Where did all the bullshit about alchemy being spiritual get started? it is of course easily
fed by the hermetic notions of a world soul and prime material that can be manipulated.
But if all the symbolism was not about chemistry, with a mystical bent to it but the goal
being material things like gold and physical immortality, whence all the physical
chemical activities that resulted in the discovery of some elements and other things?
you don't do that by meditating.
it seems to have started with an American Civil War General, Ethan Allen Hitchcock.
" http://mysticbourgeoisie.blogspot.com/2008_07_01_archive.html
"during the winter of 1856-7 General Hitchcock writes a volume of 300 page entitles REMARKS
UPON ALCHEMY AND THE ALMESITS, INDICATING A METHOD OF DISCOVERING THE
TRUE NATURE OF HERMETIC PHILOSOPHY; AND SHOWING THAT THE SEARCH ATER
THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE HAD NOT FOR ITS OBJECT THE DISCOVERY OF AN AGENT
FOR THE TRANSMUTATION OF METALS. BEING ALSO AN ATTEMPT TO RESCUE FROM
UNDESERVED OPPROBRIUM THE REPUTATION OF A CLASS OF EXTRAORDINARY
THINKERS IN PAST AGES.
In this book, published in Boston, the author sets forthe the reasons for his contntion that the
alchemists were neither frauds nor dupes but that they spoke in symbolic language, and that the real
subject of all their desires and efforts was not any philosopher's stone or any transmutation of base
metals into gold, but distinctly the human race and its improvement. The one desirable thing was
wisdom, - that self-knowledge from which flows the uprightness of life which is salvation."
pp. 425 - 426 Fifty Years in Camp and Field: Diary of Major-General Ethan Allen Hitchcock ...
By Ethan Allen Hitchcock "
in Wikipedia is
"Contributions to alchemy studies[edit]
By the time of his death, Hitchcock had amassed a large private library, including over 250 volumes
on the subject of alchemy. This collection was widely regarded as one of the finest private holdings
of rare alchemical works and is preserved by St. Louis Mercantile Library at the University of
Missouri-St. Louis. Through Remarks upon Alchemy and the Alchemists and other writings,
Hitchcock argued that the alchemists were actually religious philosophers writing in symbolism. In
Problems of Mysticism and its Symbolism, the Viennese psychologist Herbert Silberer credited
Hitchcock with helping to open the way for his explorations of the psychological content of
alchemy."
Remarks upon Alchemy and Alchemists (published in 1857)
Swedenborg a Hermetic Philosopher (1858)
Christ the Spirit (1861)
The Story of the Red Book of Appin (1863)
Spenser's Poem (1865)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethan_A._Hitchcock_(general)#Contributions_to_alchemy_studies "
notice something here. this guy was interested in Swedenborg, and in James Webb's The Occult
Establishment I noticed that all the really major dangerous stuff track back to two sources of
lineage of influence, Swedenborg being one of them. I forget the other right now. Swedenborg
had a lot of weird experiences and believed he was talking with angels, but he said at one point
that ALL spirits will lie. doesn't sound angelic to me. satan can transform himself into the likeness
of an angel of light Paul warns.
then that title Christ the Spirit would seem to imply a confusion between the Second and Third
Persons of the Holy Trinity and perhaps even a denial of the physical nature of Christ's
Resurrection. Not having read the book I can't be sure, but both are possible given the title and
neither inconsistent with occult philosophy.
Spenser's Poem would be about The Faerie Queen which essentially posits that a knight who
wears the cross of Christ would properly have to do with the fae, and though all kinds of
deception by spirits is indicated (Spark notes) the association makes the fae look legitimate.
That it is a red cross is indicating this knight is a Templar, of which the less said the better.
They had already been hijacked by (or perhaps did help form) speculative masonry and other
groups by Hitchcock's time.
The Red Book of Appin is a flat out grimoire. I don't propose to read any of this garbage
having been exposed already in my wrong headed teens and prefer to forget most. But the
picture I'm getting on this guy is that he was into dark stuff.
Hitchcock influenced Silberer, Silberer influenced Jung, Jung with the help of a familiar
spirit aka demon and assorted Nazi mysticism begat a sizeable chunk of the New Age and
took Freud's dip into mythology into a whole hog wallow.
Jung invented the notion of the collective unconscious, which is bullshit. a similar idea in
theosophy and related occult philosophy is the akashic records where is recorded everything
that ever happened. That by definition would include every thought that ever happened, most
of which is going to be bullshit. So if it exists it is worthless. A classic example of what you
can get when you seek to find the real history of whatever, is a couple of proto Nazi mystics
Webb I think it was wrote about, who meditating discovered that originally there was Aryan
Adam and Eve, who were if I recall right 12 feet tall, lived at the north pole or something
like that and ate cabbage and drank ice water and would have conquered the world on this
brew if Helga a Jew hadn't come along and introduced them to beer.
yeah. right. so much for universal collective unconscious and records of ancient reality.
(an occasional psychic stamp of some events on a location, which is probably what those
hauntings that do not interact with the viewer and seem to replay events every time seen
would be, is not akashic records as proposed.)
The collctive unconscious is a fraud, the product of a fraud. Famously, Jung was treating
some girl who had dreams consisting of ancient false gods including hindu. Supposedly
she could only have gotten this by tapping into the collective unconscious. OOPS! she was
the daughter of a scholar in all this with a library for her to wallow in. that gal was NOT A
BLANK SLATE. Jung knew this. Jung lied.
But I digress.
Years ago I stumbled on some mention of ancient Egyptians processing gold out of
gold mining slag, when the easily gotten gold was used up and they were after trace
amounts. My guess is that the whole alchemy nonsense was the result of some lackey
seeing this, and jumping to the wrong conclusion.
I read the Turba Philosophorum decades ago, probably in the 1980s. All the different
lectures in it contradict each other. There is one commonality among them.
Alchemy is a process, of taking something, breaking it into its constituent parts,
doing things to these parts or in some cases to only some of them, and then
putting the parts back together to make something totally different than what you
started with.
some similarities to cooking of the more complex sort are obvious. And once you get
the gist of this process, you can start applying it to social manipulation and even
pedagogy and whatnot. But that doesn't mean that that is what it was always about.
The failure of alchemists to make gold is legendary. less well known are some
apparent successes, which may be nothing more than developing a good counterfeit
to gold, that by weight (from the lead part) and temperature tolerances (from some
alloying) would pass assay of the medieval sort. In one case in one of the German
kingdoms, a king ordered all alchemic gold items turned in for reimbursement, no
questions asked. a shield or a plate of such was in a museum whether it was ever
tested I don't know. Clearly someone succeeded on a massive basis and the king
wanted this stuff off the streets. probably because it was fraudulent.
Alchemists developed many herbal and chemical mix medicines, and Paracelsus'
remedy for syphilis and other things was essentially an early experiment in
chemotherapy.
But I digress.
the failure as I said was legendary, and a cartoon in an old history book I had
in Palo Alto High School (or was it Jordan Jr. High?) was a single square, with
the recurring character Hy Story now done up in wizard gear and chemical equipment
on the table and the landlord is telling him "and if the rent isn't paid by tomorrow you
can go make gold somewhere else."
so now suddenly you have all this "spiritual alchemy" garbage. while it is not
exactly garbage to say you can apply alchemic procedures on society and individuals
economically and psychologically, it IS garbage to say that that is all that alchemy
was ever about.
with the failure of alchemy physically, the search to explain the alchemy and hermetic
reputation for wisdom and to preserve that reputation so you could keep your mystic
reverie and sense of awe and wonder going and maybe pocket some cash was on.
Some clever bastards may have applied alchemic procedure to non physical mental
and social issues as an extrapolation, but that grew OUT of alchemy, the chemical
efforts were not a decay FROM it or a misinterpretation of it.
Yawn! What a pile of shark toes! Utter nonsense and boring too! Yawn!
ReplyDeleteshark toes. I like that. something to add to the collection of nonexistent stuff to compare something to that you consider nonsense, like mare's nests, frog hair and hen's teeth. did you invent that phrase or did you get it somewhere?
ReplyDeleteFormer New Age Astrologer Finds New Purpose, Warns Against the Occult
ReplyDeleteAs Halloween approaches and the public’s attention turns toward the world of the paranormal and “spirits,” one SES (Southern Evangelical Seminary) graduate (class of 2011), a former astrologer, uses what she learned at SES to help Christians defend against New Age beliefs and to educate those flirting with the paranormal.
"I had no interest in being a Christian at all, and no one witnessed to me," Marcia said, thinking back a few decades to the height of her spiritual quest.
Marcia studied Eastern religion in college where she began researching the life of Gandhi. Hinduism intrigued her, and with no firm faith foundation—her dad was agnostic, her mother a nominal Christian—she found herself wanting to practice something. She was also developing an interest in the paranormal.
After college, Marcia got involved in a couple of Buddhist groups that taught her meditation, marking her entrance into the New Age. It wasn't long before she enrolled in classes on psychic development and astrology.
"Those courses really pulled me into it, big time," she said.
Marcia became a certified astrologer and served as president of the Metropolitan Atlanta Astrological Society. Marcia would collect birth data and plug it into a chart calculating the position of the sun, moon and planets relative to a person's birth place and time. Marcia then interpreted the chart, advising the client on job goals, relationship issues, strengths and past influences.
After a while, Marcia started feeling compelled to go to church again, but ignored it—for months.
"I wanted to get rid of it," she said, and even wondered if the feeling had to do with unfinished business from a past life. Eventually, she visited a church, but with plans to leave early. When the service began, everyone stood as a boy carried a cross down the aisle.
"As he passed me, I felt this love falling down on me," Marcia said. "It was like there was a personal God who was telling me He loved me."
ReplyDeleteMoved to tears, she stayed through the whole service, then went back the next Sunday, and the next. She joined a Sunday school class, but didn't see any conflict with retaining her Buddhist beliefs. Just a few weeks after stepping foot in church, "I started getting this impression that God did not like astrology." A few weeks after that, Marcia felt God was telling her to give it up. But two more events reinforced her discomfort.
Marcia visited her chiropractor, who was into witchcraft. As Marcia lay on the table, the woman said she was starting a coven and wanted Marcia to be the astrologer. Marcia suddenly felt a weight on her and graciously declined.
Shortly after, at an Astrological Society open house, Marsha was lecturing on zodiac signs. "While I was talking, I felt this very strong urge to say, 'We shouldn't be here.' ... I had to stifle it."
Finally, the night before Thanksgiving, Marcia told her rector what was happening. He took out a Bible and shared God's warnings against practicing divination. But without astrology, Marcia thought, "What was my life about?"
Marcia started reading the Bible every night, beginning in Matthew 1. "As I read, I started sensing that there was something very pure about the words." By Dec. 21, she was in Matthew 8, reading how Jesus calmed the storm. "Where is your faith?" Jesus asks the disciples.
The story grabbed her. "God just opened my eyes. I suddenly realized who Jesus was. ... I had to have Him as a Savior." She asked Him to be part of her life right then, and "as soon as I did that, I knew I was a different person." Marcia remembers telling a co-worker about it and found out later that he and his young adult group at church had been praying for her for a year.
When she heard there was a seminary that focused on answering objections like those she encountered in the New Age and in the occult, she enrolled.
"My ministry is mainly how do you respond to the New Age?" That's what drew her to SES—its emphasis on how to defend biblical Christianity.
From the very first course, she began using what she was learning at SES as she talked to Christians curious about New Age ideas or to people who were already enmeshed in it. She's able to share why those ideas don't align with the Bible.
ReplyDelete“With so many people mixing religions and leaving the church, you're bound to come across someone who's not a Christian, and you need to be ready,” Marcia said. She recalls reading the paper on the subway once when a woman nearby asked to borrow the horoscope section. Marcia took the opportunity to tell her why it wasn't a good idea to read them, and then shared the Gospel with her.
"The fact that it doesn't appear to be evil is the very danger of it," she said.
"The evil of the occult shouldn't be sensationalized, but not underplayed or dismissed either," she said. In the Bible, talk of the occult is linked to worship of false gods. "God has very strong words on it; therefore, it's not something to play around with (Deuteronomy 18:10-12; Galatians 5:20)."
“What about Halloween?” is a question she is often asked. She tells people that Halloween tends to “glorify darkness” and to nurture fascination with evil. She also points out, however, that “Christians should follow their consciences.”
Note:
Southern Evangelical Seminary ranked the Best General Apologetics Graduate Program by TheBestSchools.org, since 1992 Southern Evangelical Seminary has provided a synthesis of sound philosophy, classical apologetics, and a cohesive theology based on the inerrant Word of God in order to equip Christians to persuasively share their faith in a secular world.
Doreen Virtue, Popular New Age Author, Becomes Christian & Renounces New Age Movement
ReplyDeleteBy Steven Bancarz
As a former New Ager myself, this was exciting to see. Doreen Virtue is a former author that has written roughly 40 New Age books and has produced over a dozen “card decks” used for intuitive readings. She has been featured in the past on Oprah, CNN, and The View, and is literally a staple author in any New Ager’s bookshelf.
She is undoubtedly one of the most influential figures ever involved in the New Age, and she has recently given her life to Jesus, been baptized, and renounced the New Age movement. She now considers herself a “born-again Christian” on her website. This radical change started when she had a vision of Jesus in church on January 7th, 2017 and was finalized by her baptism a month later.
Upbringing and background
Doreen grew up in a home with Christian values, but the churches she was raised in didn’t hold traditional orthodox beliefs. As she explains, “Since I was a child, I’ve loved Jesus. And I’ve been reading the Bible since I was a child also. But I had a really different viewpoint of Jesus growing up. You see, I was raised in the New Thought churches of Unity and Christian Science…When I was growing up I read the Bible, and I would read the positive things of the Bible only because that is what the focus was on.”
With this loose background in Christianity, she began to take interest in psychology, getting her M.A. in counseling psychology and doctorate in the philosophy of psychology, and practicing as a registered psychotherapist. She started into the New Age movement when she was invited to speak at the Whole Life expo in 1995. Here, she was introduced to incense and crystals and reiki for the first time.
This opened up a whole new world of interest, and she began taking classes and actively studying New Age subjects. Her favorite subjects of interest were medium- ship and psychic development, which she began to practice and incorporate into her work.
In the same year, she had an experience where she believes an angel told her to scream, scaring away people who were about to carjack her before they were able to. We see a lot of these stories around the world come from both Christians and non-Christians, of supernatural interventions by what seem to be angels. This led her to research more about angels, and as someone who had a predisposition to supernatural experiences from a young age, her fascination with the New Age and angels continued to lead her down a path of practicing divination involving ‘angels’.
What was her view on Jesus during this time when she was involved in the New Age movement? For most people in the New Age movement, the view of Jesus is watered down. Bible verses are cherry-picked from to fashion a politically correct Christ who embraces all faiths. Jesus is not the exclusive Son of God and only means of salvation, but just another ‘prophet’ and ‘teacher’ here to show us a universal path to enlightenment. Sin means nothing, the cross means nothing, and the death and resurrection of Jesus ultimately means nothing. This was certainly true for Doreen.
ReplyDelete“Some people said that ‘No, Jesus is the equivalent of Buddha and Krishna and other Ascended Master.’ So this is the direction that I started to see Jesus in.”
When Jesus began to draw her
Things began to change for her in 2015 when she began to do research for her “Loving Words from Jesus” card deck, which would contain Bible verses on the cards. To find out what Jesus really said, she started to read the Gospels front to back and really analyze the words of Jesus.
“My view of Jesus is that he was this warm cuddly bear with no edges, and of course I knew about him tipping the tables in the temple, but to me he was someone who went around espousing verses like ‘ask and it shall be given’, which he did, but there is so much more to Jesus…I went through the Gospels, and I was really surprised with what I read…Here is what I read that was my wake-up call. In Matthew 10:32-33, Jesus says ‘Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven.’
When I read that, I thought “Well that’s not very teddy-bear like.” And then I read the same thing again in the synoptic Gospel of Luke in Luke 9:26, “If anyone is ashamed and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when He returns in His glory and the glory of the Father and the holy angels.”
This ended up convicting her of being inconsistent of her view of Christ, and gave her a new appreciation for the person of Jesus. She began to go to church, fellowship with other Christians, and volunteer with them, but she still had a foot in the New Age movement as a practicing psychic.
Her experience with Jesus
ReplyDeleteOn January 7th of this year, Doreen had an experience with Jesus while in a church service. A fellow volunteer was leaving the church and was receiving acknowledgement from the priest at the front of the church. As she was staring in her direction, Jesus appeared to her:
“And as I was looking at her, all of a sudden the scene changed. She disappeared, the church disappeared, all of the people disappeared, and there was Jesus right in front of me, standing there. Well, floating really. And He was glowing, and He was glowing so brightly…it was this glow all around Him and especially from his heart, and the glow was this candle-like color, and this smile on his face.
And he was looking at me, but it wasn’t a sense of me personally like my ego, it was a sense of everyone that included me, and when I saw him it was a whole different experience than I had ever had in seeing the angels or in any of the work I had done. This was the most three dimensional experience I have ever seen.
And I was blown back in my chair. I don’t know how long it lasted, but all I know is that when he showed up a few things became my knowledge. I went from believing to knowing that He is real, that he knows who I am, who knows who everyone is. Not in a judging way, but in a compassionate ‘I-hope-that-you’ll-do-the-mission’ type of way.
HE ALSO IS THE SON OF GOD. AT THAT MOMENT I KNEW THAT HE WAS NOT JUST AN ASCENDED MASTER. HE WAS A PART OF THE TRINITY, THE HOLY TRINITY OF GOD, HOLY SPIRIT, AND JESUS.
And there was this knowingness to really amplify my studies and also to share what I was learning with others.”
ReplyDeleteWhat has changed since then
The Bible tells us that we will know a tree by its fruit. It says in the book of James that faith without works is a dead faith, and that such a faith is useless and cannot save us. Real saving faith is always followed up with works of repentance as the Holy Spirit conforms us to the image of Christ. The Bible tells us we will see evidence of salvation.
She addresses this in her testimony video. People have asked her, “How do you know you saw the REAL Jesus?”
“The Word tells us that by their fruits you shall know them, and after seeing Jesus I was completely changed. I started to read the Bible even more. I started to volunteer at the church even more. And I started to give up things that were against the Bible like mediumship, fortune telling, which is predicting.
“I WANTED TO BE COMPLETELY ALIGNED WITH GOD’S WILL.”
She has told Hay House Publishing that she wants the royalties she has been receiving from her old tarot cards to go to their charity, and that she will be taking her name off them in about a year.
She also shared with them that she can no longer write about anything that isn’t scriptural, wants to take the Ascended Masters books and cards out of print, and will only be writing Christian themed material from here on out. From publishing dozens of New Age works to refusing to receive royalties and produce anything that is not Christian is a huge shift, especially of an author of this size.
“God says we can only serve one master, God or money, and I trust that God will serve my needs.”
Mediumship, divination, and ‘predictions’ are things of the past for her. She now prays with people instead of giving them readings. She is downsizing and simplying her lifestyle to be obedient with Scripture and because her financial situation has changed as a result of this experience with Jesus.
“SORCERY, FORTUNE TELLING, AND DIVINATION ARE FORBIDDEN IN THE BIBLE.”
Moving forward
ReplyDeleteSince her baptism, she has been working on a book called Mornings With The Lord which is a daily devotional reading with an encouraging thought for the day from Scripture. She has been incorporating the Bible into the messages she produces on social media, and is taking a God-based Bible-based approach to her work.
Her emphasis is on the loving, compassionate, non-judgmental hand that the Lord is extending to sinners calling them into relationship with Him. “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” – John 3:17
She closed of her testimony video with a prayer of salvation for those listening:
“Dear Jesus of Nazareth, (and we say that to make sure it’s the real Jesus because there are masquerading beings trying to pretend they’re Jesus.) Dear Jesus of Nazareth, I ask you to come into my heart, and save me. Save me from all these situations Lord, and help me to save others with your help. I ask that you come to me Lord and be my Lord and Savior. Help me to know what the right path is for my life. Bring the Holy Spirit to me Lord as my teacher, as my wayshower, as my comforter, and my advocate. Help me to know what my spiritual gifts are, and how to best use them to serve the Lord, to serve peace, to serve God’s divine love.”
Jesus – Was He God?
ReplyDeleteMany times Jesus referred to His own deity, both directly and indirectly. Although Jesus confirmed that He was the Messiah (Mark 14:62,63), He did not use the term Messiah to refer to Himself, perhaps to differentiate His deity from the widespread expectation of a human Messiah. Jesus used the terms “Son of Man” and “Son of God” often. Both referred to His divine nature (Daniel 7:13,14; Matthew 26:63,64). Jesus also used the specific words I am (Ego eimi in Greek, Ani bu in Hebrew) on several occasions (e.g., John 8:56-58). God used these same words to describe Himself to Moses. Jesus also states specifically that He and God are “one” (John 10:30), meaning, the same substance, nature and essence. (Greek word: homoosious, translated: "of the same substance.”
And Jesus clearly indicated He had authority over issues controlled only by God, such as forgiveness of sin (Mark 2:5-10), the timeless power of His words (Matthew 24:35), and reception of glory (John 17:5). Perhaps as significant was Jesus’ acceptance of worship (Luke 5:8; John 20:28). The intense monotheistic foundation of the Jews would absolutely forbid any worship of anything but the one true God. Overall analysis of Jesus’ life, His compassionate miracles, His perfect lifestyle, and His love, indicate that His claims alone are trustworthy, and perhaps the strongest evidence of His divinity.
Did Other People Consider Jesus to Be God?
The disciples clearly came to view Jesus as God in human flesh, and they worshiped Him as such (Luke 5:8; John 20:28). Certainly, the witnessing of the resurrection and the transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-5) provided irrefutable evidence to them. New Testament writers and early Christian writing define Jesus to be God … our Lord … here on earth (1 Corinthians 8:6, 1 Timothy 2:5).
Is There Other Evidence of Deity?
Many people say that Jesus’ miracles are evidence of deity. But miracles have been recorded as being performed by other individuals (in the Bible and elsewhere). The Bible states that perfect fulfillment of prophecy proves God’s intervention (Deuteronomy 18:21,22). The odds of all Old Testament prophecies about Jesus coming true in any one man is beyond statistical possibility without divine intervention. And Jesus prophesied with perfect accuracy regarding such things as the precise timing of His death, the detailed manner of His death, His resurrection, and His later appearance in Galilee. Prophetic perfection combined with a claim to be God verifies Jesus’ deity.
Why Do People Reject Jesus?
The evidence regarding Jesus is so overwhelming that it seems incredible that many people still reject Him. After all, the promises of inner peace and joy on earth and eternal life in heaven are not bad promises … and they’re easy and free. Rejection of the Messiah, however, should not be surprising. It was often prophesied (Isaiah 53:1-3; Psalm 118:22; Matthew 21:42-46; Luke 16:19-31).
Ignorance – Perhaps the greatest reason for nonbelief in Jesus is ignorance. Most people take far too little time to investigate their religious beliefs. As a result, world opinion often becomes the basis for the most important issue in life. Views about Jesus may come from a family belief, friends, or a dominant church in the community. People sometimes think a church is teaching biblical Christianity when it’s not. We are individually responsible for comparing teaching to the Bible. In the end, it doesn’t matter what the reason is, if you are wrong. Nor does sincerity matter. As history has shown too often, people can be very sincere, yet sincerely wrong.
Apathy – Many times people have a false sense of security that God will take care of everyone. This idea is sometimes accompanied with the thought that hell doesn’t exist, or that God will send everyone who “tries to be good” to heaven anyway. The Bible reveals that God’s promises are reserved for His people, and there are many reasons why others “don’t hear” (Matthew 13:11-43). The reality and horror of hell is clearly stated, including the narrow path to get to heaven, which is available to all (Matthew 7:13).
ReplyDeleteFear – Some people fear that becoming a Christian means “giving up fun” or living a strange, secluded life without friends. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that we must start a dull life and turn away from having parties with other people. It says the opposite. The Bible promises that knowing Jesus will let us live life to the fullest (John 10:10). And not only will such freedom draw us to have fun with friends, the Bible says even the angels in heaven throw a party when we accept Jesus as Lord (Luke 15:10).
Tradition – This reason for rejecting Jesus is often the strongest. But we are each accountable for our own actions. Even society doesn’t send parents to jail for their children’s crimes. Jesus knew He would, at times, cause people to break away from traditional family beliefs (Matthew 10:21,22).
Some people think that believing in Jesus and being good are the secret to heaven. The Bible says otherwise. It says that religion, speaking in Jesus’ name, and being good are of no value if Jesus doesn’t know us (see Mathew 7:21-23). Knowing Jesus is more than just a belief about Jesus. It means repenting and accepting Jesus’ sacrifice and His claims to be God.
Jesus Shows God’s Love for Us
We are all separated from God by imperfection. Even the most righteous people have had unholy thoughts considered sinful by God (see Matthew 5:28). Since God is perfect and holy, His requirement for an eternal, heavenly relationship with Him is perfection that no human can ever offer. So God provided an alternative method to rejoin us with Himself through one perfect sacrifice, forgiving all of our imperfections. The only way for God to have such a perfect sacrifice was for God to fulfill it Himself. By sending His Spirit into Mary (Luke 1:35), God essentially came to earth in human form as Jesus, to be sacrificed and who His love for mankind (see John 3:16). To fully appreciate God’s love, we need to be aware of the excruciating pain and humility Jesus willingly suffered for many who hated (or now hate) Him.
Rejecting Jesus Shows Our Disdain for God
Jesus can be rejected in two ways: 1) by a decision to reject Him or 2) by simply not accepting Him. Knowing about Jesus, even believing the gospel story, is not accepting Him nor showing love for God. Even demons and Satan believe the gospel (see Mark 5:6-17). Love for God means acceptance of Jesus. It means turning our lives completely to Him for guidance. The Greek word used in the Bible for “believe” (as in John 3:16) is pisteuo, which literallly means to trust, or have faith in. This means more than intellectual knowledge. Imagine the disdain we show God by not accepting His very precious and loving sacrifice.
God’s Unaccepted Gift?
Imagine sending your only child to deliver a gift to show forgiveness to an adversary. Imagine knowing that your child would die painfully while delivering it. Now suppose that person never opened the gift, never accepting forgiveness. Would you choose to be with him forever?
Acceptance or Rejection Is for Eternity
ReplyDeleteThe Bible frequently reveals God’s judgment. This does not conflict with God’s love and forgiveness, most emphatically shown through the sacrifice of His Son. But it does reveal that God is just. In the end, the Bible clearly states that there will be a separation of those who trusted Jesus as God, and those who didn’t. This separation is forever (see Luke 13:23-30; Revelation 20:12-15).
How do we know the Bible is accurate?
First, the integrity of original biblical manuscripts has been demonstrated by the vast number of manuscripts, precisely copied during the time of eyewitnesses and verified as unchanged by the Dead Sea Scrolls. Secondly, archaeology has shown complete consistency with what we know as the history of the world. Third, hundreds of ancient prophecies contained in the Bible and showing 100 percent accuracy indicate divine guidance and accuracy. And finally, the Bible is 100 percent consistent with established facts of science … corroborated by many of the finest scientists in the world today.
Why do some people claim the Bible has contradictions?
After hundreds of years of challenge, the accuracy of the Bible has stood the test of time. Common types of misunderstandings include:
1. Details that once seemed to contradict science or archaeology. Often our information is too limited to know that the Bible is right. For many years, scholars believed the earth was flat, while the Bible indicated a spherical shape. Likewise, critics scoffed at the mention of the early Hittites, or cities like Sodom and Gomorrah, all thought to be nonexistent, yet verified as fact today. Scientist have recently “proven” Einstein’s definition of the universe (consistent with the Bible), which has superseded Newton’s more limited view. The list goes on and on. As archaeology and science learn more, the Bible is verified and has yet to be proven wrong.
2. Different accounts by different authors. Details contained in different Gospels may at first seem contradictory. However, the accounts simply report events from different vantage points. For example, Matthew records that Mary Magdalene and “the other Mary” went to the tomb. Mark records Mary Magdalene and Mary, mother of James, and Salome as going to the tomb. Luke records “the women,” and John records Mary Magdalene. Are the reports contradictory? No. Different people report different facts. Placed side by side, they just give a more complete picture of what happened.
The Chronological Visit to the Tomb.
The three women went to the tomb, saw a “young man” who told them of the resurrection and also told them to go tell the disciples. They left and returned with Peter and John, who viewed the tomb. The disciples then “returned home” and the women stayed. At that time, Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene.
Like witnesses to an event today, when all testimony is pieced together, it makes perfect sense and a more complete picture is given.
The Bible extensively reviews heaven, hell, Satan, angels, and demons in many of its 66 books. Surveys show that many more people believe in heaven than in hell. Some nonbiblical religions even deny that hell exists. Yet, Jesus actually spoke more about hell than about heaven. So it would not be wise to ignore hell. Jesus’ parable in Luke 16:19-31 gives us a very poignant warning regarding heaven and hell.
It would seem wonderful if there was only a path to heaven with no hell. Not surprisingly, false prophets attempting to design a religion for man’s desires try to do away with hell, or convince man that he is God. The Bible is specific concerning the path to heaven, and indicates that other paths lead to hell.
ReplyDeleteHow Do We Know What Religion is Right?
No religion is “right” in and of itself. The Bible is about man’s relationship with God, the right way and the wrong way. Any religion that is totally consistent with the Bible’s teaching is right. Any with teaching that is counter to the Bible is wrong.
So the reliability of the Bible as a guideline is vital. As indicated, the original biblical manuscripts are a miracle in and of themselves. Evidence of reliability, includes: (1) and explosion of credible, corroborative writing, (2) verifiable at the time by eyewitnesses, (3) with eyewitnesses dying for testimony they could affirm to be true, and (4) with many other people, able to know historical facts, also dying for the same beliefs. If the New Testament is true, then the Old Testament is also broadly verified by Jesus (Luke 16:16,17) by over 700 cross-references, by the Dead Sea Scrolls evidence, and by “mathematical proof” of hundreds of prophecies.
A problem arises when man starts changing or adding to the Bible. Several things would indicate that such inspiration is not from God. First, the Bible commands us not to add to, delete, or change it (Revelation 22:18,19). Secondly, Jesus verified it would not change (Luke 16:17). And third, why would a perfect God change His original, perfect Word? The Bible is very clear that the path to heaven is defined as Christs:
John 14:6-9 Matthew 27:51-53 John 3:16 Ephesians 2:8
Acts 4:12 Colossians 1:15-23 John 6:48-58 Hebrews 10:26-31
Avoiding false gods – The Bible warns against the following false gods:
A god that is not a single God of the universe (having no peers – including man) is not the God of the Bible (1 Timothy 2:5; Isaiah 44:6).
A god not manifest as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit is not the God of the Bible (Luke 12:8-10; John 1:1,2,14; Acts 5:3,4).
A god that does not proclaim Jesus Christ as the ultimate sacrifice for redemption of those committing themselves to Him, is not the God of the Bible (Matthew 27:51-53; Mark 14:24; John 6:48-58; Acts 4:12; Colossians 1:15-23).
How Can We Ensure the Right Relationship to Go to Heaven?
ReplyDeleteWhen Jesus said not all who use His name will enter heaven (Matthew 7:21-23), He was referring to people who think using Christ’s name along with rituals and rules is the key to heaven. A relationship with God is not based on rituals or rules. It’s based on grace, forgiveness, and the right relationship.
How to Have a Personal Relationship with God
1. Believe that God exists and that He came to earth in the human form of Jesus Christ (John 3:16; Romans 10:9).
2. Accept God’s free forgiveness of sins through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Ephesians2:8-10; 1:7,8).
3. Switch to God’s plan for life (1 Peter 1:21-23; Ephesians 2:1-5).
4. Express a desire for Christ to be Director of your life (Matthew 7:21-27; 1 John 4:15).
People who sincerely take the preceding steps automatically become members of God’s family of believers. A new world of freedom and strength is then available through prayer and obedience to God’s will. New believers also can build their relationship with God by taking the following steps:
Find a Bible-based church that you like, and attend regularly.
Try to set aside some time each day to pray and read the Bible.
Locate other Christians to spend time with on a regular basis.
Science and the Bible: Cosmos and Creator
ReplyDeleteBy Mark Eastman, M.D.
They have been called the two greatest questions that face mankind: Does God exist, and if He does, what is His nature? Since the time of the ancient Greek philosophers, the answer to these questions have been sought by examining the nature of the universe and its life forms.
The Cosmos
When Albert Einstein published the first of his relativity theories in 1905, he shocked the physics community with a staggering new view of space, time, matter and energy. Though he did not know it at the time, his theories provide dramatic insights into the attributes of the Creator of the cosmos.
Among other things, what Einstein’s theories revealed was that the flow of time and the structure of space were relative to the velocity, mass and acceleration of the observers. That is, their observed values were not fixed: they were relative.
For thousands of years, scientists and philosophers believed that time was nothing more than an abstract notion, conceived in the minds of men, and used to describe the change seen in the physical world. Time, it was believed, was not a thing, it was a mental contrivance. Einstein showed that this was wrong. Time, Einstein showed, was “plastic.” That is, it is a physical property of the universe, and that the observed rate that time flows depends on the physical conditions present at the measuring device.
Several years after Einstein’s theories were published, astronomer Willem de Sitter found a mathematical error in Einstein’s equations. When corrected, he found a startling mathematical prediction buried within his equations: The universe was finite! Space-time, matter, and energy had a beginning.
In his book, It’s About Time, popular author and physicist Paul Davies remarks on this incredible discovery.
Modern scientific cosmology in the most ambitious enterprise of all to
emerge from Einstein’s work. When scientists began to explore the
implications of Einstein’s time for the universe as a whole, they made
one of the most important discoveries in the history of human thought:
that time, and hence all physical reality, must have had a definite origin
in the past. If time is flexible and mutable, as Einstein demonstrated, then
tt is possible for time to come into existence, and also to pass away again;
there can be a beginning and an end of time. (Paul Davies, It’s About Time,
Touchstone Books/Simon and Schuster, 1995, pg. 17.)
The Skeptic
ReplyDeleteI recently had an opportunity to speak on the origin of life at a major public university in Southern California. In attendance were a number of professors who are self-described agnostics. During the question period, one of the professors admitted that the evidence is compelling that the universe was indeed finite. He said that while he could not believe in God (because he couldn’t see Him, or study Him scientifically) he said he did believe that someday scientists would discover a law that would explain the origin and order of the universe and its life forms.
After pointing out that he had just expressed faith, the belief in things unseen, but hoped for, I asked him if he believed that the laws of physics, which work in our space-time domain, also had a beginning. He was forced to concede that they did because they would have no place to act before the space-time domain existed.
The final blow came when I asked him if he then believed that some “law” of physics could explain the origin of the laws of physics! He saw the point: The laws of physics cannot be the cause of the laws of physics! The cause of the universe and its laws must be independent of the space-time domain, exactly as the Bible claimed 3,500 years earlier!
Apostle Paul’s statement regarding the attributes of God being discerned by an examination of the nature of the universe is quite staggering, considering the state of scientific knowledge in the first century A.D. At that time it was commonly believed that the universe was eternal. In the face of that commonly held bias, the Bible clearly taught that the universe was finite, and the Creator is independent of time and space, exactly as 20th century cosmology suggests.
In the Beginning God created the heavens and the earth… Genesis 1:1
…God, (v.9) who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not
according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace
which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.
2 Timothy 1:8-9
…in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before
time began. Titus 1:2
The finiteness of space-time not only points to a Creator who is independent of the cosmos, but it also gives us insight into the minimum resume of such a Being.
The Uncaused Cause
ReplyDeleteIn my discussion with the agnostic professors, I asked them to give me the caveat, for the sake of my next argument, that God did indeed exist. They agreed. I then asked them what would be the minimum “resume” of such a Being. Remarkably, they were quite insightful in their deductions. They quickly recognized that such a Being would not only have to be independent of space-time, but must also be incredibly powerful, incredibly intelligent and able to act unencumbered, simultaneously inside and outside the time domain. Remarkably, without recognizing it, they had described the resume of the Creator as revealed in the Biblical text!
Among other things, the law of cause and effect asserts that a cause is always greater than its effect. Applied to the cosmos it means that the Creator must be more powerful than all the energy stored in all the stars in all the galaxies in the entire universe. Physicists believe that there are at least 10 exp80 particles in the universe. Einstein’s famous equation, E=mc2 indicates that the energy stored in the mass of the universe is equal to the mass times the speed of light squared! From this perspective, the Creator must be an all-powerful, omnipotent Being. This very attribute is credited to God throughout the Bible’s text.
Ah Lord GOD! Behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy
great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for
thee. Jeremiah 32:17
Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there anything too hard
for me? Jeremiah 32:27
In my discussion with the professors even they admitted that all the chemists, molecular biologists and physicists in the world combined have been unable to create a DNA molecule from raw elements: hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, phosphorus, etc. Moreover, molecular biologists admit that living cells are metabolic machines which are vastly more complicated than any machine made by mankind. They agreed in principle that the nature of these cellular “machines” would require a Being possessing unfathomable intelligence. Such a Being would be, from our limited perspective, an all-knowing, omniscient Creator. Throughout the Bible’s text God is described in such terms. For example, in Jeremiah 1:5, God’s omniscience is illustrated in his foreknowledge of the prophet even before he was born:
ReplyDeleteBefore I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I
sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations. Jeremiah 1:5
The infinite knowledge of God is proclaimed in 1 John 3:20 and in Psalm 147:5:
For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knows
all things 1 John 3:20
Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; his understanding is infinite.
Psalm 147:5
Finally, if our space-time domain is the direct creation of God, then once he created the cosmos, in order to organize and uphold the galaxies, solar systems and its life forms, the Creator must be able to act simultaneously, inside and outside the space time domain. This attribute we call omnipresence. This too is an attribute that is ascribed to God throughout the Bible’s text.
Am I a God near at hand,” says the LORD,”And not a God afar off? Can
anyone hide himself in secret places, So I shall not see him?” says the
LORD; “Do I not fill heaven and earth?” says the LORD. Jeremiah 23:23-24
For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in
the midst of them. Matthew 18:20
Why believe in Christianity over all other religions?
ReplyDeleteBy Matt Slick
Critics often ask why Christianity is any better than any other religion in the world. After all, of all the religions that exist, how can it be that only Christianity is true? If God exists, why can't God use different religions? Don't all paths lead to God? Skeptics ask these kinds of questions all the time; and, unfortunately, few Christians have the answers. Therefore, in an attempt to demonstrate why Christianity is true and all other religious systems are false, I've prepared the follow list of reasons for Christianity's superiority.
There are such things as absolute truths
If truth is relative, then the statement that truth is relative is an absolute truth and would be a self-defeating statement by proving that truth is not relative. But, if truth is absolute, then the statement "truth is absolute" is true and not self-defeating. It is true that truth exists. It is true that truth will not contradict itself as we have just seen. In fact, it is absolutely true that you are reading this paper.
If we can see that there is such a thing as truth in the world, then we could also see that there can be spiritual truth as well. It is not absurd to believe in spiritual absolutes anymore than physical or logical absolutes. Even the statement that all religions lead to God is a statement held to be a spiritual absolute by many people. This simply demonstrates that people do believe in spiritual truth. Why? Because truth exists. However, not all that is believed to be true actually is true. Furthermore, all belief systems cannot be true since they often contradict each other in profound ways--and truth is not self-contradictory.
Religions contradict each other; therefore, they cannot all be true.
Mormonism teaches that there are many gods in existence and that you can become a god. Christianity teaches that there is only one God and that you cannot become a god. Islam teaches that Jesus is not God in flesh where Christianity does. Jesus cannot be both God and not God at the same time. Some religions teach that we reincarnate while others do not. Some teach there is a hell, and others do not. They cannot all be true. If they cannot all be true, it cannot be true that all religions lead to God. Furthermore, it means that some religions are, at the very least, false in their claims to reveal the true God (or gods). Remember, truth does not contradict itself. If God exists, He will not institute mutually exclusive and contradictory belief systems in an attempt to get people to believe in Him. God is not the author of confusion (1 Cor. 14:33). Therefore, it is reasonable to believe that there can be an absolute spiritual truth and that not all systems can be true regardless of whether or not they claim to be true. There must be more than a mere claim.
Fulfilled Prophecy concerning Jesus
ReplyDeleteThough there are other religions that have prophecies in them, none are 100% accurate as is the Bible; and none of them point to someone like Jesus who made incredible claims and performed incredible deeds. The Old Testament was written hundreds of years before Jesus was born. Yet, the Old Testament prophesied many things about Jesus. This is undoubtedly evidence of divine influence upon the Bible.
Please consider some of the many prophecies of Jesus in the following chart.
Prophecy Old Testament Prophecy New Testament Fulfillment
Born of a virgin Isaiah 7:14
Matt. 1:18, 25
Born at Bethlehem Micah 5:2
Matt. 2:1
He would be preceded by a Messenger Isaiah 40:3
Matt. 3:1-2
Rejected by His own people Isaiah 53:3
John 7:5; 7:48
Betrayed by a close friend Isaiah 41:9
John 13:26-30
His side pierced Zech. 12:10
John 19:34
Crucifixion Psalm 22:1
Psalm 22:11-18
Luke 23:33;
John 19:23-24
Resurrection of Christ Psalm 16:10
Acts 13:34-37
Fulfillment of prophecy can have different explanations. Some state that the NT was written and altered to make it look like Jesus fulfilled OT prophecy (but there is no evidence of that). Others state that the prophecies are so vague that they don't count (but many of the prophecies are not vague at all). Of course, it is possible that God inspired the writers and Jesus, who is God in flesh, fulfilled these prophecies as a further demonstration of the validity of Christianity.
The Claims and Deeds of Christ
Christianity claims to be authored by God. Of course, merely making such a claim does not make it true. Anyone can make claims; but, backing up those claims is entirely different. Jesus used the Divine Name for Himself (John 8:58)--the same Divine Name used by God when Moses asked God what His name was in (Exodus 3:14). Jesus said that He could do whatever He saw God the Father do (John 5:19), and He claimed to be one with the God the Father (John 10:30; 10:38). Likewise, the disciples also called Him God (John 1:1, 14; John 10:27; Col. 2:9). By default, if Jesus is God in flesh, then whatever He said and did would be true. Since Jesus said that He alone was the way, the truth, and the life and that no one can find God without Him (John 14:6), His words become incredibly important.
ReplyDeleteAgain, making a claim is one thing. Backing it up is another. Did Jesus also back up His fantastic words with miraculous deeds? Yes, He did.
• Jesus changed water into wine (John 2:6-10).
• Jesus cast out demons (Matt. 8:28-32; 15:22-28).
• Jesus healed lepers (Matt. 8:3; Luke 17:14).
• Jesus healed diseases (Matt. 4:23, 24; Luke 6:17-19)
• Jesus healed the paralytic (Mark 2:3-12).
• Jesus raised the dead (Matt. 9:25; John 11:43-44).
• Jesus restored sight to the blind (Matt. 9:27-30; John 9:1-7).
• Jesus restored cured deafness (Mark 7:32-35).
• Jesus fed the multitude (Matt. 14:15-21; Matt. 15:32-38).
• Jesus walked on water (Matt. 14:25-27).
• Jesus calmed a storm with a command (Matt. 8:22-27; Mark 4:39).
• Jesus rose from the dead (Luke 24:39; John 20:27).
• Jesus appeared to disciples after resurrection (John 20:19).
The eyewitnesses recorded the miracles of Jesus, and the gospels have been reliably transmitted to us. Therefore, we can believe what Jesus said about Himself for two reasons: One, because what He said and did agrees with the Old Testament; and two, because Jesus performed many convincing miracles in front of people who testified and wrote about what they saw Him do.
Christ's resurrection
Within Christianity, the resurrection is vitally important. Without the resurrection our faith is useless (1 Cor. 15:14). It was Jesus' resurrection that changed the lives of the disciples. After Jesus was crucified, the disciples ran and hid. But when they saw the risen Lord, they knew that all that Jesus had said and done proved that He was indeed God in flesh, the Savior.
No other religious leader has died in full view of trained executioners, had a guarded tomb, and then risen three days later to appear to many many people. This resurrection is proof of who Jesus is and that He did accomplish what He set out to do: provide the only means of redemption for mankind.
Buddha did not rise from the dead. Muhammad did not rise from the dead. Confucius did not rise from the dead. Krishna did not rise from the dead, etc. Only Jesus has physically risen from the dead, walked on water, claimed to be God, and raised others from the dead. He has conquered death. Why trust anyone else? Why trust anyone who can be held by physical death when we have a Messiah who is greater than death itself?
Conclusion
ReplyDeleteWhy should anyone trust in Christianity over Islam, Buddhism, Mormonism, or anything else? It is because there are absolute truths--because only in Christianity is there accurate fulfilled prophecies of a coming Messiah. Only in Christianity do we have the extremely accurate transmission of the eyewitness' documents (gospels), so we can trust what was originally written. Only in Christianity do we have the person of Christ who claimed to be God, performed many miracles to prove His claim of divinity, who died and rose from the dead, and who said that He alone was the way the truth and the life (John 14:6). All this adds to the legitimacy and credibility of Christianity above all other religions--all based on the person of Jesus. If follows that if it is all true about what Jesus said and did, then all other religions are false because Jesus said that He alone was the way, the truth, and the life and that no one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6). It could not be that Jesus is the only way and truth and other religions also be the truth.
Either Jesus is true and all other religions are false, or other religions are true and Jesus is false. There are no other options. I choose to follow the risen Lord Jesus.
FASCINATING FACTS CONCERNING THE BIBLE
ReplyDeleteWilliam Albright (1891 – 1971). Once a director of the School of Oriental Research at Johns Hopkins University, William Albright wrote more than 800 books and articles, mostly on the validity of biblical manuscripts. He is best known for his work in confirming the authenticity of the Old Testament, and especially the authentication of the Dead Sea scrolls.
Albright also researched and confirmed the dating of the writings of the New Testament. His conclusion was that there was “no longer any solid basis for dating any book of the New Testament after about A.D. 80.” Early in his professional life, Albright had some doubts about the validity of biblical claims about Jesus. These, however, were answered conclusively in favor of the authenticity of the Bible as he conducted his research.
Sir William Ramsay (1852-1916). Sir William Ramsay was, arguably the greatest archaeologist of his day. He had rejected much of the written New Testament account and was determined to prove it false based on other writings of the day that contradicted the Bible. Ramsay believed that the books of Luke and Acts were actually written in about A.D. 150 and therefore did not bear the authenticity that first-century document would. His archaeological journeys took him to 32 countries, 44 cities, and 9 islands. Throughout some 15 years of intensive study, he concluded that “Luke is a historian of the first rank, this author should be placed along with the very greatest of historians.”
What Critics Thought
• There was no Roman census (as indicated in Luke 2:1).
What Ramsay Discovered: There was a Roman census every 14 years, beginning with Emperor Augustus.
• Quirinius was not governor of Syria at the time of Jesus’ birth (as indicated in Luke 2:2).
What Ramsay Discovered: Quirinius was governor of Syria in about 7 B.C.
FASCINATING FACTS CONCERNING THE BIBLE
ReplyDeleteWilliam Albright (1891 – 1971). Once a director of the School of Oriental Research at Johns Hopkins University, William Albright wrote more than 800 books and articles, mostly on the validity of biblical manuscripts. He is best known for his work in confirming the authenticity of the Old Testament, and especially the authentication of the Dead Sea scrolls.
Albright also researched and confirmed the dating of the writings of the New Testament. His conclusion was that there was “no longer any solid basis for dating any book of the New Testament after about A.D. 80.” Early in his professional life, Albright had some doubts about the validity of biblical claims about Jesus. These, however, were answered conclusively in favor of the authenticity of the Bible as he conducted his research.
Sir William Ramsay (1852-1916). Sir William Ramsay was, arguably the greatest archaeologist of his day. He had rejected much of the written New Testament account and was determined to prove it false based on other writings of the day that contradicted the Bible. Ramsay believed that the books of Luke and Acts were actually written in about A.D. 150 and therefore did not bear the authenticity that first-century document would. His archaeological journeys took him to 32 countries, 44 cities, and 9 islands. Throughout some 15 years of intensive study, he concluded that “Luke is a historian of the first rank, this author should be placed along with the very greatest of historians.”
What Critics Thought
• There was no Roman census (as indicated in Luke 2:1).
What Ramsay Discovered: There was a Roman census every 14 years, beginning with Emperor Augustus.
• Quirinius was not governor of Syria at the time of Jesus’ birth (as indicated in Luke 2:2).
What Ramsay Discovered: Quirinius was governor of Syria in about 7 B.C.
• People did not have to return to their ancestral home (as indicated in Luke 2:3).
ReplyDeleteWhat Ramsay Discovered: People did have to return to their home city, verified by an ancient Egyptian papyrus giving directions for conducting a census.
• The existence of the treasurer of the city of Corinth, Erastus (Romans 16:23), was incorrect.
What Ramsay Discovered: A city pavement in Corinth bearing the inscription “Erastus, curator of public buildings, laid this pavement at his own expense.”
• Luke’s reference to Gallio as proconsul of Achaia was wrong (Acts 18:12).
What Ramsay Discovered: The Delphi inscription that reads, “As Lucius Junius Gallio, my friend and proconsul of Achaia.”
Time and time again Ramsay’s search to find evidence that Luke’s writing was in error turned up evidence that it was, in fact, accurate. As a result, Sir William Ramsay eventually converted to Christianity proclaimed Luke as “one of the greatest historians” of all time.
Simon Greenleaf (1783-1853) Greenleaf, (former Atheist), one of the principle founders of the Harvard Law School, and a world-renowned expert on evidence, originally set out to disprove the biblical testimony concerning the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He was certain that a careful examination of the internal witness of the Gospels would dispel all the myths at the heart of Christianity. But this legal scholar came to the conclusion that the witnesses were reliable, and that the resurrection did in fact happen. Being a man of conviction and reason, and in accordance with his conclusions, Greenleaf converted from Agnosticism to Christianity.
Ralph Muncaster, (former atheist) in his book: Examine the Evidence, presents extensive evidence to validate the truth-claims of Christianity. He provides compelling arguments from science, biblical prophecy, history, and archaeology. This former skeptic points out that of all religions and philosophies on earth, only one, Christianity is verifiable and testable.
ReplyDelete1,456 hours of Sunday school and church turned Ralph Muncaster into a hard-core atheist. Then he was challenged to honestly investigate the Bible and the facts of modern science. He was stunned. Fact after fact, from biology, history, archaeology, physics, lined up with the Bible’s account!
The Bible Itself Argues Against the Possibility of Its Corruption
The charge that the Bible has been corrupted, contradicts what the Bible itself teaches. After all, in Isaiah 40:8 we read, “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands for ever.” In the New Testament Jesus says, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (Matthew 24:35).
The Almighty God who had the power and sovereign control to inspire the Scriptures in the first place is surely going to continue to exercise His power and sovereign control in the preservation of Scripture.
Positive Defense of the Christian Perspective
ReplyDeleteA. The Trustworthiness of the New Testament
1 The New Testament has better manuscript evidence than any other ancient book.
a. There are over 5,000 New Testament manuscripts and portions of manuscripts. By comparison, the majority of classical works have less than 20 manuscripts.
b. The dates of the New Testament manuscripts are close to the original writings. One Gospel fragment (Ryland’s) dates about 25 years after the Gospel of John and most of the New Testament (Chester Beatty and Bodmer Papyri) from 50-150 years after the originals. Most classical works date from 700 – 1400 years after the originals.
c. None of the canonical New Testament is lost or missing. By comparison, 107 of Livy’s 142 books of history have been lost and about one half of Tacitus’ 30 books of Annals and Histories is missing.
2. Good arguments can be given that each of the Gospels was either written by an eyewitness, or significantly influenced by firsthand testimony, as recognized by many contemporary scholars.
3. Even without proving eyewitness authorship, the Gospels measure up well by normal historical standards used in ancient historiography.
4. The Gospel are trustworthy sources, as explained by A.M. Hunter
a. These Christian authors, like their Jewish counterparts, were careful to preserve traditional material.
b. The Gospels are close to eyewitness sources.
c. The Gospel authors were honest reporters.
d. The picture of Jesus presented in the four Gospels is virtually the same (see Archibald M. Hunter, Bible and Gospel, pp. 32-37).
5. The Gospels and Acts exhibit a specific interest in reporting historical facts, not mythology. This is especially the case when the life of Jesus is reported.
6. Contemporary historians frequently opposed the application of radical criticism to New Testament studies. According to A.N. Sherwin-White and Michael Grant, such attacks fail at a number of crucial points (see A.N. Sherman-White, Roman Society, pp. 186-193; Grant, Jesus: An Historian Review, pp. 179-184, 199-201).
a. Numerous ancient works exhibit intentions and methodologies similar to that of the New Testament authors, and yet these ancient works are well accredited as historical works.
b. There are no ancient writings in the category that radical critics place the Gospels.
c. New Testament books such as Acts have been largely confirmed by external test of historicity.
7. The Gospel and Acts were recognized as inspired books almost immediately after being written (see J.B. Lightfoot, The Apostolic Fathers).
ReplyDeletea. 1 Timothy 5:18 quotes Luke 10:7 and refers to it as “Scripture.”
b. Clement of Rome (about AD 95) speaks of the “Gospel” and quotes portions found in all three synoptic Gospels, referring to them as the words of Jesus (Corinthians 13,46).
c. Ignatius (Smyrnaeans 3) and Polycarp (Philippians 2, 7), both writing about AD 115, refer to verses in the synoptic Gospels as the words of Christ.
8. Paul’s epistles were also recognized as inspired Scripture almost immediately after being written.
a. 2 Peter 3:15-16 calls Paul’s epistles “Scripture.”
b. Clement of Roman (Corinthians 47), Ignatius (Ephesians 10; to Polycarp 5), and Polycarp (Philippians 1,3-4, 6) all refer to Paul’s writings as inspired.
B. The Historicity of Jesus
1. The trustworthy Gospels (A above) exhibit much interest in the historical Jesus and give accurate accounts of his life, death, and resurrection.
2. Numerous pre- and extra biblical sources record much ancient testimony concerning Jesus within 125 years after his death.
a. Early Christian creeds that pre-date the New Testament, as well as the historical facts that virtually all critical scholars admit, provide an extremely strong case for the death and resurrection of Jesus.
b. Archaeology contributes a few finds that illuminate and provide background for Jesus’ career, such as the crucifixion victims investigated by archaeologist Vasilius Tzaferis, “Jewish Tombs At and Near Giv’at ha- Mivtar,” Israel Exploration Journal 20 (1970), pp. 38-59.
Also the Shroud of Turin (Historically proclaimed to be the actual burial garment of Jesus). See Ian Wilson, The Shroud of Turin (New York: Doubleday, 1978, also see John Heller, Report on the Shroud of Turin (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1983), especially chapters 12-14.
d. Secular historians (e.g. Cornelius Tacitus, Gaius Suetonius Tranquillas), government officials (e.g. Piny the Younger, Emperor Trajan), religious works (e.g. The Talmud, Toledoth Jesu, and other sources report many details about Jesus from non-Christian viewpoints.
e. Ancient Christian sources preserve a number of historical statements about Jesus (e.g. Clement of Rome, Ignatius, Justin Martyr).
4. To reject Jesus’ miracles a priori is to ignore correct inductive procedure where all the facts are investigated before a decision is made.
5. To reject Jesus’ doctrinal teachings a priori as valid for today is to pick and choose portions of the Gospels. Further, If Jesus was raised from the dead, there is, at a minimum, some implied significance for Jesus’ teachings, as well.
6. Without a significant historical basis in the life of Jesus, Christianity would have had no impetus for its origins.
7. Jesus died on the cross, as indicated by several facts.
ReplyDeletea. The nature of crucifixion, including the discovery of Yohanan’s skeleton, reveals both the nature and assurance of death by this method.
b. The explanation of Jesus’ heart wound indicates that it would have killed him even if he had been alive.
c. The death of Jesus is the most recorded event in ancient, non-Christian history.
d. The trustworthy Gospels give accurate accounts of Jesus’ death.
8. After his death, Jesus was raised bodily and appeared to his followers.
a. Naturalistic hypothesis that have sought to explain in normal terms the supernatural element of Jesus’ resurrection have failed to do so, chiefly because they are refuted by the known historical data. Several other reasons also indicate this failure.
b. There are numerous positive evidences for the resurrection that indicate that Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to many of those who followed him.
c. A case for the resurrection can be built by using only those minimal facts that are clearly established by the historical method. On a smaller scale, these facts can refute the alternative hypotheses and provide the best evidences for the resurrection.
d. The Shroud of Turin may supply some additional scientific evidence of Jesus’ resurrection.
9. Jesus’ message was not changed by Paul or by other followers.
a. In both the synoptics, as well as in John, Jesus claimed to be deity. Often this was done by his words, such as his claims to be Son of God and Son of Man (c.f. Mark 2:10-11; 10:45; 13:32; 14:36). At other times he showed his deity by his actions, such as forgiven sin, fulfilling Old Testament messianic prophecy and by claiming authority much greater than that of the Jewish leaders (see Mark 2:1-12; Matthew 5;20-48; cf. Isaiah 9:6-7).
b. Numerous pre-Pauline creeds such as Philippians 2:6-11, Romans 1:3-4, 1 Corinthians 11:23, and many from the book of Acts designate Jesus by the loftiest titles, thereby indicating the early teaching of his deity. These show further that this doctrine definitely did not originate with Paul.
c. Neither Jesus nor Paul taught that Christianity was a new religion. Both held that Christianity was a fulfillment of Judaism (see Matt. 5:18; Luke 16:16-17; Romans 10:4:9-11; Colossians 2:16-17).
ReplyDeleted. Jesus’ central teaching of the Kingdom of God and its entrance requirements of faith in his person and teachings in found in all four Gospels (c.f. Mark 1:14-15; Matthew 18:3-6; Luke 18:28-30; John 1:10-13) and in Paul’s epistles (c.f. Romans 6:23; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
f. Paul was known as the apostle to the Gentiles (see Acts 9:15;16; 22:21; Romans 11:13-14). Not only did Jesus command his disciples to take the gospel to the Gentiles (see Matthew 28:19-20; Luke 24:47; John 10:16; Acts 1:8), but this was actually a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, not a new doctrine (see Genesis 12:3; Isaiah 19:18-25 for two examples).
g. Since Jesus literally rose from the dead, any verification of the truthfulness of his teachings would even extend to Paul’s message and writings, since they are in agreement with the Gospels at these points.
10. Jesus was not an international traveler during his “silent years” or after his death.
a. There is no viable historical evidence for such international ventures.
b. The swoon theory fails and is rejected by critical scholars.
c. These endeavors almost always involved a long trail of illogic and incredibly mysterious connections.
C. Miracle-claims
1. Although many would place miracle-claims completely in the realm of faith, such is to ignore their possibly objective theistic and historical nature.
a. If it is taught that miraculous events have occurred in history, as in the case with New Testament miracle-claims, then at least the objective, historical side of such a claim can be investigated. In other words, if it actually happened, at least the portion of the event that touched the space-time world can potentially be examined.
b. In the New Testament, the resurrection of Jesus is not only the central tenet Christianity, but it is asserted that if Jesus did not rise from the dead, then faith in actually in vain (1 Corinthians 15:1-20). Paul even supports his point that Jesus was raised by citing eyewitnesses, historical testimony to this fact (vv. 5-8). Under these circumstances, one could hardly claim that objective, factual interests in the resurrection are foreign to the New Testament.
ReplyDeletec. This objection also commits errors that are associated with the “leap of faith.” If carried to its logical conclusion, it provides no objective basis for faith, including any reasons why faith should be exercised at all. As such, it is difficult to distinguish between belief and credulity.
2. Alternative theories that have been proposed to account for Jesus’ resurrection on naturalistic grounds have failed to account for the known historical facts.
3. There are many strong historical reasons to believe that Jesus was raised from the dead.
a. The disciples’ experiences
b. The transformation of the disciples into bold witnesses
c. The empty tomb
d. The resurrection of Jesus was the very center of the apostolic message.
e. The Jewish leaders could not disprove their message.
f. The very existence and growth of the church.
g. In this resurrected physical body Jesus appeared to more than five hundred of his disciples on twelve different occasions over a forty-day period and conversed with them (see Luke 24:13-49, 1 Corinthians 15:5-7, Acts 1:4-8, Matthew 28:1-10, John 20:24-31).
This was the greatest of all miracles since the creation itself, and could have been accomplished only if Jesus indeed is God, as He had claimed to be.
ReplyDeleteD. Predictive Prophecies
Consider the following predictions made centuries in advanced that Jesus would be:
1. born of a woman (Genesis 3:15; cf. Galatians 4:4);
2. born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14; cf. Matthew 1:21);
3. “cut off” (die) 483 years after the declaration to reconstruct the city of Jerusalem in 444 B.C. (Daniel 9:24);
4. of the seed of Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3 and 22:18; cf. Mathew 1:1);
5. of the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10, cf. Luke 3:23);
6. of the house of David (2 Samuel 7:12; cf. Matthew 1:1);
7. born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2; cf. Matthew 2:1);
8. anointed by the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 11:2; cf. Mattthew 3:16-17);
9. that Jesus would performed miracles (Isaiah 35:5-6; cf. Matthew 9:35);
10. would cleanse the temple (Malachi 3:1; cf. Matthew 21:12);
11. would be rejected by Jews (Psalms 118:22; cf. 1 Peter 2:7);
12. die a humiliating death (Psalms 22; cf. Matthew 9:35);
13. that he would rise from the dead (Psalm 2:7 and 16:10; cf. Acts 2:31)
14. ascended into heaven (Psalm 68:8; cf. Acts 1:9);
15. and sit at the right hand of God (Psalm 110:1; cf. Hebrew 1:3).
It is important to understand that these prophecies were written hundreds of years before Christ was born. No one could have been reading the trends of the times or just making intelligent guesses, like the “prophecies” we see in the checkout line at the supermarket.