DID JESUS ACTUALLY SWEAT BLOOD?

READING THE ARTICLE BELOW, WILL I NOW BELIEVE LUKE 22:44? IN DESCRIBING JESUS' AGONY IN THE GARDEN IT SAYS: 

"And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground." 

SHOULDN'T WE HAVE BELIEVED THIS WITHOUT A NEWS STORY? AND THIS, JUST BECAUSE THE AUTHORITATIVE WORD OF GOD SAID SO. 

I REMEMBER STUDYING THIS VERSE YEARS AGO AND LEARNING THAT SUCH A DISEASE DESCRIBED BELOW DID INDEED EXIST. NOW THIS SENSATIONAL STORY APPEARS. IT DOESN'T PROVE THE FACT THAT JESUS INDEED BLED IN THE GARDEN, IT RATHER AFFIRMS WHAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN TRUE. 

JUST THINK HOW DEEPLY JESUS AGONIZED FOR US. THIS POINTS UP HOW GREAT A LOVE WITH WHICH HE LOVES US, AND ALSO, JUST HOW GREAT OUR SIN WHICH NECESSITATES SUCH A LOVE. "See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are" (1 John 3:1).


HERE'S THE FOX STORY:

"Italian doctors were left bewildered when a woman was admitted to the hospital for 'sweating blood' from her face and hands, a new case published in a medical journal on Monday revealed.

The woman, 21, would spontaneously bleed with no visible lesions on her skin, according to the case report published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. The woman has been suffering from the mysterious disorder for three years and would start bleeding spontaneously in her sleep or while she was physically active.


The women told doctors she suffered major depression and panic disorder because of the condition and became 'socially isolated.' She has no history of psychosis, the report said.

The doctors floated different theories on what caused the condition, including factitious disorder, when someone would deceive others by appearing sick. However, she continued to spontaneously bleed after she was prescribed paroxetine and clonazepam for her depression and anxiety order.


They ultimately concluded she had hematohidrosis, an uncommon disease that would cause 'spontaneous discharge of 'blood sweat’ through intact skin.' Blood can also come out of areas that don’t have sweat glands.

It’s still unclear what causes the 'blood sweat.' Dr. Michelle Sholzberg, co-director of the Hemophilia Comprehensive Care program at St. Michael's Hospital, told CBC News the case is the 'most unusual.'

'I can say with clarity that I've never seen a case like this — ever,' Sholzberg told CBC News. 'And I can say that I've seen some of the worst bleeding disorders, and I've never seen them sweat blood.'

'I think this person has a very bizarre anatomical defect on a microscopic level that is resulting in this very unusual symptom,' the Canadian hematologist said."

-Katherine Lam is a breaking and trending news digital producer for Fox News. 

A. W. PINK TELLS THE TRUTH ABOUT US!

"THE DRAWING & COMPELLING OF GOD"

"Here is the truth: God has spread the feast but the fact is that NOBODY is hungry, and NOBODY wants to come to the feast, and EVERYBODY makes an excuse to keep away from the feast. and when they are bidden to come they say, “No, we do not want to”, or “We are not ready yet.”

Now God knew that from the beginning, and if God had done nothing more than spread the feast every seat at His table would have been vacant for all eternity! I have no hesitation in saying there is not one man or woman in this church tonight, but who made excuses time after time before you first came to Christ.

You are just like the rest. You made excuses, so did I, and if God had done nothing more than just spread the feast every chair would have been vacant, therefore what do you read in that parable in Luke 14? Because the feast was not furnished with guests God sent forth His “servants”. Oh, put your glasses on. It does not say “servants”, it says God sent forth His “servant” and told Him to “COMPEL” them to come in that His feast might be furnished with guests. And there is not a man or a woman in this church tonight or in any other church that would ever sit down at the marriage-supper of the Lamb unless you had been COMPELLED TO COME IN, and COMPELLED BY GOD!

Well, you say, what do you mean by “compelled?” I mean this, that God had to overcome the resistance of your will, God had to overcome the reluctance of your heart, God had to overcome your loving of pleasure more than loving of God, your love of the things of this world more than Christ. I mean that God had to put forth His power and draw you, and if any of you know anything of the Greek or have a Strong’s Concordance, look up that Greek verb for “draw” in John 6:44, “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him” —

It means “use violence”. It means to drag by force. There is not a Greek scholar on earth that can challenge that statement—I mean—and back it up with proof. It’s the same Greek word that is used in John 21 when they drew the net to the land full of fishes. They had to pull with all their might for it was full of fishes. They had to drag it!

Yes, my friend, and THAT is how you were brought to Christ. You may not have been conscious of it. You may not have known inside yourself what was taking place, but every last one of us was a rebel against God, fighting against Christ, resisting His Holy Spirit, and God had to put forth almighty power and overcome that resistance and bring us to our knees, and if any of you object to that strong language, then I am here to tell you, you do not believe in the teaching of this Book on the ABSOLUTE DEPRAVITY OF MAN.

Man is lost, and man is dead in trespasses and sins by nature. Listen, it is not simply that man is sick and needs a little medicine: it is not simply that man is ignorant and needs a little teaching: it is not simply that man is weak and needs a little hope: man is dead, dead in trespasses and sins, and only almighty power from heaven can ever resurrect him and bring him from death unto life.

THAT is the gospel I believe in and I do not preach the gospel because I believe the sinner has power in himself to respond to it. Well, you say, then what is the use of preaching the gospel if men are dead? What is the use of preaching it? I will tell you. Listen! Here was a man with a withered hand, paralyzed, and Christ says. “Stretch forth thine hand!” It was the one thing that he could not do! Christ told him to do a thing that was impossible in himself. Well then you say why did Christ tell him to stretch forth his hand? Because Divine power went with the very word that commanded him to do it! Divine power enabled him to. The man could not do it of himself. If you think that he could you are ready for the lunatic asylum, I don’t not care who you are. Any man or woman here who thinks that that man was able to stretch forth his paralyzed arm by an effort of his own will is ready for the lunatic asylum! How can paralysis move?

Well, I will give you something stronger than that. You need something strong today, you need something more than SKIM-MILK, you need STRONG MEAT if ever you are going to be built up and grow and become strong in the Lord and the power of His might—

Here is a man who is dead and buried and his body has already begun to corrupt so that it stank. There he was in the grave and someone came to that graveside and said, “Lazarus. come forth”, and if that someone had been anyone else than God Himself manifest in flesh. He might have stood there till now calling, “Come forth”. What on earth was the use of telling a dead man to come forth? None at all, unless the One Who spoke that word had the power to make that word good.

Now then my friends, I preach the gospel to sinners, not because I believe the sinner has any power at all in himself to respond to it: I do not believe that any sinner has any capacity in himself whatever. But Christ said, “the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life”, and by God’s grace I go forth preaching this Word because it is a word of power, a word of spirit, a word of life.

THE POWER IS NOT IN THE SINNER, IT IS IN THE WORD WHEN GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT IS PLEASED TO USE IT.

And my friends, I say in all reverence; if God told me in this Book to go out and preach to the trees. I would go! Yes sir. God once told one of His servants to go and preach to bones and he went. I wonder if YOU would have gone! Yes, that has a local application as well as a future interpretation prophetically."

[From a sermon Arthur Pink preached in Sydney, during his Australian ministry in the 1920’s.]

THE BIBLE PLUS THE HOLY SPIRIT PLUS MY TIME = MEDITATION

     Learn to meditate in Scripture ALONE with no devotionals, study notes/guides, etc. Such supplementary aides may well prove helpful, but best after pure meditation. Read tbis verse which underscores the enlightening power of the Holy Spirit in any believer's life: "As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him" (1 John 2:27). In the Bible God has meaning for you alone at any given moment. Don't miss it.
     The “anointing” every Christian has is the Holy Spirit. He indwells each believer and shines light on the pages of the Bible. St. Augustine said that before his conversion to Christ, he read the Bible but couldn’t understand it. When he was born from on high, he read and it was like light shining over his shoulder. 
     We need to spend time (there’s ‘the catch’ in busy times) to prayerfully read the Bible ALONE, ponder it and experience the tutelage of the Spirit. He will reveal rich meaning for you today from the depth of any given passage. 
     The purest form of a group Bible study is to ponder, as described above, and allow any who wish to briefly share what is revealed to him/her in a given verse. Then, move on to another verse. Again, no foot notes are permitted, no previous study and lists of questions are allowed. Just God’s people, the Bible and a belief that the Holy Spirit indwells and will make the meaning known. Of course, there is a time for study, the usage of guides and books, and even devotional guides, but these are not substitutes for PURE MEDIATATION. 
     St. Augustine remarked, “The hearer of God’s Word ought to be like those animals that chew the cud; he ought not only to feed upon it, but to ruminate.”
     Meditation has a digesting power and turns special truth into nourishment.
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NEBUCHADNEZZAR.....SAVED BY GRASS?

SAVED BY GRASS? YES, OLD KING NEBBY WAS SAVED FROM INSOLENCE AND PRIDE...... Dan 4:31-35

King Nebuchadnezzar was King of Babylon when God's people, because of their persistent sin, were horrendously taken into captivity by him. Jerusalem was destroyed and many, many taken from their homeland. Daniel was one of them. Nebuchadnezzar was most proud and God decided to uniquely humble him. Immediately, after a boastful spat of self-extolling, we read this in Scripture:

"While the word was in the king’s mouth, a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared: sovereignty has been removed from you, and you will be driven away from mankind, and your dwelling place will be with the beasts of the field. YOU WILL BE GIVEN GRASS to eat like cattle, and seven periods of time will pass over you until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever He wishes.’ Immediately the word concerning Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled; and he was driven away from mankind and began eating grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws." 

Then, after the ordeal, Nebuchadnezzar gives his testimony:

“But at the end of that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever; For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, but He does according to His will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of earth; And no one can ward off His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’"

When God truly moves into a life He effects radical change. He specializes in that! He makes saints out of sinners. He humbles the proud. He puts repentance in an unbelieving heart. God dynamically does such! He most certainly did it to a boastful and arrogant Babylonian king. 

Perhaps after his humbling episode Nebuchadnezzar had a saying, like, "There go I except for the GRASS of God." He needed this experience to humble him and bring him to the place of fully realizing his need for God and God's GRACE. Some believe that he was saved. At the very least, he sure came to an acknowledgment of Who the true God is.

Every believer in Jesus Christ says, often, "Apart from grace my heart would be estranged, wayward, rebellious, faithless and lost. But, oh, my God in grace has arranged to rescue my soul at infinite cost."

- Dick D. Christen

DETERMINING THE DEITY OF JESUS, THE CHRIST .....

DETERMINING THE DEITY OF CHRIST…IN THE BIBLE

WE MAKE SUCH A DETERMINATION …..

BY HIS NAMES OF DEITY

          Hebrews 1:8; John 1:18; John 5:20; Romans 9:5; Titus 2:13

             God the Father actually calls His Son, Jesus, GOD!
             “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever…” - Hebrews 1:8

BY WORSHIP ORDERED AND ACCEPTED BY JESUS

          Hebrews 1:6; John 20: 26-29

              “And when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says, 
              ‘And let all the angels of God worship Him.’” -  Hebrews 1:6

BY THE DIVINE OFFICES HE OCCUPIED

          CREATOR – John 1:3; Colossians 1:16

                                    “All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.” -  John 1:3

           PRESERVER – Hebrews 1:3

                                     “And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and  upholds all things by the word of His power.”  -Hebrews 1:3

            FORGIVER OF SINS – Mark 2:1-13

                                      “But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins—He said to the paralytic, ‘I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet and go home.’” Mark 2:10-11

             GIVER OF IMMORTAL AND ETERNAL LIFE – Philippians 3:21; John 5:25-31; 17:1-5

                                        “Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, ‘Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life.’” -  John 17:1-2

BY HIS ASSOCIATION WITH GOD THE FATHER  
             Matthew 28:19; John 14:1

                   “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.” -  John 14:1

BY JESUS' GLORIOUS RESURRECTON
             Romans 1:1-4

                   “Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus,  called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord.” -  Romans 1:1-4

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