I wished people could think that about me after I’m gone. And, knowing what I know about how funerals go, a couple people might actually make such a comment about me.
It seems that those who don’t know me very well think quite highly of me :-)
The thing is, saying that I was a good man wouldn’t be true. Oh sure, I’m better than some. Aren’t we all? Trouble is, my corrupt thoughts, my twisted motives, my seemingly uncrushable selfish nature all too often rules my decisions.
That is just not true of Jesus.
. The life of Jesus was a working definition of unselfishness. Yet there is no evidence of self-pity. I say that because I’ve met many “giving” people, but underlying bitterness at being taken advantage of belied the real motives for their altruism.
. Jesus demonstrated humility, but there was no indication of weakness. In fact, Jesus was the epitome of strength and inner power.
. Jesus exuded kindness, mercy and grace.
Jesus was such a good man that even His enemies couldn’t find any wrong in Him. It would take my enemies about half a second to come up with one of my multitude of flaws.
I want to be like Jesus, because my kids want to be like me.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Why Marriage?
When I ask Christian couples, “Why do you think God instituted the concept of marriage?” I get many different answers, but they seem to fall into the following categories.
“To combat loneliness.”
“So that we have support.”
“To help us achieve our goals.” and
“To give a stable place for children to grow.”
Any or all of those may be true, but as I work with couples one thing stands out for me. Marriage is perhaps the best tool AND the best opportunity that any of us will ever have for learning what it means to love another individual. Many people get married with the expectation that now they will BE loved. Precious few go into a marriage with the expectation that now they will learn to bless someone else with loving behaviours. While we think we’re getting married because we’re “In Love,” it is in fact living within a long-term ie. Committed Marriage that teaches us how to love.
God seems to take our intimate relationships very, very seriously. When He says, “I hate divorce,” and “The only reason that I allow divorce is because of your hard and evil hearts,” what other conclusion can there be.
Agape love, which is the willed, volitional, desired, choice to love another human being is the ingredient that is most missing in our world today. Back in the day a rock group sang a song called, “All You Need Is Love.” That’s a theme that’s been sung to death in countless versions by the lost and lonely among us. Yet it’s true. All we do need is love, but I suspect that agape love is not the kind of love that musicians have in mind. In fact, the word “love” as it’s used in popular music is simply a euphemism for sex because that's the only type of love they'll ever experience. The kind of love that most musicians sing about is the kind of love that we “get,” NOT the kind that we give. Hence, the majority of our relationship breakdowns come from the attitude, “If you don’t love me, if you don’t give me what I want or what I think that I need, I’m out of here.” That is why traditional wedding vows did not ask “DO you love this person . . . ?” but “WILL you love this person for better or for worse . . .?” Love, real love, the love that counts is a love that's a decision.
The kind of love that God is trying to grow in us is the kind of love with which He loves us.
. God chooses to love us, but not because we’re lovable.
. God chooses to love us, but not because we have something of worth to offer Him in return.
. God doesn’t need our love nor does He have some desperate need to love us.
Yet His love is the greatest entity in the universe. And because He loves us, and because experiencing His love is the greatest good that we will ever have, God wants to not only share His love with us, He wants us to know what it’s like to share that kind of love with others. Agape love is the currency of heaven. Those who have no interest in agape love will not reside in heaven.
So how does marriage promote or develop agape love? Sooner or later in any marriage couples reach a point where each partner can see nothing lovable about h/her spouse. It is at that point that we have a choice. Will we give up or will we press on? Will we walk away or will we enter more fully into the relationship?
Soon or later in any marriage, the spouse seemingly does everything wrong and nothing right. Over time our bodies become less physically attractive and sometimes our personalities go the same route. We become disengaged. We quit trying to impress and we become impervious to being impressed. Life becomes routine and as the saying goes, we begin to take each other for granted.
. If our main attraction to the other person was based on looks, in the absence of the desire to love and appreciate, that kind of attraction is not going to last.
. If our main attraction to the other person was excitement or money, in the absence of the desire to love and appreciate, sooner or later those things will fail to impress.
However, for those who have experienced God’s love and forgiveness and mercy and grace, for those who have been infused with the very character of God, giving love and forgiveness and mercy and grace to those who do not deserve it becomes an amazing experience that brings a peace and joy that simply cannot be snuffed out. Nor can it be matched by anything else in this temporal life. To have one’s character built in the midst of difficult relationships, to have one’s personality become one whereby getting love is not required for one’s well-being or security becomes such an otherworldly experience that eventually the other partner almost always responds in a positive manner.
What’s the purpose of marriage?
. To teach us to love.
. To develop our character.
. To change our personality from one that demands love to one that is able to give love and mercy and grace.
In other words, the purpose of marriage is to make us more like Jesus.
“To combat loneliness.”
“So that we have support.”
“To help us achieve our goals.” and
“To give a stable place for children to grow.”
Any or all of those may be true, but as I work with couples one thing stands out for me. Marriage is perhaps the best tool AND the best opportunity that any of us will ever have for learning what it means to love another individual. Many people get married with the expectation that now they will BE loved. Precious few go into a marriage with the expectation that now they will learn to bless someone else with loving behaviours. While we think we’re getting married because we’re “In Love,” it is in fact living within a long-term ie. Committed Marriage that teaches us how to love.
God seems to take our intimate relationships very, very seriously. When He says, “I hate divorce,” and “The only reason that I allow divorce is because of your hard and evil hearts,” what other conclusion can there be.
Agape love, which is the willed, volitional, desired, choice to love another human being is the ingredient that is most missing in our world today. Back in the day a rock group sang a song called, “All You Need Is Love.” That’s a theme that’s been sung to death in countless versions by the lost and lonely among us. Yet it’s true. All we do need is love, but I suspect that agape love is not the kind of love that musicians have in mind. In fact, the word “love” as it’s used in popular music is simply a euphemism for sex because that's the only type of love they'll ever experience. The kind of love that most musicians sing about is the kind of love that we “get,” NOT the kind that we give. Hence, the majority of our relationship breakdowns come from the attitude, “If you don’t love me, if you don’t give me what I want or what I think that I need, I’m out of here.” That is why traditional wedding vows did not ask “DO you love this person . . . ?” but “WILL you love this person for better or for worse . . .?” Love, real love, the love that counts is a love that's a decision.
The kind of love that God is trying to grow in us is the kind of love with which He loves us.
. God chooses to love us, but not because we’re lovable.
. God chooses to love us, but not because we have something of worth to offer Him in return.
. God doesn’t need our love nor does He have some desperate need to love us.
Yet His love is the greatest entity in the universe. And because He loves us, and because experiencing His love is the greatest good that we will ever have, God wants to not only share His love with us, He wants us to know what it’s like to share that kind of love with others. Agape love is the currency of heaven. Those who have no interest in agape love will not reside in heaven.
So how does marriage promote or develop agape love? Sooner or later in any marriage couples reach a point where each partner can see nothing lovable about h/her spouse. It is at that point that we have a choice. Will we give up or will we press on? Will we walk away or will we enter more fully into the relationship?
Soon or later in any marriage, the spouse seemingly does everything wrong and nothing right. Over time our bodies become less physically attractive and sometimes our personalities go the same route. We become disengaged. We quit trying to impress and we become impervious to being impressed. Life becomes routine and as the saying goes, we begin to take each other for granted.
. If our main attraction to the other person was based on looks, in the absence of the desire to love and appreciate, that kind of attraction is not going to last.
. If our main attraction to the other person was excitement or money, in the absence of the desire to love and appreciate, sooner or later those things will fail to impress.
However, for those who have experienced God’s love and forgiveness and mercy and grace, for those who have been infused with the very character of God, giving love and forgiveness and mercy and grace to those who do not deserve it becomes an amazing experience that brings a peace and joy that simply cannot be snuffed out. Nor can it be matched by anything else in this temporal life. To have one’s character built in the midst of difficult relationships, to have one’s personality become one whereby getting love is not required for one’s well-being or security becomes such an otherworldly experience that eventually the other partner almost always responds in a positive manner.
What’s the purpose of marriage?
. To teach us to love.
. To develop our character.
. To change our personality from one that demands love to one that is able to give love and mercy and grace.
In other words, the purpose of marriage is to make us more like Jesus.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
God and Rape
An atheist said a while ago something like, “The rape of just one child shoots your religion all to hell.” He of course was referring to the idea that a loving God would never allow something like that to happen and if something like that does happen, then obviously no God exists.
People who work as counsellors know beyond doubt that for there to be any improvement in a bad situation, the bottom must be reached. The situation must either get worse or the person must somehow become aware of how bad the situation really is. The situation must be clearly untenable and indefensible to the individual before a decision to improve will be made. Some people of course must hit a lower bottom than others. Some people die before that bottom is reached.
That seems to be the case with the human race in general. All of us are on a downward slide into depravity. Whether it’s our own sinfulness or the rot that we observe in the larger community, all of us have a bottom; a place where we become so disgusted that we say, “Enough! No more. I’m turning this life around.” For Christians we reach a point where we repent of our corrupt nature. We agree with God that our moral situation is hopeless and we beg for forgiveness and for help to change. And as is shown by empirical evidence, we then go out into the world and attempt to right the wrongs that we see. Be it homeless shelters, hospitals, schools, food distribution centres, etc. etc. where ever Christianity goes, help for the helpless closely follows.
Atheists of course are still at the stage where they believe that "Ya, there are problems but it's not me. It's someone else's fault." In fact, atheists are forced by their own creed that says, “I don’t need God in order to be good,” to deny the evil that is present in their hearts. Oh sure atheists notice when the religious screw up but beyond that they really can’t see anything wrong. In fact, so great is their bigotry and their commitment to what they erroneously think are acts of self-preservation that atheists actually believe that it’s religion and not the human heart that is the root of most of our problems. Again, it can be empirically shown that atheists, by and large, do nothing to improve the condition of their own lives or those of the people around them. When atheists do come together to raise a large amount of money, do they use it to feed the hungry children? Nope. They use the money to put signs on buses to promote atheism. Ya, right. You don’t need God to be good.
For a long time it’s been believed that the presence of evil was the greatest refutation for the reality of God. Well, it’s no logical refutation of the existence of God but it certainly causes a disconnect in our ideas of how we think God should be and act.
But isn’t the presence of manmade suffering also the greatest refutation against the idea that “I don’t need God in order to be a good person?” After all, if there really is no God, then the rape of a child, the murder of thousands of people in crimes of passion or robbery, the starvation and death of thousands of children on a daily basis, sexual slavery of untold thousands of children, genocide and on and on and on is OUR fault. We tolerate it. We encourage it. We benefit financially from it. If there really is no God and this is the condition of our “soul” we truly are in a pitiful and hopeless state.
All evidence to the contrary, atheists would have you believe that we are born good and we’re getting better. In reality, in the absence of God’s love we humans are a horror show of wickedness and evil which is exactly the diagnosis that God gives of us in the Bible. Our vile and brutal nature is the exact reason that Jesus came to earth so that we could be rescued from ourselves.
Anyone who is able to process information and make logical conclusions can see that the presence of evil proves nothing regarding the reality of Creator God. Anyone who can observe and draw conclusions from those observation can also see that enormous good can and does come from sorrow and tragedy. This seems especially true for those who are in an intimate, healed and forgiven relationship with Jesus. It is those who have been brought to an awareness of their hard and evil hearts and those who are being changed by Jesus, who understand clearly that:
Because God is all good, He WILL one day remove evil from the universe
Because God is all powerful, He CAN one day remove evil from the universe
Yes, there is still evil in the world - but it’s OUR evil - not God’s.
Based on the reality of and the promises of Jesus, we can be sure that one day God CAN and WILL remove from the universe the presence of evil as well as all those who are against God and who in this life tolerate, promote and benefit from evil.
People who work as counsellors know beyond doubt that for there to be any improvement in a bad situation, the bottom must be reached. The situation must either get worse or the person must somehow become aware of how bad the situation really is. The situation must be clearly untenable and indefensible to the individual before a decision to improve will be made. Some people of course must hit a lower bottom than others. Some people die before that bottom is reached.
That seems to be the case with the human race in general. All of us are on a downward slide into depravity. Whether it’s our own sinfulness or the rot that we observe in the larger community, all of us have a bottom; a place where we become so disgusted that we say, “Enough! No more. I’m turning this life around.” For Christians we reach a point where we repent of our corrupt nature. We agree with God that our moral situation is hopeless and we beg for forgiveness and for help to change. And as is shown by empirical evidence, we then go out into the world and attempt to right the wrongs that we see. Be it homeless shelters, hospitals, schools, food distribution centres, etc. etc. where ever Christianity goes, help for the helpless closely follows.
Atheists of course are still at the stage where they believe that "Ya, there are problems but it's not me. It's someone else's fault." In fact, atheists are forced by their own creed that says, “I don’t need God in order to be good,” to deny the evil that is present in their hearts. Oh sure atheists notice when the religious screw up but beyond that they really can’t see anything wrong. In fact, so great is their bigotry and their commitment to what they erroneously think are acts of self-preservation that atheists actually believe that it’s religion and not the human heart that is the root of most of our problems. Again, it can be empirically shown that atheists, by and large, do nothing to improve the condition of their own lives or those of the people around them. When atheists do come together to raise a large amount of money, do they use it to feed the hungry children? Nope. They use the money to put signs on buses to promote atheism. Ya, right. You don’t need God to be good.
For a long time it’s been believed that the presence of evil was the greatest refutation for the reality of God. Well, it’s no logical refutation of the existence of God but it certainly causes a disconnect in our ideas of how we think God should be and act.
But isn’t the presence of manmade suffering also the greatest refutation against the idea that “I don’t need God in order to be a good person?” After all, if there really is no God, then the rape of a child, the murder of thousands of people in crimes of passion or robbery, the starvation and death of thousands of children on a daily basis, sexual slavery of untold thousands of children, genocide and on and on and on is OUR fault. We tolerate it. We encourage it. We benefit financially from it. If there really is no God and this is the condition of our “soul” we truly are in a pitiful and hopeless state.
All evidence to the contrary, atheists would have you believe that we are born good and we’re getting better. In reality, in the absence of God’s love we humans are a horror show of wickedness and evil which is exactly the diagnosis that God gives of us in the Bible. Our vile and brutal nature is the exact reason that Jesus came to earth so that we could be rescued from ourselves.
Anyone who is able to process information and make logical conclusions can see that the presence of evil proves nothing regarding the reality of Creator God. Anyone who can observe and draw conclusions from those observation can also see that enormous good can and does come from sorrow and tragedy. This seems especially true for those who are in an intimate, healed and forgiven relationship with Jesus. It is those who have been brought to an awareness of their hard and evil hearts and those who are being changed by Jesus, who understand clearly that:
Because God is all good, He WILL one day remove evil from the universe
Because God is all powerful, He CAN one day remove evil from the universe
Yes, there is still evil in the world - but it’s OUR evil - not God’s.
Based on the reality of and the promises of Jesus, we can be sure that one day God CAN and WILL remove from the universe the presence of evil as well as all those who are against God and who in this life tolerate, promote and benefit from evil.
So why do atheists do it?
This is the ninth and final post in a series dealing with the death and resurrection of Jesus.
In their desire to cast doubt on eyewitness testimony to the resurrection of Jesus, one of the things that anti-theists run up against are details in the account that simply wouldn’t be there if the accounts were invented, exaggerated, or flat out lies.
Yet, run-of-the-mill atheists continue to propose the most ludicrous ideas of why Jesus’ resurrection didn’t happen the way it is described in the ancient accounts of Jesus’ life. Some, who obviously reside in the lunatic fringe will say that Jesus never even existed. I’m not worried about those people. But why in the world would the more rational members of that group attack the resurrection story from such improbable points of view? Well, when you think about it, what else can they do?
The claustrophobic atheist world operates from within a narrow band of allowable evidence. This stricture forces them to exclude any evidence that doesn't fit their preconceived notion of how things work. This forces them to defend some very untenable suppositions.
For example, physicist Victor Stenger states, “So where did the laws of physics come from? They came from NOTHING.” That is the logic and reason of atheism. Smithsonian paleobiologist, Douglas Erwin, “One of the RULES of science is, no miracles allowed. That’s a FUNDAMENTAL PRESUMPTION of what we do.” Biologist Barry Palevitz, “The supernatural is AUTOMATICALLY off-limits as an explanation of the natural world.” Astronomer and physicist Lee Smolin, "If the universe started at a point in time, this leaves the door open for a return of religion. It seems to me that the only possible name for such a cause is God, and that the theory is to be criticized as being unlikely on these grounds.
Atheism a priori rejects anything that can’t be detected with our five senses. This leaves them with no other option than to say that “it never happened” or that “it can’t happen” when confronted with things they don’t understand, even if those things are standing right in front of them staring them directly in the eye. Atheists have taken a philosophical stance that prevents them from experiencing all of life, a life where 95% of the people in the world intuitively understand that there is more going on that what meets the eye.
We know that whatever Caused the coming into being of the universe existed beyond and outside of time, space, matter and the laws of physics.
This is the working definition of a miracle.
And if God can bring the universe into being, if God can in fact create life itself and if God can create the exquisitely finely tuned conditions for the sustaining of that life, then raising Jesus from the dead is absolutely possible.
In fact, given the historical evidence surrounding the death and resurrection of Jesus, it’s the BEST explanation of what took place in time and in space roughly 2,000 years ago. Something totally “other” happened with the appearance of Jesus of Nazareth. All that is required in order to understand or put into perspective what is recorded as historically accurate information is to allow in your mind the possibility of the existence of God. And as long as the existence of God is even remotely possible, it’s the most likely explanation of what happened during the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.
Sceptics would have you believe that the Gospel accounts were written by New York Times best selling authors or a potential Nobel Laureate in literature who wrote a fiction so refined and so diabolical that billions of people have been duped.
Reality is, the writers were not refined or gifted authors. They did not band together to form some type of conspiracy. They did not exchange ideas so as to come up with the best way to fool the public and take over the world. The writers of the documents that have now been compiled into what we know as the New Testament had no idea that their letters and accounts of Jesus’ life would become part of the biggest and more influential movement that the world has ever known. They would have never thought to include in their accounts some of the things that I’ve described in this series of nine posts if those events hadn’t taken place.
In their desire to cast doubt on eyewitness testimony to the resurrection of Jesus, one of the things that anti-theists run up against are details in the account that simply wouldn’t be there if the accounts were invented, exaggerated, or flat out lies.
Yet, run-of-the-mill atheists continue to propose the most ludicrous ideas of why Jesus’ resurrection didn’t happen the way it is described in the ancient accounts of Jesus’ life. Some, who obviously reside in the lunatic fringe will say that Jesus never even existed. I’m not worried about those people. But why in the world would the more rational members of that group attack the resurrection story from such improbable points of view? Well, when you think about it, what else can they do?
The claustrophobic atheist world operates from within a narrow band of allowable evidence. This stricture forces them to exclude any evidence that doesn't fit their preconceived notion of how things work. This forces them to defend some very untenable suppositions.
For example, physicist Victor Stenger states, “So where did the laws of physics come from? They came from NOTHING.” That is the logic and reason of atheism. Smithsonian paleobiologist, Douglas Erwin, “One of the RULES of science is, no miracles allowed. That’s a FUNDAMENTAL PRESUMPTION of what we do.” Biologist Barry Palevitz, “The supernatural is AUTOMATICALLY off-limits as an explanation of the natural world.” Astronomer and physicist Lee Smolin, "If the universe started at a point in time, this leaves the door open for a return of religion. It seems to me that the only possible name for such a cause is God, and that the theory is to be criticized as being unlikely on these grounds.
Atheism a priori rejects anything that can’t be detected with our five senses. This leaves them with no other option than to say that “it never happened” or that “it can’t happen” when confronted with things they don’t understand, even if those things are standing right in front of them staring them directly in the eye. Atheists have taken a philosophical stance that prevents them from experiencing all of life, a life where 95% of the people in the world intuitively understand that there is more going on that what meets the eye.
We know that whatever Caused the coming into being of the universe existed beyond and outside of time, space, matter and the laws of physics.
This is the working definition of a miracle.
And if God can bring the universe into being, if God can in fact create life itself and if God can create the exquisitely finely tuned conditions for the sustaining of that life, then raising Jesus from the dead is absolutely possible.
In fact, given the historical evidence surrounding the death and resurrection of Jesus, it’s the BEST explanation of what took place in time and in space roughly 2,000 years ago. Something totally “other” happened with the appearance of Jesus of Nazareth. All that is required in order to understand or put into perspective what is recorded as historically accurate information is to allow in your mind the possibility of the existence of God. And as long as the existence of God is even remotely possible, it’s the most likely explanation of what happened during the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.
Sceptics would have you believe that the Gospel accounts were written by New York Times best selling authors or a potential Nobel Laureate in literature who wrote a fiction so refined and so diabolical that billions of people have been duped.
Reality is, the writers were not refined or gifted authors. They did not band together to form some type of conspiracy. They did not exchange ideas so as to come up with the best way to fool the public and take over the world. The writers of the documents that have now been compiled into what we know as the New Testament had no idea that their letters and accounts of Jesus’ life would become part of the biggest and more influential movement that the world has ever known. They would have never thought to include in their accounts some of the things that I’ve described in this series of nine posts if those events hadn’t taken place.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Weren’t the Gospel writers biassed?
This is the eighth in a series of posts dealing with death and resurrection of Jesus.
In their desire to cast doubt on eyewitness testimony to the resurrection of Jesus, one of the things that anti-theists run up against are details in the account that simply wouldn’t be there if the accounts were invented, exaggerated, or flat out lies.
When it comes to comments about the Gospel writers having an agenda or that they were biassed in favour of Christianity, my first thought is, “So what?” It can’t be legitimately claimed that the writers were liars just because they wanted to promote the facts of Jesus’ life. Does that mean the Richard Dawkins is lying in his promotion of atheism? Well, ok, bad example.
Unlike Richard Dawkins, there are many, many examples that point to the integrity of character that was present in the Gospel writers. And there are many, many items in their writing that point to the truth contained in their biographies of Jesus. I’ve already pointed to the inclusion in the accounts of the guards and Joseph of Arimathea. These are two items that someone simply wouldn’t have put into an account when concocting a series of lies to promote an agenda in that time and locale in history .
Another example is the inclusion of women being the first witnesses to the resurrection. Yes the women had a close relationship with Jesus. Yes they supported His ministry. Yes they loved Him. But the value of women at that time in Palestine was on par with dogs. Old rabbinical sayings of the time go: “Let the words of the Law be burned rather than delivered to women” and “Blessed is he whose children are male, but woe to him whose children are female.” Women’s testimony was regarded as so worthless that they weren’t allowed to serve as legal witnesses in a Jewish court of Law.
It is a testament to the huge impact that Jesus had upon His male followers regarding the status of women that they put into history the fact that women were the first witnesses to the resurrection event. It is certain that if the accounts of Jesus’ life were legendary or lies, it would have been written that men discovered the empty tomb. Biassed or not the writers of the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection were honest in their depiction of the historicity of what took place.
Sceptics act as though the Gospel accounts were written by New York Times best selling authors or by a potential Nobel Laureate in literature who wrote a fiction so refined and so diabolical that billions of people have been duped.
Reality is, the writers were not refined or gifted authors. They would have never thought of some of the things that I’m describing in this series of posts if they hadn’t actually taken place.
In their desire to cast doubt on eyewitness testimony to the resurrection of Jesus, one of the things that anti-theists run up against are details in the account that simply wouldn’t be there if the accounts were invented, exaggerated, or flat out lies.
When it comes to comments about the Gospel writers having an agenda or that they were biassed in favour of Christianity, my first thought is, “So what?” It can’t be legitimately claimed that the writers were liars just because they wanted to promote the facts of Jesus’ life. Does that mean the Richard Dawkins is lying in his promotion of atheism? Well, ok, bad example.
Unlike Richard Dawkins, there are many, many examples that point to the integrity of character that was present in the Gospel writers. And there are many, many items in their writing that point to the truth contained in their biographies of Jesus. I’ve already pointed to the inclusion in the accounts of the guards and Joseph of Arimathea. These are two items that someone simply wouldn’t have put into an account when concocting a series of lies to promote an agenda in that time and locale in history .
Another example is the inclusion of women being the first witnesses to the resurrection. Yes the women had a close relationship with Jesus. Yes they supported His ministry. Yes they loved Him. But the value of women at that time in Palestine was on par with dogs. Old rabbinical sayings of the time go: “Let the words of the Law be burned rather than delivered to women” and “Blessed is he whose children are male, but woe to him whose children are female.” Women’s testimony was regarded as so worthless that they weren’t allowed to serve as legal witnesses in a Jewish court of Law.
It is a testament to the huge impact that Jesus had upon His male followers regarding the status of women that they put into history the fact that women were the first witnesses to the resurrection event. It is certain that if the accounts of Jesus’ life were legendary or lies, it would have been written that men discovered the empty tomb. Biassed or not the writers of the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection were honest in their depiction of the historicity of what took place.
Sceptics act as though the Gospel accounts were written by New York Times best selling authors or by a potential Nobel Laureate in literature who wrote a fiction so refined and so diabolical that billions of people have been duped.
Reality is, the writers were not refined or gifted authors. They would have never thought of some of the things that I’m describing in this series of posts if they hadn’t actually taken place.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Was J.F. Kennedy shot or wasn’t he?
This is the seventh in a series of posts dealing with the death and resurrection of Jesus.
In their desire to cast doubt on eyewitness testimony to the resurrection of Jesus, one of the things that anti-theists run up against are details in the account that simply wouldn’t be there if the accounts were invented, made-up, or flat out lies.
Another mistake that critics make is missing the forest for the trees. As an example, let me refer to all the different theories regarding the assassination of J.F.K. He was shot from this direction. He was shot from that direction. He was shot from both directions. The gunman acted alone. There were two gunmen. There were three gunman. There was a conspiracy. It was the Mob. It was the government. All of these thoughts may be interesting to some but they're missing the most important point. What is important and incontrovertible is the fact that John Fitzgerald Kennedy was assassinated.
Critics of Jesus resurrection point to: There was one angel. There were two or more angels. There was one woman at the tomb. There were several women at the tomb. They ran and told the disciples immediately. They remained quiet for awhile. All of these thoughts may be interesting to some but they bypass the most important point.
What is important and incontrovertible is the fact that Jesus of Nazareth was hung on a cross. He died. He was buried. And on the third day He rose from the dead. His tomb was empty and over the next month this same Jesus was seen alive. He ate with, and taught many hundreds of people. The fact of this event caused the beginning of the Christian Church. The reality of the Church today is just one of many proofs that Jesus rose from the dead then.
Sceptics would have you believe that the Gospel accounts were written by New York Times best selling authors or a potential Nobel Laureate in literature who wrote a fiction so refined and so diabolical that billions of people have been duped.
Reality is, the writers were not refined or gifted authors. They would have never thought of some of the things that I’m describing in this series of posts if they hadn’t taken place.
In their desire to cast doubt on eyewitness testimony to the resurrection of Jesus, one of the things that anti-theists run up against are details in the account that simply wouldn’t be there if the accounts were invented, made-up, or flat out lies.
Another mistake that critics make is missing the forest for the trees. As an example, let me refer to all the different theories regarding the assassination of J.F.K. He was shot from this direction. He was shot from that direction. He was shot from both directions. The gunman acted alone. There were two gunmen. There were three gunman. There was a conspiracy. It was the Mob. It was the government. All of these thoughts may be interesting to some but they're missing the most important point. What is important and incontrovertible is the fact that John Fitzgerald Kennedy was assassinated.
Critics of Jesus resurrection point to: There was one angel. There were two or more angels. There was one woman at the tomb. There were several women at the tomb. They ran and told the disciples immediately. They remained quiet for awhile. All of these thoughts may be interesting to some but they bypass the most important point.
What is important and incontrovertible is the fact that Jesus of Nazareth was hung on a cross. He died. He was buried. And on the third day He rose from the dead. His tomb was empty and over the next month this same Jesus was seen alive. He ate with, and taught many hundreds of people. The fact of this event caused the beginning of the Christian Church. The reality of the Church today is just one of many proofs that Jesus rose from the dead then.
Sceptics would have you believe that the Gospel accounts were written by New York Times best selling authors or a potential Nobel Laureate in literature who wrote a fiction so refined and so diabolical that billions of people have been duped.
Reality is, the writers were not refined or gifted authors. They would have never thought of some of the things that I’m describing in this series of posts if they hadn’t taken place.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
What Guards?
This is the sixth in a series of posts dealing with the death and resurrection of Jesus.
In their desire to cast doubt on eyewitness testimony to the resurrection of Jesus, one of the things that anti-theists run up against are details in the account that simply wouldn’t be there if the accounts were invented, made-up, or flat out lies.
In an earlier post I used the example of Joseph of Arimathea. No way would that character have entered the story if it hadn’t really happened. Another example is the evidence of the Guard that was placed at the tomb. The best way for us to know that the story of the Guard is factual is to look at the conversation that took place.
. About a month after the crucifixion, Jesus’ followers proclaimed to “the world” that the tomb was empty because Christ had risen from the dead.
. The Jewish Council responded by saying, “He didn’t rise from the dead. The disciples stole the body.” That of course is confirmation that:
a) The tomb was empty and
b) It was the correct tomb that was being spoken of that was empty.
. Jesus’ followers said, “How could we have stolen His body when there were guards placed at the tomb to specifically prevent such a thing?
. The Jewish Council said, “Ah, but the guards had fallen asleep.”
. Jesus’ followers said, “Na, ah. You guys bribed the guards to say that.” And as the account ends, “And that is the story that is being spread to this very day.”
That whole exchange proves that,
a) The guards were in fact at the tomb and
b) There is no way that the disciples would have gone against armed guards and stolen the body
c) The tomb was in fact empty.
Now, if there hadn’t been a Guard placed to secure the tomb the conversation would have been something like:
. Jesus’ followers proclaimed that the tomb was empty because Christ had risen from the dead.
. The Jewish Council responded by saying, “He didn’t rise from the dead. The disciples stole the body.” That of course is confirmation that
a) The tomb was empty and
b) It was the correct tomb that was being spoken of that was empty.
. Jesus’ followers said, “How could we have stolen His body when there were guards placed at the tomb to specifically prevent such a thing?
. To which the Jewish Council would have replied, “What guards? What are you talking about?”
The Jewish Council wouldn’t have proposed that the Guard had fallen asleep if there weren’t any guards on duty.
Reality is, to fake a resurrection by stealing Jesus’ body never occurred to Jesus’ followers. They were scared. They were hiding. And they didn’t come out of hiding until some women came and told them that Jesus’ body was missing from the tomb.
Sceptics would have you believe that the Gospel accounts were written by New York Times best selling authors who wrote a fiction so refined and so diabolical that billions of people have been duped.
Reality is, the writers were not refined or gifted authors. They would have never thought of some of the things that I’m describing in this series of posts if they hadn’t taken place.
In their desire to cast doubt on eyewitness testimony to the resurrection of Jesus, one of the things that anti-theists run up against are details in the account that simply wouldn’t be there if the accounts were invented, made-up, or flat out lies.
In an earlier post I used the example of Joseph of Arimathea. No way would that character have entered the story if it hadn’t really happened. Another example is the evidence of the Guard that was placed at the tomb. The best way for us to know that the story of the Guard is factual is to look at the conversation that took place.
. About a month after the crucifixion, Jesus’ followers proclaimed to “the world” that the tomb was empty because Christ had risen from the dead.
. The Jewish Council responded by saying, “He didn’t rise from the dead. The disciples stole the body.” That of course is confirmation that:
a) The tomb was empty and
b) It was the correct tomb that was being spoken of that was empty.
. Jesus’ followers said, “How could we have stolen His body when there were guards placed at the tomb to specifically prevent such a thing?
. The Jewish Council said, “Ah, but the guards had fallen asleep.”
. Jesus’ followers said, “Na, ah. You guys bribed the guards to say that.” And as the account ends, “And that is the story that is being spread to this very day.”
That whole exchange proves that,
a) The guards were in fact at the tomb and
b) There is no way that the disciples would have gone against armed guards and stolen the body
c) The tomb was in fact empty.
Now, if there hadn’t been a Guard placed to secure the tomb the conversation would have been something like:
. Jesus’ followers proclaimed that the tomb was empty because Christ had risen from the dead.
. The Jewish Council responded by saying, “He didn’t rise from the dead. The disciples stole the body.” That of course is confirmation that
a) The tomb was empty and
b) It was the correct tomb that was being spoken of that was empty.
. Jesus’ followers said, “How could we have stolen His body when there were guards placed at the tomb to specifically prevent such a thing?
. To which the Jewish Council would have replied, “What guards? What are you talking about?”
The Jewish Council wouldn’t have proposed that the Guard had fallen asleep if there weren’t any guards on duty.
Reality is, to fake a resurrection by stealing Jesus’ body never occurred to Jesus’ followers. They were scared. They were hiding. And they didn’t come out of hiding until some women came and told them that Jesus’ body was missing from the tomb.
Sceptics would have you believe that the Gospel accounts were written by New York Times best selling authors who wrote a fiction so refined and so diabolical that billions of people have been duped.
Reality is, the writers were not refined or gifted authors. They would have never thought of some of the things that I’m describing in this series of posts if they hadn’t taken place.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Was the resurrection story legend?
This is the fifth in a series of posts dealing with the death and resurrection of Jesus.
In their desire to cast doubt on eyewitness testimony to the resurrection of Jesus, one of the things that anti-theists run up against are details in the account that simply wouldn’t be there if the accounts were invented, made-up, or flat out lies.
If you can find anywhere in history where a legend has developed in only one month, in the presence of witnesses who were still living in the exact location of the event itself, then maybe an atheist could do something with their attempt to discredit this account of Jesus’ life. I would state categorically that not only hasn’t it EVER happened anywhere in the world but it did not happen in the case of Jesus either.
Something that critics seem to forget is that the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ life as well as Acts of the Apostles and the other letters that are included in the New Testament weren’t written FOR inclusion into the Bible. What are now part of the Bible were once independent documents circulating throughout the Christian and non Christian community. These guys weren’t journalists working for something like, “Bible Magazine.” The documents that were compiled into what we know today as the New Testament were separate ancient documents, written by people who were interested in the life of Jesus. Some had been followers of or students of Jesus. Others, like Dr. Luke were historians. These people had no idea that what they’d written would one day become part of the biggest and most important movement in history. They were not interested in creating a legend. What's the proof?
First of all, the early Church was spreading a Creed that proclaimed Jesus’ resurrection within a month of Jesus’ death.
Second - Everyone one concerned knew where Jesus was buried. If the tomb was not empty it would have been pointed out to everyone pronto and the Christian movement would have ended right then and there.
Third - Mark’s account was probably written within two years of Jesus’ death and there is good evidence that he got much of his information from someone else which would have put that information even earlier. Remember from an earlier post, when it comes to accuracy, early is good. These accounts were written within months when a decent legend takes decades or several decades to develop.
Fourth - There is nothing extra in Mark’s account. It contains just the facts - no embellishments of any kind.
Fifth - The use of women as witness testimony would have never made it into a legend. The use of Joseph of Arimathea would have never made it into a legend. The story of the guards falling asleep would have never made it into a legend.
Sixth - Nobody, not even enemies of the Church past or present claim that the tomb wasn’t empty.
Finally, here is what legend sounds like. It’s from the Gospel of Peter which was written hundreds of years after the resurrection of Jesus. In this Gospel Jesus is described as triumphantly emerging from the tomb as a gigantic figure whose head reached up into the clouds. He was supported by giant angels and followed by a “talking cross.” This emergence was sounded by a voice from heaven and witnessed by the Roman guard, the Jewish leaders and a multitude of spectators.
That is the look of a legend!
Sceptics would have you believe that the Gospel accounts were written by New York Times best selling authors who wrote a fiction so refined and so diabolical that billions of people have been duped.
Reality is, the writers were not refined or gifted authors. They would have never thought of some of the things that I’m describing in this series of posts if they hadn’t taken place.
In their desire to cast doubt on eyewitness testimony to the resurrection of Jesus, one of the things that anti-theists run up against are details in the account that simply wouldn’t be there if the accounts were invented, made-up, or flat out lies.
If you can find anywhere in history where a legend has developed in only one month, in the presence of witnesses who were still living in the exact location of the event itself, then maybe an atheist could do something with their attempt to discredit this account of Jesus’ life. I would state categorically that not only hasn’t it EVER happened anywhere in the world but it did not happen in the case of Jesus either.
Something that critics seem to forget is that the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ life as well as Acts of the Apostles and the other letters that are included in the New Testament weren’t written FOR inclusion into the Bible. What are now part of the Bible were once independent documents circulating throughout the Christian and non Christian community. These guys weren’t journalists working for something like, “Bible Magazine.” The documents that were compiled into what we know today as the New Testament were separate ancient documents, written by people who were interested in the life of Jesus. Some had been followers of or students of Jesus. Others, like Dr. Luke were historians. These people had no idea that what they’d written would one day become part of the biggest and most important movement in history. They were not interested in creating a legend. What's the proof?
First of all, the early Church was spreading a Creed that proclaimed Jesus’ resurrection within a month of Jesus’ death.
Second - Everyone one concerned knew where Jesus was buried. If the tomb was not empty it would have been pointed out to everyone pronto and the Christian movement would have ended right then and there.
Third - Mark’s account was probably written within two years of Jesus’ death and there is good evidence that he got much of his information from someone else which would have put that information even earlier. Remember from an earlier post, when it comes to accuracy, early is good. These accounts were written within months when a decent legend takes decades or several decades to develop.
Fourth - There is nothing extra in Mark’s account. It contains just the facts - no embellishments of any kind.
Fifth - The use of women as witness testimony would have never made it into a legend. The use of Joseph of Arimathea would have never made it into a legend. The story of the guards falling asleep would have never made it into a legend.
Sixth - Nobody, not even enemies of the Church past or present claim that the tomb wasn’t empty.
Finally, here is what legend sounds like. It’s from the Gospel of Peter which was written hundreds of years after the resurrection of Jesus. In this Gospel Jesus is described as triumphantly emerging from the tomb as a gigantic figure whose head reached up into the clouds. He was supported by giant angels and followed by a “talking cross.” This emergence was sounded by a voice from heaven and witnessed by the Roman guard, the Jewish leaders and a multitude of spectators.
That is the look of a legend!
Sceptics would have you believe that the Gospel accounts were written by New York Times best selling authors who wrote a fiction so refined and so diabolical that billions of people have been duped.
Reality is, the writers were not refined or gifted authors. They would have never thought of some of the things that I’m describing in this series of posts if they hadn’t taken place.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Who is this Joseph guy?
This is the fourth in a series of posts dealing with the death and resurrection of Jesus.
In their desire to cast doubt on eyewitness testimony to the resurrection of Jesus, one of the things that anti-theists run up against are details in the account that simply wouldn’t be there if the accounts were invented, exaggerated, or flat out lies.
An example of this is someone we read about called Joseph who was from Arimathea. If you know the account, you’ll remember that this was the guy who apparently went and asked to take the body of Jesus from the cross. He then, with the help of others, prepared the body for burial and placed the body in his very own tomb. This tomb by the way wasn’t just an old cave. That was common practice in that area at that time in history. Instead, this was a tomb that had been carved out of rock. Joseph of Arimathea was rich. However, that is not what makes his mention in the ancient texts confirming or authenticating.
The inclusion of this man in the text goes to proving the truth of the story is because Joseph was a member of the Sanhedrin; the very group that was responsible for arranging the murder of Jesus. Other details about this story include facts like:
- All of the members of the Sanhedrin that were present on the night in question voted unanimously to kill Jesus, and
- Joseph of Arimathea was not present for the vote.
Those two points are a little interesting, but the biggest authenticating factor is, the early Christians were furious at the injustice of Jesus’ crucifixion and they didn’t hesitate to lay it out for the public when the opportunity arose. There is no way that they would have invented a good or friendly or helpful member of the Sanhedrin unless it was true. Think about it, as the account goes, all of Jesus’ disciples run and hide while a member of the very party that put the hit on Jesus went to His, albeit late aide. As well, this was a member of a specific well known group. Whether or not he was involved in the way the writer mentioned could have been checked out with ease.
Joseph of Arimathea is a historical figure as are the accounts that include him as part of the story.
Sceptics would have you believe that the Gospel accounts were written by New York Times best selling authors who wrote a fiction so refined and so diabolical that billions of people have been duped.
Reality is, the writers were not refined or gifted authors. They would have never thought of some of the things that I’m describing in this series of posts if they hadn’t taken place.
In their desire to cast doubt on eyewitness testimony to the resurrection of Jesus, one of the things that anti-theists run up against are details in the account that simply wouldn’t be there if the accounts were invented, exaggerated, or flat out lies.
An example of this is someone we read about called Joseph who was from Arimathea. If you know the account, you’ll remember that this was the guy who apparently went and asked to take the body of Jesus from the cross. He then, with the help of others, prepared the body for burial and placed the body in his very own tomb. This tomb by the way wasn’t just an old cave. That was common practice in that area at that time in history. Instead, this was a tomb that had been carved out of rock. Joseph of Arimathea was rich. However, that is not what makes his mention in the ancient texts confirming or authenticating.
The inclusion of this man in the text goes to proving the truth of the story is because Joseph was a member of the Sanhedrin; the very group that was responsible for arranging the murder of Jesus. Other details about this story include facts like:
- All of the members of the Sanhedrin that were present on the night in question voted unanimously to kill Jesus, and
- Joseph of Arimathea was not present for the vote.
Those two points are a little interesting, but the biggest authenticating factor is, the early Christians were furious at the injustice of Jesus’ crucifixion and they didn’t hesitate to lay it out for the public when the opportunity arose. There is no way that they would have invented a good or friendly or helpful member of the Sanhedrin unless it was true. Think about it, as the account goes, all of Jesus’ disciples run and hide while a member of the very party that put the hit on Jesus went to His, albeit late aide. As well, this was a member of a specific well known group. Whether or not he was involved in the way the writer mentioned could have been checked out with ease.
Joseph of Arimathea is a historical figure as are the accounts that include him as part of the story.
Sceptics would have you believe that the Gospel accounts were written by New York Times best selling authors who wrote a fiction so refined and so diabolical that billions of people have been duped.
Reality is, the writers were not refined or gifted authors. They would have never thought of some of the things that I’m describing in this series of posts if they hadn’t taken place.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
So, Does being early count for anything?
This is the third in a series of post dealing with the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Not all historical scholars believe the sightings of Jesus after He’s been killed actually happened. However, all credible scholars acknowledge that the creed that Paul writes about in 1st Corinthians 15:3-8 comes from within 5 years of Jesus’ resurrection and is part of an oral tradition that was formed literally days after the apostles began to proclaim the risen Christ. And that took place roughly one month after Jesus has been crucified.
If being early counts for anything, and it does, Paul’s statement,
. “For what I received (probably from James and maybe Peter and John) I passed on to you as of first importance;
. That Christ Jesus died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
. That He was buried,
. That He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and
. That He appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.
. After that, He appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.
. Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and
. Last of all He appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.” (Insertion mine).
This is what was being preached by eyewitnesses to the life, death and post resurrection appearances of Jesus just a month or so after He was killed and buried. It’s early. It conforms to the other facts that are known. It accounts for the reality of the Church today.
What are you going to do with it?
Sceptics would have you believe that the Gospel accounts were written by New York Times best selling authors who wrote a fiction so refined and so diabolical that billions of people have been duped.
Reality is, the writers were not refined or gifted authors. They would have never thought of some of the things that I’m describing in this series of posts if they hadn’t taken place.
Not all historical scholars believe the sightings of Jesus after He’s been killed actually happened. However, all credible scholars acknowledge that the creed that Paul writes about in 1st Corinthians 15:3-8 comes from within 5 years of Jesus’ resurrection and is part of an oral tradition that was formed literally days after the apostles began to proclaim the risen Christ. And that took place roughly one month after Jesus has been crucified.
If being early counts for anything, and it does, Paul’s statement,
. “For what I received (probably from James and maybe Peter and John) I passed on to you as of first importance;
. That Christ Jesus died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
. That He was buried,
. That He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and
. That He appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.
. After that, He appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.
. Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and
. Last of all He appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.” (Insertion mine).
This is what was being preached by eyewitnesses to the life, death and post resurrection appearances of Jesus just a month or so after He was killed and buried. It’s early. It conforms to the other facts that are known. It accounts for the reality of the Church today.
What are you going to do with it?
Sceptics would have you believe that the Gospel accounts were written by New York Times best selling authors who wrote a fiction so refined and so diabolical that billions of people have been duped.
Reality is, the writers were not refined or gifted authors. They would have never thought of some of the things that I’m describing in this series of posts if they hadn’t taken place.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
The Case of the Missing Body
This is the second post in a series on the death and resurrection of Jesus.
The grave is empty. The body is gone. Who took it? What did they do with it and Why?
No, this isn’t a lousy beginning to a paperback novel. Rather, it’s a lousy beginning to what I want to say about the empty tomb in which Jesus was buried. I’m too lazy to think of a better way to segway into the fact that the problem in 1st century Jerusalem wasn’t a missing body. Rather, the problem was that Jesus body WASN’T missing. He was out in the open, eating, drinking, teaching, and leaving final instructions for the transfer of power. This was a HUGE problem then and it still is a problem for you, and here’s why.
For roughly thirty-three years, Jesus was seen alive.
For roughly three days He was known to be dead.
For roughly fifty days Jesus was again seen alive.
This isn’t a case of the missing Jesus. This is a case of Jesus being killed and now supernaturally being alive to this very day. Because there is no natural or material way for a dead person to come to life again, the fact that Jesus is alive means that God is real. And if God is real then there are certain obligations and issues of accountability involved.
I have yet to find anyone who is able to explain away (in a manner that isn’t part of the lunatic fringe of holocaust and Jesus deniers), the appearances of Jesus after He was dead and buried. The reason that I keep bringing it up is because according to Jesus, what we do with His resurrection will determine our future; both temporal and eternal. That, to me, seems like a rather important thing to think about. As the current financial crash in the United States clearly indicates, human beings aren’t very good at planning for even tomorrow let alone eternity. Nevertheless, this is one topic that shouldn’t be put on the shelf.
Sceptics would have you believe that the Gospel accounts were written by New York Times best selling authors who wrote a fiction so refined and so diabolical that billions of people have been duped.
Reality is, the writers were not refined or gifted authors. They would have never thought of some of the things that I’m describing in this series of posts if they hadn’t taken place.
The grave is empty. The body is gone. Who took it? What did they do with it and Why?
No, this isn’t a lousy beginning to a paperback novel. Rather, it’s a lousy beginning to what I want to say about the empty tomb in which Jesus was buried. I’m too lazy to think of a better way to segway into the fact that the problem in 1st century Jerusalem wasn’t a missing body. Rather, the problem was that Jesus body WASN’T missing. He was out in the open, eating, drinking, teaching, and leaving final instructions for the transfer of power. This was a HUGE problem then and it still is a problem for you, and here’s why.
For roughly thirty-three years, Jesus was seen alive.
For roughly three days He was known to be dead.
For roughly fifty days Jesus was again seen alive.
This isn’t a case of the missing Jesus. This is a case of Jesus being killed and now supernaturally being alive to this very day. Because there is no natural or material way for a dead person to come to life again, the fact that Jesus is alive means that God is real. And if God is real then there are certain obligations and issues of accountability involved.
I have yet to find anyone who is able to explain away (in a manner that isn’t part of the lunatic fringe of holocaust and Jesus deniers), the appearances of Jesus after He was dead and buried. The reason that I keep bringing it up is because according to Jesus, what we do with His resurrection will determine our future; both temporal and eternal. That, to me, seems like a rather important thing to think about. As the current financial crash in the United States clearly indicates, human beings aren’t very good at planning for even tomorrow let alone eternity. Nevertheless, this is one topic that shouldn’t be put on the shelf.
Sceptics would have you believe that the Gospel accounts were written by New York Times best selling authors who wrote a fiction so refined and so diabolical that billions of people have been duped.
Reality is, the writers were not refined or gifted authors. They would have never thought of some of the things that I’m describing in this series of posts if they hadn’t taken place.
Friday, November 7, 2008
“Jesus Survived the Cross.” Mm-Hmm
Because of some recent interest in Jesus and His resurrection, I think I’ll do a bit of a series on the topic, highlighting a few of the most persistent attempts to refute the historicity of Jesus’ death and resurrection. To that end, I want to comment on post that appeared just a bit ago. I think it was written by the same goof who wrote a post saying that Jesus never claimed to be God. Anyhow, this guy said that Jesus never died on the cross. In fact according to the writer of this blog, Jesus survived the cross and went to live in China. That’s right - not India but China.
The evidence for the death of Jesus on the cross is so strong that it seems impossible that anyone would dare to say otherwise. Yet, it happens, and it happens because if it’s said some people will believe it. So, once again, I’m drawn to post a refutation of this statement, even though to say that Jesus survived the crucifixion requires as much ignorance of the historical events or as purposeful and deliberate a lie as when he said that Jesus never claimed to be God in human form.
To be fair:
. While some people died, many people were known to survive a Roman flogging, and
. There is a record of three individuals who survived a Roman crucifixion. (These were people who had been mistakenly sentenced to death and who were taken from the cross early when the error was discovered) - However
*** There are no records of anyone surviving a flogging AND a crucifixion.***
So how can we be sure that Jesus died on the cross? How do we know that He didn’t just faint or pretend to be dead?
First of all, there is no evidence, as is sometimes suggested that Jesus was drugged by friends or anyone else. He turned down the only painkiller that was offered. Nor was this a swoon which trained killers (Roman soldiers) somehow failed to notice. Remember, as the soldiers were breaking the legs of the men being executed that day, these executioners did not break the legs of Jesus because it was clear to them that He was already dead.
Anyone who makes the claim that Jesus survived the cross is also implying that He pretended to not be breathing after hanging on a cross for six hours and after being thrust through with a spear. These people are saying the Jesus spent three nights in a cold tomb and then He unwrapped (from the inside) about a hundred yards are burial wrapping, which enclosed 75 pounds of myrrh and aloes. He then rolled back, singlehanded mind you, a 1 to 1.5 ton stone. He overcame the guards who themselves were under pain of death if they allowed a prisoner to escape, and He fled from the scene only to appear like a victorious Saviour who had just overcome death. According to the people who propose the cross survival theory, Jesus’ appearance was so convincing that His disciples went to the end of their own lives believing and proclaiming that they had witnessed something miraculous.
Save for the lunatic fringe, as is evidenced by the blog in question, even modern enemies of Christianity admit to the historical factuality of Jesus’ death on the cross. A question that needs to be asked, If Jesus didn’t die on the cross Why would Cicero, Josephus, Matthew, Tacitus, Mark, Lucian of Samosata, Dr. Luke, Mara Bar-Serapion, John, The Babylonion Talmud and John Dominic Crossan of the “Jesus Seminar” all attest that Jesus’ crucifixion is historical fact? And why would that be when all but Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are non Christians? If Jesus didn’t die on the cross, why would these historians and scholars write that He did? Why would they simply invent these stories? There was / is absolutely nothing of earthly value to be gained by concocting this as a lie.
The facts that we have, and again these are facts that even learned historical scholars who are also sceptics agree to, point to the factual death of Jesus on the cross are as follows:
. The flogging by Roman soldiers would have almost but not quite killed Jesus. Flogging was a torture that historical records indicate laid bare the bowels, tendons and bones and created an enormous loss of blood. Couple that with six hours on the cross and there is no way that Jesus could have survived.
. Crucifixion was so painful, that in order to describe what it was like, a new word, “excruciating” or “off the cross” was invented. Much of this pain came about because the median nerve in both arms, the largest nerve running to the hands would have been crushed by the spikes. The same would have happened as His feet were nailed to the cross. The intensity of this pain has been described as that which would happen if someone took a pair of pliers and squeezed and twisted, for hours on end, the nerve that is housed in your elbow - “funny bone.”
. Both of Jesus shoulders and probably his elbows would be been pulled out of their sockets. It was not uncommon for arms to be stretched several inches so that the person was hanging by only tendons and muscles.
. Because of the injuries to the feet, Jesus would not have been able to push up to relieve the suffocation that He was experiencing by the position of the upraised arms. Death would have come by asphyxiation and / or cardiac arrest brought on by respiratory acidosis.
. It appears from available forensic evidence that hypovolemic shock from severe loss of blood prior to the crucifixion brought on heart failure, which resulted in the collection of fluid in the membrane around the heart, called a pericardial effusion, as well as around the lungs, which is called a pleural effusion.
. Jesus was pierced clear through the chest cavity by a spear. From the evidence we can know that this thrust pierced Jesus’ lung as well as the protective sack surrounding the heart. This created a huge wound out of which pleural fluids (which the medically uneducated writer, John, described as water) and blood poured. This evidence alone shows beyond any doubt that Jesus was dead at the time of the spear thrusting into His chest. However, had Jesus not already been dead, this wound would in and of itself have been fatal.
. After all this, Jesus spent between 60 - 70 hours in an ice-cold cave, plus He was embalmed in 75 pounds of spices, plus He was wrapped in many yards of burial cloth. And this brings me to what for me is the most interesting part of the discovery of the empty tomb. When Peter and John went to the tomb, and when they looked in, what they saw was described this way “He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus’ head. The cloth was folded up on itself, separate from the linen.” Jn.20: 3-7.
Did you get that? Jesus hadn’t regained consciousness and then fought his way out of a hundred yards of linen wrapping that was stuck together with 75 pounds of gooey myrrh and aloes. This extensive wrapping wasn’t strewn about the tomb as would be the case if he had unwrapped himself (which is ludicrous to even suggest). Nor was it strewn about as it would have happened during a rushed tomb robbery. The burial wrapping which was given shape and form from the myrrh and aloes was collapsed in on itself. The head was always wrapped separately from the body and that is exactly how is was still lying sans the head and body of Jesus. Jesus simply left the wrapping, “like an empty chrysalis of a caterpillar’s cocoon” when the butterfly has emerged. No wonder, “John saw and believed.” Jn. 20:8.
Again, the question needs to be asked. If the accounts of what the disciples taught about Jesus’ resurrection weren’t true, Why would Origen write, “Jesus, who has both risen AND led His disciples to believe in His resurrection and so thoroughly persuaded them of its truth that they showed to all men by their suffering how they were able to laugh at life’s troubles beholding to life eternal and a resurrection clearly demonstrated to them in word and deed by this one Jesus.”
Without the resurrection being historical fact, it doesn’t make any sense that Origen would write that.
So what we have from those who propose that Jesus simply fainted or pretended to be dead is:
. After a severe beating that alone killed many of its victims
. After hanging on a cross for six hours,
. After being pierced almost through by a Roman soldier’s spear
. After recovering from a faint caused by sever blood loss OR after simply faking death by holding his breath to fool His professional executioners who themselves, under Roman law would have been executed for allowing a prisoner to escape,
. And after spending three nights in a cold tomb,
Jesus came hobbling into town on feet pierced through by nails, beaten and bloodied, literally from head to toe and barely alive, and it was this Jesus who inspired hundreds of people to go to their deaths proclaiming Jesus’ victory over death and proclaiming that someday we too would possess a superlative resurrection body just like the one Jesus showed His followers after His rise from the dead.
Mm-Hmm.
Sceptics would have you believe that the Gospel accounts were written by New York Times best selling authors who wrote a fiction so refined and so diabolical that billions of people have been duped.
Reality is, the writers were not refined or gifted authors. They would have never thought of some of the things that I’m describing in this series of posts if they hadn’t taken place.
The evidence for the death of Jesus on the cross is so strong that it seems impossible that anyone would dare to say otherwise. Yet, it happens, and it happens because if it’s said some people will believe it. So, once again, I’m drawn to post a refutation of this statement, even though to say that Jesus survived the crucifixion requires as much ignorance of the historical events or as purposeful and deliberate a lie as when he said that Jesus never claimed to be God in human form.
To be fair:
. While some people died, many people were known to survive a Roman flogging, and
. There is a record of three individuals who survived a Roman crucifixion. (These were people who had been mistakenly sentenced to death and who were taken from the cross early when the error was discovered) - However
*** There are no records of anyone surviving a flogging AND a crucifixion.***
So how can we be sure that Jesus died on the cross? How do we know that He didn’t just faint or pretend to be dead?
First of all, there is no evidence, as is sometimes suggested that Jesus was drugged by friends or anyone else. He turned down the only painkiller that was offered. Nor was this a swoon which trained killers (Roman soldiers) somehow failed to notice. Remember, as the soldiers were breaking the legs of the men being executed that day, these executioners did not break the legs of Jesus because it was clear to them that He was already dead.
Anyone who makes the claim that Jesus survived the cross is also implying that He pretended to not be breathing after hanging on a cross for six hours and after being thrust through with a spear. These people are saying the Jesus spent three nights in a cold tomb and then He unwrapped (from the inside) about a hundred yards are burial wrapping, which enclosed 75 pounds of myrrh and aloes. He then rolled back, singlehanded mind you, a 1 to 1.5 ton stone. He overcame the guards who themselves were under pain of death if they allowed a prisoner to escape, and He fled from the scene only to appear like a victorious Saviour who had just overcome death. According to the people who propose the cross survival theory, Jesus’ appearance was so convincing that His disciples went to the end of their own lives believing and proclaiming that they had witnessed something miraculous.
Save for the lunatic fringe, as is evidenced by the blog in question, even modern enemies of Christianity admit to the historical factuality of Jesus’ death on the cross. A question that needs to be asked, If Jesus didn’t die on the cross Why would Cicero, Josephus, Matthew, Tacitus, Mark, Lucian of Samosata, Dr. Luke, Mara Bar-Serapion, John, The Babylonion Talmud and John Dominic Crossan of the “Jesus Seminar” all attest that Jesus’ crucifixion is historical fact? And why would that be when all but Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are non Christians? If Jesus didn’t die on the cross, why would these historians and scholars write that He did? Why would they simply invent these stories? There was / is absolutely nothing of earthly value to be gained by concocting this as a lie.
The facts that we have, and again these are facts that even learned historical scholars who are also sceptics agree to, point to the factual death of Jesus on the cross are as follows:
. The flogging by Roman soldiers would have almost but not quite killed Jesus. Flogging was a torture that historical records indicate laid bare the bowels, tendons and bones and created an enormous loss of blood. Couple that with six hours on the cross and there is no way that Jesus could have survived.
. Crucifixion was so painful, that in order to describe what it was like, a new word, “excruciating” or “off the cross” was invented. Much of this pain came about because the median nerve in both arms, the largest nerve running to the hands would have been crushed by the spikes. The same would have happened as His feet were nailed to the cross. The intensity of this pain has been described as that which would happen if someone took a pair of pliers and squeezed and twisted, for hours on end, the nerve that is housed in your elbow - “funny bone.”
. Both of Jesus shoulders and probably his elbows would be been pulled out of their sockets. It was not uncommon for arms to be stretched several inches so that the person was hanging by only tendons and muscles.
. Because of the injuries to the feet, Jesus would not have been able to push up to relieve the suffocation that He was experiencing by the position of the upraised arms. Death would have come by asphyxiation and / or cardiac arrest brought on by respiratory acidosis.
. It appears from available forensic evidence that hypovolemic shock from severe loss of blood prior to the crucifixion brought on heart failure, which resulted in the collection of fluid in the membrane around the heart, called a pericardial effusion, as well as around the lungs, which is called a pleural effusion.
. Jesus was pierced clear through the chest cavity by a spear. From the evidence we can know that this thrust pierced Jesus’ lung as well as the protective sack surrounding the heart. This created a huge wound out of which pleural fluids (which the medically uneducated writer, John, described as water) and blood poured. This evidence alone shows beyond any doubt that Jesus was dead at the time of the spear thrusting into His chest. However, had Jesus not already been dead, this wound would in and of itself have been fatal.
. After all this, Jesus spent between 60 - 70 hours in an ice-cold cave, plus He was embalmed in 75 pounds of spices, plus He was wrapped in many yards of burial cloth. And this brings me to what for me is the most interesting part of the discovery of the empty tomb. When Peter and John went to the tomb, and when they looked in, what they saw was described this way “He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus’ head. The cloth was folded up on itself, separate from the linen.” Jn.20: 3-7.
Did you get that? Jesus hadn’t regained consciousness and then fought his way out of a hundred yards of linen wrapping that was stuck together with 75 pounds of gooey myrrh and aloes. This extensive wrapping wasn’t strewn about the tomb as would be the case if he had unwrapped himself (which is ludicrous to even suggest). Nor was it strewn about as it would have happened during a rushed tomb robbery. The burial wrapping which was given shape and form from the myrrh and aloes was collapsed in on itself. The head was always wrapped separately from the body and that is exactly how is was still lying sans the head and body of Jesus. Jesus simply left the wrapping, “like an empty chrysalis of a caterpillar’s cocoon” when the butterfly has emerged. No wonder, “John saw and believed.” Jn. 20:8.
Again, the question needs to be asked. If the accounts of what the disciples taught about Jesus’ resurrection weren’t true, Why would Origen write, “Jesus, who has both risen AND led His disciples to believe in His resurrection and so thoroughly persuaded them of its truth that they showed to all men by their suffering how they were able to laugh at life’s troubles beholding to life eternal and a resurrection clearly demonstrated to them in word and deed by this one Jesus.”
Without the resurrection being historical fact, it doesn’t make any sense that Origen would write that.
So what we have from those who propose that Jesus simply fainted or pretended to be dead is:
. After a severe beating that alone killed many of its victims
. After hanging on a cross for six hours,
. After being pierced almost through by a Roman soldier’s spear
. After recovering from a faint caused by sever blood loss OR after simply faking death by holding his breath to fool His professional executioners who themselves, under Roman law would have been executed for allowing a prisoner to escape,
. And after spending three nights in a cold tomb,
Jesus came hobbling into town on feet pierced through by nails, beaten and bloodied, literally from head to toe and barely alive, and it was this Jesus who inspired hundreds of people to go to their deaths proclaiming Jesus’ victory over death and proclaiming that someday we too would possess a superlative resurrection body just like the one Jesus showed His followers after His rise from the dead.
Mm-Hmm.
Sceptics would have you believe that the Gospel accounts were written by New York Times best selling authors who wrote a fiction so refined and so diabolical that billions of people have been duped.
Reality is, the writers were not refined or gifted authors. They would have never thought of some of the things that I’m describing in this series of posts if they hadn’t taken place.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Will you wake up in the morning?
I’ve worked with so many people who were terrified of death. It wasn’t the process of death that they feared. It was death itself - the end of existence.
Jesus says, “I AM the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even through he dies; and whoever lives and believes in Me will never die.”
Now that’s quite a statement. What kind of individual would feel comfortable saying that about Himself? Certainly no leader or founder of any other religion has made a claim such as that. Of course anyone can say anything they want. Time will tell if the person is lying or not. But this, well, without further proof each of us would have to wait until after we’d died to find out if what Jesus was saying was as preposterous as it sounds. If there are in fact eternal consequences to our beliefs, after death is a little late to find out the truth. Fortunately Jesus did away with the wait. In fact, by this action, Jesus proved two things.
1) There is life after death, and
2) He has the power to raise not only Himself but us as well from the dead.
By His own resurrection, three days after being crucified Jesus proved the truth of His claims about Himself, about life, death and the life hereafter. It is simply not true that we can’t know what happens after death. Nor do we have to rely on NDE stories from less than reliable sources.
If you wonder about what comes after this life, you don’t need to pretend to be unconcerned by making unproven statements like, “This life is all there is.” More and more atheists are accepting the fact that we intuitively know that we were made for more than just this life on earth. The fear of their impending decay into nothing compels many atheists to make what seems almost unbelievable comments, at least for atheists. That there is a spiritual, or a supernatural or metaphysical world used to be out of the question for anyone claiming to be an atheist. Comprehending the ramifications of traditional atheist views has created an evolution of sorts in the way atheists now confront their eternity. Yet, if that’s true, that there is a supernatural aspect to life, why in the world would they stop just short of what the Bible teaches? Because accepting that a supreme spiritual Being exists would include a dimension of accountability and that of course is the one thing that atheists avoid like the plague.
Jesus came to give us immeasurable value and worth and purpose. He said that “life” doesn’t end here.
If you’re not so sure about all this, my suggestion is that you seriously work through the issue of Jesus’ resurrection. If it makes you more comfortable, you can do it with the goal of proving that the resurrection didn’t happen. And if you are honest in your search, and if you are diligent in your investigation, I guarantee that you will find the cure to your dread of ceasing to exist. While fearing death is a poor reason to become a follower of Jesus, it’s certainly better than spending eternity in the complete and total absence of love.
Jesus says, “I AM the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even through he dies; and whoever lives and believes in Me will never die.”
Now that’s quite a statement. What kind of individual would feel comfortable saying that about Himself? Certainly no leader or founder of any other religion has made a claim such as that. Of course anyone can say anything they want. Time will tell if the person is lying or not. But this, well, without further proof each of us would have to wait until after we’d died to find out if what Jesus was saying was as preposterous as it sounds. If there are in fact eternal consequences to our beliefs, after death is a little late to find out the truth. Fortunately Jesus did away with the wait. In fact, by this action, Jesus proved two things.
1) There is life after death, and
2) He has the power to raise not only Himself but us as well from the dead.
By His own resurrection, three days after being crucified Jesus proved the truth of His claims about Himself, about life, death and the life hereafter. It is simply not true that we can’t know what happens after death. Nor do we have to rely on NDE stories from less than reliable sources.
If you wonder about what comes after this life, you don’t need to pretend to be unconcerned by making unproven statements like, “This life is all there is.” More and more atheists are accepting the fact that we intuitively know that we were made for more than just this life on earth. The fear of their impending decay into nothing compels many atheists to make what seems almost unbelievable comments, at least for atheists. That there is a spiritual, or a supernatural or metaphysical world used to be out of the question for anyone claiming to be an atheist. Comprehending the ramifications of traditional atheist views has created an evolution of sorts in the way atheists now confront their eternity. Yet, if that’s true, that there is a supernatural aspect to life, why in the world would they stop just short of what the Bible teaches? Because accepting that a supreme spiritual Being exists would include a dimension of accountability and that of course is the one thing that atheists avoid like the plague.
Jesus came to give us immeasurable value and worth and purpose. He said that “life” doesn’t end here.
If you’re not so sure about all this, my suggestion is that you seriously work through the issue of Jesus’ resurrection. If it makes you more comfortable, you can do it with the goal of proving that the resurrection didn’t happen. And if you are honest in your search, and if you are diligent in your investigation, I guarantee that you will find the cure to your dread of ceasing to exist. While fearing death is a poor reason to become a follower of Jesus, it’s certainly better than spending eternity in the complete and total absence of love.
Ain’t that America?
For how many decades have Americans been electing leader after leader, each one dumber than the one before? While we all have tendencies to be this way, Americans, seemingly more than anyone else have always been prone to being led by the nose into following anyone who can dazzle their senses, tantalize their greed and titillate their delusions of grandeur. The cult of personality was happening again in this election with Barak Obama charming everyone in his midst. However, instead of electing another dullard Americans seem to have stumbled upon a President with intelligence.
Ain’t that America? A horseshoe stuck all the way up its butt. They had the opportunity to have a President with intelligence with Al Gore. Unfortunately he had the personality of an accountant. Obama, though, man that guy just threw America a perfect change-up. He played the old bait and switch. Offer them charm and give them smarts instead.
Congratulations America! Even if it was by accident, you’ve done something good for the first time in a long time. It’s actually pretty impressive. The trick now will be to keep Obama alive because electing him will have ignited the most base fears and hatreds that 400 years of racist evolution could bring into being.
Ain’t that America? A horseshoe stuck all the way up its butt. They had the opportunity to have a President with intelligence with Al Gore. Unfortunately he had the personality of an accountant. Obama, though, man that guy just threw America a perfect change-up. He played the old bait and switch. Offer them charm and give them smarts instead.
Congratulations America! Even if it was by accident, you’ve done something good for the first time in a long time. It’s actually pretty impressive. The trick now will be to keep Obama alive because electing him will have ignited the most base fears and hatreds that 400 years of racist evolution could bring into being.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Can we trust anything in the Bible?
As a Christian, anything that confirms the reliability of the Bible gives me a twinge of satisfaction. I’m not sure why, since by belief in it’s reliability is solid. I guess it’s just a kind of “Told you so,” or something childish like that. For example, the following archaeological finds show the historical relevance of some Biblical entries.
John 4:5,6 - Jacob’s well in Nablus
Matthew 8:14 - Peter’s house in Capernaum
Luke 23:33 - Skeletal remains of crucified men in Jerusalem
Acts 21:27-29 - Inscription: Gentile entrance of temple sanctuary
Luke 3:1 - Pilate inscription in Caesarea
John 5:2 - Pool Bethesda in Jerusalem
John 9:7 - Pool of Silam in Jerusalem
Mark 1:21 - Early synagogue in Capernaum
Luke 21:20 - Masada in Southwest Dead Sea
Matthew 2:19 - The Herodium near Bethlehem
Matthew 2:4 - Herod’s winter palace in Jericho
Luke 1:9 - Herod’s temple in Jerusalem
Acts 17:6 - Politarch inscription in Thessalonica
Acts 16:11,12; 17:1 - Egnatian Way in Neapolis, Philippi, Apollonia, and Thessalonica
Acts 18:12 - Gallio inscription in Delphi
1 Corinthians 9:24/26 - Starting gate for races in Isthmia
Acts 16:19 - Marketplace in Philippi
Acts 18:12 - Court in Corinth
1 Corinthians 8:10 - Cult dining rooms in Demeter temples in Corinth
1 Corinthians 10:25 - Meat market inscription in Corinth
Acts 18:4 - Synagogue inscription in Corinth
Romans 16:23 - Erastus inscription in Corinth
Luke 19:43-44; 21:6,20 - Arch of Titus in Rome
1 Peter 2:13 - Golden House of Nero in Rome
Acts 25:10 - Appian Way at Puteoli to Rome
2 Timothy 1:16-17; 2:9; 4:6-8 - Mamertime Prison in Rome
Luke 2:1 - Tomb of Augustus in Rome
Acts 19:35 - Artemis statues in Ephesus
Acts 19:24 - Silversmith shops in Ephesus
Acts 19:29 - Ephesian theatre in Ephesus
Acts 19:27,28 - Artemis temple and altar in Ephesus
Acts 20:13,14 - Fourth-century B.C. walls in Assos
Revelation 2:13 - Zeus altar in Pergamum
Acts 13:6,7 - Sergius Paulus inscription in Antioch in Pisidia
Acts 14:20 - Derbe inscription in Kerti Huyuk
Most recently the reign of Solomon was reconfirmed by archaeology
The existence of Sargon and the Hittites were confirmed by archaeology
The sevenfold lamp-stands use in the temple was confirmed by archaeology
The extent of the Davidic empire was confirmed by archaeology
That Belshazzar existed and ruled over Babylon was confirmed by archaeology.
The existence of Tyre, Nineveh, and dozens of other ancient cities mentioned in the Bible have been confirmed by archaeology.
This is only a bit what was archaeology has confirmed in the New Testament, and while the extent of ancient finds in the Old Testament would take all day for me to document. The fact is, no, repeat NO archaeological discovery has EVER controverted a SINGLE Biblical statement. Of course archaeology does not prove the Bible to be the Word of God (prophecy does that). Nevertheless, archaeology does establish the historicity of innumerable passages and statements of the Old and New Testaments.
John 4:5,6 - Jacob’s well in Nablus
Matthew 8:14 - Peter’s house in Capernaum
Luke 23:33 - Skeletal remains of crucified men in Jerusalem
Acts 21:27-29 - Inscription: Gentile entrance of temple sanctuary
Luke 3:1 - Pilate inscription in Caesarea
John 5:2 - Pool Bethesda in Jerusalem
John 9:7 - Pool of Silam in Jerusalem
Mark 1:21 - Early synagogue in Capernaum
Luke 21:20 - Masada in Southwest Dead Sea
Matthew 2:19 - The Herodium near Bethlehem
Matthew 2:4 - Herod’s winter palace in Jericho
Luke 1:9 - Herod’s temple in Jerusalem
Acts 17:6 - Politarch inscription in Thessalonica
Acts 16:11,12; 17:1 - Egnatian Way in Neapolis, Philippi, Apollonia, and Thessalonica
Acts 18:12 - Gallio inscription in Delphi
1 Corinthians 9:24/26 - Starting gate for races in Isthmia
Acts 16:19 - Marketplace in Philippi
Acts 18:12 - Court in Corinth
1 Corinthians 8:10 - Cult dining rooms in Demeter temples in Corinth
1 Corinthians 10:25 - Meat market inscription in Corinth
Acts 18:4 - Synagogue inscription in Corinth
Romans 16:23 - Erastus inscription in Corinth
Luke 19:43-44; 21:6,20 - Arch of Titus in Rome
1 Peter 2:13 - Golden House of Nero in Rome
Acts 25:10 - Appian Way at Puteoli to Rome
2 Timothy 1:16-17; 2:9; 4:6-8 - Mamertime Prison in Rome
Luke 2:1 - Tomb of Augustus in Rome
Acts 19:35 - Artemis statues in Ephesus
Acts 19:24 - Silversmith shops in Ephesus
Acts 19:29 - Ephesian theatre in Ephesus
Acts 19:27,28 - Artemis temple and altar in Ephesus
Acts 20:13,14 - Fourth-century B.C. walls in Assos
Revelation 2:13 - Zeus altar in Pergamum
Acts 13:6,7 - Sergius Paulus inscription in Antioch in Pisidia
Acts 14:20 - Derbe inscription in Kerti Huyuk
Most recently the reign of Solomon was reconfirmed by archaeology
The existence of Sargon and the Hittites were confirmed by archaeology
The sevenfold lamp-stands use in the temple was confirmed by archaeology
The extent of the Davidic empire was confirmed by archaeology
That Belshazzar existed and ruled over Babylon was confirmed by archaeology.
The existence of Tyre, Nineveh, and dozens of other ancient cities mentioned in the Bible have been confirmed by archaeology.
This is only a bit what was archaeology has confirmed in the New Testament, and while the extent of ancient finds in the Old Testament would take all day for me to document. The fact is, no, repeat NO archaeological discovery has EVER controverted a SINGLE Biblical statement. Of course archaeology does not prove the Bible to be the Word of God (prophecy does that). Nevertheless, archaeology does establish the historicity of innumerable passages and statements of the Old and New Testaments.
Monday, November 3, 2008
How do you explain Jesus?
. Some people recognise that they’re hungry for love. They’ve never seen it, never known it - Being used and abused is all they’ve experienced. Yet going to Jesus for love never occurs to them.
. Others can identify that they’re longing for security. But seeing Jesus as a protector is not even on the list.
. Others understand that significance and belonging are the things that are most absent in their lives. Yet the “world” has no shortage of promises to fulfil those dreams.
. And while many struggle with depression, disillusionment and despair, they don’t know any way out of that mess. They search and search and search but they never look to Jesus as a possible solution.
It’s one thing to know Jesus. It’s one thing be in a relationship with Jesus and to bask in the warmth of His love and mercy and forgiveness. But how do you describe or relay the nuances of that relationship to others who have yet to know Him? I mean, we’re all looking for Him. It’s just that some don’t know He’s what they’re after. So how can that be communicated to them?
Jesus says to all of us, “If you’re struggling with life, if you’re weighted down by worries and feelings of no worth and loneliness, and guilt, come to Me and I will give you rest for your weary souls.”
Could that be true?
I remember sitting at a party one night. There was lots of noise and laughter and music. Of course all of this “love” was fuelled by ecstasy and alcohol and a tonne of other drugs. At that time in my life I actually thought that we were having fun. And then the woman sitting next to me said, “Is life ever a bag of shit.” And I looked at her kind of like, What are you talking about? We’re having a good time here.
What a comment! At the time I thought she was nuts, but from then on I could never look at my friends or myself in the same light. I saw that we were some of the most pathetic people on the planet. Sure, we had all the drugs and sex and money that any hedonistic person could ask for. But we were lost. Worse, some of us were in fact experiencing an inkling of being lost. We were aware of a fear that something was terribly wrong in our world, but we were afraid to admit to such a “weakness.” Thankfully that woman voiced what I had yet to admit. We were starving for real life, yet we were “acting” like we had it all. It was still about five years after that night that I became a Christian but it was that night, with that comment when I began my journey to Jesus. For what it’s worth, that woman killed herself a couple years later.
All of us screw up from time to time. It’s a bit like we are stumbling around in a dark room and we’re bruising our shins and stubbing our toes on the furniture. None of us know where to find the switch, yet we’re too afraid to ask in case someone senses that we’re filled with doubt and fear.
Jesus sees our dilemma and says to us, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness again, but will have the light of life.”
In hindsight I can say, “Truer words were never spoken.” It’s as though Jesus flipped a switch and my life is no longer confusing. A wise person once said, “I believe in Jesus for the same reason I believe in the Sun - not because I can see the Sun but because of the Son, I can see everything else clearly.”
All I needed was to begin following His directions and the pattern of screwing up, that was so much a part of my life, is now itself shattered. In reality, there is no need to make major mistakes ever again. Only my negligence in following what Jesus wants holds me back from that. Still, Jesus has brought into my life peace, a deep abiding peace. I am no longer alone - ever. I know Truth and the freedom that brings into my life. My ubiquitous hunger and thirst for more is satiated. My, former disappointment with life, that required a constant infusion of stimulants, has turned to hope and a level of joy that I would have never dreamed possible.
How was that accomplished? Jesus, only Jesus. He’s waiting for you; patiently, lovingly waiting. And really, if your philosophy of life hasn’t proven itself by now, why give it even one more day. All you have to do is call out to Him and He’ll come and teach you, forgive your sins, free you from guilt and bring you safely home.
. Others can identify that they’re longing for security. But seeing Jesus as a protector is not even on the list.
. Others understand that significance and belonging are the things that are most absent in their lives. Yet the “world” has no shortage of promises to fulfil those dreams.
. And while many struggle with depression, disillusionment and despair, they don’t know any way out of that mess. They search and search and search but they never look to Jesus as a possible solution.
It’s one thing to know Jesus. It’s one thing be in a relationship with Jesus and to bask in the warmth of His love and mercy and forgiveness. But how do you describe or relay the nuances of that relationship to others who have yet to know Him? I mean, we’re all looking for Him. It’s just that some don’t know He’s what they’re after. So how can that be communicated to them?
Jesus says to all of us, “If you’re struggling with life, if you’re weighted down by worries and feelings of no worth and loneliness, and guilt, come to Me and I will give you rest for your weary souls.”
Could that be true?
I remember sitting at a party one night. There was lots of noise and laughter and music. Of course all of this “love” was fuelled by ecstasy and alcohol and a tonne of other drugs. At that time in my life I actually thought that we were having fun. And then the woman sitting next to me said, “Is life ever a bag of shit.” And I looked at her kind of like, What are you talking about? We’re having a good time here.
What a comment! At the time I thought she was nuts, but from then on I could never look at my friends or myself in the same light. I saw that we were some of the most pathetic people on the planet. Sure, we had all the drugs and sex and money that any hedonistic person could ask for. But we were lost. Worse, some of us were in fact experiencing an inkling of being lost. We were aware of a fear that something was terribly wrong in our world, but we were afraid to admit to such a “weakness.” Thankfully that woman voiced what I had yet to admit. We were starving for real life, yet we were “acting” like we had it all. It was still about five years after that night that I became a Christian but it was that night, with that comment when I began my journey to Jesus. For what it’s worth, that woman killed herself a couple years later.
All of us screw up from time to time. It’s a bit like we are stumbling around in a dark room and we’re bruising our shins and stubbing our toes on the furniture. None of us know where to find the switch, yet we’re too afraid to ask in case someone senses that we’re filled with doubt and fear.
Jesus sees our dilemma and says to us, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness again, but will have the light of life.”
In hindsight I can say, “Truer words were never spoken.” It’s as though Jesus flipped a switch and my life is no longer confusing. A wise person once said, “I believe in Jesus for the same reason I believe in the Sun - not because I can see the Sun but because of the Son, I can see everything else clearly.”
All I needed was to begin following His directions and the pattern of screwing up, that was so much a part of my life, is now itself shattered. In reality, there is no need to make major mistakes ever again. Only my negligence in following what Jesus wants holds me back from that. Still, Jesus has brought into my life peace, a deep abiding peace. I am no longer alone - ever. I know Truth and the freedom that brings into my life. My ubiquitous hunger and thirst for more is satiated. My, former disappointment with life, that required a constant infusion of stimulants, has turned to hope and a level of joy that I would have never dreamed possible.
How was that accomplished? Jesus, only Jesus. He’s waiting for you; patiently, lovingly waiting. And really, if your philosophy of life hasn’t proven itself by now, why give it even one more day. All you have to do is call out to Him and He’ll come and teach you, forgive your sins, free you from guilt and bring you safely home.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Pick Me! Pick Me!
I’m 15-years-old. I’m standing in the gym with the rest of my class and the teacher has told the two best athletes in my grade to pick players for basketball.
Crap! I hate this! I suck at basketball. No one in his right mind would want me on his team. I’d probably score on our own basket IF anyone was stupid enough to pass the ball to me. Well I may as well get it over wi . .
“Rod”
“What?”
“Ya you. Get over here. You’re on my team.”
Is this a dream? Why in the world would He do that? There is absolutely nothing about me that He would find valuable or worthy or a benefit to His team.
“Why would you pick me? I’m a total screw-up.”
“Cause I like you.”
I look at Him in amazement. Jesus, the Best of the Best has picked me to be on His team. Well, I can’t help it if I’m lucky. I’m going to get on with enjoying the rest of the day.
Crap! I hate this! I suck at basketball. No one in his right mind would want me on his team. I’d probably score on our own basket IF anyone was stupid enough to pass the ball to me. Well I may as well get it over wi . .
“Rod”
“What?”
“Ya you. Get over here. You’re on my team.”
Is this a dream? Why in the world would He do that? There is absolutely nothing about me that He would find valuable or worthy or a benefit to His team.
“Why would you pick me? I’m a total screw-up.”
“Cause I like you.”
I look at Him in amazement. Jesus, the Best of the Best has picked me to be on His team. Well, I can’t help it if I’m lucky. I’m going to get on with enjoying the rest of the day.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Atheists and Speeding Tickets
“I hate speeding tickets!”
“What do you mean?”
“Speeding tickets. They’re ruining my life. Look at them all! How am I supposed to buy food and stuff when I have all these speeding tickets to pay?”
“How many are there?”
“I don’t know. A couple dozen at least.”
“Dude! You’re going to lose your license.”
“That’s what I mean. They keep giving me tickets and pretty soon I won’t even be able to drive. How will I get to work?”
“Sooo, why not just obey the law? If you don’t go over the speed limit you won’t get any more speeding tickets.”
“I can’t do that. Changing how I drive would be admitted that I'm wrong.”
“Don’t be so stupid. It’s NOT changing that's ruining your life. Speeding tickets aren’t the problem. You’re pride is the problem.”
===
“I hate the idea of going to hell just because I don’t admit to Jesus that I'm a sinner in need of forgiveness. The whole idea of hell is ruining my life. I want to live free of fear and guilt.”
“So change. Come on side with Jesus.”
“I can’t. I believe what I believe, and changing what I believe would be admitting that what I've believed is wrong”
“Don’t be so stupid. You’re an atheist by choice and only by choice. There is more than enough evidence to prove that Jesus is exactly who He says He is. Come on side with Jesus and the whole issue of hell becomes a non issue. You can live free and easy. In fact, Jesus even commands us to stop worrying and enjoy life because He will take care of us.”
“What do you mean?”
“Speeding tickets. They’re ruining my life. Look at them all! How am I supposed to buy food and stuff when I have all these speeding tickets to pay?”
“How many are there?”
“I don’t know. A couple dozen at least.”
“Dude! You’re going to lose your license.”
“That’s what I mean. They keep giving me tickets and pretty soon I won’t even be able to drive. How will I get to work?”
“Sooo, why not just obey the law? If you don’t go over the speed limit you won’t get any more speeding tickets.”
“I can’t do that. Changing how I drive would be admitted that I'm wrong.”
“Don’t be so stupid. It’s NOT changing that's ruining your life. Speeding tickets aren’t the problem. You’re pride is the problem.”
===
“I hate the idea of going to hell just because I don’t admit to Jesus that I'm a sinner in need of forgiveness. The whole idea of hell is ruining my life. I want to live free of fear and guilt.”
“So change. Come on side with Jesus.”
“I can’t. I believe what I believe, and changing what I believe would be admitting that what I've believed is wrong”
“Don’t be so stupid. You’re an atheist by choice and only by choice. There is more than enough evidence to prove that Jesus is exactly who He says He is. Come on side with Jesus and the whole issue of hell becomes a non issue. You can live free and easy. In fact, Jesus even commands us to stop worrying and enjoy life because He will take care of us.”
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