: GLORY FOREVER TO GOD

Did you know the Bible is full of mistakes?

Did you know the Bible is full of mistakes? In fact I would say that as much as 90% of the Bible is full of mistakes. I think God wanted to end Genesis chapter 2 with something like this. “And they lived happily ever after. AMEN!” I think that was supposed to be the whole Bible. 2 chapters… and that’s it! Everything else from that point on is a mistake! A HUGE mistake and what God has been doing to correct it. Yes it is true the Bible is full of mistakes; however they are not God’s mistakes, but ours!

Devastating Consequences of Sin

Right away in Genesis 3 Adam and Eve break God’s commandment and eat the forbidden fruit. Nothing has ever been the same since! In chapter 4 Cain breaks God’s commandments and kills his brother Abel. It only took two more chapters until man had messed things up so miserably that God had to intervene causing the great flood. Immediately after the flood, guess what happens? Noah get’s drunk! Can you believe it? As a result, one of his sons becomes a disgrace to the family and Noah pretty much disowns him. What this son, whose name is Ham, did was wrong but it all started with his father. Had Noah never become drunk that whole family feud would have never happened?

But it did and Ham was a rebellious son ever since. I want to come back to that point in the story, but first lets not overlook an important fact.

One man, Adam sinned against God’s explicit command and all men ever since have been affected by that mistake. Things got out of hand and so God wiped the slate clean and left the earth desolate of all the evil men on the planet through a great flood.

Once again one man, Noah makes a mistake and it changes the course of earth’s history all over again, just like Adam! Both of these sins are connected with appetite. Adam and Eve ate fruit and Noah got drunk from fermented wine! Nothing died before Adams sin. So this fermentation of the grapes is actually a result of sin. The grape juice died and this dead grape juice caused Noah to lose his senses thus becoming drunk.

Let me take just a moment to explain how this happens. It is actually quite interesting. Blood carries oxygen and vital nutrients that keep the various tissues in the body alive. The body has little tiny freeways in which it carries the blood called arteries and veins. Arteries carry the fresh blood out to the body and veins and carry them back to the lungs and heart. When the arteries in your neck reach the brain the little freeways the blood travels on get even smaller. These itty bitty freeways are actually called capillaries. They are so tiny that the only thing that gets through the capillaries is oxygen and blood sugar.

When a person drinks fermented or the dead juice of grapes or any other form of alcohol it causes something to happen inside these little freeways. The oxygen experiences a traffic jam, and begins to clot or get stuck together. The more alcohol a person drinks the greater the traffic jam. A major problem happens when this oxygen tries to get through the capillaries or little freeways going to the brain. They are so tiny that all the oxygen that is stuck together can’t get through. The brain is actually going through something sort of like suffocation. This is what causes a person to feel “drunk.” The more suffocated the brain gets or the less oxygen the brain receives the more intoxicated or “drunk” a man feels.

Ham’s rebellion was passed down to his children.

“Noah, speaking by divine inspiration, foretold the history of the three great races to spring from these fathers of mankind. Tracing the descendants of Ham, through the son rather than the father, he declared, “Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.” The unnatural crime of Ham declared that filial reverence had long before been cast from his soul, and it revealed the impiety and vileness of his character. These evil characteristics were perpetuated in Canaan and his posterity, whose continued guilt called upon them the judgments of God.” Patriarch’s and Prophets p. 71.

Ham’s grandson was a man named Nimrod. The Bible simply records that he was a mighty hunter before the Lord.

Genesis 10:8-11
8 And Cush begot Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.
9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.

10 And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.

11 Out of that land went forth Asshur, and built Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah, Nimrod killed a bull with his bare hands, a tremendous feat even in an age of giants. He also killed a lion and these acts became symbols of his right to rule. He made himself a god before the people and forced them to worship himself. He wore the cloak of the lions skin as a robe and the horns of the bull as his first crown. Eventually the land of Shinar broke up into small countries and each had its own king. The tradition continued that each local king had to kill a lion. Nimrod became the builder of the first great city. He is known as the great builder, tower builder, or bridge builder, with the title Pontifex Maximus. He is best known for building the Tower of Babel. It was built in honor of the astrological gods and especially the sun.

Nimrod had a beautiful wife a blond blued eyed woman who captivated the senses of his kingdom. She led out in the first blood sacrifices and witch craft rights. When Nimrod died this goddess directed the people to worship her as they had her husband. She is the mother of all female or mother worship. Through out time different myths and legends have given her various names.

In time Semiramis had a beautiful child. He was a son of an illegitimate relationship. She claimed that the power of Nimrod who had ascended into the sun had come over her, and that she had been given a virgin birth. This child’s name was Tammuz. When he became a young man he was killed by a wild boar. The boar became a symbol of the killer of the gods. From this one family came all counterfeit religions which followed.

The book of Genesis is truly the book of beginnings of all things. It is brief and to the point. When we investigate history along side the pages of inspiration it is much like a man who is near sided putting on glasses for the first time. Before all he could see were things close up, but now he is able to see the whole world more clearly.

There are two families who changed the world more than all the rest put together. Nimrod, Semiramus and Tammuz are one family. Abraham Isaac and Jacob are another. Nimrod’s family brought into the world the counterfeit religions and Abraham’s family gave to us the true faith. Yet even they were not perfect and were full of mistakes; Mistakes that too changed the world forever.

Abraham was told he would have a child through Sarah. Abraham and Sarah waited several decades and after a long wait for this promise to be fulfilled became full of doubt and as a result Abraham married Hagar and had a child with her named Ishmael. Today there are 1 Billion people in the world that are followers of a false prophet named Muhammad, in a religion called Islam. These men are descendants of Ishmael. The Lord loves these people and desires them to be saved and live with him forever and this salvation is available only through believing that Jesus is the Christ. With all of this said, the fact still remains that had Abraham obeyed God and waited for the promise the world would have no Muslims in it neither would the Middle East be populated with Arabs. Today we are plagued with terrorists and constant threat of war in the Middle East. None of this would exist had Sarah not have enticed her husband to marry Hagar.

Isaac followed this pattern of his father. He was told, “The older shall serve the younger” at the birth of his two boys. In Abraham’s case he did not wait on the Lord and decided to make plans of his own. In Isaac’s case he also decides to make plans of his own devising contrary to the will of God.

As we will see Isaac’s appetite changed the world. Much like Adam and Noah had done before him. His love for venison clouds his judgment.

And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison Genesis 25:28.

Isaac’s love for venison, his lust for this meat leads him to go against the will of God. In one sense he bribes his son and in essence he tells Esau “Get me my favorite meat and I will give you my paternal blessing.”

This is a turning point in the life of this family. We often look to the deception of Jacob urged by his mother as the turning point. However the real start of the troubles in this family begins with his dad, the man we know as Isaac.

The Bible record states, “his eyes were dim, so that he could not see”

Of course this is referring to his visual impairment and inability to see clearly; however there seems to be a parallel to the fact that his spiritual sight was dim so that he could not see the will of God. His lust for meat, this indulgence of appetite on the part of Isaac though innocent in appearance is the real cause of this family problems from this day forward for the next twenty years.

Isaac has a problem with appetite.

Rebekah on the other hand knows God’s plan but doubts whether the Lord can still implement it if Isaac gives his blessing to Esau. As a result she encourages Jacob to deceive his dad, and she instigates a huge lie.

Jacob follows orders and commits the sin of lying to his dad thus stealing the blessing from his older brother.

Esau then gets the spirit of Cain in him and wants to kill Jacob.

Do you see? Everyone in the family has sinned against one another. Isaac starts the whole mess. He sins against God and decides to serve his belly before God.

Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.) Phi 3:19 This starts a domino effect. Rebekah violates her role of being respectful of her husband and causes her son to lie. Jacob in turn leaves and has nothing. He is homeless and broke. What a blessing huh? Well in the long run God blesses him, but what happened the next twenty years was not God’s plan. Rather God improvised and worked all things together for good in this story. In the end the two brothers become friends again. But that took twenty years.

Here is how I think things would have gone had this story never got started. Had Isaac never indulged his appetite and love for venison I believe Esau would not have been encouraged by his dad his whole life to live the rough life he lived as a hunter. Every boy wants the approval of his father. When he brought home a deer his dad was well pleased with him. Had this not been the case Esau may have spent more time at home and learned more about being meek and self denying and ultimately been a follower of the God of Abraham. He never would have married the two Hittite women which in turn led him into idolatry which in turn created a nation of idolaters (The Edomites).

Rather Esau likely would have married Leah, and Jacob would have married Rachael. Hence Jacob would not have experienced the turmoil of a house with two sisters for wives. He never would have worked twenty years for Laban. Why? Because Isaac being a wealthy man would have sent a servant with great gifts just as Abraham had done and would have gotten wives for both of his sons from Laban in the same manner his dad did for him.

Esau being a follower of God would have changed history. The Edomites were enemies of Israel in latter generations. This would have not been the case had Isaac been a different kind of father to Esau. Instead his love for meat encouraged long hunting trips away from home, which kept him from much needed spiritual instruction. When a father neglects to give his sons and daughters proper education it effects every generation to follow with huge consequences.

Today the world is a mess! There are literally BILLIONS of sins committed daily. Most of these sins can be traced back for generations through their family tree.

When a man gives his life to God and becomes born again, this puts a dead stop to the chain of events started thousands of years ago through his ancestors. The sin of Adam has affected all men. Little thought is given to the fact that EVERY MAN’S life of disobedience effects all future generations with devastating consequences.

King David’s Sin of Polygamy

When David chose a polygamist life style he violated the commandments God gave to the kings of Israel.This had devastating influence on the rest of Israels history. It triggered a rebellion in his kingdom by his son Absalom. It nearly cost Solomon Bathsheba’s son, the crown to his older brother Adonijah born of a different mother. Solomon followed in His fathers example and married 300 wives and had 700 concubines. This ultimately robbed from him the best years of his life through serving after idolatry.
t is an abomination to kings to commit wickedness: for the throne is established by righteousness. Proverbs 16:12

Solomon repented before he died, but by then it was too late. The very next generation forever divided the nation of Israel. Within 300 years 10 of the tribes of Israel became totally extinct. Another two hundred years and the two surviving tribes Benjamin from whom Paul came, and Judah from which Jesus was born went into Babylonian captivity. The stories of the Kings represent how iniquity of the fathers is visited upon his children and to his children’s children.

Choosing a life of sin, not only has devastating consequences in our own lives, it can effect our posterity for generations to come. Every kingdom that has ever fallen is the result of living sinful lives. Every great nation that has ever been established only survives so long as its government follows after righteousness. Every family that has ever broken through divorce has devastating consequences upon the children that lasts a lifetime. The world is full of mistakes, but Our God is a God that is able to pick up the broken pieces and He has a plan to help kingdoms, families and individuals who have made them to make the most of the bed they have made for themselves.

Let’s review this story just to make this point clear.

Isaac struggled with appetite. This was a struggle he had for his whole life. But it only took one night to start a chain of events that changed world history. A family feud began. Esau became an idolater. His descendant’s become enemies of Israel. This family feud resulted in Jacob becoming an exile for 20 years. Because he was not sent with his fathers wealth he had to work for his wife and we all know the rest of that story. He married two wives which caused turmoil in his home. Which led to turmoil among his children. The wives were jealous of each other which later formed the character of his children. They became jealous of Joseph. Every time man stepped in and made things a mess God stepped in and made something beautiful happen out of it. The spiritual life of the twelve children was not that good. In fact had Jacob not been an exile and had Isaac sent a servant with great wealth and brought back Rachael, Jacob would have only had one wife. She would have born all of his children. Everything would have turned out much different that it actually did.

It is hard to imagine all of this, but it is all true. Did God in his great plan for Jacob’s life desire for him to deceive his father (breaking the 5th commandment) and steal the blessing from Esau (breaking the 8th commandment) Lying (breaking the 9th commandment) and coveting what was his brothers (breaking the 10th commandment)? OF COURSE NOT! This was not God’s plan for this family. The Bible faithfully records what happened and how God dealt with yet another of man’s great blunders, or in this case an entire families blunder. So yes the Bible is full of mistakes, and what God has been doing at each step to correct them.

Just think about how your sins might have changed the course of your own life. The very sins you might commit later today may change how the rest of your life turns out. The sins may be what you consider to be “tiny ones.” But look at how three men Adam Noah and Isaac all committed what appeared to be “tiny sins” and through them changed world history.

I am sure they thought that no one but themselves would be hurt. Sin hurts everyone. Instead of indulging in appetite or passion again even after doing it a thousand times, why not change the course of history in a positive way and give God’s plan for your life a try. Give your heart to Jesus and make a decision to obey his commandments.

EXPERIMENTAL, EDUCATIONAL, IN CONSTRUCTION PAGES AND SITES.

Our Lord Jesus Christ, The Divine Messiah

(Portuguese Language)

Nosso Senhor Jesus, o Messias Divino

John Ankerberg & John Weldon

“E sobre a casa de Davi, e sobre os habitantes de Jerusalém, derramarei o espírito de graça e de súplicas; olharão para mim, a quem traspassaram; pranteá-lo-ão como quem pranteia por um unigênito, e chorarão por ele, como se chora amargamente pelo primogênito” (Zc 12.10, 500 a. C.).

O Contexto Dessa Passagem

Esse texto diz que em algum dia futuro Deus irá derramar o Seu Espírito sobre Israel e levar a nação a compreender e lamentar um evento crucial ocorrido no passado. O que irão compreender? Esta é uma das declarações mais surpreendentes feitas por Deus nas Escrituras. Ele diz: “Olharão para mim, a quem traspassaram, e chorarão por ele, como se chora amargamente pelo primogênito…” A pergunta é: quem é este a quem Israel vai olhar e, por causa do que virem, começarão a chorar?

A explicação desse texto

Zacarias é um livro-chave messiânico, oferecendo evidências adicionais de que o Messias judeu não era apenas um homem, mas a encarnação do próprio Deus. “Talvez em nenhum outro livro das Escrituras do Antigo Testamento a divindade do Messias seja tão claramente ensinada como em Zacarias.”[1] Em Zacarias 2.10, o profeta já enfatizou a surpreendente revelação de que Deus iria viver entre o povo judeu: “Canta e exulta, ó filha de Sião, porque eis que venho, e habitarei no meio de ti, diz o Senhor”.

Zacarias relata aqui as palavras de Deus Jeová, que diz: “Olharão para mim, a quem traspassaram”. O próprio Jeová afirma ser aquele a quem Israel traspassou. Mas, quando Israel traspassou Jeová?

Note que no meio da declaração: “Olharão para mim, a quem traspassaram, e chorarão por Ele“, os pronomes são significativamente mudados. Eles se referem a pessoas diferentes. O que era a princípio uma referência a Jeová torna-se agora uma referência a um “Ele” não identificado, por quem toda a nação de Israel irá chorar. Novamente, duas pessoas específicas são mencionadas: (1) o Senhor que é traspassado e (2) um Ele desconhecido que será pranteado como Filho unigênito. Delitzsch e Gloag comentam:

Alguns tentam escapar da aplicação messiânica da predição, supondo que a palavra “traspassado” deva ser considerada em um sentido metafórico… Mas é duvidoso que possa ser tomada nesse… sentido; ela significa “atravessar”, “perfurar como com uma lança”. Além disso, o pranto aqui é aquele expresso pelos mortos: “como quem pranteia por um unigênito, e chorarão por ele, como se chora amargamente pelo primogênito.”[2]

Essa passagem faz certamente surgir perguntas importantes. Se o termo hebraico para “traspassar” é “atravessar, matar”,[3] então quando Israel matou Jeová? E como o Criador do céu e da terra poderia ser morto por homens? Ao que parece, essa passagem, como Isaías 9.6, Miquéias 5.2, e outras, só pode ser explicada mediante a encarnação do próprio Deus: o Messias seria tanto Deus como homem.

Zacarias diz então que Israel irá compreender algum dia que na verdade mataram o seu Deus Jeová, e a nação começará a chorar amargamente por Ele, assim como uma família iria chorar a morte de seu único filho muito amado.

Essa profecia só se ajusta a Jesus Cristo. Por quê? Jesus Cristo é o único em toda a história israelita que (1) afirmou ser Deus, (2) afirmou ser o Messias, e (3) foi realmente crucificado e morto pelos habitantes de Jerusalém.

Assim sendo, os judeus do Novo Testamento reconheceram que só Jesus cumpre as palavras dessa profecia. O apóstolo João escreveu: “No princípio era o Verbo, e o Verbo estava com Deus, e o Verbo era Deus… E o Verbo se fez carne, e habitou entre nós, cheio de graça e de verdade, e vimos a sua glória, glória como do unigênito do Pai” (Jo 1.1,14). Jesus Cristo era a própria encarnação de Deus.

O apóstolo Paulo cria que Jesus era Deus e que Ele se propôs a morrer pelos nossos pecados. Paulo ensinou que Jesus era aquele que “subsistindo em forma de Deus… a si mesmo se esvaziou, assumindo a forma de servo, tornando-se em semelhança de homens… a si mesmo se humilhou, tornando-se obediente até a morte, e morte de cruz” (Fp 2.6-8).

Finalmente, a profecia diz que toda a nação irá prantear e chorar amargamente pela morte deste que foi traspassado, “como se chora amargamente pelo primogênito”. O povo judeu iria chorar por Ele como pela morte de um filho único se Ele não fosse realmente um de seus filhos judeus – como Jesus Cristo era?

E se o povo judeu viesse a reconhecer algum dia que Jesus era na verdade o seu Messias? E se eles compreendessem quem Ele realmente é? E se olhassem algum dia para Ele como Deus, “aquele a quem traspassaram”? Então a profecia de Zacarias não seria cumprida? Não haveria terrível choro em Jerusalém?

Lembre-se, Deus derrama o Seu Espírito sobre o Seu povo, a fim de que as pessoas venham a conhecer o Seu verdadeiro Messias, que as amou tanto que deu a Sua vida (traspassada) por elas. Nas palavras de Isaías: “o Senhor fez cair sobre ele a iniqüidade de nós todos” (Is 53.6).

Zacarias 12.10 foi reconhecido como messiânico pelos judeus?

O fato dessa profecia se referir ao Messias foi admitido pelos rabinos.[4] Por exemplo, essa profecia, “…como também o versículo 12, foi aplicada ao Messias Filho de José, no Talmude (Sukk. 52a)…”[5] Vemos aqui que alguns intérpretes, procurando evitar a clara implicação das palavras, tentaram aplicar essa passagem ao “outro” Messias que iria sofrer, o Messias Ben Joseph.

…os intérpretes posteriores aplicaram-na ao Messias Ben Joseph, ou ao Messias sofredor, a quem inventaram para satisfazer as passagens da Escritura que falam tão claramente dessa característica do Redentor prometido. Mas, como criam que esse Messias, filho de José, era um simples homem, viram-se frente à dificuldade de Jeová ter declarado “olharão para MIM, a quem traspassaram”; portanto, se ela se refere ao Messias, ele não pode ser um simples homem, mas deve ser divino.[6]

Enfatizamos novamente que, quando Jeová diz: “olharão para mim, a quem traspassaram”, essa profecia se ajusta singularmente apenas a Jesus Cristo em toda a História humana.

A evidência nas Escrituras hebraicas prova que Jesus é o Messias. Deus deu essa evidência com centenas de anos de antecipação, a fim de podermos identificar o Seu Messias. As Escrituras ensinam que o Messias deu a Sua vida pagando o preço que a justiça divina exigia pelos nossos pecados. Jesus, o Messias, disse: “Porque Deus amou ao mundo de tal maneira que deu o seu Filho unigênito, para que todo o que nele crê não pereça, mas tenha a vida eterna” (Jo 3.16). Para receber Jesus como seu Messias, seu Senhor e Salvador neste momento, você pode orar a Ele, entregando-Lhe sua vida. (John Ankerberg & John Weldon – http://www.ajesus.com.br)

Notas:

Baron, Rays, 77.
Delitzsch e Gloag, The Messiahship, Livro 2, 121.
Keil e Delitzsch, The Minor Prophets, 388.
T. V. Moore, (Zechariah, Haggai and Malachi (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth Trust, 1974), 199.
Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1972), 737.
Moore, Zechariah, 199-200.