6 Weeks To Resurrection: Resurrection? Is it real?

It is a fact, that Jesus is a point of controversy. It is very interesting that history and archaeology have shown that He existed and that His teaching rocked the world then and now. Even when He walked the earth, His teaching was controversial.  To the point that even people of His day didn’t know how to answer the question of who He was. Mt 16:14  And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." Yet, Peter proclaims in vs.18, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”  Jesus tells Peter that only the Father in heaven can reveal things like this (vs.17; Jn.14:9).  Mt.16:21; Mk.8:31; Lk.9:23 all state that from this particular time forward, Jesus began to teach and show them several things that they would need to know, and that they would have to teach others too.

Many do not know, that there were several that lived in the same time era that claimed to be the Messiah of God.  A man by the name of Simon of Peraea, a former slave of Herod who lived in 4 B.C. lead a revolt and was considered by many to be a Messiah until he was killed by Romans. Another man named Athronges, a simple shepherd lead a rebellion against the

Romans during the time of Herod Archaleus (when Jesus was a small child Mt.2:13-23) and claimed himself a Messiah, whose end came at the hands of the Romans. So, when Jesus came along, the “so what’s new?” attitude was already in place. What made Jesus different?

Jesus taught His disciples that He too was going to die at the hands of the Jewish Authority and the Romans.  Yet, there is one remarkable claim that Jesus made, that not only set a stage of controversy – it also was partly what lead to His death. Jesus claimed, Mk. 9:31 for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, "The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise."  There are many that deny that this ever happened, and therefore never occurred. That it is a fable, myth, lore, and lacks any empirical evidence.  What I find interesting is the following:

• If the resurrection is not real and didn't occur, then why did the people crowd, even the Jewish Authority to see Lazarus when Jesus came riding in on a Donkey’s foal? (Jn.12:9)  Lazarus had died and was in a tomb 3-4 days before Jesus raised him (Jn.11:17).  Now here he is coming into the Temple to observe Passover and the crowd all see him.
• If resurrection is not real, they why did the Jewish Authority petition Pilate to have not only a guard placed at the tomb of Jesus, but have a seal set on the tomb (Mt.27:66) to prevent it from happening?
• If resurrection did not happen, they why did the guards report it to the authorities, and why did the authorities pay them to keep quiet about the matter? (Mt.28:11-13)  If it did not happen, there was nothing to keep quiet.
• If the resurrection did not happen, they why do up to the 100’s see Jesus up to a month after he is reported dead? (Acts 1:3, 15; 1 Cor.15:6)

All of this said, belief in the resurrection is a matter of faith. You either believe it or you don’t – just like air – you either believe it exists or you don’t. Yet, in all of this, I find it very fascinating, that if it did not occur, and if it is not real, then why does it cause so much consternation?  If it is not real, then aren’t we who believe just a bunch of wacky religious people who don’t know better?  Yet – if it is real (which I believe it is) then why has it, did it, and does it cause such nervousness with people? Could it be because if it is real and we don’t believe, that we know what the outcome is going to be?

1 Pet 3:21  Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

Jim

It's History - It's Scripture! God Talks!!

In ancient Greece the Olympic Games were held in the July of the first year of each

Mark Antony

Olympiad, which was a 4 year period that ran from July to June of each succeeding year. These were magnificent events of the day, just as they are in our modern times.  The 202nd Olympiad ran from July AD 29 to June AD 33 with each year of an Olympiad beginning on the 1st of July. July so renamed from the Roman term Quintilis by Mark Antony to honor Julius Caesar, who had reformed the Roman calendar in 46 B.C. to what became known as the Julian calendar. This is neat history, but why the significance in consideration of spiritual matters?

The resurrected Jesus in Acts 1, instructs his disciples not to leave Jerusalem – that they will be given power from the Holy Spirit by His authority. As previous in their history of walking with the Lord, they did not understand, wondering if Jesus was talking about something political. Yet, they obeyed the voice of their Lord. The Passover ended, the Jewish celebration of Pentecost, 50 days after the Passover Feast had begun. Jerusalem was full of worshipers from all over the known world of the day. The Bible records the events during this celebration in Acts 2. The sound of a great rushing wind, something like flames hovering about the disciples. Just as strange, the disciples began to speak, but not in their native Aramaic or Hebrew, but in languages of other nations that they had not learned. They were understood by countless foreign visitors to the city.  Hecklers shouted: “They’re all drunk!”  This is now when the now Apostle Peter stands in the confusion and speaks his famous sermon of which is recorded and we are all familiar. Peter argues from the words of the prophet Joel recorded in 835 BC (Joel 2; Acts 2).  Peter asserts that Joel’s prophesy has been fulfilled and that his listeners know it—that they have seen the signs themselves. This is the same argument the apostle Paul made in Rom.10:17, 18 and this would have no persuasive force unless Paul’s and Peter’s audiences knew that these things had occurred.  Both men assumed that everybody knew about the signs. Of particular interest for us: Joel said there would be astronomical signs. What were they? Peter states, “The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood…”

• The gospels record that the sun was darkened on the day of the crucifixion, beginning at noon and going until 3pm (Mk.15:33).
• The non-Biblical Roman sources confirm this. Phlegon Trallianus records in his history, Olympiades .. "In the fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad, [AD 32–33] a failure of the Sun took place greater than any previously known, and night came on at the sixth hour of the day [noon], so that stars actually appeared in the sky; and a great earthquake took place in Bithynia and overthrew the greater part of Niceaea,” — TRALLIANUS, OLYMPIADES
• Another historian, Philipon (with Origen), confirms the historicity of Phlegon's statement by writing, "And about this darkness - Phlegon recalls it in the Olympiads...Phlegon mentioned the eclipse which took place during the crucifixion of the Lord Christ, and no other (eclipse), it is clear that he did not know from his sources about any (similar) eclipse in previous times ...and this is shown by the historical account of Tiberius Caesar."
• Julius Africanus, a Christian historian (160-240 A.D.) records, “On the whole world
  
  there pressed a most fearful darkness; and the rocks were rent by an earthquake, and many places in Judea and other districts were thrown down. This darkness Thallus, in the third book of his History, calls, as appears to me without reason, an eclipse of the sun.”

What do you think the odds are, that 

1. in the 800’s BC a man would speak of a day in which the Lord of all man would come, and its harbinger would be an eclipse and blood moon? 
2. That a Greek freed-man during the reign of Roman Emperor Hadrian writing of the Olympiads, would arbitrarily record of an eclipse in the same year as the gospels and Peter record in Acts, at the same time of the crucifixion, resurrection of the Lord and the events of Acts 2? 
3. Or, that a historian some 100 years after the fact, would reference the event correcting another man’s writing of it and call it an eclipse without reason for occurring?

This was obviously not a simple astronomical event. It is history – it is scripture. Think God is trying to tell us something?

Jim

Snake Oil for Sale! - Discover the missing 40 days!!

I find it fascinating, at the frenzy that people get themselves into over "biblical" things, especially when it is so evident that they have not taken the time to look at or read the scriptures themselves in their relative contexts.  In the flair for the dramatic, they announce "Long-buried non-Biblical sources, such as the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Mary Magdalene, the Secret Revelation of John and the writings of the Jewish historian Josephus yield astonishing information and detail about these seemingly lost 40 days. Could Jesus’ words in these ancient manuscripts contain some of his most important teachings, even though they were not included in the New Testament?"

It has always interested me that people make comments like this without considering what the Bible DOES say. They always want to assume that these other sources reveal more and reveal "secret things" that weren't included in the New Testament. This is the same tactic that the "Snake Oil" sellers use, "My book, ointment, tonic contains things that the doctors don't want you to know." It is not a new ploy and it is what Satan used in the garden of Eden to deceive Eve (Gen.3:4,5).  As to these extraneous extra-biblical sources there are two things we need to remember FROM THE BIBLE!

1. Heb.1:1-3 "God, having of old time spoken unto the fathers in the prophets by divers portions and in divers manners, hath at the end of these days spoken unto us in his Son...."
2. Gal.1:8  "But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. "

What does the Bible say about the 40 days between the time that Jesus comes out of the tomb and the time that He ascends?  Let's trace the steps.

Jesus told His disciples before anything even occurred, that because of what was going to happen to Him in the coming days, trials, and ultimately the crucifixion itself, that they would be scattered (Mt.26:31). Jesus said that this was in fulfillment of prophesy in Zech.13:7.  And so they were.  In fact, while it is not a conclusive statement, some commentators even suggest that some of them went back to their old occupations during this "month" (Jn.21:2,3). Whether they were or they weren't is not a relevant thing. What is relevant, is that they did go back to Galilee as they were instructed to do, not only by the Lord, but by the angel at the Tomb (Mt.28:7,10,16), a distance of about 68 miles. It is here, that the encounters of Jesus after He is risen begin.  Luke records in Act 1:3  "He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God."   And...he doesn't appear to just the 12, but to MANY others. He instructs them (Acts.1:3) not to depart from Jerusalem and the "Great Commission" is given to them and they return to Jerusalem (Acts 1:8,12).

What does Jesus teach them during this time?   Luke simply states, "speaking about the kingdom of God (Acts 1:3)."  People may ask, What did He say? What did He teach? There might be some secret thing, that we don't know about, but we're supposed to know, but don't know because the New Testament doesn't record it.  Well...the rule here is simple, and it is as relevant today as when he stated it to the disciples in Acts 1:7 "It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority."  If God wanted us to know more, He would have stated more. What we have is sufficient (2 Cor.12:9) and what God HAS SAID is enough (Heb.1:2; Gal.1:8). 

The other extraneous sources that were mentioned above, "Long-buried non-Biblical sources, such as the Gospel of Thomas [written latter half of the 1st Century or into 2nd Century long after Thomas is dead] , the Gospel of Mary Magdalene [again written sometime 2nd Century], the Secret Revelation of John [written sometime 180 A.D. up through 2nd Century]" do record many things, and a LOT of things that the scriptures don't even mention. Yet, if their teaching is compared to the New Testament that we have and know, they are radically different! 

What then do we do?  

Paul states it -  "But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed."  Why? Because if you stop, get quiet, and sniff the air, you'll smell Snake Oil - from the original snake in the Garden of Eden saying the same things to you that he did to Eve. And look what listening to that brought upon her. 

Act 17:11  

Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. 

Jim

So what's to lose?

Whether you believe or not, Paul (the former persecutor Saul of Tarsus [1]) wrote an amazing truth, "1 Cor 1:18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." Now, for the sake of the next few moments, please do not take that statement personally and quit reading. What he states is simple. To those who do not believe - the Bible, belief in the Bible, in the Christ and salvation that is offered is foolishness. This fact has been so for sometime. Even in the first century when Paul presented this to the magistrates of the day, he was told, "Paul, you are out of your mind; your great learning is driving you out of your mind (Acts 26:24)." Yet, to those who do believe, the gospel is the power of God to salvation.

This then brings up an interesting and age long question, "Should I believe?" Nothing compels me to believe, I have the right to choose whether I do or I don't. So, why should I believe? Belief is interesting, because if I choose to believe something, then it means that I have accepted it as factual and something to be adhered to. Even the choice NOT to believe, is believing NOT to accept something. All of these are based upon what I consider to be factual, plausible, and genuine to sustain that decision. I can believe the sky is green but that does not make it so. We believe it is blue, gray, black, or whatever color it is because the evidence of what we see tells us what is required to make that determination. When a scientist makes a claim, or a mathematician makes a claim, we ask for something because we don't just take their word for it. We ask for the evidence to sustain their conclusion.

Now, the question arises, why should I believe the story of Jesus, the resurrection and what that means? Good question. Because if this was just some wild hair loonie running around, we would dismiss the claims as the ludicrous ravings of a mad man. The problem though arises, that the events of Jesus are recorded in written form so they can be examined, and they are not things that were done in secret - they were done in the open. If just one or two had accepted, then Christianity would have disappeared like so many of the so called messianic movements of the first century. Yet, the Bible and what it presents to us is different. It has lasted for now over 2000 years. It is one thing, when the events are obscure, but, Jesus was a real person [2].

This now brings up an interesting paradox, where we have a historical person, viewed and reported on by multiple sources as claiming the same thing and verifying things that the Bible itself records. That tells us, that these things were not some "secret that came out," or "hidden revelation making itself known." Archaeology itself verifies the existence of the times and types of events that the Bible records. God Himself through Isaiah the prophet stated, "Draw near to me, hear this: from the beginning I have not spoken in secret, from the time it came to be I have been there. And now the Lord GOD has sent me, and his Spirit. Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go (Isa.48:16,17)." Jesus even said of Himself, to Annas [3] the High Priest, one of the historical figures that history and archaeology records, "I have spoken openly to the world. I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. Why do you ask me? Ask those who have heard me what I said to them; they know what I said (Jn.18:20,21)."

John also writes, "Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name (Jn.20:30,31)." This is the purpose of the Bible. These things are written so that you can examine it for yourself and determine if you wish to believe what it says and records. Paul, appearing before Herod Agrippa and Porcius Festus (again two historical figures) in Acts 26:26,27 repeats the above stating, "For the king knows about these things, and to him I speak boldly. For I am persuaded that none of these things has escaped his notice, for this has not been done in a corner. King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe."

These were things done in the open, that even political figures some 15-20 years later knew about and had to weigh the evidence of what was stated, the same as we do. Someone might state, "Yes, and they didn't believe it either did they?" Well..that is correct. Not all of them did. Why? Because they judged the information foolish and brushed it off or dismissed it altogether. They just did not know that they would become part of the history of the story itself, verifying its authenticity.

Now, what about you? You don't have to believe...no one is making you believe. But - have you really considered the evidence, and the consequences of your choice if the things that the Bible says are true? Paul states it well in 1 Cor.15:12-17 "Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins."

So if its not true, you have nothing to lose. But if it IS true, then to not believe, you have everything to lose.

Jim

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[1] Acts 7:58; 8:1; 13:9

[2] The first-century individuals mentioned in the gospel narratives, Pilate, Tiberius, Herod, Agrippa, Felix and others all existed. The Roman Historian Tacitus considered one of the more accurate historians of the ancient world, mentions superstitious “Christians” (from Christus, which is Latin for Christ), who suffered under Pontius Pilate during the reign of Tiberius. Suetonius, chief secretary to Emperor Hadrian, wrote that there was a man named Chrestus (or Christ) who lived during the first century (Annals 15.44).

Flavius Josephus is the most famous Jewish historian, refers to James, “the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ.” In Antiquities 18:3 he states, “Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man. For he was one who wrought surprising feats....He was [the] Christ...he appeared to them alive again the third day, as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him.” One version reads, “At this time there was a wise man named Jesus. His conduct was good and [he] was known to be virtuous. And many people from among the Jews and the other nations became his disciples. Pilate condemned him to be crucified and to die. But those who became his disciples did not abandon his discipleship. They reported that he had appeared to them three days after his crucifixion, and that he was alive; accordingly he was perhaps the Messiah, concerning whom the prophets have recounted wonders.”

Julius Africanus quotes the historian Thallus in a discussion of the darkness which followed the crucifixion of Christ (Extant Writings, 18).

Pliny the Younger, in Letters 10:96, recorded early Christian worship practices including the fact that Christians worshiped Jesus as God and were very ethical, and he includes a reference to the love feast and Lord’s Supper.

The Babylonian Talmud (Sanhedrin 43a) confirms Jesus' crucifixion on the eve of Passover and the accusations against Christ of practicing sorcery and encouraging Jewish apostasy.

Lucian of Samosata was a later second-century Greek writer states that Jesus was worshiped by Christians, introduced new teachings, and was crucified for them. He said that Jesus' teachings included the brotherhood of believers, the importance of conversion, and the importance of denying other gods. Christians lived according to Jesus’ laws, believed themselves to be immortal, and were characterized by contempt for death, voluntary self-devotion, and renunciation of material goods.

Mara Bar-Serapion confirms that Jesus was thought to be a wise and virtuous man, was considered by many to be the king of Israel, was put to death by the Jews, and lived on in the teachings of His followers.

Even the Gnostic writings (The Gospel of Truth, The Apocryphon of John, The Gospel of Thomas, The Treatise on Resurrection, etc.) that all mention Jesus, and in fact we can almost reconstruct the gospel just from early non-Christian sources.

[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annas

RESURRECTION - Evidence?

Resurrection! A point of controversy for people now as well as in the first century. Even in the gospels, those of the Jewish political group called "Sadducees (Mt.22:23)" professed that there was no resurrection. This point shows us that this was a matter of debate, even before the appearance of Jesus. In fact, it has been a subject of thought and debate for thousands of years. It all stems from whether one believes that there is a continuance of life after death, or whether death is final. Space and time will not permit me to engage in all of the aspects of this debate in this forum, so I am going to assume that you believe or lean towards belief that Jesus was a real and historical individual, and that He the Son of God arose from the dead. This article will look at some things that convinced people then, that this was so.

1.) The Grave Itself: We are told that Jesus was placed in Joseph of Arimathea's rock hewn tomb (Mt.22:57-59). A solid structure carved into rock, that was intended for a wealthy man, these tombs were prime real estate of the day. Often family structures that would house more than one body, it would have only one entrance that would be covered by a huge stone (1-1 1/2 tons) that would be rolled over to cover it. This would prevent would be robbers from stealing valuables (yes - even then), and prevent scavengers from getting into the bodies inside. Inside, would be a room which held slab or bench upon which the body would be prepared and wrapped. A second room or chamber behind this would contain a shelf, upon which the body would be placed for decomposition. The family would then return sometime after major decomposition had finished, gather the bones and place them into an Ossuary (sometimes marked, sometimes not). In Jesus' case, we know the body was taken and placed into the tomb on the preparation slab in a "shroud" (Mt.27:60) and the stone rolled over the entrance. It was too late in the day to prepare the body with the Sabbath approaching, so they had to return after the sabbath to prepare the body for placement into the burial shelf before decomposition would set in. It is the Jews that request of Pilate, that a Roman Guard be placed at the tomb's entrance, to guard it lest someone come steal the body and claim it was resurrected. A "watch" (Mt.27:66) of soldiers is placed at the entrance, meaning that there was not a time that the tomb entrance was left unguarded, without account of who came and who went. The fact that the tomb is found empty by various witnesses, and that immediately after the fact, bears witness itself of its occurrence.

2.) The Women Are The First: It is interesting that it is the women (Mt.28:1) are the first to the tomb, coming to prepare the body for its burial. In first century Palestine, women were not considered to be reliable witnesses to anything. Yet, it is to women, that Jesus first appears (Lk.24:9,10) and women who are the first to state that Jesus was raised from the dead.

3.) The Groups: Jesus then appears alive to His disciples (which we would expect Mt.28:8,9), but he appears to various individuals, groups and crowds upwards of 500 people at once. All of these at various times, by day and night, inside and out. Remember, one under the law could not claim something to be so without two or more witnesses to verify it. These appearances, all at various intervals, circumstances, and times eliminate an argument of "mass hallucination." Jesus appears unto beloved followers such as John, but then also appears to skeptics such as Thomas (Jn.20:27) which JOHN records. He even appears to opponents (Saul of Tarsus Acts 9:4-6).

4.) The Roman Guards: Mt.28:4,11-15 Witnessing the events of the tomb, Roman guards who are taught and trained not to fear, "become like dead men." When they go back and report what happened to the Jewish leaders to whom they had been assigned, the leaders bribe them to NOT tell what they knew, but to say, ""Tell people, 'His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep." Why would they have to be bribed to lie, if nothing happened?

As John writes, "but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.(Jn 20:31)." You do not have to believe them, no one compels or forces you to do that which you do not wish to do. But, if you examine the evidence you are given, are you sure that this is something that you wish to do? If Jesus is indeed the Christ, and indeed raised from the dead (Acts 2), then you have a problem, because that means that He has spoken the truth (Jn.12:48) and I shall be held responsible. So then remember what Jesus Himself said, "If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.(Jn.12:47,48)."

Jim