Jesus Christ, The Supreme Sacrifice

By Brian Reid

This book contains a wealth of background information that will help you deepen your understanding and appreciation of all that Christ did on behalf of His people by His sacrificial death on the cross. It will take you through the Old and New Testament with an in-depth detail, step-by-step procedure of the old covenant worship and sacrificial system prescribed by God and its rich cultural significance. Some of the topic are the following: the ritual of the sacrifices; daily, weekly, and monthly sacrifices; the feast of Passover, Pentecost, the Day of Atonement, and others. Also how offerings and sacrifices differed from each other, understanding the role of the priest in the sacrificial offerings and worship of God, understanding why God required the bloody killing of sacrificial animals. This book provide a unique insight of the limitation of each one the those blood sacrifice, individually and collective in the bible, then will show the supremacy Jesus sacrificial death, which fulfill every one of these sacrifice to the minute detail. We will see in the book among many other things how the death of Jesus the Christ provide what the Levitical could not provide for us. Some of the benefits discuss in the book is which is made available, not only to the Jews, but to all mankind are eternal life/everlasting life, forgiven and washed of our sins, redemption from the transgression, partaking in a New and Better Covenant, no more need for animal blood. Hebrews 9:12 states, "Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jan 23, 2017
• ISBN: 9781635252057

Book preview

300899-ebook.jpg

Jesus Christ

The Supreme Sacrifice

http://krausekorner.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/jesus-on-the-cross.jpg

by

Dr. Brian Reid

March 2014

ISBN 978-1-63525-204-0 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-63575-047-8 (Hard Cover)

ISBN 978-1-63525-205-7 (Digital)

Copyright © 2017 by Dr. Brian Reid

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

296 Chestnut Street

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Dedication

Acknowledgement

Introduction

The Bible Prophecies of Jesus Christ

Prophecies of Jesus’s Birth and Birthplace

Prophecies of Jesus’s Life and Ministry

Prophecies of Jesus’s Death, Burial, and Ressurection

Prophecies and Fulfillments on Other Aspects of Jesus

The Fulfillment of These Prophecies

Prophecies and Fulfillments Concerning Jesus’s Birth and Birthplace

Prophecies and Fulfillments of Jesus’s Life and Ministry

Prophecies Fulfillment of Jesus’s Death, Burial, and Resurrection

Prophecies and Fulfillments on Other Aspects of Jesus

The Fullness of the Godhead Is in Jesus Christ Bodily

The Godhead

The Very God Manifested in Flesh

The Fullness of the Godhead Dwells in Jesus Christ

The Old Testament Sacrifices

The Burnt Offering

Peace Offering (Zebach Sh’lamim)

Sin Offering: Chatta’ah

The Trespass (Guilt) Offering: Asham

The Red Heifer: Parah Adumah

The Sacrificial Lamb in the Bible

Sacrifices during Tabernacles

The Day of Atonement and Old Covenant Sacrificial System

Jesus Christ, Our Supreme Sacrifice Revealed in the New Testament

The Testimony of Jesus Christ in the Gospel of John

The Gospel of John

A Gift from GodGod Himself Gave This Sacrifice

An Expression of God’s True Mercies toward Sinful Men

An Expression of Love toward Sinful Men

Eternal Life/Everlasting Life

The Unique Events That Took Place the Day Jesus Christ Died on the Cross

Darkness Fell upon All the Land

The Earthquake

The Rending of the Temple Veil

The Benefits of This Supreme Sacrifice:Part One

Other Scriptures to Look At

The Benefits of This Supreme Sacrifice:Part Two

We Now Have a Better Mediator through the Sacrificial Death of Jesus Christ

Redemption from the Transgression for Those Who Were Under the First (Old) Testament

Partaking in a New and Better Covenant with the Jews

The Covenant Promises which We Can Benefit From

Other scriptures to look at:

Bibliography

References

About the Author

Dedication

I dedicate this to my wife, family, friends, and loved ones.

I thank you all for your love, patience, prayers, and support. Also to all the blood wash born-again believers in Jesus Christ around the world. Again, I say thank you all and to God be the glory.

Acknowledgement

I want to acknowledge my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, as my chief source of inspiration, wisdom, and ability.

I also want to wish to personally thank the following people for their contributions to my inspiration and knowledge and other help in creating this book: wife and kids, Dr. Joe L. Nelson, PhD (founder and president of Parkersburg Bible College, WV, USA); Dr. Glenton Dennis, ThD (administrator International University of Biblical studies, Jamaica, WI); and Overseer Vivian Santimore Grubb (pastor of True Holy Church, City of Refuge). I also want to acknowledge my publisher, Christian Faith Publishing (296 Chestnut St., Meadville, PA 16335, USA).

Introduction

Jesus Christ is not just a good, moral person as some may say. Jesus Christ, the Messiah of the world, manifested Himself in flesh and offered up Himself once for all men as the supreme sacrifice for mankind. This was far more effective in its outcome than all the Old Testament sacrifices, even if they were all combined together as one big sacrifice because of their individual limitations.

The Bible contains many prophecies, concerning the birth, life, and ministry, the death, burial, and resurrection of the Messiah. All these Messianic prophecies were fulfilled by Jesus Christ, which was impossible to be filled by any one person but the Messiah. Now, Jesus Christ is not just the Messiah of the world, but the One Indivisible God that revealed Himself in human form. This is also called the incarnation of God. The incarnation of God was necessary so that Jesus Christ could die (the flesh or His humanity) on the cross and shed His blood, as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of mankind. Some may say it was not necessary for this supreme sacrifice because there were so many different sacrifices that were offered up continually by men to God. We will, however, see that those many sacrifices could only fulfill their limited purposes but were not sufficient to take away sin or even purge the conscience.

The Bible says, "For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? Because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, "Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure" (Heb. 10:1–6).

Hebrews 10:11–12 states, And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God; the phrase this man" in the text refers to Jesus Christ."

(Unless otherwise specified, all Scriptures quoted in this thesis are from the King James 1611 Version of the Bible.)

The Bible Prophecies of

Jesus Christ

Someone may ask, what is a prophecy, and why should I care?

The general definition from the dictionary for prophecy are the following:

an inspired utterance of a prophet;

the function or vocation of a prophet, specifically the inspired declaration of God’s divine will and purpose;

a prediction of something to come.

In the New Testament, the word prophecy appears sixteen (16) times while the word prophesying appears three (3) times (altogether, nineteen times).

The biblical meaning of the word prophecy from the Greek propheteia is the gift of interpreting the will of the God.

Other important meanings of the word prophecy:

It is considered a discourse emanating from divine inspiration and declaring the purposes of God, whether by reproving and admonishing the wicked, or comforting the afflicted, or revealing things hidden;especially by foretelling future events, it is used in the New Testament in reference to the utterance of Old testament prophets.

The prediction of events relating to Christ’s kingdom and its speedy triumph, together with the consolations and admonitions pertaining to it, the spirit of prophecy, the divine mind, to which the prophetic faculty is due.

The endowment and speech of the Christian teachers called prophets.

The gifts and utterances of these prophets, especially of the predictions of the works of which, set apart to teach the gospel, will accomplish for the kingdom of Christ.

The prophecies written in the Bible about events that were to have taken place by now, everyone was fulfilled with 100 percent accuracy. The Old Testament books in the Bible (all of them written between 1450 Bc and 430 Bc) contained hundreds of prophecies about an Anointed One (Messiah in Hebrew) who would arrive in their future.

We know that David (the author of Psalm 22) lived about 1043–973 Bc and Isaiah lived about 740–680 Bc. Both passages, written far ahead of the time of Christ, are strong proofs that help you believe that the Bible was literally inspired by God.

Prophecies of Jesus’s Birth and Birthplace

Some of the more interesting and surprising statements about the Messiah in the Old Testament are those concerning His lineage. Contrary to what some might claim, there are very specific prophecies about this, each of which Jesus fulfilled.

In reference to the bruising of the serpent’s head in Genesis 3:15, the Messiah will be the offspring (descendant) of the woman.

Provided below are a few examples of specific prophecies:

He is the seed of a woman.

Genesis 3:15 declares, "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."

He is a descendant of Abraham.

The Messiah will be a descendant of Abraham, through whom everyone on earth will be blessed. Genesis 12:3 declares, "And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."

Genesis 26:4 states, "And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed" (Read also Genesis 18:18).

He is a descendant of Isaac.

Genesis 17:19 declares, "And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him."

Genesis 21:12 declares, "And God said unto Abraham, let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called."

He is a descendant of Jacob.

Numbers 24:17 states, "I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth."

The word sceptre used in the text is taken from the Hebrew word shebet (shay’-bet); from an unused root probably meaning: to branch off; a scion, that is (literally) a stick (for punishing, writing, fighting, ruling, walking, etc.) or (figuratively) a clan: KJV—correction, dart, rod, sceptre, staff, tribe.

(Strong’s Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary.)

From The Online Bible Thayer’s Greek Lexicon and Brown Driver and Briggs Hebrew Lexicon the word sceptre in OT SC 7626 means shebet—a rod, a staff, a branch, an offshoot, a club, a scepter, a tribe a) a rod, a staff b) a shaft (used of a spear and a dart) c) a club (used of a shepherd’s implement) d) a truncheon, a scepter (a mark of authority) e) a clan, a tribe.

He is from the Tribe of Judah.

Genesis 49:10 states, "The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be" (read also Micah 5:2).

He is to be born of a virgin.

Isaiah 7:14 declares, "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."

The prophet Isaiah lived in Jerusalem in the eighth century Bc.

The Messiah will be the begotten

son of God.

Psalm 2:7 states, "I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee."

Psalm 2:7 states, "I will declare the decree of the Lord: He said to Me, You are My Son; this day [I declare] I have begotten You" (taken from the Amplified Version of the Bible, AMP).

He is to be born in Bethlehem.

Micah 5:2 states, "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting." About the prophecy of Micah, Micah was born in eighth century Bc.

He will be adored by great persons and presented with gifts.

Psalm 72:10–11 states, "The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. Yea, all kings shall fall down before Him: all nations shall serve Him."

A mass slighting of children.

Jeremiah 31:15 states, "Thus saith the Lord; a voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not."

He is of the family of Jesse.

Isaiah 11:1 states, "And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of His roots. He will be from the house of David."

Jeremiah 23:5 states, "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth."

Heir to the throne of David.

Isaiah 9:7 states, "Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this."

Prophecies of Jesus’s Life and Ministry

There are many prophesies concerning the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. Various prophecy text are related below which testify to the fact.

The Messiah [Jesus] will be called out of Egypt.

Prophecy: When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt (Hosea 11:1).

He is the Messenger sent to prepare the way before him.

Prophecy: Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts (Mal. 3:1).

The Messiah’s name will reveal that He is God (came in as a child/son).

Prophecy: "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, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." (Isa. 9:6).

Jewish Sources Comment on Isaiah 9:6

Let us look at some Jewish sources as they comment on this verse.

Rabbi Moses ben Maimon (born 1135 in Spain and died 1204 in Egypt) and Abraham Ben Ezra wrote in their book How To Recognize The Messiah that God named Him (the Messiah) with six names as He says concerning Him … That He calleth Him God in a distinctive manner, is to say with it, that His glory surpasses that of all other children of man.

Rabbi Abraham ben Ezra (born 1093 in Spain, died 1167 in Rome) commented that There are some interpreters who say that ‘Wonderful Everlasting Father’ are names of God and only ‘Prince of Peace’ is the name of the child. But according to my view the interpretation is right (which says): all are the called names of the child.

Rulers take council against Him.

Prophecy: Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying (Psalm 2:1–2).

The Messiah will enter Jerusalem triumphantly on a donkey.

Prophecy: Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass (Zech. 9:9).

It is interested to note that Zechariah the prophet spoke about the judgment and salvation of God and about the coming Messiah who would be a priest, governor, humble king, and afflicted shepherd. The New Testament Gospels quote Zechariah more than any other prophet. Part of the book of Zechariah was written in 520 Bc.

He will minister to the Jews and be a light to the Gentiles.

Prophecy: "Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations.

The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined" (Isa. 9:1–2).

Prophecy: I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles (Isa. 42:6).

Prophecy: Isaiah 49:6 states, And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth (Matt. 13:34–35)

He will establish a new, everlasting covenant.

Prophecy: "Behold, the days come, saith