Posted: Fri Mar 27, 2009 1:57 am Post subject: Did Jesus raised Himself up?
[/quote]John 2:19-22 (New International Version)
19Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days."
20The Jews replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?" 21But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 22After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.[/quote]
That is a pretty good question. Yet the scripture tells us what Jesus was talking about. It mentions that he was talking about the temple of his "body". But what does the scriptures say is his "body"? Is it not his "anointed" underpriests, the Christian congregation? See, according to the scriptures, Jesus was the "foundation cornerstone" of YHWH's spiritual temple. But the spiritual temple was actually made up of more than the foundation cornerstone... there were many other stones involved to form the "whole temple". For the scriptures speak of the Christian congregation as both being the "temple" and "Christ's body".
Let's take a look:
Congregation as the "spiritual temple":
Quote:
"Certainly, therefore, YOU are no longer strangers and alien residents, but YOU are fellow citizens of the holy ones and are members of the household of God, and YOU have been built up upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, while Christ Jesus himself is the foundation cornerstone. IN union with him the whole building, being harmoniously joined together, is growing into a holy temple for Jehovah. In union with him YOU, too, are being built up together into a place for God to inhabit by spirit." -Eph 2:19-22
Congregation as the "body of Christ":
Quote:
"so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others." - Romans 12:5 NIV
also
Quote:
For just as the body is one but has many members, and all the members of that body, although being many, are one body, so also is the Christ. 13 For truly by one spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink one spirit.
14 For the body, indeed, is not one member, but many. 15 If the foot should say: “Because I am not a hand, I am no part of the body,” it is not for this reason no part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say: “Because I am not an eye, I am no part of the body,” it is not for this reason no part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the [sense of] hearing be? If it were all hearing, where would the smelling be? 18 But now God has set the members in the body, each one of them, just as he pleased.
19 If they were all one member, where would the body be? 20 But now they are many members, yet one body. - 1 Cor 12:12-20
So as you can see, the bible speaks about "the congregation" as being the "spiritual temple" and also being the "body of Christ". See, Jesus himself was not the whole temple... he is the foundation cornerstone. Yet, other "stones" are built up upon the foundation cornerstone to form the "whole" temple.
See, when Jesus was killed, it was YHWH his Father that resurrected him. Yet, before Jesus ascended to heaven, he told his disciples that he was given "all authority on heaven and on earth"(Matt 28:1. As a matter of fact, when we look in the book of Revelation, we see that Jesus is even given the keys to death and hades. Therefore, he was given this authority by his Father, YHWH. (Rev 1:1 Why was he given this authority? Because he did the will of his Father. He tasted death and became dead to redeem mankind from their forsaken state. For doing this, he was exalted by his Father, and given all authority in heaven and on earth. This is why he says in Rev 1:18 "I became dead, but, look! I am living forever and ever, and I have the keys of death and of Ha´des." So this scripture bears witness of the fact that Jesus was actually dead. When you're actually dead, there is NO life. Therefore, he had to be resurrected by YHWH his father. He could not raise himself up. Yet, since he was given the keys to death and hades, who is it that he could now raise up? That's right... his congregation. For it is to Jesus that we must go to gain everlasting life. (John 14:6)
So what Jesus was saying in that scripture above was actually a prophecy that would happen to his congregation at a FUTURE time. They were the "temple" he was speaking about that would be thrown down and that "HE" would raise. They were his "body" that would be killed, and that "HE" would raise up in 3 days. Where is this prophecy also found? In the book of Revelation, where it talks about the "two witnesses" who are killed and then raised up. For we read:
Quote:
And when they have finished their witnessing, the wild beast that ascends out of the abyss will make war with them and conquer them and kill them. 8 And their corpses will be on the broad way of the great city which is in a spiritual sense called Sod´om and Egypt, where their Lord was also impaled. 9 And those of the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will look at their corpses for three and a half days, and they do not let their corpses be laid in a tomb. 10 And those dwelling on the earth rejoice over them and enjoy themselves, and they will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those dwelling on the earth.
11 And after the three and a half days spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet, and great fear fell upon those beholding them. - Rev 11:7-11
YHWH himself handed Jesus the keys to death and hades. Therefore, he will be using those keys that are from his Father YHWH, and using them to raise up those who are of the "spiritual temple" who are killed. Remember, these ones too are baptized into Christ's death, and will experience a death similar to his. Yet, since he already holds the keys to death and hades that were given to him by his Father, he is able to also raise those ones up in his own likeness. Yet, since that "spirit of life" actually came from YHWH his father, that is why the scripture says that "spirit of life from God entered into them".
Why did the disciples "believe" after Jesus was raised from the dead? Because they realized that since YHWH had raised Jesus from the dead and had given him ALL authority in heaven and on earth (Matt 28:1, this also meant that YHWH had given him all authority even over death and hades. Therefore he now possessed the power and authority to raise them up also.
I hope this explanation is sufficient for you. There is many more things to say about it... but I've tried to keep it as straight to the point as I could.
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. As a matter of fact, when we look in the book of Revelation, we see that Jesus is even given the keys to death and hades. Therefore, he was given this authority by his Father, YHWH. (Rev 1:1
