Showing posts with label Bible. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bible. Show all posts
Thursday, July 3, 2014
Unveiling Grace: Eight Mormons' Life-Changing encounters with Jesus Christ
As I had mentioned in my last post, I will be concluding my examination of Mormonism with this video, Unveiling Grace: Eight Mormons' life-changing encounters with Jesus Christ. I hope you will take the time to watch this incredible video.
Thank you for reading my series of posts on Mormonism. As I move on now through my series on Examining World Religions, my next religion to examine will be Buddhism. Stay tuned, and thank you for reading A Spirit Filled Life. God Bless.
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
Joseph Smith examined: Part two: Prophet of God?
Joseph Smith, the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints claimed to be a prophet of God. Was he a prophet of the true and living God? There are two ways to find out. First, compare what he says regarding Scripture (The Bible) and if what the Prophet teaches contradicts Scripture (The Bible), then he is false. The second way is to examine any prophecies that he has made. If a single prophecy fails, then the person is a false prophet.
Please note that having several fulfilled prophecies and even a single false prophecy still means that the person is not a true prophet of God. The test for a prophet is not if he gets them most right but all right. The Bible tells us . . .
"But the prophet who shall speak a word presumptuously in My name which I have not commanded him to speak, or which he shall speak in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.’ 21 "And you may say in your heart, ‘How shall we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?’ 22 "When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him." (Deut.18:20-22) .
We can see that the criteria of a true prophet is not failing when predicting the future. This is because God, who is outside of time and the creator of the universe, makes no mistakes when he tells us what will happen. Those prophets whom he has called will not make a mistake and prophesy the future since to do so would mean the person is not speaking on God's behalf. Therefore, if anyone claims to be a prophet of God and speaks in the name of God and gives a prophecy that fails, then the person is not of God.
Did Joseph Smith make any prophecies? Yes, he did. Here are just a few of his false prophecies.
False prophecies of Joseph Smith
- History of the Church
- Prophecy about Jesus' return within 56 years--"President Smith then stated that the meeting had been called, because God had commanded it; and it was made known to him by vision and by the Holy Spirit. He then gave a revelation of some of the circumstances attending us while journeying to Zion--our trials, sufferings; and said God had not designed all this for nothing, but He had it in remembrance yet; and it was the will of God that those who went to Zion, with a determination to lay down their lives, if necessary, should be ordained to the ministry, and go forth to prune the vineyard for the last time, for the coming of the Lord, which was nigh--even fifty-six years should wind up the scene." (History of the Church, vol. 2, p. 189).
- Jesus did not return within fifty-six years when 1891 arrived.
- Doctrine and Covenants
- Prophecy that the temple would be built in Missouri within Smith's Generation--"Yea, the word of the Lord concerning his church, established in the last days for the restoration of his people, as he has spoken by the mouth of his prophets, and for the gathering of his saints to stand upon Mount Zion, which shall be the city of New Jerusalem. 3 Which city shall be built, beginning at the temple lot, which is appointed by the finger of the Lord, in the western boundaries of the State of Missouri, and dedicated by the hand of Joseph Smith, Jun., and others with whom the Lord was well pleased. 4 Verily this is the word of the Lord, that the city New Jerusalem shall be built by the gathering of the saints, beginning at this place, even the place of the temple, which temple shall be reared in this generation. 5 For verily this generation shall not all pass away until a house shall be built unto the Lord, and a cloud shall rest upon it, which cloud shall be even the glory of the Lord, which shall fill the house . . . Therefore, as I said concerning the sons of Moses for the sons of Moses and also the sons of Aaron shall offer an acceptable offering and sacrifice in the house of the Lord, which house shall be built unto the Lord in this generation, upon the consecrated spot as I have appointed." (Doctrines and Covenants 84:2-5,31.)
- The Mormons were driven out of Jackson County in 1833. They were not gathered there in accordance to this prophecy dealing with building the temple.
- The prophecy clearly states that the generation present when the prophecy was given would not pass away until the temple was built at the western boundaries of the state of Missouri which is in Independence. This clearly failed.
- All Nations would be involved in the American Civil War--"Verily, thus saith the Lord concerning the wars that will shortly come to pass, beginning at the rebellion of South Carolina, which will eventually terminate in the death and misery of many souls; 2 And the time will come that war will be poured out upon all nations, beginning at this place. 3 For behold, the Southern States shall be divided against the Northern States, and the Southern States will call on other nations, even the nation of Great Britain, as it is called, and they shall also call upon other nations, in order to defend themselves against other nations; and then war shall be poured out upon all nations," (Doctrine and Covenants 87:1-3).
- This is clearly another false prophecy since all nations did not get involved in the American Civil War.
- Prophesy that the earth will tremble and the sun be hidden in "not many days": "For not many days hence and the earth shall tremble and reel to and fro as a drunken man; and the sun shall hide his face, and shall refuse to give light; and the moon shall be bathed in blood; and the stars shall become exceedingly angry, and shall cast themselves down as a fig that falleth from off a fig-tree," (Doctrine and Covenants 88:87)
- The sun hasn't yet been hidden nor has the moon hidden its face.
- This prophecy was given on 12/27/1832. "Not many days hence"? Since the writing of this article on 6/22/06, it has been 63,364 days or 173 years, 5 months, 26 days. I think that 63,364 days is more than "not many days".
- For reference to January 1, 2000 it was 61,000 days (even), or 167 years, 5 days.
- Prophecy that the temple would be built in Missouri within Smith's Generation--"Yea, the word of the Lord concerning his church, established in the last days for the restoration of his people, as he has spoken by the mouth of his prophets, and for the gathering of his saints to stand upon Mount Zion, which shall be the city of New Jerusalem. 3 Which city shall be built, beginning at the temple lot, which is appointed by the finger of the Lord, in the western boundaries of the State of Missouri, and dedicated by the hand of Joseph Smith, Jun., and others with whom the Lord was well pleased. 4 Verily this is the word of the Lord, that the city New Jerusalem shall be built by the gathering of the saints, beginning at this place, even the place of the temple, which temple shall be reared in this generation. 5 For verily this generation shall not all pass away until a house shall be built unto the Lord, and a cloud shall rest upon it, which cloud shall be even the glory of the Lord, which shall fill the house . . . Therefore, as I said concerning the sons of Moses for the sons of Moses and also the sons of Aaron shall offer an acceptable offering and sacrifice in the house of the Lord, which house shall be built unto the Lord in this generation, upon the consecrated spot as I have appointed." (Doctrines and Covenants 84:2-5,31.)
- Pearl of Great Price
- Prophecy that Isaiah 11 was about to be fulfilled--"In addition to these, he quoted the eleventh chapter of Isaiah, saying that it was about to be fulfilled. He quoted also the third chapter of Acts, twenty-second and twenty-third verses, precisely as they stand in our New Testament. He said that that prophet was Christ; but the day had not yet come when 'they who would not hear his voice should be cut off from among the people,' but soon would come," (Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith, History, verse 40).
- Isaiah 11:6-9 says, "And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, And the leopard will lie down with the kid, And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little boy will lead them. 7Also the cow and the bear will graze; Their young will lie down together; And the lion will eat straw like the ox. 8And the nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra, And the weaned child will put his hand on the viper's den. 9They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord As the waters cover the sea."
- This has not yet been fulfilled. The wolf is not dwelling with the lamb, the calf and the lion are not together, nor are the cow and bear grazing together. The lion is not eating straw like an ox. Nursing children are not playing in the dens of cobras.
- Isaiah 11:6-9 says, "And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, And the leopard will lie down with the kid, And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little boy will lead them. 7Also the cow and the bear will graze; Their young will lie down together; And the lion will eat straw like the ox. 8And the nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra, And the weaned child will put his hand on the viper's den. 9They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord As the waters cover the sea."
- Prophecy that Isaiah 11 was about to be fulfilled--"In addition to these, he quoted the eleventh chapter of Isaiah, saying that it was about to be fulfilled. He quoted also the third chapter of Acts, twenty-second and twenty-third verses, precisely as they stand in our New Testament. He said that that prophet was Christ; but the day had not yet come when 'they who would not hear his voice should be cut off from among the people,' but soon would come," (Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith, History, verse 40).
Monday, June 30, 2014
EXAMINING WORLD RELIGIONS PART TWO: Mormonism: Are Mormons Christians?
In my continued look a world religions, today I will examine Mormonism, aka The Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints (LDS).
Recently I received a knock on my door. When I answered there stood two Mormon missionaries. They told me they were there to discuss their church with me. I thanked them for stopping by but I was a born again Christian and was very sure of my faith in Christianity.
One of the young missionary men quickly responded with telling me that Mormons are ALSO Christians. I told him that with all due respect that I didn't agree. In this post I will share some of what I told the missionaries about their claim to "also being a Christian."
"Is Mormonism Christian?" The answer is simple. No. Mormonism is not Christian.
If you are a Mormon, please realize that I am not trying to attack you, your character, or the sincerity of your belief. If you are a non-Mormon looking into Mormonism or if you are a Christian who is simply researching Mormonism, then this post should be of help.
The reason Mormonism is not Christian is that it denies one or more of the essential doctrines of Christianity. Here is a basic list of what true Christianity teaches as essential doctrine according to the Bible.
- There is only one God in all existence (Exodus 20:1-4; Isaiah 43:10; 44:6, 8; 45:5).
- Jesus is divine (John 1:1, 14; 8:24; Col. 2:9)
- Forgiveness of sins is by grace alone without works (Eph. 2:8-9; Rom. 3:28; 4:1-5)
- Jesus rose from the dead physically (John 2:19-21; Luke 24:39)
- The gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus (1 Cor. 15:1-4)
Mormonism denies that there is only one God in all existence and also denies the forgiveness of sins in Christ alone. Therefore, it is outside Christianity. It is not a Christian religion.
What does Mormonism teach primarily?
Mormonism teaches that God the Father has a body of flesh and bones and that Jesus is a creation who was begotten in heaven as one of God’s spirit children. This is in strict contrast to the biblical teaching that he is God in flesh (John 1:1, 14), eternal (John 1:1, 2, 15), uncreated, yet born on earth (Col. 1:15), and the creator of all (John 1:3; Col. 1:16-17). Jesus cannot be both created and not created at the same time. Though Mormonism teaches that Jesus is God in flesh, it teaches that he is "a" god in flesh, one of three gods that comprise the office of the Trinity . These three gods are the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. This is in direct contradiction of the biblical doctrine that there is only one God (Isaiah 43:10; 44:6, 8; 45:5).
Because Mormonism denies the biblical truth of who God is, who Jesus is, how forgiveness of sins is attained, and what the gospel is, Mormonism is not Christian.
What else does Mormonism teach?
Mormon theology teaches that God is only one of countless gods, that he used to be a man on another planet, that he became a god by following the laws and ordinances of that god on that world, and that he brought one of his wives to this world with whom he produces spirit children who then inhabit human bodies at birth. The first spirit child to be born was Jesus. Second (though this is disputed among some Mormons) was Satan, and then we all followed. But, the Bible says that there is only one God (Isaiah 43:10; 44:6, 8; 45:5), that God has been God eternally (Psalm 90:2)--which means he was never a man on another planet. Since the Bible denies the existence of other gods (and goddesses--there is a mother goddess in Mormonism), the idea that Jesus is the product of a god and goddess couple is rejected. The Bible tells us that Jesus--The Jesus of Mormonism--is definitely not the same Jesus of the Bible. Therefore, faith in the Mormon Jesus is faith misplaced because the Mormon Jesus doesn't exist.
Mormonism says Jesus' Sacrifice is not enough
Mormonism teaches that the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross itself (and receiving it by faith) is not sufficient to bring forgiveness of sins. It teaches that the forgiveness of sins is obtained though a cooperative effort with God; that is, we must be good and follow the laws and ordinances of the Mormon church in order to obtain forgiveness. Consider the late James Talmage, an LDS apostle who said, "The sectarian dogma of justification by faith alone has exercised an influence for evil," (Articles of Faith, p. 432), and "Hence the justice of the scriptural doctrine that salvation comes to the individual only through obedience," (Articles of Faith, p. 81). This clearly contradicts the biblical doctrine of the forgiveness of sins by grace through faith (Rom. 3:28; 5:1; 6:23; Eph. 2:8-9) and the doctrine that works are not part of becoming salved (Rom. 4:1-5) but a result of them (James 2:14-18).
To further confuse the matter, Mormonism states that salvation is twofold. It maintains that salvation is both forgiveness of sins and universal resurrection. So when a Mormon speaks of salvation by grace, he is usually referring to universal resurrection. But the Bible speaks of salvation as the forgiveness of sins--not universal resurrection. Where Mormonism states that forgiveness of sins is not by faith alone (2 Nephi 25:23; Moroni 10:32), the Bible does teach it is by faith alone (Rom. 3:28; 4:1-5). Both cannot be true.
Mormonism and the Bible
In order to justify its aberrant theology, Mormonism has undermined the authority and trustworthiness of the Bible. The 8th Article of Faith from the Mormon Church states, "We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly." This means that when the Bible contradicts Mormonism, the Bible isn't trustworthy. This allows them to say and teach whatever they want even when it contradicts scripture.
Therefore...
Mormonism is not Christian because it denies that there is only one God, denies the true Gospel, adds works to salvation, denies that Jesus is the uncreated creator, distorts the biblical teaching of the atonement, undermines the authority and reliability of the Bible, says that God used to be a man who came from another planet, that we can become gods, that there is a goddess mother in heaven, etc.
I do not deny that Mormons are decent helpful people, and that they do many good things. But that isn't what makes someone Christian--nor does putting "Jesus Christ" in your title make you Christian if you deny who Jesus really is. Jesus said in Matthew 7:21-23, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name? And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!".
Notice that Jesus condemns those who combine their faith with their works in order to be saved. If you doubt that, see also Luke 18:9-14 where Jesus teaches the same thing again.
Becoming a Christian does not mean belonging to a church, doing good things, or simply believing in a god from another planet. Being a Christian means that you have trusted in the true God for salvation, received the True Jesus--not the brother of the devil, not the god of Mormonism, not the gospel of Mormonism. Becoming a Christian means believing the gospel of Christ, who is God in flesh, 2nd person of the Trinity, who was sent by the Father, bore our sins in his body on the cross (1 Pet. 2:24), died, was buried and rose again (1 Cor. 15:1-4). You must trust Jesus. Believe what he did. Put your faith in him.
In my next post I will discuss the founder of the LDS church, Prophet Joseph Smith.
Friday, May 10, 2013
Examining the Bible: The proof of Archaeology
This is the last in my series of posts on examining the Bible. To see the other posts go to the tab at the top of this page " The Bible" and you can find them there. So far I've discussed that we know that the Bible is the living, inspired and infallible word of God due to many proof sources. I've discussed the proof of prophecy, the proof of science and in this post I will discuss the proof of archaeology.
Literally thousands of details in the Bible, including references to specific people, places and events have been proven accurate through modern archaeological excavations and study. Archaeological confirmations of the Biblical record have been almost innumerable in the last century. Sir William M Ramsay of Oxford University, one of the great archaeologists of the last century, started out as a staunch skeptic, doubting many of the details recorded in the New Testament. Specifically, he thought Luke was foolish in his storytelling because he named so many specific names, locations and dates. These specifics would be easy to check out and refute--assuming, as Ramsay did at the beginning, that they were not actually true. But over his thirty years of study, research, and excavation, Ramsay increasingly realized that Luke's writings in both the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts were accurate records of the events and details they reported. He later summarized his findings in this way: "Luke is a historian of the first rank.....This author should be placed along with the very greatest of historians." 1 Also, renowned archaeologist Nelson Glueck, who once featured on the cover of Time magazine because of his extraordinary work, concluded, "No archaeological discovery has ever controverted a single biblical reference. Scores of archaeological findings have been made which confirm in clear outline or in exact detail historical statements in the Bible. And, by the same token, proper evaluation of Biblical descriptions has often led to amazing discoveries"2 No other "holy book" outside of the Bible has ever earned such overwhelming support and affirmation, or given us so many reasons to be confident in its integrity as we read.
The bottom line is this: The Bible is historically correct. No one has ever proved otherwise. The more we learn of history, the more the Bible is validated. Hundreds of statements in the Bible, which in times past have been held as untrue by enemies of the Bible, have recently been proven true by archaeologists. The more that archaeologists find from the past, the more the Bible is proven accurate historically.
No archaeological discovery has ever disproved a biblical reference. The Bible is trustworthy and historically reliable. Thank you for reading A Spirit Filled Life.
____________________________________
1. Rudolf Bultman, et. al Kerygma and Myth, www.religiononline.org
2. Mark Mittelberg, Losing your Faith
Literally thousands of details in the Bible, including references to specific people, places and events have been proven accurate through modern archaeological excavations and study. Archaeological confirmations of the Biblical record have been almost innumerable in the last century. Sir William M Ramsay of Oxford University, one of the great archaeologists of the last century, started out as a staunch skeptic, doubting many of the details recorded in the New Testament. Specifically, he thought Luke was foolish in his storytelling because he named so many specific names, locations and dates. These specifics would be easy to check out and refute--assuming, as Ramsay did at the beginning, that they were not actually true. But over his thirty years of study, research, and excavation, Ramsay increasingly realized that Luke's writings in both the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts were accurate records of the events and details they reported. He later summarized his findings in this way: "Luke is a historian of the first rank.....This author should be placed along with the very greatest of historians." 1 Also, renowned archaeologist Nelson Glueck, who once featured on the cover of Time magazine because of his extraordinary work, concluded, "No archaeological discovery has ever controverted a single biblical reference. Scores of archaeological findings have been made which confirm in clear outline or in exact detail historical statements in the Bible. And, by the same token, proper evaluation of Biblical descriptions has often led to amazing discoveries"2 No other "holy book" outside of the Bible has ever earned such overwhelming support and affirmation, or given us so many reasons to be confident in its integrity as we read.
The bottom line is this: The Bible is historically correct. No one has ever proved otherwise. The more we learn of history, the more the Bible is validated. Hundreds of statements in the Bible, which in times past have been held as untrue by enemies of the Bible, have recently been proven true by archaeologists. The more that archaeologists find from the past, the more the Bible is proven accurate historically.
No archaeological discovery has ever disproved a biblical reference. The Bible is trustworthy and historically reliable. Thank you for reading A Spirit Filled Life.
____________________________________
1. Rudolf Bultman, et. al Kerygma and Myth, www.religiononline.org
2. Mark Mittelberg, Losing your Faith
Monday, April 15, 2013
Proof of the Resurrection of Jesus
I want to take the opportunity before too much time passes since Easter to discuss the Resurrection of Jesus. As I mentioned in my last post it wasn't until my late twenties that I knew that Easter had anything to do with Jesus. For me, Easter was always about egg hunts, the Easter bunny and candy. Easter however is much more than that. It is one of the most important holidays celebrated by Christians. It represents Christ's Resurrection. After being humiliated, tortured and nailed to a cross he died on Good Friday. Three days later Jesus rose from the dead, thus proving that he was in deed the son of God. Of course, there are many people out there that do not believe that Jesus rose from the dead. You may be one of those people. If you are, then my hope is that this post will change your mind or at least prompt you to look further into the matter with your own additional research. If you are already a believer than I hope this post will help arm you with information that you can use to share with others or defend your faith.
IS the resurrection of Jesus Christ an historical event that really happened, or is it only a myth, as many atheists and agnostics claim? While no one witnessed the actual resurrection, many people swore they saw the risen Christ after his death, and their lives were never the same.
Archaeological discoveries continue to support the Bible's historical accuracy. We tend to forget that the Gospels and book of Acts are eyewitness accounts of the life and death of Jesus. Further non-biblical evidence for Jesus' existence comes from the writings of Flavius Josephus, Cornelius Tactus, Lucian of Samosata, and the Jewish Sanhedrin. The following seven proofs of the resurrection show that Christ did, indeed, rise from the dead.
The Resurrection Proof #1 The Empty tomb of Jesus
The empty tomb may be the strongest proof Jesus Christ rose from the dead. Two major theories have been advanced by unbelievers: someone stole Jesus' body or the women and disciples went to the wrong tomb. The Jews and Romans had no motive to steal the body. Christ's apostles were too cowardly and would have had to overcome the Roman guards to accomplish such a feat. The women who found the tomb empty had earlier watched Jesus being laid inside, they knew where the correct tomb was. Even if they had gone to the wrong tomb, the Sanhedrin could have produced the body from the right tomb to stop the resurrection stories. Jesus' burial cloths were left neatly folded inside, hardly the act of hurrying grave robbers. Angels said Jesus had risen from the dead.
The Resurrection Proof #2 The Holy Women Eyewitnesses
The holy women eyewitnesses are further proof that the Gospels are accurate historical records. If the accounts had been made up, no ancient author would have used women for witnesses to Christ's resurrection. Women were considered second hand citizens in Bible times; their testimony was not even allowed in court. Yet the Bible says the risen Christ first appeared to Mary Magdeline and other holy women. Even the apostles did not believe Mary when she told them the tomb was empty. Jesus, who always had special respect for these women, honored them as the first eyewitnesses to His resurrection. The male Gospel writers had no choice but to report this "embarrassing act" of God's favor, because that was how it happened.
The Resurrection Proof #3 Jesus Apostles New-Found Courage
After the crucifixion, Jesus' apostles hid behind locked doors, terrified they would be executed next. But something changed them from cowards to bold preachers. Anyone who understands human character knows people do not change that much without some major influence. That influence was seeing their Master, bodily risen from the dead. Christ appeared to them in the locked room, on the shore of the sea of Galilee, and on the Mount of Olives. After seeing Jesus alive, Peter and the others left the locked room and preached about the risen Christ, unafraid of what would happen to them. They quit hiding because they knew the truth. They finally understood that Jesus is God incarnate, who saves people from sin.
The Resurrection Proof #4 Changed Lives of James and Others
Changed lives are yet another proof of the resurrection. James, the brother of Jesus, was openly skeptical that Jesus was the Messiah. Later James became a courageous leader of the Jerusalem church, even being stoned to death for his faith. Why? The Bible says the risen Christ appeared to him. What a shock to see your own brother, alive again, after you knew he was dead. James and the apostles were effective missionaries because people could tell these men had touched and seen the risen Christ. With such zealous eyewitnesses, the early church exploded in growth, spreading west from Jerusalem to Rome and beyond. For 2,000 years, encounters with the resurrected Jesus have changed lives.
The Resurrection Proof #5 Large Crowds of Eyewitnesses
A large crowd of more than 500 eyewitnesses saw the risen Jesus Christ at the same time. The Apostle Paul records this even in 1 Corinthians 15:6. He states that most of these men and women were still alive when he wrote this letter, about 55 AD. Undoubtedly they told others about this miracle. Today, psychologists say it would be impossible for a large crowd of people to have had the same hallucination at once. Smaller groups also saw the risen Christ, such as the apostles, and the Cleopas and his companion. They all saw the same thing, and in the case of the apostles, they touched Jesus and watched him eat food. The hallucination theory is further debunked because after the ascension of Jesus into heaven, sightings of him stopped.
The Resurrection Proof #6 Conversion of Paul
The conversion of Paul records the most drastically changed life in the Bible. As Saul of Tarsus, he was an aggressive persecutor of the early church. When the risen Christ appeared to Paul on the Damascus Road, Paul became Christianity's most determined missionary. He endured five floggings, three beatings, three shipwrecks, a stoning, poverty and years of ridicule. Finally the Roman emperor Nero had Paul beheaded because the apostle refused to deny his faith in Jesus. What could make a person willingly accept-even welcome-such hardships? Christians believe the conversion of Paul came about because he encountered Jesus Christ who had risen from the dead.
The Resurrection Proof #7 They Died for Jesus
Countless people have died for Jesus, absolutely certain that the resurrection of Christ is an historical fact. I am so completely and positively sure that Jesus is the son of God and my savior that I too would rather be killed than deny Him. I know many friends that feel the same. Tradition says ten of the original apostles died as martyrs for Christ, as did the Apostle Paul. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of early Christians died in the Roman arena and in prisons for their faith. Down through the centuries, thousands more have died for Jesus because they believed the resurrection is true. Even today, people suffer persecution because they have faith that Christ rose from the dead. An isolated group may give up their lives for a cult leader, but Christian martyrs have died in many lands, for nearly 2,000 years, believing Jesus conquered death to give them eternal life.
What about you? Do you believe that Jesus died for your sins so that you could have a relationship with God? Remember from my last post, according to God the punishment for sin is death. God is incapable of being in the presence of sin. Therefore in order to have a relationship with us a sacrifice was necessary. Because God loves us so much and yearns to have a relationship with us, he sent his own Son to die in our place so that we could come to intimately know and have a relationship with our Father in Heaven. Jesus died for the sins of the world so that we could know God and live with Him eternally in Heaven when we die.
If you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior then you are walking a very slippery slope. If you died today are you certain you would go to heaven? Or, do you believe in an alternative scenario like being reincarnated or that death is the end. The extensive research I have done has proven to me without a doubt that reincarnation is not possible (more on that in an upcoming post on The New Age Movement) and that death is NOT the end for your soul. If you admit that you are a sinner and in need of Savior and ask Jesus to forgive you for your sins, than you will be saved. You will be guaranteed a place in God's Kingdom and upon your death you can joyfully anticipate living eternally in Heaven. According to the Bible which my research proves is the infallible word of God, the only alternative is to be separated from God eternally in a place no one wants to go.....hell. If you have come to the point where you believe that the Bible is the word of God, that Jesus died on the cross for your sins and you want your soul to spend eternity in Heaven than you need to be saved.
Please do not depend on man's word, including mine! Only one word counts: Almighty God's. Trust entirely in what God says in His word. It is a tragic error to rely on religion, what the world may be telling you, your past traditions, doctrine, personal beliefs or even your church. They are utterly worthless to save you. Religions, doctrine, tradition and churches change with the seasons: Whereas God's words is from eternity to eternity, unchanging.
Take this challenge from the Bible:
"Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold all things are become new." 2 Corinthians 5:17
God has promised:
"That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." Romans 10:9-11
These words promise that salvation is as close as your own mouth and heart. It is not a complicated process to be saved. If we believe in our hearts and say with our mouths that Christ is the risen Lord, we will be saved. Be assured, God loves you, and wants to forgive, save and heal you. Cast your burden on Him and embrace Jesus with all your heart. Pray the following prayer and mean it with all your heart and you will be saved, right where you sit.
"Father, I know that I have broken your laws and my sins have separated me from you. Please forgive me, and help me to avoid sinning in the future. I believe that your son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen
If you just said this prayer and meant it, then you are born again and saved! The Bible says that the angels in heaven are rejoicing over their new citizen right now! (that's you) I can assure you that you have made a wonderful decision for your life and for your eternal salvation which is now guaranteed to be with the Lord in Heaven. I recommend that you purchase a Bible and find a Bible believing church where you begin to attend and worship God with fellow believers. For me, attending church and Bible studies for the last 11 years has been one of the most wonderful experiences of my life. God desires us to be in fellowship with other believers and you will receive wonderful teaching from the pastor and other church leaders to help you grow in your walk with God.
If you did not pray the above prayer for whatever reason, than I ask that you continue to read this blog and keep an open mind to what I am sharing. Don't just take my word for matters of spirituality however! Do like I did and do your own research. I highly recommend the book "The Case for Christ" by Lee Strobel and "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren. Both these books were instrumental in my research that lead me to the truth in Christ.
In the upcoming weeks I will be finishing my series of posts that prove that the Bible truly is the word of God and will be discussing the life and ministry of Jesus. I will be opening up discussion on "Is Satan real and is Hell a real place" as well as discussing the role of the Holy Spirit in the believer's life. In addition I will be posting a series on examining other religions including the New Age Movement and Mormonism among others.
Thank you for reading Living a Spirit Filled Life. May God Bless you.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Information in this post was compiled and summarized from the following sources:
gotguestions.org,xenos.org, faithfacts.org, newadvent.org,tektons.org,biblicalstudeis.info,
garyhabermas.com and ntwrightpage.com
IS the resurrection of Jesus Christ an historical event that really happened, or is it only a myth, as many atheists and agnostics claim? While no one witnessed the actual resurrection, many people swore they saw the risen Christ after his death, and their lives were never the same.
Archaeological discoveries continue to support the Bible's historical accuracy. We tend to forget that the Gospels and book of Acts are eyewitness accounts of the life and death of Jesus. Further non-biblical evidence for Jesus' existence comes from the writings of Flavius Josephus, Cornelius Tactus, Lucian of Samosata, and the Jewish Sanhedrin. The following seven proofs of the resurrection show that Christ did, indeed, rise from the dead.
The Resurrection Proof #1 The Empty tomb of Jesus
The empty tomb may be the strongest proof Jesus Christ rose from the dead. Two major theories have been advanced by unbelievers: someone stole Jesus' body or the women and disciples went to the wrong tomb. The Jews and Romans had no motive to steal the body. Christ's apostles were too cowardly and would have had to overcome the Roman guards to accomplish such a feat. The women who found the tomb empty had earlier watched Jesus being laid inside, they knew where the correct tomb was. Even if they had gone to the wrong tomb, the Sanhedrin could have produced the body from the right tomb to stop the resurrection stories. Jesus' burial cloths were left neatly folded inside, hardly the act of hurrying grave robbers. Angels said Jesus had risen from the dead.
The Resurrection Proof #2 The Holy Women Eyewitnesses
The holy women eyewitnesses are further proof that the Gospels are accurate historical records. If the accounts had been made up, no ancient author would have used women for witnesses to Christ's resurrection. Women were considered second hand citizens in Bible times; their testimony was not even allowed in court. Yet the Bible says the risen Christ first appeared to Mary Magdeline and other holy women. Even the apostles did not believe Mary when she told them the tomb was empty. Jesus, who always had special respect for these women, honored them as the first eyewitnesses to His resurrection. The male Gospel writers had no choice but to report this "embarrassing act" of God's favor, because that was how it happened.
The Resurrection Proof #3 Jesus Apostles New-Found Courage
After the crucifixion, Jesus' apostles hid behind locked doors, terrified they would be executed next. But something changed them from cowards to bold preachers. Anyone who understands human character knows people do not change that much without some major influence. That influence was seeing their Master, bodily risen from the dead. Christ appeared to them in the locked room, on the shore of the sea of Galilee, and on the Mount of Olives. After seeing Jesus alive, Peter and the others left the locked room and preached about the risen Christ, unafraid of what would happen to them. They quit hiding because they knew the truth. They finally understood that Jesus is God incarnate, who saves people from sin.
The Resurrection Proof #4 Changed Lives of James and Others
Changed lives are yet another proof of the resurrection. James, the brother of Jesus, was openly skeptical that Jesus was the Messiah. Later James became a courageous leader of the Jerusalem church, even being stoned to death for his faith. Why? The Bible says the risen Christ appeared to him. What a shock to see your own brother, alive again, after you knew he was dead. James and the apostles were effective missionaries because people could tell these men had touched and seen the risen Christ. With such zealous eyewitnesses, the early church exploded in growth, spreading west from Jerusalem to Rome and beyond. For 2,000 years, encounters with the resurrected Jesus have changed lives.
The Resurrection Proof #5 Large Crowds of Eyewitnesses
A large crowd of more than 500 eyewitnesses saw the risen Jesus Christ at the same time. The Apostle Paul records this even in 1 Corinthians 15:6. He states that most of these men and women were still alive when he wrote this letter, about 55 AD. Undoubtedly they told others about this miracle. Today, psychologists say it would be impossible for a large crowd of people to have had the same hallucination at once. Smaller groups also saw the risen Christ, such as the apostles, and the Cleopas and his companion. They all saw the same thing, and in the case of the apostles, they touched Jesus and watched him eat food. The hallucination theory is further debunked because after the ascension of Jesus into heaven, sightings of him stopped.
The Resurrection Proof #6 Conversion of Paul
The conversion of Paul records the most drastically changed life in the Bible. As Saul of Tarsus, he was an aggressive persecutor of the early church. When the risen Christ appeared to Paul on the Damascus Road, Paul became Christianity's most determined missionary. He endured five floggings, three beatings, three shipwrecks, a stoning, poverty and years of ridicule. Finally the Roman emperor Nero had Paul beheaded because the apostle refused to deny his faith in Jesus. What could make a person willingly accept-even welcome-such hardships? Christians believe the conversion of Paul came about because he encountered Jesus Christ who had risen from the dead.
The Resurrection Proof #7 They Died for Jesus
Countless people have died for Jesus, absolutely certain that the resurrection of Christ is an historical fact. I am so completely and positively sure that Jesus is the son of God and my savior that I too would rather be killed than deny Him. I know many friends that feel the same. Tradition says ten of the original apostles died as martyrs for Christ, as did the Apostle Paul. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of early Christians died in the Roman arena and in prisons for their faith. Down through the centuries, thousands more have died for Jesus because they believed the resurrection is true. Even today, people suffer persecution because they have faith that Christ rose from the dead. An isolated group may give up their lives for a cult leader, but Christian martyrs have died in many lands, for nearly 2,000 years, believing Jesus conquered death to give them eternal life.
What about you? Do you believe that Jesus died for your sins so that you could have a relationship with God? Remember from my last post, according to God the punishment for sin is death. God is incapable of being in the presence of sin. Therefore in order to have a relationship with us a sacrifice was necessary. Because God loves us so much and yearns to have a relationship with us, he sent his own Son to die in our place so that we could come to intimately know and have a relationship with our Father in Heaven. Jesus died for the sins of the world so that we could know God and live with Him eternally in Heaven when we die.
If you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior then you are walking a very slippery slope. If you died today are you certain you would go to heaven? Or, do you believe in an alternative scenario like being reincarnated or that death is the end. The extensive research I have done has proven to me without a doubt that reincarnation is not possible (more on that in an upcoming post on The New Age Movement) and that death is NOT the end for your soul. If you admit that you are a sinner and in need of Savior and ask Jesus to forgive you for your sins, than you will be saved. You will be guaranteed a place in God's Kingdom and upon your death you can joyfully anticipate living eternally in Heaven. According to the Bible which my research proves is the infallible word of God, the only alternative is to be separated from God eternally in a place no one wants to go.....hell. If you have come to the point where you believe that the Bible is the word of God, that Jesus died on the cross for your sins and you want your soul to spend eternity in Heaven than you need to be saved.
Please do not depend on man's word, including mine! Only one word counts: Almighty God's. Trust entirely in what God says in His word. It is a tragic error to rely on religion, what the world may be telling you, your past traditions, doctrine, personal beliefs or even your church. They are utterly worthless to save you. Religions, doctrine, tradition and churches change with the seasons: Whereas God's words is from eternity to eternity, unchanging.
Take this challenge from the Bible:
"Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold all things are become new." 2 Corinthians 5:17
God has promised:
"That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." Romans 10:9-11
These words promise that salvation is as close as your own mouth and heart. It is not a complicated process to be saved. If we believe in our hearts and say with our mouths that Christ is the risen Lord, we will be saved. Be assured, God loves you, and wants to forgive, save and heal you. Cast your burden on Him and embrace Jesus with all your heart. Pray the following prayer and mean it with all your heart and you will be saved, right where you sit.
"Father, I know that I have broken your laws and my sins have separated me from you. Please forgive me, and help me to avoid sinning in the future. I believe that your son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen
If you just said this prayer and meant it, then you are born again and saved! The Bible says that the angels in heaven are rejoicing over their new citizen right now! (that's you) I can assure you that you have made a wonderful decision for your life and for your eternal salvation which is now guaranteed to be with the Lord in Heaven. I recommend that you purchase a Bible and find a Bible believing church where you begin to attend and worship God with fellow believers. For me, attending church and Bible studies for the last 11 years has been one of the most wonderful experiences of my life. God desires us to be in fellowship with other believers and you will receive wonderful teaching from the pastor and other church leaders to help you grow in your walk with God.
If you did not pray the above prayer for whatever reason, than I ask that you continue to read this blog and keep an open mind to what I am sharing. Don't just take my word for matters of spirituality however! Do like I did and do your own research. I highly recommend the book "The Case for Christ" by Lee Strobel and "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren. Both these books were instrumental in my research that lead me to the truth in Christ.
In the upcoming weeks I will be finishing my series of posts that prove that the Bible truly is the word of God and will be discussing the life and ministry of Jesus. I will be opening up discussion on "Is Satan real and is Hell a real place" as well as discussing the role of the Holy Spirit in the believer's life. In addition I will be posting a series on examining other religions including the New Age Movement and Mormonism among others.
Thank you for reading Living a Spirit Filled Life. May God Bless you.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Information in this post was compiled and summarized from the following sources:
gotguestions.org,xenos.org, faithfacts.org, newadvent.org,tektons.org,biblicalstudeis.info,
garyhabermas.com and ntwrightpage.com
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Examining the Bible: The Proof of Science
Although the Bible is not a science book, it is scientifically accurate. Some scientists would not agree that the Bible is correct--but none can prove the Bible wrong. And there are many, many scientists who acknowledge that the Bible IS scientifically correct. As I said in an earlier post, the majority of people who attempt to disprove the Bible simply can not, therefore they become believers.
Striking evidence of divine inspiration is found in the fact that many principles of modern science were recorded as facts of nature in the Bible long before scientists confirmed them experimentally. Below I will list statements that are consistent with known scientific facts. Many of them were listed in the Bible hundreds or even thousands of years before being recorded elsewhere. Man has taken many centuries to discover many things the Bible stated thousands of years ago. Where did the writers of the Bible get their information--if not from God?
Statements Consistent with Paleontology
*Dinosaurs are referred to in several books in the Bible. The book of Job describes two dinosaurs. One is described in chapter 40 starting at verse 15, and the other in chapter 41 starting at verse 1. I think you will agree that 1 1/2 chapters about dinosaurs is a lot-since most people do not even realize that they are mentioned in the Bible! In fact I will be discussing dinosaurs in more detail in a future post.
Statements Consistent with Astronomy
The Bible frequently refers to the great number of stars in the heavens. Here are two examples.
Genesis 22:17
"Blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies."
Jeremiah 33:22
"As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, nor the sand of the sea measured, so will I multiply the descendants of David My servant and Levites who minister to Me."
Even today, scientists admit they do not know how many stars there are. Only about 3,000 can be seen with the naked eye. However estimates reveal that there are so many stars that they simply can not be numbered.
*The Bible also says that each star is unique.
1 Corinthians 15:41
There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the star; for one star differs from another star in glory.
All stars look alike to the naked eye. Even when seen though a telescope, they seem to be just points of light. However, analysis of their light spectra reveals that each is unique and different from all others.
*The Bible describes the precision of movement in the universe.
Jeremiah 31:35,36
Thus says the LORD,
Who gives the sun for a light by day,
The ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night,
Who disturbs the sea,
And its waves roar
(The LORD of hosts is His name):
"If those ordinances depart
From before Me, says the LORD,
Then the seed of Israel shall also cease
From being a nation before Me forever."
*The Bible describes the suspension of the Earth in space.
Job 26:7
He stretches out the north over empty space;
He hangs the earth on nothing
Statements Consistent with Meteorology
*The Bible describes the circulation of the atmosphere.
Ecclesiastes 1:6
The wind goes toward the south,
And turns around to the north;
The wind whirls about continually,
And cones again on its circuit.
*The Bible includes some principles of fluid dynamics.
Job 28:25
To establish a weight for the wind,
And apportion the waters by measure.
The fact that air has weight was proven scientifically only about 300 years ago. The relative weights of air and water are needed for the efficient functioning of the world's hydrological cycle, which in turn sustains life on the earth.
Statements Consistent With Biology
*The book of Leviticus (written prior to 1400 BC) describes the value of blood.
Leviticus 17:11
"For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul."
The blood carries water and nourishment to every cell, maintains the body's temperature, and removes the waste material of the body's cells. The blood also carries oxygen from the lungs throughout the body. In 1616, William Harvey discovered that blood circulation is the key factor in physical life-confirming what the Bible revealed 3,000 years earlier.
*The Bible describes biogenesis (the development of living organisms from other living organisms) and the stability of each kind of living organism.
Genesis 1:21
So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to it's kind. And God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:25
And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
The phrase "according to its kind" occurs repeatedly, stressing the reproductive integrity of each kind of animal and plant. Today we know this occurs because all of these reproductive systems are programmed by their genetic codes.
Statement Consistent with Anthropology
*We have cave paintings and other evidence that people inhabited caves. The Bible also describes cave men.
Job 30:5,6
They were driven out from among men,
They shouted at them as at a thief,
They had to live in the clefts of the valleys,
In caves of the earth and the rocks.
Note that these were not "ape-men", but descendants of those who scattered from Babel. They were driven from the commune by those tribes who competed successfully for the more desirable regions of the earth.
Other statements to examine are:
Statements Consistent with Hydrology: The Bible includes reasonably complete descriptions of the hydrological cycle, condensation with electrical discharges and precipitation. Psalm 135:7 and Jeremiah 10:33. In these verses you can see several phases of the hydrological cycle-the worldwide processes of evaporation, translation aloft by atmospheric circulation.
Statements that describe the recirculation of water are found in Ecclesiastes 1:7 and Isaiah 55:10. Furthermore the Bible refers to the surprising amount of water that can be held as condensation in clouds in Job 26:28 and Job 37:11. Hydrothermal vents are described in two books of the Bible written before 1400BC-more than 3,000 years before their discovery by science.
Genesis 7:11
In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the window of heaven were opened.
Job 38:16
Have you entered the springs of the sea?
Or have you walked in search of the depths?
I will discuss the "Fountains of the great deep" and hydrothermal vents further in a future post about Creation Versus Evolution.
I literally could write another 5-6 pages on all of scientific evidence found in the Bible. However I will conclude by providing these additional principles of modern science which where recorded as facts of nature in the Bible long before scientists confirmed them experimentally.
*Roundness of the earth (Isaiah 40:22)
*Almost infinite extent of the sidereal universe (Isaiah 55:9)
*Law of conservation of mass and energy ( 11Peter 3:7)
*Law of increasing entropy (Psalm 102:25-27)
If you do not own a Bible you can easily pull up any of these Bible verses on one of the many free on line Bible sites.
At this point in my posts in which I have examined the Bible, we have covered the proof of prophecy and the proof of science. Stay tuned for my next post where I will discuss the unique historical accuracy of the scriptures and point out many archaeological confirmations.
Thank you for taking this journey with me as I examine the truths of the Bible. I hope that you are beginning to see what I saw 12 years ago when I began to research the truths of the Bible. It truly IS the inspired word of God and it has immeasurable value for your life. I hope you are realizing now that the contents of Scripture can
be verified, not only by the discoveries of modern science that I just discussed but additionally by the facts of history and archaeology which I will discuss in my next post.
Thank you for reading Living a Spirit Filled Life and may God bless you!
---------------------------------
References:
-The DEFENDER'S Study Bible, Word Publishing, Grand Rapids, Michigan (1995)
-The Number of Stars
-The hydrologic Cycle
-Submarine Volcanic Ecosystems (An article on hydrothermal vents)
-All Bible passages were taken from the New King James Version
Striking evidence of divine inspiration is found in the fact that many principles of modern science were recorded as facts of nature in the Bible long before scientists confirmed them experimentally. Below I will list statements that are consistent with known scientific facts. Many of them were listed in the Bible hundreds or even thousands of years before being recorded elsewhere. Man has taken many centuries to discover many things the Bible stated thousands of years ago. Where did the writers of the Bible get their information--if not from God?
Statements Consistent with Paleontology
*Dinosaurs are referred to in several books in the Bible. The book of Job describes two dinosaurs. One is described in chapter 40 starting at verse 15, and the other in chapter 41 starting at verse 1. I think you will agree that 1 1/2 chapters about dinosaurs is a lot-since most people do not even realize that they are mentioned in the Bible! In fact I will be discussing dinosaurs in more detail in a future post.
Statements Consistent with Astronomy
The Bible frequently refers to the great number of stars in the heavens. Here are two examples.
Genesis 22:17
"Blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies."
Jeremiah 33:22
"As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, nor the sand of the sea measured, so will I multiply the descendants of David My servant and Levites who minister to Me."
Even today, scientists admit they do not know how many stars there are. Only about 3,000 can be seen with the naked eye. However estimates reveal that there are so many stars that they simply can not be numbered.
*The Bible also says that each star is unique.
1 Corinthians 15:41
There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the star; for one star differs from another star in glory.
All stars look alike to the naked eye. Even when seen though a telescope, they seem to be just points of light. However, analysis of their light spectra reveals that each is unique and different from all others.
*The Bible describes the precision of movement in the universe.
Jeremiah 31:35,36
Thus says the LORD,
Who gives the sun for a light by day,
The ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night,
Who disturbs the sea,
And its waves roar
(The LORD of hosts is His name):
"If those ordinances depart
From before Me, says the LORD,
Then the seed of Israel shall also cease
From being a nation before Me forever."
*The Bible describes the suspension of the Earth in space.
Job 26:7
He stretches out the north over empty space;
He hangs the earth on nothing
Statements Consistent with Meteorology
*The Bible describes the circulation of the atmosphere.
Ecclesiastes 1:6
The wind goes toward the south,
And turns around to the north;
The wind whirls about continually,
And cones again on its circuit.
*The Bible includes some principles of fluid dynamics.
Job 28:25
To establish a weight for the wind,
And apportion the waters by measure.
The fact that air has weight was proven scientifically only about 300 years ago. The relative weights of air and water are needed for the efficient functioning of the world's hydrological cycle, which in turn sustains life on the earth.
Statements Consistent With Biology
*The book of Leviticus (written prior to 1400 BC) describes the value of blood.
Leviticus 17:11
"For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul."
The blood carries water and nourishment to every cell, maintains the body's temperature, and removes the waste material of the body's cells. The blood also carries oxygen from the lungs throughout the body. In 1616, William Harvey discovered that blood circulation is the key factor in physical life-confirming what the Bible revealed 3,000 years earlier.
*The Bible describes biogenesis (the development of living organisms from other living organisms) and the stability of each kind of living organism.
Genesis 1:21
So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to it's kind. And God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:25
And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
The phrase "according to its kind" occurs repeatedly, stressing the reproductive integrity of each kind of animal and plant. Today we know this occurs because all of these reproductive systems are programmed by their genetic codes.
Statement Consistent with Anthropology
*We have cave paintings and other evidence that people inhabited caves. The Bible also describes cave men.
Job 30:5,6
They were driven out from among men,
They shouted at them as at a thief,
They had to live in the clefts of the valleys,
In caves of the earth and the rocks.
Note that these were not "ape-men", but descendants of those who scattered from Babel. They were driven from the commune by those tribes who competed successfully for the more desirable regions of the earth.
Other statements to examine are:
Statements Consistent with Hydrology: The Bible includes reasonably complete descriptions of the hydrological cycle, condensation with electrical discharges and precipitation. Psalm 135:7 and Jeremiah 10:33. In these verses you can see several phases of the hydrological cycle-the worldwide processes of evaporation, translation aloft by atmospheric circulation.
Statements that describe the recirculation of water are found in Ecclesiastes 1:7 and Isaiah 55:10. Furthermore the Bible refers to the surprising amount of water that can be held as condensation in clouds in Job 26:28 and Job 37:11. Hydrothermal vents are described in two books of the Bible written before 1400BC-more than 3,000 years before their discovery by science.
Genesis 7:11
In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the window of heaven were opened.
Job 38:16
Have you entered the springs of the sea?
Or have you walked in search of the depths?
I will discuss the "Fountains of the great deep" and hydrothermal vents further in a future post about Creation Versus Evolution.
I literally could write another 5-6 pages on all of scientific evidence found in the Bible. However I will conclude by providing these additional principles of modern science which where recorded as facts of nature in the Bible long before scientists confirmed them experimentally.
*Roundness of the earth (Isaiah 40:22)
*Almost infinite extent of the sidereal universe (Isaiah 55:9)
*Law of conservation of mass and energy ( 11Peter 3:7)
*Law of increasing entropy (Psalm 102:25-27)
If you do not own a Bible you can easily pull up any of these Bible verses on one of the many free on line Bible sites.
At this point in my posts in which I have examined the Bible, we have covered the proof of prophecy and the proof of science. Stay tuned for my next post where I will discuss the unique historical accuracy of the scriptures and point out many archaeological confirmations.
Thank you for taking this journey with me as I examine the truths of the Bible. I hope that you are beginning to see what I saw 12 years ago when I began to research the truths of the Bible. It truly IS the inspired word of God and it has immeasurable value for your life. I hope you are realizing now that the contents of Scripture can
be verified, not only by the discoveries of modern science that I just discussed but additionally by the facts of history and archaeology which I will discuss in my next post.
Thank you for reading Living a Spirit Filled Life and may God bless you!
---------------------------------
References:
-The DEFENDER'S Study Bible, Word Publishing, Grand Rapids, Michigan (1995)
-The Number of Stars
-The hydrologic Cycle
-Submarine Volcanic Ecosystems (An article on hydrothermal vents)
-All Bible passages were taken from the New King James Version
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Examining the Bible: The Proof of Prophecy
The Bible is the only written revelation of God to man. In the Bible we find out what God wants mankind to know about Himself and His Plan. No one has ever successfully refuted the Bible. Many mock the Bible but avoid challenging it point by point. No one who has done in-depth research, honestly examining the evidence for the Bible's inspiration and truthfulness, has been able to disprove the Bible. In fact, history records many who set out to disprove the Bible, who instead became believers.
The Bible is composed of 66 books, by about 40 different writers of various backgrounds, living during a period of about 1,600 years-yet they present ONE message. Such a miracle can only be explained by there being ONE author, who was in control of all these human writers.
The Bible was written in three different languages: Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek.
One of the strongest arguments for the accuracy of the Bible is its 100% accuracy in predicting the future. These future predictions are called "prophecies." The Old Testament was written between approximately 1450 BC and 430 BC. During that time, many predictions of the future were recorded in the Bible by God's prophets. Of the events that were to have taken place by now, every one happened just the way they predicted it would. No other "sacred writing" has such perfectly accurate predictions of the future. Could man, especially dozens of men, writing in different countries and different times, foretell the future so accurately? Never! Only God could do such a tremendous thing.
No one but God could reveal the future in such detail, often hundreds of years before the events occurred. Not only the future of cities, nations and the world, but also concerning the future birth, ministry, death, and resurrection of Christ.
For example, the truth of 2 Peter 1:20-21 can not be denied. "Above all, you just realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet's own understanding, or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God"
Just consider, for example, this powerful report:
He was despised and rejected-
a man of sorrows, acquainted with
deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
He was despised, and we did not care.
Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
it was our sorrows that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles were
punishment from God,
a punishment for his own sins!
But he was pierced for our rebellion,
crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
He was whipped so we could be healed.
All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
We have left God's paths to follow
our own.
Yet the Lord laid on him
the sins of us all.
Would you like to venture a guess about who is being discussed? It's pretty clear is it not? It's a description, with detailed accuracy, of the suffering and crucifixion of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. What is remarkable is not so much the accuracy of the account, but the DATE when it was written: these words were written by the Jewish prophet Isaiah (in Isaiah 53:3-6) more than seven hundred years before the life and death of Jesus. Even more revealing is that he had predicted that Christ would be "pierced for our rebellion" centuries before crucifixion as a method of execution had been invented. Furthermore, in the last three verses of that chapter he even foreshadows the resurrection of Jesus. Read the passage for yourself! It's like a historical account-written in advance.
The above evidence of fulfilled prophecy is just one case in point. Hundreds of Bible prophecies have been fulfilled, specifically and meticulously, often long after the prophetic writer had passed away. Another example comes from Daniel who predicted in about 538 BC (Daniel 9:24-27) that Christ would come as Israel's promised Savior and Prince 483 years after the Persian emperor would give the Jews authority to rebuild Jerusalem, which was then in ruins. This was clearly and definitely fulfilled, hundreds of years later.
More prophecies that were given in the Bible regarding Jesus' First Coming were all fulfilled to the letter. Below are a few of the prophecies written in The Old Testament hundreds of years before Jesus' birth. The fulfillment came in the New Testament when the events actually happened.
1. He would be born of a virgin (prophecy, Isaiah 7:14)
But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit" (fulfillment, Matthew 1:20)
2. He would be born in Bethlehem (prophecy, Micah 5:2)
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem (fulfillment, Luke 2:4)
3. He would be crucified (prophecy, Psalm 22;fulfillment can be found by reading Mathew 27 and in parallel Gospel passages)
In all, there were over 100 prophecies made about the First Coming of Jesus Christ. All were literally fulfilled. This gives us confidence that the more than 300 prophecies in the Bible related to His Second Coming will also come to pass exactly as predicted. These are just the prophecies related to Christ himself, there are actually about 1000 prophecies in the Bible as a whole, approximately 500 of which have already been fulfilled. Many are related to historic events in Bible times.
God's nature as a God of truth, plus His faithfulness in bringing Bible Prophecy to pass, give us confidence that future prophecies will also be fulfilled. This should give us added assurance that the Word of God is a trustworthy document on which to base our salvation, our relationship with God, and all other aspects of living our lives in the light of His presence.
Consider this: If everything that was prophesied thousands of years ago that was supposed to come true by now has...doesn't that at least slightly concern you that the rest of what is prophesied for the future MIGHT COME TRUE TOO??? Are you ready for those things to happen? Do you even know what they are and what they might mean for yourself on earth AND in the after life? If you are reading this I'm guessing you are at least wondering about now. The answers lie in the Bible. I hope that you will continue to read this blog as I continue to examine the Bible.
coming soon: Examining the Bible: The Proof of Archeology and Science
The Bible is composed of 66 books, by about 40 different writers of various backgrounds, living during a period of about 1,600 years-yet they present ONE message. Such a miracle can only be explained by there being ONE author, who was in control of all these human writers.
The Bible was written in three different languages: Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek.
One of the strongest arguments for the accuracy of the Bible is its 100% accuracy in predicting the future. These future predictions are called "prophecies." The Old Testament was written between approximately 1450 BC and 430 BC. During that time, many predictions of the future were recorded in the Bible by God's prophets. Of the events that were to have taken place by now, every one happened just the way they predicted it would. No other "sacred writing" has such perfectly accurate predictions of the future. Could man, especially dozens of men, writing in different countries and different times, foretell the future so accurately? Never! Only God could do such a tremendous thing.
No one but God could reveal the future in such detail, often hundreds of years before the events occurred. Not only the future of cities, nations and the world, but also concerning the future birth, ministry, death, and resurrection of Christ.
For example, the truth of 2 Peter 1:20-21 can not be denied. "Above all, you just realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet's own understanding, or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God"
Just consider, for example, this powerful report:
He was despised and rejected-
a man of sorrows, acquainted with
deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
He was despised, and we did not care.
Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
it was our sorrows that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles were
punishment from God,
a punishment for his own sins!
But he was pierced for our rebellion,
crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
He was whipped so we could be healed.
All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
We have left God's paths to follow
our own.
Yet the Lord laid on him
the sins of us all.
Would you like to venture a guess about who is being discussed? It's pretty clear is it not? It's a description, with detailed accuracy, of the suffering and crucifixion of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. What is remarkable is not so much the accuracy of the account, but the DATE when it was written: these words were written by the Jewish prophet Isaiah (in Isaiah 53:3-6) more than seven hundred years before the life and death of Jesus. Even more revealing is that he had predicted that Christ would be "pierced for our rebellion" centuries before crucifixion as a method of execution had been invented. Furthermore, in the last three verses of that chapter he even foreshadows the resurrection of Jesus. Read the passage for yourself! It's like a historical account-written in advance.
The above evidence of fulfilled prophecy is just one case in point. Hundreds of Bible prophecies have been fulfilled, specifically and meticulously, often long after the prophetic writer had passed away. Another example comes from Daniel who predicted in about 538 BC (Daniel 9:24-27) that Christ would come as Israel's promised Savior and Prince 483 years after the Persian emperor would give the Jews authority to rebuild Jerusalem, which was then in ruins. This was clearly and definitely fulfilled, hundreds of years later.
More prophecies that were given in the Bible regarding Jesus' First Coming were all fulfilled to the letter. Below are a few of the prophecies written in The Old Testament hundreds of years before Jesus' birth. The fulfillment came in the New Testament when the events actually happened.
1. He would be born of a virgin (prophecy, Isaiah 7:14)
But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit" (fulfillment, Matthew 1:20)
2. He would be born in Bethlehem (prophecy, Micah 5:2)
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem (fulfillment, Luke 2:4)
3. He would be crucified (prophecy, Psalm 22;fulfillment can be found by reading Mathew 27 and in parallel Gospel passages)
In all, there were over 100 prophecies made about the First Coming of Jesus Christ. All were literally fulfilled. This gives us confidence that the more than 300 prophecies in the Bible related to His Second Coming will also come to pass exactly as predicted. These are just the prophecies related to Christ himself, there are actually about 1000 prophecies in the Bible as a whole, approximately 500 of which have already been fulfilled. Many are related to historic events in Bible times.
God's nature as a God of truth, plus His faithfulness in bringing Bible Prophecy to pass, give us confidence that future prophecies will also be fulfilled. This should give us added assurance that the Word of God is a trustworthy document on which to base our salvation, our relationship with God, and all other aspects of living our lives in the light of His presence.
Consider this: If everything that was prophesied thousands of years ago that was supposed to come true by now has...doesn't that at least slightly concern you that the rest of what is prophesied for the future MIGHT COME TRUE TOO??? Are you ready for those things to happen? Do you even know what they are and what they might mean for yourself on earth AND in the after life? If you are reading this I'm guessing you are at least wondering about now. The answers lie in the Bible. I hope that you will continue to read this blog as I continue to examine the Bible.
coming soon: Examining the Bible: The Proof of Archeology and Science
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Examining the Bible: What do YOU believe about the Bible?
Can the Bible be trusted? Is it just a collection of legends and stories, or is it the inspired word of God? Many people today assume that modern way of thinking has discredited the Bible, but the facts of history, and the discoveries of archaeology, confirm its contents to be true! The Bible recounts the past with amazing accuracy, and it predicts the future like no other book. Most of the world has been misled and misinformed about the Bible.
As I discussed in my previous post, I spent my two first years of college as a Journalism major. I was a reporter for my college newspaper. Every good journalist is a researcher. You can't report about something that "might" be true. You certainly can not hope your "hunch" is correct when reporting a news story! This journalism training as well as my own natural tendency to be a skeptic, made my seeking my spiritual path that much more difficult. There was simply no way I was ever going to put my trust in a religion or spiritual movement that had no proof source. If this was something I was going to devote my life to and teach my children about, it had to be 100% accurate and I needed proof.
Therefore the focus of this post is the proof supporting the accuracy of the Bible. After all, if the Bible is not true or it is filled with errors, Christianity would only be a "blind faith", something people believe without any evidence to support it. Christianity is NOT a blind faith. In fact it is the ONLY religion that can prove itself, and a main source of that proof is the Bible. The existence of all this evidence is one reason why I started this blog. In the year I was almost completely bed ridden before and after back surgery and in the 12 years since I have never found another religion or spiritual movement that can prove itself. In fact I'm constantly amazed to see how people can put all of their trust and blind faith into something that has no evidence to back up what it claims.
What do YOU believe about the Bible? Is it really the inspired word of God? Was it accurately preserved for thousands of years as a unique revelation from the Creator of the universe? Or is it just a collection of humanly devised myths and fables? Do we even have the right books in the Bible, or are important sources missing that would change our view of God, Jesus Christ and Christianity? Can we trust Scripture? Is the Bible vital and relevant today?
Today, many educated people assume that science and modern thoughts and concepts have thoroughly discredited the Bible. The assumption thrives because so many know so little about the Bible. Many people today are simply unaware of discoveries that continue to confirm the historical accuracy of Scripture. Instead, people are encouraged to believe that all religions are equally credible, without comparing the source books of those religions. As a result, millions are unaware of how the Bible is unique, and what amazing features distinguish it from all other religious books.
Before you accept the idea that the Bible is "just like any other book", or that it has no relevance for you, you need to examine the evidence for yourself. That evidence is eye-opening and you need to understand why so many today doubt the Bible's credibility, and what the truth about the Bible can mean to your future.
Because I feel that the Bible is so important to my faith and is in fact the proof source of what I believe, it will be the first and foremost piece of the Christian puzzle that I will write about and I will be spending several posts on this topic. My prayer is that if you are a believer, you will be blessed to learn about the solid evidence that supports your faith, and can share it with others. If you are spiritually seeking, or already believe in another religion, spiritual movement or are agnostic or even atheist...than I challenge you to at least read the series of posts with an open mind and heart. I am very confident that your eyes will be open to the Bible like never before.
The contents of Scripture can be verified by the facts of history and the discoveries of modern science and archaeology. Additionally the Bible provides the answers to life's big questions. Not only do the hundreds of detailed Bible prophesies accurately reveal the future course of world events, they set the Bible apart from all other religious books. The Bible provides a dimension of knowledge that is simply not available from any other source.
With so much evidence available, the real question that we face today is simply whether or not we can believe the Bible. As you read my series of posts on this topic, you will see that the answer is, "Yes, we can!"
return soon for: Examining the Bible: The Proof of Prophecy
As I discussed in my previous post, I spent my two first years of college as a Journalism major. I was a reporter for my college newspaper. Every good journalist is a researcher. You can't report about something that "might" be true. You certainly can not hope your "hunch" is correct when reporting a news story! This journalism training as well as my own natural tendency to be a skeptic, made my seeking my spiritual path that much more difficult. There was simply no way I was ever going to put my trust in a religion or spiritual movement that had no proof source. If this was something I was going to devote my life to and teach my children about, it had to be 100% accurate and I needed proof.
Therefore the focus of this post is the proof supporting the accuracy of the Bible. After all, if the Bible is not true or it is filled with errors, Christianity would only be a "blind faith", something people believe without any evidence to support it. Christianity is NOT a blind faith. In fact it is the ONLY religion that can prove itself, and a main source of that proof is the Bible. The existence of all this evidence is one reason why I started this blog. In the year I was almost completely bed ridden before and after back surgery and in the 12 years since I have never found another religion or spiritual movement that can prove itself. In fact I'm constantly amazed to see how people can put all of their trust and blind faith into something that has no evidence to back up what it claims.
What do YOU believe about the Bible? Is it really the inspired word of God? Was it accurately preserved for thousands of years as a unique revelation from the Creator of the universe? Or is it just a collection of humanly devised myths and fables? Do we even have the right books in the Bible, or are important sources missing that would change our view of God, Jesus Christ and Christianity? Can we trust Scripture? Is the Bible vital and relevant today?
Today, many educated people assume that science and modern thoughts and concepts have thoroughly discredited the Bible. The assumption thrives because so many know so little about the Bible. Many people today are simply unaware of discoveries that continue to confirm the historical accuracy of Scripture. Instead, people are encouraged to believe that all religions are equally credible, without comparing the source books of those religions. As a result, millions are unaware of how the Bible is unique, and what amazing features distinguish it from all other religious books.
Before you accept the idea that the Bible is "just like any other book", or that it has no relevance for you, you need to examine the evidence for yourself. That evidence is eye-opening and you need to understand why so many today doubt the Bible's credibility, and what the truth about the Bible can mean to your future.
Because I feel that the Bible is so important to my faith and is in fact the proof source of what I believe, it will be the first and foremost piece of the Christian puzzle that I will write about and I will be spending several posts on this topic. My prayer is that if you are a believer, you will be blessed to learn about the solid evidence that supports your faith, and can share it with others. If you are spiritually seeking, or already believe in another religion, spiritual movement or are agnostic or even atheist...than I challenge you to at least read the series of posts with an open mind and heart. I am very confident that your eyes will be open to the Bible like never before.
The contents of Scripture can be verified by the facts of history and the discoveries of modern science and archaeology. Additionally the Bible provides the answers to life's big questions. Not only do the hundreds of detailed Bible prophesies accurately reveal the future course of world events, they set the Bible apart from all other religious books. The Bible provides a dimension of knowledge that is simply not available from any other source.
With so much evidence available, the real question that we face today is simply whether or not we can believe the Bible. As you read my series of posts on this topic, you will see that the answer is, "Yes, we can!"
return soon for: Examining the Bible: The Proof of Prophecy
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