God is One,but not solitary

The Church's relationship with the Muslims:''The plan of Salvation also include those who acknowledge the Creator,in the first place amongst these are the Muslims;these profess to hold the faith of Abraham,and together with us adore the one,merciful God ,mankind's judge on the last day.'' Catholic Catechism.

Tatian the Syrian"We are not playing the fool, you Greeks, nor do we talk nonsense, when we report that God was born in the form of a man" (Address to the Greeks 21 [A.D. 170]).

In this post I will discuss the differences between Christianity and Islam.I am not interested in a
'debate' but I will instead: ''Be ready at all times to answer anyone who asks you to explain the hope you have in you,but do it with gentleness and respect'' 1 pet.3:15.A Muslim friend of mine once asked ''if God is One why do you worship three?.....and if God is the Father who was his wife?'' Such odd questions for a Christian to answer I suppose but here I will attempt to answer these and other issues and questions. Let,s however agree on one thing Mary was a virgin when she gave birth to Jesus (God who saves) Luk.1:34. He had no human Father. God would be His Father ''He said to me you are my Son today I have begotten you'' ps.2:7 .Nothing perverted here Mary was indeed a 'virgin' when she gave birth ,but the Holy Spirit 'overshadowed' her which means to eclipse or to take over ; so that's what God did,He took over her womb and became Incarnate.In the Koran it says ' We breathed in to her of our spirit' 21:19 and 'We breathed into her body of our spirit' 66:12 in the book of Mary.It also says that he would be a 'holy son'19:16-21,who can be holy but God alone? How can he be no more than a messenger? And why does God speak in the third person? see Gen.1:26. O foolish and unwise people...Is he not your Father who created you? Deut.32:6O...people of the book(christians) do not exaggerate in your Religion nor utter aught concerning Allah save the truth. The Messiah Jesus,son of Mary was only a messenger of Allah,and His word which he conveyed to Mary and a spirit from him.So believe Allah and his messengers and say not ''three''cease! It is better for! Allah is only One God.Far is it removed from his transcendent majesty that he should have a son.He is all that is in the heavens and that is in the earth.And Allah is sufficient as it,s defender.'' ch.4:Surah 171.But it says here that Jesus was the 'Word' of God and the 'spirit' of God. Look at what it says in Gen.1:1-2,3 In the beginning....and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters.And God said ''Let there be light'' and there was light. Which is the same as in John 1:1,5....In the beginning was the Word....The light shines in the darkness,and darkness was not able to over come it.....and the Word was made flesh (a human being)...In :18 it says No one has ever seen God;the only Son who is in the bosom of the Father he has made him known.And in :32,34 it says And John bore witness,''I saw the spirit descend as a dove from heaven and it remained on him...and I have seen and bore witness that this is the Son of God.'' Now Muslims believe that the scriptures were corrupted but how? Who can write like this ? And for what purpose? Nothing offended the Jews more that this;'Hear, O Israel ,the Lord our God the Lord is One.' Deut.6;4 and in Mat. 26:63 ,64 it says: ''I charge you under oath by the living God:Tell us if you are the Messiah the Son of the God." Jesus replied ''Yes it is as you say''... they said ''Blasphemy'' and ''He is worthy of death'' Who can make up such a thing? And look at the scene in John 8:52-58....you say that if anyone keeps your word, he will never taste death....Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died and so did the prophets.Who do you think you are?......''I tell you the truth,'' Jesus answered ,'' before Abraham was, I AM!'' At this they picked up stones to stone him but Jesus hid himself,slipping away from the temple grounds.Let,s look at another passage from the Koran; And when Allah said ''O Jesus,son of Mary did you say unto mankind:Take me and my mother as two gods besides Allah ? He said be glorified it was not mine to utter that to which I had no right. (surah5:116) Here it is suggesting that Christians misunderstood Jesus ...''it was not mine to utter such things"...But look at what Jesus really says in Luk.24,42
...He explained to them what was said in all the scriptures concerning himself....and he opened their minds so they could understand..and what about John the baptist and his testimony? Are we to discard it as corrupt in which twice it said ''John bore witness" ? Is there any reason not to trust him? Look at another testimony in Mat.16:13-17....''who do people say the Son of Man is?'' and they said.....''one of the prophets''...''But what about you? who do you say that I am?'' Peter answered ''you are the Christ,Son of the living God.'' Jesus replied ''Blessed are you..for this was not revealed to you by man but by my Father in heaven.'' And in 2 Pet.1:16-18, it says ''We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were EYEWITNESSES of his majesty.For we received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory,saying 'This is my Son,whom I am well pleased'.We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with Him on the sacred mountain.'' see also Transfiguration mat.17:1-
Adam and Jesus:
When God created man,he made him in his own likeness and image....When Adam lived 130 years,he had a son in his own likeness,in his own image...Gen.5:1-3 Here we learn that to be in the 'likeness' and 'image' of someone, signifies sonship or next of kin. "He is the image of the invisible God..for by him all things were created...he is before all things." Col.1;15-17....Adam was a figure of the one to come.But the two are not the same because God's gift is not like Adam's sin. Rom.5:14,15. .In 1 Cor.15:22 says "For as in Adam all die so in Christ all will be made alive." 1 Cor.15:47 says "The first man was of the dust of the earth,the second man from heaven." In Heb.2:14 it says "Since the children have flesh and blood,he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death. In Rev.1:17,18 Jesus says ''Do not be afraid.I am the First and the Last.I am the living one;I was dead and behold I am alive forever and ever!
Isaac and Jesus:
Some time later God tested Abraham.He said to him ''Abraham!'' Here I am he replied.Then God said ''Take your son,your only son whom you love and go the region of Moriah.Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.'' When they reached the place where God had told them about...he bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar,on top of the wood.Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son....but God said...''Do not lay your hand on the boy.'' he said ''Do not do anything to him.Now I know that you fear God,because you have not withheld your son from me,your Only son. Gen.22 :1-19. Now Muslims will argue 'this is proof that God would never allow such a sacrifice' But why not ? It was a burnt offering not a 'murder' and besides God was only testing Abraham ''Now I know that you fear God....'' .12.But God accepted it as a sacrifice....you have not withheld your son from me,your Only son.'' .16.Notice a parallel in Rom.8:32 "He who did not spare his own son but gave him up for us all....and in John 3:16 "For God so loved the world he gave up his one and only son.... Christians see this as a prophecy of Jesus' sacrifice ''God himself will provide the Lamb...'' Gen.22:8. "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." John 1:29 .The relationship between Abraham and Isaac is seen in the likeness of God the Father and his son ''the only Son who is in the bosom of the Father...'' John 1:18.What about Ishmael you may ask? And Abraham said to God ''If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!'' Then God said ''Yes,but your wife will bear you a son and you will call him Isaac I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant....as for Ishmael I will surely bless him...but my covenant will be with Isaac." Ishmael was not the son God wanted for Abraham whom he bore with Hagar (a substitute wife when Sarah couldn't conceive) see Gen.15:4 ,17:16.His son by the slave woman was born in the ordinary way;but his son Isaac was a result of a promise....Now you brothers (Christians),like Isaac,are children of promise.Gal.4:23,28 .
Abraham could never have two wives at the same time, it went against God's Covenant with Adam and Eve..."Haven't you read......that at the beginning the Creator made them male and female..they are no longer two but one''.....Mat.19:4-6.Let's look at one more passage in regards to Jesus's sacrifice.First of all Jesus comes to us in the likeness of Moses ''The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your own brothers;you must listen to him." Deut.18:15 But Jesus was greater than moses ''A man who builds a house receives greater honour than the house it,s self.In the same way Jesus is worthy of a much greater honour than Moses.'' Heb.3:3 Indeed in accordance to the Law sins are forgiven only if blood is poured out.Heb. 9:22. Why is this so difficult for Muslims to except? Sin is indeed ugly,"For the life of the flesh is in the blood and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar;it is the blood the makes atonement for one's life.Lev.17:10.But it was necessary...You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways you inherited from your fathers,not with perishable things such as silver or gold,but with the precious blood of Christ,like a lamb without blemish or spot. 1 Pet.1;18,19."These words are faithful and true" Rev.22:6, "I Jesus,have sent my angel to testify to you...Rev.22:16.The Christian faith is more than a 'religious belief',rather it is a relationship with the living God based on a binding promise called a Covenant with the one mediator of the Covenant Jesus Christ who sealed this in his own blood.Through this Covenant (a sacred bond) God has made us his family (Ummah) "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us,that we should be called children of God! 1 jh 3:1.
Now this is the Catholic faith: We worship one God in the Trinity and the Trinity in the unity;In the Incarnation, God's Son reveals that God is the eternal Father and the Son is consubstantial with the Father,which means that,in the Father and with the Father the Son is one and the same.Catholic Catechism

Son of David, Son of Abraham

The relationship of the Church with the Jewish people:When she delves into her own mystery, the Church the people of the New Covenant, discovers her link with the Jewish people,the first to hear the Word of God.The Jewish faith unlike other non-Christian religions is already a response to God's revelation in the Old Covenant.To the Jews belong the 'sonship,the glory,the Covenants,the giving of the Law,the worship and the promises';to them belong the patriarchs and of their race according to the flesh is the Christ,for the gifts and call of God are irrevocable.Catholic Catechism.

Pope Clement I"What think you, beloved? Did not Moses know beforehand that this would happen? Undoubtedly he knew; but he acted thus, that there might be no sedition in Israel, and that the name of the true and only God might be glorified; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen" (Letter to the Corinthians 43 [A.D. 80]).

And he came to Nazareth,where he had been brought up;and he went to the synagogue as his custom was,on the sabbath day.He stood to read;and there was given to him the book of the prophet Isaiah.He opened the book and found where it was written,''The spirit of the Lord is upon me to preach good news to the poor,He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind,to set at liberty those who are oppressed,to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.''And he closed the book,and gave it back to the attendant and sat down and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.And he began to say to them,''Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing'' Luk.4:18-21.Here Jesus declares himself the Messiah and look at what they said in Luk.4:22 .All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips, ''isn't this Joseph's Son?'' they asked. That,s a good question,who was Joseph?...'he belonged to the line and of the house of David' Luk.2:4.Well that's important because in order for Jesus to be the Messiah he was to be of the tribe of Judah and the House of David ''But you,Bethlehem Ephrathah,though you are small among the clans of Judah out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel,whose origins are from old,from the ancient times''. Mic.5:2 Notice his origins 'from old...the ancient times ' He would be eternal..Ps.2:7.'he said to me' 'You are my Son today I have begotten you ' Here we learn that Joseph was not his biological Father,God said 'I have begotten you' to beget is to make offspring. Joseph was only engaged to Mary....before they came together,she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit...and notice Joseph's reaction...he did not want to expose her to public disgrace,he had in mind to break the engagement quietly. Mat.1:18-19 He obviously didn't understand what was going on and was embarrassed about it (any man would be) and then an angel appeared to him in a dream and said ''Joseph son of David do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife because what is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit''. Mat.1:20-21 This child would be special The virgin will give birth to a Son and they will call him Immanuel which means 'God with us' Is.7:14.

The Covenant with Abraham:

The call...''Leave your country and your people and your fathers household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and will bless you;I will make your name great and you will be a blessing, I will bless those who bless you and whoever curses you I will curse and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you''. Gen.12:1-3.The promise... ''Look up at the heavens and count the stars-if need you can count them'' Then he said to him ''So shall your offspring be'' Gen.15:5. The covenant oath...''your name will Abraham,for I have made you a father to many nations...I will bless her and will surely give you a Son by her.I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations,kings of peoples will come from her.....my covenant I will establish with Isaac whom Sarah will bear to you..." Gen.17:2-16 'Here God makes 3 promises to Abraham,to make him a great nation,to give him a great name and to make him a blessing for all nations.He later upgrades these promises into a Covenant and swears an oath to Abraham to make him a great nation and kingdom..'kings of peoples will come from her'God fulfilled his first promise under Moses when he delivered them out of Egypt and into their own land....''to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey''...Ex.3:8.God's second promise is fulfilled under David ''Your house and kingdom will endure forever before me,your throne I will establish forever.'' 2 Sam.7:16 And God's third promise is fulfilled at the coming of Christ,Luk.1:68-74 "Praise be to the Lord,the God of Israel because he has come and has redeemed his people.He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago)...to show mercy to our fathers and to remember His holy covenant,the oath he swore to our father Abraham:to rescue us from the hand of our enemies"...The relationship between Abraham and Isaac is in the likeness of the relationship between God the Father and his Son Jesus...the only Son who is in the bosom of the Father...John 1:18..He who did not spare his own son but gave him up for us all..Rom.8:32 and "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son...John 3:16,which is the same as in Gen.22:12....you have not withheld from me your son,your only son.'' And in Gen.49:10 it says.... 'The scepter will not depart from Judah nor the rulers staff from his between feet until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his.''
The Covenant with Moses: '' When Israel was a child, I loved him and out of Egypt I called my Son'' Hos.11:1. Now God is ready to fulfill his promise to Abraham,he is going to make his name great and make him into a great nation.He identifies himself to Moses as '' I AM the God of your father,the God of Abraham...So now,go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt. And why did Matthew quote Hos.11:1 in his Gospel ? The Child Jesus had to escape to Egypt because King Herod gave orders to kill all boys under two just like Pharaoh instructed the midwives to kill all the Hebrew boys that were being born.Here we begin to see God as Father..''Israel is my first born son....let my son go'' Ex.4:22 Is he not your Father who created you? Deut.32:6 Israel was God's first born son as Jesus was God's one and only Son.Now on the night God was to bring then out he commanded them to slaughter a lamb,take some of the blood and...put it on the tops and the sides of the doorframes...that same night they are to eat the flesh...with unleavened bread.Ex.12:7 .This would become 'the feast of passover' for when God saw the blood he passed over the house of Israel.This was a prefigure of Christ the Lamb of God...but with the precious blood of Christ,a Lamb without blemish or defect.1Pet.1:19 ...for Christ our passover has been sacrificed.1 Cor.5:7....he was led like a Lamb to the slaughter...Is.53:7....he will sprinkle many nations..Is.52:15.When the Israelites passed through the Red Sea it would be a prefigure of baptism...they were all baptized into Moses...in the sea...1 Cor.10:2 .And when they were hungry God gave bread from heaven to eat Ex.16:16,Jesus would be ''the true bread from heaven...who comes to give life to the world''.John 6:32,33.As Moses delivered the Israelites out of slavery,so too would Jesus..''I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin...So if the Son sets you free you are free indeed.'' John 8:34,36.When God gave Moses the Law on Mount Sinai it says...Then moses went up to God...Ex.19:3,just like Jesus went up on a mountainside an sat down.Mat.5:1.He did not..come to abolish the Law or the Prophets,but to fulfill..Mat.5:17.He would be in the image of Moses, ''The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me....you must listen to him.'' Deut.18:15 but would be greater,Heb.3:3. Jesus has been found worthy of a greater honour than Moses....After the Law was given ,the people swore an oath saying ''We will do everything the Lord said;we will obey.'' Moses than took the blood,sprinkled it on the people and said ''This is the blood of the Covenant that the Lord has made with you....'' Ex.24:7,8. In Luk.22:7,20 it says Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed....after supper he took the cup and said ''this is the New Covenant in my blood,which is poured out for you''
The Covenant with David: ''The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you...I will raise up your offspring to succeed you,who will come from your own body and I will establish his kingdom....I will be his Father and he will be my son...Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me;your throne will be established forever." 2 Sam.7:11-16 God chose David and anoints him as king ''The Lord has sought out a man after is own heart...'' 1 Sam.13:14 As opposed to Saul who ''rejected the word of the Lord'' 1 Sam.15:23.In his Covenant with David He promises him divine sonship,a Temple and a royal dynasty.Jerusalem is also described as ''the city of David'' 1 Sam.5:7,9 but also ''the throne of the Lord'' 1 Chr.25:8. Now David's first job as King was to restore the 'Ark of the Covenant' which was at the heart of Israel's worship and became the identity of the Temple that Solomon would build.And under Solomon the Kingdom reaches it's pinnacle.He was the 'son' who would build the Lord a house.The King was to be a 'priestly mediator' between the God and his people Ps.110 and was addressed simply as 'The Lord's Anointed' (Messiah),and would also have a 'queen' mother 1 kin.2:19.see also Rev.12:1.God fulfills yet another promise he made to Abraham...''kings of peoples will come from her.'' Gen.17:16.Within one generation the ''everlasting Kingdom had fallen''. Why?...the King must not take many wives,or his heart will be led astray.Deut.17:17 And what did Solomon do? King Solomon,however,loved many foreign women....1 Kin.11:1.''When he does wrong, I will punish him with rod the of men...'' 2 Sam.7:14,1 kin.11:31-39.After Solomon's death 1 Kin.11:43,the Kingdom split in two,ten tribes in the north (Israel) and two tribes in the south (Judah). In 722 B.C the Assyrians conquered the northern tribes and were never heard from again and in 586B.C. the Babylonians conquered the southern tribe of Judah but were allowed to return.The Judahites as they were called would be later be known as the Jews.But their Kingdom,national identity,and all hope was lost.During this dark time prophets were sent to remind the people of 'David's everlasting kingdom'In the last days,the mountain of the Lord's Temple will be established...The Lord will rule over them...the former dominion will be restored to you;Kingship will come to...Jerusalem. Mic.4:1-8 But who would rule? Remember David's Covenant was based on divine sonship and his throne was anointed by God himself thus 'The Lord's Anointed' would be known as 'Messiah.' His name would be Yehoshua (God who saves in Hebrew) Jesus (God who saves in Greek) Is.11:1-2. A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. It says in Is.9:6,7.....and the government will be on his shoulders...Of the increase of his government and peace there will no end. Jesus and David have many comparisons,seeLuk.6:3-4 and 1 Sam.21:2-7. David was a Sheppard 1 Sam.16:11,Jesus was the Good Sheppard 'who lays down his life for the sheep'. John.10:10.But Jesus was greater than David,''Brothers,I can tell you confidently that the patriarch,David died and was buried and his tomb is here to this day...God has raised this Jesus to life and we are witnesses of that. Acts.2:29,32. The fact that God raised him from the dead, never to see decay is stated in theses words:''I will give you the sure blessings promised to David'' So it is stated elsewhere ''You will not let your Holy One see decay'' Acts.13:34-35.Now Jesus came saying ''The time is fulfilled the Kingdom of God is at hand;repent and believe the good news.'' Mar.1:15 And in Mat.21:5 ''Say to the Daughter of Zion,See your King comes to you gentle and riding on a donkey on a colt,the foal of a donkey.'' But the Kingdom would be a present reality,within ''The Kingdom does not come with your careful observation.....because the Kingdom of God is within you.'' Luk.17:20-21.But also a future event;''For the Son of Man in his day will be like lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky one end to the other " Luk.17:24 ''But first he must suffer and be rejected by this generation.'' Luk.17:25''Therefore,let all Israel be assured of this God has made this Jesus,whom you crucified both Lord and Christ'' Acts.2:36 .But when will all this take place? ''So then,the days are coming declares the Lord'' Jer.23:7-8 He will bring them...''up out of the land of the north and out of the countries I have banished them'' ...''Then they will live in their own land''. In Is.11:12 it says, He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel;he will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four corners of the earth. Are we living in those days? Let's pray and watch! Mar,13:33. Now like Solomon,Jesus would build a Temple John 2:19 ''Destroy this Temple and I will be build it in three days''.see also 1cor.3:10-11. Jesus would become the divine son of David,son of Abraham;Mat.1:1,he would become a priest king ''you are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek'' Heb.9:17 (ps.110:4) He would become the Lord's Anointed (Moshiach Ben David) Rev.11:15...''The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ;and he will reign for ever and ever.' I Jesus,have sent my angel to give this testimony....I am the Root and the Offspring of David,and the bright Morning Star.'' Rev.22:16.The angel said to me,''These words are trustworthy and true.'' Rev.22:6

And when one considers the future,God's people of the Old Covenant and God's people of the New Covenant tend towards similar goals:expectations of the coming or return of the Messiah. But one awaits for the return of the Messiah who died and rose again from the dead and is recognized as Lord and Son of God,the other awaits the coming of a Messiah,whose features are hidden until the end of time and accompanied by the drama of not knowing or misunderstanding Christ Jesus. Catholic Catechism

One Lord,One Body

The Church of Christ is truly present in all legitimately organized local groups of the faithful, which, in so far they are united in their pastors are also quite appropriately called the Church of the New Testament...In them the faithful are gathered together through the preaching of the Gospel of Christ and the mystery of the Lord is celebrated...In these communities,though often they are small or poor or existing in the diaspora,Christ is present through whose power and influence the One,Holy,Catholic and Apostolic Church is constituted. Catholic Catechism.

Irenaeus"The blessed apostles [Peter and Paul], having founded and built up the church [of Rome] . . . handed over the office of the episcopate to Linus" (Against Heresies 3:3:3 [A.D. 189]).

''I have given them the glory that you gave me,that they may be one as we are one". John 17:22.In this post I would like discuss the differences between Catholics and Evangelicals:"But do this with gentleness and respect.... 1 pet.3:15 ...."Love each other as I have loved you ". John.15:12.

The Mass: Let us begin with the Catholic mass and it's origins:Jesus comes to us in the image of Melchizedek ''You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek''. Heb.17:7.As Melchizedek brought bread and wine to Abraham Gen.14:18,so too does Jesus to his children . While they were eating,Jesus took the bread gave thanks and broke it and gave it to his disciples saying '' Take and eat;this is my body''.Then he took the cup,gave thanks and offered it to them,saying,''Drink from it all of you.This is my blood of the covenant,which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.''All Christians recognize this ritual as the Lord's supper or Holy Communion.But as Catholics we specifically call it the Eucharist (thanksgiving in Greek) which is equivalent to the Todah(thanksgiving in Hebrew).The Todah was a thank offering associated with the passover;it would be a sign of gratitude towards God for his deliverance.(see David's psalm of thanks in 1 chr.16:8.) It was to be practiced regularly 1 Chr.16:37,38.The Passover meal and Todah sacrifice were one in the same:the bread and wine along with the roasted flesh of the lamb were then celebrated with Psalms of thanksgiving;Ps.113-118. When they sung a hymn,they went out to the mount of olives.Mat.26:30.This is why Jesus gives thanks when he breaks the bread and offers the wine and in Luk.22:19 He says ''Do this in remembrance of me''.We are to remember regularly his love and deliverance.Now we Catholics also believe in the real presence of Jesus in the Bread when he said "take and eat;this is my body " and "drink...This is my blood" is there any reason why we shouldn't take this literaly? "Is not the Cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ?" "...is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?" 1 Cor.10:16. Jesus never said this is a 'symbol' of my body or this is a 'symbol' of my blood,he didn't even call it bread or wine instead he said ''This is my body'',''This is my blood'' and we are to ''take and eat'',and we are to ''drink''. ''If anyone eats of this bread he will live forever .This bread is my flesh,which I will give for the life of the world.'' John 6:51. Again we see him here describing his body as bread which leads to life.No reason to think it was symbolic ''How can this man give us his flesh to eat''? They said,and he didn't correct them instead he took it further ''I tell you the truth,unless you eat the flesh of the son of man and drink his blood you have no life in you.Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life,and I my self will raise him up on the last day.For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink". John 6:53-55. ''Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me and I in him'' (his presence). And they said ''This is a hard teaching ,who can accept it?'' They didn't believe him symbolically,but literaly.So then the Mass is a reflection of the Gospel: We are to abide in his word John.8:31 and to remember his sacrifice with thanksgiving.Luk.22:19.We then experience his grace through his Word and his Presence in the Eucharist until the day of Resurrection John.6:53-55 ''My name will be great among the nations,from the rising to the setting of the sun.In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to my name,because my name will be great among the nations.'' Mal.1:11

Justification by faith alone:No doctrine separates the Catholics from Protestants than justification by faith alone,the key word is alone.For Catholics and Protestants both believe we are justified by faith,Rom.5:1. "Justification is the passage from sin to the state of grace,through which the sinner becomes reconciled to God ".CCC "And We have no merit before God except as a result of God's free plan to allow us to share in his grace".CCC. Catholics believe salvation is a gift and not to be earned.However we do believe that true faith should express good works. You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. Jam.2:24.Rev.2:2 ''I know your deeds,your hard work and your perseverance.'' Rev.3:21 "To him who overcomes,I will give the right to sit down on my throne...'' "but he endures to the end will be saved" Mat.24:13. On immorality Paul said (to the church) ''I warn you,as I did before those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God" And Peter said ''You ought to live holy and Godly lives...2 pet.3:11. We believe that justification leads to sanctification...but you were washed,you were sanctified,you were justified...1 Cor.6:11.Therefore justification isn't merely a legal document that says because 'I received Christ as Lord' I am justified,rather justification should sanctify us and wash us that we may live holy lives for it is by grace alone rather than faith alone in which we are saved Fo''For it is by grace you have been saved..for we are God's workmanship,created in Christ Jesus to do good works..." Eph.2:8,10

Born Again:Many evangelicals,will ask if Catholics are born again,"I tell you the truth,no can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.John.3:3.Actually Catholics are more familiar with the RSV. bible which says ''born anew'' or the NAB. bible which says ''born from above'' Catholics here believe Jesus was speaking about baptism "unless he is born of water and spirit.'' Notice in v.22 After this Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside,where he spent time with them and baptized.(the only time he baptized) In 1 pet.3:20,21 it says that in the time of Noah only ''eight people were saved through water''. ''and this water symbolizes baptism which now saves you''. "It (baptism) saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ..." In other words we are born again through baptism,you cannot receive a new birth without the sacrament of baptism see.Rom.6:4 ''We were therefore buried with him through baptism into his death in order that just as Christ was raised..we too may live a new life''. But why do Catholics baptize infants? Paul likens baptism to circumcision in Col.2:11 In him you were also circumcised..not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision by Christ,having been buried with him in baptism. Like infant Isaac who entered into a covenant with God so too do infant Catholics. But Catholics must ratify this rite as adults, "Those who belong to Christ through faith and baptism must confess their baptismal faith before men".CCC. "For this promise is for you and your children...." Acts.2:39 ''Let the children come to me and do not hinder them for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these''.Mar.10:31 In the early Church entire households were baptized;1 cor.1:16, acts.11:13-14,acts.16:30-32,act.18:18.We then ''receive the gift of the Holy Spirit'' Acts.2:38, confirmed by the ''laying on of hands'' but we ''must be rekindle the gift'' 1 Tim.1:6. Therefore "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved...." Mar.16:16.

Bible alone: Evangelical Protestants believe the bible is the only rule of faith and believe anyone can interpret the scriptures without a teaching authority.As Catholics we don,t agree; But know this first of all,that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation... 2 pet.1:21,but Catholics recognize the authority of Scripture; ''There are different human writers of Scripture who wrote under God's inspiration.But the true author of Scripture is God himself.Thus we can be sure that these writings contain without error,the truths of Salvation.'' CCC.But the bible is not the only authority.So then, brothers,stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you,whether by word of mouth or by letter. 2 Thess.2:15 The early Christians recognized Scripture as well as oral tradition. They devoted themselves to the Apostle's teaching... Acts.2:42.Cathoilcs call this Divine Revelation ,Scripture and Tradition which make up a single deposit of God's word.On the teaching authority of the Church Jesus said ''He who hears you hears me,and he rejects you rejects me and he who rejects me,rejects him who sent me'' Luk.10:16...''I pray also for those who will believe through their message''...John.17:20.Hence there exists a close connection and communication between sacred Scripture and sacred Tradition.For both of them flow from the same divine well spring,in a certain way merge into unity and toward the same end.For sacred Scripture is the Word of God inasmuch as it is consigned to writing under the inspiration of the divine spirit,while sacred Tradition takes the Word of God entrusted by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit to the Apostles and hands on to their successors in it's full purity,so that led by the light of the Spirit of Truth they may in proclaiming it, preserve this Word of God faithfully.Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation.The Pope and his Bishops therefore are not superior to the Word of God rather they are guardians and are led by the light of the Spirit of Truth,they proclaim it and preserve it and pass it on to the next generation without error and confusion.This is called Apostolic succession.

Therefore the Church urges all the faithful to learn by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures

the ''excellent knowledge of Jesus Christ'' Phil.3:8 ''For ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ'' St.JeromeThe Church knows she is joined in many ways to the baptized who are honoured with the name Christian,but do not profess the Catholic faith in it's entirety or have not preserved the unity or communion under the successor of Peter.Those who believe in Christ and have been properly baptized are put in a certain although imperfect,communion with the Catholic Church.Catholic Catechism.

Jesus and the Apocolypse

Before Christ's second coming the Church must pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers.The persecutions that accompanies her pilgrimage on earth will unveil the 'mystery of iniquity' in the form of a religious deception offering men an apparent solution to their problems at the price of apostasy from the truth.The supreme religious deception is that of the Antichrist,a pseudo-messianism by which man glorifies himself in place of God and of his Messiah come in the flesh. - Catholic Catechism

After this I looked,and,lo in heaven an open door!....''Come up hither''. Rev.4:1

The Church on earth: The word Apocalypse means ''the lifting of the veil'', it is a revelation of Christ to his bride the Church. ''Behold,I stand at the door and knock;If anyone hears my voice and opens the door,I will come in to him and eat with him,and he with me.'' Rev.3:20 Here the Lord is offering us communion with himself.The more we invite him into our lives,the more he will abide in us and we in Him. John.6:56. After this I looked,and lo,in heaven an open door! And the first voice,which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, ''Come up hither'' Rev.4:1. To 'come up hither' is to experience heaven on earth! As we open the door of our hearts to him,he will then open the door of heaven to us. Remember what Jesus said in John.3:3?...''no one can see the Kingdom of heaven with out being born from above.'' When we are born from above we can see the Church from a heavenly perspective,rather than an earthly perspective.This is why we pray 'on earth as it is in heaven' Mat.6:10. And even the saints listen to our prayers and make intersession for us ! Rev.5:8,8:3. I don't believe that ''come up hither' has much to do with the rapture;for the last trumpet must sound,after the tribulation;See.Mat.24:29-31,1 Cor.15:52.
Now as we read on in Rev.4:3,we see someone sitting on the throne,and that someone is the Lord Jesus Christ, ...''You are worthy,our Lord and God,to receive glory and honour and power,for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.'' Rev.4:8.This shows that the Lord sits at the right hand of the Father and is worshiped as God! Luk.17:21.The Lord Jesus is truly present in our lives as we worship him;rev.4:11,as we abide in his Word john.14:23,as we rekindle the Holy Spirit,2 tim.1:6 and as we celebrate the Eucharist 1cor.11:26,1 cor.10:16.As we read through Revelation He ''will lift our veil'' and we as the bride of Christ will see our bridegroom and see his glory...Now John said ''On the Lord's Day I was in the Spirit''...Rev.1:10. John understood what it meant to be born of water and spirit .John.3:5. He was in prayer when the Lord spoke to him.! Let us also do the same,that we may hear what the spirit says to the Churches...Rev.2:7.

Seven seals,Seven trumpets: Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals....I watched as the Lamb opened the first of seven seals...Rev.5:1,6:1.The scroll with the seven seals contains God's divine plan for mankind, which only the Lamb was found worthy to open,it may contain the verdict and sentencing on those who 'practice lawlessness'.Mat.7:23.The first four seals release four horsemen;a white horse who went out to conquer,a red horse who brings war,a black horse who brings famine,and a pale horse who brings pestilence.When the fifth seal is opened John sees the souls of those who have been slain because of the Word of God and their testimony (these were of the early Church and through out the ages) ''Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death...'' Mat.24:9.And were given a white robe,a symbol of victory.And when the sixth seal was opened we begin to see the cosmic disturbances that Jesus spoke about in Mat.24:29,30 ''the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give it's light;the stars will fall from the sky,and the heavenly bodies will be shaken''. Now the tribulation of those days has come to an end and as the seventh seal is opened,we see seven angels with seven trumpets.With each trumpet blast a judgement falls,similar to the ten plagues on Egypt in the Exodus.And notice in Rev.9:21 Nor did they repent... Just like Pharaoh...yet his heart was unyielding...Ex.9:7.When the angel sounded the last trumpet there were loud voices in heaven saying,'' The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ,and he will reign for ever and ever.'' Rev.11:15.see also 1king.1:34.Lev.23:24.This tells us that the Kingdom of Christ is a present reality,through his Church ''the Kingdom of God is among you'' Luk.17:21.And since this is the last trumpet this may fulfill 1 cor.15:52...at the last trumpet....For the trumpet will sound,the dead will be raised imperishable,and we will be changed.Now let's look at another passage here because it is fascinating,Then God's temple in heaven was opened and within his temple was seen the Ark of the Covenant....A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven:a woman clothed with the sun,with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head.Rev.11:19-12:1.Here John has a vision of the 'ark of the Covenant' and he describes it as a 'woman clothed with the sun and moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head'.But who was this woman? She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth.Rev.12:2,Gen.3:16.She gave birth to a son,a male child,who will rule all the nations with an iron rod. Rev,12:5, Mat.1:21.As the ark of the 'old'covenant carried the the Word in stone,Mary carried the Word in flesh,the old ark carried the manna,Mary carried the true bread of heaven,and as the ark of the 'old' covenant carried the rod of Aaron,a sign of the priesthood,so too did Mary carry Jesus Christ our priest of God most high.Mary is not only the mother of Christ but she is the mother of the new creation...the rest of her offspring-those who obey God's commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus. Rev.12:17. She is also queen mother, just as Bathsheba was queen mother under her son, King Solomon.1 Kin.2:19. And the dragon of course was the ancient serpent called the devil.Gen.3:1,who persecutes her children, the Church.Gen.3:15.The Temple that John saw was Jesus for he destroyed the Temple and built it up again after three days.John.2:19.This vision can also be seen as Israel and the birth of their Messiah,see.Gen.37:9.

The two Beasts:And I saw a beast coming out of the sea.He had ten horns,and seven heads,with ten crowns on his horns and on each head a blasphemous name.Rev.13:1.The ten horns are ten kings with 'crowns' that symbolize a 'kingdom', and the 'coming out of the sea' represents his rise to power Rev.17:12,15.The emperors of Rome were seen as divine,during Nero's reign on their coins he was called the 'savior' and when Domitian reigned he gave himself the title 'Lord and God'.This is what John sees as a 'blasphemous name'.God wants to make us into a kingdom of priests to offer him the pure fire of sacrifice.Rev.1:6. While Satan wants his own kingdom and glory,so he makes war against the Lamb.Rev,17:14.In the land of Judea,Herod was King of the Jews,but was not of house or line of David instead was appointed by the the Roman empire.When the true King (Jesus) was born,Herod tried to kill him.Mat.2:13.The beast I saw resembled a leopard,but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion.The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. Rev.13:2.This is the same vision Daniel had in Dan.7:3-7 which represent four pagan empires;Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome.This beast then would be all the political power in history that Satan corrupted.We will see a similar power in the future. Then I saw another beast,coming out of the earth.He had two horns like a lamb,but spoke like a dragon. Rev.13:11.Now in first century Christians understood this as an alliance between pagan Rome and apostate Jerusalem. ...even now many Antichrists have come. 1 John.2:18.The first beast 'comes out of the sea',but the second beast 'comes out of the earth'. In Greek earth can mean 'land' or 'country'.The high priests of the Jews who were to sacrifice the lambs during passover corrupted themselves when Pilate said "Here is your King'', and they said "crucify him!....''we have no King but Caesar'' John.19"14,15. They rejected the Lamb of God and worshipped the beast! We will see a similar betrayal in the future....the Antichrist is coming....... 1 John.2:18.There have been many different interpretations of this passage,many believe this is a future Pope. But how do they know that? And why are they adding things to the words of this book? I warn everyone....if anyone adds anything to them,God will to him add the plagues described in this book. Rev.22:18
In 1 John.2:22 says,Such a man is the Antichrist-he denies the Son and the Father. No Pope in history has ever denied the divinity of Christ! In Dan.11:36 it says,...He will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will say unheard-of things against the God of gods. When did the Pope in history ever exalt himself? For Jesus said ''He who hears you hears me...'' Lul.10:16.The Lord gave him infallibility! And when did the Pope ever say unheard-of things against God? Every Pope when elected says the same thing ''Praised be the Lord Jesus Christ'' No one can say "Jesus is Lord" except by the Holy Spirit. 1cor.12:3.Now what is the mark of the beast? First of all the mark identifies you with the Antichrist...all who refused to worship the image to be killed. Rev.13:15. Secondly it represents the God of mammon that Jesus spoke about in Mat.6:24.You cannot serve both God and mammon.And.....no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark...Rev.13:17.In Dan.11:38 says..he will honor with gold and silver....Dan.11:24...He will distribute plunder,loot and wealth among his followers. This is what the judgment in Rev.18:11-19 is all about.'In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin! True believers will have the name of the Lamb on their foreheads.Rev.14:1,but the counterfeits will have the name of the beast on their foreheads.Rev.13:16


Armageddon: Armageddon when translated in Hebrew is Har-Megiddo which means Mount of Megiddo,where in 609BC. a battle took place between Egypt and Judah when Josiah was King,and was killed.2 kings.23:29-30,2 chr.35:20-35.The battle of Armageddon in Rev.16:16 begins with the seven bowls of judgement in vs.1.What is happening here? God is judging his people for breaking his Covenant....Then he will turn back and vent his fury against the holy covenant.Dan.11:30....but the people who know their God will firmly resist him.Dan.11:32.In the first century it was Jerusalem that broke the covenant by persecuting the Christians.Jerusalem is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt,where also their Lord was crucified.Rev.11:8.As Sodom and Egypt stood in the way of God's covenant plan so too did Jerusalem.Therefore Jerusalem must be....refined,purified and made spotless until the time of the end,for it will come at the appointed time.Dan.11:35. In Luk.21:20,22 Jesus said,''When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies,you know that it's desolation is near....For this is the time of punishment in all that is written.'' This was partially fulfilled in 70AD.When Titus the emperor of Rome conquered Jerusalem.While under siege Jerusalem suffered famine and pestilence and death,like we read about here in Rev.16.The Temple was also destroyed and the sacrifices stopped,for there is now a new sacrifice...so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people...Heb.9:28. The old covenant came to an end,and the new covenant had begun.But some of the lost images of Jerusalem can be seen in Revelation;such as the Temple,the priest,the lamb for the sacrifice,the alter,the lamp-stands and Mount Zion.We now incorporate 'heavenly' Jerusalem into our worship Heb.12:1-24.Now at end of the seven bowls of judgement we see a woman sitting on a scarlet beast with a mystery name ''Babylon the great,mother of harlots and of earth's abominations''. Again there are those who interpret this as the Catholic Church;but we must never add anything to the words of the book! Rev.22:18. Rather let's trust what the book says...And the woman that you saw is the great city...Rev.17:18. It's not a church, it's the great city...''where their Lord was crucified.'' Rev.11:8.This would mean Jerusalem...And at that hour there was an earthquake and a tenth of the city fell...Re.11:13.When did the Catholic Church become a harlot? For two thousand years they have proclaimed the Gospel,1 cor.15:3,remembered the Lord's sacrifice,luk.22:19,and have abstained from sexual immorality,acts.15:20.And notice;The beast...will hate the prostitute...and leave her naked.Rev.17:16.It's no secret that Rome hated Jerusalem and left her desolate;but first conspired with her to kill the Lamb of God.see.Luk.23:12. Jerusalem however was described as a harlot in Hos.4:13-15 and unfaithful in Hos.1:2.However Jerusalem will be restored in the future as we will see...and showed me the Holy City Jerusalem coming down out of heaven.It shone with glory of God...Rev.21:10,11.And all of Israel will be saved...''They will live in their own land.''Jer.23:8

The Lambs Supper: ''Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!'' Rev.19:9.We have now reached the climax of salvation history,the return of our Lord and the wedding feast.His coming is not just a present reality anymore Luk.17:24,but now a future event:I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse,whose rider is called Faithful and True.With justice he judges and makes war.His eyes are like blazing fire,and on his head are many crowns.He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood and his name is the Word of God.Rev.19:11-13.Wow what a vision! Look at what it says in Rev.1:7,Look he is coming with the clouds and every eye will see him...The whole world will see him even those who reject him,this will be the television event of our life! Before the wedding feast takes place,we must stand before God at his Judgment seat.Rev.20:11-15.We will be judged according to our faith Rev.20:4,but also according to our works...each person was judged according to what he had done.Rev.20:13.See also Ecc.12:13,14.Notice also Rev.14:13 ''...for their deeds will follow them.'' 1 cor.3:9 says ''for we are God's fellow workers..and fire will test each man's work.Yes faith comes first,but we must prove our faith by our works.James2:18-20.But as for the cowardly,the faithless,the vile, as for murderers , fornicators,sorcerers,idolaters,and all liars,their lot shall be in the fiery lake that burns with fire and brimstone,which is the second death.Rev.21:8. And now the wedding feast which was first spoken by Christ in Mat.22:1-14.Let's take a look at why the Church is called His bride.Therefore as the Church is subject to Christ,so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.Husbands love your wives,even as Christ loved the Church when he gave himself up for her.....For this is a great mystery but I speak concerning Christ and his Church.Eph.5:15-32.Here we learn that our relationship with the Lord is a marriage covenant sealed in the blood of Christ...because we are members of his body (of his flesh and of his bones).Eph.5:30.And like a marriage we become one flesh.Eph.5:31. This is also why we celebrate the Eucharist..'This is my body'...'This is my blood...' Mat.26:26-27.We become one with him but also with each other 1 Cor.10:16-17.Paul tells us here what the Lord's purpose is:that he might present to himself the Church in all her glory,having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing;but she should be holy and blameless. Eph.5:27.And Paul was responsible for us..I promised you to one husband,that I may present you as a pure virgin.2 cor.11:2. So this is what we see in Rev.21:9-11"Come I will show you the bride,the wife of the Lamb....it shone with the glory of God. Rev.21-22 is a return to Genesis 1. Here we have new creation..the first heaven and the first earth had passed away We also see a new marriage....And a new Jerusalem,coming down out of heaven from God,prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.Rev.21:1-2. ''In that day'',declares the Lord ''you will call me,'my husband'.Hos.2:16.....As Eve was brought to Adam, so too was the Church brought to Christ as his bride.They will be his people,and God himself will be with them and be their God.Rev.21:3. The Spirit and the bride say ''Come!'' And let him who hears say,''come! Whoever is thirsty,let him come;and whoever wishes let him take the free gift of the water of life.Rev.22:17. He who testifies to these things says,''Yes.I am coming soon.'' Amen. Come,Lord Jesus.Rev.22:20

The Church will enter the glory of the kingdom only through this final Passover,when she will follow her Lord to his death and his resurrection.The kingdom to be fullfilled,then,not by a historic triumph of the Church through a progressive ascendandcy,but only by God's victory over the final unleashing of evil,which will cause the Bride to come down from heaven.God's triumph over the revolt of evil will take the form of the Last Judgement after the final cosmic upheaval of this passing world. Catholic Catechism

Jesus and David

The crowds went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,

''Hosanna to the Son of David!'' ''Blessed is he who comes in the name of Lord!''

'Hosanna in the highest!'' Matt.21:9

What was this all about? First of all Jesus was a 'Son of David' Matt.1:1.
And who was David ? He was Israel's King anointed and hand picked by God Himself 1 Sam.1 16:12, after rejecting King Saul who ''rejected the word of the Lord'' 1Sam.15:23. Now David fulfills the promise God made to Abraham in Gen.17:6 ''.....kings will come from you.'' And David's son Solomon also fulfills a promise God made to Abraham in Gen.22:17 ''....I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore.'' In 1 kings 4:20,21 says.....''they were as numerous as the sand on the seashore......And Solomon ruled over all the Kingdoms...''

Now in 2 Sam.7:11-16 God makes yet another covenant,this time with David the King "...I will raise up your offspring to succeed you....and I will establish his kingdom...He will build a house for me in my Name,and I will establish the throne of his Kingdom forever...I will be his Father and he will be my Son.....Your house and Kingdom will endure forever before me;your throne will be established forever.'' Now we have reached the climax of God,s plan a 'Kingdom that will endure forever'. David's Son and Jesus had similarities; he was a king and a priest-Jesus was a Priestly King; he built the temple on mount Zion-Jesus established the true Temple which is His Body,the Church; the center of temple worship was the 'todah' (thanksgiving)-Jesus institutes the true thank offering,the 'Eucharist' (thanksgiving); Solomon was given the title 'son of God'' but Jesus was the true and eternal Son of God.

Now Solomon became the 'son' who builds the Lord a house but this only points to Jesus the only begotten Son who was to build a Church on 'this Rock',for the ''Kingdom of God is at hand.'' Matt.4:17.Now the Kingdom of Solomon had similarities to the Catholic church today for example;Solomon had a prime minister who was 'the master of the palace' 1 Kings 18:3 and he would be 'a father to the those who live in Jerusalem and to the house of Judah' and 'would have the key to the house of David;what he opens no one can shut and what he shuts no one can open' Is.22:20-22, which is what Jesus was saying to Peter in Matt.16:19 ''I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven;whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.'' In 1cor.4:15 Paul says....''for in Christ Jesus I became your Father through the Gospel.'' 1Tim 1:2 ''To Timothy,my dear son'' 1John 2:1 ''My dear children'' From the early days of the church the apostles saw themselves as Fathers,Pope (papas in Greek) means father a tradition still true today,and the bishop of Rome was seen as a prime minister under the Kingdom of Christ. Solomons' Kingdom also included a 'Queen mother' 1 kings 2;19.....''the King stood up to meet her,bowed down to her and sat down on his throne and had a seat brought for the King's mother;and she sat at his right.'' Rev.12:1 ''....a woman clothed with sun with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head.'' So the Kingdom is to be an expression of God,s rule on earth, to remember his covenant, to keep his commandments and to worship him alone. To be Catholic means (universal) as in Solomons' Kingdom ......''ruled over all the kingdoms .....these countries brought tribute and were Solomon's subjects all his life.'' 1 Kings 4:21. Now I am not suggesting the Catholic church is to rule the earth but that it is a foreshadow of the coming Kingdom of Christ,a present reality Luk.17:21 but also a future event Rev.11:15.

Now in Deut.17:17 Moses says ''And he (the king) shall not multiply wives for himself,lest he turn away.'' But in 1 Kings 11:1-5 it says ''Now King Solomon loved many foreign women.....he had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines and his wives turned away his heart.....and went after other God,s...'' After the death of Solomon the ten tribes of the north rebelled against the Davidic Kingdom.....''from that point on Israel was divided into two houses, the north by a king from the tribe of Ephraim and in the south a king from the tribe of Judah...''1 Kings 11:14-40
What happened? Solomon broke the Davidic covenant 1 kings 11:11.Like Adam he rebelled against God and a curse came over his people.In 722 B.C. the Assyrians conquered the northern tribes ,took them and banished them and were never heard from again! And in 586 B.C.the Babylonians took into captivity the southern tribe of Judah and destroyed the Temple,but later were allowed to return but continued to struggle with their enemies.It was during this time that prophets were sent to remind Israel of Davids 'everlasting' Kingdom which God had promised and that God will one day restore the Kingdom with a future ''anointed'' Messiah (Hebrew) Christ (Greek). Is.11:1 says A shoot will come up from the stump of Jessie;from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.Interesting that the Hebrew word for branch is 'netser' which is the root word for Nazareth,Jesus was a Nazarene. Is.11:10 says In that day the Root of Jessie will stand as a banner for the peoples;the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious.Notice 'peoples' and 'nations' this would include more than just Israel...''you will be a Father to many nations.'' Gen.17:4 .Again we see God,s promise to Abraham (father of many) coming to pass.

And now we will look at Jesus as the new David restoring his 'everlasting kingdom'.
In Mat.1:1,17 it says Jesus Christ the son of David,the son of Abraham......Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David,fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon,and fourteen from the exile to the Christ. This is important because it connects Jesus to the covenants with Abraham and 'Kings will come from you' and David 'the scepter will not depart from Judah'. As David was 'of the house of Judah'

"You will be with child and give birth to a son and you are to give him the name Jesus.He will be great and will be called son of the Most High.The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David , and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever;his Kingdom will never end.'' Luk.1:31-33
Mic.5:2 says ''But you,Bethlehem though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over my people Israel,whose origins is from of old from the ancient times.'' Here the 'The Lord's Anointed' was to be born in Bethlehem of Judah and he would be 'of old from the ancient times' ,he would the eternal Son of God. Is.7:14 ''The virgin will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel'' (God with us) This was partially fulfilled with King Hezekiah in 2 Kings 18:1-6 but only Jesus can be 'God with us' and have an 'everlasting Kingdom'.
Is.9:6-7 says ''For unto 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.....he will reign on David,s throne and over his Kingdom.'' Again we see here someone more than just a prophet or priest but a 'Mighty God' and 'Everlasting Father' He would be a true Son. After his baptism a voice from heaven said ''You are my Son whom I love;with you I am well pleased'' Mar.1:11 ''I have seen and testify that this is the Son of God.'' John1:34
''The time has come,the Kingdom of is at hand'' mar.1:15
When asked if he was one to come Jesus replied; ''the blind receive sight,the lame walk,those who have leprosy are cured,the deaf hear, the dead are raised and the good news is preached to the poor.'' Mat.11:2,4-5. The crowd was amazed and said ''Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel'' Mat.9:33
In Mat.16:16 Simon Peter confessed ''you are the Christ,the Son of the living God.''
Luk.9:31-36 ''As he was praying ,the appearance of his face changed and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning.Two men,Moses and Elijah appeared in glorious splendor......when Peter and his companions were fully awake they saw his glory....and a voice came from the cloud saying 'this is my Son,whom I have chosen;listen to him'.....when the voice spoke they found Jesus alone'' Wow what a testimony! In 2 pet.1:16-18 Peter says ''We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,but we were eyewitness of his majesty.For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying 'This is my Son whom I love, with him I am well pleased.Listen to him!'' Peter would later face execution for his testimony 2 pet.1:13,14

Tell us if you are the Christ,the Son of God....''yes,it is as you say''.....'He has spoken blasphemy....He is worthy of death!' Mat.26:64,65
Now why did the Jews reject him ? Religious corruption see Mat.5:20 and a misguided view of who the Messiah was to be ''you will be ever hearing but never understanding;you will be ever seeing but never perceiving'' Mat.13:14 .But all Israel will be saved in the future ''The days are coming'' says the Lord ''when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch''.....''the descendants of Israel will come up out of the north and out of the countries where I have banished them,they will live in their own land.'' Jer.23:5,8 Could the Israel of today be fulfilling this prophecy? Is the coming of Messiah near? ''Therefore keep watch,because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.'' Mat.24:42. ''....Do not weep! See,the Lion of the tribe of Judah,the Root of David has triumphed....'' But as one awaits for the return of the 'Christ' who died and rose again ,the other awaits the coming of the 'Messiah' CCC. ''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.'' Rev.22:16 ,God bless!

Jesus and Moses

''And beginning with Moses and all the prophets,he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself'' Luk.24:27
Why did Jesus begin with Moses ? Because here he fulfilled the Mosaic covenant ,''This cup is the new covenant in my blood'' Luk.22:20.... As Moses said ''This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.'' Ex.24:8
Again Jesus said to them "This is what I told you while I was with you:Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in Law of Moses ,the Prophets and the Psalms.'' Luk.24:44

For the first time God is making a covenant with an entire people,Where as before he made covenants with individuals:With Adam and his wife;Noah and his family and Abraham and his tribe.Notice too the progression; a married couple, a family ,a tribe and now a nation that will be a blessing to all the nations !

Now the start of Exodus is similar to the start of Matthew's Gospel: Herod tries to kill all Hebrew male children under the age of two;Pharaoh orders the midwives to kill all Hebrew male children;Jesus is saved by his parents and Moses is saved by his mother and sister. As Moses came out of Egypt,so too did Jesus come out of Egypt. Mat.2:14,20-21
''Out of Egypt I called my son.'' Mat.2:15

Look at what it says in Heb.3:2-6 ''He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God's house.Jesus has been found worthy of a greater honour than Moses,just as the builder of a house has greater honour than the house itself.For every house is built by someone ,but God is the builder of everything.Moses was as a servant in all God's house,testifying what would be said in the future.But Christ is faithful as a son over God's house.And we are his house,if we hold on to our courage in which we boast.'' What it,s saying here is that Christ is superior to Moses or any religious system 'the builder of the house has more honour than the house itself ' Moses was a 'servant' of the house ,Jesus is the 'Son' of the house. In Deut.18:15 Moses testified saying ''The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers.You MUST listen to him.''

Now Moses was called by God to deliver the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt.He identifies himself as the "God of your father,the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob'' Ex.3:6 Remember what God said to Abraham in Gen.15:13-15? Now God is going to fulfill his promise to Abraham and make his descendants into a great nation!
God describes Israel as His ''first born Son'' Ex.4:22, but not his only son but the first of many which is what he promised to Abraham Gen.15:5.Now as Pharaoh mocks Moses's God ,God in turn mocks the gods of the Egyptians;this is what the ten plagues were about:
'Hapi' the nile god is plagued by blood, Heket the god of frogs is plagued by frogs,Apis the bull god and Hathor the cow goddess were afflicted by the plague on livestock, the sun god is plagued by darkness and finally the plague of the first born was seen as a judgement on Pharaoh who was seen as a 'god' and his son as 'divine', but Israel's first born were 'passed over'.


Now this 'passover' points us to the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. We already established Moses as a 'type of Christ who was to come' Heb.3:5 But now we will look at the passover;the first born of Israel were saved by an unblemished lamb with it,s blood 'on the sides and tops of door frames of the houses where they will eat the lamb'. Ex.12:7 and :13 ''The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are;and when I see the blood,I will pass over you''. John 1:29 ''Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.'' In 1cor.5:7 it says ....''for Christ our passover has been sacrificed'' 1pete 1:18 says ''For you know it was not with perishable things such as silver and gold that you were redeemed ....but with the precious blood of Christ, a Lamb without blemish or defect''. See also Ex.12:5. Now the Israelites were required to keep the passover celebration as a feast annually to be eaten with unleavened bread. ''Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread,called the Passover,was approaching.....then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover Lamb was to be sacrificed'' Luk.22:1,7.
And He took bread ,gave thanks and broke it,and gave it to them saying ''This is my Body given for you, do this in remembrance of me.'' In the same way after supper he took the cup saying "This Cup is the New covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.'' Luk.22:19-20 And look at what it says in Heb.9:22 Indeed according to Law of Moses almost everything is purified by blood, and sins are forgiven ONLY if blood is poured out. And in Lev.17:11 it says ''For the life of the flesh is in the blood,and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's sin.'' Now notice in John 19:14 ''It was the preparation day for passover week,about noon.And Pilate said to the Jews behold your king'' This was the exact time when Israel's priests were to slaughter the lambs for the sacrifice.....''He was led like a lamb to the slaughter...'' Is.53:7 Now the Israelites have been delivered from Egypt and are on their way to the promised land,but must pass through the Red Sea first. The passing of the Red Sea is a prefigure of baptism ''They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and sea''. 1cor.10:2 .Now a month later the Israelites complained for food while in the desert and God said ''I will rain down bread from heaven for you'' and they called it 'manna' which means 'what is it' ? Ex.16:4,15.In john 6:48-51 "Jesus says I am the Bread of life.Your forefathers ate manna in the desert yet they died. But here is bread that comes down from heaven,which one may of it and not die. I am the living Bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this Bread he will live forever.This bread is my flesh which I will give for the life of the world''. What kind of statement is this? 'Eat my flesh' sounds a lot like Ex.12:8...''they shall eat the flesh (of the lamb) that night,roasted with unleavened bread.'' Again Jesus said ''For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me,and I in him.This is the bread that came down from heaven.Your forefathers ate manna and died,but he who eats this bread will forever.'' John 6:55-59 Which sounds a lot like the Eucharist 'Take and eat;this my Body' Matt.26:26 Then he took the cup and said 'Drink from it all of you,this is my blood' Matt.26:27.We now have everlasting life thanks to his self offering on the cross. "Worthy is the Lamb,who was slain,to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!'' Rev5:12

Finally let,s once again compare Matthew's Gospel with the Exodus .First Jesus was baptized,just like the Israelites passed through the Red Sea,mat.3:16,ex.13:18;then Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness,just like the Israelites did mat.4:1;Jesus then overcame the three temptations that Israel fell into,mat.4:3-10,1 cor.10:1-10.And as Moses received the Ten commandments on a mountain,so too does Jesus go up on a mountainside to 'fulfill' the law. The Law was given by Moses;grace and truth came by Jesus Christ John 1:17.The ten commandments were a preparation for the gospel foretold by the prophet Jeremiah 31:33 ''The time is coming when I will make a new covenant......it will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers.....at that time I will put my Law in their minds and write it on their hearts, I will be their God and they will be my people.''
Next time I will discuss King David.