How Could They Miss Messiah? How Could We Miss Messiah? Studies of Messianic Prophecies in the Book of Isaiah
One of the most thrilling experiences of my life occurred a brief time before I re-surrendered to the ministry. My wife and I had the distinct opportunity to view the Dead Sea Scrolls when they came to the Discovery Institute of Charlotte, North Carolina. It was absolutely phenomenal to examine these fragments and scrolls written two centuries before Jesus Christ was born! Most of what Evangelical Christians call the Old Testament (some call it the Hebrew Bible) were found written of the scrolls found at the Qumran caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. The only book not found was the small book of Esther.
Along with the books of the Old Testament were found scrolls of Enoch and other great apocalyptic works. 1 Enoch is one of my favorite apocalyptic books. There is even a reference to 1 Enoch in the New Testament book of Jude, written by Jesus’ brother. 1 Enoch reads a lot like Dante’s “Divine Comedy” where Dante shows levels of heaven and hell.
An enormous amount of lessons have been learned through the Dead Sea Scrolls. Some liberal scholars felt as if David could not be the author of the Psalms attributed to him. However, the Dead Sea Scrolls showed the opposite to be true. David’s name was listed on these ancient scrolls attributing him to the Psalms ascribed to him.
Another great lesson that has been obtained from the scrolls is the fact that the Hebrew Bible that we have now has been preserved with great accuracy. There is 95% accuracy rate between the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Hebrew Bible (or Old Testament) that we have now. The only discrepancies deal more with word placement and/or punctuation. For instance, you could say, “I am going to the store” or “to the store I go.” The speaker is essentially saying the same thing but slightly rearranged the words.
This accuracy includes the great prophecies written about the Messiah. Deep in the confines of Isaiah are pertinent and powerful prophecies concerning the Messiah. Now with certain evidence that these prophecies were written well before the birth of Jesus, we are posed with a question, “how did people miss the Messiah”. How is it that people missed Messiah when the prophecies are, in many cases, clear and concise? An even more troubling question is this, how is it that people miss the Messiah today? With the advent of Gutenberg’s printing press, every one of us can benefit from possessing a copy of the Bible. Yet even still, there are many who miss the Messiah. How is this possible?
We will be examining the prophecies pertaining to the Messiah in a special Christmas series at Friendship Baptist Church. We will be posting some of the information we discover here on this website.
God bless and remember that Jesus is the reason for the CHRISTmas season,
Pastor Brian Chilton
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6 Major Worldviews
On “Redeeming Truth” at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/pastorbrianchilton, I recently aired a show titled the “6 Major Worldviews.” We discussed the 6 major worldviews that exist in the world today. They are the following: atheism, agnosticism, pantheism, panentheism, deism, and theism. In case you missed the show, here is a brief description of the six worldviews. You do not have to learn every religion and philosophy. If you learn these six major worldviews, you will go a long way in understanding where a person comes from in their belief system.
1. Atheism
Atheism comes from two Greek terms: “theos” which means “God,” and “a” which is a negation. Therefore, “a” “theos” literally means “no God.” This is the worldview held by those who claim that they absolutely deny God’s existence. Naturalists, who hold that the physical universe is all that exists, and secular humanists, who believe that man is the measure of all things, are two such groups that comprise the atheist worldview. Although atheism makes up a very low percentage of the world’s population, militant atheists (or anti-theists, those who oppose belief in God) are the loudest. Atheism can be discounted if there is any chance that God could exist. If there is only a one percent chance that God could exist, then atheism becomes futile.
2. Agnosticism
Agnosticism also comes from two Greek words: “a” a negation, and “gnosis” which means “knowledge.” Therefore, the agnostic is one who claims to have “no knowledge of God’s existence.” It is claimed that Siddhartha Gautama, better known as the Buddha, was an agnostic, however this is debatable. In my opinion, agnosticism is more honest than atheism. Most who claim to be atheists are actually agnostics at heart. Some agnostics come to the point that they give up searching for God, or claim that God’s existence is beyond the scope of human knowledgeably.
3. Pantheism
Pantheism can be difficult for many Westerners to understand because it is rooted in Eastern tradition. Buddhism in its’ purest form can be accepted as pantheistic thought. Pantheists believe that God is in the universe. Pantheists would see God as being restrained by the universal laws. Some would see the universe and God as being the one and the same. For this reason, the ultimate in Buddhist thought is that of Nirvana. Nirvana is an escape. It is when one becomes one with the universe.
4. Panentheism
Panentheism is a little different than pantheism. Instead of believing that the universe is God, or God is in the universe, panentheists believe that the universe and everything in it is in God. This would mean that you are God and I am God. The rocks in your backyard are God. The birds flying in the air are God. The mosquito that bites you is God. In essence, everything is God. Panentheists make God more personal than their pantheist counterparts.
5. Deism
Deists believe in God’s existence and believe that God is separate from the universe. However, deists do not see God as personal in any way. Deists believe that God designed the universe and all of its’ laws, but does not interact with creation. Therefore, the deist would not believe in personal revelation, miracles, and some would not believe in an afterlife. Some famous deists are: Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and perhaps Albert Einstein.
6. Theism
This brings us to the sixth and final worldview: theism. Theism comes from the root Greek term “Theos” which means “God.” Theists believe that God exists, that God created everything, that God is separate from the universe, and that God is personal with the universe and human beings. Theists would have no problem believing in personal revelation, miracles, and an afterlife. Classical Christians, Muslims, and Jews are theists. When we show the design found in the universe and the necessity of God’s existence, we do not necessarily prove Christianity, unless we show Christ to be savior.
Conclusion:
Not every worldview can be correct. If God exists, then the atheist and agnostic can not be correct. If God is personal, the Deist could not be correct. If God is separate from the universe, then the pantheist and panentheist cannot be correct. It is not nice in popular society to claim that not all religions are true, but at the end of the day, we have to ask ourselves if it is true. Study these worldveiws closely. This will help you understand bias in society. It will also go a long way in helping you understand why some act the way they do. Undeniably, I believe that the evidence seems to favor a theistic worldview.
God bless,
Pastor Brian Chilton
Welcome
Greetings everyone and welcome to my new website. My name is Pastor Brian Chilton. I have been in the ministry since I was around 16 years old. I did have a time where I left the ministry due to unresolved doubts. God answered those doubts and has since given me a great desire for Christian theology, philosophy, and apologetics. This website will host shows from our online radio show “Redeeming Truth” found at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/pastorbrianchilton, articles, and essays on Christian apologetics. We hope you enjoy this website.
God bless,
Pastor Brian Chilton
Dr. Brian Chilton 