Jesus Christ

When His mission was nearly hastening to a close one day, He took His disciples closer to the border of Syria and Lebanon to a town named Caesarea Philippi. They were beyond the limits of Galilee, in a region where idolatry prevailed. Here the disciples were withdrawn from the controlling influence of Judaism, and brought into closer contact with heathen worship. Around them were represented forms of superstition that existed in all parts of the world. Jesus desired that a view of these things might lead them to feel their responsibility to the heathen. During His stay in this region, He endeavored to withdraw from teaching the people and to devote Himself more fully to His disciples. He was about to tell them of the suffering that awaited Him. But first He went away alone, and prayed that their hearts might be prepared to receive His words.

Upon joining them, He did not at once communicate that which He desired to impart. Before doing this, He gave them an opportunity of confessing their faith in Him that they might be strengthened for the coming trial. Few months were left before His final death and ‘He asked His disciples saying, whom do men say that I THE SON OF 1fAN AM? And they said, some say that thou art John the Baptist some say Elias and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets. Jesus now poses a second question, relating to the disciples themselves: He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the CHRIST, the SON OF THE LIVING GOD. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou Simon Bar-Jonas for flesh and blood hath not reveled it unto thee but my FATHER in heaven’. Matt.16:13-17.

In this we know worldly wisdom cannot reveal us about our Saviour. Only God himself. The revelation of Jesus is the highest glory a man can attain. At this time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee O! FATHER, LORD of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, FATHER for so it seemed good in thy sight. All things are delivered unto Me of my FATHER and no man knoweth the SON, but the FATHER neither knoweth any man the FATHER, save the SON, and HE to whomsoever the SON will reveal HIM. Matt. 11 :25-27. Our faith should be rooted and grounded in the Rock and no man can take us away.

Just few months before there was a crisis in Galilee. Seventy of his great disciples left Him and went just when He spoke to them about eating and drinking His blood and flesh, to vitally connect with Him. Many of His disciples left Him. But now awaited the greatest trial. After Peter’s confession, for the first time Christ started to reveal His suffering and death. When the disciples heard this they became so sad. “Even amid their questionings they clung to the thought that some unforeseen circumstance might avert the doOI11 which seemed to await their Lord. Thus they sorrowed and doubted, hoped and feared, for six long, gloomy days.” DA pg.418. “Right away Peter took Him and began to rebuke Him saying be it far from thee Lord; this shall not be unto thee.” Matt.l6:22. ‘ -”

Why did this condition did exist among them? Because they all longed for an earthly kingdom with its pride and glory. and who will sit next to Him on his throne. They were only interested in vanity. When His true mission was revealed it was like death, the greatest shock for them. All their hopes and ambitions became to naught. From this is the time onwards Judas lost hope in Jesus.

Because of His disciples gloomy state He further journeyed to one of the highest mountains in the region, Mt. Hermon, which is about 9,232 meters high. When He reached there He left His nine disciples at the foot of the mountain and climbed with only His three disciples to the summit. Stepping a little aside from them, the MAN of SORROWS pours out His supplications with strong crying and tears. He prays for strength to endure the test in behalf of humanity. The Saviour has seen the gloom of His disciples, and has longed to lighten their grief by an assurance that their faith has not been in vain. Now the burden of His prayer is that they may be given a manifestation of the glory He had with the FATHER before the world was, that His kingdom may be revealed to human eyes, and that His disciples may be strengthened to behold it. He pleads that they may witness a manifestation of His divinity that will comfort them in the hour of His supreme agony with the knowledge that He is of surety the Son of God and that His shameful death is a part of the plan of redemption. His Prayer is heard. While HE is bowed in lowliness upon the stony ground, suddenly the heavens open, the golden gates of the city of God are thrown wide, and holy radiance descends upon the mount, enshrouding the Saviour’s form. Divinity from within flashes through humanity, and meets the glory coming from above. Arising from His prostrate position, Christ stands in GODLIKE MAJESTY. The soul agony is gone. His countenance now shines ‘as the sun’ and His garments are white as light. About this incident Peter later wrote in his book ‘For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our LORD JESUS CHRIST but were eyewitnesses of HIS MAJESTY. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with Him in the holy mountain. 2 Pet 1: 16, 18.

Christ was the perfect pattern of humanity because of this, although when He wanted to manifest His divinity He prayed. Every miracle He performed He didn’t use His divine power. He only used the power every son of Adam who has faith and prayer. In all that He did, Christ was co-operating with His Father. Ever He had been careful to make it evident that He did not work independently. It was by faith and prayer that He wrought His miracles. DA. p. 536. Since Jesus came to dwell with us, we know that GOD is acquainted with our trials, and sympathizes with our grief’s. Every son and daughter of Adam may understand that our CREATOR is the friend of sinners. For in every doctrine of grace, every promise of joy, every deed of love, every divine attraction presented in the Saviour’s life on earth, we see ‘GOD WITH US’.

Satan represents GOD’S law of love as a law of selfishness. He declares that it is impossible for us to obey its precepts. The fall of our first parents with all the woe that has resulted he charges upon the Creator, leading men to look upon God as the author of sin, and suffering, and death. Jesus was to unveil this deception. As one of us He was to give an example of obedience. For this He took upon HIMSELF our nature, and passed through our experiences. “In all things it behooved Him to be made like unto His brethren.” Heb. 2:17.

Genuine faith is life. A living faith means an increase of vigor, a confiding trust, by which the soul becomes a conquering power. This is the faith Christ used not to talk of region in a casual way, to pray without soul hunger. True character is not shaped from without and put on. It radiates from within. If we wish to direct others in the path of righteousness, it must be enshrined in our own hearts. Our profession of faith may proclaim the theory of region but it is our practical piety that holds forth the word of truth. The consistent life, the holy conversation, the unswerving integrity, the active, benevolent spirit, the godly example these are the mediums through which light is conveyed to the world. So fully was Jesus surrendered to the will of God that the Father alone appeared in His life. Although tempted in all points like as we are, He stood before the world untainted by the evil that surrounded Him. Thus we also are to overcome as Christ overcame. ‘To HIM that overcometh will I grant to sit with ME in MY throne even as I also overcame and am set down with MY FATHER in HIS throne. Rev.3:21.

Now, Christ comes and asks his people ‘Who do other churches say that I The Son of Man Am? The people of God reply, “Hindu say that thou are a good man, Jehovah’s Witness say thou are a created being, and Mormons say that thou are Morni, Mohammedans say thou are a prophet.”

Now Christ asks “But whom do you say that I am?” We look at the Bible for the answer. Because in the Bible it is written “Search the scriptures: for in them ye think ye have eternal life and they are they which testify of ME.” Jn 5:39. Now if you look at John, when angel Gabriel asked him to call John, according to Hebrew the meaning was “Jehovah’s favorite”. In the Old Testament, many of the names have significant meaning for an individual. When Moses asked “What is thy name, what shall I say unto them, “God said unto Moses “I AM THAT I AM.” If this is correctly translated it means “I am He who exists”–the timelessness of God as well as His ever-present existence. What does that mean? It means “self-existent one”, the one who has no beginning or ending or in real meaning you can call him Jehovah. When Jesus was explaining to them about his existence before Abraham, he said “Truly, Truly I say unto you before Abraham was, I AM”. When he used this words ‘I AM’ meaning self-existing one, the Jews took stones to cast at him. But again when he spoke about Judas’s betrayal, “I speak not of you all, I know whom I have chosen, but that description may be fulfilled, he that eats bread with me have lifted up his heel against me, now I tell you before it come that, when it come to pass ye may believe that I AM HE.” So here Christ used the same words that he used “self-existing one”, and not only that, here he prophesied about the fall of his own disciple. When the Angel appeared thus he said to Joseph .. And she shall bring forth a son and thou shalt call his name JESUS which leads to the Hebrew word “JEHOVAH” meaning self-existence or Eternal. So each time when we say Jesus we say Jehovah because His name was never changed even when He was a man.

For He shall save His people from their sins. If you take the word CHRIST, what does that mean? According to Greek CHRISTOS means “the anointed one”. In the Jewish tradition whenever a King or a Prophet or Priest, if he is selected for this office he was anointed by oil, but in the case of Christ He was not anointed by oil, He was anointed by the Holly Spirit, by His Father Himself. Now the reason for them to be anointed with oil is to show that they are working in harmony with God, and the oil represents THE HOLY SPIRIT. In the anointment of Christ, it was JOHN THE BAPTIST (JEHOVAH’S FAVORITE) who baptized Him, and was presenting Jehovah. “This is the lamb of GOD who takes away the sins of the world” representing that He is the Redeemer of the world, He is the creator of the humans. Again it was written concerning the anointment of Christ, writing in Isaiah 61, “the Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings unto the Meek; He has sent Me to bind up the broken hearted to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.” Again here God anointed Him for this great work, that’s why He was called CHRIST the “ANOINTED”. In reality JESUS CHRIST means “JEHOVAH THE ANOINTED”. I write these things that ye may believe in HIS name and have salvation. AMEN.