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Answer: According to the New Testament, Jesus had specific
knowledge of his mission on earth and his destiny in
heaven. For example, in the Gospel of John, Jesus says,
"I . . . came down from heaven" (John 6:51) and "I know
where I came from, and where I am going" (John 8:14);
in the Gospel of Matthew he told his disciples that
he "must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things . .
. and be killed . . . and be raised up on the third
day" (Matthew 16:21). What he supposedly left temporarily
in heaven and his alleged additional rewards on his
heavenly return are found in Philippians 2:6-11).
There should be no need for God to promise a reward
on condition that Jesus fulfill His wishes ("If he would").
If Jesus is all that Christianity claims he is, then
God knew that this incarnate sinless divine being would
fulfill all that was required of him. It certainly makes
no sense to think God would promise to reward such a
heaven bound eternal being with having children and
prolongation of days. Such things are promised to humans
not to one who is supposedly eternal.
According to New Testament doctrine, the sinless incarnate
divinity, Jesus, could not fail or refuse to carry out
God's plans for mankind. Thus, there was no doubt that
Jesus would carry out God's plan and would be uniquely
rewarded for his effort (Philippians 2:9). As a result,
the application to the New Testament's Jesus of the
conditional, "If he would . . . he shall see," that
speaks in profoundly human terms makes no sense.
Once again, we see that Isaiah 53 does not refer to
Jesus. |