##@@##

99. Have you read the entire Bible? If not, how can you be devoted enough to try and convert me to a religion that you don't know that much about? Isn't knowing as much as possible about something necessary to understanding it? Isn't understanding something necessary to being completely devoted to it?

Yes. () No. No. One of the beauties of the Good News is that it does not take years of study or an IQ of 200 to understand it. It is not a highly intellectual idea. Remember, the original audience was not highly "learned."

##@@##

Matt 11:4-5 Jesus replied, "Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me."

Jesus is telling John that He is doing what the Messiah is supposed to be doing. This is a direct claim that He is God. He quotes Scripture rather than just saying "I am God."
Isaiah 9:6 (background)

Isaiah 9:6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

John 4:25-26

John 4:25:26 The woman said, "I know that the Messiah" (called Christ) "is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us." Then Jesus declared, "I who speak to you am he."

At this point He said I am the Messiah - which is Mighty God. Once again, He said that He was God.

Ex 3:14 (background)

God said to Moses, "I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am’ has sent me to you."

John 8:58

John 8:58 "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!"

Jesus directly claims the name of God.

1. Explain why your god's only son had to die so we can go to magic happy land when we croak.

Genesis 4:3-7

Isaiah 53:2-12

Isaiah 64:6

Rom 3:23

Rom 5:8

John 1:12

John 3:16

(Skipping the "magic happy land" sarcasm.)

Forgiveness of sins is by blood sacrifice. This was decreed in Genesis. The Jewish people had a series of sacrifices that they went through. They were to bring the first born of their flocks for sacrifice. The best of their flock for sacrifice. As Cain discovered, only a blood sacrifice was acceptable.

In the OT, the only person who could come into God's presence was the chief priest and that only once a year. He had to go through a massive cleansing ritual before he could do it. The other priests tied a rope to his foot so that if he died while in the Holy of Holies they could pull him out without entering it themselves.

Jesus came as the ultimate sacrifice. The shedding of His blood was a sufficient sacrifice for all of us. Accepting that sacrifice frees us from ever having to make any other blood sacrifices. The result is that we appear free from sin in God's eyes. (The righteousness of Jesus is imputed to us.) As a result of that, we can be in God's presence after we die. (my opinion)That is what is called Heaven. When we die, we will be judged and if we are not free from sin, we will be sent away from God's presence. (my opinion)That is what is called Hell.

Now that Jesus has come, He has become the way to God. Jesus says, (John 14:6) "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

 Isaiah 64:6 …all our righteous acts are like filthy rags…

Rom 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Rom 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

John 1:12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.

Bloodline of Jesus

Matthew communicates the gospel from viewpoint of a ew - Christ is presented as the Lion of Tribe of Judah. For this, Matthew starts Christ's lineage with Abraham progressing through David and Solomon, then progressing through Christ's legal father, Joseph, and finishing by presenting Christ as the Messiah - the Lion of the tribe of Judah.

Luke's genealogy is specifically a very different genealogy, but it states it is of Jesus the "supposed" son of Joseph which is the son of Heli.... and on. This is not a "begotten" genealogy (bloodline), but a Mother's genealogy that is represented in accordance with the Jewish custom - Hebrews did not permit the name of a woman to enter the genealogical tables, but inserted the husband as the son of him who was in reality the father-in-law. That is, Heli is Joseph's Father-in-law. This is consistent with Old Testament lineages of David the show Boaz as David's ancestor, but does not mention Rahab, who is also significant and mentioned in other passages.

Luke was a physician and was preoccupied with presenting Christ as the Son of Man - in his humanity. He showed that Christ was God incarnate. Borne of a Virgin into humanity. Luke starts Christ's genealogy from 1st man - Adam - to King David. However, Luke goes through David directly to David's son Nathan - Solomon's brother. His genealogy is then traced through to Heli, Mary's Father. This demonstrates the actual Blood line of Christ.

Second, these genealogies are very significant in that they comply with every requirement of prophecy and law in the Hebrew scriptures, including Isaiah 7:14, where the Messiah had to be born of the Virgin. Second, Jeremiah 22 states that God placed a blood curse on the lineage of David from King Jeconiah forward - that is no one of Jeconiah's descendants shall sit on the throne of David. Joseph was of this bloodline and lineage and therefore disqualified from sitting on the throne of David.