Menu An Evangelical Response to "The Making of the Messiah" (July 2016 version) This paper is a refutation of the video series The Making of the Messiah, https://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=518B86510D28FE50 as it was on Jan 10, 2010. (I am not aware of any changes since then.) The speaker stated many things that are false about the Bible, and suggests many other things that are not supported by the evidence. The purpose of this paper is to provide a Christian evangelical response. Since there are eight parts to his video, this response has eight parts. What We Know about the New Testament Authors, a Response to "The Making of the Messiah part 1" In part 1, the speaker in the video does not deny the existence of Jesus Christ, but he questions how accurate the information is we have on Jesus. He asks what we know about the New Testament authors, and says this question is relevant to understanding the reliability of the text. New Testament Authors Actually we don't know anything about any author, living or dead, except what they tell us and what others tell us about them. But if someone is unwilling to believe what others say, then they cannot know anything even after they have been told. We do not know anything about the childhood, educational resume, or exact age of almost any ancient author. Tongue in cheek, the speaker did not tell us anything about his background either, so by the same standard, how can we think that anything he says is reliable? Seriously though, the right question to ask, is what evidence we have for the reliability or unreliability of the author's work. Basically, was he honest, how precise was he, and how good were his sources of information? We can answer these with a combination of what the author tells us, what others say about the author, and corroboration by others of the events the author recorded. In brief, biblical authors writing about Christ did not see a need to write autobiographies of themselves. Besides the New Testament though, we can learn some about the authors from what early Christians wrote about them. For example, Eusebius has an entire chapter on Mark, telling us that he was the one who carried the gospel to Egypt. Unfortunately the early church was often under heavy persecution, and many of their writings have been lost to us. However, we still have about 4,600 pages of their writing after the New Testament and before 340 A.D. They tell us that most of the 12 apostles and a number of other early Christians were killed for their faith. But even for Christians such as John, who very likely died a natural death, early Christians as a whole had to be willing to die for what they believed in. We owe a debt to the early church for both recognizing scripture and providing a wealth of Biblical interpretation and historical information. In contrast to this, the speaker wants to compare the four canonical gospels to spurious gospels rejected by the early church. The Letters of Paul The speaker says that seven of Paul's letters were by the same author (Rom, 1 and 2 Cor, Gal, Php, 1 Thess, Phm). But he claims that eight other letters were by different authors (Eph, Col, 2 Thess 1 and 2 Tim, Tt, and Heb). Of course we agree that Hebrews does not claim it was written by Paul. The speaker gives no reasons for these claims, so I assume he is just repeating what various critical scholars have said. They give four reasons, none of which hold water. Length of the longest sentence (Eph and Col): The original Greek of the New Testament did not have punctuation, so it is problematic to estimate the length. In fact what modern scholars had as the longest sentence in Colossians (1:3-8 156 words) in Aland et al. 3rd edition of the Greek New Testament, is now four sentences in Aland et al. 4th edition. But critics still quote the sentence length from the 3rd edition, which makes their case appear stronger. Average sentence length (Eph and Col): The way modern scholars try to split the sentences, the average sentence length in Ephesians and Colossians (37.3 and 35.2 words respectively) is longer than the average sentence length in other books (25.8, 23.4, 26.0, 21.7, 26.7, 29, 31.7, 22.7, 23.2, 24.2, and 25.8) for Paul's other letters in order. However, average sentence length is 35.8, 35.6, and 32 words in Romans 1-5, 1 Cor 1, and 2 Cor 6-10 respectively. So there is little difference between the shorter but deep books of Ephesians and Colossians, and Romans 1-5, 1 Cor 1, and 2 Cor 6-10. Different words (2 Th, 1, 2 Tim, Tt): One could look at my writings on New Testament manuscripts, cults, and relationship with God, and use the same method to conclude that I was three different people. People use different words when discussing different topics. It is only when there are various choices of words for the same thing, and different word choices are preferred that this could be significant. For example, in the earlier letters to entire churches more names are mentioned. So should names be excluded from the count? In the pastorals Paul speaks of Timothy's mother and grandmother, and Timothy and Titus appointing elders and deacons, so should these discussions be excluded? After persecution had gone on for a while, Paul talks more about taking care of widows in the pastoral letters than in earlier letters. So should this be excluded? - and so forth. Description of faith: It has been claimed that faith means trusting acceptance of Christ's death in Paul's earlier letters, and a set of beliefs and ideas of dogmas in the later letters. Actually it means both in both sets of letters. It means a set of beliefs and ideas in Gal 1:23; Eph 4:1; Eph 4:13 It means acceptance of Christ's death in 1 Tim 1:15; 2 Tim 3:15; Tt 3:15 Faith meaning doctrinal beliefs in Paul's earlier letters Gal 1:23 "They only heard the report: 'The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy." Eph 4:1 "one Lord, one faith, one baptism" Eph 4:13 "until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature," Faith meaning trusting acceptance in Paul's later letters 1 Tim 1:5 "I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois, and in your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded, now lives in you also. 2 Tim 3:15 "which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus." Tt 3:15 "Greet those who love us in the faith." Faith can be taken either or both ways 1 Cor 15:1-2,14,17 "Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. (14) And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith." More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead." ... (17) "And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile..." (This emphasizes the doctrines of Christ's resurrection as well as Christ's death.) Gal 3:7 "those of faith" Gal 3:13 "the law is not of faith" Gal 3:23 "before the coming of faith" Eph 1:15 "hearing of your faith in the Lord Jesus" Eph 2:8 "by grace you have been saved, through faith" 2 Tim 2:18 "wandered away from the truth. ... they destroy the faith of some" Tt 1:4 "son in our common faith" So the author did not try to show any basis for separating Paul's letters except to appeal to critical scholars, who have not successfully demonstrated any basis for difference. But it would not be sufficient to show there are differences; rather one would have to show there are differences that would be more than expected given a different audience, different topics, and a later time in Paul's life. Two Genealogies Needed of Jesus Royal records generally tell of one genealogy, but Jesus had two. Many have seen a problem with the genealogies in Matthew and Luke of essentially different people after David. But let's ask two questions of our own. What right would Christ have to claim David's throne if He were a descendant of David? - none if He was only descended on His mother's side. This is why it was important that Jesus be the legal, adoptive son of Joseph in Matthew; people do not make claims of kingship based on the mother. On the other hand, if Mary was not from David, then what of the prophecy that Jesus was to be descended from David? This is why the biological genealogy in Luke is important. So to show that Jesus fulfilled the role of Messiah, both genealogies were required. The problem some people have is that the genealogy in Luke does not actually say "this is of Mary". But it implies that when it says "He [Jesus] was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph, the Son of Heli..." Ancient genealogies in general and Jewish ones in particular were not given of women. Heli is mentioned as the father of Jesus because as Justin Martyr (135-165 A.D.) wrote, "because of His [Jesus'] birth by the Virgin, who was, as I said, of the family of David, and Jacob, and Isaac, and Abraham; or because Adam was the father both of Himself and of those who have been first enumerated from whom Mary derives her descent. For we know that the fathers of women are the fathers [i.e. ancestral fathers] likewise of those children whom their daughters bear." Dialogue with Trypho the Jew ch.100 (ANF vol.1 p.249) Another early church writer who saw that one genealogy was of Joseph and the other of Mary (though he got them backwards) was Clement of Alexandria (193-217/220 A.D.) in The Stromata book 1 ch.21 (ANF vol.2 p.334.) The Year of Jesus' Birth The speaker claims that Matthew and Luke differed on when Jesus was born. He says if Jesus was born during the reign of Herod the Great (who died in 4 B.C.,) (Mt 2:1), he could not be born during "the" census of Quirinius in 6 to 7 A.D. (Lk 2:2) There are many ways to show how these could fit together. While we had only heard of one census in this region, Luke 2:2 says it was the first census while Quirinius was governor of Syria. According to the Wycliffe Bible Dictionary p.319,414, Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 225 (in Milligan, Greek Papyri p.44-47) says that a census was taken every 14 years. Suetonius and Tacitus show that Augustus had three censuses, the second of which was 8-4 B.C. An inscription says that Quirinius was governor of Syria in 6 A.D., However, this was his second time as governor. The first time was between 12 and 6 B.C., when as governor he led a campaign against the Homanadensians in Anatolia (modern Turkey). However, we do not know which province Quirinius was governor of the first time. Saturninus was governor of Syria from 8-6 B.C., but Quirinius might have been a second, ad hoc governor for the military campaign. Alternately, In The New Testament Documents : Are They Reliable?, (IVP) p.86-87 F.F. Bruce says that many grammarians translate Luke 2:2 as "before" Quirinius was governor of Syria, not "while". Tertullian's view is that that the name "Quirinius" was substituted for "Saturninus" in Five Books Against Marcion book 4 ch.19 (198-220 A.D.). As a side note, there is much about the ancient world we cannot prove. For example, Damascus coins are silent about Roman occupation of Damascus between 34 to 62 A.D. Yet, we are certain that the Romans ruled Damascus then. What Happened at the Resurrection The speaker sees inconsistencies in who first arrived at the empty tomb, whom did they meet there, and what happened then. Before answering this, let me ask a question of the reader. Let's say last night you and a couple of friends went to the restaurant. Someone asks, what did you do for dinner last night?" You reply, "Last night I ate at the restaurant." He replies, "That's a lie. I saw you last night and you and a couple of friends ate at the restaurant." Reader, how would you respond to someone like that? Your response might be similar to how I would respond to the speaker in the video. Did the gospel writers tell precisely every detail? - No. But did the gospel writers accurately tell what happened? - Yes. If someone thinks an account has to have high precision to be accurate, they come off sounding like the guy in the question to the reader. Here is a summary of what happened after the resurrection in all four accounts. Numbered items are things that had to happen one after the other. Lettered items could have happened in any order. R1a. When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, the other Mary [the mother of James], Salome, and the women start to travel to the tomb. Mt 281b; Mk 16:1-3; Lk 24:1; Jn 20:1 R2a. There was an earthquake as the angel hurled away the stone. The guards became like dead men. Mt 28:2-4 R2b. The angel hurled away the stone. Mk 16:4; Lk 24:2 R1b. No body found, and two "men" speak to the women. Lk 24:3-8; Jn 20:2 R3. The morning that Jesus rose, an angel appears to the women and tells them to tell the disciples to go to Galilee. Mt 28:5-7; Mk 16:5-8 R4a. While the women were hurrying back, Jesus also appears to the women and tells them to tell the disciples to go to Galilee. Mt 28:8-10 R4b1. When the women returned from the tomb, the disciples do not believe the women. Lk 24:9-11 R4b2. Peter and John run to the tomb, John gets there first. Lk 24:12; Jn 20:3-9 R4b3. Then the disciples return to their homes [in Jerusalem]. Jn 20:10 R4c. The guards tell the priests; the priests then bribe the guards. Mt 28:11-15 R4d. As Mary wept, two men, and then Jesus, appear to Mary Magdalene. Mk 16:9-11; Jn 20:11-18 R5. The same day on the road to Emmaus, Jesus appears to two disciples (not of the eleven disciples). He stays with them until evening. Mk 16:12; Lk 24:13-29 R6. Immediately the two disciples rushed back to Jerusalem (7 miles away) and tell the 11 disciples. Mk 16:13; Lk 24:33-35 R7. In Jerusalem, the evening of the same day that Jesus rose, while the two are talking to the disciples, Jesus appears, 1st time, to ten disciples. Jn 20:19-23 R8. Other disciples tell Thomas they have seen Jesus. Jn 20:25 R9. Eight days later, Jesus appears, a second time, to the eleven disciples including Thomas. Mk 16:14; Jn 20:19,26-31 R10. Jesus appears to them (3rd time), by the Sea of Tiberias [Galilee]. They catch 153 fish. Mt 28:19-20; Jn 21:1-14. R11a. Three times, Jesus asks Peter if Peter loves Him. Jn 21:15-23 R11b1. Jesus appears to more than 500 followers. 1 Cor 15:6 R11b2. Jesus appears to James his brother. 1 Cor 15:6 R12. In Galilee Jesus appears to the disciples and gives great commission. Mt 28:16-20; Mk 16:15-18 R13. They return to Jerusalem, either staying there or at Bethany, a suburb. R14. While they are eating, Jesus commands them to remain in Jerusalem until they received power from on high. (Lk 24:49; Acts 1:4). They obey this command. Lk 24:52 R15. Jesus leads them to Bethany, a suburb of Jerusalem on slope of the Mt of Olives. Lk 24:50 R16. Forty days after the resurrection (Acts 1:3), Jesus ascends to Heaven in the clouds. Mk 16:19; Lk 24:50-51; Acts 1:9-11 R17a1. Returning to Jerusalem, the apostles remain in the temple. Lk 24:52-53 R17b. The 11 apostles choose Matthias to replace Judas. Acts 1:15-26 R18. In Jerusalem on Pentecost (50 days after the Passover), the apostles are filled with the Holy Spirit. Acts 2 R19. After this, the apostles travel freely. Mk 16:20 Paul and the Mosaic Law The speaker says that Paul openly taught against the Mosaic Law. Actually Paul explicitly said that the law was "good" (1 Tim 1:8-9a. See also Rom 3:1-2). But not just Paul, but also Peter and the Council of Jerusalem agreed that believers did not have to follow all of the Mosaic Law. But while the dietary and ritual aspects of the Mosaic Law were superseded, Paul and the others with one voice would say that moral aspects, such as forbidding murder, stealing, adultery, etc. were still to be obeyed today. Women and Jews The speaker says that Paul said less than flattering things about women and Jews. Actually he did not say unflattering things about women. He said they could not be elders in the church, and it was proper that they have head coverings. He said that Jewish people were against Jesus, and many were, but he was certainly aware that most of the people in the church when he became a Christian were of Jewish background. Summary: We know what we need to know about the New Testament authors; not that we know everything about their personal lives, but we know they wrote reliably on Jesus and early Christianity. We know this because we rely on the witness of the early church. There are no difficulties or alleged contradiction in the Bible that cannot be resolved. To see the answers to over 8,600 questions on the Bible you can visit www.biblequery.org. Bible verses from the NIV unless otherwise noted. Old Testament References in the New Testament, a Response to "The Making of the Messiah part 2" The speaker in this video claims New Testament authors misquoted or distorted the Old Testament to make their point in six places. Then he has one more general objection about the law which I have split into two parts. First here are answers to the six objections. Rom 10:11 "As the Scripture says, 'Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." (NIV) First a small correction: the speaker says the NIV does not give any Old Testament reference, but the NIV does in fact have a reference to Isaiah 28:16. The Old Testament scripture referenced, Isaiah 28:16, says, "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed." The speaker has two objections here: a) Romans says "dismayed" vs. while Isaiah [in the Masoretic text] says "put to shame" and b) a cornerstone is an inanimate rock vs. Paul is using it to refer to Jesus, a person. a) Dismayed: The speaker is wrong to claim Paul distorted or changed this quote. Romans 10:11 is like the Septuagint's "no way be ashamed", not the Masoretic text. In some many other places too, New Testament quotes are closer to the Septuagint than the Masoretic text. The word for "dismayed" in Isaiah 28:16 in the Masoretic text is chuwah (Strong's 2363), which literally means "make haste" as the KJV has. This makes sense if you understand "shall hurry" as in hurry from battle in defeat. However, it also refers to emotions, such as being "greatly disturbed" in Job 20:2. So the Masoretic text and the Septuagint have a similar meaning here, but the Septuagint is a little more precise and easier for a non-Hebrew speaker to understand. See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.6 p.182 for more info. b) Cornerstone can be a living being: The LORD is a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes people fall in Isaiah 8:6. So the speaker is not correct to think Isaiah cannot use a rock as a metaphor for a person. Furthermore Psalm 118:22 says, "The stone the builder rejected has become the capstone;". The Psalmist is not teaching us about buildings; this is a metaphor that fits naturally with the Messiah. Heb 10:5 has "body" in quoting Psalm 40:6 where the Masoretic text says, "ears". This time the speaker is cognizant that the Septuagint text says "body" too. One has to recognize that the Masoretic text is not always the correct one; it can have small mistakes too. In the case of Psalm 90:6, ancient translations by Symmachus and Theodotion also support the Septuagint. (The Dead Sea scrolls do not have Psalm 40:6). The speaker has a second objection, that Psalm 40:6 cannot refer to the Messiah since Psalm 40:12 says, "my sins have overtaken me". The prophet David was likely referring to himself in Psalm 40:12. On the other hand, though Christ was always sinless, the guilt of our sins was truly put upon Christ as a sacrifice for us. Eph 4:7-8 has "gave gifts" and Psalm 68:18 has "received gifts" but there are other differences too. Ephesians has "he" vs. "you" (singular) and "when he ascended" vs. "having ascended". Paul might not just be loosely paraphrasing Psalms here. Paul usually starts of his scriptural quotes with "It is written", but Ephesians 4:7-8 is different with "It says". These match very closely the oral tradition in the Aramaic Targum on the Psalter and the Syriac Peshitta. Early rabbis applied this verse to Moses, saying he received the law in order to give it to the people. See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.11 p.57 for more info. On Jn 7:38 the New Testament originally did not have punctuation. Using the same Greek words, John 7:38 has two possible meanings depending on how you punctuate it. In the east, early Christians punctuated it as the NIV says: "Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." In the west, early Christians punctuated it as: "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me; and let him drink, who believes in me." This is the preferred punctuation according to the .NET Bible study note p.2047. Also, the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.857 says this is the best choice because it shows Jesus/God as the source of living water, not the believer. Now there is no Old Testament verse that matches the eastern view. But there are plenty of Old Testament passages that match the western view and say to drink from the water of God's salvation. In particular, Isaiah 12:3 says, "You will draw water from the wells of salvation." This verse was said at this feast, so this was probably the verse Jesus was referring to. Lk 24:26-27 says, "Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?' And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he [Jesus] explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself." The speaker objects that no Old Testament verse explicitly speaks of the crucifixion, etc. But Luke 24:26-27 does not claim it is quoting an Old Testament verse; rather it says Jesus is using the Old Testament to explain his suffering. It does not specify which passages Jesus used, but He may have used Psalm 110:1; Isaiah 9:6; Genesis 3:15; Isaiah 11:2; Micah 5:2; Genesis 49:10; Isaiah 53, Psalm 22, and Daniel 9:20-27. All of these were considered Messianic by Jewish writers. Here are the Old Testament references, the New Testament references, and references to Jewish writings. Lord said to my Lord. Psalm 110:1; Mt 22:43-45; Mk 12:36-7; Lk 2:11; 20:42-44. Midrash Tehillim, Commentary on Psalms, (200-500 A.D.) recognizes it as Messianic. Child called Mighty God, Prince of Peace, etc.. Isaiah 9:6. This is Messianic according to the Yemenite Midrash 349-350 and the Pereq Shalom p.101 Seed of the woman will crush Satan's head. Gen 3:15. This is Messianic according to Targum Pseudo-Jonathan Spirit of the Lord will be on Him. Isa 11:2; Mt 3:16; Mk 1:10-11; Lk 4:15-21,32; Jn 1:32. Isaiah 11:2 is Messianic according to Targum Isaiah and the Babylonian Talmud Born in Bethlehem in Judah. Mic 5:2; Mt 2:1,5-8; Jn 7:42; Lk 2:4-7. Targum Isaiah says Messianic The scepter will not depart from Judah until Shiloh comes. Gen 49:10; Lk 3:23,33 Gen 49:10 is Messianic according to Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmuds, Targum Jonathan, Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, Targum Onkelos, Dead Sea Scroll Commentary, and the Aramaic Targum. Jews lost the right to execute people in 11 A.D. according to the Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin chapter 4. Isaiah 53 is Messianic according to Targum Jonathan (See The New Testament Background p.314-315 for more info.) In later times, the Tractate Sanhedrin and Talmud Bavli also mention this. (Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus vol.2 p.224,307). In the Middle Ages, the Jew Nachmanides, in his debate with a Catholic, said that Isaiah 53 referred to the Messiah, but claimed that the Messiah was willing to die, but did not actually die. (Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus vol.2 p.226) Asked why God forsook Him. Psalm 22:1; Mt 27:46; Mk 15:34 Pesikta Rabbati 37:2, written about 845 A.D. (Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus vol.2 p.230,309). Killed 32/33 A.D. Dan 9:20-27+Neh 2:1-10 (445/4 B.C.) Daniel is Messianic according to Maimonides in Igeret Teiman, Rabbi Moses Abraham Levi in The Messiah of the Targums, Talmuds and Rabbinical Writers Mt 12:5 says, "Or haven't you read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple desecrate the day and yet are innocent?" The speaker objects to the fact that that is not a quote of any verse in the Law (Genesis through Deuteronomy). The speaker overlooked the fact that this was not claimed to be given by Jesus as a quote of anything. Jesus was making the logical deduction that that according to the Law, the priests did their priestly work on the Sabbath and that was still proper and pleasing to God. End of the Law Mt 5:17 Jesus says He did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. Yet Paul consistently teaches that the law is now done away with. For example, in Romans 10:4 Paul says, "Christ is the end of the law..." Five points to consider in the answer. 1. At no time did Jesus agree to follow the Pharisaic extensions that they used as a "hedge" around the law. 2. Before his crucifixion, Jesus and His disciples did in fact obey the Old Testament laws, in their true intent. 3. Jesus said not one thing but three: 1) He did not come to abolish the law, 2) He came to fulfill the law. It is disingenuous to use Mt 5:17 to say that Christ did not abolish the law without continuing to the next verse, where the important third point is. Matthew 5:18 say, "I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished." 4. At the cross, when Jesus said "it is finished", not only was His suffering unto death finished, but the old way of obeying the law was too. 5. The speaker is wrong to lay the blame for not obeying Old Testament food, Sabbath, and other laws at the feet of Paul. Prior to that God showed Peter in a vision that food laws were no longer to be followed, and the apostles taught that prior to Paul. Peter and the whole council of Jerusalem were on board with Gentile believers not obeying Jewish laws in Acts 15:6-21 Psalm 119:152 says that the law lasts forever. It does; the demands of the law did not go away. Jesus did not abolish the law, but fulfilled the demands for us. Now since Christ kept all God's requirements in the law perfectly for us, we follow in the new way of the Spirit, not the old way of the written code. Attitude Towards the Law The speaker pointed out that Psalm 119 (and other places) shows we are to love and cherish the law. Yet Paul [allegedly] calls the law a curse in Galatians 3:13. While the law was fulfilled and not to be followed anymore, even Paul recognized the continuity in pleasing God with the precepts behind the law. First we need to clear up some misinformation, and then three points. Paul did not call the law a curse. Rather, he acknowledged that the law had curses for those who disobeyed. Paul said, "All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law..' [Paul is quoting the law from Deuteronomy 27:26 here.] Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, 'The righteous live by faith.' The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, 'The man who does these things will live by them.' Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written, Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.'" (Galatians 3:10-13) The curse Paul talked about was in Old Testament times too. Deuteronomy 30:15-20 says the law set before them life and death, depending on their obeying or not. The respect and value of the law is in the Paul's letters too. Paul respected the law, and said it had a good purpose. "So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law." (Galatians 3:23-25) Romans 3:1-2 "What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? Much in every way! First of all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God." In 1 Tim 1:8-9a Paul says, "We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful,..." Jesus also taught that no one was righteous by obeying the law, and Paul likely got this from Jesus' teaching. In Matthew 19:25 "When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, 'Who then can be saved?" Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Even stronger, Jesus told the law-observing Pharisees in John 8:24 "I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins." In Summary ... In each of the six verses the speaker brings up, Paul accurately gives the meaning of the Old Testament, though a couple are closer to the Septuagint text than the Masoretic text. Both Jesus and Paul respected the law, and both said the law would be "fulfilled". However, before his crucifixion, Jesus said that nothing in the law would go away, until all was accomplished. Bible verses from the NIV unless otherwise noted. How Jesus Fulfilled Being the Messiah, a Response to "The Making of the Messiah part 3" The speaker in the video agrees that the Old Testament prophesies a future Messiah, or anointed one, with special significance. He says that Jesus missed the mark as the messiah. The speaker correctly says that verses such as Isaiah 2:2 that mention "in the last days", or verses about the future King, branch, or root of Jesse are messianic, but he rejects Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53 as Messianic. Then he says basically that Jesus did not fulfill the messianic verses that Christians say Jesus will fulfill in His Second coming. Finally the speaker falsely claims the Old Testament gives no hint that the means of salvation will change, especially that faith will be its cornerstone. We will first show why Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53 are in fact messianic, and then discuss the other points. Psalm 22: The speaker claims Psalm 22 is ruled out as a messianic prophecy because Psalms is not a prophetic books. The Jews divided the Old Testament into the Torah, prophets, and writings, and Psalms is in the third category. He also says that Psalm 22 was a present description of the writer [David], not a future prophecy of someone else. The speaker is mistaken in two ways. First, though the Jews did not consider the book of Psalms in their second category (the Prophets), and it is not primarily prophecy, it is undeniable that the book of Psalms has prophecies in it. Prophecies in Psalms (many of them non-Messianic) are Psalm 2:8-9; 11:6; 22:27-31; 50:1-15; 55:23; 60:6-8; 67:7; 68:21; 69:35-36; 72:16-17, 110:2-7, etc. Psalm 96:13 says, "For he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his truth." How can someone think that nothing in Psalms can be a prophecy? Second, the speaker claims Psalm 22 describes the situation back then. Actually it part matches, but part does not match at all. David's bones were never out of joint; Jesus' were out of joint (we would say hyper extended) by means of the crucifixion. David's hands were not "pierced/lion-like", Jesus' wrists were, which would cause the hands to curl. David's tongue did not cling to his mouth; Jesus would have from the excessive thirst of crucifixion. Nobody divided David's garments or cast lots for his clothing; they did for Jesus. Finally, since the speaker claims Psalm 22 was only a description of the present, how could he reconcile that with Psalm 22:27 "All the ends of the world shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you." This not only was not fulfilled whenever David wrote this Psalm, this was not fulfilled during the life of any Old Testament king. Finally, while the speaker cannot see this as a specifically messianic prophecy, Jews themselves have recognized this as one. The Jewish Pesikta Rabbati 37:2, written about 845 A.D. references Psalm 22 as a Messianic prophecy. Calling the Messiah Ephraim, it says, "Ephraim our True Messiah!... and you were put to ridicule and held in contempt by the nations of the world because of Israel, and you sat in darkness and blackness and your eyes saw no light, and you skin cleft to your bones, and your body dried out was like wood, and your eyes grew dim from fasting, and your strength became like a potsherd. All this because of the sins of our children...." (Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus vol.2 p.229-231, 309) Isaiah 53: The speaker objects to Isaiah 53 being a Messianic prophecy because it does not explicitly say the Messiah, root of Jesse, etc. He adds that it is one of four "servant songs", the other three being Isaiah 42:1-7; 49:1-6; and 50:4-9. He comments that Isaiah 53 is in the past tense, and says past tense was not used in other Messianic prophecies. Finally the speaker erroneously claims that Isaiah 53 was not cited in the New Testament. 1) While Isaiah 53 does not explicitly say "Messiah" or an equivalent term, neither does Zechariah 12:1-14. Yet this is in the last days, and the speaker agrees that "last days prophecies" are messianic. So this is no reason to rule out Isaiah 53 as messianic. 2) The "servant songs" is a rather curious point he brings up. Christians have no objection to "conceding" that the one discussed in Isaiah 53 is likely the same as in Isaiah 42:1-7; 49:1-6;and 50:4-9, because Christians believe these other three passages are messianic too. 3) Past (and past perfect) tense have been used in other Old Testament prophecies too. Jeremiah 31:15; Habakkuk 3:3-13 are a few prophecies in the past tense. 4) The speaker mistakenly says that Isaiah 53 was not cited in the New Testament. Isaiah 53:4 is quoted in the New Testament in Matthew 8:17 as "spoken by Isaiah the prophet". Isaiah 53 could not refer to the Jews/Israelites because of four reasons: A person: The Messiah was a man or sorrows (53:3), with an appearance (52:2) and no children (53:8) Take on others' sins as a guilt offering (53:10), took upon himself our infirmities and sorrows (53:4), suffered reproach as though struck by God (53:4) pierced and crushed for our sins (53:5). Died and yet see his seed: assigned a grace with the wicked and the rich (53:9) yet we will see his offspring (53:10) Unlike Isaiah 53, the Jewish people never said they were going to take on other people's sins as a guilt offering (53:1), intercede for the sins of others (53:12), or bore our infirmities and sorrows (53:4). The Jewish people would not say about themselves "The punishment that brought peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed." (53:5f)   The video author claims that the speaker(s) of Isaiah 53 are the kings in Isaiah 52:15. This cannot be right, because Isaiah 52:15 says that the kings shut their mouths. Isaiah 53 is referring to the servant in Isaiah 52:13-14 and the speaker is poetically the people for whom the suffering servant took up their infirmities and sorrows, and pierced for their transgressions and iniquities in Isaiah 53:4-5.   The author of the video claims that Isaiah 53:11 does not refer to Jesus because Jesus' wisdom did not justify many. (Isaiah 53:11). Actually he only quotes part of the phrase. It says, "by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. It says he is righteous, by his knowledge he will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. This can be taken two ways. Objective clause with the following clause: "by knowledge of him" is how the "[Jewish] Masoretic accentuation, representing of course the Jewish traditional understanding, links it with the words that follow it." The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.6 p.304 gives this as an option. Thus our knowledge of, and/or knowing the suffering servant provides justification. Subjection clause with the preceding clause: "by his knowledge" Knowledge in Hebrew and was not restricted to just knowing facts, but also following moral knowledge. If a sinful man had died for our sins, it would have done no good whatsoever. Of course, if both senses are true, and the Hebrew could be understood both ways, then maybe both are correct.   On another point, though the speaker in the video did not make the claim that Isaiah 53 referred to the author himself, others have done so, and we can cover that here too. There is no evidence that Isaiah thought he was setting judgment on the earth (Isaiah 42:4), or that he felt he had labored in vain (Isaiah 49:4), or that he himself was given for a light to the Gentiles (Isaiah 49:6), or that he personally fulfilled Isaiah 53. Furthermore, some Jewish authorities have recognized that Isaiah 53 is in fact Messianic. The earliest one is Targum Jonathan (See The New Testament Background p.314-315 for more info.) In later times, the Tractate Sanhedrin and Talmud Bavli also mention this. (Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus vol.2 p.224,307). In the Middle Ages, the Jew Nachmanides, in his debate with a Catholic, said that Isaiah 53 referred to the Messiah, but claimed that the Messiah was willing to die, but did not actually die. (Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus vol.2 p.226) Many messianic prophecies unfulfilled: The speaker recognizes that many prophecies, such as Isaiah 11:6-9; Ezekiel 37:24; Zechariah 14:9; Zephaniah 3:13, are what Christians say will be fulfilled in Christ's second coming. He correctly says that the second coming of Christ is not taught in the Old Testament and concludes that if Jesus did not fulfill all the prophecies in the first coming then He cannot be the messiah. The second coming was a mystery not revealed to Old Testament saints. However, there are no verses that rule out a second coming, so nothing precludes Christ coming back and fulfilling the prophecies associated with the second coming. Faith in the Old Testament was a cornerstone of belief too, contrary to what the speaker teachers. Paul points out the importance of faith in the Old Testament in discussing Abraham in Romans 4. The writer of Hebrews, in Hebrews 11:3-38 also demonstrates how faith was important in the Old Testament. The prophet Habakkuk said in Hab 2:4b "but the righteous will live by his faith" Job 13:15a is a well-known verse: "Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him;". Psalm 20:7 says, "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God." Other Old Testament verses that teach the importance of putting our trust in God are 2 Sam 22:3,31; 2 Ki 18:22; 1 Chr 5:20; Psalm 2:12; 4:5; 5:11; 7:1; 9:10; 11:1; 16:1; 17:7; 18:2,30; 25:2,20; 31:1,6,19; 34:22, etc. Change means of salvation: The speaker incorrectly says, "Curious, isn't it that God suddenly and drastically changes the means of salvation without mentioning it through His prophets, especially given that faith is the cornerstone of Christianity." Perhaps he forgot about Jeremiah 31:31. Pardon the extra-long quote, but Jeremiah had a lot to say about this change of covenant. "'The time is coming', declares the LORD, 'when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,' declares the LORD. 'This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,' declares the LORD. I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying 'Know the LORD,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,' declares the LORD. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more." Isaiah 62:2 also hints at a change when it says the God's people will be called by a new name. In Summary ... There are no valid reasons for ruling out Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53 as messianic prophecies. The speaker recognizes that the second coming prophecies are not fulfilled [yet], but gives no reason from the Old Testament why the Messiah could not have a second coming. Finally, he missed the Old Testament telling us there will be a new and different covenant. Bible verses from the NIV unless otherwise noted. The Good News After the Bad News, a Response to "The Making of the Messiah part 4" Prior to understanding the good news of salvation, a person has to understand the bad news that all are lost to Hell without God's salvation. In this video the speaker seems to focus on what he does not like in the Bible. This paper responds by correcting a few false things he teaches, but mostly pointing out that things can be true, even if someone does not like them. Specifically, the speaker does not like the sternness of God, especially with respect to Hell, God's rights, and then he says a few things about family, women and Jews. The Sternness of God The speaker has a valid argument that the passage about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:30-31) shows that that God is not all-forgiving. Of course, if demons and some people go to Hell, that also proves that God is not all-forgiving. Some may see a problem with this and their concept of God in Christianity, but it is only a problem with their own concept. God is the most loving being in the universe, but the Bible never said God is all-forgiving, or all-loving for that matter. People who die and go to Hell would not consider God all-forgiving. The speaker is correct in stating that the Bible shows God is loving, pointing out John 3:16, but while God is very loving, it is not to the point of denying his other attributes. God is just, and is also the most wrathful being in the universe too. He can be gentle enough to make a bubbling spring, and harsh enough to flood the world. We can see why Paul wrote in Romans 11:22a "Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness." We should not sugarcoat what the Bible says about God's anger, and that Hell is a terrible place to be in. The speaker says that in Matthew 10:34-37 Jesus denied His role as a peacemaker. This is not correct. While Jesus never claimed to be a peacemaker with unrepentant people who rejected God, or give peace on this earth, Jesus was a different kind of peacemaker. He gave us peace with God, and He gave us His peace (John 14:27; 16:33). Paul has an extensive discussion on Jesus as a peacemaker in this reconciliation with God in Ephesians 2:11-18. And Jesus commanded us to be at peace with each other in Mark 9:50b. Paul said we are ambassadors to men in 2 Corinthians 5:18-20. Hebrews 12:14 says as far as is possible, be at peace with all men. In the parable of the wheat and tares [weeds] in Mt 13:40-42, the Bible uses an image of fire. The speaker is not being truthful in saying this parable shows anybody gloating in people suffering. But on the other hand, the parable does emphasize the seriousness of evil and rejecting God. Suppose you were born and lived all your life on an island that was going to be hit with hurricane in a few days. It is not your fault you were born there. But if people called you to get on the evacuation plane, and you instead went the other way, it's only your own fault that you died in the hurricane. Hell is worse than physical death in a hurricane. Everyone who was born, Jesus excepted, has done things to disqualify them from every going to heaven. The only place for us would be the alternative: Hell. But God came to rescue us; He tells us to get in the boat with Jesus. If someone chooses not to get in the boat, then sadly, eternal destruction is what they chose. Hell and the Lake of Fire Our lives are a brief moment in time compared to eternity; if we briefly experience pain, or a premature death, that is nothing compared to an eternity in Hell. In a sense, other discussions about God's punishment and discipline in this life are small points compared to the existence of Hell. While Hell and the Lake of Fire are different, the Lake of Fire is the ultimate destination. The speaker does not differentiate between the two in his discussion, but the points are the same whether talking about one or the other. The speaker does not like the idea that God has the right to send people to Hell. That is understandable. The Lake of Fire is the terrible place where man's freedom to choose to be separate from God drifts away in the justice of its consequences. But imagine for a moment there being no Hell, or Heaven, or afterlife. Let's say there are two people: a sadistic dictator who became extremely rich and lived a long life, and one of the children who was tortured and killed under his rule. When both die, should both have the identical destiny, or non-existence as atheists say? A person might conclude, "why not do all the evil you can get away with, because you will never be punished for what you did to your victims?" In fact, there would be no reward for virtue either. Some wicked people have lived long and wealthy lives, dying peacefully after causing suffering to many. How can these people receive justice? Martin Gardiner, the former editor of Scientific American magazine, wrote in The Whys of a Philosophical Scrivener why he believed in an afterlife. His point was that if you believe everyone will receive justice, and many people die without receiving anything approaching justice, you have to believe in an afterlife, where justice will be done. It is interesting that Gardiner is actually an agnostic, and still comes to this conclusion. Understanding Eternal Punishment Given that God has both great love and great wrath, how are we to understand the Hell and the Lake of Fire? We can think of punishment after death in terms of five complementary metaphors: a cosmic trash dump, a judgment, a quarantine, infinite growth, and a time warp of destruction. A chosen destiny: Look at Hell from the perspective of a wicked person: Imagine Hitler being in heaven, without ever repenting of what he did. Imagine millions being forced to live with a Holy God forever, against their will. Can you even imagine this? I can't. Rather, I think that if someone finally says they do not want to love, serve, and worship God forever, God reluctantly says "OK". God will build a separate universe just for them, and they can do whatever they want in that universe. This universe we call Hell. Of course God is the source of all love and goodness, and they not experience those things there. They may have former friends with them in Hell, but without the love, they will not be their friends anymore. People are not the only residents of that universe. Demons and others will be there with them. So a person in Hell did not directly choose the suffering of Hell, but they chose the path of rejecting God and led them to their destiny. A trash dump: One of the most common words Jesus used for "Hell" is Gehenna. Gehenna was actually the trash dump outside of Jerusalem. They would pile the refuse out there, and when it got high enough to stink, and there were enough rats and other creatures, they would burn it. Hell can be thought of as a cosmic trash dump of those who choose to be unfit to be with God in Heaven. A judgment: We should not practice cruelty to any creatures, but cruelty to an ant is different than cruelty to a dog, or a human. In law, murdering a citizen is different than assassinating a president or king. In other words, the severity of the sin is partially gauged by who or what you are sinning against. That would make sins against the most holy God have far, far greater seriousness than sins against others. A quarantine: I want to keep out of my house what is filthy and causes disease. I have the right to refuse entry to those who would want to hurt my family. If I think I have that right, does not God have the same right for His house? Infinite growth: Imagine someone having a sin in this life, such as greed or lust. Imagine having the desire for that sin grow by 0.01% per year. Now imagine that the person has been in Hell for a million years, and has the certain knowledge that the sinful desire can never be satisfied. A time warp of destruction: The Bible gives hints that time with God in Heaven is not the same as we experience time on earth (2 Peter 3:8; Psalm 90:4; Titus 1:22; possibly Revelation 11:7). Time in the afterlife in general could be significantly different. The Bible speaks of the smoke of their torment and Lake of Fire as forever, but it also talks of "perishing" and "destruction". Given that God gave us eternal souls, and that He gave us the sobering ability to choose to be apart from Him forever, some evangelicals have seen perhaps a merciful mitigating of the infiniteness of sin. Destruction does not have to mean annihilation (which is against eternal punishment) but rather an asymptotic loss of consciousness or sanity. Some of these previous metaphors are not intended as Biblical definitions of how the Lake of Fire has to be, but rather, not unbiblical descriptions of what it might be like. Women, Family, and Jews The speaker repeatedly says that Paul is down on women. Paul taught that women had different roles in the church: they could not be elders, but he also taught that there were women deaconesses. Paul taught that it was proper for women to cover their heads in church. But Paul also taught the equality of value and worth of men and women in God's eyes. "You are all sons of God through...