Why Christ is Called The Lamb of God

This is an easy matter to answer. All we need to do is read John 1:29 (BBE) which reads, "The day after, John sees Jesus coming to him and says, 'See, here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!'"

But what does that mean? It's a reference to sacrificial lambs which were slaughtered each Passover. The first such Passover was recorded in Exodus 12:3 and 4 (BBE). "Say to all the children of Israel when they are come together, In the tenth day of this month every man is to take a lamb, by the number of their fathers' families, a lamb for every family: And if the lamb is more than enough for the family, let that family and its nearest neighbour have a lamb between them, taking into account the number of persons and how much food is needed for every man."

After explaining when and how to kill and cook the lamb, God explained why blood had to be smeared on the door posts of each Israelite house in Exodus 12:12 and 13 (BBE). "For on that night I will go through the land of Egypt, sending death on every first male child, of man and of beast, and judging all the gods of Egypt: I am the Lord. And the blood will be a sign on the houses where you are: when I see the blood I will go over you, and no evil will come on you for your destruction, when my hand is on the land of Egypt."

So, what does this have to do with Christ's death and us today? Luke 22:19 and 20 (BBE) gives us the answer when Christ instituted God's new covenant. "And he took bread and, having given praise, he gave it to them when it had been broken, saying, 'This is my body, which is given for you: do this in memory of me.' And in the same way, after the meal, he took the cup, saying, 'This cup is the new testament, made with my blood which is given for you.'"

We also read of the messianic prophecy in Isaiah 53:7 (BBE) which likens Christ as a sacrificial lamb. "Men were cruel to him, but he was gentle and quiet; as a lamb taken to its death, and as a sheep before those who take her wool makes no sound, so he said not a word."

Since we can't earn God's forgiveness, only the sinless one could atone for our wickedness. This is what I'll emphasize in my next book, You Think You're Going to Heaven?On Saturday, unless the Lord returns first, I hope to post about a song regarding an unfortunate truck driver.

Understanding Biblical Customs

As with context, we need to know about the law and why Israelites were told to observe various sacrifices and holy days. Otherwise, the New Testament makes little sense.

Animals were sacrificed for forgiveness in place of us because they can't sin. Right from the start, God killed an animal and clothed Adam and Eve with its skin to cover their nakedness.

One important custom is the slaughter of the Passover lamb. The Passover is symbolic of God's grace covering his people, protecting them from death. Exodus 12:12 and 13(BBE) reads, "For on that night I will go through the land of Egypt, sending death on every first male child, of man and of beast, and judging all the gods of Egypt: I am the Lord. And the blood will be a sign on the houses where you are: when I see the blood I will go over you, and no evil will come on you for your destruction, when my hand is on the land of Egypt."

This is why John the Baptist said what he said in John 1:29 (BBE). "John sees Jesus coming to him and says, See, here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" Christ was that pure and unspotted lamb who was sacrificed for all."

We also see that none of his bones were broken. John 19:36 (BBE) says, "36   These things came about so that the Writings might be true, No bone of his body will be broken.

Why was that detail important? John referred to Exodus 12:46 (BBE) which instructed Israelites about the Passover lamb, "It is to be taken in one house; not a bit of the flesh is to be taken out of the house, and no bone of it may be broken."

In fact, the entire worship process pointed to Christ who was the reality of these types and shadows. Hebrews 8:5 says of the priesthood, "Being servants of that which is a copy and an image of the things in heaven, as Moses, when he was about to make the Tent, had special orders from God: 'for, See,' he said, 'that you make everything like the design which you saw in the mountain.'"

And as Hebrews 10:1 (BBE) explains, "For the law, being only a poor copy of the future good things, and not the true image of those things, is never able to make the people who come to the altar every year with the same offerings completely clean." Only Christ could do that.

This is a large topic and I'm sure it could make a whole book's worth of commentary. I'll add just a small portion of it to my next book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? The Old Testament pointed to Christ and understanding that truth is crucial to our growth in faith.

Saturday's song will be about a band's call for us all to work together.

Is Animal sacrifice Still required to Please God

What a pity that pagan religions and offshoots of Judaism still practice animal sacrifice. We who believe in Jesus' sacrifice on the cross must do more to get the word out regarding this gospel to those people.

We know that animals such as sheep and goats were sacrificed in the Old Testament and during the life of Christ. But they were only a foreshadowing of what Christ would do to take our sin away. Hebrews 10:10 (KJV) explains, "By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."

In the Old Testament period , a priest would enter the Holy of Holies once a year to make atonement for the people's sins through sprinkling lamb's  blood on the altar. But Jesus put an end to that, as Hebrews 9:12 (KJV) explains,  "Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us."

So how is it then that Hebrews 10:4 (KJV) says, "For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins."? The animals sacrificed were just a spiritual I O U until the perfect Lamb of god would come.

As Hebrews 10:11 (KJV) explains, "And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:"

The Holy Spirit gave John the Baptist the inspiration to proclaim in John 1:29 (KJV) who this person would be. "The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, 'Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.'"

God wants all people to trust in Christ's completed work on the cross. As Hebrews 11:6 (KJV) proclaims, "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."

My goal is to assist people in finding the Lord, May he do this through my next book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? I pray that people will realize that nothing we puny humans do will remove our sins from our account with God.

And speaking of trusting in the Lord, I plan on posting throughout December how so many prophecies were fulfilled just by Christ's birth. I'm sure you'll feel astonishment when you read those.

Why Was Jesus the Lamb of God?

 Previously, I explained the need for an animal sacrifice to show the Israelites the sinfulness of sin in a graphic way. During Passover, the commemoration of the Israelites' liberation from Egyptian bondage, a lamb without defect was kept in the house for a few days. He was then slaughtered, cooked, and eaten during the Passover supper.

Jesus was called the Lamb of God because he would be the ultimate Passover sacrifice. John 1:29 (KJV) explains, "The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, 'Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.'"

The next day, John the Baptist also exclaimed to two of his followers in verse thirty-six, "And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, 'Behold the Lamb of God!'" They both recognized what that meant and followed Christ afterward.

The other John used the image of the Lamb of God in Revelation 5:6 (KJV), "And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth." Read further in that chapter and you'll see it's Christ which John is alluding to.

The Bible is filled with phrases which mean far more than their literal interpretation would suggest. This is partly why I'm writing my next book called You Think Your Going to Heaven? People need to know how serious their decision is to follow or reject Christ. They also need to understand all these strange expressions we Christians use. My hope is to reach seekers through my writing and direct them to the correct path to heaven. Watch this space for updates on the book.