The Catholic Defender: Jesus is the Reason for the Season
Recently, I wrote about the Masons who regard one religion equal to another.
There are a number of groups out there who will see Jesus Christ, Mohammad, Buddha, or other gods, placing them on the same par.
Some even would think that they are the same person pictured in different cultures. This is all wrong.
There are many religions but only one founded by the true "God/Man" Jesus Christ.
Consider Deuteronomy 18:15, Moses states, "A prophet like me will the Lord, your God, raise up for you from among your own kinsmen; to him you shall listen".
Matthew 17 speaks of the Transfiguration in which Jesus transfigured before Peter, James, and John. Moses and Elijah both appeared there speaking with Jesus concerning what was going to happen. Finally, a bright cloud did cast a shadow over them and from the cloud a voice said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him".
I see a specific connection from what Moses said with what God the Father said, "listen to him". Recently, on one of the deepertruth radio shows, an individual called in to the show referring to himself as an Atheist.
I want to answer why I think prophecy is important to know the truth. What does the prophets of the Old Testament reveal in the light of the New Testament? The following are Old Testament prophecies with the New Testament fulfillment: The Old Testament will be in blue, the New Testament in red.
Consider Moses who became like light in the presence of God, "Then the LORD said to Moses: Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel. So Moses was there with the LORD for forty days and forty nights, without eating any food or drinking any water, and he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the ten words. As Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant in his hands, he did not know that the skin of his face had become radiant while he spoke with the LORD. When Aaron, then, and the other Israelites saw Moses and noticed how radiant the skin of his face had become, they were afraid to come near him." (Exodus 34:27-30) This would be a glimpse of Jesus, a "typology" of Jesus Transfiguration:
"After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with him. Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud cast a shadow over them, then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate and were very much afraid. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and do not be afraid.” And when the disciples raised their eyes, they saw no one else but Jesus alone." (Matthew 17:1-8
There are many typologies in the Old Testament that point to the New Testament pointing to Jesus. Likewise, there are many prophesies in the Old Testament that points to Jesus as well. The following are some of the common examples:
Jesus early years
Isaiah 11:1, "But a shoot shall spout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom. The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him". Jesse: David's Father. Stump: After the Babylonian exile, only a stump of the Davidic Dynasty will remain; from it will arise the new shoot, the Messianic King. Also the root meaning of the word bud refers to the word NESER which hits the root of NAZIR which translates to NAZARETH. Jesus would be called Jesus the Nazarene!
Matthew 2:23, "He went and dwelt in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, 'he shall be called a Nazarene".
Isaiah 7:14, "Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: The virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall call him Immanuel".
Matthew 1:24-25, "When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home. He had no relations with her until she bore a son, and he named him Jesus".
Micah 5:1,"But you, Bethlehem-Ephrathah too small to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel; whose origin is from old, from ancient times".
Matthew 2:3-5, "When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, 'where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage".
Isaiah 60:6, "Caravans of camels shall fill you, dromedaries from Midian and Ephah; all from Sheba shall come bearing gold and frankincense, and proclaiming the praises of the Lord".
Matthew 2:7-11, "Then Herod called the magi secretly and ascertained from them the time of the star's appearance. He sent them to Bethlehem.... and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh".
Hos 11:1, "When Israel was a child I loved him, out of Egypt I called my son".
Matthew 2:13-15, "When they had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, 'Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you... He stayed there until the death of Herod, that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled, 'Out of Egypt I called my son".
Jeremiah 31:15, "Thus says the Lord: In Ramah is heard the sound of moaning, of bitter weeping! Rachel mourns her children, she refuses to be consoled because her children are no more".
Matthew 2:16, "When Herod realized that he had been deceived by the magi, he became furious. He ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and it's vicinity two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had ascertained from the magi".
Jesus Public Ministry
Isaiah 40:3,"A voice cries out: In the desert prepare the way of the Lord! Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God"!
Matthew 3:1-3, "In those days John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea and saying, 'Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand"!
Isaiah 42:1,"Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased, upon whom I have put my spirit".
Matthew 3:16, "After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened for him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, saying, 'this is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased".
Isaiah 9:1,"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone".
Matthew 4:12-16, "When he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulen and Naphtali"...
Isaiah 42:1-4,"Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased, upon whom I have put my spirit; he shall bring forth justice to the nations, not crying out, not shouting not making his voice heard in the street. A bruised reed he shall not break, and a smoldering wick he shall not quench. Until he establishes justice on the earth; the coast lands will wait for his teaching".
Matthew 12:15-21, "When Jesus realized this, he withdrew from that place. Many people followed him, and he cured them all, but he warned them not to make him known".
Isaiah 6:9-10,"Listen carefully, but you shall not understand! Look intently, but you shall know nothing! You are to make the heart of this people sluggish, to dull their ears and close their eyes; Else their eyes will see, their ears hear, their heart understand, and they will turn and be healed".
Matthew 13:10-13, "The disciples approached him and said, 'Why do you speak to them in parables?' He said to them in reply, 'Because knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted. To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This is why I speak to them in parables, because they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand".
Psalm 78:2,"I will open my mouth in a parable, I will utter mysteries from of old".
Matthew 13:34, "All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables. He spoke to them only in parables to fulfill what had been said through the prophet".
Isaiah 29:13-14,"The Lord said: Since this people draws near with words only and honors me with their lips alone, through their hearts are far from me, and their reverence for me has become routine observance of the precepts of men, therefore I will again deal with this people in surprising and wondrous fashion: The wisdom of it's wise men shall perish and the understanding of its prudent men be hid".
Matthew 15:1-8, "Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, 'Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They do not wash their hands when they eat a meal.' He said to them in reply, 'And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God sail, Honor your father and mother and whoever curses father or mother shall die. But you say, Whoever says to father or mother, Any support you might have had from me is dedicated to God, need not honor his father. You have nullified the word of God for the sake of your tradition. Hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy about you when he said: This people honors me with lips, but their hearts are far from me; teaching as doctrines human precepts."
Malachi 3:1,"Lo, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me; and suddenly there will come to the temple the Lord whom you seek; and the messenger of the covenant whom you desire".
Matthew 21:12-17, "Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all those engaged in selling and buying there... The blind and the lame approached him in the temple area, and he cured them"...
Jesus entry to Jerusalem
Zechariah 9:9,"Rejoice heartily, o daughter Zion, shout for joy, o daughter Jerusalem! See your King shall come to you; a just savior is he, meek, and riding on an ass, on a colt, the foal of an ass".
Matthew 21:1-3, "When they drew near Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, 'Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find an ass tethered, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them here to me."
Psalm 118:26, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; we bless you from the house of the Lord".
Matthew 21:8-11, "The very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and strewed them on the road. The crowds preceding him and those following kept crying out and saying: 'Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; hosanna in the highest."
Isaiah 56:7,"Them I will bring to my holy mountain and make joyful in my house of prayer; their holocausts and sacrifices will be acceptable on my altar, for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all the peoples".
Matthew 21:12-13, "Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all those engages in selling and buying there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves.' And he said to them, 'It is written: My house shall be a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of thieves."
Jesus passion and death
Zechariah 13:7,"Awake, O sword, against my Shepherd, against the man who is my associate, says the Lord of hosts. Strike the Shepherd that the sheep may be dispersed, and I will turn my hand against the little ones".
Matthew 26:31, "Then Jesus said to them, 'This night all of you will have your faith in me shaken, for it is written: I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be dispersed; but after I have been raised up, I shall go before you to Galilee."
Zechariah 11:13,"But they said to me, throw it in the treasury the handsome price they valued me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the treasury in the house of the Lord".
Matthew 27:3, "Then Judas, his betrayer, seeing that Jesus had been condemned, deeply regretted what he had done. He returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, 'I have sinned in betraying innocent blood."
Jeremiah 51:35,"My torn flesh be upon Babylon (Rome), says the City of Zion (Jerusalem); my blood upon the people of Chalda, says Jerusalem".
Matthew 27:24-25, "When Pilate saw that he was not succeeding at all, but that a riot was breaking out instead, he took water and washed his hands in the sight of the crowd, saying, 'I am innocent of this man's blood. Look to it yourselves.' And the whole people said in reply, 'His blood be upon us and upon our children. Then he released Barabbas to them, but after he had Jesus scourged, he handed him over to be crucified."
Psalm 22:19,"They look on and gloat over me, they divide my garments among them, and for my vesture they cast lots".
John 19:24, "So they said to one another, 'Let's not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it will be,' in order that the passage of scripture might be fulfilled that says: 'They divided my garments among them, and for my vesture they cast lots."
Psalm 22:17-18, "Indeed, many dogs surround me, a pack of evil doers closes in upon me; they have pierced my hands and my feet; I can count all my bones".
John 19:17-20, "So they took Jesus, and carrying the cross himself he went out to what is called the Place of the Skull, in Hebrew, Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus in the middle. Pilate also had an inscription written and put on a cross. It read, 'Jesus the Nazorean, the King of the Jews.' Now many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek.
Psalm 69:22,"Rather they put gall in my food, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink".
John 19:28-30, "Jesus said, 'I thirst.' There was a vessel filled with common wine. So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a spring of hyssop and put it up to his mouth. When Jesus has taken the wine, he said, 'It is finished."
Psalm 22:2, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me, far from my prayer, from the words of my cry".
Matthew 27:45-46, "From noon onward, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And about three o'clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 'Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani? which means, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Daniel 12:2,"Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake; some shall live forever, others shall be an everlasting horror and disgrace".
Matthew 27:51-54, "And behold, the veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked, rocks were split, tombs were opened, and the bodies of many saints who has fallen asleep were raised. And coming forth from their tombs after his resurrection, they entered the holy city and appeared to many. The centurion and the men with him who were keeping watch over Jesus feared greatly when they saw the earthquake and all that was happening, and they said, 'Truly, this was the Son of God."
Psalm 34:21,"He watches over all his bones; not one of them shall be broken".
John 19:32-33, "So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs..."
Zechariah 12:10,"I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and petition; and they shall look on him whom they have thrust through, and they shall mourn for him as one mourns for an only son, and they shall grieve over him as one grieves over a first born".
John 19:34-35, "but one soldier thrust his lance into his side, and immediately blood and water flowed out. An eyewitness has testified, and his testimony is true; he knows that he is speaking the truth, so that you also may come to believe. For this happened so that the scripture passage might be fulfilled: 'Not a bone of it will be broken.' And again another passage says: 'They will look upon him whom they have pierced."
Isaiah 53:9-10, "A grave was assigned him among the wicked and a burial place with evildoers, though he had done no wrong nor spoken any falsehood".....
Matthew 27:57-61, "When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph, who was himself a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be handed over. Taking the body, Joseph wrapped it in clean linen and laid it in his new tomb that he has hewn in the rock. Then he rolled a huge stone across the entrance to the tomb and departed. But Mary Magdalene and the other Mary remained sitting there, facing the tomb."
After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, approached, rolled back the stone. and sat upon it. His appearance was like lightning and his clothing was white as snow. The guards were shaken with fear of him and became like dead men. Then the angel said to the women in reply, 'Do not be afraid! I know that you are seeking Jesus the crucified. He is not hear, for he has been raised just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, 'He has been raised from the dead, and he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him.' (Matthew 28:1-7)
Yes, Jesus has been raised from the dead and Jesus goes before you at every Catholic Church where you can receive the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ.
By doing so, you renew the Covenant and He "will raise him (you) on the last day."
When you take a good look at all these prophetic texts, there can be no doubt that the prophet Moses is speaking of Jesus Christ (Deuteronomy 18:15). Nobody else comes close.
Jesus established the Catholic Faith promising the gates of hell would not prevail against it. Jesus promised that he would be with his Church until he returns at the end of the age.
Jesus also promised the gift of the Holy Spirit to help the Church keep true to his word.
This is what the Church has done for nearly 2,000 years.
Comments