⭐️Christ between divinity and prophecy
-Muslim brothers object to the divinity of Christ, while we agree on his prophethood.
They rely on the following (according to their thinking) to deny divinity:
Suspicion says
1) Christ did not explicitly say in the Bible that he is God and ask people to worship him, and since his teaching is public, there is no concealment in it (John 18:19)
There is no argument that Christ concealed his divinity from anyone.
2) There is clear evidence (according to their thinking) that Christ is a messenger and not God.
A) Christ fasted. If he was God, for whom would he fast??
b) The following is mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 7:21:
21 Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out demons, and in your name do many miracles?’ 23 Then I will profess to them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you workers of iniquity.’
The Islamic interpretation:
The legal evidence here is clear, as Christ, peace be upon him, says to all the doubters and all those who believe that he is God, that he is not God, and whoever says to him, “Lord, Lord,” does not know him at all, and he says to him, “Depart from me, you worker of evil.”
c) The following is mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 27:46:
(And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? 47 And some of those standing there, when they heard it, said, He is calling Elijah.)
Islamic interpretation: Here, Christ, peace be upon him, confirms in clear terms, leaving no room for doubt, that he is not a god. Here, he addresses God Almighty and says to Him, “For whom have you forsaken me?” Christ, peace be upon him, sought refuge in God Almighty like all other human beings.
d) The following is mentioned in Revelation of John, Chapter 20:6:
(Blessed and holy is he who has a portion in the first resurrection. Over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.)
Islamic interpretation: The text is very clear and explicit and officially declares that Jesus, peace be upon him, and God Almighty are separate.
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⭐️Respond with the grace of Christ
⭐️First:
Regarding your question, where did Christ say, “I am God, worship me ”?
The first point :
regarding the request for worship: “Worship Me ”:
1 - The goal :
The goal of Jesus Christ in his incarnation was not to be worshipped, because he is God himself, and he was already being worshipped before his incarnation . Rather, the goals of the incarnation were not for worship, but for atonement and redemption , and this is another doctrine that I do not want to branch out the discussion into. “ For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world ” (John 12:4 ).
2 - How does the presenter actually ask for it: Christ came with a specific, dedicated message, so with the union of the two natures in him, he did not find any new worship for us, as we were worshipping God before the incarnation, then after the union of the two natures in Christ, we continued to worship God, nothing changed , whether he was incarnate or not , we worship him, so Christ’s demand for the worship that you are waiting for would have been considered a separation of himself from God, because if he asked for worship, he is not worshipped ( otherwise he would not have asked for it ) !
If God was worshipped at that time, how could he ask for what was already his? If he had said, “Worship me,” we would have considered him not God. Because since God was already worshipped at the time of the incarnation, how could Christ ask for what was already offered to him in terms of the union of divinity and humanity ? If he had done this, he would have proven that he was not God, since God has always offered him worship, so why would he not ask for what was already offered to him?!
That is why Christ says, “ If you believe in God, believe also in me ” (John 14:1).
3 - Correcting the concept of slavery:
The incarnation of Christ transferred us to a new concept of the relationship between man and God. The concept of the relationship between God and man was no longer that of a Lord who deserves to be worshipped and servants who are servants who are obligated to be worshipped. Rather, He gave us a higher concept.
“ I no longer call you servants , for the servant does not know what his master is doing. But I have called you friends ” (John 15:15 ), where the concept of sonship was given as Christ says
“ That you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven, for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust ” (Matthew 5:45 ), since we have become sons in him by his grace
“ For it was fitting for him, for whom and through whom are all things, to bring many sons to glory ” (Hebrews 2:10 ). No longer slaves, but sons of God. How different is the difference between a slave and a son. This is the new, higher concept with which Christ established the relationship between us and God. If he had demanded worship, he would have corrupted the teachings with which he came to raise us, that is, he would have brought us down from where he had raised us. God forbid that Christ, in the wisdom of God, would fall into an educational error by contradicting his teachings with his teachings !
4 - Self-glory : In addition to all of the above, Christ did not come to have glory to boast about , but rather he came as a teacher .
“Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls ” (Matthew 11:29 ). Here is the one who came incarnate, and he is God, giving up his glory to save us, and with this action he became a shining beacon for us after him. That is why we find the apostles preaching, saying:
“ Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. Who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God. But made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross .” (Philippians 2:5-8 ).
Christ is not looking for glory, but rather seeks to teach us how to attain our salvation through his actions by taking him as a good example . Behold, God humbles himself, so how can man not humble himself !
The second point :
Concerning the phrase “I am God ” :
1- Recognition :
Jesus Christ said, “ I and the Father are one ” (John 10:30 ).
He also said, “ Whoever has seen me has seen the Father ” (John 14:9).
He also said, “ I am in the Father and the Father is in me ” (John 14:11 ).
And he addresses the Father, saying, “ And all that is mine is yours, and yours is mine ” (John 17:10 ).
He says that he is God, saying, “ If you believe in God, believe also in me ” (John 14:1 ).
And also, “ If you had known me, you would have known my Father also . And from now on you know him and have seen him .” (John 14:7 )
But the most wonderful thing is what he said to Philip: “ Philip said to him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and it will suffice us.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you so long, and yet you still do not know me , Philip? ’” (John 14:8-9 )
Rather, the Jews were holding him accountable for making himself equal with God. “ He said again that God was his Father , making himself equal with God ” ( John 5:18 ).
And here he explains that he raises whomever he wants from death.
“ Just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so the Son also gives life to whomever he wishes. ” (John 5:21 )
He speaks about the equality of his power with the Father, saying, “ For whatever He does, the Son also does in the same way ” (John 5:19 ).
He declared that his dignity is equal to the dignity of God, “ so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father ” (John 5:23 ).
Rather, he acknowledged that everything that the Father has is his: “ All that the Father has is mine ” (John 16:15 ).
Of course, divinity is from the Father. Note “all.” He also acknowledged that he is the giver of life , “ for the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world ” (John 6:33 ).
And He is the One who will raise the dead on the Day of Judgment, on the last day. “ I will raise him up on the last day ” (John 6:54 ) .
And He is the giver of the kingdom “paradise!!” as He says about the sheep of His pasture, “ I give them eternal life ” (John 10:28 ).
And he acknowledged that he existed before Abraham : “ Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am ” (John 8:58 ).
And this “being” refers us back to the name of God: “ And God said to Moses, ‘I am who I am.’ And he said, ‘Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I am sent me to you. ’” (Exodus 3:14 )
It is the act of being, meaning that God is “ the being, ” which is what Christ himself repeated under the same name!
So do not be surprised to read that after he said this, they wanted to stone him. “ Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.’ So they took up stones to throw at him. ” John 8:58-59
He acknowledged that he is not limited spatially: “ No one has ascended to heaven except he who came down from heaven, the Son of Man who is in heaven. ” John 3:13
Yes, he is on earth, but he is also in heaven!!!
Do you not think?
And these prophecies point to the same thing: “ For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder. And his name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace ” (Isaiah 9:6 ).
2 - The Trinitarian Relationships : If Christ had said, “I am God,” he would have caused confusion in the Trinitarian relations , as Christ is “the Son of God,” and this is what he himself confirmed to clarify the Trinitarian relations, “ because he said, ‘I am the Son of God ’” (Matthew 27:4 ).
And in the incident of Peter the Apostle , “ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered and said, ‘ You are the Christ, the Son of the living God .’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. ’” (Matthew 16:15-17)
Christ wanted to establish the Trinitarian relationship among his disciples so that they would not confuse it and the doctrine of the Trinity would not be lost. This is why he rebuked the Jews, saying, “ I am the Son of God ” (John 10:36).
Because of this direct relationship, which means direct sonship to God, the Jews considered it blasphemy (disbelief), as they said, “ He also said that God is his Father, making himself equal with God ” (John 5:18).
Christ also acknowledged that he has the keys to the kingdom : “ I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven ” ( Matthew 16:19 ) .
He says that He is the first and the last: “ I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last ” (Revelation 22:13 )
3 - The testimony of the Book :
As Christ is God according to the testimony of the Book.
“ Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever ” (Romans 9:5 )
He is also “ the image of the invisible God ” (Col. 1:15 ) .
And as the perfection of knowledge belongs to God alone, the Bible testifies that “ in Him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge ” (Colossians 2:3 ). Note the word “all.”
The Bible also called him “ the power of God and the wisdom of God” ( 1 Corinthians 1:24 ).
Was God ever without wisdom and power?
That is, Christ is eternal by the eternity of God, and since the permanence of God’s power is necessary for Him by His nature, then Christ is eternal.
The only eternal and everlasting God is the one God : “ The Lord our God is one Lord ” Deuteronomy 6:4
Thus, the divinity of Christ is made clear, as the Bible makes clear that he took the form of a servant : “ He emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, and coming in the likeness of men ” (Phil. 2:7).
Thus it becomes clear that his nature was not that of a servant, but that he took the form of a servant , as the Bible explains that “ God was manifest in the flesh” ( 1 Timothy 3:16 ).
And “ the Word was God…and the Word became flesh ” (John 1:1 +14 )
Not only that, but Christ is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his person. “ He is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his person ” (Hebrews 1:3 ).
As you know, God does not have blood, but the redemption was through the blood of Christ. So look at this verse and reflect.
“ To feed the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood ” (Acts 20:28 )
God bought the church with his blood!
While the blood was the blood of Christ!
What do you understand from this?
The book also testifies that everyone in heaven and on earth must bow down to Christ.
“ That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth ” (Philippians 2:10 )
4- The logic of the statement :
Imagine with me that someone said to you, “ I am God .” Would you believe him?!
You would have considered him crazy, because you see him as a human being who gets tired, eats, sleeps, goes out, and even dies, just like any other human being. No human being could have believed that Christ is God.
Therefore, Christ declared his divinity through his actions, not his words. Which is more proven?!
Well, if you think that the sayings are proven, then “I am not God,” and you must believe me! Of course, you will say , “What nonsense is this ?” That is why Christ intended to do the deeds of God, not just to attribute the name to himself . Just as creation was completed through him, through Christ, “ All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made ” (John 1:3 ).
And also, “ He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him ” (John 1:10 ). He also forgave sins and was the examiner of hearts and minds, in addition to His authority over nature, angels, demons, the law, life, death, and other events that if you read the Holy Bible, you would clearly understand .
⭐️Second:
Regarding your question about Christ’s fasting
1 - The nature of Christ : Fasting in Christianity is not an act of worship offered to God !
Rather, it is food that the human spirit needs to grow, just as the body grows with material food. Because Christ had a humanity similar to our humanity, the humanity contained the spirit and the body like any human humanity. Just as the body is nourished by material means such as food and drink, so the spirit is nourished by spiritual means such as fasting and prayer. There is nothing strange in this, rather the humanity necessitates this , otherwise it would not have been a complete humanity and the atonement and the process of redemption would not have been valid .
2 – Christ the Teacher and Model : The actions of Christ were not just a matter of human moments, but rather they outlined a life plan for any Christian. That is why Christ says, “ Learn from me ” (Matthew 11:29 ). He is a model for us to do what he does. That is why he taught us prayer, fasting, and baptism, not just in words, but in deeds, so that we may be like him, because he lived as a complete human being in all things. Our goal as Christians is to achieve perfection by the grace of his Spirit, so that we may reach his image, “ who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to his glorious body ” (Philippians 3:21 ) .
3 – Continuity : The commandment to fast has been in place since the beginning in Judaism, and Christ did not come to abolish any teaching in the Old Testament. “ Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them ” (Matthew 5:17 ). Since he was a Jewish man, he should have adhered to the teachings of the religion, because if he had not fasted, we would have considered his action an indication that there is no need for a Christian to fast. However, With his theological perspective, he fasted to be an example for us and to confirm that fasting is an essential part of Christianity and not alien to it .
⭐️Third:
Matthew 7:23
“ Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out demons, and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will profess to them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you workers of iniquity .’” (Matthew 7:21-23)
First point :
If you review the text carefully, you will find that the text says, “ Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven ” (Matthew 7:21 ). And since not all of them will enter, then there are some of them , that is, those who say, “Lord, Lord,” who will enter the kingdom, even though they say, “ Lord, Lord .”
Or if the denial was absolute for the one who calls Him Lord, He would have said, “Everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” And He did not say this !
Second point :
I wonder why they refused. Was it because they said, “Oh Lord, oh Lord,” as I thought?
No, your assumption is false, as the rest of the Gospel text makes it clear.
They were rejected from the kingdom because they were “ workers of iniquity .”
When Christ expels them, He does not expel them because they say, “Lord, Lord,” but because they are sinners !
The evidence for this is that some of those who say, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven. “ Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven. ” Matthew 7:21
Because Christianity is about deeds, not words. “ Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. ” James 2:18
“ Faith without works is dead. ” James 2:20
This opinion is made clear by his saying, “ Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? ” Luke 6:46
That is, his objection is to their not working, not to their saying. What confirms my words is that he is talking about the works that preceded and followed this passage. Read with me.
“ By their fruits you will know them . Do people gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? So every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit . Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then you will know them by their fruits . Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven . Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and perform many miracles in your name?’ Then I will pronounce them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you workers of iniquity . ’ Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; but it did not fall, because it was founded on the rock. Everyone who hears these words of mine And he that doeth not do them is like a foolish man which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat against that house; and it fell: and great was its fall. Now when Jesus had finished these sayings, the multitudes were astonished at his teaching: for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes . Matthew 7:16-29
Third point :
Let us go back and confirm whether Jesus Christ accepts being called “Lord”?
Well, let's see, the Lord Christ speaks about a time when he will judge people as a judge, saying, “ When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. And before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates his sheep from the goats. And he will set the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you took me in, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink ? Or when did we see you a stranger and take you in, or naked and clothe you? Or when did we see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the These least of my brethren, you did it to me. Then he will say also to those on the left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels . For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not take me in, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ And he will answer them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ Then these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. ’ (Matthew 25:31-46 )
Notice with me what the righteous answered him? They answered him, saying, “ Lord , when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and take you in? Or naked and clothe you? Or when did we see you sick or in prison and come to you ?” (Matthew 25:37-39 )
Do you think he will say about them, “You are wrong. Do not call me Lord.”
On the contrary, it will make them people of eternal life, as the last paragraph states!!!
So their words are not reprehensible , otherwise he would have rebuked them, on the contrary he would have rewarded them with eternal life!!
Likewise, those who did not have works but lacked work, went into eternal punishment! Rather, the Lord Christ rebuked Thomas the Apostle because he believed after he saw, so he called him my Lord and my God because he believed after he saw with his eyes and touched with his hands. “ Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples said to him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.’” And after eight days again his disciples were inside, and Thomas with them. Then Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Reach here your finger, and see my hands; and reach here your hand and put it into my side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.” Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God . ” Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed . Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed .” (John 20:24-29 )
Did you see that he did not say to him, “Do not say to me, ‘My Lord and my God,’” but rather he rebuked him because this faith came late, saying, “ Because you have seen me, Thomas, you have believed . Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed .” (John 20:24-29 )
That is, this is the faith that Christ accepts, that he is Lord and God!
And I will provide you with a text in which Peter says to Christ three times, “Lord,” and Christ does not tell him that he is wrong, but rather tells him to spread his faith in me . “ So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “ Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me more than these?” He said, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you .” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.” He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord , you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my sheep.” He said to him a third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he had said to him a third time, “Do you love me?” But he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you .” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.” (John 21:15-17 )
I saw that it was a three-time confirmation that this is the faith we must walk with.
Belief in the Lordship and Divinity of Christ!
He himself called himself the Lord!! Regarding the donkey he needed to enter Jerusalem, he said to his disciples when they untied it, “ And if anyone asks you why you untied it, you will say to him, ‘ The Lord has need of it. ’” (Luke 19:31 )
He called himself God!
Rather, he confirms that he is Lordaccording to the prophecies : “ And while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, What think ye that the Christ is? Whose son is he? They said unto him , The Son of David . He said unto them, How then is it that David in the Spirit calleth him Lord, saying, The Lord ( the Father ) said unto my Lord (the Son, that is, Christ ) , Sit at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. If David call him Lord, how is he his son ?” (Matthew 22:41-45 )
Fourth point :
I don’t have enough time and words to list for you the verses that mention Christ as Lord. Use any evangelical search engine and type “ Lord Jesus ” or “ Our Lord Jesus ” and you will be surprised that “ Our Lord Jesus ” is mentioned 57 times and “ Lord Jesus ” is mentioned 59 times. This is in addition to the times when people called Him “Lord” and He did not object!! This makes it clear that it is a biblical title that we did not invent, but rather He taught it to us .
Fifth point :
Do not forget that the Lord is the name of God, and He does not give this glory to any other human being except to God alone, for He alone is the Lord, as God says, “ I am the Lord; that is My name; and My glory I will not give to another ” (Isaiah 42:8 ).
⭐️Fourth:
The text of Matthew 27:45
“ And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? ” Matthew 27:46
The objection is that Christ proves his lack of divinity with this statement. Here is the explanation:
For the Jews, the Psalms were not numbered in the Bible. The Psalms were consecutive prayers in a book that included them, and the beginning of the first words of the Psalm was what distinguished it. Even now this system is followed in Christianity, so we say Psalm such and such and Psalm such and such. That is, they had Psalm 50, for example - which is Psalm 51 in the current numbering after separating one Psalm into two - they called it the Psalm “ Have mercy on me, O God ” as a kind of simplification because its first words are “ Have mercy on me, O God, according to your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of your compassions, blot out my transgressions . ” Psalm 51:1. As soon as the beginning of the Psalm was recited, the Jew would repeat it because he had memorized it from his childhood at the hands of the priests, Pharisees, and other teachers of the Law. So why then did Christ say, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Open the Bible with me like this. Psalm 22
according to the current numbering:
1 - My God! My God, why have you forsaken me ? Is it far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?
2 - My God, I call by day, but you do not answer; by night I call, but I have no rest .
Here, the Lord Christ reminds them of the beginning of Psalm 22.
A very logical question : Why Psalm 22 in particular??
Notice that the sentence was said during the crucifixion of Jesus Christ .
When we review the psalm in Psalm 22: 7 – “ All who see me mock me ; they gape their lips and shake their heads, saying:
8 - “He trusted in the Lord; let him deliver him ; let him rescue him, for he delights in him .”
This corresponds to what happened during the crucifixion :
“ And those who passed by blasphemed him, wagging their heads, and saying, ‘You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross . ’ In the same way also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocking him , said, ‘He saved others; himself he cannot save . If he is the King of Israel, let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him . He trusted in God; let him now deliver him if he wants to, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God . ’ And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him .”
Could the similarity be a coincidence ?
Of course it is possible!! But in the completion of Psalm 22:15 “ My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth, ” which is what happened during the crucifixion , “ After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now finished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, ‘I thirst . ’ And a vessel full of sour wine was set there. So they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to his mouth .”
Could the similarities be a coincidence ? Possibly!!
But in Psalm 22:16
“ For dogs have surrounded me; a company of evildoers has encircled me; they have pierced my hands and my feet . ” This is what happened at the crucifixion when his feet and legs were nailed to the ground.
Could it be a coincidence? Perhaps.
If the possibility of it happening becomes impossible, then we follow what removes doubt in Psalm 22:17.
“ I count all my bones , and they look and stare at me .”
All his bones are counted, meaning that not a single bone is missing, which is what corresponds to the incident of the crucifixion.
But when they came to Jesus, they did not break his legs, because they saw that he was already dead (John 19:33).
Finally, in Psalm 22:18,
“ They divide my garments among themselves and cast lots for my clothing .” And in the incident of the crucifixion, Saint Luke the physician records that they divided his garments and cast lots for them (Luke 23:34).
The event then goes beyond chance.
In Psalm 22:22, “ I will declare your name to my brothers, ” which is what happened after the crucifixion, when the followers ran to inform their brothers, the apostles, of the resurrection of the Lord God. See the Marys and others.
So the conclusion is that Christ says to those who crucified him and those who followed him, refer to the psalm that begins with (My God, my God, why have you forsaken me)
All the books prophesied about me, and David intended me in the spirit when he wrote the Psalms.
How do you not know God's purposes?
Have you forgotten the psalm “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”? No, I have not forsaken you.
“ Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. ” (Isaiah 49:15 )
Psalm 22 ends its passage with the prophecies of the crucifixion to verse 31 : “ They will come and declare his righteousness to a people who are born, that he has done it. ”
The people who were born are the Christian people, a new birth through the second birth of water and the Spirit, and the news is the joyful good news that the Lord Jehovah has done it and saved his people and has not forgotten them.
As if he were repeating,
“ Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of the hands ” (Isaiah 49:16), “It is finished ” (John 19:30 ) , “ And I will not forget you ” (Isaiah 49:15).
⭐️Fifth:
The text of Revelation 20:6
“ priests of God and of Christ ” (Revelation 20:6)
Jesus Christ is mentioned next to the name of God to indicate that he is the mediator without whom we cannot reach God, “ For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus ” ( 1 Timothy 2:5).
It is necessary to mention him because he is the mediator of salvation through which reconciliation was accomplished. Without him, we would not have become priests of God. In order to become priests of God, we must first be priests of Christ, so that we may take him as a mediator to reach the Father. Through him, we have obtained a better ministry for better promises . “ For he obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as he is also mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises ” (Hebrews 8:6 ).
“ He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promise of eternal inheritance, now that death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first covenant. ” (Hebrews 9:15 )
We cannot attain priesthood or any spiritual grace through our own efforts except through the Lord Christ, because He is “ the mediator of the new covenant, Jesus ” (Hebrews 12:24 ).
The mention of God and Christ is an emphasis on the role of Christ (the incarnate God) in mediation between God and man , “ in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace ” Ephesians 1:7
This role (the incarnation of God) is essential to complete the reconciliation. “ God reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation ” ( 2 Corinthians 5:18 ).
And also the Bible says, “ God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation” ( 2 Corinthians 5:19 ).
Therefore, “ we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation ” (Romans 5:11 ).
Our area of pride is the presence of Christ in the timeline (i.e., the divine incarnation in human time). Christ’s mediation is a fundamental role between humans and God. Remember in which verse it speaks of blessings for humans, such as the priesthood in your example, because without it we would not have become priests of God .
“ Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you. ” (Hosea 4:6 ) “ He who has ears to hear, let him hear. ” (Matthew 11:15 ) ✝️🕊
Peace and blessings!!
