When we raised the debt ceiling to an unprecedented amount, we only pushed off the day of reckoning. We have become a laughing stock and an embarrassment to the rest of the world. The Bible strongly condemns what we are doing, and it also shows us why we are a nation void of right counsel.
Download Audio Download VideoJesus Christ
God of the Old Testament
Can we prove from the Old Testament that there are two God beings that are in the Family of God, by only using the Old Testament? Also, who was the God of the Old Testament that spoke to Israel, that created the earth, that came to this earth as a human being to die for man kind so that they could partake in the soon coming Kingdom of God?
America’s Fall and Europe’s Rise
America’s political fight regarding raising the debt ceiling or facing default by August 2 has made Europe nervous and angry. The perception is that America is playing with fire and that it holds the whole world hostage. Europeans are looking with amazement, frustration and unbelief at what is going on in the USA. At the same time, a British paper predicts that an autocratic and undemocratic United States of Europe, under German leadership but without Britain, will come into being by the end of the year. Why are these events so critically important in the light of biblical prophecy?
Download Audio Download VideoBritain’s Watergate Scandal… Why?
The ongoing blagging and hacking scandal surrounding Rupert Murdoch and his British subsidiaries, threatening the very survival of Britain’s power structure, including Prime Minister David Cameron, has shocked the British public and the world. How did we get there, and more importantly, why is it happening? Why are some saying that Great Britain’s entire democratic system is rotten and a farce? How can the Bible help us understand why we are plagued with these kinds of crimes?
Download Audio Download VideoConfidence in the Bible?
Is the Old Testament part of God’s inspired, timeless and preserved Word of God? Who was commissioned with the preservation of the Old Testament Scriptures? Can we prove from the Old Testament that Jesus is the Christ; and how to obtain salvation and entrance in the Kingdom of God? Who canonized the New Testament Scriptures? Do we have God’s promise that the New Testament Scriptures would also be preserved for all times?
The World Against Israel
President Obama endorses the Palestinians’ demand for their future state to be based on the 1967 borders and infuriates Israel, but the new US position is in line with EU policy. Haaretz writes that Israel is on a collision course with its allies and is liable to become a pariah state. And while the US and GB are facing economic turmoil, Germany is powering ahead and wants to pull its weight militarily abroad. What is going to happen next?
Download Audio Download VideoWhat is Prophesied for Syria?
Violence is erupting in Syria. Does the Bible tell us anything about the past and future of Syria and its capitol, Damascus?
Download Audio Download VideoWould you please explain 1 John 5:6-8?
1 John 5:4-8 reads, in context:
“(Verse 4) For whatever is born [better here: begotten] of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. (Verse 5) Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? (Verse 6) This is He who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who [better: which] bears witness, because the Spirit is truth. (Verse 7) For there are three that bear witness (in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. (Verse 8) And there are three that bear witness on earth): the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one.”
First of all, please note that the words in verses 7 and 8, which are placed in parenthesis, are not in the inspired original text, but they are a very late addition by a copyist who wanted to “prove” that the Trinity was biblical. Today, it has been universally accepted that these words were a fraudulent falsification and must be omitted from the text. Many modern translations do not even contain these words any more, and those which do, normally point out in the margin or in a footnote that they are a very late addition, which are not found in the oldest manuscripts.
We are explaining the following in our free booklet, “Is God a Trinity?”
“1 John 5:7-8 is probably the most frequently quoted text to ‘prove’ that God is a Trinity… most scholars agree that the words in verse 7, ‘in heaven: the Father, the Word and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one,’ were later added by the Catholic Church to ‘prove’ the Trinity, and that these words were not in the original writings. Many Bible translations and commentaries state that this particular phrase, referred to as the ‘Comma Joanneum,’ is ‘not contained in the best authorities and constitutes a late addition in the Latin Text.’ [Pattloch Bible, Appendix, page 85].
“The Zürcher Bible comments in a footnote that ‘this passage was added in the fourth century in the Latin Text, and only in the 15th century in some Greek Texts.’ The NIV [New International Version] adds in a footnote that this particular phrase is only contained ‘in the late manuscripts of the Latin Bible and that it is not found in any Greek manuscripts before the 16th century.’ Other commentaries point out that these words are clearly a falsification and that they have therefore been correctly omitted, even as a footnote, in many modern translations.”
But what is meant with the phrase in verses 7 and 8, that “there are three which bear witness: the Spirit, the water and the blood; and these three agree as one”? Notice that in context, the reference is to Jesus Christ who came by water and blood (verse 6), and the Spirit of truth bears witness to that fact (same verse). Also, John points out that those who have been begotten by the Spirit and believe that Jesus is the Son of God, overcome the world (verses 4 and 5).
In his letter, John emphasizes that Jesus came in the flesh—that He became fully Man. He had changed from a Spirit being into a mortal human being (compare John 1:1-3, 14). The spirit of antichrist denied and denies that fact (1 John 4:1-3). It denied and denies that Jesus had REALLY become a Man. But John makes clear that Christ had to become a Man—fully flesh and blood—in order to be able to die. And so, His blood testifies to the fact that Jesus was and is our Savior (compare also Hebrews 12:24). He DIED, and His death paid the penalty for our sins. That is why John emphasizes twice that Jesus came by water and blood—not just by water, but by water and blood (1 John 5:6).
Before His death, Jesus gave the apostles wine to drink, symbolizing His blood which was to be shed for the forgiveness of their sins (Matthew 26:27-28; Luke 22:20). Christ shed His very blood—“He poured out His soul” or life “unto death” (Isaiah 53:12). In the context of his first letter, John is telling us that we must believe that Jesus was fully Man and that He died, by shedding His precious blood for us (compare 1 Peter 1:18-19; Acts 20:28; compare, too, Leviticus 17:11).
But John is telling us more. He is also emphasizing the fact that Jesus came “by water.”
This reference to water has been the subject of widespread discussion. The Nelson Study Bible states:
“Water and blood have been interpreted in at least four ways: (1) as Jesus’ baptism and death; (2) as His incarnation; (3) as the water and blood that flowed from His side on the Cross; and (4) as the baptism of the believer and the Lord’s Supper…”
The Ryrie Study Bible adds:
“The water refers to the inauguration of Christ’s earthly ministry at His baptism by John (Mark 1:9-11); the blood refers to the close of His earthly life at His crucifixion. Jesus proved Himself to be the Christ (Messiah) at His baptism and by pouring out His soul to death.”
In addition, we might think of Scriptures telling us that at the time of Moses and Israel in the wilderness, water came out of the rock (Numbers 20:10-11). We might perhaps draw an analogy to the spiritual water of the Holy Spirit, flowing from the spiritual Rock—Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 10:1-4). Further, we are told that we are being cleansed with the washing of water by God’s Word (Ephesians 5:26 ); and that the Holy Spirit will flow out of our hearts like rivers of living water (John 7:37-38).
We see, then, that the reference to the blood, the water and the Spirit includes multiple applications.
The fact that Christ came “by water” can be viewed as containing additional proof that Jesus was fully Man. When hanging on the cross or stake, “one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out” (John 19:34). [As an aside, the soldier pierced Christ’s side, when He was still alive, not after He had died. He caused Christ’s death by piercing His side. For a thorough explanation of this little-understood fact, please read our free booklet, “Jesus Christ—A Great Mystery.”].
A Spirit being has no blood, bones or water. The fact that Jesus did, shows that He was a Man—that He came in the flesh. His Incarnation was a change from spirit to flesh—Christ BECAME flesh.
As pointed out in some of the commentaries, as quoted above, John’s reference to water can also be associated with Christ’s water baptism, which He asked John the Baptist to perform. John’s baptism was one of repentance, but Jesus had never sinned, so He had nothing to repent of. That is why John hesitated to baptize Jesus, but Jesus insisted that it had to be done, in order to fulfill all righteousness. He wanted to set an example for us, who did sin, to be baptized, after repentance and faith in our Savior Jesus Christ and His Sacrifice which makes possible the forgiveness of our sins. Christ made it very clear that without water baptism, we cannot enter the Kingdom of God (John 3:5).
Finally, John also stresses in his first letter that Jesus, although fully flesh, had the Spirit of God the Father within Him, and that without measure (compare John 3:34, Authorized Version). It was through the power of the Holy Spirit that God the Father impregnated Mary to bring forth and give birth to Jesus; it was through the fullness of the Holy Spirit in Christ that He could do the mighty works which He did. God, through His Holy Spirit of truth, testifies to us that Jesus came in the flesh—that He had blood and water—and that He “gave up His spirit” and died (John 19:30).
When we repent of our sins and believe in Jesus Christ and His Sacrifice, and are baptized in and under water (with the subsequent laying on of hands), we will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit of truth. Christ compared the Holy Spirit with living water (John 4:10, 14; 7:38-39). And only with God’s Holy Spirit, remaining in us, motivating us to obey the WORD of God, can we enter the Kingdom of God (compare again John 3:5). And so, John is saying that the three—the blood and the water and the Spirit—agree as one—in unified testimony. They testify that Jesus came in the flesh—a human being with blood and water–and that He overcame sin in the flesh by living a sinless life by and through the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in Him.
They also agree that through His death on the cross, salvation was made possible for man. They agree that we—human beings—can receive the Holy Spirit to help us to overcome sin and this sinful world in the flesh, as Christ did. We are to overcome, as Christ overcame (Revelation 3:21). And with the living Christ dwelling in us through the power of the Holy Spirit, we CAN be victorious, as Christ was (Philippians 4:13; Romans 8:37; 1 Corinthians 15:57).
As the Spirit of God testifies that Jesus became a Man and died for us, so it testifies that Jesus lives His life in His disciples today—that is, Jesus Christ is “coming in the flesh” of His disciples (compare 2 John 7). The spirit of antichrist denies this truth as well. But God’s Spirit bears witness that we are children of God (Romans 8:16), as it gave witness to John the Baptist, and later to Peter and other apostles, that Christ was the Son of God (Matthew 3:17; 16:15-17; 17:5). Blood and water bear witness that we—human beings with blood and water—can obtain forgiveness of sin through the shedding of Christ’s blood; and that we can receive God’s Holy Spirit–God’s living waters–after water baptism, as Christ was baptized, to fulfill all righteousness, and to receive special powers to work miracles (compare Acts 10:36-38).
In conclusion, blood, water and the Holy Spirit “witness” and testify in agreement that Christ was a Man; that He died for our sins; that He was resurrected and that He lives His life again in His disciples today; and that we–human beings—are condemned to die because of our sins; but that by our repentance and our belief in Christ’s shed blood, we can obtain forgiveness of our sins. Furthermore, through our “death” in water baptism and our “resurrection” from the dead, when we rise out of our watery grave (Romans 6:1-6), we can receive the gift of God’s Holy Spirit, through which Christ lives His life in us all over again.
Lead Writer: Norbert Link
Did animal sacrifices provide for forgiveness of sin?
We read in the New Testament that animal sacrifices did not forgive sin, nor did they clean or purify the ancient Israelites from an evil conscience. That was never the purpose of the animal sacrifices. Forgiveness of sin and the opportunity to inherit eternal life was only made possible through the supreme Sacrifice of Jesus Christ (John 3:14-17).
Hebrews 10:1-4 makes it very clear that animal sacrifices were just reminders of sins, but that they could not take away or forgive sin. They were foreshadowing the death of Christ. We read:
“For the [sacrificial] law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshippers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.”
Hebrews 9:9-10 confirms that the sacrificial system was only of a temporary nature, to be superseded by the death of Jesus Christ:
“It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices were offered which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience—concerned only with foods and drinks, various washings, and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of reformation.”
Paul elaborates in the book of Galatians that the sacrificial law was added because of transgression (sin is the transgression of the spiritual law of the Ten Commandments, compare 1 John 3:4, Authorized Version), but only until the Seed—Jesus Christ—would come. We read in Galatians 3:19, 24-25:
“What purpose then does the [sacrificial] law serve? It was added because of transgression [of the spiritual law], till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a meditator [Note that the Ten Commandments were NOT appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator, but they were spoken directly by God Himself]… Therefore the [sacrificial] law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith [but it is an obedient faith, compare Romans 1:5; 16:26]. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor [the sacrificial law].”
Matthew Henry’s Whole Commentary, in his explanations of Leviticus 4:31, points at the temporary meaning and duration of animal sacrifices, and the all-important Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, when stating:
“From all these laws concerning the sin-offerings we may learn, 1. To hate sin, and to watch against it. That is certainly a very bad thing to make atonement for which so many innocent and useful creatures must be slain and mangled thus. 2. To value Christ, the great and true sin-offering, whose blood cleanses from all sin, which it was not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away. Now, if any man sin, Christ is the propitiation (1 Jn. 2:1, 2), not for Jews only, but [also] for Gentiles.”
Matthew Henry’s Whole Commentary, in reference to Leviticus 6:7, points out how the animal sacrifices, as a tutor, foreshadowed the all-encompassing Sacrifice of Jesus Christ. He also shows that the spiritual law of the Ten Commandments and the statutes and judgments, explaining and magnifying the Ten Commandments, were not abolished when the animal sacrifices were superseded by THE Sacrifice of Jesus:
“This trespass-offering could not, of itself, make satisfaction for sin, nor reconciliation between God and the sinner, but as it signified the atonement that was to be made by our Lord Jesus, when he should make his soul an offering of sin, a trespass-offering; it is the same word that is here used, Isa. 53:10. The trespasses here mentioned are trespasses still against the law [of God]… and though now we may have them pardoned without a trespass-offering, yet not without true repentance, [obedience], reformation [that is, a lasting change of our thinking and action], and a humble [obedient] faith in the righteousness of Christ [which we must obtain]: and, if any make the more bold with these sins because they are not now put to the expense of a trespass-offering for them, they turn the grace of God into wantonness, and so bring upon themselves a swift destruction. The Lord is the avenger of all such, 1 Th. 4:6.”
Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible adds the following, regarding Leviticus 6:7:
“And the priest shall make an atonement for him [the sinner] before the Lord,…. By offering the ram he brought, by which a typical, but not real atonement was made; for the blood of bulls and goats, of sheep and rams, could not take away sin; but as they were types of Christ, and led to him, the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.”
For a thorough discussion of the sacrificial law, as referred to in the book of Galatians, please read our free booklet, “Paul’s Letter to the Galatians—How to Understand It.”
In light of these clear teachings of the New Testament, how are we to explain passages in the Old Testament, seemingly saying that people who were offering animal sacrifices could thereby obtain forgiveness for their sins? For instance, we read in Leviticus 4:20 that upon the sacrifice of a young bull, the priest was to make atonement for the unintentional sin of the congregation, “and it shall be forgiven them.” Also, verse 26 says that upon the sacrifice of a young male goat, the ruler’s unintentional sin “shall be forgiven him.” Also, in regard to an unintentional sin of a common person, we read that upon the sacrifice of a female kid of the goats, “the priest shall make atonement for him, and it shall be forgiven him” (verses 31, 35).
We need to emphasize that the Bible does not contradict itself (compare John 10:35). We also must understand the Old Testament Scriptures in the light of the New Testament, and not vice versa. As the New Testament clearly teaches that spiritual forgiveness of sin could NOT be obtained through animal sacrifices, what then is the meaning of the above-quoted passages in Leviticus?
The following statements from selected commentaries shed more light on the issue.
Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible states: “…the meaning [of forgiveness through animal sacrifices] is, he shall not be punished for it.”
The Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary concurs, saying this about Leviticus 4:35:
“None of these sacrifices possessed any intrinsic value sufficient to free the conscience of the sinner from the pollution of guilt, or to obtain his pardon from God; but they gave a formal deliverance from a secular penalty (Heb 9:13, 14); and they were figurative representations of the full and perfect sin offering which was to be made by Christ.”
The (above-mentioned) passage in Hebrews 9:13-14 shows indeed what kind of “forgiveness” could be obtained through animal sacrifices. It reads: “For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies [sets aside or apart; that is, allowing a relationship between God and man] for the PURIFYING OF THE FLESH, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”
Animal sacrifices provided a means of permitting the ancient Israelite who had sinned unintentionally, to remain in the community of the nation, under God’s rule, and to be spared from physical punishment. In case of an unintentional sin by the entire congregation, animal sacrifices prevented that God would turn His back on them and forsake them. They did not provide spiritual forgiveness, and later, Israel misused and abused animal sacrifices in a terrible way, so that God had to remind them that He did not desire animal sacrifices, but an upright and humble heart.
Animal sacrifices were a means of maintaining a relationship between God and man, by “forgiving” the physical transgression and allowing the transgressor to remain within the community of Israel. They were never meant to provide spiritual “forgiveness” of sin. They never abolished or superseded the spiritual penalty for sin, which is eternal death (Romans 6:23), nor did they make possible the means of inheriting eternal life. Only the Sacrifice of Christ can bring about such spiritual forgiveness and allow us to continue on our righteous path (1 John 1:8-9; Romans 8:3-4), to ultimately being given eternal life at the time of Christ’s return.
Lead Writer: Norbert Link
Who is “that” prophet, mentioned by Moses in the book of Deuteronomy?
The Old and the New Testament speak about the appearance of “THE” or “THAT” prophet. The concept of such a prophet is first introduced in Deuteronomy 18:15, when Moses announces to the people:
“The LORD your God will raise for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear.”
In his speech before the Sanhedrin, Stephen makes reference to this passage, in Acts 7:37.
We read in Deuteronomy 34:10-12 that after Moses’ death, “there has not arisen in Israel a prophet like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, in all the signs and wonders which the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt, before Pharaoh, before all his servants, and in all his land, and by all that mighty power and all the great terror which Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.”
But Moses was inspired to write that subsequently, a Prophet like him WOULD arise. Note, he is making reference to only ONE individual, not several or many. (The concept that Moses was just speaking of general successions of prophets is clearly not intended here.) It is true that God has spoken through holy prophets in the past, and it is also stated that He will use again some of His followers to prophesy in the future (compare Revelation 11:3, 6; Acts 2:17-20), just prior to the return of Jesus Christ (while including the warning that many false prophets will also appear as well, Matthew 24:11).
However, Moses speaks clearly about only ONE particular or unique Prophet, like him, and we are given clues as to what to look for. That Prophet would know God face to face, and He would perform signs and wonders in “Egypt” (note that Jerusalem is spiritually called “Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified,” Revelation 11:8), and He would act with mighty power in the sight of all of Israel.
At the time of Christ’s first coming, there was an expectation that that Prophet would appear. The people asked John the Baptist: “Are you the Prophet?” [or “that prophet,” in the Authorized Version], but John clarified that he was not the one (John 1:21). This he said, even though his father Zacharias declared, under inspiration, that John “will be called the prophet of the Highest” (Luke 1:76). And Christ said that John deserved to be called, “not just a prophet, but even more than a prophet” (Matthew 11:9). He continued to make clear that John fulfilled a unique role in that he prepared the way of the LORD Jesus Christ (verse 10).
John also said he was not the Elijah to come (John 1:21), but he did come in the spirit and power of Elijah (Luke 1:17). He was not the resurrected Old Testament Elijah, who had died, but he fulfilled the role of a prophesied “Elijah” (Matthew 11:14). He was a forerunner of the true and final future Elijah who would come and restore all things (that is, ultimately, Jesus Christ, compare Matthew 17:11-12; Acts 3:20-21). Likewise, John the Baptist came in the power and the spirit of “that “Prophet,” but he was not that Prophet himself. John confirmed that he was not THE prophet, about whom Moses had spoken. After all, we read that John did not perform one miracle and sign (John 10:41), but as we saw, it was prophesied in the book of Deuteronomy that that Prophet would perform signs and wonders, as Moses did.
Later, when witnesses saw the miracles and signs that Jesus did, they concluded that he was a prophet (John 9:17) and even “a great prophet” who “has risen up among us” (Luke 7:16). Some concluded that Christ was “truly the Prophet who is to come into the world” (John 6:14; compare John 7:40). It appears that Philip felt the same way, when he told his brother Nathanael: “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph” (John 1:45). Later, in Luke 24:13, two somewhat disillusioned disciples who were traveling to a village called Emmaus, spoke to the resurrected Jesus whom they did not at first recognize, about the “things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people” (Luke 24:19).
Jesus confirmed that He was a prophet (Luke 13:33), but surely, Jesus was not just one of the prophets. Jesus Himself said that He was sending prophets to the hypocritical people and leaders, and “some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city” (Matthew 23:34; compare Luke 11:49). Without dispute and contradiction, a prophet who sends other prophets is greater than the ones who are being sent (compare the principle in Hebrews 7:7; and the fact that the Father, the highest in the Godhead, sent Jesus Christ as Savior to the world; John 3:17; 8:42). In Hebrews 1:1-4, the difference between Jesus and all the other prophets is made very clear:
“God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers BY THE PROPHETS, has in these last days spoken to us BY HIS SON, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds, who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.”
But was Jesus “that” special Prophet, who had been announced by Moses?
Matthew 17 sheds more light on this issue. When Jesus was transfigured on the mountain, in the presence of Peter, James and John, and when the glorified Moses and Elijah appeared in a vision, a voice was heard from heaven, saying about Jesus: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!”
Moses had told the people that they needed to hear that Prophet. Now the voice from heaven said that the people must hear Jesus. Peter had no doubt what this meant, and he would later write about this incident, as recorded in 2 Peter 1:16-21:
“For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent glory; ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’ And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. And so we have the prophetic word confirmed [apparently making reference here, in context and as we will see, to the prophecy in Deuteronomy, speaking of the rise of a Prophet like Moses], which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”
Later, Peter made very clear as to whom Moses referred, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, when he prophesied about the coming of the Prophet. We read his stirring sermon to the people of his time, in Acts 3:19-26:
“Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. For Moses truly said to the fathers, ‘The LORD your God will raise for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him shall you hear in all things, whatever He says to you. And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’ Yes, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days. You are the sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ To you first, God, having raised up His servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.”
This inspired sermon reveals that it was Jesus Christ who came as THAT Prophet, and that we must hear and obey Him, and when we refuse to do that, we will be “utterly destroyed from among the people.”
Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible includes the following comments regarding Deuteronomy 18:15:
“’The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a prophet’…. the Messiah… who was a prophet mighty in word and deed, and not only foretold future events, as his own sufferings and death, and resurrection from the dead, the destruction of Jerusalem, and other things; but taught and instructed men in the knowledge of divine things, spake as never man did, preached the Gospel fully and faithfully, so that as the law came by Moses, the doctrine of grace and truth came by him; and he was… commissioned and qualified by [the Father] for the office of a prophet, as well as was raised from the dead as a confirmation of his being that extraordinary person:
“’…from the midst of thee’; he was of Israel, according to the flesh, of the tribe of Judah, and of the house of David, born of a virgin in Bethlehem… and was raised from the dead in the midst of them, and of which they were witnesses:
“’…of thy brethren’; the Israelites, of whom, as concerning the flesh, Christ came, and to whom he was sent as a prophet…
“’like unto me’… he was like to Moses in the faithful discharge of his office, in his familiar converse with God, in the miracles which he wrought…”
Moses was inspired to say that a Prophet like him would arise. As the New Bible Commentary: Revised explains, Moses was indeed a type of Christ, “both in his life and his office. Like Jesus his life was spared in infancy… he was a faithful powerful intercessor for his people.”
The Prophet who was to come was none other than Jesus Christ. Jesus has many titles and designations; apart from being the Son of God and the Savior and Messiah (the Anointed One), He is also the only Mediator between God and man, our High Priest and the King of kings and the Lord of lords; He is the Apostle of those apostles whom He appoints (Hebrews 3:1; Ephesians 4:11), as well as THAT Prophet of those holy prophets whom He sends. Anyone who misappropriates any of those titles to himself (or approvingly permits such misappropriations to be applied to him) is claiming privileges and designations which are limited and strictly belong to, and which are reserved for Jesus Christ; and such a person will have to give account for what he claims to be, says and does, whoever he might be.
Lead Writer: Norbert Link