According to Expert Aramaic Translators,
Jesus Never Said, "My God, My God, Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me?" 1
by Tony Alamo
The four first Gospels were written in Aramaic, not Greek. Jesus and His disciples spoke Aramaic and Hebrew, not Greek. Here are the true Words Christ spoke on the cross: Jesus really cried out, "My God, My God for this I was kept" (Matt. 27:46, Orig. Text).
"Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried [out] with a loud voice, [and said], Eli, Eli, Lemana Shabakthani! Some of the men who were standing by when they heard it, said, this man calleth for Elias" (Matt. 27:45-47, Orig. Text).
All versions of the Gospels have retained these words in the original tongue. They have, however, given them a different meaning. Matthew, according to the Eastern version, does not translate them. This is because he wrote to the people who had seen Jesus and had heard Him preaching. It also seems probable that the later writers did not agree on the exact meaning of these words when they translated them into Greek. Aramaic is a very obscure language, and they didn't know it as well as they should have before they laid their translation into the scriptures. This term, even at present, is only used by the Aramaic-speaking people in Assyria, who speak the same language the Galileans spoke at the time of our Lord. This phrase in Aramaic means, "My God, My God, for this I was kept [this was My destiny-I was born for this]."
David did not quote Psalm 22:1 as a prophecy of the Lord. He spoke those words for himself (because he had many enemies). David was foolishly saying that God had forsaken him. This part of Psalm 22 was not a prophecy of Christ's death. Jesus did not quote this Psalm. If He had, He would have used Hebrew instead of Aramaic, and if He had translated it from Hebrew He would have used the Aramaic word "nashatani," which means "forsaken me," instead of the word "Shabakthani," which in this case means, "kept me." Even the soldiers who stood by the cross did not understand what Jesus said in that hour of agony and suffering. They thought that He was calling on Elijah because the word "Elijah" in Aramaic is "Elia," which is similar to the Word for God, "Eli." 2
In His last minutes of suffering, Jesus watched the crowd of Roman soldiers, Pharisees, Jewish priests, and the men and women of Jerusalem, who had come to watch Him suffer and die. 3 Some insulted Him. Others spat in His face. 4 Some called Him a sinner, a cult leader, or an evildoer 5 when in reality He was Christ, the only begotten Son of the living God, God Almighty Himself, 6 our Lord and our Savior, the first of an entire new creation of God-men who would carry God's unchanging message of eternal life through salvation in Christ in every age. 7
The statement, "My God, My God, for this I was kept" was plainly spoken in Aramaic by Christ to His Father. He spoke loudly enough that His disciples, who understood Aramaic could hear His words, which confirmed the reason for His crucifixion. 8 They would pass the message on to the entire world. 9
The book of Joel states that the Word of God would be restored to its original meaning in these last days by the true messengers of God. 10 The King James Version of the Bible is the Bible I use most of the time, but this statement, taken from the original Aramaic text, of Christ dying on the cross, is incorrect in the KJV, probably because of the Greek translators.
Many scriptures plainly show that Christ was born for that hour so that He might save the souls of those who believe the Gospel and so that they, following in His steps, could continue bearing witness to the truth of His living in them. In this way they continue His incarnation, ministering His life into others through them by the power of His life-giving Spirit living in them by the power of His resurrection Spirit living in them, and by the power of His Spirit of ascension living in them, which is evidenced by spiritual gifts given unto them. Christ's mannerisms, His life and power is alive in them, giving His life to their spirits, giving His life to their minds, and giving His life to their mortal bodies, transforming or transfiguring their tri-part human selves day by day unto the life of God until they are totally transfigured into Christ Himself. 11
The scriptures show that His destiny was to become the King of kings and Lord of lords, the most highly exalted and glorious name forever. 12 The Bible states that God has "given Him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in Heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Phlp. 2:9-11). Jesus said, "All power is given unto Me in Heaven and in earth" (Matt. 28:18). There was nothing else that could have given such a glorious victory as the cross for us and in us.
The Aramaic speaking disciples and women who were from Galilee never for a moment thought that Jesus had said God had forsaken Him. How could He say that? He had told His disciples that the world would reject Him, and that they, His disciples, would lose faith for a short time, for three days. 13 Our Savior let His disciples and the rest of us know that the Father would be with Him always, because He and God were one and the same. 14 The Triune God was living and working in His soon to be crucified body. 15
Jesus told Peter, "Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He shall presently give Me more than twelve legions of angels?" (Matt. 26:53). This statement tells me that Christ had full confidence in the Father's fidelity to Him. 16 He also said, "O My Father, if this cup may not pass away from Me, except I drink it, Thy will be done" (Matt. 26:42). Obviously the Father let Him know that They would be together throughout the entire ordeal. 17
These words, "Eli, Eli, Lemana Shabakthani," are even today used by Assyrians when they suffer and die unjustly. Instead of complaining, they leave everything up to God. They believe it is God's desire that they should pass through such experiences. This is the reason people do not often commit suicide in the Middle East.
True born-again Christians will never commit suicide. 18 They know their bodies are the temple of the living God, the Holy Dove's resting place, the place where the Triune God will rest, live and work. 19 We are never to kill God's temple. 20 "Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?" (I Cor. 6:19).
If we kill God's temple by suicide, we will immediately go to an eternal Hell. 21 We have a living God who never leaves or forsakes us. 22 How much less would He have forsaken His only begotten Son when He with the Father by the Spirit, the Triune God, was dying on the cross at Calvary for the sins of the world? If we allow Him to live and work in us, He will heal us if we are sick. 23 If we have pain, He will take the pain away. Cast all your cares upon Him, "for He careth for you" (I Pet. 5:7). Let the Lord be your shepherd. 24 If you will, you shall not want for any good thing. 25 In this wicked world, where there is not much peace or joy, He will give you "the peace of God, which passeth all understanding" (Phlp. 4:7), as well as "joy unspeakable and full of glory" (I Pet. 1:8). 26 Begin letting God live and work in His temple, your body, now by saying this prayer:
Prayer
My Lord and my God, have mercy upon my soul, a sinner. 1 I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God. 2 I believe that He died on the cross and shed His precious blood for the forgiveness of all my sins. 3 I believe that God raised Jesus from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit 4 and that He sits on the right hand of God at this moment, hearing my confession of sin and this prayer. 5 I open up the door of my heart and I invite You into my heart, Lord Jesus. 6 Wash all of my filthy sins away in the precious blood that You shed in my place on the cross at Calvary. 7 You will not turn me away, Lord Jesus, You will forgive my sins and save my soul. I know because Your Word, the Bible says so. 8 Your Word says that You will turn no one away, and that includes me. 9 Therefore, I know that You have heard me, and I know that You have answered me, and I know that I am saved. 10 And I thank You, Lord Jesus, for saving my soul, and I will show my thankfulness by doing as You command and sin no more. 11
You've just completed the first step in a series of five steps which are necessary to receive salvation. Your second step is to deny yourself and take up the cross daily for the purpose of mortifying yourself, that is, for putting to death your own will, your soulful self, and the world with all of its lusts. All these must be baptized into the death of Christ.
Step three is your resurrection from the satanic life of Adam unto the sinless life of Christ. Step four is your ascension into a position of authority to reign for God on earth, and the fifth step is to reign for God on earth to the end for the purpose of bringing about the kingdom of Heaven on earth. You must learn the Word of God, then submit yourself and do what the Word says, so that the Church and the world may see evidence of your submission to God's Word, His order, and His authority in and by you.
Praise the Lord. May God reward
you abundantly.
World Pastor Tony Alamo
Our church receives much mail with thousands of requests for Bibles and literature. Much of our literature is printed in Hebrew, Spanish, French, Italian, German, Romanian, Polish, Czech, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Albanian, Serbian, Telugu, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, and Arabic. Pastor Alamo’s ninety-one page book, The Messiah, is currently available in Hebrew, English, Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Portuguese, German, French, Italian, Korean, Greek, Arabic, Japanese, and Telugu. Distributors for Alamo literature are on the increase every day throughout the world.
Please contact us for more information or for literature on other topics which may be of interest.
Tony Alamo Christian Ministries Worldwide
P. O. Box 2948
Hollywood, CA 90078
Twenty-four hour prayer and information line: (661) 252-5686
Tony Alamo Christian Ministries Worldwide provides a place to live with all the things necessary for life
to all those
in our United States locations who truly want to serve the LORD with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength.
Services held in New York City every Tuesday at 8 P.M. and at other locations nightly. Please call for more information: (908) 937-5723.
MEALS SERVED AFTER EACH SERVICE
Ask for Pastor Alamo’s book, The Messiah, showing Christ from the Old Testament revealed in over three hundred thirty-three prophecies.
Become a laborer in the harvest of souls by becoming a distributor of Pastor Alamo’s literature. All of our literature and audio messages are free of charge, including shipping.
THIS LITERATURE CARRIES THE TRUE PLAN OF SALVATION (Acts 4:12).
DO NOT THROW IT AWAY, PASS IT ON TO SOMEONE ELSE
Those of you who are in other countries, we encourage you to translate
this literature into your native language.
If you do reprint, please include this copyright and registration:
© Copyright July, 2000 All rights reserved World Pastor Tony Alamo ® Registered July, 2000
The Tony Alamo Christian Ministries is a division of Music Square Church, Inc.
"Jesus Never Said, "My God, My God, Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me?" Footnotes:
1. Holy Bible from the Ancient Eastern Text, George M. Lamsa's translation, Harper Collins Publishers; The Messiah, by Tony Alamo return
2. Matt. 27:46-49 return
3. Matt. 27:27, 35-36, 39-43, 54-56, Luke 23:27, 35-36 return
4. Matt. 26:67, 27:27-31, 34-44, 48-49 Mark 14:65, 15:19 return
5. Matt. 27:20-44, 26:59-68, Mark 15:16-20, 29-32, Luke 23:1-5, 35-39, John 5:16-18, 7:1, 7, 20, 9:24 return
6. Deut. 4:35, 39, Isa. 9:6, 44:6, 45:22, Neh. 9:6, Matt. 1:23, John 1:1-3, 10-14, 10:30, 12:44-45, 14:6-11, 13, 20, 23, 17:21, II Cor. 4:4, Eph. 3:9, Col. 1:12-17, I Tim. 3:16, Heb. 1:2-3, 8-10, Rev. 4:11 return
7. Isa. 9:6, 43:3, 11, 49:26, Joel. 2:1-11, Matt. 27:50-54, Mark 15:39, John 1:12-13, 17-18, 3:16-17, Acts 1:8, 2:1-4, 16-18, 38-39, Rom. 8:1-4, 16-23, 29-30, I Cor. 15:20-23, II Cor. 5:14-21, Heb. 1:1-6, 2:9-11, 14-17, 7:19, 24-28, 8:6-13, 9:13-15, 10:10-23, I John 4:9-10, 15, Rev. 1:5-6, 11:17 return
8. Matt. 20:28, 26:53-56, Mark 15:27-28, Luke 24:7, 26, 44-48, John 3:13-17, 4:34, 12:23, Acts 3:18, 13:28-39, I John 3:5, 4:10 return
9. Matt. 22:9-10, 28:19-20, Mark 16:14-15, 20, Luke 14:23, 24:46-47, John 21:14-17, Acts 1:8, 5:29-32, 10:36-43 return
10. Joel chs. 1 & 2 return
11. Rom. 8:6-11, I John 3:2 return
12. Isa. 9:6-7, Matt. 1:23, I Cor. 15:24-25, Eph. 1:17-23 return
13. Matt. 26:31-34, Mark 10:32-34, John 7:7 return
14. John 1:1-3, 14, 8:16, 29, 14:6-11, 16:32, 17:18-23, I John 5:7 return
15. John 8:16, 14:23, 16:32 return
16. John 8:29,11:41-42 , 14:8-9, 17:1-5 return
17. Matt. 11:27, John 5:19-29, 8:29, 12:23-32, 13:31-32, 14:9-11, 23-26, 16:14-16, 26-28, ch. 17, Eph. 2:13-18, I John 2:23 return
18. Gen. 9:5, Ex. 20:13, Deut. 5:17, Prov. 28:17, Rom. 13:9, Gal. 5:19-21, I Pet. 4:15, Rev. 21:8 return
19. John 6:56, 14:16-20, Rom. 8:11, I Cor. 3:16-17, 6:19-20, II Cor. 6:16, 4:6-7, Col. 1:27, I John 3:24, 4:12-13, 15-16, II John 2 return
20. II Cor. 5:6-11, Phlp. 1:21-25 return
21. Gen. 9:6, Ex. 20:13, Deut. 5:17, I Cor. 3:16-17, Rev. 21:8 return
22. Deut. 4:30-31, Psa. 94:14, Jer. 10:10, John 14:18, Heb. 13:5 return
23. Ex. 15:26, 23:25, Psa. 103:2-3, Isa. 53:5, I Pet. 2:24 return
24. Psa. ch. 23, 95:7, John 10:2-16, 27-28, Heb. 13:20-21, I Pet. 2:21-25 return
25. Lev. 26:3-12, Deut. 5:29, 28:1-14, Psa. 23, John 4:14, 6:35, Eph. 1:22-23 return
26. Deut. 29:9, Job 36:11, Isa. 1:19, 12:2-6, Hab. 3:18, II Tim. 1:7 return
"Prayer" Footnotes: 1. Psa. 51:5, Rom. 3:10-12,
23 return 2. Matt. 26:63-64, 27:54,
Luke 1:30-33, John 9:35-37, Rom. 1:3-4 return 3. Acts 4:12, 20:28, Rom.
3:25, I John 1:7, Rev. 5:9 return 4. Psa.
16:9-10, Matt. 28:5-7, Mark 16:9, 12, 14, John 2:19, 21, 10:17-18, 11:25, Acts
2:24, 3:15, Rom. 8:11, I Cor. 15:3-7 return 5. Luke 22:69, Acts 2:25-36,
Heb. 10:12-13 return 6. I Cor. 3:16, Rev. 3:20
return 7. Eph. 2:13-22, Heb. 9:22,
13:12, 20-21, I John 1:7, Rev. 1:5, 7:14 return 8. Matt. 26:28, Acts 2:21,
4:12, Eph. 1:7, Col. 1:14 return 9. Matt.
21:22, John 6:35, 37-40, Rom. 10:13 return 10. Heb. 11:6 return 11. John
5:14, 8:11, Rom. 6:4, I Cor. 15:10, Rev. 7:14, 22:14 return 12. John 14:6 return 13. Acts 4:12 return