Luke 24:13-35 gives us details about Jesus appearing to two disciples on the road to Emmaus and how, once they were in the village and eating supper together, He revealed Himself to them. These disciples were kept from recognizing Him while on the road conversing, but when they broke bread together their eyes were opened and they recognized Him as Christ. He then disappears from them and they returned at once to Jerusalem, sharing with the other disciples what they had experienced while in the Presence of Christ. Then Jesus appears to all of them in Jerusalem; assuring them that it is He, the Christ, by showing them the scars in His hands and feet.
In the conversation on the road, before they arrived at Emmaus and before they broke bread together, Jesus said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” Then, beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
As they were breaking bread together, their eyes were opened and they understood who He really was: not a stranger to Jerusalem, but the very Lord and Christ that they had seen crucified on a Roman cross. After He disappeared from their sight, and before they left to tell the disciples in Jerusalem, “They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
Five steps were involved in knowing Him as the Christ:
1- The contact with Christ.
2- The explanation of Scriptures from the Old Testament referred to as Moses and the Prophets.
3- A burning in their spirits or hearts as the Scriptures were expounded to them.
4- Their spiritual understanding was opened as they fellowshipped with Christ over bread, and they understood who He was by understanding what was written about Him in the Law and Prophets.
5- Then they were able to tell the other disciples what they understood with conviction.
They went from disbelief and skepticism to a personal encounter; resulting in faith, spiritual understanding and a personal testimony with passion.
Think of our society today. Christ is understood to be a great teacher, but not the only way to the Father; so there is no contact with Him as the Father manifested to man, nor as a personal Savior. The Scriptures are nothing but a book of myths, so there is no burning in the heart as faith is birthed by His Word. There is no breaking of bread with God; and no spiritual understanding of their true teachings about God seeking a loving relationship with man, woman and child through the sacrifice of His Son. Instead, God gets blamed for all the evil suffering in the world or denied all together. Lastly, there is no passionate sharing with others about what we understand, because we lack certainty about what we believe regarding eternity. We have adopted a mindset that all paths lead to the same end: eternal bliss without judgement for our sins.
The void is filled with the tares of the enemy and his Antichrist teachings. Today’s news, talk shows, movies, and music promote teachings from the New Age, and the Occult. Atheists and Homosexuals demand to be catered to in the name of tolerance and love. Unlawful and perverted sexual unions permeate our society. Violence and lawlessness abounds in the streets of our cities; and men, women and children suffer horrible atrocities at the hands of world leaders as they abuse their power. Even America is not immune to inhumane treatment and killing of innocents by use of force and drones.
However, that same love and tolerance which is demanded by others, is not extended to Christians who believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to be saved. Instead, we find that Christians are being persecuted around the world in greater degree and numbers each passing year, and in our own country we are labeled as zealots and fanatics, non-conformists and a threat to global peace. But Jesus didn’t promise peace; He promised tribulation in this world. Only when He returns as the Prince of Peace, at the end of time, will He rid the earth of all evil that offends His Father.
Non-believers spend their time searching and twisting the Scriptures to be able to teach another Christ and another Gospel. They are busy justifying their immoral behavior, trying to silence their conscience and to convince themselves that they will not have to be judged for their sins by their Maker. But Jesus said in John 5:39, “You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me!” Paul says in Hebrews 9:27, “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,”
“Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me” (Psalm 40:7).
“The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Revelation 19:10).
“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill,” (Matt. 5:17).
When Jesus rebuked the devil, He said, “It is written.” He further stated, “the Scripture cannot be broken,” and “that you are mistaken, not knowing the Scripture, nor the Power of God.” (Matthew 4:4, John 10:35, Matthew 22:29)
Down through history, God foretold various signs and conditions through His prophets. These prophets spoke of things that mankind should watch for, so that the Messiah would be recognized and believed. These signs or prophecies were given to us in the Old Testament. The Old Testament is the part of the Bible written before Jesus was born. Its writings were completed in 450 B.C. Many of the prophecies about Jesus Christ were foretold hundreds and thousands of years before His birth.
The Old Testament was written over a 1000 year period of time, mainly in Hebrew, with portions in Aramaic, by 32 different authors; yet these authors do not contradict each other on any given subject discussed in any of these 39 books. You cannot duplicate that in any library today.
This is because God is the all-knowing one using human minds and hands. II Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.” II Peter 1:20, “Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.”
The Old Testament, written hundreds of years before Jesus’ birth, contains over 300 prophecies that Jesus fulfilled through His life, death and resurrection.
Mathematically speaking, the odds of anyone fulfilling this amount of prophecy are staggering. Mathematicians put it this way:
One person fulfilling eight prophecies: 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000.
One person fulfilling 48 prophecies: 1 chance in 10 to the 157th power.
One person fulfilling 300+ prophecies: The only one able to do so is Jesus Christ!
It is the magnificent detail of these prophecies that mark the Bible as the inspired Word of God. Only God could foreknow and accomplish all that was written about the Christ. This historical accuracy and reliability sets the Bible apart from any other book or record.
The New Testament was written after the death of Jesus Christ. Archaeologists have found thousands of manuscripts of the New Testament. Some of these pieces of manuscript are dated less than 100 years after the original letters were written. In terms of historical reliability, the Bible is superior to any other ancient writings, including Homer, Plato and Aristotle.
It is time to seek not just the writings, for the purpose of making them say what we need to hear; but to seek the writer of the writings, allowing Him to open our spiritual eyes to His Truth. His Word is Truth. (John 17:17)
Only a personal encounter with Jesus Christ will bring us into contact with His Divine Light of Truth and cause our hearts to burn and yearn for more of Him. Only by humbling ourselves and spending time in prayer and breaking of His Word in daily readings, will our spiritual eyes be opened to understand the vastness of His Wisdom and love toward us.
Only then will we be able to stand in the face of opposition and cry with conviction as Paul:
“But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets:” (Acts 24:14)
The wheat and tares are allowed to grow together until the harvest, which is coming at the end of this age. At this time, Jesus commands His angels to separate the wheat from the tares. We have the choice to wait for Him to make the separation and stand before Him in shame and embarrassment, or we ourselves can make that choice today by repenting of our sins and rebellion, while acknowledging Him as our Lord and Savior. Then we will be able to stand before Him in joy and peace, with honor as a Child of the Father.
Just five steps to knowing Christ as Truth. Are you willing to humble yourself, that He may exalt you as a son or daughter of His Father?