Chapter Eight
The Corner Stone
This will be a short little chapter revealing a few Old Testament messianic prophecies which portray Jesus Christ as the Corner Stone, and we will also be looking at several cross reference scriptures in the New Testament, which will reveal Jesus Christ as the Messiah, in whom these prophecies were fulfilled. Here are the three prophecies.
Isaiah 28:16 "Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste."
Psalm 118:21,22,23 "I will praise thee: for thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation. The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvellous in our eyes."
Isaiah
Peter speaks about the stone in 1 Peter 2:3-8, and he quotes from these prophecies in 1 Peter 2:6-8. We should compare the prophecies above with the words of Peter in 1 Peter 2:3-8. "If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, Ye also, as lively stones, are built upon a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth in him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed."
There are several things we should notice about this stone in the prophecies and scripture above. This stone would be rejected by the builders. The word "builders" refers to
Jesus Christ is also building a spiritual temple, and he is the Chief Corner Stone or foundation of the church, which is the temple he is building. The natural or materialistic temple in the Old Testament had a corner stone that was the main foundation or support of the temple, but Jesus Christ is the Corner Stone of the temple he is building. He also will rule over the very ones who rejected him, and therefore the stone the builders rejected has become the Chief Corner Stone. We will now look at a scripture already previously given in another chapter, but it fits in well with this teaching.
Ephesians 2:18-22 "For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit."
Jesus himself also referred to these prophecies in Matthew 21:42-46 "Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The
Jesus said the
The natural nation of
Paul writes about this while making reference to one of the prophecies above in Romans 9:30-33 "What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. But
It should also be pointed out that the
Deauteronomy 32:21 "They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation."
God also prophesies about this other nation again in Isaiah 65:1, but remember that this other nation is actually the church, which is made up of Jews and Gentiles, and will be the new spiritual Israel when Jesus Christ returns the second time. The church is not considered to be a nation on earth at this time, and therefore is not called a people at this time. The church is actually a mass number of people out of every nation on earth, who will inherit the promises to Abraham through faith in Jesus Christ. John
Isaiah 65:1 "I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name."
Paul makes reference to both the prophecies in Deuteronomy and Isaiah above in Romans 10:19-21. Paul is touching on this very subject. Romans
Paul also says salvation came to the Gentiles to provoke
I will now let Peter wrap up the teaching of the corner stone from a passage of scripture in Acts 4:10-12 spoken by Peter. Acts 4:10-12 "Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."
Peter made a statement in that scripture which is a truth that will ring throughout eternity. "There is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Jesus Christ is God’s eternal plan for our salvation. Jesus is the stone in Psalm 118:22, who was refused and rejected by many. He was rejected during his crucifixion by the Jews who pleaded with the authorities to have him put to death in the first place, but he is still rejected by many people in the world today, who perhaps lack understanding of who Jesus was. I believe Jesus Christ is rejected through ignorance or lack of knowledge of him or scripture more than any other reason. This is the very reason I have written this book.
I will finish this chapter with the very verse I’m trying to drill into the reader’s head throughout this book, but first it should be pointed out and said that those who reject Jesus Christ are rejecting their only way of salvation, and therefore rejecting their eternal life with Jesus Christ and our Father in heaven. Our Creator has made his salvation plan clear throughout scripture, and he is the one who decides whether we have eternal life or eternal death. This eternal death does not necessary mean eternal non-existence. It actually means eternal separation from our Creator in Heaven. It should be considered an eternal tragedy to be separated from our Creator, who is the only one who has truly loved us. Jesus said in John 14:6 that he is the way, the truth, the life, and no one can go to the Father but by him. To be eternally separated from God and all love is a tragic penalty to pay by rejecting our only way of salvation, so I will finish with the verse repeated several times in this book, and now twice in this chapter in hopes the reader will always remember and consider it within his or her heart. I also want the reader to remember that Jesus Christ is a precious stone to those who believe in him, but he is a rock of offense to all unbelievers. Those who are offended at his name only serve to prove scripture to be true.
John
Chapter Nine
His Priesthood
This chapter will reveal the priesthood of the Messiah Jesus through an Old Testament prophecy of his priesthood, and through corresponding scriptures from the book of Hebrews. We looked at Old Testament prophecies of his office as King in chapter seven which revealed him as the seed of David. There are two prophecies in psalm 110 which reveals the Messiah Jesus as David’s Lord, and also reveal the priesthood of Jesus Christ. Here are those two prophecies.
Psalm 110:1 "The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool."
Psalm 110:4 "The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek."
We will deal with the first prophecy above first, and then look at scriptures revealing him a priest after the order of Melchizedek afterwards in this chapter. Psalm 110 is a psalm written by David, and the two things we should notice in the first prophecy is David said "The Lord said unto my Lord," and he quotes the Lord as saying "Sit thou at my right hand." This prophecy is interpreted my many as the Lord saying to the future Messiah "Sit thou at my right hand." The future Messiah would be a King greater than David, so David would refer to the future Messiah as his Lord. David is actually saying that God is saying to the future Messiah "Sit thou at my right hand." Jesus Christ would also be David’s Lord, because Jesus Christ had Deity, so the Lord God is actually saying to the future Messiah Jesus Christ "Sit thou at my right hand." Jesus Christ is also considered to be a form of God, so David says "The Lord said unto my Lord." The Lord God speaking to the future Messiah, who is also God, so David calls both of them his Lord.
New Testament scriptures make it very clear that that Jesus sat on the right hand of God after he ascended into heaven. We will be looking at a few of these scriptures, but first we will look at a passage of scripture where Jesus himself quotes from the first prophecy above as pertaining to himself. We should remember that Christ means Messiah, and Jesus speaks about the Christ or Messiah in this passage of scripture.
Matthew 22:41-45 "While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The son of David. He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?" See Mark 12:35-37 and Luke 20:41-44 as sequels to this.
The last question Jesus Asked in this scripture is "If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?" The point Jesus was making is that the Christ or Messiah would be superior to David. It was well known among Jews that the Messiah would be of the seed of David as we have already studied, but Jesus was revealing to them that the Messiah would also be superior to David by David’s own words. The Jews highly esteemed their forefather David, but now Jesus was revealing to them that the Messiah would be greater than David.
Peter also quotes from this prophecy and applies it to Jesus Christ in Acts 2:32-36 "This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, Until I make thy foes thy footstool. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ."
Hebrews 1:1,2,3 "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high."
Matthew 26:64 "Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven."
Acts 7:55,56 "But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God."
The interesting thing about the last scripture is it’s about a vision Stephen saw right before he was stoned to death. I have heard preachers make note of this, because scripture says that Jesus sat on the right hand of God. This means that Jesus stood up and took notice when Stephen was about to be stoned to death while preaching his gospel.
We should also make note that three events are also mentioned in these scriptures. (1) Jesus was crucified! (2) Jesus was resurrected! (3) Jesus ascended into heaven and sat on the right hand of God! I will asked the reader to remember Isaiah chapter 53, where God’s salvation plan was prophesied, and given in chapter two of this book. These same three events are expressed in Isaiah 53:10 which say (1) "thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin." (2) "He shall prolong his days" (3) "The pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand"
(1) Jesus was crucified for our sins! (2) God prolonged his days by raising him from the dead. (3) Jesus Christ has been exalted, and his eternal kingdom will prosper as he rules over all things from the right hand of God, so surely the pleasure of the Lord has prospered in his hand. Jesus Christ is also building the church or temple where the Holy Spirit dwells, so he sits on the right hand of God as our High Priest in heaven, where he offers his own holy blood as the atonement for our sins, and making intercession for the sinners, who have put their trust in him. (See Isaiah 53:12)
This brings us to the second prophecy in psalm 110. He shall be a priest after the order of Melchizedek.
Psalm 110:4 "The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek."
The first thing to notice in this prophecy is that he will be a priest for ever. This can only be fulfilled in Jesus Christ, whose kingdom will last for ever. There has never been any priest in history, who could be a priest for ever except Jesus Christ. The second thing to note is that he will be a priest after the order of Melchizedek. This can best be understood by knowing who Melchizedek was, and how the priesthood of Melchizedek was liken unto the priesthood of Jesus Christ.
Melchizedek was a priest who lived in the time of Abram. Abram’s name was later changed to Abraham, so Melchizedek was a priest we associate with Abraham. Melchizedek was not a priest of the Levitical priesthood, which Moses set up over four hundred years later. The Levitical priesthood Moses set up was made up of priests who were descendants of Levi. Remember that Jacob was the grandson of Abraham, and Levi was the son of Jacob. Moses and Aaron his brother were descendants of Levi, and the Levitical priesthood started with Aaron, so Levi’s descendants made up the Levitical priesthood and servants of the temple.
The reader should also remember that Judah was another son of Jacob, and it was Judah’s descendants who would be the rulers or kings of Israel. This is important, because a priest of the Levitical priesthood could not be a king, because they were descendants of Levi, and only descendants of Judah could be kings. This also worked in reverse. The kings of Israel could not be priests, because they were descendants of Judah, and only descendants of Levi were priest, so no one in Israel could hold both the king and priest offices together. They could be a king or a priest, but they could not be both.
This is what made Melchizedek different from the priest of the Levitical priesthood. Melchizedek was a king and a priest at the same time, and so is Jesus Christ! Remember that Melchizedek lived over four hundred years before the Levitical priesthood was set up, and also before there was a nation of Israel, because it was the descendants of Abraham who became the nation of Israel, and Abraham did not have children yet when we read about Melchizedek. We read about Melchizedek in Genesis 14:18. This scripture reveals him as a king and priest at the same time.
Genesis 14:18 "And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God."
Jesus Christ is a Priest liken unto Melchizedek, because Jesus Christ is a King and Priest at the same time, and neither Jesus nor Melchizedek were of the Levitical priesthood, because Jesus was not a Levite. He was a descendant of Judah, but there is still a deeper meaning of all this. The name Melchizedek by interpretation means "king of righteousness.’ The interpretation of Salem means "City of peace." Remember that Jesus Christ is called Prince of Peace in Isaiah 9:6. Jesus Christ is also called "The Lord Our Righteousness" in Jeremiah 23:6.
Here are some scriptures from Hebrews which speak about Jesus Christ being a priest after the order of Melchizedek, and quotes from psalm 110:4.
Hebrews 6:20 "Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec."
Hebrews 7:1,2 "For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of peace." See also Hebrews 5:5-10. Hebrews 5:6 and Hebrews 7:17 both quote the prophecy in psalm 110:4 as pertaining to Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ is a Priest after the order of Melchizedek, who sits on the right hand of God making intercession for sinners who believe and trust in him. (Remember Isaiah 53:12)
Romans 8:34 "Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us."
Hebrews 7:25 "Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them."
Hebrews 9:24 "For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us."
1Timothy 2:5 "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."
Jesus Christ is a Priest who intercedes for sinners in the presence of God, but he’s also the lamb of God, who was slaughtered and crucified for our sins. It’s his own blood that atones for our sins. He surely is the complete package in whom are total salvation is complete. He is our Lord and Creator, who prepared a body for himself, because he loved us so much he became man, and became our complete salvation. Jesus Christ has been defined as all God and all man in one person. The salvation of our souls was so precious to him, that he placed the responsibility of our salvation on his own shoulders, and paid for our salvation with his own blood. Consider Psalm 49:7,8 below.
Psalm 49:7and 8 "None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ramson for him: (For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:)"
This means that the redemption of a soul was a very serious situation. The death of a soul was for ever. There was no one who was able to redeem another man’s soul, so God prepared a body for himself, and redeemed us himself. The Spirit of God incarnated into the man we know as Jesus. (See Hebrews 10:5,10) We should consider the words of Jesus in John 8:24 "I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins."
Who is Jesus Christ? He was our Creator in the flesh! He was the Great "I AM", who spoke to Moses in the burning bush in Exodus 3:1-14. (Especially see verse 14). We will be looking at scriptures pertaining to this in a later chapter.
I say all these things now, because I want the reader to understand, that the Priesthood of Jesus Christ is of a divine nature. Jesus Christ is not a priest of the Levitical Priesthood. He was not a Levite, but he was the Holy biological Son of God with a divine nature. His blood was holy blood. He is a Divine Priest with Deity. He is not just any lamb. He is the Lamb of God. God’s salvation plan for us was of a divine nature, because he could entrust our redemption to none other, because none of us were able or worthy to redeem ourselves, so he sent his only Son into the world to redeem sinners unto himself. The purpose of Jesus Christ was to be a Divine sacrifice for our sins as the Lamb of God on the cross, whose mission was to redeem us unto the Father in Heaven by shedding and offering his own blood for the atonement of our sins. He also sits on the right hand of God making intercession for us unto the Father. These are the things which make him worthy to be called our High Priest in Heaven. I will conclude this chapter with a passage of scripture from Hebrews 4:14-16.
Hebrews 4:14-16 "Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." See also Hebrews 10:19-22.
The final thought I will leave the reader with in this chapter is that we must repent of our sins, and receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior to receive this salvation. Jesus said in Luke 13:3 and 5 that unless we repent we will all perish. God’s salvation plan is offered to us through Jesus Christ, but we must receive it to obtain it. Those who reject his salvation plan will be rejected on judgment day, and they will not receive salvation, but will reap eternal damnation. (See Hebrews 2:3). There are really only two kinds of people in the world. There are those who are saved by believing and receiving Jesus Christ, and those who are not saved, because they have rejected Jesus Christ. (See John 3:16-18) Finally! Jesus Christ makes intercession for the sinner, but Jesus said that he would be ashamed to confess to the Father those who are ashamed to confess him before men in Matthew 10:32:33.
Chapter Ten
A Prophet
This will be a short chapter giving an Old Testament messianic prophecy, which reveals Jesus as a Prophet. This prophecy is found in Deuteronomy 18:15, 18 and 19. This prophecy was given through Moses.
Deuteronomy 18:15, 18, and 19 "The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken ...(Skipping to verse 18) ...I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him."
Peter quotes from this prophecy, and applies it to Jesus Christ in Acts 3:20-23 "And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people."
A prophet is one who is sent by God to deliver the message or words of God. Jesus always said that it was not his words he spoke, but the words of his Father who sent him. God said he would put his words in the mouth of this prophet in the prophecy above. Jesus Christ is actually called the Word of God in Revelation 19:13 and John 1:1.
A prophet is also one who foretells events which will happen in the future. Jesus prophesied beforehand three times in his ministry that he would be crucified. He also prophesied about end times in Matthew chapter 24, Mark chapter 13, and Luke chapter 21, and also a few other places.
A prophet is also one who can be associated with the working of miracles. God turned water into blood through Moses, but Jesus turned water into wine. Elijah prayed for rain, and a cloud came with rain. Jesus commanded the storm to cease, and the weather obeyed him. Elijah also prayed, and a widow’s dead son was brought back to life. Jesus spoke the word, and Lazarus was resurrected from death. There were many more miracles performed through prophets, and Jesus also did many more miracles, but these were just a few examples. Jesus could perform miracles and spoke with authority like Moses. Jesus is also a deliverer, who delivers a sinner from the bondage of sin and the penalty of sin. Jesus came to set the captives free. God delivered the Israelites out of bondage and slavery in
Jesus said "A Prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and his own house" in Matthew
The multitudes called him a Prophet in Matthew
This will conclude this short chapter, but I will finish this chapter by saying that Jesus Christ also came to John showing him revelations, which we read about in the book of Revelation. The whole book of Revelation is about prophecy, so it is evident that Jesus Christ was still prophesying after he had ascended into heaven. Jesus Christ is an anointed King, Priest, and Prophet. He still performs in all of these offices even to this day, and also for ever and forever. He still has all authority over the heavens and the earth. He is still our High Priest in heaven, and he is still performing miracles today. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and he loves all of us very much. He wants us to spend eternity with him, but he wants to clean us from our sins, so we can stand pure before God, because no unclean thing can come into the presence of God. God is Holy! The blood of Jesus is the only thing that can wash us clean from our sins, so we can stand holy in the presence of God. This is what the Gospel of Jesus Christ is all about! He is our King, Priest, and Prophet, who died on the cross, so we might have eternal life with him, but his blood will only wash away the sins of those who receive him. Those who reject him will die in their sins, and face the judgment of God for their sins. Hebrews
I would like for every reader who reads this book to understand that Jesus Christ knows the pass, present, and future, because he is not subject to time, because all time was created through him. He can look at Adam and Eve, himself on the cross, and see us all with one glimpse. He knows our thoughts and feelings, and he knows our attitudes towards him. He knows the heart and minds of every reader and person on this planet. He will also be the Judge on judgment day! I will end this chapter with some questions for the reader to consider. What will he know and understand about you on judgment day? Have your sins been washed away by his blood, because you have received him? Have you received him?
Don't miss the next chapter about Jesus being the Great I Am who appeared to Moses in the burning Bush in Exodus chapter three. The next chapter will teach about the Divinity of Jesus Christ.
