creation. He is God over all forever praised, Amen. In Him all the fullness of the Deity dwells in bodily form. The Father was pleased to have all of His fullness dwell in Him. He is the Ruler of the kings of the earth -- the Head over every power and authority. He is King of kings and Lord of lords. And He shall reign forever and ever. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! He is the high King of heaven, Power of my power, my Savior and my Redeemer, with high thanksgiving I pour out my soul to Him. Eternal praise shall be His forever.

The hair on His head is white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes are like blazing fire. His face shines like the sun in all its brilliance. He is dressed in a robe reaching down to His feet and with a golden sash around His chest. In His right hand He holds seven stars, and a sharp, double-edged sword proceeds from His mouth. His feet are like polished brass glowing in a furnace, and His voice is like the sound of rushing waters. He is the Light of the World.

He is Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. The government shall be upon His shoulders, and of the increase of His government there shall be no end. He is the Apostle and High Priest of our confession. He is the Bishop of our souls, the great Shepherd of the sheep, the Lamb of God. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and praise. He's the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and no man comes to the Father except by Him. He is the one Mediator between God and man.

No greater love has any man than His. He laid down His life for His friends. He gave His life for you on the cross, and rose from the dead. He bore your sins on the cross and paid the penalty of sin on your behalf. He carried your sickness in His body on the cross, and by His stripes you are healed.

If you don't know Him, you need to know that He loves you more than you can ever imagine, and He wants you to live with Him in heaven forever. I strongly encourage you to see the last section below at the bottom of this post.

Meanwhile, if you do know Him personally as your Lord and Savior, then give Him all the praise that's rightly due His name. Give Him the glory He deserves, because there's no one like Him in all the earth.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible New International Verion, copyright Zondervan, used by permission. The "All Hail King Jesus" painting © 2012 is by Danny Hahlbohm, all rights reserved by the artist.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, I recommend reading Supremacy of Christ, You're Better Off Following Jesus, Christ the Beginning, Light of the World, The Bodily Form of the Lord Jesus Christ, Is Jesus God?, and Jesus is Yehova. You may also access the Main Directory for this blog, or my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.  

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Prophecy of Christ's Suffering, Death, and Resurrection on the Third Day

After Jesus rose from the dead, He appeared to His disciples in a room where they had met together with the doors locked for fear of the Jews. He spoke to them and explained that what had happened to Him in his crucifixion and resurrection was a fulfillment of all the things written about Him in the Scriptures.

"Now He said to them, 'These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.' Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and He said to them, 'Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.'" (Luk 24:44-48)

In this passage, Jesus summarized very concisely all the key things that were written about Him throughout Scripture, which had just been fulfilled during the previous three days. I'd like to focus on the part where He said, "Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day." In other words, Scripture had foretold that He would suffer, die, and rise again on the third day. Where does it say that in Scripture?

Suffering
There are many places where it speaks of the sufferings of Christ. There are all the sacrifices called for in the Law that prefigure Christ's sufferings, especially the paschal lamb. And one passage in particular is Isaiah 53, which I recommend you read in its entirety. It says in part:

"Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth. By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the living For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due? His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth. But the LORD was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand. As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors." (Isa 53:4-12)

That prophecy speaks of both His suffering and His resurrection. He bore our griefs, carried our sorrows, was stricken, smitten by God, oppressed, afflicted, pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities, chastened for our well-being, and scourged so that we may be healed. That spoke of His suffering.

Death
Isaiah clearly prophesied His death when he spoke of the Lord's Servant as a lamb led to the slaughter (Is 53:7), who "poured out His life unto death" (Is 53:12), and was "cut off from the land of the living for the people's transgression" (Is 52:8). Isaiah spoke of His death and His grave. He specifically prophesied with accuracy that the Servant would be with the wicked in His death (Is 53:9), which we know from history that the Lord was crucified between two criminals. The prophet spoke of the Servant being with a rich man in His death (Is 53:9), which we know was fulfilled by the wealthy Joseph of Arimathea burying the Lord in his own tomb cut out of rock.

Resurrection

The prophet also made a clear reference to the Servant's resurrection from the dead as well, when he said that He would see His offspring, prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the Lord would prosper in His hand. He would ultimately see the light of life and be satisfied after the anguish of His soul was completed, and in the end He would be given a portion with the great, dividing the booty with the strong (Is 53:10-12).

While the prophet spoke of the Servant's resurrection, he did not say it would be on the third day. In fact, there seems to be no Scripture that explicitly says He will rise again on the third day. However, there is a cryptic reference to His resurrection on the third day, which is hidden in one of the prophets. In Hosea we read:

“Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but He will heal us; He has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence. Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge Him. As surely as the sun rises, He will appear; He will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” (Hos 6:1-3, NIV)

In this passage, the prophet speaks in the first person plural (ie., "us" and "we"), which pertained to Israel at that time, but it is also a double reference to Christ. He prophesied that the Lord would tear Him (Christ) to pieces and He would be injured, that the Lord would heal Him and bind up His wounds, that the Lord would "revive" Him after two days, and that He would be "restored to life" on the third day.  The Hebrew word for "revive" means to give life, let live, recover, revive, or save. And the Hebrew word for "restored to life" means to "rise again", so the prophet said He would rise again on the third day! This is the Scripture Jesus was referring to when He said it was written that He must rise again on the third day. Hosea spoke further of His resurrection by saying, "As surely as the sun rises, He will appear." (Hos 6:3, NIV).

Another one of the prophets named Malachi also alluded to the sun rising when he prophesied regarding Christ: "But for you who revere my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in its rays." (Mal 4:2, NIV). Also see Light of the World.

Moreover, Jesus said that He would be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth, just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish (Mt 12:40). In saying so, He indicated that Jonah was a type of Christ, which means that Jonah's three days and three nights in the belly of the huge fish was a prophetic even foreshadowing the suffering and death of Christ, followed by His resurrection on the third day. Also see Jonah as a Type of Christ.

Repentance for Forgiveness of Sins
Jesus told His disciples that the Scriptures said repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name (Lk 24:47). The Scripture speaks a lot about the need for repentance. For example, in this very same passage in Hosea, it says, "Come let us return to the Lord." The Hebrew word for "return" is "shub" meaning to turn back again, and it is often used to refer to repentance. I have covered this in more detail in my article, Repentance That Leads to Life. The nation of Israel had been unfaithful to God and was unrepentant. For the people had dealt treacherously with God, but the prophet was calling the nation to repentance.

Ezekiel also prophesied, "For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies," declares the Lord GOD. "Therefore, repent and live." (Eze 18:32)

The passage in Isaiah 53 says, "By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities." This means that by knowing the Lord's righteous Servant Jesus, many will be justified, since He Himself bore our iniquities.

Hosea also spoke of knowing the Lord in the passage from the sixth chapter that I have cited above. He said, "Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge Him." (Hos 6:3, NIV). In the NASB, it says, "So let us know, let us press on to know the LORD."

Therefore, when we put these passages together with others from the Hebrew Scriptures, we find that by repenting and knowing Jesus, men receive justification and forgiveness of sins from God. 

The psalmist also wrote, "Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against him."

Preached to All Nations

Jesus said the Scriptures prophesied that this gospel would be preached to all nations, when He said to His disciples that it "would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations" (Lk 24:47). Again, there are many Scriptures that say this. But just a couple will suffice to prove my point.

"Praise the LORD, all nations; Laud Him, all peoples! For His lovingkindness is great toward us, And the truth of the LORD is everlasting. Praise the LORD!" (Psa 117:1-2)

"Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You. Let the nations be glad and sing for joy; For You will judge the peoples with uprightness And guide the nations on the earth. Selah." (Psa 67:3-4)

All the peoples of the earth and all the nations praise the Lord, because they have received forgiveness of sins through repentance and faith in Christ.

"God blesses us, That all the ends of the earth may fear Him." (Psa 67:7).

Jehovah spoke to His Servant Yeshua (Jesus) in this passage from Isaiah that says: "I am the LORD, I have called You in righteousness, I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You, And I will appoint You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the nations." (Isa 42:6)

In Isaiah again He says, "It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make You a light of the nations So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth." (Isa 49:6)

Glory to God!

Invitation

As you can clearly see from Scripture, all of the things that happened to Jesus were prophesied hundreds of years in advance, right down to the minute details, including that he would suffer, die, rise again on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all nations. That proves that He is the Son of God.

If you don't know Jesus yet, today is the day of salvation; now is the time of God's favor. Jesus is coming back soon to judge the world and take vengeance on the enemies of God, so don't wait or else it may be too late.

The Lord does not take pleasure in your perishing. Therefore, repent and live. As Peter said, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." (Ac 2:38, NIV). 

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Other Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible NIV where noted.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also like Is Jesus God?, The Amazing Sign of Jonah, Supremacy of Christ, Repentance That Leads to Life, Ongoing Earthly Ministry of Jesus, The Son of Man, and Christ's Two Ascensions. You may also access the Main Directory for this blog, or my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.