Craig

Any belief system that is devoid of Biblical truth leads to destruction. Jesus said in John 17:17 that God the Father's Word is truth. If God's Word is truth then every other belief system is empty and false. God's truth as expressed through Biblical writers is about human reconcilation with Him. It is about salvation from eternal separation from God. It's about eternal life through His only begotten Son, Jesus the Christ. Jesus said "I am the way, the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father but through me." John 14:6 Biblical truth is about completeness, wholeness, connection, and eternal salvation in Jesus the Christ. Where is this taught in any other belief system. It is not. I accepted Jesus the Christ as my savior and was baptized when I was eight years old. I grow up in a Christian home. In fact my father was a pastor. However, as a teenager I explored various belief religious and political believe systems. As I explored, a thought keep popping up in my mind, do you really believe this stuff, will you stake your eternal destiny in it? I found in own exploration of ideas that what made sense to me about life and creation and living and purpose was clearly found in the Bible. I eventually made Jesus my Lord as well as Savior. Today I am a Pastor. In my opinion, the world is a pretty shallow place.

The Father and Son are One and are worthy to be praised.

The lamb has carried out the will of God the Father and overcame death and sin. Jesus Christ is the Lamb who is spotless, sinless, and blameless. Jesus, the Lamb, is only worthy.

The lamb itself represents Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who will take away the sins of the world. Standing after being slain indicates Jesus Christ's victory over death, sin, and Satan. Horns represent power -- seven horns represents perfect power over all things. Eyes represent -- seven eyes represents perfect sight regarding all things. The number seven carries the idea of perfection and perfection is El Shaddai. The Lamb has the qualities of being God.

The Messiah - Jesus Christ - would be of the house of David. He would sit upon the throne of David. There is plenty of scripture to support this. In the Davidic Covenant God told David that his ancestors would sit on his throne forever. Forever equals the Messiah Jesus Christ.

If I claim that Jesus Christ is my savior and accept the great price He paid on the cross for the atonement of my sin, Jesus must also be my Lord. In accepting Christ, I belong to Him if I was sincere. I am not my own. Everything I do should be based on Godly standards -- is how I am living my life or what I am doing honoring God and reflecting His holiness. Am I living out my Christianity and honoring Jesus Christ.

The theme of the Passover celebration meal is the redemption from bondage and slavery of the Israelites in Egypt. The theme of the Lord's Memorial Supper is the redemption of the human race from sin and death by Jesus Christ's sacrifice on the cross for the atonement of human sin. The Lord's Supper uses only the bread and wine in remembering Jesus' broken body and shed blood.

Jesus said that He was "the way, the truth, and the life ..." and "you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free." When I got saved or released from slavery to sin, I became a new creature in Christ. My freedom is perserved by the convicting power of the Holy Spirit. Conviction to live righteously and to apply Biblical principles to my life. Conviction to stay away from sinful behavior. The Holy Spirit gives us confidence to live the Christian life.

Human beings are the slaves in the slave-ransom analogy and we are slaves to sin. Sin brought into this world and introduced to the human race by Satan and those fallen angels that joined him in his rebellion against God. Sin that has crept into and became a driving force in human nature. Sin that blinds humanity from seeking God Almighty, the Most High God -- Creator of the Heavens and Earth. The ransom paid by the blood of Jesus Christ was a ransom paid to God and with it He gave power to individual human beings who accept Jesus' sacrifice to break the slavery to a sinful world system under the rule of Satan. With acceptance of Jesus Christ and repentance comes the Holy spirit of God into our life. With the Holy Spirit comes illumination. The blinders are taken off and we can begin to relate to God and those spiritual values He has set forth in the Bible. We become sensitive to the guidance and conviction of the Holy Spirit in our life. The slave-ransom analogy isn't spelled out competely in the New Testament because God doesn't pay any ransom to Satan. It's about freedom.