It is most important that a person who is sincerely searching for the truth to go to the sciptures (Bible = Word of God) for it is there that they will find their answers. Today I will deal with the topic of the BLESSED and the CURSED according to Jesus Christ (Messiah). Let us go to the Word of God:
And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities. Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me. (Matthew 11:1-6)
This is a very powerful passage that we have here. John the Baptist was the very one who prepared the way for Jesus the Christ (Messiah), but now he found himself in prison. He then sent two of his followers to question Jesus, as to whether or not he was the promised one who should come. It is quite obvious that John was talking about Jesus as being the promised Messiah whom the prophets declared would come. This was without question a very severe testing of the faith of John the Baptist, and that is the reason that he sent the two to consult with Jesus.
When the followers of John reached Jesus with the question, Jesus responded by telling them to show John what things were happening, and what was being preached. Jesus mentioned the blind receiving their sight, the lame (crippled) walking, the lepers being cleansed, the deaf hearing, the dead being raised alive from the dead, and the poor having the Gospel preached to them. Wow, talk about a mouthful of absolutely incredible miracles which the Lord repeated here. I always wonder what it must have been like to be a witness to such awesome miracles as the Lord performed in his time here on earth. There were no microphones, there were no buckets being passed around for the cash to be dumped inside, there were no donations requested by the Lord, it was just Jesus being the merciful, loving powerful son of God that He was. After Jesus declared all of those wonderful things to John’s friends, He then said this: ‘Blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me’
It is easy to miss the reason for the Lord describing what was happening in His ministry to John’s friends. You see the Lord was describing the very things which the prophet Isaiah prophesied would happen when the Messiah came. (Isaiah 35:4-6, 42:5-8, 61:1) That is the way the Lord ministered when He walked this earth. He would always refer to the scriptures, either directly or indirectly to verify that He was indeed the one who was promised to come. Sometimes the Lord would use the words ‘have ye not read . . .’ before quoting the actual scripture to the people. So the Lord was confirming the truth about Himself to John the Baptist, and the scriptures confirmed that. The scriptures back up and verify the truth that Jesus was and is the one whom the Father sent from above.
The main point that I make here is this. It is absolutely impossible for a person to be BLESSED in the sight of God, if they are offended by the person of Jesus Christ. You may have great success in this life, and declare yourself ‘blessed’, but if you reject Jesus Christ that ‘blessing’ is but a temporary thing. That ‘blessing’ will come to an end when your ‘earthy’ life ends, and the reality of eternity truly strikes you. On the other hand if you are a born again believer in Jesus Christ, then you are blessed in the sight of God, and though you have may have little in this life, you have Heaven waiting for you, and the promise of everlasting life. Any true believer in Jesus Christ, knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that they deserve nothing but the wrath of God,(John 3:36) and yet they received salvation and the forgiveness of sins and everlasting life. (John 3:16-18) That is what it truly means to be blessed. Yes, there are many trials and sufferings in this life for the true believers in Christ, but they do not compare to the glory which awaits them beyond the veil of this temporary life. (Romans 8:18)
It is absolutely mind boggling that Pastor John Hagee does not see that the Jewish people are NOT in covenant with the true and living God outside of Jesus Christ. Here is an excerpt from the Christian Research Institute Statement DH005 which I have posted before, and which I believe needs to be posted once again. regarding John Hagee.
Trying to convert Jews is a “waste of time,” he [Hagee] said. . . .
Everyone else, whether Buddhist or Baha’i, needs to believe in Jesus, he says. But not Jews. Jews already have a covenant with God that has never been replaced with Christianity, he says.
“The Jewish people have a relationship to God through the law of God as given through Moses,” Hagee said. “I believe that every Gentile person can only come to God through the cross of Christ. I believe that every Jewish person who lives in the light of the Torah, which is the word of God, has a relationship with God and will come to redemption.
“The law of Moses is sufficient enough to bring a person into the knowledge of God until God gives him a greater revelation. And God has not,” said Hagee
“There are right now Jewish people on this earth who have a powerful and special relationship with God,” declares Hagee in one of his books. “They have been chosen by the ‘election of grace’ in which God does what he does without asking man to approve or understand it. Let us put an end to the Christian chatter that “all the Jews are lost” and can’t be in the will of God until they convert to Christianity! . . . there are a certain number of Jews in relationship with God right now through divine election.”
Hagee also affirms: “If God blinded the Jewish people to the identity of Jesus as Messiah, how could He send them to hell for not seeing what he had forbidden them to see?”
First of all I want to show you that the Jewish people are not only NOT in covenant with the true and living God, through the LAW, but in fact they are under a CURSE, and that is so clear in the scriptures. Read the following passage of scripture which was written by a man who was ‘living according to the Law’, and yet was as lost as could be until he met the Lord Jesus Christ.
For as many as are of the works of the law are UNDER THE CURSE: for it is written, CURSED is EVERY ONE that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that NO MAN is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live BY FAITH. AndTHE LAW IS NOT OF FAITH: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. CHRIST hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: (Galatians 3:10-13 KJV)
Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that EVERY MOUTH may be stopped, and ALL THE WORLDmay become GUILTY BEFORE GOD. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall NO FLESH be justified in his sight: for BY THE LAW is the knowledge of sin. (Romans 3:19-20)
The Law of God shows each and every person in the world that they are sinners and GUILTY in the sight of God. John Hagee states that a Jewish person is in a relationship with God through the Law of Moses, and that statement is absolutely ludicrous, because it so clearly contradicts the Word of God. The scripture passage can also be applied to ALL people, Jew or Gentile because we have all SINNED, and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) A person may declare themself to be an atheist, but that does not change their status before Almighty God one bit. They are still accountable to Him in His sight, and that is the only thing that will count in the end. This applies to both Jewish people and the rest of mankind also. The scripture tells us that ALL THE WORLD is GUILTY before God! That same Jewish man Paul wrote the following:
Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. (Galatians 2:16)
Paul knew what it was like to think himself holy and righteous in the sight of God, to the point that he severely persecuted Christians, even unto their death. (Acts 26:9-11) After Paul realized that Jesus was the real deal, and he heard his voice from Heaven, he became a powerful minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. (Acts 9:1-22) Paul wrote those words about the Law being unable to save anybody, because he himself had escaped that delusion and bondage himself! This is the Word of God that we have before us ladies and gentlemen. What you see taking place in the case of John Hagee is a revival of that great Judaizing heresy and delusion. The Jewish people for the most part (as well as most Gentiles) outright reject Jesus Christ as being the Son of God, and the Messiah. According to the Word of God, the wrath of God abides upon them right now:
He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. (John 3:36)
The wrath of God is abiding upon every person in the world if they have not put their faith in Jesus Christ and received the forgiveness of their sins. The only way to receive atonement for sin is through the blood (Leviticus 17:11, Hebrews 9:22) and more specifically the BLOOD of Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:6-10). That is why the Lord Himself was so forthright in his dealings with the Jewish people who had resisted Him and rejected Him as the Son Of God.
And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world. 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. (John 8:23-24)
We must NEVER FORGET that it was the Lord Jesus Christ who was given to us as a COVENANT! There is NO COVENANT outside the person of Jesus Christ. The COVENANT is not a thing but a PERSON, and His name is Jesus Christ.
I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; (Isaiah 42:6)
The Lord Jesus Christ is the one who was given to be a COVENANT to the people (the Jewish) and the Gentiles also. There is no special class of people. Any person who chooses to BELIEVE in the Lord Jesus Christ, Jew or Gentile can be classified as BLESSED in the sight of God. Any person who chooses to REJECT Jesus Christ would remain in their sins,(obviously CURSED) whether or not they even heard of the Law before, because their own conscience will accuse them! There is NO EXCUSE for any person with breath in their body!
For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;) (Romans 2:14-15)
What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise:for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; (Romans 3:9)
What is the deciding factor in whether a person is BLESSED or CURSED, and whether they go to HEAVEN or HELL? It is what that individual person does with the person of Jesus Christ. It has been that way for almost two thousand years now. People by the billions have died in their sins without Jesus Christ and yet many have BELIEVED in Him over the past centuries, though few in comparison to those who were lost. Do not be intimidated by those who accuse you of preaching a ‘replacement theology’ such as John Hagee. If you present a false hope , or a false message to people regarding their eternal soul, then you have REPLACED the true soul saving Gospel with a FALSE GOSPEL that will take them to an eternal Hell. Now that is what can be described as replacement theology! The CURSED will hear the following words from Jesus Christ Himself, the one whom they rejected!
Then shall he (Jesus) say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye CURSED, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: (Matthew 25:41)
The modern day preachers such as John Hagee should be concerned about preaching a different Gospel to the Jewish people. (Galatians 1:8-10) The Jewish people are the ones who need to repent and believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ, (along with every other person in the world) according to the scriptures, and they will remain under the wrath of God until they do so. The Lord Jesus Christ will not let you down if you are a believer in Him. If Jesus Christ told the Jewish people that they would die in their sins, if they do NOT believe in Him, then they WILL die in their sins. (John 8:21-24) If the Bible declares that the wrath of God is upon all those who do not believe that Jesus is the Son of God, then the WRATH of God is upon them. (John 3:36) If Jesus said that a person was CONDEMNED ALREADY without faith in Him, then a person IS CONDEMNED ALREADY without faith in Jesus Christ. (John 3:18)
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. (Acts 4:10-12)
And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. (Luke 24:44-47) (ACTUAL QUOTE OF JESUS CHRIST AFTER HE ROSE FROM THE DEAD)
