The Religion of the Bible

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(No Transcript)
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The Religion of the Bible

• Southampton University
• Joint Meeting
• Islamic Society and Biblical Unitarian Society
• 22nd October 2008

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The Bible brings us Gods Revelation about....

• God himself

• Jesus Christ and the Prophets

• The Mission (or Message) for us

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The Authority behind the Bible
The Bible comprises 66 books, written by over 30
people, over a timespan of some 1,500 years.
There are historical records, biographies,
revelatory poetry, proverbs and letters.
It is the revealed word, wisdom and purpose from
God himself-
Men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.
(2 Peter 117 RSV)
All scripture is given by inspiration of God,
and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for
correction, for instruction in righteousness
(2 Timothy. 316)
This is the true Bible mission
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Concepts not substantiated by Bible teaching
Concepts sourced from pagan cultures, e.g.,
Greek, Egyptian, Assyrian

• Immortality of the Soul.

• An Evil One such as the Devil, Satan or Fallen
  Angel.

Concepts developed subsequently to Bible
revelation-

• A co-existent, co-equal, co-eternal Trinity.

These do not have Bible authority and will lead
away from the vital mission of the Bible.
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About God
The Creator of all things
In the beginning God created the heaven and the
earth (Genesis 11)
Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the
heavens, and stretched them out he that spread
forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it
he that giveth breath unto the people upon it,
and spirit to them that walk therein (Isaiah
425)
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About God
The Creator with Purpose
For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge
of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the
sea. (Hab.214)
And the LORD shall be king over all the earth in
that day shall there be one LORD, and his name
one. (Zech. 149)
For thus saith the LORD that created the
heavens God himself that formed the earth and
made it he hath established it, he created it
not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited I am
the LORD and there is none else. (Isaiah 4518)
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About God
God is a Spirit and they that worship him must
worship him in spirit and in truth. (John 424)
His Holy Spirit is his power-
Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are
created (Psalm 10430)
God anointed (Messiah) Jesus of Nazareth with
the Holy Spirit and with power. (Acts 1038
RSV). A gift he was given, not a person.
His ultimate purpose for his Kingdom Behold,
the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will
dwell with them, and they shall be his people,
and God himself shall be with them, and be their
God. (Rev. 213)
He spoke this message through angels, prophets
and his Son.
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About God
God exists in a timeless fashion (no beginning,
no end)-
Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever
thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even
from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.
(Psalm 902)
But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing,
that one day is with the Lord as a thousand
years, and a thousand years as one day. (2
Peter 38)
There should be time no longer (Revelation
106)
Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light
which no man can approach unto. (1 Timothy 616)
His intention is to share this immortality with
his children.
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Characteristics of God
Hear, O Israel The LORD our God, the LORD is
one. (Deuteronomy 64 NIV)
I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is
no God beside me. (Isaiah 455)
For there is one God, and one mediator between
God and men, the man Christ Jesus. (1 Timothy
25)
These are written, that ye might believe that
Jesus is the Christ (Messiah), the Son of God
and that believing ye might have life through his
name. (John 2031)
In Bible times, the entities of God and the
Messiah (Christ) were understood to be quite
separate contrary to the Trinity concept of the
4th Century AD.
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Characteristics of God
His righteousness (right ways) he cannot
tolerate unrighteousness or sin.
For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness his
countenance doth behold the upright. (Psalm
117)
The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy
in all his works. (Psalm 14517)
Thy righteousness is an everlasting
righteousness, and thy law is the truth. (Psalm
119142)
For all that do such things, and all that do
unrighteously, are an abomination unto the LORD
thy God. (Deut. 2516)
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven
against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of
men. (Romans 118)
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About God
God is love. (1 John 48,16)
I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness,
judgment, and righteousness, in the earth for in
these things I delight. (Jeremiah 924)
He retaineth not his anger for ever, because he
delighteth in mercy. (Micah 718)
This is love not that we loved God, but that he
loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice
for our sins. (1 John 410 NIV)
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About Man
Man has separated himself from God and everyone
needs to be brought back to God.
Your iniquities have separated between you and
your God, and your sins have hid his face from
you. (Isaiah 592)
They are all under sin As it is written, There
is none righteous, no, not one. (Rom. 39-10)
For the wages of sin is death. (Rom. 623)
The soul that sinneth, it shall die. (Ezekiel
1820)
His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his
earth in that very day his thoughts perish.
(Psalm 1464) no ongoing immortal soul, no
hell-fire.
God has made a way for anyone to escape the
consequences of sin and death through Jesus
Christ.
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About Jesus Christ
He is the Son of God (never in Scripture as God
the Son)

• Appointed by him (God) who said to him, Thou
  art my Son, today I have begotten thee. (Heb.
  55 RSV)

Similarly to Adams creation by spirit in Eden,
he was created by action of the Holy Spirit (not
by marriage)

• The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the
  power of the Most High will overshadow you
  therefore the child to be born will be called
  holy, the Son of God. (Luke 135 RSV)

His purpose is to be a Saviour He shall save
his people from their sins. (Matthew 121)
The importance of Jesus can be seen from the
number of prophecies in the Old Testament which
foretold of him.
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Old Testament Bible Prophecy
Fulfilled in New Testament times
Examples from more than 50 prophecies of Christ
Descent from David 2 Sam.7.12f Luke 127f Born
in Bethlehem Micah 52 Luke 24f Born of a
virgin Isaiah 72 Luke 127 Death with
criminals Isaiah 532 Matt.2738 Crucifixion
(not stoning) Psalm 22 4 Gospels Raised from
the dead Psalm 1610 Acts 231
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Jesus Work to redeem Man
Gods justice demanded that every sinner should
die.
His mercy provided a way of forgiveness of sins.
In the Old Testament, sacrifice of a pure animal
would be accepted as a sin offering- The
priest shall make an atonement before the Lord
... And he shall be forgiven. (Numbers 1538)
It was prophesied in the Old Testament that this
would be the Messiahs work- When thou shalt
make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see
his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the
pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
He shall see of the travail of his soul, and
shall be satisfied by his knowledge shall my
righteous servant justify many for he shall bear
their iniquities. (Isaiah 5310-11)
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Jesus Work to redeem Man
But as it is, he has appeared once for all at
the end of the age to put away sin by the
sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed
to men to die once, and after that comes
judgment, so Christ (Messiah) having been offered
once to bear the sin of many, will appear a
second time, not to deal with sin but to save
those who are eagerly waiting for him. (Hebrews
926-28 RSV)
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just
to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from
all unrighteousness. (1 John 19)
But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is
made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and
sanctification, and redemption (1 Cor. 130)
For as by one man's disobedience many were made
sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be
made righteous. (Rom. 519)
For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness,
and their sins and their iniquities will I
remember no more. (Hebrews 812)
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Jesus Work to redeem Man
Every man must acknowledge responsibility for his
own sin there is no external tempter- Every
man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own
lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived,
it bringeth forth sin and sin, when it is
finished, bringeth forth death. (James 114-15)
In the Bible, the Devil is figurative of the
power of sin- Through death he might destroy
him that had the power of death, that is, the
devil And deliver them who through fear of death
were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
(Hebrews 214-15)
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Jesus was raised from the dead to immortality
And though they found no cause for death in him,
they asked Pilate that he Jesus should be put
to death. But God raised him from the dead. He
was seen for many days by those who came up with
him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his
witnesses to the people. (Acts1328,30,31 NKJV)
For I delivered unto you first of all that which
I also received, how that Christ died for our
sins according to the scriptures And that he was
buried, and that he rose again the third day
according to the scriptures And that he was seen
of Cephas, then of the twelve After that, he was
seen of above five hundred brethren at once.
(1 Corinthians 153-6)
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Believers will be raised likewise
Resurrection from the Dead And this is the will
of him that sent me, that every one which seeth
the Son, and believeth on him, may have
everlasting life and I will raise him up at the
last day. (John 640)
For since by man came death, by man came also
the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all
die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
But every man in his own order Christ the
firstfruits afterward they that are Christ's at
his coming. (1 Corinthians 1520-22)
Judgment For we must all appear before the
judgment seat of Christ that every one may
receive the things done in his body, according to
that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. (2
Corinthians. 510)
For the faithful Come, ye blessed of my Father,
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation of the world. (Matthew 2534)
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GODS UNCHANGING PURPOSE
For God so loved the world, that he gave his
only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in
him should not perish, but have everlasting
life. (John 316)
And this is the promise that he hath promised
us, even eternal life. (1 John 225)
Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me,
and I will give to everyone according to what he
has done. (Rev. 2212 NIV)
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The Kingdom of God on Earth
The song of the faithful redeemed to
Christ- For thou wast slain, and hast redeemed
us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and
tongue, and people, and nation And hast made us
unto our God kings and priests and we shall
reign on the earth. (Revelation 59-10). Not in
heaven.
The Lord Jesus Christ returns to the earth as
King- This same Jesus, which is taken up from
you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as
ye have seen him go into heaven. (Acts
111) His feet shall stand in that day upon the
mount of Olives. (Zechariah 144)
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The Kingdom of God on Earth
A world-wide kingdom- In his days shall the
righteous flourish and abundance of peace so
long as the moon endureth. He shall have dominion
also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the
ends of the earth. Yea, all kings shall fall
down before him all nations shall serve him
(Psalm 727,8,11).
Jesus Prophetic Description
Jerusalem for it is the city of the great
King. (Matt. 535)
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The Kingdom of God on Earth
A test of Bible prophecy is its fulfilment in
todays world events.
Example Jesus disciples asked, What sign will
there be when these things shall come to pass?
(Luke 217)
Jesus Prophetic Reply
Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles,
until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
(Luke 2124)
For other signs, see The Promises of God in
BUSoc archive.
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GODS PROMISES TO ABRAHAM
I will make nations of thee, and kings shall
come out of thee. (Gen. 176)
Fulfilled both the Arab and the Jewish peoples
and their historic kings trace their descent back
to Abraham.
In thee shall all families of the earth be
blessed. (Genesis 122)
Fulfilled Jesus Christ, the son of David, the
son of Abraham. (Matthew. 11)
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The Work of the Messiah (Christ)
(1) Prophet (Past)
Foretold by Moses
The Lord your God will raise up for you a
prophet like me from among your own brothers.
You must listen to him. Deuteronomy 1815
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The Work of the Messiah (Christ)
(2) Priest (Present)
Foretold by Isaiah
By his knowledge my righteous servant will
justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.
Isaiah 5311
Confirmed in Hebrews
But this man, because he continueth ever, hath
an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore he is able
also to save them to the uttermost that come unto
God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make
intercession for them. (Hebrews 724-25)
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The Work of the Messiah (Christ)
(3) King (future)
Foretold by the Psalmist
I have installed my King on Zion, my holy
hill. I will proclaim the decree of the Lord
He said to me, You are my Son, today I have
become your Father. Ask of me, and I will make
the nations your inheritance, the ends of the
earth your possession. Psalm 27,8
Confirmed by the Apostle
Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he
will judge the world in righteousness by that man
whom he hath ordained whereof he hath given
assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised
him from the dead. (Acts 1731)
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The Prophets
The prophets are men. They spoke by the Holy
Spirit.
They are named in the Bible but Muhammad is not
mentioned. (The Bible was completed about AD100).
In John 14-16, the promised Comforter (Gk.
parakletos) is not a mis-translation of the Gk.
periklytos (praised one), the equivalent name
of Ahmed or Muhammad.
But the Comforter, even the Holy Spirit, whom
the Father will send in my name, he shall teach
you all things, and bring to your remembrance all
that I said unto you. (John 1426 RV)
The promise was to them at that time, and was
carried out at Pentecost. And they were all
filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak
with other tongues. (Acts 24 RV)
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The Prophets
The Bible indicates that no further revelation
will be given after the Lord Jesus Christ. There
are two main indicators-
Direct writing - God, who at sundry times and
in divers manners spake in time past unto the
fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days
spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed
heir of all things. (Heb. 11-2)
Parable of the Vineyard But last of all he sent
unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my
son. (Matthew 2137)
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The Bible Ethic of Living Today
Go into all the world and preach the good news to
all creation. (Mark 1615 NIV)
Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in
the hope that God will grant them repentance. (2
Timothy 25 NIV)
My kingdom is not of this world if my kingdom
were of this world, then would my servants fight,
that I should not be delivered to the Jews.
(John 1836)
Rom1218 If it be possible, as much as lieth
in you, live peaceably with all men. (Romans
1218)
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The Kingdom Age of the Future
Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look
for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth
righteousness. (2 Peter 313)
Then cometh the end, when he shall have
delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father
when he shall have put down all rule and all
authority and power. For he must reign, till he
hath put all enemies under his feet. The last
enemy that shall be destroyed is death. (1
Corinthians 1524-26)
And God shall wipe away all tears from their
eyes and there shall be no more death, neither
sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any
more pain for the former things are passed
away. (Revelation 214)
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MISSION SUMMARY
The substance of Gods Promises-

• Resurrection from the dead and eternal life

• The Kingdom of God on earth

• Choice to participate in these Promises

Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun
in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to
hear, let him hear. (Matthew 1343)
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Further Information
www.ukchristadelphians.com
Queries
southampton_at_ukchristdelphians.com
Copy slides available at http/www.soton.ac.uk/bu
soc/