Jesus Unmasked: The Truth Will Shock You (16 page)

In a sense, all of the Old Testament prophets were minor prophets who served as a type of the major prophet to come, Jesus Christ.

Jesus Predicted the Future Accurately

And again He took the twelve aside and began to tell them
what was going to happen
to Him,
saying, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and will hand Him over to the Gentiles.
They will mock Him and spit on Him, and scourge Him and kill Him, and three days later He will rise again” (Mark 10:32–34).

Now that is specific and accurate. Jesus’ prediction was fulfilled perfectly.

Jesus Performed Miracles

Not only did Jesus perform miracles like Old Testament prophets, He performed more and greater miracles than all of them. Combined.

> Jesus healed thousands of sick people (Acts 10:38).

> Jesus fed thousands of people from a few loaves of bread and a few fish (Matt. 14:13–21).

> Jesus walked on water (Matt. 14:22–33).

> Jesus calmed the storm (Mark 4:35-41).

> Jesus raised people from the dead (John 11:1–44).

> Jesus raised Himself from the dead (John 2:19–22).

Priest

The office of priest is a story line that weaves its way throughout the entire Bible. They were in charge of the temple, God’s holy place, to offer sacrifices, take care of the poor, and act as the mediator between man and God.

Many priests worked in the temple, but the high priest was the chief of all priests. This was the priest who annually entered the Holy of Holies in the temple to sprinkle the blood of a lamb on God’s mercy seat for the covering of the nations’ sins.

Jesus Is Our Great High Priest

But when Christ appeared as a
high priest
of the good things to come, He entered through the
greater
and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation;
and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through
His own blood
, He entered the holy place
once for all
, having obtained eternal redemption.

For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh,
how much
more
will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Heb. 9:11–14).

Jesus Is a Better High Priest

> Jesus intercedes for us as He sits next to the Father.

> Jesus offered His own blood, not the blood of an animal.

> Jesus is the sacrifice given once for all time.

> Temple priests were temporary; Jesus is permanent.

> Temple sacrifices were repeated; Jesus’ offering happened once.

> Temple sacrifices only offered a picture of forgiveness; Jesus sacrifice provided actual forgiveness.

> Temple sacrifices did not remove guilt, Jesus’ sacrifice did.

The former priests
, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing,
but Jesus
, on the other hand, because He
continues forever
, holds His priesthood
permanently
.
Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens;
who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did
once for all
when He
offered up Himself
.
For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the word of the oath, which came after the Law, appoints a Son, made
perfect forever
(Heb. 7:23–28).

Jesus is the highest of all high priests. He is greater than any earthly intercessor. His sacrifice is forever accepted by the Father.

Perseverance of the Saints

If you are in Christ, the great High Priest, His once-and-for-all perfect sacrifice has been credited to your account. You have been granted perfect redemption with complete forgiveness of sins.

Because of the high priestly work of Jesus, your sin debt has been removed. Why would you think for a second you can lose your salvation?

When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having
forgiven us all our transgressions
,
having canceled out the certificate of debt
consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having
nailed it to the cross
(Col. 2:13–14).

All of your sins, past, present, and future have been nailed to the Cross. Why would you think you can un-nail your sins?

The salvation that has been granted to you is perfect. Even you can’t wreck it!

When God saves, He saves through the perfect work and sacrifice of Jesus. He will not un-save you. If He has made you a saint (Rom. 1:7), He will keep you a saint.

To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are
chosen
according to the
foreknowledge
of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be
sprinkled with His blood
: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has
caused us to be born again
to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
to obtain an inheritance which is
imperishable
and
undefiled
and
will not fade away, reserved
in heaven for you,
who are protected
by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time
(
1 Pet. 1:1–5).

You cannot get yourself saved; you cannot keep yourself saved; but God has and God will. If you are a professing believer who sometimes feels uncertain of your standing with God, remember, your standing with God is not based on your performance. It is based on the high priestly work of the Great High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ.

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?
He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?
Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies;
who is the one who condemns?
Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also
intercedes for us
.
Who will
separate us
from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Just as it is written,

“
For Your sake we are being put to death all day long
;
We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered
.”

But
in all these things we overwhelmingly
conquer
through Him who loved us.
For I am convinced that
neither
death,
nor
life,
nor
angels,
nor
principalities,
nor
things present,
nor
things to come,
nor
powers,
nor
height,
nor
depth,
nor
any other created thing,
will be able
to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom. 8:31–39).

If you are in Him:

> The devil cannot separate you from the love of God.

> Your spouse cannot separate you from the love of God.

> Your parents cannot separate you from the love of God.

> Accusers cannot separate you from the love of God.

> Your sin cannot separate you from the love of God.

> Your past cannot separate you from the love of God.

> Your weak faith cannot separate you from the love of God.

> Your doubts cannot separate you from the love of God.

> You cannot separate you from the love of God.

You have a Great High Priest, rest in Him.

King

Israel had the best governmental system ever: theocracy. God was their King who ruled through judges who were guided by prophets. But Israel looked around and saw that some of their cool neighbors had kings. So what did they do? They asked God for a king.

Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah;
and they said to him, “Behold, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now
appoint a king for us
to judge
us like all the nations
”
(1 Sam. 8:4–5).

The Jews requested a lesser thing, and God, who must have been grieved over their rejection, told Samuel to inform them that He would allow them to have a human king. Notice the horrific consequences of their foolish request.

So Samuel spoke all the words of the
Lord
to the people who had asked of him a king.
He said, “This will be the procedure of
the king who will reign over you:
he will
take your sons
and place them for himself in his chariots and among his horsemen and they will run before his chariots.
He will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and of fifties, and
some to do his plowing
and to reap his harvest and to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots.

“
He will also take your daughters
for perfumers and cooks and bakers.
He will
take
the best of your fields and your vineyards and your olive groves and give them to his servants.
He will
take
a tenth of your seed and of your vineyards and give to his officers and to his servants.

“He will also
take
your male servants and your female servants and your best young men and your donkeys and use them for his work.
He will
take
a tenth of your flocks, and
you yourselves will become his servants
”
(1 Sam. 8:10–17).

Then came the granddaddy of all warnings:

“Then you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the
Lord
will not answer
you in that day” (1 Sam. 8:18).

God warned them of the consequences of their decision. He could not have been more clear that their desire for a king was going to be a disaster; the king will take your land, labors, and even your children. The Jews had deaf ears. The peer pressure was too great and the children of Israel didn’t hear God’s warnings.

Nevertheless, the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel, and they said, “No, but there shall be a king over us,
that we also may be like all the nations
, that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.”
Now after Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the
Lord’
s
hearing.
The
Lord
said to Samuel, “Listen to their voice and appoint them a king” (1 Sam. 8:19–22).

God was right. Predominantly, the kings of Israel (the ten northern tribes) and Judah (the two southern tribes) “did evil in the sight of the Lord.” There was the occasional good king, like David and Josiah, but overall, they were stinkers.

The Promised King

God made a promise to King David that a coming king from the lineage of David was going to come, and He would reign forever. This is the promise of the Davidic Covenant.

When your days are fulfilled that you must go to be with your fathers, that I
will set up one of your descendants after you
, who will be of your sons; and I will establish
his kingdom
.
He shall build for Me a house, and I will establish his
throne forever
.
I will be his
father
and he shall be My
son
; and I will not take My lovingkindness away from him, as I took it from him who was before you.
But I will settle him in My house and in My kingdom
forever
, and his throne shall be established
forever
(1 Chron. 17:11–14).

Balaam the prophet gave a future prediction of this coming, conquering king.