TWO SPECIAL BIBLE STUDIES ~ check them out!
The Lord's Supper / Communion
"As oft as ye do this..."
What does the Bible teach about the Lord’s Supper – Communion? What about the bread? What about the drink? How often should we do this, or should we do it at all? If it is at all important, then it is CRITICALLY Important. Let’s look into the Word of God to identify and closely examine all related scripture.
Unleavened Bread or Leavened Bread in Communion?
Interesting facts:
“Days of unleavened bread”
Under the Old Covenant, the “days of unleavened bread” took place immediately prior to the Passover, which was the time of the offering of the atonement sacrifice. The bread had to be Unleavened, because “Leaven” or yeast, in the Old Testament, usually represented sin. But, the “days of unleavened bread” were only for seven days, and ENDED at the Passover, when the offering for sin had been made.
The only bread that could be used prior to the Passover was bread without yeast, which was symbolic of the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, who was without sin (Hebrews 4:15) as He walked among us. His work was accomplished when the sinless man Christ Jesus died as the sacrificial Lamb of God.
“Days of leavened bread”
Immediately AFTER the Passover, and AFTER the requirement of unleavened bread, the scripture requires that leaven be in the bread as it is offered to the Lord on the Day of Pentecost (Leviticus 23:17).
Why is this? Because AFTER the Passover, and AFTER the death of the man Christ Jesus, the BODY OF CHRIST now is identified as the CHURCH, which is imperfect! The Church has FLAWS! We are not perfect, we are not complete, we only know in part and we only see in part (1 Corinthians 13:9-12). The Bread, which represents His Body on this side of Calvary, on this side of the Passover, can not be unleavened. When we “discern the Lord’s Body,”(I Corinthians 11:29) we must recognize that today it is the Church in the world. First Corinthians 13:10 tells us that “when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away.” The “Perfect - unleavened” One is soon to come back for us “imperfect – leavened” ones, Praise God, and we shall be changed!
Since our holiness is imperfect in the church, it is reasonable that we should use leavened bread (which is made with yeast), when we observe the Lord’s Supper, to complete the TYPE.
TODAY the only sinless bread (unleavened bread) is the WORD OF GOD - the Scripture, but nowhere in THE WORD is the Bible called THE BODY OF CHRIST. That is a description reserved only for the CHURCH.
I Corinthians 11: 23-26
“For I have received of the Lord that which I also delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which He was betrayed, took bread: and when He had given thanks, He brake it, and said, Take, eat: This is My body which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.
After the same manner He took the cup, when He had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in My blood: this do ye as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of Me. For as often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord’s death till He come.”
As oft as ye do this…
Let’s do this OFTEN! Jesus did not say, “As oft as you think about it, or as often as you talk about this, but he said AS OFTEN AS YOU DO THIS. DO IT! Commemorate this Blood Covenant between YOU and your LORD JESUS on a regular basis. This seems to be what the early church did when they “broke bread from house to house.” It was a regular and on-going practice among the believers – not just a ritual alone, but also a glorious reminder of HIS SACRIFICE, into which HIS GRACE has made us a participant BY FAITH. Claim the Covenant! OFTEN! Daily if you can!
COVENANT RELATIONSHIP
The Lord Jesus Christ and YOU have entered into a BLOOD COVENANT – His blood, symbolized by the cup, and His body, symbolized by the broken bread. How often do we need to operate under this BLOOD COVENANT? Of course, we want and need to be part of this Covenant with our Lord Jesus every day, all the time.
Here is wisdom: Since we want to keep ourselves in this covenant relationship without fail, all the time, then we also need to remind ourselves of this partnership on a regular and continuing basis – as well as remind those who observe us, both in our physical world and in the spiritual world around us. Remind them and yourselves that you and your household are in covenant with Christ through His shed blood! Show the Lord’s death to both worlds.
He said that “ye do show the Lord’s death till He come.” To whom do we show this? Three specific groups:
1.To ourselves, the participants. If you observe the Lord’s Supper early in the day, then all day long you are aware of the Covenant. You have put into your mind and heart the awesome sacrifice of Calvary, you “discern” the Lord’s Body, in that you have in your prayer your fellow believers.
2.To those unbelievers who see you do this. This becomes a witness of your faith to them.
3.To the spirit world that is watching. The Bible says we have Angels that “encamp round about them that fear Him!” They are amazed at the Church, and the price paid for Redemption. We also have ungodly spirits who have been sent with assignments against us (Ephesians 6:12) to whom we declare that we are in a blood covenant with the Lord God, and they have no power over us.
Don’t just talk about it, or merely think about it but SHOW it! DO it!
Isaiah 53:12 – A “Problem” translation!
Isaiah 53:12 “Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong…”
In the KING JAMES VERSION only – not the NKJV, not the NIV, not any other version (because these modern or ‘new’ versions and paraphrases have just completely overlooked what I am about to show you, and the publishers and copiers simply re-worked the KJV text to suite their purposes, perhaps without ever realizing the TRUTH that has been missed and/or twisted.)
The King James Version, sometimes referred to as “The Authorized Version,” has in its text an interesting characteristic that needs to be understood by the reader, which is briefly this:
As you are reading a Scripture text, at times you will come across words in a particular verse that are in italics. Why are these words printed in italics? Because these italicized words were not found in the earliest manuscripts, and were ADDED into the text by the KJV translators so that, in their thinking, it will make the verse “flow” a little better, and perhaps make a better read. Much of the time, this works. But not all the time!
Because of this KJV characteristic, (which should have been observed by ALL other versions and translations, but was not!) it is important to your Bible study that you read the verse two ways – with the italicized words, and then without them!
Now let’s look at one of the verses in question:
Isaiah 53:12 “Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong…”
So…what’s the big problem!
Of course, Isaiah 53 tells of the awesome sacrifice and ultimate victory of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. When we finally get down to verse 12, it looks like God is saying, “Jesus, You did a GOOD JOB, therefore I am going to give You a share of the action, and You can take your portion and split it up among your guys.”
This TOTALLY misses the TRUTH! Take out the italics, and read it again – as it SHOULD have been written in the text!
“Therefore will I divide Him with the great….” He will be divided among us!
Wow! We actually will partake of Him, just like He said we would.
John 6:51-57
“I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I give is my flesh, which I give for the life of the world. The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, Verily I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up in the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.”
It is a BIG DIFFERENCE from the meaning of the verse with italics included!
Bread and Wine and the tithe!
In Genesis 14:18, when Melchizedek (who was an illustration or type of Christ) brought forth bread and wine and offered it to Abraham, Abraham’s response was to tithe. The Bread and Wine represents the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. One response you should make to Christ’s offering will also be the tithe!
What was in the Cup?
Some churches insist on wine (with an alcoholic content) in the cup, and they are adamant that nothing else will do. Other churches, equally adamant, use only grape juice, and would never allow any alcoholic “strong drink” to represent the Blood of Christ in the Cup.
What is the truth? It is important to understand that what was in the cup is not as important as what it represents to the individual commemorating the Lord’s Supper. (Years ago I remember one man who visited my church on a Sunday when we all shared the Lord’s Supper. Referring to the Cup, he said, “I’ve just got to feel the ZIP in it.” I thought to myself, “Brother, if you’ve got to have ZIP in it, you are taking it for completely the wrong reason!”)
Personally I am concerned about offering an alcoholic drink in the Lord’s Name to someone who has only recently been forgiven of the curse of alcoholism.
Some say that it’s got to be all right because the Apostle Paul told Timothy to “take a little wine…” (I Timothy 5:23)
There were at least five different Hebrew and Greek words that are translated in our English text as “wine.”
1.Wine “still in the cluster” – hasn’t been squeezed yet, but it is called “wine” in the English. (Isaiah 65:8)
2.Freshly squeezed juice / new wine. It has not has time to ferment.
3.Strong drink – made of fermented grape juice with alcoholic content.
4.Concentrated jell – this was juice that was boiled down, and much of the moisture removed. It had a jelly consistency, was easy to store, used in cooking, and could easily be reconstituted.
5.Soured juice, which was often used as a laxative.
Let’s examine this verse more closely. The complete text is the Apostle Paul’s response to a question from Timothy, regarding his health problems. “Take a little wine for thy stomach’s sake, and thine oft infirmities.” Timothy was having stomach problems, and the “wine” Paul refers to was actually a soured juice, used as a laxative. Basially, Paul told Timothy to take a laxative!
The water in the region was strongly alkaline and often had a bad taste, therefore other liquids were preferable, and grape juice was a common substitute. Interesting, though, that Jesus, when referring to the Lord’s Supper, did not use the word WINE. (Matthew 26:29; Mark 14:25) Rather He said “fruit of the vine.” We know that He was referring not to watermelon juice, or tomato juice (even though they grow on a vine), but to the juice of the grape.
Jesus said “this is My blood,” yet He had not, at that time, shed His blood on the cross. So it wasn’t really His blood, but only represented His blood. Therefore the emphasis should not be “what is in the cup,” but rather what the cup represents and commemorates.
SO WHAT IF….
What happens if you are visiting a church, and they offer the Lord’s Supper, and it is not what you are used to? TAKE IT! Don’t complain, don’t make a scene, and don’t abstain! Go ahead and do it in “remembrance of Me.” If you are offered the cup, and it happens to be grape juice and not wine, or visa versa, take it! It won’t hurt you. What if you are used to unleavened bread or crackers and they offer you a loaf of fresh bread made with yeast, or visa versa, take it! It’s what all of these items REPRESENT that’s important. There may come a day when all you have is a cup of water to represent the New Covenant – take it and be thankful!
What about the Catholic Mass, and transubstantiation?
The following statement about the Roman Catholic Mass comes from ROMAN CATHOLIC CATECHISM No. 2, prepared and enjoined by order of the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore.
“What is the MASS? The Mass is the unbloody sacrifice of the body and blood of Christ. Is the Mass the same sacrifice as that of the cross? The Mass is the same sacrifice as that of the cross.”
According to this Roman Catholic Church doctrine, Jesus Christ is sacrificed again for our sins EVERY TIME THE MASS IS CELEBRATED; which means that He is crucified afresh more than 200,000 times a day, day after day.
What does the Bible say? Read Hebrews, chapters 7 through 10 and you will find the answer -
Hebrews 7:27 “For this He did once…”
Hebrews 9:11-15 “He entered in once…”
Hebrews 9:26 “But now once…”
Hebrews 9:28 “Christ was once offered…”
Hebrews 10:10 “The offering of the body of Christ once for all…”
Hebrews 10:11, 12 “He had offered one sacrifice for sin forever”
Hebrews 10:14 “For by one offering…”
Hebrews 10:15-20 “There is no more offering…”
When you read these Scripture verses from God’s Holy Word, you have to conclude that Jesus suffered once for all, and it is never necessary for Him to suffer again, and therefore every time a Roman Catholic priest offers again “the same sacrifice as that of the cross,” he is doing so AGAINST THE WORD OF GOD.
The practice of The Mass began in A.D. 1215, prior to this time it was not done. Since A.D. 1215, the Roman Catholic Church has taught the TRANSUBSTANTIATION Doctrine, meaning that, during the Mass, the wafer and the wine ACTUALLY BECOME THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST. Hebrews 6:6 gives a specific warning “…Seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open shame.”
The sin that kept Moses out of the Promised Land
Exodus 32 tells of Moses coming down from Mt. Sinai with the Ten Commandments written by the Finger of God, and upon seeing the golden calf and the idol worship of the Israelites, he smashed the two tablets of stone in anger – he broke all Ten Commandments, and God let him live. Imagine that!
But when Moses broke the 11th Commandment, God kept him out of the Promised Land. What was that critical commandment?
When the people needed water, God commanded Moses to take his rod and strike a huge rock with it (Exodus 17:6) and when he stuck it a great river of water gushed from it, and the people’s needs were met.
When, years later, the people needed water again, (Numbers 20:8-11) God told Moses this time to just speak to the rock, and their needs would be supplied. Instead of just speaking to the Rock, Moses disobeyed and he struck the Rock twice!
So, what’s the big deal? The Rock that was to be stricken ONLY ONCE was a “type” or Old Testament illustration of Jesus Christ. (See I Corinthians 10:1-4) Jesus would only be stricken ONCE, on the cross at Calvary. His ONE SACRIFICE would be sufficient to meet our needs forever – just SPEAK to the Rock – just bring your needs to Jesus an tell Him all about it, and He will supply all your needs.
Moses, when you broke THAT Commandment, your disobedience kept you out of the Promised Land that God would provide for those who obey God!
Get the message, folks! Trust and obey!
I Corinthians 11:23-34
23For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: 24And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. 25After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, this cup is the New Testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. 26For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come. 27Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. 29For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. 30For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. 31For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. 32But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. 33Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another. 34And if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation. And the rest will I set in order when I come.
This tells us that Jesus gave this information to Paul, when Paul was in hiding and prayer in the desert place. Without the proper understanding, Satan will try to use this portion of Scripture against the new believer.
For example: verse 27 “Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.”
Wow! No one could ever be WORTHY of what Jesus did for us. How could anyone qualify? And this is exactly the all-important point of this verse. You must realize that you are not worthy of what He has done! That attitude alone is what allows you to partake of the Lord’s Supper. If you think that you DESERVE what Jesus did on the cross – that attitude makes you UNFIT to participate! Get this clear in your heart. The only thing you and I really deserve is hell!
Verse 28 and 31 “But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. 31For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
Judge yourselves … and after you have examined your horrible sinful condition before Jesus saved you, you will surely declare that you don’t deserve what Jesus did on the cross. With the right attitude, you are then welcomed and invited to participate in the Lord’s Supper.
Verse 29 “For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.”
Discerning the Lord’s Body… this phrase covers a lot of ground!
1.“Discern” or understand His physical body – Jesus suffered for you and me. He took our sins upon Himself. And by His stripes we are healed. He took the beating for us. He was broken for us.
2.Understand His spiritual body, the church. A great host of people, all around the world, are believing in Him, and trusting the awesome work of Calvary for their redemption.
Some people have the hardest time understanding that everyone doesn’t have to be exactly like them in order for them to be their brother! Yet this error is at the heart of some of the many problems concerning standards, holiness, fellowship and understanding.
Who are the sons of God? Those who are led by His Spirit . We are directly commanded to refrain from trying to judge one another and condemn one another . Jesus did not come to condemn the world, and He didn’t call us to condemn the world either . What makes someone your brother? A link to a common parent! Could it be that our Heavenly Father has other spiritual children besides us? Could He have spiritual children that don’t come to OUR church? Could it be possible that there are believers in Jesus Christ that haven’t had exactly the same spiritual experiences that we have? Surely not!
Some really believe that, “if they don’t attend OUR church, there’s no way they could be part of the Family of God. After all, we are the only ones who have the Truth. If they didn’t get saved in OUR church, then we are really suspicious about their experience.” They act like “it ain’t smoke unless it comes from our chimney!”
Discern the Spiritual Body of Christ and you will begin to see a great host of people who are your brothers and sisters in Christ. Embrace them. Confess them.
© 2009 – Melvin Springfield
The Crucifixion Timeline
Note the importance of the #7 in all of these Last Events of our Lord!
-We know Jesus was in the grave for three days and three nights and arose from the grave early in the morning on the first day of the week – SUNDAY. So let’s work backwards …
-Saturday night and Saturday (The Sabbath)
Friday night and Friday (Sabbath Preparation) 3 days & 3 nights
-Thursday night and Thursday
For this to happen as it did, then this is must be the schedule of events…
WEDNESDAY
1/ Wednesday afternoon and evening – Last Supper with disciples in Bethany – Luke 22:14-20
Judas leaves the group and goes to the High Priest crowd and offers to lead the Temple guards to Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. After the washing of feet, Jesus and the disciples concluded their meeting with a Psalm, then they went to spend the night among the trees (as they often did) in the olive garden. Judas knew their custom.
2/ Wednesday night was spent in prayer in Gethsemane, where Jesus was arrested by Temple guards, led by Judas Escarot, late in the evening – Luke 22:40-50
3/ Jesus was taken to the palace of Caiaphas, the High Priest – Matthew 26:57
It was here that the High Priest tore his garments, and pronounced that Jesus was guilty of Blasphemy, and must die. The Jews could not put Jesus to death, so he was sent to…
4/ Pontius Pilate’s judgment hall – Luke 23:1 Pilate discovered that Jesus was from Galilee, so he was sent to…
5/ the Palace of Herod – Luke 23:11 (who wanted nothing to do with Jesus, and sent him back to Pilate) Luke 23:11 Matthew 27:26
THURSDAY
6 / By this time it was getting to be daybreak early Thursday. Pilate had Jesus whipped and would have let Him go free, but the crowds began chanting, “Crucify him!” Pilate offered to trade Barabbas for Jesus, but the crowd insisted on crucifixion.
7/ Pilate washed his hands of it all and sent Jesus to be crucified – Luke 23:13
They crucified Jesus at 9 AM on Thursday – the third hour of the day – Mark 15:25
At NOON (6th hour of the day) Jesus died and darkness covered the area around Golgotha for three hours (to the 9th hour) or 3 PM – Mark 15:33
Joseph of Arimathaea went to Pilate and begged for the body of Jesus. They took him down, prepared him for burial, and laid him in the tomb.
Additional Events –
1/ Earthquakes, Temple veil ripped in two – Matthew 27:51
2/ Graves were opened – Matthew 27:52
3/ Confession of the Roman Centurion - /Matthew 27:54
4/ Breaking of the legs of the two thieves – John 19:31-32
5/ Piercing of Jesus’ side – John 19:34
6/ Entombment – John 19:38-42
7/ Sealing of the tomb and setting guard – Matthew 27:66
JESUS SHED HIS BLOOD SEVEN TIMES –
1/ In Gethsemane, “great drops of blood” in prayer – NOT MY WILL BUT THINE BE DONE
2/ The whipping post – by his stripes we are healed
3/ The Crown of Thorns – the First symbol of the Curse of Adam
4/ Nailing His Right Hand to the cross – Strength cover by blood
5/ Nailing His Left Hand to the cross – Weakness covered by blood
6/ Nailing His feet to the cross – our WALK covered by blood
7/ Piercing the heart – our emotions and affections
JESUS’ LAST SAYINGS FROM THE CROSS -
1/ Luke 23:34 “Father, forgive them…”
2/ Luke 23:43
3/ John 19:26-27
4/ Matthew 27:46
5/ John 19:28
6/ John 19:30
7/ Luke 23:46
COMMENTARY ON CRUCIFIXION EVENTS
Good Friday
Jesus was crucified and died on Thursday, not Friday, as some religious groups claim. Church Traditions and the Truth often are at variance, as this little fact illustrates.
Gethsemane
The word Gethsemane refers to the olive press, where the olives are crushed to get the olive oil inside. There are a couple of comparative illustrations here – it was at Gethsemane where Jesus “crushed” his own will, in an agonizing time of prayer. The oil is a type of the Holy Spirit, the anointing presence of God which Jesus certainly felt after He surrendered His human will to the Will of God.
The Kiss
One definition of worship is “to kiss toward.” The kiss is an emotional expression of affection. Our worship is also to be an emotional, heart-felt expression of our affection and devotion to the Lord God. When Judas brought the Temple guards to arrest Jesus, he kissed Jesus in order to identify the One they were to arrest. Jesus said, “Do you betray your master with a kiss?” Judas, in a show of false worship, kissed Him. He really didn’t mean it – it wasn’t worship! It was just an act. I wonder how many of us are guilty of insincere worship? We go through the motions, but our hearts are far from Him. Don’t be a Judas! True worshippers worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth. Be real! Be honest!
Third Hour of the day
Day was considered to be from 6AM to 6 PM; Night therefore was from 6 PM to 6 AM.
1st hour = 6 o’clock; 3rd hour = 9 o’clock; 6th hour = 12 o’clock; 9th hour = 3 o’clock
Barabbas
There are no accidents with God. There “just happened to be” in prison, at the time of the arrest of Jesus, a man named Barabbas. He was there by divine design! What’s so special here? Because of his name – Barabbas. Bar means “son of…” Abba means, “father” – “Abbas” means “any father, or mankind.” Jesus took the place of, and died in the place of Barabbas – the “son of any man” – you and me!
Crown of Thorns
“When they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!” Matthew 27:29 (King James Version)
Everything about the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus was a symbol of sin and rejection. The rubbish heap of the City of Jerusalem surrounded Calvary, and the air was saturated with the stink of burning rubbish. In caves dug into the hillside lived the outcasts – the lepers, the homeless, the wasted. From a distance the caves gave the hillside the look of a scull. The Cross was used to implement capital punishment to a convicted criminal. The THORNS portrayed the same purpose.
In the Garden of Eden, when God made Adam, there were no thorns. When Adam fell in sin, and disobeyed God, the first curse of sin was that the earth would bring forth THORNS and thistles (Genesis 3:17-18). It is fitting therefore that the first curse of sin on the earth would crown the One who would redeem the earth from the curse of sin.
But there is more… Not only was Jesus the sacrificial Lamb of God, but He was also the scapegoat. Upon the head of the scapegoat were placed the hands of the High Priest, and the curse of the sins of the people was pronounced upon that animal, and then it was taken out into the wilderness to die alone. This symbolized the transfer of the curse of sin to the scapegoat.
Not only did Jesus die in our place, but also He took our sins “out of the way, nailing it to His cross” (Colossians 2:14).
Golgotha / Calvary
Golgotha and Calvary is the same place, only described in two different, but common languages. It was called “The place of the skull” because of the caves that had been dug into that hillside, in which lived the outcasts – the lepers, the homeless, and the wasted. From a distance the caves gave the hillside the look of a scull.
Read Genesis 22:1-14. This chapter tells of the test God gave to Abraham, to offer Isaac as a burnt offering unto the Lord on one of the Mountains of Moriah. Why would God make a demand like this? The heathen were the ones who offered their children as fire sacrifices to their idol gods, but surely THE Great God of heaven and earth wouldn’t require such a thing! But He did – maybe He wanted to see if Abraham would serve HIM with as much dedication as the heathen served their gods.
Nevertheless, Abraham, Isaac, and some servants with pack animals started out very early in the morning for the several days journey to the Moriah Mountains. When they got within three days journey, Abraham told the servants to wait here, and, “I and the lad will go yonder and worship and come again to you.”
When they got to the top of one of the small hills, (the location of which was just outside of a future city called Jerusalem, and was the mountain that would later to be known as Calvary) Abraham built an altar, and Isaac asked his father a question… “Father, here is the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the sacrifice?”
It is very important that we understand Abraham’s reply. Be very careful that you don’t read something into the text that is not there! The KJV text has it right.
Abraham said, “God will provide himself a lamb” for a sacrifice. He did not say that God would provide FOR HIMSELF a lamb, but rather that God would PROVIDE HIMSELF. For the sacrifice that would take place on that same hill about 1900 years later – GOD PROVIDED HIS ONLY FLESH – his only Son, the body of Jesus, the Lamb of God, in whom God Dwelt. A substitute was provided for Isaac, but the prophetic message was clear – God would give Himself for us.
Paradise
Jesus told the thief dying on a cross next to His, “Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.” What or where is “paradise?” The very ancient word “paradise” is translated “THE GARDEN”. This word is used several times in the Scripture. Does this mean, and could it be possible, that heaven is actually a recreation of The Garden of Eden, which God originally prepared for Adam and Eve?
