Why I Believe
If you were God and you wanted to foretell the crucifixion of Jesus, what would you do?
Well you could do what God did. You could start about 2000 years before the event and cause a man to be named the “exalted father”. (Note 1)
Then you could cause this father to lay claim to an only beloved son. (Note 2)
And you could cause him to split a tree trunk down its length to make two planks for a cross, then take his son on a journey to the exact crucifixion site where Jesus would one day be executed on Mt Moriah (Note 3) to offer him as a burnt offering. (Note 4)
You could cause the father to let his adherents watch the crucifixion from “afar off” and promise them that the son would return to them after the event. (Note 5)
At this point you could cause the son to be compelled to carry the cross for the last leg of the journey. (Note 6)
When they reach the site you could cause the father to assemble the cross and fix the son to it. Then you could lead him to simulate the crucifixion as far as possible without actually harming the son. At the last minute you could swap out a lamb for the son and proceed with a burnt offering. (Note 7)
Finally you could state plainly that the event being simulated would be seen at this very site on this mountain (Note 8) and have that statement, and in fact the whole account, printed in mass in every language of the world and widely distributed even to remote tribes.
You can read the detail in Genesis Chapter 22.
Note 1. Abram means "exalted father" and Abraham means "father of many".
Note 2. Genesis 22:2 says “thine only son whom thou lovest” even though Abraham had another son who was grown up and married at the time. However in order to correlate with the future event the claim was necessary. It is a way of telling us Abraham was acting out a pre-enactment.
Note 3. How do we know the exact site of the cross and how do we know exactly where Abraham took Isaac?
First of all there is only one place that fits the New Testament location of the cross so we know almost exactly where that was. It was a location from which the splitting of the temple veil could be seen by those watching Jesus breathe his last breath and it was a location from which the priests working in the temple on their busiest day of the year could speak to Jesus on the cross. In other words it was at the Shushan gate of the temple. How do we know exactly where Abraham took Isaac. The options are fairly limited and especially when combined with numerous other clues from the Old Testament. For example the New Testament presents the crucifixion as the event that ended the curse on mankind. God pre-enacted that event through King David when he initiated a curse through counting the people without collecting a ransom. The angel leading the curse approached the temple site from the East and was stopped at the boundary of the property David purchased as the temple site. The New Testament presents the crucifixion as the place where sin was cast away. God pre-enacted that event twice - first when King Hezekiah cast away the amulets and idols that had infiltrated the temple. Later King Josiah did the same. Each of them stood on the brow of the Kidron Valley outside the Eastern temple gate to smash up the sinful items and cast away the sin of the people into the valley. That narrows the field to a few meters.
Note 4. What about the “burnt offering”? Jesus was not burnt. He was crucified. Well the Hebrew word actually translates to the “ascending” offering, not the "burnt" offering. The so-called burnt offerings were not to be eaten. They were to be completely consumed (except for the skin) and the smoke from the offerings would symbolically ascend to provide a “pleasing aroma” to God. The skin could be kept by the executioner as a form of compensation. This parallels the soldier who received Christ’s robe by lot. The burnt offerings had to be male and they had to be spotless. Their symbolic function was to provide atonement for sin. The New Testament teaches that Jesus went through two phases of ascension relating to the offering. First he was “lifted up” onto the cross and following his death he ascended to the father and thus became a real ascending offering.
Note 5. The adherents of Jesus watched the crucifixion on Mt Moriah from “afar off” (eg. Luke 23:49).
Note 6. The Bible doesn’t say Isaac carried a cross. However it describes the beams of wood he carried as a split tree. Likewise the New Testament doesn’t say “cross” either. It says Jesus was obliged to carry a “stake” which he was later nailed to. The translators use the word “cross” because history tells us that is what the Romans did. Likewise Old Testament precursors show the lamb of God (the tabernacle in the wilderness in the shape of a lamb and clothed as a lamb – a special lamb from which the glory of God shone forth) nailed to a giant latin cross formed by the arrangement of the camp.
Note 7. The Bible says ram, but don’t be misled. The Hebrew word simply means a lamb or sheep which is male and a leader of its flock.
Note 8. That is the meaning of Genesis 22:14.
The primary evidence for the existence of God is the Old Testament of the Bible. The Old Testament was written hundreds of years before the birth of Christ, but it is saturated with prophecies that detail the coming of Jesus, his name, the date and circumstances of his coming, and the key events of the New Testament, especially the crucifixion and resurrection. It uses a token system to substantially hide the prophecies ahead of their fulfilment, but make them obvious in retrospect.
For example, if you were to look down from space upon the earth above Arabia three thousand five hundred years ago you would have seen a giant latin cross. If you came closer, say the height of a jet plane, you would have seen a giant lamb at the centre of the cross. If you came really close, say at ground level, you would have seen the lamb was nailed to the cross with giant nails. This is what the Israelites called their tabernacle. The giant lamb was a model dressed in the fleeces of lambs, dyed red to indicate blood, its head raised towards the East. The cross was formed by the specific layout of the tents (booths) of the Israelites to the North, South, East and West, estimated to be in excess of two kilometers long. The heart of this lamb was regarded as a most holy place on Earth from which a glorious light shone forth that they called the shekinah light or the glory of God. This lamb was born on New Year’s day of the sacred Hebrew calendar. For approximately 40 years the Israelites displayed this model out in the wilderness, but what were they to make of it? Taken in isolation it would have seemed a ridiculous charade.
The Israelites went to extraordinary lengths to act out sacrifice for sin. For example they carried out the sacrifice of a lamb every morning and again every evening for the sin of the people. This practice called the daily sacrifice, with associated rituals, went on for over a thousand years until the crucifixion of Jesus. The lambs had to be spotless and male. The Israelites understood the sacrifice was to symbolically substitute the innocence of the lambs for the sins of the people by splashing the blood of the lamb on the clothes of the priest who stood in for them. They understood it only takes one sin to take away your innocence. They had all sinned in one way or another and they understood the concept that God could not allow them to enter his perfect kingdom if tarnished with guilt or the kingdom would become tarnished. They believed this ritual atoned for their sin even though it was just symbolic.
Around one million sacrifices later here is what happened. The lamb in the wilderness (the tabernacle) was not the only one to be born on New Year’s day. The “lamb of God”, Jesus Christ was born notionally on Day One of the modern calendar and more specifically on or close to New Year’s day (Nisan 1) on the sacred Hebrew calendar which is six months out of phase with their modern calendar.
Shepherds were out in the fields awaiting the birth of special lambs, bred to be without blemish (with spotless white fleeces) and bred to give up their lives either as passover lambs on 14th Nisan when they were old enough or as daily offerings for the sins of the people. As they were waiting for the birth of these lambs a shekinah light appeared around them and they were given news of the birth of the true lamb of God.
The life span notionally allotted to humans is three score and ten years which means seventy years. Seventy years is seen as a week of decades in the Bible. In the middle of his week on 14th Nisan, Jesus was crucified at the exact time priests were busy sacrificing Passover lambs. At the end of his week the Jews who had so faithfully sacrificed twice a day suddenly stopped and in almost two thousand years have not offered another daily sacrifice. Yet they have no idea why the sacrifices which were so important became unnecessary, and why it happened when it did.
There was a big difference between the sacrifice of a lamb and the sacrifice of Jesus. Jesus was God Almighty, the true YHVH. He was not a different god or even a different person of a trinity of persons of God as most Christians are taught. He was the one and only true God manifested in human form. His spirit was that of God – spotless, righteous, holy and almighty. His soul was human and subject to all human temptations. Satan had no claws in him because he was sinless. Death had no claim on him because he had agape (selfless love) towards God (his spirit) and his neighbour. His agape was proven when he said in the Garden of Gethsemane “if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt”. Jesus submitted to the call of God. He passed the test of perfection. He had something valuable to offer. It is called righteousnesss or justification. Adam submitted to the call of Satan and Satan had him hooked and could pull him down to Death where he could be held. Jesus reversed the resulting curse. He allowed Satan to wrongly pull him down to Death. The scales of justice were unbalanced. Death could not hold him. Upon birth we are all given an innocent spirit which we quickly corrupt. Like a delicate petal it corrupts easily. Upon the resurrection of Jesus did he get a new spirit? His description goes like this: “If a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it will rebound a hundred fold.” He returned with many spotless spirits, born of his spirit – enough to offer to everyone who chooses to receive one. He demonstrated the process by multiplying bread to all who were hungry. There is logic to that equation even though it is veiled in symbolism.
What is interesting, but to my knowledge not realized by anyone, is the location of the crucifixion. It was immediately in front of the Eastern gateway to the temple (the Shushan Gate), overlooking the Kidron Valley. His cross it seems was side on rather than facing out over the valley. We can deduce this from the temple structure. Just as the tabernacle had the form of a lamb nailed to a cross, the floor plan of the holy house of the temple likewise had the shape of a latin cross. The slaughter knives, like nails, were kept in rooms at the end of the arms of the cross. More significantly when viewed side on, the temple had the form of a fallen cross, one arm seemingly buried in the ground. The exact foot of that cross pinpoints the crucifixion site.
It is the only site recorded in ancient Jewish writings as the site of a skull. It was the site where Ornan’s skull was found - the place of the skull of significance. It is the site where the plague angel invoked by King David was stopped 2 Samuel 24:15). It is the site where Abraham simulated the slaying of Isaac and the scriptures claim it would be seen again here (Genesis 22:14). It is the site from which King Hezekiah cast away the uncleanness of the temple (2 Chr 29:16). It is the site from which King Josiah ground up the altars of Baal (2 kings 23:12).
From that location witnesses saw the temple veil tear at the moment of His death. (Be sure to read "Easter 2017" to understand what was revealed when the temple veil split.) From that location priests on their busiest day could mock Him (Mat 27:41). From that location He could hear the Hallel being sung inside the temple. Listen:
First they were unwittingly singing about the victim’s battle with Satan, Death and the evil angels:
12They compassed me about like bees; but in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.
13 Thou hast thrust sore at me that I might fall: but YHVH helped me.
17 I shall not perish. (Ps 116:8)
18 The LORD has chastened me severely but He has not handed me over to Death.
Then failing to recognize the one on the cross in their main gateway to the temple the priests literally sang:
20 This is the gate of YHVH, into which the righteous shall enter.
With Jesus body on the cross obscuring the cornerstone of the gate the priests unwittingly sang:
22 The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.
23 This is YHVH’s doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.
Then they sang the very words recited by those waving palm branches as Jesus approached Jerusalem on a donkey:
25Hosanna, I beseech thee, O YHVH: O YHVH, I beseech thee, Hosanna.
26 Blessed be he that cometh in the name of YHVH: From the house of the Lord we will bless you.
They were unwittingly blessing Him from the house of the Lord.
While Jesus hung on the cross outside the gate on this Passover day, masses of Jews were coming to the temple with their lambs. The lambs were symbolically secured to the four horns of the altar. The priests would slay them, splash their blood on the altar, then drive iron spikes through their legs, taking care not to break any bones and hang them up until sunset. They didn’t break any bones of Jesus either. Nobody considered his blood splashed on the four arms of his cross to have any relevance as they sang:
27 Secure the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.
Unwittingly they sang to the one who’s very name translates to a form of Hosanna YHVH:
28 Thou art my God, and I will praise thee: thou art my God, I will exalt thee.
When Jesus was on trial, the high priest asked him if he was the Messiah. Jesus replied “You are saying so”. That is the point. They were saying so by unwittingly arresting him on the only day of the year that would prove his claim.
These “coincidences” are just a tiny fraction of all the things that have been heralded in the Old Testament and come to fruition in the New Testament. I barely know where to start there are so many precursors in the scriptures of the Israelites but that is enough for now.
Could it be that Christians have somehow perverted the wording of the Israelite scriptures? No chance. The Jews are the guardians of these scriptures and for the last 2,000 years have contested Christianity, but they have never contested their scriptures.
Could it be that somehow the Israelite scriptures are part of some incredible conspiracy to force a false religion on the world? No chance. It would have required some super geniuses to embed all the precursors in the scriptures in the first place by people behind the scenes over a period of hundreds if not thousands of years and all without the knowledge of the religious leaders of their times. These super geniuses would need to have maintained precision accuracy embedding all the precursors. The New Testament writers discovered a tiny fraction of the precursors. Some of the precursors were not discovered until the twentieth century and it is virtually certain that many have not been discovered yet. Then of course they would have had to manipulate the Israelites and Jews after them to act in precise accord with the precursors. That includes controlling the absence of the Jews from their homeland to coincide with a very long drought there making it a wasteland in that time and causing the two main years of restoration (granting of homeland in 1948 and control of Jerusalem in 1967) to be years of exceptional rain.
Could it be that the stories of the New Testament are just fabrications? Well that would leave an even bigger mystery. Why did the authors of the Old Testament over hundreds of years go to so much trouble to specify in minute detail by means of thousands of precursors ingeniously woven into the text of the Old Testament a scenario that was pure fiction? And more to the point, why did the authors of the New Testament weave in the same patterns hundreds of years later? And how did they do it without the religious leaders or anyone for that matter finding out? And how did this supposed fiction inspire hundreds of Christians to face cruel deaths.
I guess the obvious question is why don’t the Jews believe it if it is so compelling. I think there are three reasons.
The first reason is that it was God’s plan that the Jews be blinded to the truth as stated in the book of Isaiah for example so that gentiles might come to believe.
The second reason is this. For centuries the priests of the Roman Catholic church were the authority on doctrine. The Bible was written in Latin. Much of the church service was in Latin. The common people did not speak Latin and they believed the priests had more scholarly ability than them so they accepted what they were told. Eventually Latin scholars realized the doctrine conflicted with the Bible and attempted to provide English translations for the common people. William Tyndale was one of the first to provide an English translation. For punishment he was burned at the stake. I think the Jews are in a similar situation. I think they believe their rabbis have more scholarly ability and more brains than them to interpret their scriptures. Those who dare to think for themselves quickly discover their messiah is Jesus. They call him Yeshua. Among them are Rabbi Kirt Schneider, Rabbi Johnathan Cahn, Rabbi Daniel Thompson who all present inspired messages in You Tubes.
The third reason is the church’s non-biblical teaching on the Trinity. The insistence of a trinity would have been seen by Jews as evidence of the falsity of Christianity. Nowhere do either the Old or New Testaments agree that there is a Godhead consisting of three persons. God (YHVH) is but one person who manifested as the Messiah (Jeremiah 23:6), in much the same way as He manifested as shekinah light to the Israelites. His human mind was clearly limited to human capacity but His spirit was God (YHVH). For the record a human has a body, soul and spirit. His/her soul includes the non-physical features common to animals, namely, mind, emotions, etc. His/her spirit is by definition a supernatural component not shared by animals. It is only in the sense that humans are a trinity, that we can describe God as a trinity. For more on this see separate article.
