Did Jesus have any siblings? Did Mary have other children after Jesus?
Yes He did. Matthew 1:25 says of Joseph that he “knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son….” The word translated “knew” was a word that meant to have sexual relations. Therefore Joseph did not have sexual relations with Mary until after Jesus was born. After His birth their relationship would have been the same as any other married couple. Jesus’ siblings are referred to in Matthew 12:46; 13:55-56; Mark 6:3; John 2:12; 7:3, 5, 10; Acts 1:14; 1 Corinthians 9:5 and Galatians 1:19. Jesus had at least four brothers and two sisters. We know this because both the brothers and sisters are always spoken of in the plural and in Matthew 13:55 the brothers are named – James, Joseph, Simon and Judas. Attempts have been made to make these people into cousins of Jesus, but neither the Greek terminology nor the context in which the references appear will allow such an interpretation. One reason this was done was to support the Catholic doctrine of the perpetual virginity of Mary. However, again, neither the Greek nor the context will allow such an interpretation.
Did Jesus have half brothers and sisters?
Yes He did. Matthew 1:25 says of Joseph that he "knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son…." The word translated "knew" was a word that meant to have sexual relations. Therefore Joseph did not have sexual relations with Mary until after Jesus was born. After His birth their relationship would have been the same as any other married couple. Jesus’ siblings are referred to in Matthew 12:46; 13:55-56; Mark 6:3; John 2:12; 7:3, 5, 10; Acts 1:14; 1 Corinthians 9:5 and Galatians 1:19. Jesus had at least four brothers and two sisters. We know this because both the brothers and sisters are always spoken of in the plural and in Matthew 13:55 the brothers are named – James, Joseph, Simon and Judas. Attempts have been made to make these people into cousins of Jesus, but neither the Greek terminology nor the context in which the references appear will allow such an interpretation. One reason this was done was to support the Catholic doctrine of the perpetual virginity of Mary. However, again, neither the Greek nor the context will allow such an interpretation.
Why wasn’t Jesus named Emmanuel?
This word first occurs in Isaiah’s prophecy regarding the birth of Christ, a child being born to a virgin. In Isaiah’s day king Hezekiah was a good king, and it is said that the Lord was with him, 2 Kings 18:4-6. So, in a sense God was present with Israel. However, Isaiah spoke of a time when God Himself would actually be in the world. When Christ came into the world that took place and God Himself was actually present, 2 Corinthians 5:19 and John 1:14. The reason Jesus was called by the name Emmanuel is that this term described what He was. Jesus was God with us. He was literally the divine presence, though in human form. Why we do not have a record of Him being called by that name we do not know. All four of the gospel records as well as the epistles refer to Him as Jesus, Christ, the Christ or Jesus Christ.
Where is the scripture for when Jesus was actually nailed to the cross?
There are no scriptures that describe the action as nailing him to the cross
but the following scriptures say they crucified him which would mean they
nailed him to the cross. Matthew 27:35; Mark 15: 24,25; Luke 23:33; John
19:18. In John 20:24-29 we see Thomas saying he would not believe that Jesus
had risen until he could see and feel the print of the nails in his hands
and thrust his hand into the wound in his side. When Jesus does appear to
him he believes without feeling the nail prints. This proves that he was
nailed to the cross in case you had any doubt.
Was Jesus the person present from the start of creation?
The Christ was from the beginning. He is co-equal, co-eternal, co-powerful
with God the Father. The name Jesus was a very common name to the people
of that time, in fact it had been a popular name long
before the Word (logos, Greek term) in John one is
said to have become flesh. In the Hebrew language it
was Joshua, while in the Greek it is Jesus (English spelling).
You will note He was often called Jesus the Christ and sometimes
Christ Jesus. The term Christ denoted his deity and
Jesus denoted his humanity. They are one and the
same, and yes He was in the beginning and if you read
the first three verses of Hebrews one you will note all things were made by
and for Him.
Where in the Bible does it say that Jesus was thirty-three years old before the Passover?
Luke 3:23 indicates that at Jesus’ baptism He was about 30 years old. This was what was considered the age of public service. In this connection note the age of Joseph, Genesis 41:46, and David, 2 Samuel 5:4, when they began to serve. It was also at the age of thirty when workers from the family of Kohath could work in the tabernacle. By tracing Jesus’ life through the gospels one can find that He had about a three to three and one-half year ministry. John 2:13 records Jesus’ first trip to Jerusalem for the Passover. John 6:4 records His second Passover. Then, John 12:1 refers to the third and final Passover Jesus will attend. Thus, taking Luke’s statement regarding Jesus’ age, then adding the three Passovers, we see that when Jesus died He was about thirty-three years of age.
I want to know about Jesus Christ, how much He loves me and what he can do for my family. I know He died on the cross, gave His blood for us, overcame death, and can cleanse my soul.
All of the blessings that we have through Christ comes to us as a result of the love of God, John 3:16. It is impossible for man to comprehend a love so deep, that a perfectly holy God would sacrifice His perfect son for sinful men. Yet, that is what God did. Cooperating with that love of God for man, obviously, was a love for man by Christ. In Galatians 2:20 the apostle Paul writes, "I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me." Along with the love of God there was a corresponding love of Christ. Out of that love Jesus gave His life. And the emphasis should be on the word "gave," for His life was not taken from Him. Jesus’ death was a sacrificial death on man’s behalf that through obedience to Him one might have the forgiveness of their sins. Yet the story does not end there. God raised Him from the dead, thus making possible eternal life, 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, 20-22, 1 Peter 1:3. These great blessing give new purpose and meaning for one’s life. They also give new purpose and meaning for one’s family, Ephesians 5:22-6:4. May you continue your study of the word of God so that your faith might continue to grow.
Is Jesus Christ Jehovah God?
Jesus Christ is Jehovah God; He is part of the godhead and was God come in the flesh. The definitions of the divine names help clarify this. Jesus was the Lord’s earthly name. It’s Old Testament equivalent would have been Joshua. Christ means "anointed" and refers to Jesus as being the Messiah. He was God’s anointed, or chosen one, who would be the deliverer of mankind. Jehovah is the personal name of God, chosen by God Himself, and is first used in Genesis 2:4. It is most often translated Lord.
God is the general term for God, indicating that He is deity. Jehovah was sometimes combined with other words to indicate some specific aspect of God, such as Jehovah-jireh, meaning the Lord sees, Genesis 22:14. The name God would stand for the trinity. God is Father, for so Jesus addresses Him in Matthew 11:25. God is also the Son, being identified by John as such in the prologue of his gospel record, John 1:1-34. And God is also the Holy Spirit, Acts 5:3-4.
One of the questions that arose during the earthly ministry of Christ was whether or not He was who He claimed to be. The Jews rejected Him as the Messiah, and various philosophies in the late 1st Century and early 2nd Century began to develop which denied the deity of Christ. However, the Bible very plainly says that Jesus is God. His pre-existence is stated in John 1:1. The demons recognized Him as divine, Mark 5:7. In 2 Corinthians 5:19 we are told that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself. 1 John 2:22-23 says that to deny that Jesus is the Christ is to deny both the Father and the Son. Thus, there can be no other conclusion but that Jesus is God.
I am studying the time of Jesus’ death and resurrection. I would like to know what day of the week He died on and what was the first day of the week. Also, which day of the week is considered the Sabbath in the Bible? Was it Saturday?
The calendar as we know it today was basically worked out by Pope Gregory III in the 1580’s, and is known as the Gregorian Calendar. Prior to this there had been a Babylonian calendar, the Julian calendar, established by Julius Caesar in 46 BC, and then the Gregorian calendar. Though there have been corrections made through the millennia, the format has basically been the same. With the Jewish calendar and what was called the Church Calendar, the days of the week as we know them would have remained the same. The sabbath would have been our Saturday and the first day of the week would have been our Sunday. Thus, we are following, even with corrections made for getting the year on track with the solar system, what has been followed for thousands of years. Even the Jews had a seven day week, Genesis 1, 2.Jesus was raised on the first day of the week, what we know as Sunday. Mark 16:1, 2 shows that the women went to the tomb "when the sabbath was past," "very early in the morning the first day of the week." Though Matthew 28:1 is translated "in the end of the sabbath," the Greek literally means "after the sabbath." Also note Luke’s account: "This man went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulcher that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid. And that day was the preparation, and the Sabbath drew on. And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulcher, and how his body was laid. And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the Sabbath day according to the commandment. Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulcher, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulcher. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus," Luke 23:52-24:3
This last passage also reveals when Jesus was crucified. The Sabbath, Saturday, was past when the resurrection occurred. But Luke reveals in the verses just cited that after Jesus was crucified the women went to see where His body had been laid, vs. 55. (Because the hour was getting late the women could not do anything to the body.) In this very same verse Luke says that the women rested on the Sabbath day, Saturday, according to the law. Thus, Jesus was crucified on Friday afternoon, and His body was put in the grave before the Sabbath began at sundown on Friday evening. After the Sabbath, Saturday, was over, the women went to the tomb to anoint His body. They would not have gone at night for such a task, and therefore waited until morning, what we know as Sunday morning to go. Thus here is the chronology - Jesus was crucified on Friday afternoon, was in the grave Friday afternoon through Sunday morning, and was raised on Sunday morning.
Where did God come from? Everything has a beginning.
As humans, it is hard for us to understand the concept of eternity. The suggestion that something or someone has simply existed forever without a beginning is hard to swallow. We believe that something must come from something else. This is how our world works.
However, think about this, something had to be First.
Something or Someone had to put into motion this law of cause and effect. Try tracing your
ancestry as far back as you can. Evolutionists will tell us that we came from apes. Where
did the apes come from? Some suggest that they evolved over millions of years from a
single-celled organism? Where did that organism come from? One theory says that a huge
ball of cosmic dust and gases exploded creating our whole galaxy. Fine, but where did that
huge ball of dust and gases come from.
I hope you see my point, at some time, years and years and
years ago, something was first. It had no cause, and it existed independently of the
reality that we understand. Logic dictates an uncaused first cause. And
by faith we believe that Uncaused First Cause is GOD.
READ MARK 16:15-16.
The statement found in Romans 9:13 is a quotation of Malachi 1:2-3. Paul quotes from Malachi as he deals with God’s right to choose based on His mercy rather than the flesh or the Law of Moses. The point is that one cannot earn salvation. In Malachi 1:1 God says through the prophet that He loved Israel. The people had doubted that.
In verse two we have their question to God, "Wherein hast thou loved us?" God responds that His loved was demonstrated in His choice of Jacob instead of Esau. The Jews were guilty of thinking of themselves as better than other races. Here God shows that He had made a choice even within their own race, for Jacob and Esau were twin brothers. Therefore they could not take pride in their flesh.
So, did God hate Esau? No. First, in the context of these passages, the reference is not to the individuals themselves but to the nations that came from them. Second, even going back to the passage in Genesis 25:23 in which God’s says the older shall serve the younger, nothing is said about love or hate. Nothing had been done by either child that would cause God to love one or hate the other. This is merely God’s sovereign choice. Would the Edomites, the descendants of Esau, have the chance to know God’s grace? Certainly, for God, in choosing Jacob did not condemn them to hell. However, what we find in scripture is their being the constant enemy of Israel, the descendants of Jacob.
Third, "hated" is used here in the sense in which it is sometimes used in the Old Testament to mean "loved less." The saying is still true, then, that God loves everyone, else why would he have sent His Son into the world to die for everyone, John 3:16; Acts 10:34-35; 2 Peter 3:9? This does not’t mean that everyone will be saved, because it is also true that not all men will come to Him in order to be saved, John 5:40.
Will I be physically touched by Jesus?
Jesus physically touched people during His earthly ministry. For instance, there was the leper of Matthew 8:3. There was the instance of His touching Peter's mother-in-law in Matthew 8:15. In Matthew 9:29 one reads of His touching the eyes of the blind. Luke 22:51 records Jesus touching the ear of the servant of the High Priest. Peter had cut it off when the mob made its move to arrest the Lord. Jesus is not on earth now, and therefore cannot physically touch anyone. Since Jesus will NOT return to earth, but the saints will meet Him in the air at His return, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, the only time left then when He could touch the saints would be in heaven. It is possible that Jesus will physically touch people in heaven, but there are two things to consider. 1) None of the descriptions of heaven indicate that Jesus will touch anyone physically. 2)
It is not known what kind of body the saints will possess in heaven. "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is," 1 John 3:2. If the saints do not have physical bodies as they do now, Jesus would be unable to touch them. So, it is possible Jesus may touch people, there is just nothing in the Bible to indicate such.
What is the Bride of Christ?
The church is the bride of Christ. In Ephesians 5:22-33 there is a description comparing Christ and His church to that of the husband and the wife. Three other passages of scripture that establish this relationship of the church as being the bride of Christ are Rom. 7:4; 2 Corinthians 11:2 and Revelation 21:9.Was Jesus a vegetarian? Is it a sin to eat any kind of beef chicken, fish, etc.
We have no record from the Gospels, or anywhere else in the New Testament, that Jesus was a vegetarian. Being a Jew there would have been certain kinds of meat that He could not have eaten, but there was no ban on meat altogether. If Jesus were a vegetarian He would have violated His own principles at least three times.
The first would have been on the occasion of the feeding of the 5,000, Matthew 14:15-21. Here the people were fed fish and bread. The second would have been when the 4,000 were fed, Matthew 15:32-38. Again the people were fed fish and bread. The third occasion took place after Jesus’ resurrection. Some of the disciples were fishing when Jesus called them to shore. When they arrived they found a fire with fish and bread cooking, John 21:1-12. It seems highly unlikely that Jesus would have allowed such if He were a vegetarian and thought that all people ought to be also.
In addition to these events in the Gospels, the apostle Paul warns of a time when "…some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils," 1 Timothy 4:1. When Paul lists these erroneous doctrines, he includes "…commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving," 1 Timothy 4:3-4. Naturally, since for the Christian the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, 1 Corinthians 6:19, one should not abuse the fact that there are no dietary restrictions.
The Veil of the tabernacle was between the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. What happened to this veil the instant that Jesus died, and what did this mean?
According to Matthew 27:51 the veil of the temple was rent in two from top
to bottom. This accrued at the death of Christ. This signified the breaking down of the
partition wall between Jew and Gentile, and the opening of the way for all men into the
innermost recesses of the true temple, which is the church of God. It also showed the
desertion of the temple by Jehovah
and the end of the Jewish covenant.
Does God really exist today and if so, how can I prove that he is real?
Absolutely God does exist today.
One must convince himself that God is real.
Imagine that you are on a jury. Your job is to determine the guilt of the charged party. You listen to the evidence for hours upon hours. Evidence is presented that will prove a point. You carefully weigh and discuss that evidence. You ask yourself: "Am I convinced by this evidence?" You answer that question in your own mind. Then you deliver your verdict – a verdict based on evidence.
An individual seeking to prove that God is real must be convinced of that fact.
Let me offer several questions that when answered, I believe, point to the existence of God:
The answers to these and other questions make it impossible for me to believe that this beautiful world came about by accident. Many scientists speak of the "Big Bang" theory? Well, what caused the "big bang"? What was the one cause that started everything? Many scientists speak of the theory of evolution. Are we simply smart monkeys? Why aren't we still evolving? Why aren't monkeys still evolving? Where did we pick up a sense of morals?
An individual has to have faith in something. In my mind there are many more holes in the "Big Bang" theory and the theory of Evolution than there is in the concept of an intelligent, wise, and benevolent creator who planned this universe down to the last detail and endowed us with intelligence and decency. Every individual has to decide for himself.
You are the juror. Weigh the evidence. Decide for yourself. Deliver your verdict.
Are Jesus and God the same person
The scriptures teach that there is one God composed of three equal but distinct personalities which can be viewed as having the same attributes and the same purpose but sometimes functioning separately.
Because God is called "one" (Deut. 6:4) does not mean there cannot be two personalities. The Hebrew word translated "one" is "echod" which can mean a composite unity as in Gen. 2:24 where two people are called "one".
The Godhead is composed of three equal, unified, but separate personalities- Acts 17:29; Col. 2:9; Matt. 3:16, 17; 28:8; Jude 20:21; 1 John 4:12-15; 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Cor. 13:14; Rom. 8:9, 10.
Jesus said, "That all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honoreth not the Son honoreth not the Father which hath sent him." (John 5:23.)
Does God really answer prayers?
God really does answer prayers. "And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him." (1 John 5:14-15.)
God answers every prayer his faithful children pray. We need to remember that answer is always for our good. Sometimes the answer may be "No" or he may withhold a specific request to give us a greater one. God is the only proper judge of our needs.