Jesus said unto her "I am the resurrection, and the life; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?" John 11:25,26
Some people today have the opinion that if they are good people and do good deeds for others that this is enough to get one to heaven when they leave this earth at death, but the Word of God is clear that no one is good enough to earn their way to heaven and God by doing good works. In fact, the Hebrew Scriptures tell us in Isaiah 64:6 that all "our righteousness" is as filthy rags in the sight of God, which means there is nothing any person can do in the way of good works to ear their way to God. If good works and good deeds could get one into heaven, then the sacrifice Christ paid to atone for the sins of the human race with His own blood was all in vein.
It is quite clear that every religious Jew understands that God's way for the atonement of sin, or redeeming oneself is through blood. As it is written in Leviticus 17:11: "For the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you upon the alter to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul."
The Bible is clear that we are all sinners no matter who you are or what "religious tradition" you adhere to, and without Jesus Christ, there is no salvation for anyone. The great Israelite Paul of the tribe of Benjamin and Apostle of Jesus Christ, wrote in his letter to the Roman church "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23 and "Wherefore, as by one man (Adam) sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned" Romans 5:12; Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come" Romans 5:14, "But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many."Romans 5: 15.
"For as by one man's disobedience (Adam) many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous". Romans 5:19
There is no other way to God except seeking God's forgiveness by asking His Son Jesus Christ to forgive you of your sins who atoned for your sin on the Cross with His own blood, and putting your trust in Him to save you, and there is no dual covenant salvation with the "law" as is being implied or suggested by John Hagee of the Christian Zionist Movement, C.U.F.I. or Christians United For Israel.
This movement, while it may have initially had its good intentions and purposes, has excluded Jesus Christ, which doesn't make it Christian at all, and without Jesus Christ there would be no modern day Israel today; and unfortunately has turned into being nothing more than a political religious zealot movement which esteems Israel far beyond what the Old Testament and New Testament Holy Scriptures teach or mention, and have made Israel and the people of Israel, who remain lost in their sin without Jesus Christ, an idol to be worshipped.
What this movement has completely ommitted is giving the gift of eternal life with the Gospel message to the people of Israel and what they have sadly ignored is that the Jewish people who have returned to the Land of Israel by the divine guidance of Messiah Jesus are just as lost in their sins as any unsaved Gentile person without repentence of their sins and accepting the free pardon that God has given through the blood of His Son Jesus Christ by His wonderful grace and mercy and the gift of eternal life to all who will freely accept the offer; and its principle leader of this radical political group, John Hagee, is on record for saying it is a waste of time to evangelize the Jews, which is in complete conflict and opposition to the teachings of Jesus Christ, the Messiah of Israel and the entire world, who taught and came "to the Jew first." The Great Commission of Jesus Christ, given by Him to his Jewish apostles and followers: "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world" Matthew 28:19,20 has never been cancelled and is very much in effect today. How can anyone claim to be in support of Israel and the Jewish people as John Hagee and his followers claim and not give them this wonderful Gospel message of God's great love for them? I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; TO THE JEW FIRST, and also to the Greek. Romans 1:16
The blood of Jesus Christ has broken down the wall. There is the story that Jesus told in John's Gospel Chapter 4:20,21 where the Samaritan woman asked of Jesus as to the most appropriate place of worship, that is Mount Zion of the Jews, or Mount Gerizim of the Samaritans: She said, "Our fathers woshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship." Jesus' response was that true worship is much more a matter of one's spirit and intent or the heart than of a geographic location as shown in Jesus' reply to the woman:
"Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father." 21
Jesus by his words here in fact is telling Jew and Gentile that a time would come and was in fact here when neither of the locations would really matter, as animal sacrifices offered up in the Temple of God in Jerusalem to atone for sins was no longer sufficient as He is the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of the Jews and of the human race, and this would involve what is left of the ancient Jewish Temple known as the Western or Wailing Wall where the orthodox Jewish people pray today. Concerning this Wall, presently it is historically a symbol of what is left of the ancient Jewish Temple that was built by Herod and destroyed in 70 AD by the Roman General Titus when the Romans conquered Jerusalem, just as prophesied by Jesus in Matthew's Gospel Chapter 24:1. Shortly before His death on the cross, Christ informed His Jewish disciples that the Jewish Temple Building would be destroyed, and not one stone would be left upon another.
"And Jesus went out, and departed from the Temple, and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the Temple.
And Jesus said unto them, "See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down."
In Jesus' time, the Temple was the center of the spiritural world to the Jewish people before Christ, and when the Temple was present, there was religious adherence for God and his laws, unlike secular Israel today. During Jesus' time, the Holy Temple in Jerusalem was the center of Jewish life and PARTICULARLY WAS THE PLACE WHERE ANIMAL SACRIFICES WERE CARRIED OUT AND OFFERED UP TO GOD AS ATONEMENT FOR SIN, along with worship ACCORDING TO THE LAW OF MOSES, and strictly adhered to.
Matthew's Gospel Chapter 27 tells us that when Jesus shed His blood and died on the cross, the "Temple veil" was torn in two! "Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the Temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; 50-51
The tearing of the Temple veil is extremely significant as it tells the Jew that it was Jesus' sacrifice and His shedding of His own blood that alone was sufficient for the sins of all forever, and that animal sacrifices were no longer effective to remove anyone's sin. It tells the unsaved orthodox Jew and Gentile that the way into the Holy of Holies was and is now open to everyone everywhere, both Jew and Gentile, through Jesus Christ, the Son of God as when Jesus shed His own blood and died for us, God moved out of that earthly Temple building as He was finished with it and its religious system of animal sacrifices.
The book of Hebrews further describes the significance of this event beautifully. A Temple veil separated the Holy of Holies where God dwelt, from the rest of the Temple, where men dwelt, signifying that man was separated from God by sin. Prior to the death of Christ on the cross for the sins of all humanity, the Temple veil was a constant reminder of how deplorable the human race was and is in God's eyes because of sin and no one was able to enter into the presence of God through the Holy of Holies outside of the sin offering that was offered up by the High Priests through animal sacrifices on an annually and daily basis in the Temple; and God's plan for erasing sin on the human race permanently through the offering up of His Son Jesus Christ once and for all, removed the barrier between God and man so that we can now approach Him anytime and anywhere.
Hebrews Chapter 9:1-8 elequently written, reads:
"Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a "worldly" sanctuary.
For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary.
And after the second veil, the tabernacle, which is called the Holiest of all;
Which had the golden center, and the ark of the covenant over-laid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant.
And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercy seat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.
Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests were always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God.
But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people;
The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the firsts tabernacle was yet standing".
And then Hebrews Chapter 4:14-16 further explains:
Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need."
Hallelujah! Jesus is our High Priest. Let Jew and Gentile come boldly unto the throne of God's grace and find grace and forgiveness for their sins through Jesus Christ our Lord and help in time of need.
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