John 18:6
William Branham stated that the spirit of God left Jesus at Gethsemane and, on the cross, Jesus died as a man (and not as the Son of God). ContentsWhat the Bible saysIn the Garden - John 18:6
When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they retreated and fell to the ground. What he actually said, in the Greek, were just 2 words - "I am" (ἐγώ εἰμί) Why did they fall to the ground? Because the "I AM" (God himself) was standing in front of them. When he revealed to them who He really was, just for even a moment, the force of the power that lay in Him knocked them to the ground. At his arrestAt the betrayal of Jesus by Judas, Luke tells of Jesus healing the servant of the high priest:
Jesus was still God when he restored the man's ear, thereby disproving William Branham's interpretation. Before the High Priest
When Jesus Christ left the Garden of Gethsemane, he was still the "I AM". When he was before the Priests, he was still the "I AM", the Son of the Blessed, and the Christ. And when He went to the cross, he was still God in flesh. On the cross - Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34There are two passages that could be used to say that God left Jesus on the cross:
But these passages do not convey that Jesus died on the cross as a man. They do not say that God turned his back on Jesus. Jesus had the ability in a few words to convey such deep thought that multiple books could be written on a single phrase. And Jesus' cry on the cross is one of these. This was not a cry of abandonment. Jesus was quoting Psalm 22:
Why was Jesus quoting Psalm 22? Psalm 22 ends in a proclamation of triumph, and since the Jews sometimes cited an opening line to represent an entire psalm, the cry is actually a cry of victory. In Psalm 22, the one who is afflicted moves from death to life, and the psalm concludes:
Jesus was proclaiming to those standing around the cross, his mother and his disciples, that his crucifixion signified not the end of hope for the one afflicted but the beginning of hope for the nations.[7] . Jesus was stating that although he was encircled by enemies who are imaged as strong bulls, roaring lions and dogs, God would triumphantly raise Jesus-the representative and true Israelite-from the dead and places his enemies under his feet.[8] Jesus was not crying that God had forsaken him, he was proclaiming that victory was imminent. Jesus did not die a sinnerJohn states:
And Peter tells us:
Jesus died as the blameless Lamb of God without blemish:
ConclusionWilliam Branham was wrong. Jesus was God in flesh. He was 100% man and 100% God. God did not leave him and he did not die alone as a man. He died for our sins as God made flesh. God did not pour out his wrath on Jesus. There is no scripture that conveys this. Jesus entered into death willingly to take the keys of sin and death. Jesus did not die as a sinner as William Branham conveyed. This is contrary to scripture. Jesus died as the victorious Lamb of God. QuotesAnd when He died up there at Calvary, screaming and crying for help, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” He was a man in His death, but in His resurrection He proved He was the Divine Son of God (Hallelujah.): Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever.[13] He never died as God. He died as a man. The sin of man was upon the Son of man, and He had to become a man in order to pay the penalty.[14] And when He was dying, Jehovah God turned His face on Him, and He died alone forsaken by God and man. [15] When He was--last cry, "Eli, Eli. My God, My God," That was a man. "Why hast Thou forsaken Me?" In the Garden of Gethsemane, the anointing left Him, you know, He had to die as a sinner. He died a sinner, you know that; not His sins, but mine and yours. That's where that love come in, how He took mine. Oh, hallelujah, how He took mine.[16] God poured His wrath out upon Christ Who took my place at Calvary. He died under the judgments and wrath of God. God poured out His fierce judgment upon Him and He took my place.” I said, “I was a sinner, and He took my place.” And I noticed tears coming up in the woman’s eyes. I said, “We’re sinful, and we have no hope. But God knew that we had to stand these judgments, and Jesus took them for us. And them clouds hanging over the cross was God’s wrath pouring out upon Him. And He bore the wrath of God in His own body that we might be free.” [17] The Spirit left Him, in the garden of Gethsemane. He had to die, a man. Remember, friends, He didn't have to do that. That was God. God anointed that flesh, which was human flesh. And He didn't… If He'd have went up there, as God, He'd have never died that kind of death; can't kill God. But He didn't have to do it.[18]
Footnotes
|