“JESUS CHRIST - A MAN APPROVED OF GOD (Acts 2:22)”
Miracle #32-
“JESUS CHRIST - A
MAN APPROVED OF GOD (Acts 2:22)”
Miracle #32-
Dear Reader, there are many wonderful lessons from
this miracle, and the following are only a few:
1. LAZARUS AND JESUS HAVE THINGS IN COMMON
a. Both are to be put to death (Matthew 26:59; John
12:10)
b. Both have face napkins (John 11:44; John 20:7)
c. Lazarus’ resurrection delayed four days,
Christ’s three days … signifying actual death.
d. Both resurrections involved unbelief by
onlookers
e. ‘Decomposition’ of the body in both cases, could
not stop resurrection.
f. Both resurrections could not convince the
ungodly
g. Both are a picture of the rapture … Christ calls
forth the dead-dead from the grave and the alive-dead in Christ
2. DELAYS ARE NOT DENIALS
Bethany was Christ’s home, with his best friends
and ‘family’, but he allowed them to wait. Why? For a greater
blessing. Many people have a physical handicap … Fanny Crosby the hymn
writer for example … that others,
thousands, may be blessed.
As Christ said “I am glad … I was not there” (John
11:15) that he could fully show his Almighty power. If Christ had been present
after two days, onlookers might have thought Lazarus might not have been
‘really really really’ dead … and Christ was doing half a miracle on a two day
corpse rather than a four day corpse.
3. KNOWLEDGE DOES NOT EQUAL BELIEF
As Mary was the student at Jesus’ feet (Luke 10:39),
and Martha being in the ‘kitchen’, it would be expected that Mary’s ‘Bible
classes’ with Christ, indeed her knowledge of his ways, would see her with a
stronger faith and belief in Christ, than Martha with her unbelief (John 11:21)
… but this was not so even for Mary (John 11: 32).
And so Jesus wept at the unbelief of both …
the educated and the non-educated.
There are many Professors and Doctors today, having
spent much time gathering knowledge of the Bible, who when put to the test,
would also cause Jesus to weep as to their lack of faith (John 11:35).
4. RESURRECTION AND LIFE
Christ’s miracle raising Lazarus from the dead, was
to show, not only that Lazarus would rise from the dead at the last day,
as misunderstood by Martha (John 11:24), but Christ being in the present,
indeed, said “I am (present tense) the resurrection and the life (John
11:25).
5. THE STONE OF UNBELIEF
If Martha had her way, she would not have had the
stone moved (John 11:39) because she thought it was too late … despite what
Christ had already told her.
Dear Reader, sometimes we think it is impossible
for the Lord to act … for certain people to be saved, as they are too far gone
… as they are ‘four days and stinketh’ … too far gone.
It’s as if there is a stone of unbelief in
most of us … that we hope but don’t believe that Christ can do this or
that. But nothing is too hard for the Lord … amen?
6. NAPKIN AROUND FACE
There are two instances of resurrected men in the
Bible, buried with napkins around their face … Lazarus and Christ’s garments in
the tomb …. here with Lazarus (John 11:44) and Christ (John 20:7).
Egyptian mummies are wrapped from head to toe with no
separation at the neck … for them dead is dead is dead … and are permanently
sealed in death.
But this is not so with Christ, Lazarus and the
saints.
Even Jonah only had weeds wrapped around his head
(Jonah 2:5). Jonah would be resurrected.
Dear Reader, if you are a Christian, you will have
‘two garments’ as well to signify that you will be resurrected as well.
7. VARIOUS STAGES OF DECOMPOSITION
Of the various miracles of Christ raising people from
the dead, they have all been at various stages of decomposition …
Jairus’ daughter (Mark 5:22); the widow’s son (Luke 7:12) … but this has not
hindered Christ in any way.
To Christ, all are just dead. Of course, the dead
in Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:16) will rise having been thousands of years
rotting in the grave.
8. MIRACLES DO NOT CONVINCE THE UNGODLY
The priests had no excuse for their murderous
purposes.
Furthermore, they could not argue against the
miracle, but instead of leading them to believe in the Lord, it only hardened
their hearts.
As with the rich man in hell, there was also a
beggar called Lazarus (Luke 16:20). The rich man asked Abraham to let Lazarus
go to his five brothers, but Abraham said that would not convince them (Luke
16:31).
As with the beggar Lazarus, so it was with this
Lazarus, that his resurrection did not convince the hardhearted.
9. GRAVECLOTHES AROUND THEIR FACE
Many still have graveclothes around their face and
mouths (John 11:44) even though they have been saved. Why? They have never
openly prayed at a prayer meeting, spoken to anyone about Christ or prayed with
others.
10. THE SHROUD OF TURIN
This has been proven to be a fake … being one
piece of cloth. As we have seen there were two pieces of garments both for
Lazarus and Christ … one for the body and one for the face (John 11:44; John 20:7). Unlike a ‘one piece’ there were two pieces signifying a resurrection to
come.
11. JESUS AND LAZARUS TO BE PUT TO DEATH
Both Lazarus and Christ were targets to be put to
death (Matthew 26:59; John 12:10) … but they could not be silenced.
It’s ‘funny’ Dear Reader, that the world thinks it
can silence the truth … and teach little kids about non-binary people,
transgenderism and so on, by passing laws and putting people in jail and so on.
Might will never be right until Jesus
arrives at Armageddon
(Revelation 19) … when his might will be right.
12. A PICTURE OF THE RAPTURE
Just as Christ calls out Lazarus out of the grave,
so Christ at the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:16) will be calling dead Christians
out of their graves … as well as the alive dead in Christ.
Harley
Hitchcock
May 2023
www.
AustralianBibleMinistries
.com
“JESUS CHRIST - A
MAN APPROVED OF GOD (Acts 2:22)”
Miracle #33-
