Who was the real Jesus?

If a court of law were to evaluate the evidence for Jesus Christ, what would it conclude about his identity? Is it possible to discover the true historical Jesus? Many scholars have carefully studied the facts about this person who has so greatly influenced human history.

The articles on this website reveal the truth regarding Jesus of Nazareth. Archaeologists, historians, textual scientists and New Testament scholars examine the wealth of evidence making him the most unique person in the history of our world. You will find answers to questions asked by skeptics about his existence, the credibility of his claims, his true identity, his fulfillment of prophecy, his resurrection, his relevance to our lives today, and the reliability of the New Testament gospels.

So what do the facts tell us? Can we trust the New Testament accounts of Jesus, or are the skeptics right? We invite you to examine the evidence.

Read the evidence:

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WHY JESUS?

Is Jesus relevant today?

Many think that Jesus Christ wants us to become religious. They think Jesus came to take all the fun out of life, and give us impossible rules to live by. They are willing to call him a great leader from the past, but say he is not relevant to their lives today.

Josh McDowell was a college student who thought Jesus was just another religious leader who set up impossible rules to live by. He thought Jesus was totally irrelevant to his life.

Then one day at a student union lunch table McDowell sat next to a vibrant young coed with a radiant smile. Intrigued, he asked her why she was so happy. Her immediate reply was, “Jesus Christ!”

Jesus Christ? McDowell bristled, firing back:

“Oh, for God’s sake, don’t give me that garbage. I’m fed up with religion; I’m fed up with the church; I’m fed up with the Bible. Don’t give me that garbage about religion.”

But the unfazed young coed calmly informed him,

“Mister, I didn’t say religion, I said Jesus Christ.”

McDowell was stunned. He had never considered Jesus more than a religious figure, and didn't want any part of religious hypocrisy. Yet here was this joyful Christian woman talking about Jesus as someone who had brought meaning to her life.

Christ claimed to answer all the deep questions about our existence. At one time or another, we all question what life is all about. Have you ever gazed up at the stars on a pitch-black evening and wondered who put them there? Or have you ever seen a sunset and thought about life’s biggest questions:

“Who am I?”
“Why am I here?”
“Where am I going after I die?”

Although other philosophers and religious leaders have offered their answers to the meaning of life, only Jesus Christ proved his credentials by rising from the dead. Skeptics like McDowell who originally scoffed at Jesus’ resurrection, have discovered that there is compelling evidence that it really occurred.

Jesus offers life with real meaning. He said that life is much more than making money, having fun, being successful, and then ending up in a graveyard. Yet, many people still try to find meaning in fame and success, even the greatest superstars.

Madonna attempted to answer the question of, "Why am I here?" by becoming a diva, confessing, "There were many years when I thought fame, fortune, and public approval would bring me happiness. But one day you wake up and realize they don't..I still felt something was missing..I wanted to know the meaning of true and lasting happiness and how I could go about finding it."¹

Others have given up on finding meaning. Kurt Cobain, lead singer of the Seattle grunge band Nirvana, despaired of life at age 27 and committed suicide. Jazz-age cartoonist Ralph Barton also found life to be meaningless, leaving the following suicide note: "I have had few difficulties, many friends, great successes; I have gone from wife to wife, and from house to house, visited countries of the world, but I am fed up with inventing devices to fill up 24 hours of the day."²

Pascal, the great French philosopher believed this inner void we all experience can only be filled by God. He states, "There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which only Jesus Christ can fill."³ If Pascal is right, then we would expect Jesus to not only answer the question of our identity and meaning in this life, but also to give us hope for life after we die.

Can there be meaning, without God? Not according to atheist Bertrand Russell, who wrote, "Unless you assume a god, the question of life's purpose is meaningless."4 Russell resigned himself to ultimately "rot" in the grave. In his book, Why I am not a Christian, Russell dismissed everything Jesus said about life's meaning, including his promise of eternal life.

But if Jesus actually defeated death as eyewitnesses claim, (See “Did Jesus Rise from the Dead?”) then he alone would be able to tell us what life is all about, and answer, "Where am I going?" In order to understand how Jesus' words, life, and death can establish our identities, give us meaning in life, and provide hope for the future, we need to understand what he said about God, about us, and about himself.

Click here to continue reading "Is Jesus Relevant Today?"

MONA LISA'S SMIRK:

Was there a Da Vinci Conspiracy?

The Da Vinci Code is not to be ignored as a fictional plot. Its premise, that Jesus Christ has been reinvented for political purposes, attacks the very foundation of Christianity. Its author, Dan Brown, has stated on national TV that, even though the plot is fictional, he believes its account of Jesus' identity is true. So what is the truth? Let's take a look.

Did Jesus have a secret marriage with Mary Magdalene?
Was Jesus' divinity invented by Constantine and the church?
Were the original records of Jesus destroyed?
Do recently discovered manuscripts tell the truth about Jesus?

Has a gigantic conspiracy resulted in the reinvention of Jesus? According to the book and movie, The Da Vinci Code, that is exactly what happened. Several of the book's assertions regarding Jesus smack of conspiracy. For example, the book states:

"Nobody is saying Christ was a fraud, or denying that He walked the earth and inspired millions to better lives. All we are saying is that Constantine took advantage of Christ's substantial influence and importance. And in doing so, he shaped the face of Christianity as we know it today."¹

Could this shocking assertion from Dan Brown's best-selling book be true? Or is the premise behind it just the stuff of a good conspiracy novel--on a par with a belief that aliens crash-landed at Roswell, New Mexico, or that there was a second gunman on the grassy knoll in Dallas when JFK was assassinated?

Either way, the story is compelling. No wonder Brown's book has become one of the best-selling stories of the decade.

Click here to read page 2

The Jesus Conspiracy

The Da Vinci Code begins with the murder of a French museum curator named Jacques Sauniere. A scholarly Harvard professor and a beautiful French cryptologist are commissioned to decipher a message left by the curator before his death. The message turns out to reveal the most profound conspiracy in the history of humankind: a cover-up of the true message of Jesus Christ by a secret arm of the Roman Catholic Church called Opus Dei.

Before his death, the curator had evidence that could disprove the deity of Christ. Although (according to the plot) the church tried for centuries to suppress the evidence, great thinkers and artists have planted clues everywhere: in paintings such as the Mona Lisa and Last Supper by da Vinci, in the architecture of cathedrals, even in Disney cartoons. The book’s main claims are these:

The Roman emperor Constantine conspired to deify Jesus Christ.
Constantine personally selected the books of the New Testament.
The Gnostic gospels were banned by men to suppress women.
Jesus and Mary Magdalene were secretly married and had a child.
Thousands of secret documents disprove key points of Christianity.

Brown reveals his conspiracy through the book’s fictional expert, British royal historian Sir Leigh Teabing. Presented as a wise old scholar, Teabing reveals to cryptologist Sophie Neveu that at the Council of Nicaea in a.d. 325 “many aspects of Christianity were debated and voted upon,” including the divinity of Jesus.

“Until that moment in history,” he says, “Jesus was viewed by His followers as a mortal prophet … a great and powerful man, but a man nonetheless.”

Neveu is shocked. “Not the Son of God?” she asks.

Teabing explains: “Jesus’ establishment as ‘the Son of God’ was officially proposed and voted on by the Council of Nicaea.”

“Hold on. You’re saying Jesus’ divinity was the result of a vote?”

“A relatively close vote at that,” Teabing tells the stunned cryptologist.²

So, according to Teabing, Jesus was not regarded as God until the Council of Nicaea in a.d. 325, when the real records of Jesus were allegedly banned and destroyed. Thus, according to the theory, the entire foundation of Christianity rests upon a lie.

The Da Vinci Code has sold its story well, drawing comments from readers such as “If it were not true it could not have been published!” Another said he would “never set foot in a church again.” A reviewer of the book praised it for its “impeccable research.”³ Pretty convincing for a fictional work.

Click here to read page 3

Let’s accept for the moment that Teabing’s proposal might be true. Why, in that case, would the Council of Nicaea decide to promote Jesus to Godhood?

“It was all about power,” Teabing continues. “Christ as Messiah was critical to the functioning of Church and state. Many scholars claim that the early Church literally stole Jesus from His original followers, hijacking His human message, shrouding it in an impenetrable cloak of divinity, and using it to expand their own power.”⁴

In many ways, The Da Vinci Code is the ultimate conspiracy theory. If Brown’s assertions are correct, then we have been lied to—by the church, by history, and by the Bible. Perhaps even by those we trust most: our parents or teachers. And it was all for the sake of a power grab.

Although The Da Vinci Code is fictional, it does base much of its premise upon actual events (the Council of Nicaea), actual people (Constantine and Arius), and actual documents (the Gnostic gospels). If we are to get to the bottom of the conspiracy, our project must be to address Brown’s accusations and separate fact from fiction.

Constantine and Christianity

In the centuries prior to Constantine’s reign over the Roman Empire, Christians had been severely persecuted. But then, while entrenched in warfare, Constantine reported to have seen a bright image of a cross in the sky inscribed with the words “Conquer by this.” He marched into battle under the sign of the cross and took control of the empire.

Constantine’s apparent conversion to Christianity was a watershed in church history. Rome became a Christian empire. For the first time in nearly 300 years it was relatively safe, and even cool, to be a Christian.

No longer were Christians persecuted for their faith. Constantine then sought to unify his Eastern and Western Empires, which had been badly divided by schisms, sects, and cults, centering mostly around the issue of Jesus Christ’s identity.

These are some of the kernels of truth in The Da Vinci Code, and kernels of truth are a prerequisite for any successful conspiracy theory. But the book’s plot turns Constantine into a conspirator. So let’s address a key question raised by Brown’s theory: did Constantine invent the Christian doctrine of Jesus’ divinity?

Click here to read page 4

Deifying Jesus

To answer Brown’s accusation, we must first determine what Christians in general believed before Constantine ever convened the council at Nicaea.

Christians had been worshiping Jesus as God since the first century. But in the fourth century, a church leader from the east, Arius, launched a campaign to defend God’s oneness. He taught that Jesus was a specially created being, higher than the angels, but not God. Athanasius and most church leaders, on the other hand, were convinced that Jesus was God in the flesh.

Constantine wanted to settle the dispute, hoping to bring peace to his empire, uniting the east and west divisions. Thus, in 325 A.D., he convened more than 300 bishops at Nicaea (now part of Turkey) from throughout the Christian world. The crucial question is, did the early church think Jesus was the Creator or merely a creation—Son of God or son of a carpenter? So, what did the apostles teach about Jesus? From their very first recorded statements, they regarded him as God. About 30 years after Jesus’ death and resurrection, Paul wrote the Philippians that Jesus was God in human form (Philippians 2:6-7, NLT). And John, a close eye-witness, confirms Jesus’ divinity in the following passage:

In the beginning the Word already existed. He was with God, and he was God. He created everything there is. Nothing exists that he didn't make. Life itself was in him..So the Word became human and lived here on earth among us (John 1: 1-4, 14, NLT).

This passage from John 1, has been discovered in an ancient manuscript, and it is carbon-dated at 175-225 A.D. Thus Jesus was clearly spoken of as God over a hundred years before Constantine convened the Council of Nicaea. We now see that forensic manuscript evidence contradicts The Da Vinci Code's claim that Jesus' divinity was a fourth century invention. But what does history tell us about the Council of Nicaea? Brown asserts in his book, through Teabing, that the majority of bishops at Nicaea overruled Arius's belief that Jesus was a "mortal prophet" and adopted the doctrine of Jesus' divinity by a "relatively close vote." True or false?

In reality, the vote was a landslide: only two of the 318 bishops dissented. Whereas Arius believed that the Father alone was God, and that Jesus was His supreme creation, the council concluded that Jesus and the Father were of the same divine essence.

The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit were deemed to be distinct, coexistent, coeternal Persons, but one God. This doctrine of one God in three Persons became known as the Nicene Creed, and is the central core of the Christian Faith. Now, it is true that Arius was persuasive and had considerable influence. The landslide vote came after considerable debate. But in the end the council overwhelmingly declared Arius to be a heretic, since his teaching contradicted what the apostles had taught about Jesus' divinity.

History also confirms that Jesus had publicly condoned the worship he received from his disciples. And, as we have seen, Paul and other apostles clearly taught that Jesus is God and is worthy of worship.

From the first days of the Christian church, Jesus was regarded as far more than a mere man, and most of his followers worshiped him as Lord-the Creator of the universe. So, how could Constantine have invented the doctrine of Jesus' divinity if the church had regarded Jesus as God for more than 200 years? The Da Vinci Code doesn't address this question.

Click here to read page 5

Firing on the Canon

The Da Vinci Code also states that Constantine suppressed all documents about Jesus other than those found in our current New Testament canon (recognized by the church as authentic eyewitness reports of the apostles). It further asserts that the New Testament accounts were altered by Constantine and the bishops to reinvent Jesus. Another key element of The Da Vinci Code conspiracy is that the four New Testament Gospels were cherry-picked from a total of "more than 80 gospels," most of which were supposedly suppressed by Constantine.⁵

There are two central issues here, and we need to address both. The first is whether Constantine altered or biased the selection of the New Testament books. The second is whether he barred documents that should have been included in the Bible.

Regarding the first issue, letters and documents written by second century church leaders and heretics alike confirm the wide usage of the New Testament books. Nearly 200 years before Constantine convened the Council of Nicaea, the heretic Marcion listed 11 of the 27 New Testament books as being the authentic writings of the apostles.

And about the same time, another heretic, Valentinus, alludes to a wide variety of New Testament themes and passages. Since these two heretics were opponents of the early church leadership, they were not writing just what the bishops wanted. Yet, like the early church, they still referred to the same New Testament books we read today.

So, if the New Testament was already widely in use 200 years before Constantine and the Council of Nicaea, how could the emperor have invented or altered it? By that time the church was widespread and encompassed hundreds of thousands if not millions of believers, all of whom were familiar with the New Testament accounts.

In his book The Da Vinci Deception, an analysis of The Da Vinci Code, Dr. Erwin Lutzer remarks,

"Constantine did not decide which books would be in the canon; indeed, the topic of the canon did not even come up at the Council of Nicaea. By that time the early church was reading a canon of books it had determined was the Word of God two hundred years earlier."⁶

Although the official canon was still years from being finalized, the New Testament of today was deemed authentic more than two centuries before Nicaea.

Click here to read page 6

This brings us to our second issue; why were these mysterious Gnostic gospels destroyed and excluded from the New Testament? In the book, Teabing asserts that the Gnostic writings were eliminated from 50 authorized Bibles commissioned by Constantine at the council. He excitedly tells Neveu:

"Because Constantine upgraded Jesus’ status almost four centuries after Jesus’ death, thousands of documents already existed chronicling His life as a mortal man. To rewrite the history books, Constantine knew he would need a bold stroke. From this sprang the most profound moment in Christian history. … Constantine commissioned and financed a new Bible, which omitted those gospels that spoke of Christ’s human traits and embellished those gospels that made Him godlike. The earlier gospels were outlawed, gathered up, and burned."⁷

Are these Gnostic writings the real history of Jesus Christ? Let's take a deeper look to see if we can separate truth from fiction.

Secret "Knowers"

The Gnostic gospels are attributed to a group known as (big surprise here) the Gnostics. Their name comes from the Greek word gnosis, meaning “knowledge.” These people thought they had secret, special knowledge hidden from ordinary people.

Of the 52 writings, only five are actually listed as gospels. As we shall see, these so-called gospels are markedly different from the New Testament Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

As Christianity spread, the Gnostics mixed some doctrines and elements of Christianity into their beliefs, morphing Gnosticism into a counterfeit Christianity. Perhaps they did it to keep recruitment numbers up and make Jesus a poster child for their cause. However, for their system of thought to fit with Christianity, Jesus needed to be reinvented, stripped of both his humanity and his absolute deity.

In The Oxford History of Christianity John McManners wrote of the Gnostics’ mixture of Christian and mythical beliefs.

"Gnosticism was (and still is) a theosophy with many ingredients. Occultism and oriental mysticism became fused with astrology, magic. … They collected sayings of Jesus shaped to fit their own interpretation (as in the Gospel of Thomas), and offered their adherents an alternative or rival form of Christianity."⁸

Click here to read page 7

Early Critics

Contrary to Brown’s assertions, it was not Constantine who branded the Gnostic beliefs as heretical; it was the apostles themselves. A mild strain of the philosophy was already growing in the first century just decades after the death of Jesus. The apostles, in their teaching and writings, went to great lengths to condemn these beliefs as being opposed to the truth of Jesus, to whom they were eyewitnesses.

Check out, for example, what the apostle John wrote near the end of the first century:

"Who is the great liar? The one who says that Jesus is not the Christ. Such people are antichrists, for they have denied the Father and the Son." (1 John 2:22)

Following the apostles’ teaching, the early church leaders unanimously condemned the Gnostics as a cult. Church father Irenaeus, writing 140 years before the Council of Nicaea, confirmed that the Gnostics were condemned by the church as heretics. He also rejected their “gospels.” However, referring to the four New Testament Gospels, he said, “It is not possible that the Gospels can be either more or fewer in number than they are.” ⁹

Christian theologian Origen wrote this in the early third century, more than a hundred years before Nicaea:

I know a certain gospel which is called “The Gospel according to Thomas” and a “Gospel according to Matthias,” and many others have we read—lest we should in any way be considered ignorant because of those who imagine they possess some knowledge if they are acquainted with these. Nevertheless, among all these we have approved solely what the church has recognized, which is that only four gospels should be accepted.¹⁰

There we have it in the words of a highly regarded early church leader. The Gnostics were recognized as a non-Christian cult well before the Council of Nicaea. But there's more evidence calling into question claims made in The Da Vinci Code.

Who's Sexist?

Brown suggests that one of the motives for Constantine’s alleged banning of the Gnostic writings was a desire to suppress women in the church. Ironically, it is the Gnostic Gospel of Thomas that demeans women. It concludes (supposedly quoting Peter) with this eye-popping statement: “Let Mary go away from us, because women are not worthy of life” (114). Then Jesus allegedly tells Peter that he will make Mary into a male so that she may enter the kingdom of heaven. Read: women are inferior. With sentiments like that on display, it’s difficult to conceive of the Gnostic writings as being a battle cry for women’s liberation.

In stark contrast, the Jesus of the biblical Gospels always treated women with dignity and respect. Revolutionary verses like this one found within the New Testament have been foundational to attempts at raising women's status:

"There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female. For you are all Christians-you are one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28, NLT).

Click here to read page 8

Mystery Authors

When it comes to the Gnostic gospels, just about every book carries the name of a New Testament character: the Gospel of Philip, the Gospel of Peter, the Gospel of Mary, The Gospel of Judas, and so on. (Sounds a little like roll call at a parochial school.) These are the books that conspiracy theories like The Da Vinci Code are based upon. But were they even written by their purported authors?

The Gnostic gospels are dated about 110 to 300 years after Christ, and no credible scholar believes any of them could have been written by their namesakes. In James M. Robinson’s comprehensive The Nag Hammadi Library, we learn that the Gnostic gospels were written by “largely unrelated and anonymous authors.”¹² Dr. Darrell L. Bock, professor of New Testament studies at Dallas Theological Seminary, wrote,

“The bulk of this material is a few generations removed from the foundations of the Christian faith, a vital point to remember when assessing the contents.”¹³

New Testament scholar Norman Geisler commented on two Gnostic writings, the Gospel of Peter and the Acts of John. (These Gnostic writings are not to be confused with the New Testament books written by John and Peter.):

“The Gnostic writings were not written by the apostles, but by men in the second century (and later) pretending to use apostolic authority to advance their own teachings. Today we call this fraud and forgery.”¹⁴

The Gnostic gospels are not historical accounts of Jesus’ life but instead are largely esoteric sayings, shrouded in mystery, leaving out historical details such as names, places, and events. This is in striking contrast to the New Testament Gospels, which contain innumerable historical facts about Jesus’ life, ministry, and words.

Click here to read page 9

Mrs. Jesus

The juiciest part of the Da Vinci conspiracy is the assertion that Jesus and Mary Magdalene had a secret marriage that produced a child, perpetuating his bloodline. Furthermore, Mary Magdalene's womb, carrying Jesus' offspring, is presented in the book as the legendary Holy Grail, a secret closely held by a Catholic organization called the Priory of Sion. Sir Isaac Newton, Botticelli, Victor Hugo, and Leonardo Da Vinci were all cited as members.

Romance. Scandal. Intrigue. Great stuff for a conspiracy theory. But is it true? Let's look at what scholars say.

A Newsweek magazine article, that summarized leading scholars' opinions, concluded that the theory that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were secretly married has no historical basis.¹⁵ The proposal set forth in The Da Vinci Code is built primarily upon one solitary verse in the Gospel of Philip that indicates Jesus and Mary were companions. In the book, Teabing tries to build a case that the word for companion (koinonos) could mean spouse. But Teabing's theory is not accepted by scholars.

There is also a single verse in the Gospel of Philip that says Jesus kissed Mary. Greeting friends with a kiss was common in the first century, and had no sexual connotation. But even if The Da Vinci Code interpretation is correct, there is no other historical document to confirm its theory. And since the Gospel of Philip is a forged document written 150-220 years after Christ by an unknown author, its statement about Jesus isn't historically reliable.

Perhaps the Gnostics felt the New Testament was a bit shy on romance and decided to sauce it up a little. Whatever the reason, this isolated and obscure verse written two centuries after Christ isn't much to base a conspiracy theory upon. Interesting reading perhaps, but definitely not history.

As to the Holy Grail and the Priory of Sion, Brown's fictional account again distorts history. The legendary Holy Grail was supposedly Jesus' cup at his last supper, and had nothing to do with Mary Magdalene. And Leonardo da Vinci never could have known about the Priory of Sion, since it wasn't founded until 1956, 437 years after his death. Again, interesting fiction, but phony history.

The "Secret" Documents

But what about Teabing's disclosure that "thousands of secret documents" prove that Christianity is a hoax? Could this be true?

If there were such documents, scholars opposed to Christianity would have a field day with them. Fraudulent writings that were rejected by the early church for heretical views are not secret, having been known about for centuries. No surprise there. They have never been considered part of the authentic writings of the apostles.

And if Brown (Teabing) is referring to the apocryphal, or infancy Gospels, that cat is also out of the bag. They are not secret, nor do they disprove Christianity. New Testament scholar Raymond Brown has said of the Gnostic gospels,

"We learn not a single verifiable new fact about the historical Jesus' ministry, and only a few new sayings that might possibly have been his."¹⁸

Unlike the Gnostic gospels, whose authors are unknown and who were not eyewitnesses, the New Testament we have today has passed numerous tests for authenticity. (Click to read Jesus.doc) The contrast is devastating to those pushing conspiracy theories. New Testament historian F. F. Bruce wrote:

"There is no body of ancient literature in the world which enjoys such a wealth of good textual attestation as the New Testament."¹⁹

New Testament scholar Bruce Metzger revealed why the Gospel of Thomas was not accepted by the early church:

"It is not right to say that the Gospel of Thomas was excluded by some fiat on the part of a council: the right way to put it is, the Gospel of Thomas excluded itself! It did not harmonize with other testimony about Jesus that early Christians accepted as trustworthy."¹⁷

History's Verdict

So, what are we to conclude regarding the various conspiracy theories about Jesus Christ? Karen King, professor of ecclesiastical history at Harvard, has written several books on the Gnostic gospels, including The Gospel of Mary of Magdala and What Is Gnosticism? King, though a strong advocate of Gnostic teaching, concluded, "These notions about the conspiracy theory ... are all marginal ideas that have no historical basis."20

In spite of the lack of historical evidence, conspiracy theories will still sell millions of books and set box office records. Scholars in related fields, some Christians and some with no faith at all, have disputed the claims of The Da Vinci Code. However, the easily swayed will still wonder; Could there be something to it after all?

Award-winning television journalist Frank Sesno asked a panel of historical scholars about the fascination people have with conspiracy theories. Professor Stanley Kutler from the University of Wisconsin replied, "We all love mysteries-but we love conspiracies more."²¹

So, if you want to read a great conspiracy theory about Jesus, Dan Brown's novel, The Da Vinci Code, may be just the ticket for you. But if you want to read the true accounts of Jesus Christ, then Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John will get you back to what the eyewitnesses saw, heard, and wrote. Who would you rather believe?

Did Jesus Really Rise From The Dead?

The greatest question of our time is “Who is the real Jesus Christ?” Was he just an exceptional man, or was he God in the flesh, as Paul, John, and his other disciples believed?

The eyewitnesses to Jesus Christ actually spoke and acted like they believed he physically rose from the dead after his crucifixion. If they were wrong then Christianity has been founded upon a lie. But if they were right, such a miracle would substantiate all Jesus said about God, himself, and us.

But must we take the resurrection of Jesus Christ by faith alone, or is there solid historical evidence? Several skeptics began investigations into the historical record to prove the resurrection account false. What did they discover?

Click here to take a look at the evidence for the most fantastic claim ever made---the resurrection of Jesus Christ!

Did Jesus Say What Happens After We Die?

If Jesus really did rise from the dead, then he must know what is on the other side. What did Jesus say about the meaning of life and our future? Are there many ways to God or did Jesus claim to be the only way? Read the startling answers in “Why Jesus?”

Click here to read "Why Jesus?" and discover what Jesus said about life after death.

Can Jesus Bring Meaning to Life?

“Why Jesus?” looks at the question of whether or not Jesus is relevant today. Can Jesus answer the big questions of life: “Who am I?” “Why am I here?” And, “Where am I going?” Dead cathedrals and crucifixes have led some to believe that he can’t, and that Jesus has left us to cope with a world out of control. But Jesus made claims about life and our purpose here on earth that need to be examined before we write him off as uncaring or impotent. This article examines the mystery of why Jesus came to earth.

Click here to discover how Jesus can bring meaning to life.

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WHY JESUS?

Can Jesus bring meaning to life?

Jesus Christ spoke of life being full of meaning and purpose. He said that we are important to God, and our meaning in life can only be fulfilled by a relationship with our Creator.

However, many think that Jesus Christ wants us to become religious. They think Jesus came to take all the fun out of life, and give us impossible rules to live by. They are willing to call him a great leader from the past, but say he is not relevant to their lives today.

Josh McDowell was a college student who thought Jesus was just another religious leader who set up impossible rules to live by. He thought Jesus was totally irrelevant to his life.

Jesus Christ? McDowell bristled, firing back:

“Oh, for God’s sake, don’t give me that garbage. I’m fed up with religion; I’m fed up with the church; I’m fed up with the Bible. Don’t give me that garbage about religion.”

But the unfazed young coed calmly informed him,

“Mister, I didn’t say religion, I said Jesus Christ.”

Jesus Christ claimed to answer all the deep questions about our existence. At one time or another, many of us question what life is all about. Have you ever gazed up at the stars on a pitch-black evening and wondered who put them there? Or have you ever seen a sunset and thought about life’s biggest questions:

“Who am I?”
“Why am I here?”
“Where am I going after I die?”

If we take his words seriously, Jesus offers life with real meaning. He said that life is much more than making money, having fun, being successful, and then ending up in a graveyard. Yet, many people still try to find meaning in fame and success, even those who have already made it to the mountaintop.

Click here to continue reading "Is Jesus Relevant Today?"

What Did Jesus Say About God?

God is Relational

Many think of God more as a force than a person who we can know and enjoy. The God of whom Jesus spoke is not like the impersonal Force in Star Wars, whose goodness is measured in voltage. Neither is He some great unsympathetic bogeyman in the sky, delighting in making our lives miserable.

On the contrary, God is relational like us, but even more so. He thinks, He hears. He communicates in language we can understand. Jesus told us and showed us what God is like. According to Jesus, God knows each of us intimately and personally, and thinks about us continually.

God is Loving

And Jesus told us that God is loving. Jesus demonstrated God’s love wherever he went, as he healed the sick and reached out to the hurting and poor.

God’s love is radically different from ours in that it is not based upon attraction or performance. It is totally sacrificial and unselfish. Jesus compared God’s love with the love of a perfect father. A good father wants the best for his children, sacrifices for them, and provides for them. But in their best interests, he also disciplines them.

Jesus illustrates God’s heart of love with a story about a rebellious son who rejected his father’s advice about life and what is important. Arrogant and self-willed, the son wanted to quit working and “live it up.” Rather than waiting until his father was ready to give him his inheritance, he began insisting that his father give it to him early.

In Jesus’ story, the father granted his son’s request. But things went bad for the son. After squandering his money on self-indulgence, the rebellious son had to go to work on a pig farm. Soon he was so hungry even the pig food looked good. Despondent and not sure his father would accept him back, he packed his bag and headed home.

Jesus tells us that not only did his father welcome him home, but he actually ran out to meet him. And then the father went totally radical with his love and threw a huge party celebrating his son’s return.

It is interesting that even though the father greatly loved his son, he didn’t chase after him. He let the son he loved feel pain and suffer the consequences of his rebellious choice. In a similar way, the Scriptures teach that God’s love will never compromise what is best for us. It will allow us to suffer the consequences of our own wrong choices.

Jesus also taught that God will never compromise His character. Character is who we are down deep. It is our essence from which all our thoughts and actions stem. So what is God like—down deep?

God is Holy

Throughout the Scriptures (nearly 600 times), God is spoken of as “holy.” Holy means that God’s character is morally pure and perfect in every way. Unblemished. This means that He never entertains a thought that is impure or inconsistent with His moral excellence.

Furthermore, God’s holiness means that He cannot be in the presence of evil. Since evil is the opposite of His nature, He hates it. It’s like pollution to Him.

But if God is holy and abhors evil, why didn’t He make our character like His? Why are there child molesters, murderers, rapists, and perverts? And why do we struggle so with our own moral choices? That brings us to the next part of our quest for meaning. What did Jesus say about us?

What Did Jesus Say About Us?

Made for a Relationship with God

If you were to read through the New Testament you would discover that Jesus continually spoke of our immense value to God, telling us that God created us to be His children.

Irish U2 rock star Bono remarked in an interview, “It’s a mind-blowing concept that the God who created the Universe might be looking for company, a real relationship with people….”⁵ In other words, before the universe was created, God planned to adopt us into His family. Not only that, but He has planned an incredible inheritance that is ours for the taking. Like the father’s heart in Jesus’ story, God wants to lavish on us an inheritance of unimaginable blessing and royal privilege. In His eyes, we are special.

Freedom to Choose

In the movie, Stepford Wives, weak, lying, greedy and murderous men have engineered submissive, obedient robots to replace their liberated wives who they considered threats. Although the men supposedly love their wives, they replaced them with toys in order to force their obedience.

God could have made us like that — robotic people (iPeople) hardwired to love and obey him, programming worship into us like a screensaver. But then our compulsory love would be meaningless. God wanted us to love Him freely. In real relationships, we want someone to love us for who we are, not out of compulsion — we’d prefer a soul mate over a mail-order bride. Søren Kierkegaard summarized the dilemma in this story.

Suppose there was a king who loved a humble maiden. The king was like no other king. Every statesman trembled before his power … and yet this mighty king was melted by love for a humble maiden. How could he declare his love for her? In an odd sort of way, his kingliness tied his hands. If he brought her to the palace and crowned her head with jewels … she would surely not resist—no one dared resist him. But would she love him? She would say she loved him of course, but would she truly?⁶

You see the problem. Less poetically put: How do you break up with an all-knowing boyfriend? (“It’s just not working out between us, but I guess you already knew that.”) But to make freely exchanged love possible, God created human beings with a unique capacity: free will.

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Rebellion Against God’s Moral Laws

C.S. Lewis reasoned that even though we are internally programmed with a desire to know God, we rebel against it from the moment we are born.⁷ Lewis also began to examine his own motives, which led him to the discovery that he instinctively knew right from wrong.

Lewis wondered where this sense of right and wrong came from. We all experience this sense of right and wrong when we read of Hitler killing six million Jews, or a hero sacrificing his or her life for someone. We instinctively know it is wrong to lie and cheat. This recognition that we are programmed with an inner moral law led the former atheist to the conclusion there must be a moral “Lawgiver.”

Indeed, according to both Jesus and the Scriptures, God has given us a moral law to obey. And not only have we turned our backs on a relationship with Him, we also have broken these moral laws that God established. Most of us know some of The Ten Commandments:

“Don’t lie, steal, murder, commit adultery,” etc. Jesus summarized them by saying we should love God with all our heart and our neighbor as ourselves. Sin, therefore, is not only the wrong that we do in breaking the law, but also our failure to do what is right.

God made the universe with laws that govern everything in it. They are inviolable and unchangeable. When Einstein derived the formula E=MC² he unlocked the mystery of nuclear energy. Put the right ingredients together under exacting conditions and enormous power is unleashed. The Scriptures tell us that God’s moral law is no less valid since it stems from His very character.

From the very first man and woman, we have disobeyed God’s laws, even though they are for our best. And we have failed to do what is right. We have inherited this condition from the first man, Adam. The Bible calls this disobedience, sin, which means “missing the mark,” like an archer missing his intended target. Thus our sins have broken God’s intended relationship with us. Using the archer’s example, we have missed the mark when it comes to the purpose we were created for.

Sin causes the severing of all relationships: the human race severed from its environment (alienation), individuals severed from themselves (guilt and shame), people severed from other people (war, murder), and people severed from God (spiritual death). Like links on a chain, once the first link between God and humanity was broken, all contingent links became uncoupled.

And we are broken. As Kayne West raps, “And I don’t think there’s nothing I can do to right my wrongs…I wanna talk to God but I’m afraid cause we ain’t spoke in so long ... ” West’s lyrics speak of the separation that sin brings to our lives. And according to the Bible, this separation is more than just lyrics in a rap song. It has deadly consequences.

Our Sins have Separated Us from God’s Love

Our rebellion (sin) has created a wall of separation between God and us (see Isaiah 59:2). In the Scriptures, “separation” means spiritual death. And spiritual death means being completely separated from the light and life of God.

“But wait a minute,” you might say. “Didn’t God know all of that before He made us?

Why didn’t He see that His plan was doomed for failure?” Of course, an all-knowing God would realize that we would rebel and sin. In fact, it is our failure that makes His plan so mind-blowing. This brings us to the reason that God came to Earth in human form. And even more incredible-—the remarkable reason for his death.

What Did Jesus Say About Himself?

God's Perfect Solution

During his three years of public ministry, Jesus taught us how to live and performed many miracles, even raising the dead. But he stated that his primary mission was to save us from our sins.

Jesus proclaimed that he was the promised Messiah who would take our iniquity upon himself. The prophet Isaiah had written about the Messiah 700 years earlier, giving us several clues regarding his identity. But the clue most difficult to grasp is that the Messiah would be both man and God!

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given. And his name shall be called…Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Is. 9:6)

Author Ray Stedman writes of God's promised Messiah: "From the very beginning of the Old Testament, there is a sense of hope and expectation, like the sound of approaching footsteps: Someone is coming! ... That hope increases throughout the prophetic record as prophet after prophet declares yet another tantalizing hint: Someone is coming!"⁹

The ancient prophets had foretold that the Messiah would become God's perfect sin offering, satisfying his justice. This perfect man would qualify to die for us. (Is. 53:6)

According to the New Testament authors, the only reason Jesus was qualified to die for the rest of us is because, as God, he lived a morally perfect life and wasn't subject to sin's judgment.

It's difficult to understand how Jesus' death paid for our sins. Perhaps a judicial analogy might clarify how Jesus solves the dilemma of God's perfect love and justice.

Imagine entering a courtroom, guilty of murder (you have some serious issues). As you approach the bench, you realize that the judge is your father. Knowing that he loves you, you immediately begin to plead, "Dad, just let me go!"

To which he responds, "I love you, son, but I'm a judge. I can't simply let you go."

He is torn. Eventually he bangs the gavel down and declares you guilty. Justice cannot be compromised, at least not by a judge. But because he loves you, he steps down from the bench, takes off the robe, and offers to pay the penalty for you. And in fact, he takes your place in the electric chair.

This is the picture painted by the New Testament. God stepped down into human history, in the person of Jesus Christ, and went to the electric chair (read: cross) instead of us, for us. Jesus is not a third-party whipping boy, taking our sins, but rather he is God himself. Put more bluntly, God had two choices: to judge sin in us or to assume the punishment himself. In Christ, He chose the latter.

Although U2's Bono doesn't pretend to be a theologian, he accurately states the reason for Jesus' death:

"The point of the death of Christ is that Christ took on the sins of the world, so that what we put out did not come back to us, and that our sinful nature does not reap the obvious death. That's the point. It should keep us humbled. It's not our own good works that get us through the gates of Heaven.^"9

And Jesus made it clear that he is the only one who can bring us to God, stating, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except by me.” (John 14:6)

But many argue that Jesus' claim that he is the only way to God is too narrow, saying that there are many ways to God. Those who believe all religions are the same deny we have a sin problem. They refuse to take Christ's words seriously. They say God's love will accept all of us, regardless what we have done.

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Perhaps Hitler is deserving of judgment, they reason, but not them or others who live "decent lives". It's like saying that God grades on the curve, and everybody who gets a D- or better will get in. But this presents a dilemma.

As we have seen, sin is the absolute opposite of God's holy character. Thus we have offended the one who created us, and loved us enough to sacrifice His very Son for us. In a sense our rebellion is like spitting in His face. Neither good deeds, religion, meditation, or Karma can pay the debt our sins have incurred.

According to theologian R. C. Sproul, Jesus alone is the one who can pay that debt. He writes:

"Moses could mediate on the law; Muhammad could brandish a sword; Buddha could give personal counsel; Confucius could offer wise sayings; but none of these men was qualified to offer an atonement for the sins of the world. . Christ alone is worthy of unlimited devotion and service.^"10

A Gift Undeserved

The biblical term to describe God's free forgiveness through Christ's sacrificial death is grace. Whereas mercy saves us from what we deserve, the grace of God gives us what we don't deserve. Let's review for a minute how Christ has done for us what we could not do for ourselves:

God loves us and created us for a relationship with Himself ¹¹
We have been given the freedom to accept or reject that relationship ¹²
Our sin and rebellion against God and His laws have created a wall of separation between us and Him ¹³
Though we are deserving of eternal judgment, God has paid our debt in full by Jesus' death in our place, making eternal life with Him possible.¹⁴

Bono gives us his perspective on grace.

"Grace defies reason and logic. Love interrupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions, which in my case is very good news indeed, because I've done a lot of stupid stuff..I'd be in big trouble if Karma was going to finally be my judge..It doesn't excuse my mistakes, but I'm holding out for Grace. I'm holding out that Jesus took my sins onto the Cross, because I know who I am, and I hope I don't have to depend on my own religiosity."¹⁵

We now have the picture of God's plan of the ages coming together. But there still is one missing ingredient. According to Jesus and the authors of the New Testament, each of us individually must respond to the free gift Jesus offers us. He won't force us to take it.

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You Choose the Ending

We continually make choices---what to wear, what to eat, our career, marriage partner, etc. It is the same when it comes to a relationship with God. Author Ravi Zacharias writes:

"Jesus’ message reveals that every individual…comes to know God not by virtue of birth, but by a conscious choice to let Him have His rule in his or her individual life."¹⁶

Our choices are often influenced by others. But in some instances we are given the wrong advice. On September 11, 2001, 600 innocent people put their trust in the wrong advice, and innocently suffered the consequences.The true story goes like this:

One man who was on the 92nd floor of the south tower of the World Trade Center had just heard a jet crashing into the north tower. Stunned by the explosion, he called the police for instructions on what to do. “We need to know if we need to get out of here, because we know there’s an explosion,” he said urgently on the phone.

The voice on the other end advised him not to evacuate. “I would wait ’til further notice.”

“All right,” the caller said. “Don’t evacuate.” He then hung up.

Shortly after 9:00 A.M., another jet crashed into the 80th floor of the south tower. Nearly all 600 people in the top floors of the south tower perished. The failure to evacuate the building was one of the day’s great tragedies.¹⁷

Those 600 people perished because they relied on the wrong information, even though it was given by a person who was trying to help. The tragedy would not have occurred had the 600 victims been given the right information.

Our conscious choice about Jesus is infinitely more important than the one facing the ill-informed 9/11 victims. Eternity is at stake. We can choose one of three different responses. We can ignore him. We can reject him. Or, we can accept him.

The reason many people go through life ignoring God is that they are too busy pushing their own agenda. Chuck Colson was like that. At age 39, Colson occupied the office next to the president of the United States. He was the “tough guy” of the Nixon White House, the “hatchet man” who could make the hard decisions. Yet, in 1972, the Watergate scandal ruined his reputation and his world became unglued. Later he writes:

“I had been concerned with myself. I had done this and that, I had achieved, I had succeeded and I had given God none of the credit, never once thanking Him for any of His gifts to me. I had never thought of anything being ‘immeasurably superior’ to myself, or if I had in fleeting moments thought about the infinite power of God, I had not related Him to my life.”¹⁸

Many can identify with Colson. It’s easy to get caught in the fast pace of life and have little or no time for God. Yet ignoring God’s gracious offer of forgiveness has the same dire consequences as outright rejection. Our sin debt would still remain unpaid.

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In criminal cases, few ever turn down a full pardon. In 1915, George Burdick, city editor for the New York Tribune, had refused to reveal sources and broken the law. President Woodrow Wilson declared a full pardon to Burdick for all offenses he had "committed or may have committed." What made Burdick's case historic is that he refused the pardon. That brought the case to the Supreme Court, which sided with Burdick, stating that a presidential pardon could not be forced on anyone.

When it comes to rejecting Christ's full pardon, people give a variety of reasons. Many say there isn't sufficient evidence, but, like Bertrand Russell and a host of other skeptics, they aren't interested enough to really investigate. Others refuse to look beyond some hypocritical Christians they know, pointing to unloving or inconsistent behavior as an excuse. And still others reject Christ because they blame God for some sad or tragic experience they have suffered.

However, Zacharias, who has debated with intellectuals on hundreds of college campuses believes that the real reason most people reject God is moral. He writes:

" A man rejects God neither because of intellectual demands nor because of the scarcity of evidence. A man rejects God because of moral resistance that refuses to admit his need for God."¹⁹

The desire for moral freedom kept C. S. Lewis from God for most of his college years. After his quest for truth led him to God, Lewis explains how acceptance of Christ involves more than just intellectual agreement with the facts. He writes:

"Fallen man is not simply an imperfect creature who needs improvement: he is a rebel who must lay down his arms. Laying down your arms, surrendering, saying you are sorry, realizing that you have been on the wrong track and getting ready to start life over again..is what Christians call repentance.^"21

Repentance is a word that means a dramatic turn-around in thinking. That's what happened to Nixon's former "hatchet man". After Watergate was exposed, Colson began thinking about life differently. Sensing his own lack of purpose, he began reading Lewis's Mere Christianity, given to him by a friend. Trained as a lawyer, Colson took out a yellow legal pad and began writing down Lewis's arguments. Colson recalled:

'I knew the time had come for me. . Was I to accept without reservations Jesus Christ as Lord of my life? It was like a gate before me. There was no way to walk around it. I would step through, or I would remain outside. A 'maybe' or 'I need more time' was kidding myself."

After an inner struggle, this former aide to the president of the United States finally realized that Jesus Christ was deserving of his full allegiance. He writes:

"And so early Friday morning, while I sat alone staring at the sea I love, words I had not been certain I could understand or say fell naturally from my lips: 'Lord Jesus, I believe You. I accept You. Please come into my life. I commit it to You.'"²¹

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Colson discovered that his questions, “Who am I?” “Why am I here?” and “Where am I going?” are all answered in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul writes, “It is in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for.” (Ephesians 1:11, The Message)

When we enter into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, he fills our inner void, gives us peace, and satisfies our desire for meaning and hope. And we no longer need to resort to temporary stimuli for our fulfillment. When He enters into us, he also satisfies our deepest longings and needs for true, lasting love and security.

And the staggering thing is that God Himself came as a man to pay our entire debt. Therefore, no longer are we under the penalty of sin. Paul states this clearly to the Colossians when he writes,

"You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions, yet now he has brought you back as his friends. He has done this through his death on the cross in his own human body. As a result, he has brought you into the very presence of God, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault." (Colossians 1:21b-22a NLT).

Thus God did what we were unable to do for ourselves. We are set free from our sins by Jesus’ sacrificial death. It is like a mass murderer going before a judge and being granted a full and complete pardon. He doesn’t deserve a pardon, and neither do we. God’s gift of eternal life is absolutely free-—and it is for the taking. But even though the pardon is offered to us, it is up to us to accept it. The choice is yours.

Are you at the point in your life where you would like to accept God's free offer?

Perhaps like Madonna, Bono, Lewis and Colson, your life has also been empty. Nothing you have tried satisfies the inner void you feel. God can fill that void and change you in a moment. He created you to have life that is flooded with meaning and purpose. Jesus said, “My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.” (John 10:10b)

Or perhaps things are going well for you in life but you are restless and lack peace. You realize that you have broken God’s laws and are separated from his love and forgiveness. You fear God’s judgment. Jesus said, “I am leaving you with a gift---peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn’t like the peace the world gives.”

So whether you are simply tired of a life of empty pursuits or are troubled by a lack of peace with your Creator, the answer is in Jesus Christ.

When you put your trust in Jesus Christ, God will forgive you of all your sins---past, present, and future and make you His child. And as His loving child, He gives you purpose and meaning in life on Earth and the promise of eternal life with Him.

God’s Word says, “to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12)

Forgiveness of sin, purpose in life, and eternal life are all yours for the asking. You can invite Christ into your life right now by faith through prayer. Prayer is talking with God. God knows your heart and is not as concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. The following is a suggested prayer:

“Dear God, I want to know You personally and live eternally with You. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Take control of my life and change me, making me the kind of person You want me to be.”

Does this prayer express the desire of your heart? If so, simply pray the above suggested prayer in your own native language.

When you make a commitment to Jesus Christ, he enters your life, becoming your guide, your counselor, your comforter, and your best friend. Furthermore, he gives you strength to overcome trials and temptation, freeing you to experience a new life full of meaning, purpose, and power.

Chuck Colson discovered that new purpose and power. Colson readily admits that before becoming a Christian, he was ambitious, prideful, and self-centered. He had no desire or power to love others in need. But his thoughts and motives radically changed once he committed himself to Christ.

What next? Click here to discover Jesus gives to those who follow him..

Once we grasp the high price Jesus paid to have us as his children, our lives should never be the same. As a new believer, you will still experience temptation, and there may be times of doubt and failure. But he will never give up on you, and as you include him in your life, you will experience his faithfulness and the power to live for him. If you are ready to begin this new life with Christ, we encourage you to review the promises and growth principles:

What does Jesus do for You?

New Life in Christ

If you have made the decision to receive Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord, you are his child for all eternity. As his child, you are given an inheritance that includes the following wonderful promises:

1. Jesus enters your life, never to leave.

2. Jesus forgives all your sins.

3. Jesus gives you eternal life with him.

4. Jesus hears and answers your prayers.

5. Jesus gives you power to obey him.

Receiving Jesus’ Unconditional Love

Jesus promises to indwell you and be your friend and Lord forever.2 His love is not based on how good you are or how you feel. The emotional high you might experience now won’t always be there, but Jesus will be.

Youth leader Samantha Tidball tells how, when she was a teenager, she dated a number of guys and repeatedly found herself bored after a few weeks of dating. She realized that she got an emotional high from the chase - one that wasn’t sustainable. And she says it was sort of the same thing when she first began a relationship with God. When the initial emotional rush was over, she felt empty inside and continued looking for attention elsewhere. She knew God loved her, but she didn’t always feel his love.

She wrote in a blog,

I have learned that I can’t force a feeling. But I can reflect on what I know and trust that God truly does love me. I have to trust Jesus meant what He said in 1 John 4:9-10, “God showed how much He loved us by sending His one and only Son into the World so that we might have eternal life through Him. This is real love - not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” If Jesus died for you and me, then what does that say about our self-worth? Jesus says, “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13). Apparently, God loves us enough to die for us; there is no greater act of love.

God loves us just the way we are. Living better lives or thinking deeper thoughts will never make him love us more than he already does. Tidball says, “Don’t confuse God's love with the love you get from people. Love from people often increases with performance and decreases with mistakes. Not so with God’s love. He loves you right where you are.”3

Making Your Life Count for Him

As you consider what Jesus has done for you, you will want to make your life count for him. The apostle Paul puts it this way: “Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.”4

Once you begin your new journey with Christ, he begins to change you into the person he planned you to be. But don’t expect immediate results; the Christian life is more like a marathon than a sprint. The best runners always spend hours in training. Training in the Christian life involves five basic areas:

1. Spend time in God’s Word.

2. Spend time with him in prayer.

3. Learn to obey him by faith.

4. Worship him with others.

5. Tell others about his love and grace.

We encourage you to download the free resource “Getting Started in Extreme Living," which will help you understand how to exercise and apply these vital areas of Christian growth. Go to y-jesus.com/blog/downloads. Other free downloadable resources and online Bibles are available at godresources.org/blog/new-life/.

Click here for a free downloadable study guide on how to experience meaning, purpose, and power in your new relationship with Christ.

A skeptic of the resurrection, Simon Greenleaf (1783–1853) helped to put the Harvard Law School on the map. He wrote the three-volume legal masterpiece, A Treatise on the Law of Evidence, which is still regarded as “the greatest single authority in the entire literature of legal procedure.”[1] The U.S. judicial system today operates on rules of evidence established by Greenleaf.

While teaching law at Harvard, Professor Greenleaf stated to his class that the resurrection of Jesus Christ was simply a legend; as an atheist he thought miracles to be impossible. In a rebuttal, three of his law students challenged him to apply his acclaimed rules of evidence to the resurrection account.

After much prodding, Greenleaf accepted his students’ challenge and began an investigation into the evidence. Focusing his brilliant legal mind on the facts of history, Greenleaf attempted to prove the resurrection account was false.

Yet the more Greenleaf investigated the record of history, the more stunned he was at the powerful evidence supporting the claim that Jesus had indeed risen from the tomb. Greenleaf’s skepticism was being challenged by an event that had changed the course of human history.

Greenleaf was unable to explain several dramatic changes that took place shortly after Jesus died, the most baffling being the behavior of the disciples. It wasn’t just one or two disciples who insisted Jesus had risen; it was all of them. Applying his own rules of evidence to the facts, Greenleaf arrived at his verdict.

In a shocking reversal of his position, Greenleaf accepted Jesus’ resurrection as the best explanation for the events that took place immediately after his crucifixion. To this brilliant legal scholar and former atheist, it would have been impossible for the disciples to persist with their conviction that Jesus had risen if they hadn’t actually seen the risen Christ.[2]

In his book, The Testimony of the Evangelists, Greenleaf documents the evidence that caused him to change his mind. In his conclusion he challenges those who seek the truth about the resurrection to fairly examine the evidence.

Greenleaf was so persuaded by the evidence that he became a committed Christian. He believed that any unbiased person who honestly examines the evidence will conclude what he did—that Jesus Christ has truly risen.[3]

Click here to discover more of the evidence for Jesus’ resurrection.

1. Knott, The Dictionary of American Biography, back cover of The Testimony of the Evangelists.

2. Simon Greenleaf, 1874. The Testimony of the Evangelists. New York, NY: 28.

What’s Next After Death?

A headline on AOL.com asks, “Osama bin Laden Is Dead, What Comes Next?”[1]

The question raised was focused on international terrorism, not bin Laden’s eternal destiny, but a cartoon in USA Today raises the question of what comes next for him. It depicts a distraught bin Laden standing in front of a body scanner, being ordered by Satan (pitchfork in hand), “Empty your pockets…remove your shoes…proceed through the metal detector and body scanner…”[2]

People smile at the irony. But, more soberly, the cartoon opens the door to a deeper question: Will there be justice after death for what we have done in this life? [Read More...]

Is Jesus Jehovah?

Jesus Christ made some earth-shaking statements that stunned the Jewish religious leaders. Once, after Jesus blurted out to them, “I am the light of the world”[1], the Pharisees challenged his authority in making such a claim. Jesus answered by telling them he was sent by God, whom he called his Father. Furthermore, Jesus told them that the patriarch, Abraham, looked forward to seeing him (Jesus).[2]

What a shocking claim! In their eyes, Jesus was an uneducated carpenter who should stay out of their exclusive world of interpreting the Scriptures and preaching about God. Yet here he was, not only speaking intimately about God as his Father, but claiming to be the object of Abraham’s adoration.

Incredulous, the Jewish leaders rebuked him, “You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!”[3] What Jesus said next not only shocked the Pharisees; it infuriated them. Jesus boldly told them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.”[4]

Jesus had just broken a cardinal rule of the Jewish belief, one that was punishable by death. He had used the holy name that God had given to Moses for himself, “I AM.” Shocked and incensed, these PhDs in religion immediately took up stones with the intent to kill Jesus for blasphemy.

So what does I AM have to do with the name, Jehovah? The name God had given to Moses (I AM) as his exclusive name was pronounced in Hebrew, Yahweh. It is that Hebrew name, Yahweh, that has later been translated, Jehovah.

Jehovah is not the only Old Testament name for God. The God of the Hebrews often used different names to describe Himself to his people. Usually those names revealed aspects of his character, or attributes that distinguished Him from us. But the most common of all those names is Jehovah. The name Jehovah appears in the Old Testament some 6,000 times.

So we come to the question that Jesus raised to the Pharisees by identifying himself as I AM: Is Jesus Jehovah?

To answer that vital question, we need to examine the Scriptures. Although Jehovah spoke of Himself as “LORD,” the Creator, and the only one in the universe worthy of worship, the New Testament gives us striking parallels between Jesus and Jehovah.

The name, “LORD” in these Old Testament passages has been translated from the Hebrew name, “Yahweh,” which we have already stated, means “Jehovah.” Let’s compare these Old Testament and New Testament passages to see if Jesus Christ is the Jehovah of the Hebrew Scriptures:

Jehovah of the Old Testament			Jesus of the New Testament


“God, the LORD, created the heavens and earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.” “He stretched them out. He created the earth.” Psalm 8:3; Psalm 33:6; Isaiah 40:22			“Lord, in the beginning you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.” Hebrews 1:10


“The LORD, your Redeemer and Creator, says: ‘I am the LORD, who made all things. I alone stretched out the heavens. By myself I made the earth and everything in it.” Isaiah 44:24			“Christ is the one through whom God created everything in heaven and earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see…. Everything has been created through him and for him.” Colossians 1:16


“I am the LORD; there is no other God.” Isaiah 45:5			“Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God.” Philippians 2:5


“Every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will confess allegiance to my name.” Isaiah 45:23			“That at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:10, 11


“There is no other God; there never has been and never will be. I am the LORD, and there is no other Savior.” Isaiah 43:10, 11			“For Jesus is the one…. There is salvation in no one else! There is no other name in all of heaven for people to call on to save them.” Acts 4:11, 12


“This is what the LORD, Israel’s King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty, says: I am the first and the Last; there is no other God.” Isaiah 44:6			“This is the message from the one who is the First and the Last, who died and is alive….” Revelation 2:8

Do these Scriptures reveal that Jesus is the Jehovah of the Old Testament? Let’s review the parallels. Both Jehovah and Jesus are called:

God
King
Beginning and End
Savior
Redeemer
Lord
Creator

The creation of the universe, the saving and redemption of man, the reigning king in the kingdom to come and eternal existence are attributed to both Jehovah in the Old Testament and Jesus in the New Testament.

Furthermore, the Old Testament tells us that we are to only bow our knees to Jehovah, whereas the New Testament tells us that everyone who has ever existed will bow their knees to Jesus.

Zechariah the prophet speaks of Jehovah returning to Jerusalem in the last days, when he will save them from their enemies. When he returns as their Savior, he will bear the marks of wounds in his hands that occurred in “the house of my friends.”[5]

But wait a minute! If Jehovah is God, how could he be wounded? How can God be wounded–unless he has a body?

Furthermore, without a body, how could Jehovah stand on the Mount of Olives as the prophecy tells us he will?[6]

Prior to leaving earth, Jesus told his disciples that he would return as king, to reign with full authority. But Zechariah tells us that “the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.”[7]

His name one! It won’t be Jesus and Jehovah who return to earth; it will be Jesus–who is Jehovah! Both Old and New Testament Scriptures point to Jesus Christ as this wounded LORD (Jehovah) who will return to the house of his friends with the nail prints in his hands clearly visible. Wounds that he suffered on the cross when he died for us.

What an amazing God we have! He is a God who stepped down from His lofty position as Lord of the universe to personally pay for our sins on the cross. To read more about his amazing gift, read http://www.y-jesus.com/why_jesus1.php.

_______________________________

[1] John 8:12.

[2] John 8:56.

[3] John 8:57.

[4] John 8:58.

[5] Zechariah 13:6.

[6] Zechariah 14:4.

[7] Zechariah 14:9.

Are the New Testament Accounts of Jesus Reliable?

How do we know that the words we read about Jesus in the New Testament are reliable? Can we actually trace the manuscript evidence back through the centuries and determine what the original writings said?

The answer from the science of textual criticism is, “Yes,” but only if there are enough ancient manuscripts dating to within a few generations of when the originals were composed. The Scholars studying ancient literature have devised a three-part test that looks at not only the faithfulness of the copy but also the credibility of the authors. The tests are these:[1]

1. The bibliographical test

2. The internal evidence test

3. The external evidence test

Let’s see what happens when we apply the first of these tests to the early copies of New Testament manuscripts. [Read More...]

What Does Jesus Do for You?

New Life in Christ

If you have made the decision to receive Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord, you are his child for all eternity. If you haven’t made that decision and would like to know how, read http://www.y-jesus.com/why_jesus1.php, or watch the video at KnowGodPersonally.org.

As his child, you are given an inheritance that includes the following wonderful promises: [Read More...]

The Discovery of the Century?

News alert! The BBC reports that about 70 lead tablets discovered in a north Jordanian cave between 2005 and 2007 may reveal clues about Jesus and his resurrection.[1] If authentic, they would be the oldest recorded documents yet discovered about Jesus Christ.

According to the BBC article, “the director of the Jordan’s Department of Antiquities, Ziad al-Saad, says the books might have been made by followers of Jesus in the few decades immediately following his crucifixion. ‘They will really match, and perhaps be more significant than, the Dead Sea Scrolls,’ says Mr Saad.”[2] [Read More...]

Christians from the very beginning worshiped Jesus as Lord. But did they mean, “God?” Early church fathers stated that the apostles taught that Jesus was fully man and fully God. But is that what the New Testament really teaches? Let’s look closer at how the apostles regarded Jesus.

Peter, James, John, and the others knew he was “from God” by his godly life, miracles, and words, but they didn’t at first regard him as God”. When they looked at Jesus they saw a man like us, not some supernatural Being shining with brilliant glory (except when Jesus was transfigured before their eyes).

In fact, Jesus prayed to God. He spoke of his Father in heaven as the “one true God,” who alone was worthy of worship and glory. Jesus prayed and depended upon his Father while he was a man on the earth. Never once did Jesus attempt to rob God of the glory due only to Him; Jesus always gave glory to his Father.

But after Jesus rose from the dead, his chosen apostles began to speak differently about Jesus. When his close disciple Thomas saw Jesus in his new resurrection body he worshipped him as his “Lord and God.” The apostles proclaimed him as the man who by his death had become the mediator between God and man. Yes, they spoke of Jesus as a man, but not merely a man.

After his resurrection and ascension the apostles wrote of Jesus as “the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). If Jesus has always been the same, it must mean that he never had a beginning. Yet God is the only being who never had a beginning. How could Jesus be a created being if he has always existed?

The apostles also taught that Jesus created the universe and existed as God before coming to earth to die for our sins. This is the clear message of the New Testament (Philippians chapter 2, Colossians chapter 1, Hebrews chapter 1, and John chapter 1). The apostle John tells us that not only did Jesus create everything that exists, but he is also “God.” Here is what this close personal follower of Jesus said:

“In the beginning there was the Word. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were made by him, and nothing was made without him….

“The Word was in the world, and the world was made by him, but the world did not know him. He came to the world that was his own, but his own people did not accept him. But to all who did accept him and believe in him he gave the right to become children of God. They did not become his children in any human way—by any human parents or human desire. They were born of God.

“The Word became a human and lived among us.”

The apostle Paul says that Jesus put aside his divine rights in order to become a man and die for us. Yet he also says (Phil. 2:5-11) Jesus is the preeminent Lord of the universe, and that ultimately every knee will bow to him. Paul, being a Jew, knew that only God is worthy of worship. By stating that Jesus is worthy of worship, he is clearly revealing Jesus is God.

In Revelation Jesus is called the “Alpha and Omega,” the “First and the Last,” “King of kings and Lord of lords,” who will judge all mankind, and who is worthy of worship. And to all who are victorious He says, “I will be God to him and he shall be My son” (Rev. 21:7).

So how is it possible for Jesus to be both God and man? The Bible reveals a God who is infinite, all-powerful, all-knowing, ever-present, and eternal. God in His infinite nature is totally beyond our comprehension. We can only understand what He reveals to us about Himself. And God has revealed Himself in the persons of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

The Bible unmistakably tells us in many places that Jesus is fully man and fully God. The fact that He is beyond human understanding only makes our Creator all that more amazing. How could we expect Him to be simple to understand?

“The Bible’s Buried Secrets” Exposed

Has the discovery of an ancient pottery shard in excavations near Jerusalem, undone the sensational claims of a PBS documentary entitled, “The Bible’s Buried Secrets”?

In that documentary, PBS shockingly concludes that the Hebrew Bible was written hundreds of years after Abraham, Moses, Joshua, and David. It cites scholars who state that the Bible couldn’t have been written until the 6th century BC because the Hebrew language hadn’t been developed until then.

So, what’s the big deal about that, you might ask? “According to PBS, the late writing of the Bible means that the entire Old Testament is based on centuries of oral tradition that changed over time. Therefore, according to the documentary, the Bible’s stories are simply myths. As examples, it concludes:

• Abraham, Sarah and their offspring didn’t exist.

• There is no archaeological evidence of the Exodus.

• Monotheism was a process that took hundreds of years.

But have the PBS documentary’s conclusions about the Bible been exposed as faulty by this new archaeological discovery? According to Hebrew expert, Professor, Gershon Galil of the Haifa University, the answer appears to be yes.

On January 7th, 2009, Professor Galil publicly announced that he had deciphered a Hebrew inscription from a 15 cm X 16.5 cm trapezoid pottery shard carbon-dated to the 10th century BC, the time of King David. The shard had been discovered earlier at an excavation in Khirbet Qeiyafa, 18 miles from Jerusalem.

Galil discovered that the inscription on the 3,000-year-old piece of pottery was inked in Hebrew, the language of the Bible. As a result, he has since concluded that parts of the Bible were written hundreds of years earlier than suspected by the PBS documentary. Galil writes,

“It can now be maintained that it was highly reasonable that during the 10th century BCE, during the reign of King David, there were scribes in Israel who were able to write literary texts and complex historiographies such as the books of Judges and Samuel.”

Just as the discovery of the Dead Sea scrolls substantiated the accuracy of Old Testament writings, such as the book of Isaiah, other archaeological discoveries like the clay shard in Khirbet Qeiyafa are adding to the compelling case for the reliability of the Old Testament.

Is The New Testament Reliable?

A host of scholars have also attacked the reliability of the New Testament accounts. Some go so far as to state that Jesus himself was a mythical person. And although a few scholars question Jesus’ existence, no great historian, Christian or non-Christian has drawn that conclusion.
(see, “Was Jesus a real person?” http://www.y-jesus.com/bornid_1.php)

As with the Old Testament, attacks on the historical reliability of the New Testament have been rampant. Yet as the evidence is discovered, the reliability of the New Testament continues to confound its skeptics:

• Jesus’ Family Tomb: A Discovery Channel documentary entitled, “The Jesus Family Tomb” speculated that the bones of Jesus had been discovered in a Jerusalem family tomb. If true, it would undermine the entire Christian message of Jesus’ resurrection. But the documentary distorted the evidence to the disdain of scholars.
(see http://www.y-jesus.com/jesus_tomb.php)

• Nazareth: Several New Testament critics argued that the town of Nazareth didn’t exist at the time of Jesus. This assertion was argued in a book published by American Atheist Publishing. However, a 2009 archaeological discovery confirms that Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth did exist in the first century.
(see http://www.y-jesus.com/jesus_hometown_discovered_1.php)

• New Testament Documents: German higher critics of the New Testament and other liberal scholars have argued that its books weren’t written during the apostles’ lifetimes. If true, they couldn’t have been eyewitness accounts. However, textual critics have a wealth of manuscripts that support its early writing.
(see, “Are the Gospels True?” http://www.y-jesus.com/jesusdoc_1.php)

• Archaeological Confirmation: Several skeptics pointed out that the names of key New Testament people hadn’t been discovered in archaeological excavations. They cited the lack of such facts as evidence that the New Testament accounts were invented. However, in 1962 archaeologists discovered an ancient stone inscribed with the name of, “Pilate,” the governor of Judea who tried Jesus. And in 1990, the name of the Chief Priest, Caiaphas, was discovered on an ossuary.

Criticism of both the Old and New Testaments will certainly continue. Part of the reason for that is because there is so much at stake; the Bible speaks about our origin and our purpose. However, both sides of the historicity of the Bible should listen to what the evidence says. The discovery at Khirbet Qeiyafa is just one more piece of evidence supporting the case for biblical reliability.

Who was the real Jesus Christ? Is it possible to view Jesus as simply a great moral teacher? Oxford scholar, C.S. Lewis originally thought Jesus was a myth. Then he investigated the evidence, and was astounded by Jesus’ radical claims. Lewis believed that Jesus claimed to be God in the flesh. Who did this great scholar decide Jesus Christ really was?
(see http://www.y-jesus.com/jesuscomplex_1.php)

A Stunned Professor

[Read More...]

May 21st, 2011, was to be no ordinary day according to prominent radio evangelist, Harold Camping; it was to be the day Jesus returned to earth. Twitters were going ballistic with speculation. The media splash had many people wondering, “Could he be right? Could this be the end of the world?”

Camping’s message of imminent doom was swallowed hook, line and sinker by some of his followers. Sixty year-old Robert Fitzpatrick spent his entire life’s savings of $140,000 on 1,000 subway-car placards and ads at bus stops warning, “Global Earthquake: The Greatest Ever! Judgment Day May 21, 2011.” As he stood in Times Square in New York surrounded by onlookers, Fitzpatrick handed out leaflets waiting for Judgment Day to begin.

But it never came. On May 21st at 6 pm, nothing happened. “Judgment Day” was a dud. Fitzpatrick was left dumbfounded, broke, and muttering, “I do not understand why nothing has happened.”

This was Camping’s second failed attempt at picking the date of Jesus’ return. He was convinced in 1994 that Jesus would return then. The radio evangelist would have been wise to have listened to the words of Jesus himself, who clearly stated regarding the timing of his return, “No man knows the day or the hour.”¹

But wait! For the second time, Camping says he made an error; the correct date for Jesus’ return–according to him–is now October 21, 2011, not May 21st.

Did Jesus Promise to Return?

In spite of such false predictions, the Bible tells us that Jesus really will return to earth someday.[2] The Old Testament prophets spoke of God’s King, or Messiah, as the one who would bring peace to our troubled world. Jesus told his disciples that he was that Messiah who would fulfill the Old Testament prophecies, including his return.[3]

Although many Old Testament passages speak of the Messiah reigning on earth in authority, Isaiah the prophet had clearly written that he would first suffer and die for our sins.[4] These two seemingly contradictory views of the Messiah were difficult for the Jews to reconcile. Yet in time, his disciples came to understand that Jesus’ death for our sins was necessary for us to be forgiven and receive eternal life (see http://www.y-jesus.com/why_jesus1.php).

Prior to his death on the cross, Jesus was beaten and mocked by the Jewish leaders. Then Caiaphas, the high priest, commanded Jesus to tell him and the other Jewish leaders if he [Jesus] was truly the Christ[5], the Son of God. Jesus answered his accuser, “I am: and you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.”[6]

Caiaphas and other Jews were expecting the Messiah to deliver them from Roman occupation, hoping they would be exalted to positions of great authority in his kingdom. But they never thought of Jesus as the Messiah; they only saw him as a threat. Instead of coming in power, Jesus came as a humble servant.

The week prior to his trial and crucifixion, Jesus had come into the city of Jerusalem, offering himself as their Messiah. The crowds were jubilant, but within one short week they rejected him. The Apostle John writes of that missed opportunity:

“He came unto his own, and his own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.”[7]

After his crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus spent forty days with his disciples, teaching and encouraging them to spread his message worldwide. At first shaken by his death, the disciples were then transformed by his resurrection (see Did Jesus Rise from the Dead? at http://www.y-jesus.com/body_count1.php).

Jesus then took his disciples to the Mount of Olives, where he was lifted up into the clouds out of their sight. While they were gazing up in bewilderment, two men in white apparel (angels) told them, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing here staring at the sky? Jesus has been taken away from you into heaven. And someday, just as you saw him go, he will return!”[8]

These angels were merely confirming Jesus’ promise that he would return someday in power, glory and judgment.

Signs of Jesus’ Return

Since it has been nearly 2,000 years since Jesus left the earth, many wonder why he has taken so long to return. In his book, Why I Am Not a Christian, atheist Bertrand Russell accused Jesus of breaking his promise to return.[9]

But maybe Russell should have looked closer at what Jesus said about the timing of his return, and the events that would precede it. Jesus did say that although no man would know the day or the hour of his return, there would be certain signs revealing that the time of his appearance is drawing near.[10]

The Old Testament prophets and Jesus’ apostles also provide insight about what the world scene will look like just prior to the return of Jesus Christ. Let’s look briefly at a few of these clues:

• Major earthquakes

• Worldwide famine

• World wars

• Worldwide epidemics

• Persecution of believers

• Gospel proclaimed worldwide

Earthquakes, famine, epidemics, and wars have occurred throughout human history, but Jesus said there would be a noticeable increase of such events prior to his return. Persecution of believers began with the apostles and is on the increase today. More Christians are now being persecuted for their faith than at any time in history. Jesus tells us that such persecution will continue until his return, as will the worldwide proclamation of the gospel.

According to Jesus, when all of these events capture the world scene, we are to “look up,” for his return will be soon.[11] Although Bible scholars don’t agree on all the details regarding Jesus’ return, many believe that the time Jesus spoke of is rapidly approaching. Paul tells believers to be ready and “watch for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.”[12]

Skeptics like Russell have pointed to the long delay as evidence that Jesus will never come. And since Camping’s failed prediction of May 21st, there is no doubt that many others are now laughing at the belief Jesus will return at all. But the Apostle Peter answers such skeptics by explaining the reason for Jesus’ delay:

“But you should never lose sight of this fact, dear friends, that time is not the same with the Lord as it is with us–to him a day may be a thousand years, and a thousand years only a day.”[13]

Peter goes on to reveal that the delay in Jesus’ return is part of God’s plan. His return is being delayed until everyone has an opportunity to accept his free gift of eternal life. And only God knows the timetable.

Where Will Jesus Return?

The Bible is clear that Jesus will return to the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. The Prophet Daniel speaks of a period when a “man of peace” called the Antichrist gains world dominance. This world leader seemingly brings peace to Israel and to the Middle East. However, after a few years he will turn against the Jews, proclaiming himself as God. The Antichrist will finally be destroyed by Christ at his return.[14]

Scholars interpret this and other prophetic passages differently. Some believe Jesus returns after a seven-year tribulation period on the earth, while others believe he “raptures” Christians from the tribulation before the Antichrist establishes his peace agreement. What is clear from numerous Scriptures is that Jerusalem, the central geographic point in the Bible, is the place of Jesus’ return to earth.

The Bible said that Jerusalem would be in the hands of the Jews when the Messiah arrives to save them from their enemies.[15] After Jerusalem was destroyed by Titus and the Roman armies in 70 A.D., it appeared that its long history had ended. For centuries, skeptics have argued that the prophecies about the Messiah’s return to Jerusalem were impossible to fulfill since the Jews were no longer in control of the city.

For 1900 years there was no land of Israel, and Jerusalem was a city under foreign occupation. However, in 1948, Israel became a nation under a United Nations charter that gave the Jews partial control of Jerusalem. After Israel’s victory in the 1967 war, Jerusalem finally belonged to Israel, and the stage was set for the return of their Messiah.

Yet, even today, Jerusalem is a point of contention between Israel and its Arab neighbors. All eyes in the world are focused on how to bring lasting peace to Jerusalem. But according to the Bible, there will be no peace until the Prince of Peace, the Messiah, returns.

How Will Jesus Return?

Five hundred years prior to Christ, the Prophet Zechariah wrote of the Lord coming to Jerusalem in the last days. It will be a time of war, when Jerusalem will be surrounded by armies from “all nations.” It will appear that the armies of Israel are about to be defeated, when something dramatic will happen.

Suddenly the hopeless Jews who are in Jerusalem at that time will see the Lord coming in the clouds. In fact, we are told, “that every eye will see him, even those who pierced him.”[16] The Lord speaks through the prophet, telling us how He will be recognized when He returns:

“They will look on me whom they have pierced and mourn for him as for an only son. They will grieve bitterly for him as for a firstborn son who has died.”[17]

The prophecy tells us they will weep bitterly as they realize that the Lord returning to save them is the very Jesus whom their ancestors crucified.

When Jesus returns, those who have already died “in Christ” will be the first to meet him in the air. Then those still alive who trust him as their Lord and Savior will meet him in the air.[18] Although Bible scholars disagree on the timing of these amazing events, we should be watching and waiting for the “blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.”[19]

Apparently Harold Camping still has not learned his lesson, and predicts yet another date for Jesus’ return. However, Jesus’ promise to return is going to be kept. It will be in His time when all prophesied world events are finally in place. It will be a time of joy and reward for believers, but judgment for unbelievers.[20]

Are you looking for our Lord’s return? To make certain you are ready to meet him when he returns, read http://www.y-jesus.com/why_jesus1w.php.

________________________

[1] Matthew 24:36.

[2] Acts 1:11; Revelation 19:11-16; Zechariah 14:4.

[3] Mark 13:26.

[4] Isaiah 53:3-11.

[5] Messiah

[6] Mark 14:62.

[7] John 1:11, 12.

[8] Acts 1:10,11.

[9] Bertrand Russell, Why I Am Not a Christian (New York: Touchstone, 1957), 16.

[10] Matthew 25:13.

[11] Luke 21:28.

[12] Titus 2:13.

[13] 2 Peter 3:8.

[14] Daniel 9:20-27.

[15] Zechariah 14:1-4.

[16] Revelation 1:7.

[17] Zechariah 12:10.

[18] 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17.

[19] Titus 2:13.

[20] Revelation 21:3-15.

One God

The Bible reveals God as the Creator of the universe. He is infinite, eternal, all powerful, all-knowing, personal, righteous, loving, just, and holy. He created us in His image, and for His pleasure. According to the Bible, God made us to have an eternal relationship with Himself.

When God spoke to Moses at the burning bush 1500 years before Christ, He reaffirmed that He is the only God. God told Moses His name is Yahweh, (I AM). (Most of us are more familiar with the English translation, Jehovah or LORD.⁶) Since that time, the foundational Scripture (Shema) for Judaism has been:

"Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God is one LORD." (Deuteronomy 6:4)

It is in this world of monotheistic belief that Jesus entered into, ministered in, and began making claims that astounded all who heard them. And according to Ray Stedman, Jesus is the central theme of the Hebrew Scriptures.

“Here, in the form of a living, breathing human being, is the one who satisfies and fulfills all the symbols and prophecies of Genesis through Malachi. As we move from the Old Testament to the New, we find that one person, Jesus of Nazareth, is the focal point of both Testaments.”⁷

But if Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament, his claims should confirm that “God is one LORD,” beginning with what he called himself. Let’s look further.

God’s SACRED Name

When Jesus began his ministry, his miracles and radical teaching immediately drew huge crowds, creating a frenzy of excitement. As his popularity swelled with the masses, the Jewish leaders (Pharisees, Sadducees, & Scribes) began to see Jesus as a threat. Suddenly they began looking for ways to trap him.

One day Jesus was debating some Pharisees at the Temple, when suddenly he told them he is “the light of the world.” It is almost bizarre to picture this scene, where a traveling carpenter from the lowlands of Galilee tells these PhD’s in religion that he is “the light of the world?” Believing that Yahweh is the light of the world, they replied indignantly:

“You are making false claims about yourself” (John 8:13 NLT).

Then Jesus told them that, 2,000 years earlier, Abraham had foreseen him. Their response was incredulous:

“You aren’t even fifty years old. How can you say you have seen Abraham? ” (John 8:57 NLT)

Then Jesus shocked them even more:

“The truth is, before Abraham was, I AM.” (John 8:58 NLT)

Out of the blue, this maverick carpenter with no degree in religion claimed to eternal existence. Furthermore, he had used the I AM title (ego eimi)⁸, the sacred Name of God for Himself! These religious experts lived and breathed the Old Testament Scriptures declaring Yahweh alone as God. They knew the Scripture spoken through Isaiah:

“I alone am God. There is no other God; there never has been and never will be. I am the Lord, and there is no other Savior.” Isaiah 43:10, 11 NLT)

Since the penalty for blasphemy was death by stoning, the Jewish leaders angrily picked up stones to kill Jesus. They thought Jesus was calling himself, “God.” At that point Jesus could have said, “Wait! You misunderstood me---I am not Yahweh.” But Jesus didn’t alter his statement, even at the risk of being killed.

C.S. Lewis explains their anger:

“He says…’I am begotten of the One God, before Abraham was, I am,’ and remember what the words ‘I am’ were in Hebrew. They were the name of God, which must not be spoken by any human being, the name which it was death to utter.”⁹

Some may argue that this was an isolated instance. But Jesus also used “I AM” for himself on several other occasions. Let’s look at some of these, trying to imagine our reactions upon hearing Jesus’ radical claims:

“I am the light of the world” (John 8:12)
“I am the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6)
“I am the only way to the Father” (John 14:6)
“I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25)
“I am the Good Shepherd” (John 10:11)
“I am the door” (John 10:9)
“I am the living bread” (John 6:51)
“I am the true vine” (John 15:1)
“I am the Alpha and Omega” Rev.1:7,8)

As Lewis observes, if these claims were not from God Himself, Jesus would have been deemed a loony. But what made Jesus credible to those who heard him were the creative miracles he performed, and his wise authoritative teaching.

Son of Man

Some say that Jesus didn’t intend the name I AM to mean he is God. They argue that Jesus’ reference to himself as the “Son of Man,” proves he didn’t claim divinity. So what is the context of the title, “Son of Man,” and what does it mean?”

Packer writes that the name, “Son of Man” referred to Jesus’ role as Savior-King, fulfilling the messianic prophecy of Isaiah 53.¹⁰ Isaiah 53 is the most comprehensive prophetic passage of the coming Messiah, and clearly depicts him as the suffering Savior. Isaiah had also referred to the Messiah as “Mighty God,” “Everlasting Father,” Prince of Peace” Isaiah 9:6).

Additionally, many scholars say Jesus was referring to himself as the fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy about the “son of man.” Daniel prophesies that the “son of man” will be given authority over mankind and receive worship:

“I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshipped him.” (Daniel 7:13, 14)

So who is this “son of man,” and why is he being worshipped, when God alone is to be worshipped. Jesus told his disciples that when he returns to earth,”Then everyone will see the Son of man arrive on the clouds with power and great glory” (Luke 21:27). Is Jesus saying here that he is the fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy?

Son of God

Jesus also claimed to be the, “Son of God.” This title does not mean Jesus is God’s biological Son. Neither does the term “Son” imply inferiority anymore than a human son is inferior in essence to his father. A son shares his father’s DNA, and although he is different, they are both men. Scholars say that the term “Son of God” in the original languages refers to likeness, or “of the same order.” Jesus meant by it that he has divine essence, or in 21st century terms, the “DNA of God”. Professor Peter Kreeft explains.

“What did Jesus mean when he called himself the ‘Son of God’? The son of a man is a man. (Both ‘son’ and ‘man,’ in the traditional language, mean males and females equally.) The son of an ape is an ape. The son of a dog is a dog. The son of a shark is a shark. And so the Son of God is God. ‘Son of God’ is a divine title.”¹¹

In John 17, Jesus speaks about the glory he and his Father shared before the world began. But by calling himself the “Son of God” is Jesus claiming equality with God? Packer answers:

When, therefore, the Bible proclaims Jesus as the Son of God, the statement is meant as an assertion of his distinct personal deity.”¹²

Thus, the names Jesus used for himself point to the fact that he was claiming equality with God. But did Jesus speak and act with the authority of God?

Forgiving Sin

In the Jewish religion, forgiveness of sin was reserved for God alone. Forgiveness is always personal; someone else cannot do the forgiving for the person offended, especially if the Person offended is God. But on several occasions Jesus acted as if he was God by forgiving sinners. The simmering religious leaders finally erupted at Jesus when he forgave the sins of a man with palsy right in front of them.

“The scribes who heard him said blasphemy! Who but God can forgive sins” (Mark 2:7)!

Lewis imagines the stunned reactions of all those who heard Jesus:

‘Then comes the real shock,’ wrote Lewis: ‘Among these Jews there suddenly turns up a man who goes about talking as if He was God. He claims to forgive sins. He says He always existed. He says He is coming to judge the world at the end of time. Now let us get this clear. Among Pantheists, like the Indians, anyone might say that he was a part of God, or one with God….But this man, since He was a Jew, could not mean that kind of God. God, in their language, meant the Being outside the world, who had made it and was infinitely different from anything else. And when you have grasped that, you will see that what this man said was, quite simply, the most shocking thing that has ever been uttered by human lips.’¹³

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Claiming Oneness with God

Those who listened to Jesus, observed his moral perfection, and saw him perform miracles, wondered if he was the long-promised Messiah. Finally his opponents surrounded him at the Temple, asking:

“How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”

Jesus answered, “The proof is what I do in the name of my Father.” He compared his followers with sheep saying, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish.” He then revealed to them that “the Father is greater than all,” and that his deeds were “at the Father’s direction.” Jesus’ humility must have been disarming. But then Jesus dropped a bombshell, telling them, (John 10:25-30)

“The Father and I are one.”

If Jesus had meant that he was merely in agreement with God, there would have been no strong reaction. But, the Jews again picked up stones to kill him. Jesus then asked them, “At my Father’s direction I have done many things to help the people. For which one of these good deeds are you killing me?”

They replied, “Not for any good work; but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, have made yourself God” (John 10:33).

As Jesus was preparing his disciples for his upcoming death on the cross and departure, Thomas wanted to know where he was going and the way there. Jesus answered Thomas:

“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you had known who I am, then you would have known who my Father is. From now on you know him and have seen him.” (John 14:5-9)

They were confused. Philip then speaks up, asking Jesus to “show us the Father.” Jesus’ answers Philip with these shocking words:

“Philip, don’t you even yet know who I am, even after all the time I have been with you? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father!”

In effect Jesus was saying, “Philip if you want to see the Father, look at me!”
In John 17 Jesus reveals that this oneness with his Father had existed in eternity past, “before the world began.” According to Jesus, there has never been a time when he did not share God’s very glory and essence.

God’s Authority

The Jews always regarded God as the ultimate authority. Authority was a well understood term in Roman-occupied Israel. At that time, Caesar’s edict could instantly launch legions into war, condemn or exonerate criminals, and establish laws and rules of government. In fact, Caesar’s authority was such that he himself claimed divinity.

Prior to leaving earth, Jesus explained the scope of his authority:

“Jesus said, ‘I have been given complete authority in heaven and on earth’”
(Matthew 28:18, NLT).

In these remarkable words, Jesus is claiming to be the supreme authority, not just on earth, but in heaven also. John Piper observes,

“This is why Jesus’ friends and enemies were staggered again and again by what he said and did. He would be walking down the road, seemingly like any other man, then turn and say something like, ‘Before Abraham was, I am.’ Or, ‘If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.’ Or, very calmly, after being accused of blasphemy, he would say, ‘The Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.’ To the dead he might simply say, ‘Come forth,’ or, ‘Rise up.’ And they would obey. To the storms on the sea he would say, ‘Be still.’ And to a loaf of bread he would say, ‘Become a thousand meals.’ And it was done immediately.”¹⁴

Some might argue that since the authority came from his Father, it has nothing to do with Jesus being God. But God never gives His authority to a created being in order that they are to be worshipped. To do so would be to violate His Command.

Accepting Worship

Nothing is more fundamental to the Hebrew Scriptures than the fact that God alone is to be worshipped. In fact, the first of the Ten Commandments is,

“Do not worship any other gods besides me” (Exodus 20:3 NLT).

Thus, the most terrible sin a Jew could commit was to either worship another creature as God, or to receive worship. So if Jesus is not God, it would be blasphemy to receive worship.

After Jesus’ resurrection, the disciples told Thomas they had seen the Lord alive (John 20:24-29). Thomas scoffed, telling them he would only believe if he could put his fingers on the nail wounds of Jesus’ hands and into his pierced side. Eight days later the disciples were all together in a locked room when Jesus suddenly appeared in front of them. Jesus looked at Thomas and told him to “Put your finger here and see my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side.”

Thomas needed no more proof. He instantly believed, exclaiming to Jesus:

“My Lord and my God!”

Thomas worshipped Jesus as God! If Jesus is not God, he certainly should have reprimanded Thomas right there. But instead of reprimanding Thomas for worshipping him as God, Jesus commended him, saying:

“You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who haven’t seen me and believe anyway.”

Jesus accepted worship on nine recorded occasions. In context of Jewish belief, Jesus’ acceptance of worship speaks volumes about his claim to divinity. But it wasn’t until after Jesus ascended to heaven that his disciples fully understood. Before Jesus left earth, he told his apostles to “baptize new disciples in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:19), putting both the Holy Spirit and himself on the same level as the Father.¹⁵

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Alpha and Omega

While John the apostle was in exile on the Island of Patmos, Jesus revealed to him in a vision the events that will occur in the last days. In the vision, John describes the following incredible scene:

“Look! He comes with the clouds of heaven. And everyone will see him - even those who pierced him ... ’I am the Alpha and the Omega---the beginning and the end,’ says the Lord God. ‘I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come, the Almighty One.’”

So who is this Person who is called “the Alpha and Omega,” “the Lord God,” “the Almighty One”? We are told that he was “pierced.” That makes it clear that the Alpha and Omega is Jesus. He is the one who was pierced on the cross.

John, who was closer to Jesus than any other disciple, sees the image of the Person speaking to him. He writes:

“And standing in the middle of the lampstands was the Son of Man….His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were bright like flames of fire….And his face was as bright as the sun in all its brilliance (Rev. 1:13, 14, 16b).

It is impossible to grasp John’s emotions as he sees this Person shining like the sun in full strength, with eyes like flames of fire. He immediately fell as a dead man in front of the one he saw. If this was Jesus, why didn’t John know him? Perhaps he thought it was an angel? Let’s listen to John’s words.

“But he laid his right hand on me and said, ‘Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last. I am the living one who died. Look, I am alive forever and ever’” (Rev. 1:17)!

The One talking to John identifies himself as, "the First and the Last," a clear reference to his eternality. And since only God is eternal, this must be God. But in the same sentence he tells John that he is "the living one who died." Thus, we know this could not be God the Father because the Father never suffered death as a man.

“And I saw a great white throne, and I saw the one who was sitting on it ... And the one sitting on the throne said ... ’I am the Alpha and the Omega---the Beginning and the End.’” (Revelation 20:11; 21:6)

It is the Lord Jesus Christ who rules from the great white throne. Jesus had already told his disciples that he would be the final judge of men. He promised that those who put their trust in him would be saved from the judgment of sin, but those who reject him will be judged.

Conclusion

So did Jesus claim to be God, or was he simply misunderstood. Let’s take another look at Jesus’ claims and ask: would Jesus have made such radical claims if he was not God?

Jesus used God’s Name for himself
Jesus called himself “Son of Man”
Jesus called himself “Son of God”
Jesus claimed to forgive sin
Jesus claimed oneness with God
Jesus claimed all authority
Jesus accepted worship
Jesus called himself the “The Alpha and Omega”

Some might say, “how can we believe Jesus’ claims? What proof did he leave?”
Three days after his crucifixion, his disciples claimed they saw him alive. If their story was a hoax, it would have died out as the Romans submitted them to the most horrendous torture known to man. But their conviction and sincerity overpowered Rome and changed our world (See "Did Jesus rise from the dead?"). Lewis explains the reason for their conviction:

“What is beyond all space and time, what is uncreated, eternal, came into nature, descended into His own universe, and rose again.”¹⁶

This brilliant scholar had originally thought of Jesus as a myth, much like the man-made gods of Ancient Greece and Rome. But as he began to look at the evidence for Jesus Christ, he realized that the New Testament accounts of Jesus Christ are based upon solid, historical facts. This former skeptic concludes his investigation of the evidence for Jesus Christ with these thoughts:

“You must make your choice: Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse ... But let us not come up with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us.”¹⁷

Lewis discovered that a personal relationship with Jesus gave his life meaning, purpose, and joy that surpassed all his dreams. He never regretted his choice and became a leading spokesman for Jesus Christ. What about you? Have you made your choice?

Is Jesus God?
Scholars examine the facts
about Jesus\\\' claims to be God.
www.y-jesus.com

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Monday, August 29, 2011

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A Stunned Professor

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Son of Man

Son of God

Forgiving Sin

Claiming Oneness with God

God’s Authority

Accepting Worship