talk72000 wrote:RR:
You are funny. Now that you have established that Moses wrote his death scene and events after his death why did he not complete the rest of the bible? Who needs Mark, Matthew, Luke and John to write the Gospels when there is a dead writing prophet?
Why did the apostles write the Gospels if Jesus had already been prophesied by Moses and the other prophets? [The words in hard brackets have been added into the King James text below for clarification] I have made certain words
bold to draw your attention to them.
Luke 1:1-4:
Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration [diegesis, narration] of those things which are most surely believed among us,
Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were
eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word;
It seemed good to me [Luke] also, having had perfect [akribos, accurate] understanding of all things from the very first [anothen, from above], to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,
That thou mightest know the certainty of those things [things relating to Jesus Christ's earthly life and ministry], wherein thou hast been instructed.
Jeremiah 23:5:
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a
righteous Branch [tsemach], and a
King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.
Jeremiah 33:15:
In those days, and at that time, will I cause the
Branch [tsemach]
of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land.
Comment:
The book of Matthew tells the Jesus story from the perspective of Jesus as the Shepherd
King. In order for Jesus to be the Messiah, he would have to be a descendant of David. Only in Matthew do we find the phrase "Kingdom of Heaven," and there it is used thirty-two times. There are ten parables unique to Matthew, all of which relate to a king. The phrase "son of David" occurs more in Matthew than in any other Gospel. Thus, in the Gospel of Matthew, the emphasis is on Jesus Christ as the king, the Messiah who fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies.
Zechariah 3:8:
Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my
servant the BRANCH [tsemach].
Comment:
Mark emphasizes Jesus as the servant... there is no geneology and here Jesus is depicted as washing the feet of the disciples and working miracles. As the promised Branch, a major aspect of Jesus Christ's ministry would be the role of a servant. The Gospel which clearly emphasizes Jesus Christ as the servant is Mark. Mark records no genealogy, as a servant does not gain his position by descent. Mark begins with Jesus Christ's ministry. The word translated "lord" or "sir" (kurios) is used seventy-three times of Jesus Christ in the other three Gospels, but only three times in Mark, for a servant is not called a lord. Mark puts great stress on Jesus' actions in the service of God to his fellowman. Thus the Gospel of Mark emphasizes Jesus Christ as a
servant willing to accept responsibility in serving and helping others.
Zechariah 6:12:
And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold the
man whose name is
The BRANCH [tsemach]; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord.
Comment:
Another major characteristic of the promised Branch is his humanity; in other words, the Branch would be a man. The Gospel which clearly emphasizes Jesus Christ as a man is the Gospel of Luke. In Luke 3:23-38 is a genealogy tracing Jesus' legal ancestry (through Joseph who had adopted him) back to Adam, the first man. There are eleven parables peculiar to Luke which emphasize the human aspect of his walk. He is depicted as a friend of publicans and sinners. The entire Gospel emphasizes his relationship with the common man. Thus, in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus Christ is shown to be a perfect man, full of human tenderness and compassion.
Isaiah 4:2:
In that day shall
the branch [tsemach]
of the Lord be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel.
Comment:
Jesus Christ was the tsemach, the offspring, of the Lord. He came as God's Son. The Gospel which plainly emphasizes Jesus Christ as the Son of God is the Gospel of John. Several verses in John will demonstrate this
emphasis.
John 1:14,18,34:
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.
John 3:16:
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 20:31:
But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
Comment:
In summary, God had promised a coming Branch, tsemach, who would have four major characteristics. He would be (1) a king, (2) a servant, (3) a man, and (4) the Son of God. While every Gospel encompasses all of these characteristics of Jesus Christ, each Gospel specifically emphasizes one of them. This is a major reason four Gospels were necessary to fully reveal the greatness of Jesus Christ's earthly life and ministry. No one Gospel could comprehensively state Jesus Christ's multifaceted ministry with the full illumination it deserves. By having four Gospels written, God set forth Jesus Christ's life from every essential viewpoint for our full appreciation and knowledge.
Comment:
Most of this in this reply is "borrowed" from research I was taught years ago...
I thought it might shed some light.
