tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2352714680134202480.comments2024-03-25T20:59:27.440-07:00Book Boyfriend ReviewsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15485364805613161021noreply@blogger.comBlogger975125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2352714680134202480.post-30230575598091437042022-07-29T18:15:31.110-07:002022-07-29T18:15:31.110-07:00Positive affirmation of Thomas: Thomas the discipl...Positive affirmation of Thomas: Thomas the disciple called Jesus God in John 20:28. Thomas even went further than that. John 20:28 actually says that Thomas said to Jesus, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus replied to Thomas, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Jesus has no hint of rebuke toward Thomas. Indeed, the only remotely negative thing Jesus said is that those who have not seen Jesus in person and believe (this about Jesus) are more blessed than those who have seen Jesus and believe this. Now either<br /> <br />a) Thomas was wrong, and he sinned by calling Jesus God, and perhaps Jesus sinned by accepting this and not rebuking Thomas, or<br /> <br />b) Jesus was right to affirm what Thomas said.<br /> <br /> Do you agree that either: They were both right, or that Thomas and Jesus were both wrong?<br /> <br />Jesus would send His angels in Matthew 13:41, which are the angels of God (Luke 12:8-9; 15:10).<br /> <br />Jesus said he would judge the world (Matthew 24:31-46, 25:31-3; John 5:21-22, 27). Yet is God who is coming to judge the world (Psalm 50:1-6; Joel 3:12; Dt 32:35).<br /> <br /> At Jesus’ trial for blasphemy before the Sanhedrin, they could have let him go. All Jesus had to do was say “I am not God, people thinking I was God is a mistake.” Yet Jesus never said that, and the trial continued.<br /> <br />“All that belongs to the Father is mine.” John 16:15a. Now it is easy to understand someone saying “All that belongs to me I give to God”, but Jesus says, “All that belongs to the Father is mine.” I have never heard anyone explain how this could be a true statement and Jesus not be God.<br /> <br /> A non-Christian might wonder if these verses were added much later. However, an ancient Bible manuscript called the Bodmer II papyrii (125-175 A.D.), has preserved John 1:1-6:11; 6:35b-14:26; 14:29-30; 15:2-26; 16:2-4, 6-7; 16:10-20:20; 20:22-23; 20:25-21:9; 21:12,17.<br /> <br />allenjeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02522397149626570207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2352714680134202480.post-50840576060555213392022-05-13T15:12:27.724-07:002022-05-13T15:12:27.724-07:00The Suffering Savior
My God, my God, why have you...The Suffering Savior<br /><br />My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?<br />Psalm 22:1a<br /><br />In many ways this is the most amazing of all the psalms. In it we have a picture of the crucifixion and resurrection of the Lord Jesus painted by the psalmist David one thousand years before Jesus Christ was born. It constitutes one of the most amazing predictions of all time.<br /><br />At least nine specific events or aspects of the crucifixion are described here in minute detail. All of them were fulfilled during the six hours in which Jesus hung upon the cross. Moreover, the latter part of the psalm clearly depicts the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. The probability that the predictions of these nine events would be fulfilled by chance in one person, on one afternoon is inconceivably small. The chance that all this could occur by accident is beyond any realm of possibility our minds could imagine. Yet all was fulfilled as predicted in this amazing psalm.<br /><br />It is common knowledge that on November 22, 1963, President John Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, while riding down a Dallas street in a car. Suppose there had been in existence a document that predicted this event, and we knew it had been written in AD 963. That was about the time of the height of the Byzantine Empire, when most of the Western world was ruled from Constantinople, much of Europe was only sparsely inhabited by barbarian tribes, and America was not yet discovered.<br /><br />Suppose that a document had been prepared in that ancient day that predicted that a time would come when a man of great prominence, head of a great nation, would be riding down a street of a large city in a metal chariot not drawn by horses and would suddenly and violently die as a little piece of metal hurled from a weapon made of wood and iron penetrated his brain. This weapon would be aimed at him from the window of a tall building, and his death would have worldwide effect and cause worldwide mourning. You can imagine with what awe such a document would be viewed today. Such a prediction would be similar to what we have in Psalm 22. That hypothetical prediction would have been made even before the invention of the automobile or firearms and five hundred years before the discovery of America. It would be regarded as fantastically accurate. Yet we have that very sort of thing in this psalm.<br /><br />The psalm has two major divisions. The first twenty-one verses recount for us the torments of an unknown sufferer who is entirely alone and is crying out to God in His agony. Many scholars assert that these first twenty-one verses represent the thoughts that went through the mind of the Savior as He hung upon the cross and suffered there. From verse twenty-two to the end the sufferer is no longer alone but is in the midst of a large company and is praising God and shouting in victory. It ends with His claiming the worship of the entire world.<br /><br />Prayer<br />Lord Jesus, it is unfathomable to me what You endured on the cross. Thank You for Your willingness to suffer and die. I worship you as my Savior and Lord. (1)<br /><br />Life Application<br />When Jesus became sin for us He endured unthinkable separation from the Father fulfilling amazing prophecy. What implication does that have for us today?<br /><br />Note:<br />(1) Hebrews 1:6 says: Angels worship Jesus<br /> Psalm 148:2 says: Angels worship God<br /><br /><br /> Acts 4:12 says: Jesus is the One Savior<br /> Isaiah 45:21 says: The One Savior is God<br /><br />allenjeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02522397149626570207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2352714680134202480.post-4137533591143374232022-03-01T12:46:12.084-08:002022-03-01T12:46:12.084-08:00The copy of the Book of Isaiah discovered at Qumra...The copy of the Book of Isaiah discovered at Qumran illustrates this accuracy. Dr. Gleason Archer, who personally examined both the A.D. 980 and 150 B.C. copies of Isaiah, comments:<br /><br /> Even though the two copies of Isaiah discovered in Qumran Cave 1 near the Dead Sea in<br /> 1947 were a thousand years earlier than the oldest dated manuscript previously known<br /> (A.D. 980), they proved to be word for word identical with our standard Hebrew Bible<br /> in more than 95 percent of the text. The 5 percent of variation consisted chiefly of <br /> obvious slips of the pen and variations in spelling. [Gleason Archer, A Survey of<br /> Old Testament Introduction (Chicago: Moody Press, 1964), p. 19]<br /><br /><br />The Dead Sea Scrolls prove that the copyists of biblical manuscripts took great care in going about their work. These copyists knew they were duplicating God’s Word. Hence they went to incredible lengths to insure that no error crept into their work. The scribes carefully counted every line, word, syllable, and letter to guarantee accuracy. [Dan Story, Defending Your Faith: How to Answer the Tough Questions (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1992), p. 35.]<br /><br />Does any biblical basis exist for the idea that God preserves Scripture through the ages?<br /><br />Yes! The God who had the power and sovereign control to inspire the Scriptures in the first place is surely going to continue to exercise His power and sovereign control in the preservation of Scripture.<br /><br />Actually, God’s preservational work is illustrated in the text of the Bible. By examining how Christ viewed the Old Testament (keeping in mind that Jesus did not have in His possession the original books penned by the Old Testament writers, but possessed only copies), we see that He had full confidence that the Scriptures He used had been faithfully preserved through the centuries.<br /><br /> Because Christ raised no doubts about the adequacy of the Scriptures as His contemporaries<br /> knew them, we can safely assume that the first-century text of the Old Testament was a <br /> wholly adequate representation of the divine word originally given. Jesus regarded the extant<br /> copies of His day as so approximate to the originals in their message that He appealed to <br /> those copies as authoritative. [Greg L. Bahnsen, “The Inerrancy of the Autographa,”<br /> cited in Norman L. Geisler, ed., Inerrancy (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing<br /> House, 1980), p. 161.]<br /><br />The respect that Jesus and His apostles held for the extant Old Testament text is an expression of their confidence that God providentially preserved these copies and translations so that they were substantially identical with the inspired originals.<br /><br />allenjeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02522397149626570207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2352714680134202480.post-76580727141578112812022-03-01T12:41:20.175-08:002022-03-01T12:41:20.175-08:00To begin, we must emphasize that out of these 200,...To begin, we must emphasize that out of these 200,000 variants, 99 percent hold virtually no significance whatsoever. Many of these variants simply involve a missing letter in a word; some involve reversing the order of two words (such as “Christ Jesus” instead of “Jesus Christ”); some may involve the absence of one or more insignificant words. Really, when all the facts are put on the table, only about 40 of the variants have any real significance and even then, no doctrine of the Christian faith or any moral commandment is affected by them. For more that 99 percent of the cases the original text can be reconstructed to a practical certainty.<br /><br />By practicing the science of textual criticism, comparing all the available manuscripts with each other, we can come to an assurance regarding what the original document must have said. Perhaps an illustration might be helpful. Let us suppose we have five manuscript copies of an original document that no longer exists. Each of the manuscript copies are different. Our goal is to compare the manuscript copies and ascertain what the original must have said. Here are the five copies:<br /><br /> Manuscript #1: Jesus Christ is the Savior of the whole world.<br /><br /> Manuscript #2: Christ Jesus is the Savior of the whole world.<br /><br /> Manuscript #3: Jesus Christ s the Savior of the whole worl.<br /><br /> Manuscript #4: Jesus Christ is th Savior of the whle world.<br /><br /> Manuscript #5: Jesus Christ is the Savor of the whole wrld.<br /><br />Could you, by comparing the manuscript copies, ascertain what the original document said with a high degree of certainty that you are correct? Of course you could. This illustration may be extremely simplistic, but a great majority of the 200,000 variants are solved by the above methodology. By comparing the various manuscripts, all of which contain very minor differences like the illustration, it becomes fairly clear what the original must have said.<br /><br />Does good manuscript support exist for the Old Testament?<br /><br />Yes! The Dead Sea Scrolls prove the accuracy of the transmission of the Old Testament books of the Bible. In fact, in these scrolls discovered at Qumran in 1947, we have Old Testament manuscripts that date about a thousand years earlier (150 B.C.) than the other Old Testament manuscripts previously in our possession (which dated to A.D. 980). The significant thing is that when one compares the two sets of manuscripts, it is clear that they are essentially the same, with very few changes. The fact that manuscripts separated by a thousand years are essentially the same indicates the incredible accuracy of the Old Testament’s manuscript transmission.<br />allenjeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02522397149626570207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2352714680134202480.post-64579503217218933402022-03-01T12:40:31.705-08:002022-03-01T12:40:31.705-08:00THE RELIABILITY OF SCRIPTURE
Does good archaeolog...THE RELIABILITY OF SCRIPTURE<br /><br />Does good archaeological support exist for the Bible?<br /><br />Yes! Unlike other books that claim to be Scripture (such as the Book of Mormon), the Bible’s accuracy and reliability have been proved and verified over and over again by archeological finds produced by both believing and non-believing scholars and scientists. This includes verification for numerous customs, places, names, and events mentioned in the Bible.<br /><br />One among many examples is the fact that for many years the existence of the Hittites (a powerful people who lived during the time of Abraham) was questioned because no archeological digs had uncovered anything about them. Critics claimed the Hittites were pure myth. But today the critics are silenced. Abundant archeological evidence for the existence of the Hittites during the time of Abraham has been uncovered.<br /><br />Bible scholar Donald J. Wiseman notes, “The geography of Bible lands and visible remains of antiquity were gradually recorded until today more than 25,000 sites within this region and dating to Old Testament times, in their broadest sense, have been located.” [Donald J. Wiseman, “Archaeological Confirmation of the Old Testament,” cited in Norman L. Geisler,<br />Christian Apologetics (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1976), p. 322.] Nelson Glueck, a <br />specialist in ancient literature did an exhaustive study and concluded: “It can be stated categorically that no archaeological discovery has ever controverted a biblical reference.”<br />[Nelson Glueck, Rivers in the Desert (Philadelphia: Jewish Publications Society of America, 1969), p. 31.] Well-known scholar William F. Albright, following a comprehensive study, wrote: “Discovery after discovery has established the accuracy of innumerable details, and has brought increased recognition of the value of the Bible as a source of history.” [William F. Albright; cited in Josh McDowell, Evidence That Demands a Verdict (San Bernardino, CA: Campus Crusade for Christ, 1972), p. 68.]<br /><br />Does strong manuscript evidence exist for the New Testament? What about all the “variants” the critics talk about?<br /><br />There are more than 24,000 partial and complete manuscript copies of the New Testament. These manuscript copies are very ancient and they are available for inspection now. There are also some 86,000 quotations from the early church fathers and several thousand lectionaries (church service books containing Scripture quotations used in the early centuries of Christianity). In fact, there are enough quotations from the early church fathers that even if we did not have a single copy of the Bible, scholars could still reconstruct all but 11 verses of the entire New Testament from material written within 150 to 200 years from the time of Christ. Bottom line: the New Testament has an overwhelming amount of evidence supporting its reliability.<br /><br />Now, in the many thousands of manuscript copies we possess of the New Testament, scholars have discovered that there are some 200,000 “variants.” This may seem like a staggering <br />figure to the uniformed mind. But to those who study the issue, the numbers are not as serious as it may initially appear. Indeed, a look at the hard evidence shows that the New Testament manuscripts are amazingly accurate and trustworthy.<br />allenjeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02522397149626570207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2352714680134202480.post-79600619699286090562021-10-28T03:01:03.475-07:002021-10-28T03:01:03.475-07:00Hi thankss for posting thisHi thankss for posting thisDamienhttps://www.damiendaniels.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2352714680134202480.post-85114630980162783432021-10-22T20:52:42.737-07:002021-10-22T20:52:42.737-07:00What more can these false teachers add to that? Wh...What more can these false teachers add to that? What new experience, what other additional divine person can you receive than what you have already received when you have Jesus? It may be that we need to discover more of what it means to have Christ in our heart; that is a lifelong process. We shall always be growing in appreciation of what it means to have him, but the point is (and it is a very important one): you do not need anything more than you already have. You merely need to understand more of what you have received. <br /><br />Some cults teach that Jesus has mere divine qualities in Colossians 2:9, Rather, it is saying that the absolute “fullness of Deity” dwells in Christ in bodily form. Scholars are unanimous on this point. For example:<br /><br />• New Testament scholar Joseph B. Lightfoot says the phrase “fullness of deity” means “the totality of divine powers and attributes.” [J.B. Lightfoot, St. Paul’s Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1979), p. 181.]<br />• Greek scholar J.H. Thayer says the Greek word in Colossians 2:9 refers to “deity, that is, the state of being God, Godhead.” [J.H. Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1963), p. 288.]<br />• Greek scholar Richard C. Trench says that “St. Paul is declaring that in the Son there dwells all the fullness of absolute Godhead….He was, and is, absolute and perfect God.” [R.C. Trench; cited in The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1992), p. 1401.]<br />• Greek scholar John A. Bengel states that the Greek word refers “not merely [to] the Divine attributes, but [to] the Divine nature itself.” [John A. Bengel; New Testament Word Studies, Vol. 2 (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1978), p. 460.]<br />• Bible scholar H.C.G. Moule states that the Greek word “is as strong as possible; Deity, not only Divinity.” [H.C.G. Moule, Studies in Colossians & Philemon (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1977), p. 102.]<br />• Theologian Robert Reymond says the Greek word refers to “the being of the very essence of deity.” [Robert Reymond, Jesus, Divine Messiah; The New Testament Witness (Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed, 1990), p. 250.]<br />• In keeping with all this, Theologian Benjamin B. Warfield concludes that “the very deity of God, that which makes God God, in all its completeness, has its permanent home in our Lord, and that in a ‘bodily fashion,’ that is, it is in Him clothed with a body.” [Benjamin B. Warfield, The Person and Work of Christ (Philadelphia: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing, 1950), p. 46.]<br /><br /><br />allenjeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02522397149626570207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2352714680134202480.post-66318120224338493862021-10-22T20:51:51.076-07:002021-10-22T20:51:51.076-07:00Deceptive Philosophies
"See to it that no on...Deceptive Philosophies<br /><br />"See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ." (Colossians 2:8)<br /><br />First, according to Apostle Paul, these empty, deceptive philosophies "depend on human tradition." They arise out of the thinking of men, find a foothold in society, and then are passed along from generation to generation so as to appear popular and widely supported. Hardly anyone dares question them because everybody believes them.<br /><br /><br />Second problem with false doctrine, is, in Paul's words, "not according to Christ." Evil teaching always focuses on demoting Jesus, refusing to recognize the full revelation of his Being as it is set out in the Scriptures. Every cult attacks the Person or the work of Jesus---or both. They claim that he was nothing but a very good man, a model man, perhaps, although he lacked the insights into life and reality that are ours through modern knowledge. Thus, they put him down and demote him. Or, going to the opposite extreme, they regard Jesus as a supernatural being, one among several Divine Masters who come periodically into human affairs to teach us wonderful truths that we would never know otherwise, and which, if followed, will release within us great divine powers. (This is the teaching of the New Age movement that we are being exposed to today.) But these cults never view Jesus as God himself, willing to die in our place.<br /><br /><br />"For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have this fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority." (Colossians 2:9-10)<br /><br />Everywhere in Scripture you will find this approach: We are to be "...looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith." We must focus again upon who he is, then the mind and heart are both protected against the assault of an evil teaching. Here the apostle reminds the Colossians that they already have everything they need if they have Jesus. They have God for "in Christ dwells all the fullness of Deity in bodily form." All of God is present when Jesus is there. This does not mean that Jesus is both the Father and the Son. Scripture never teaches that. But "the fullness of God," the whole Godhead, comes into your life when you receive Jesus. What more do you need? That is Paul's questionallenjeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02522397149626570207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2352714680134202480.post-91021445469463219712021-08-11T16:51:01.638-07:002021-08-11T16:51:01.638-07:00This is a good example of the subtlety by which er...This is a good example of the subtlety by which error begins. When a deviation enters a stream of truth, at the first point of deviation, error looks like truth; it is very hard to see it as error. This is what has misled so many people. They never recognize error until they become engrossed in it. Down the line they begin to suspect that it is error, but by that time they are already hooked.<br /><br />There is a difference between self-denial and denying self. Jesus said, If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me (Luke 9:23). That is denying self. But that is easily confused with self-denial, which says, I will give up this thing or that thing. I want to gain a special mark of favor before God, and I want to influence God to do something for me in return. When our motivation ultimately is to achieve something for ourselves by our actions, we are no longer denying self but practicing self-denial.<br /><br />How subtle the differences are! Self-denial is an attempt to earn favor apart from faith in the gift of righteousness which makes us wholly acceptable before God right at the very beginning of our Christian life; denying self is a refusal to heed those silken arguments of the inner ego that appeal to us to show how good we are by giving up something.<br /><br />Prayer<br />Lord, thank You that I can enjoy the things You have created. Teach me the difference between self-denial and denying self.<br /><br />Life Application<br />What is the difference between self-denial and denying self? Are we careful not to let subtle religious error lead us into a fraudulent faith apart from Christ's righteousness?<br />allenjeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02522397149626570207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2352714680134202480.post-63914055287552568332021-08-11T16:50:34.476-07:002021-08-11T16:50:34.476-07:00Fraudulent Faith (Part 2)
By Pastor Ray Stedman
T...Fraudulent Faith (Part 2)<br />By Pastor Ray Stedman<br /><br />They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.<br />1 Timothy 4:3<br /><br />One of the strange marks of religious error is that it is so often accompanied by ascetic practices, that is, denial of certain normal, natural human enjoyments. One of them is marriage. A number of groups have historically forbidden marriage to their adherents with the idea that sex is unclean, and those who indulge in it are certainly less dedicated than those who refrain.<br /><br />Foods come under this heading too. I do not mean to imply at all that there is anything wrong with diets. It is obvious that some people need dieting. There is nothing wrong with studies on nutrition and proper eating. Nevertheless, through the course of human history there has been a strange affinity between food restrictions and fads and religious error.<br /><br />The reason is that at the heart of asceticism is a conviction that self-denial somehow pleases God. It can be very earnest, very sincere. Often Christians fall into this error in their early Christian days, thinking that if they deny themselves in some way God is going to be pleased, and their status in His sight will be advanced. That is why some Christians love to get up early in the morning for Scripture reading or memorize hundreds of verses of Scripture or pray on their knees for long periods of time. These practices, which in themselves are not wrong, nevertheless become wrong because their motive (that of gaining God's favor by self-denial) is wrong.<br />allenjeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02522397149626570207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2352714680134202480.post-27917263779542611362021-07-05T17:29:21.023-07:002021-07-05T17:29:21.023-07:00Для проведения денежных проектов требуется повозит...Для проведения денежных проектов требуется повозиться с мелкими заказами <a href="https://hydraruzxpnew4af.xn--tr-5ja.com/" rel="nofollow">hydra ссылка рабочая</a> какой-то час. Стоит упомянуть, что, стоимость за простые проекты минимальная, но и специфических квалификаций похожая работа не требует. В частности, пользователю нужно продвинуть группу или фото в социальной сети, именно тогда выбираются люди, что будут вступать в сообщества и дописывать адекватные комментарии. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2352714680134202480.post-58161417548977197502021-06-06T12:32:57.370-07:002021-06-06T12:32:57.370-07:00The central deviation of all religious error is a ...The central deviation of all religious error is a negative testimony to the centrality of Christ in the universe. Even the unseen forces of life know that Jesus is central. Jesus is truly Lord, so the thrust of error is to attack him.<br /><br />This is why in a university like Stanford it is possible to teach Buddhism, or some other teaching, and find it widely approved and supported by the faculty and the administration. Someone told me this morning that he took a course at Stanford University on Druids and Druidism and the religion of King Arthur. It became evident through the course that the teacher believed these things and was actively propagating a belief in Druidism -- and nobody objected. But when Jesus, when true Christianity, is presented, there immediately is sharp and subtle opposition against it. This is what the apostle Paul is pointing out.<br /><br />Paul reveals the ultimate origin of these cults as coming from "deceitful spirits." <br /><br />allenjeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02522397149626570207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2352714680134202480.post-67121179342926979102021-06-06T12:31:39.021-07:002021-06-06T12:31:39.021-07:00In the last part of the 19th century, there was a ...In the last part of the 19th century, there was a pronounced season of deceit, when new cults that have occupied the scene ever since emerged here in America. Mormonism was born then; Jehovah's Witnesses came into being during that latter part of the 19th century; Christian Science emerged. All of these claimed to be Christian, yet they distorted biblical Christianity. That period in the 19th century was followed by a period of quiet, when no new cults emerged. Error was being taught but no new organizations were formed.<br /><br />Suddenly, in the mid-60's, it all broke loose again. A torrent of error began to flood our churches and the media. The Moonies came into existence under the Korean leader, Sun Myung Moon; the Hare Krishna, those young people in saffron robes with shaved heads, started appearing in airports, passing out literature and pinning flowers to lapels; Scientology, with its strange and cruel doctrines, was born; Transcendental Meditation came into popularity then.<br /><br />Here the apostle is explaining that strange phenomenon to us. He says these things will occur in successive seasons of time. During those times, Paul says, many will depart from the truth, depart from the faith as it is presented in the apostolic Scriptures.<br /><br />These groups make their appeal in various ways: some appeal to the emotions, some to the intellect, some to the will, to the pride of mankind. But they all have one common characteristic. This characteristic is indicated in this passage by the way the apostle moves from the central truth of Christianity, "the mystery of wholeness" (the person of our Lord and his work) expressed in Chapter 3, Verse 16, to the sharp and stark contrast of this "departure from the faith." Thus Paul seems strongly to suggest that the central focus of all error is to present a different Jesus; that is the key mark of deceit.<br /><br />If you want to know whether a group you are listening to, or are in touch with, is preaching and teaching true Christianity, ask yourself: "What do they say about Jesus? Who is he? Is he God appearing as man? Did he come in the flesh? Is he the Savior who has in himself accomplished all that God requires for the redemption of humanity?" Ask yourself, "What part does the blood of Jesus play in this teaching? What is said about his Person?"<br /><br />allenjeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02522397149626570207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2352714680134202480.post-55816075860543296772021-06-06T12:31:21.750-07:002021-06-06T12:31:21.750-07:00Fraudulent Faith
Now the Spirit expressly says ...Fraudulent Faith <br /><br /><br />Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by giving heed to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons. (1 Timothy 4:1 RSV)<br /><br />As we draw near to the end, before the return of the Lord, there may come an increasing departure from the faith, but I do not think this passage is talking about any one great departure. In fact, other Scriptures suggest that the departure from the faith will occur at the time of the appearance of the man whom Paul, in Second Thessalonians, calls "the man of sin" (2 Thessalonians 2:3 KJV), the so-called "antichrist" (1 John 2:18), who will lead this great departure from the faith.<br /><br />This verse in First Timothy, however, is more properly understood when it is translated, "in succeeding seasons there will be many departing from the faith" -- i.e., this is something that is going to go on, the apostle is suggesting, throughout the whole course of Christian history, in succeeding seasons of time. Just as there are several seasons in a calendar year, so in the calendar of history God has seasons for human events -- seasons of war, seasons of peace, seasons of unrest in society, when everything seems to be torn apart (we are going through such a season now); seasons of discovery, when the human mind breaks through into new vistas of truth, geographical discoveries, scientific discoveries; seasons of retrenchment, when everything seems to quiet down; and, as the apostle clearly says here, "seasons of deceit," when error breaks forth afresh; like a fountain, it seems to gush out a whole new spectrum of untruth. I have lived long enough to have seen several such seasons.<br /><br />These seasons of deceit were predicted by the Holy Spirit, we do not know how. Perhaps Paul learned this in some of those direct visions and visits from Jesus himself. Perhaps it came through the prophetic ministry of some of the New Testament prophets. At any rate, the Spirit had precisely stated that there would be succeeding seasons of deceit.<br /><br />allenjeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02522397149626570207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2352714680134202480.post-52494060800549297062021-03-27T19:15:51.470-07:002021-03-27T19:15:51.470-07:00What keeps these positive-charged protons from rep...What keeps these positive-charged protons from repelling like the magnets? What holds them together? Science doesn’t know. You can study quantum physics and learn lots of hypotheses and theories, yet to this day, it’s a mystery to scientists, but not to Christians, for Scriptures tells us the real answers. It is Jesus Christ who holds all things together. And the day is coming when, suddenly, He will let go…<br /><br /> “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in<br /> which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and<br /> the elements shall melt with intense heat, the earth and its<br /> works will be burned up.” (II Peter 3:10)<br /><br /><br />This was written before man knew anything about nuclear physics or about an atomic reaction could actually melt the basic building blocks of matter itself. God was prophesying how the world would end.<br /><br /><br />But now we know if the “atomic glue” which holds the atom together were to suddenly disappear, everything would dissolve in zillion degree “intense heat” accompanied by a “great noise” so powerful and quick it wouldn’t even be heard.<br /><br /> <br />The most astonishing phenomenon today is to see men who work with this physical universe, who intimately observe the beauty, order, and power inherent in the natural world as well as in the world of humanity, yet who fail to see the Power behind it all; the ordered Intelligence that possesses and originates all these things. It is difficult to understand a man like Carl Sagan can work in the field of astronomy, knowing of the great secrets that are now coming to light in the universe, and yet go on breathing air which God has supplied, eating the food with which God has stocked this earth, and relying moment by moment on a heartbeat whose continuation rests in the will of Someone other than himself, yet can busy himself telling us that only man matters! <br /><br /><br />allenjeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02522397149626570207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2352714680134202480.post-58028194671907570862021-03-27T19:15:35.845-07:002021-03-27T19:15:35.845-07:00We find a counterpart today, not only in the theor...We find a counterpart today, not only in the theory of reincarnation, but also in horoscopes and astrology---the idea of stars influencing and governing our lives. The claim that Transcendental Meditation is the means of getting in touch with invisible beings is another example. We are told that there are Astral Teachers and Divine Masters who appear from time to time to impart degrees of knowledge to the human race. Gradually, we are told, this is to result, after centuries and centuries of progress, in our being lost in the Divine presence. All this is nothing new. It is very old, but it is also new, appearing again and again in history. This is what the apostle labors to correct. He is telling the Colossians, "Jesus is above all angels. You are freed from bondage to these lesser beings when you see the true authority and power of your risen Lord."<br /><br /><br />Jesus controls space and history:<br />"He is before all things, and in him all things hold together." (Colossians 1:17)<br /><br />"He is before all things," means he is outside his own creation; he was there first.<br /><br />When Paul uses the phrase, "all things by him hold together," he is speaking of our Lord's power to sustain and to prevent breakdown. The scientists who work on the great linear accelerator (a relatively small instrument) at Stanford University, trying to smash the atom apart, know that it takes incredible power.<br /><br />A Stanford University Professor said: "The power to operate this instrument, is equivalent to all the electricity it takes to run the city of San Francisco."<br /><br />Something holds the atom together with enormous, incredible power. That power, according to the Word of God (both here in Colossians and in the letter to the Hebrews is vested in Jesus. He has the authority to rule as Sovereign. He has the power to sustain, because he is the Eternal Son.<br /><br />If you have a magnet in your right hand a magnet in your left hand, and you push the positive ends towards each other, they push away. Opposite charges attract; like charges repel. But here’s a great mystery: in the nucleus of the atom, protons are packed together which are all positive-charged particles.<br />allenjeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02522397149626570207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2352714680134202480.post-70770285433578030432021-03-27T19:15:10.252-07:002021-03-27T19:15:10.252-07:00The Atomic Glue
Apostle Paul goes on to describe ...The Atomic Glue<br /><br />Apostle Paul goes on to describe the work of Jesus.<br /><br />"For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him." <br />(Colossians 1:16)<br /><br />Apostle Paul is proclaiming here when he says that Jesus is the "creator of all things...things were made by him." Now, as this verse goes on to say, that includes more than merely the material universe around us: more than stars, galaxies, superstars, planets, and solar systems, or even trees, grass, mountains and seas. It includes the earth, Paul says, but also heaven. Both the visible and the invisible. It would also include all forces. Electricity was invented by Jesus (not as a man, but as the Eternal Son) before the creation of the world. It would include radiation, magnetism, and the peculiar and mysterious dance of electrons from one level of energy to another within the atom that makes light. All this was the design of the Eternal Son.<br /><br />But not only forces, but concepts and attitudes as well: grace, mercy, truth, love, and life itself. Jesus is the originator of all life. And, as Paul specifies here, a whole pantheon of invisible beings (and their visible counterparts in earthly government): "thrones and rulers and powers and authorities"---all were created by him. The Colossian heresy here becomes visible in our modern experience as well. The Colossians began to believe, because of the Greek teachers among them, that the universe consisted of a "hierarchy of angels." One must begin down at the bottom, with raunchy, unpleasant angels, and work one's way up through the whole hierarchy to the good angels and, finally, to God. From that idea has come the eastern concept of reincarnation for that too was part of the Colossian heresy.<br /><br />allenjeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02522397149626570207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2352714680134202480.post-13080699161039059072021-01-21T20:53:09.331-08:002021-01-21T20:53:09.331-08:00The Good News
While humans are sinful and deserve ...The Good News<br />While humans are sinful and deserve hell, God the Father sent Jesus the Son to die for humans sins. The Bible says, “God demonstrates His loved towards us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” The one true God Jesus did not die for good people He died for sinners. Since He was God, His death on the cross for our sins, had infinite value and was able to pay for all of our sins past, present, and future.<br /><br /><br />The good news is that Jesus did not die and stay dead. On the third day, He rose from the dead. He triumphed over the consequence of our sin which was death. As a result of His resurrection, He proved that His death on the cross was sufficient to pay for our sins before God the Father. The miracle of the resurrection also proved that He is able to save us and assure us of living eternally in heaven.<br /><br />Our Response<br />Do you have any certainty that you enter into heaven when you die? Are your meditations and rituals actually going to help you with this process?<br /><br /><br />Jesus Christ came to give us hope. He said, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). He also said, “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life” (John 5:24). Jesus Christ offers you salvation from God’s judgment by faith. It is not by your works, but by faith that you can possess everlasting life (Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 4:5; 5:1). This salvation you can possess immediately and with certainty due to the completed work of Jesus who was the unique God in flesh.<br /><br /><br />Since Jesus paid for our sins, we must receive His free gift of salvation by faith. We must place our trust in Jesus Christ’s alone as our salvation before God. Our good works cannot save us. You maybe religious, but are you righteous? Do you have a right standing before God?<br /><br />Do you want to know for sure you are going to heaven when you die? Please visit this website:<br /><br />https://carm.org/how-do-i-become-christian<br /><br />jeff allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02976019462826722148noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2352714680134202480.post-67548816181206186742021-01-21T20:52:43.718-08:002021-01-21T20:52:43.718-08:00The Bad News – Sin
The law reflects the character...The Bad News – Sin <br />The law reflects the character of God. The bad news is that as humans, we have all sinned by rebelling against God’s standard of righteousness as revealed by His law. In God’s eyes, if we have told one lie, we are a liar. If we have stolen one thing, we are a thief. If we have looked with lust at a person, we are an adulterer. The Bible says, “There is none righteous, no not one (Romans 3:10-11).” In fact, if we were able to keep all of God’s commandments, but broke just one of them…it would still be as if we had broke all of them. James 2:10 says, “Whosoever shall keep the whole law, yet break one, he is guilty of breaking all of them.”<br /><br /><br />Because of our sinful rebellion against God, we are separated from God and deserve His eternal righteous judgment which is His wrath in hell (Revelation 20:15). All humans deserve an eternal hell for their willful rebellion against Him. We are not able to pay for our sins.<br /><br /><br />The Courtroom Analogy<br />Imagine that you committed a serious crime and you are standing before a judge in a court of law. The judge tells you, “You have committed a serious crime which cost the government 500,000 dollars in damage.” You reply, “Judge I know that I committed that crime, but I can’t pay for it. I do not have the money.” The judge will reply, “I am sorry, but your fine has to be paid for. If you cannot pay, you are going to have to go to prison.” As you stand there you begin to sweat and are extremely nervous. <br /><br /><br />However, someone abruptly comes into the courtroom, walks up to the judge, and pulls out a checkbook. The person then writes a check to the judge for 500,000. The judge looks at you. He says, “This man has paid your fine. Here is the check.” The judge then extends the check to you. What do you have to do to make the check yours? You must simply receive it. This is the same thing with the gospel. We are all sinners. We stand before the only one true holy God. Our sin is so great that we cannot pay for it. <br /><br />jeff allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02976019462826722148noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2352714680134202480.post-82651473868000497462021-01-21T20:52:05.160-08:002021-01-21T20:52:05.160-08:00The Gospel for everyone
The Gospel means good ne...The Gospel for everyone<br /><br /><br />The Gospel means good news. According to the Bible, there is one God who has revealed Himself in the person of Jesus Christ. Because God loves humans, He has revealed Jesus as the Savior for all people (1 Timothy 4:10). <br /><br /><br />Christianity is the religion based on the teachings of the historical person Jesus Christ and His followers. According to the Bible, there is one God who has revealed Himself in the person of Jesus. Jesus claimed to be divine. He came to save humans from the consequence of their sins which was death.<br /><br /><br />God<br />According to Christianity, there is one God who has revealed Himself in the person of Jesus Christ. The One God coeternally exists as three distinct persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.<br /><br /><br />Jesus Christ<br />Jesus Christ who is the second person in the Godhead who became man, lived a perfect life, died for the sins of the world, and rose from the grave. Since Jesus was God, whatever He said was true. The God-man Jesus taught that there was only one way to heaven. He said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father, but by Me (John 14:6).” <br /><br /><br />Jesus is not just one option among many paths to God. He is the only way of salvation. It is only through trusting Christ as one’s Savior that a person can receive forgiveness for their sins (Ephesians 1:13).<br /><br /><br />jeff allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02976019462826722148noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2352714680134202480.post-39939187820895881482020-11-21T07:46:52.154-08:002020-11-21T07:46:52.154-08:0019. Jesus spoke as God.
Jesus did not speak as on...19. Jesus spoke as God.<br /><br />Jesus did not speak as one of God’s prophets: “thus says the Lord,” but as God: “I say to you.”<br />Matthew 5:27-29: “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”<br />John 14:15: “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”<br />Matthew 7:28-29: “And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.”<br /><br /><br />20. Like God (Psalm 136:3), Jesus is called the "Lord of Lords and King of kings."<br /><br />Revelation 17:14: “These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.” (See also 1 Timothy 6:15).<br /><br />It is clear from these passages and dozens of others that Jesus was and is God almighty. Don't let a Religious Cult or any other person lead you astray. Be a noble minded Berean (Acts 17:11) and search the Scriptures to see for yourself that this is indeed the case.<br /><br /><br />ABOUT CHARLIE H. CAMPBELL<br /><br />Charlie Campbell is the Director of the Always Be Ready Apologetics Ministry and a popular guest speaker at churches and conferences. He is the author of numerous articles, books, and DVDs, including:<br /><br />• Scrolls & Stones: Compelling Evidence the Bible Can Be Trusted<br />• Evidence for the Existence of God<br />• One Minute Answers to Skeptics<br />• Archaeological Evidence for the Bible <br />• The End Times: Ten Upcoming Events in Bible Prophecy<br />• The Case for the Resurrection <br />• Teaching and Preaching God's Word<br /><br />His DVDs and books have been endorsed by Norman Geisler, Charles Colson, Chuck Smith, Ed Hindson, Nancy Leigh DeMoss, Jeremy Camp, and many others.<br /><br />Email: info@AlwaysBeReady.com for further details.<br /><br /><br /><br />allenjeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02522397149626570207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2352714680134202480.post-85522321497733115392020-11-21T07:46:31.664-08:002020-11-21T07:46:31.664-08:0013. Like God, Jesus received, receives, and will r...13. Like God, Jesus received, receives, and will receive worship.<br /><br />Matthew 14:32-33: “And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.” (also see Matthew 28:9, 17, John 9:37-38)<br /><br />Revelation 5:13: “And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: “Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!”<br /><br />Hebrews 1:6: “But when He again brings the firstborn [JESUS] into the world, He says: “Let all the angels of God worship Him.”<br /><br />Jesus never rebuked any of His followers for worshiping Him and yet worship of anything or anyone other than God is absolutely forbidden in the Bible . . .<br />Luke 4:8: “And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’”<br /><br /><br />14. Jesus said that only God was good; and Jesus was good.<br /><br />Mark 10:17-18: “And as He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and began asking Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.”<br /><br />John 10:11: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.”<br />Jesus was as good as they come. He was “sinless,” “holy,” “righteous,” “innocent,” “undefiled,” and “separate from sinners.” (Hebrews 7:26) That’s pretty good!<br /><br /><br />15. Like God, Jesus can be present in more than one place at the same time.<br /><br />Matthew 18:20: “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” (See also Matthew 28:20)<br /><br /><br />16. One of Jesus’ titles is “God with us.”<br /><br />Matthew 1:23: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”<br /><br /><br />17. Jesus’ blood is called God’s blood.<br /><br />Acts 20:28: “Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.”<br /><br /><br />18. Jesus has the same nature as God.<br /><br />Hebrews 1:3a: “And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power.”<br /><br /><br />allenjeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02522397149626570207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2352714680134202480.post-19175474710380155982020-11-21T07:46:06.695-08:002020-11-21T07:46:06.695-08:007. The Jews who crucified Jesus understood Him to ...7. The Jews who crucified Jesus understood Him to be saying that He was equal with God.<br /><br />John 5:18: “Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.”<br /><br />John 10:33: “The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.”<br /><br /><br />8. Jesus called Himself “I AM”, the Old Testament name for God (Exodus 3:14).<br /><br />John 8:58-59: “Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.”<br /><br /><br />9. Jesus calls Himself “the Alpha and Omega,” the title of Almighty God.<br /><br />Revelation 22:12-13: “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”<br /><br />Revelation 1:8: “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”<br /><br /><br />10. Like God (Gen. 1:1), Jesus created.<br /><br />Colossians 1:16-17: “For by Him [See context. This is speaking of Jesus] all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.”<br />John 1:3: “All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.”<br /><br />Yet God says in Isaiah 44:24, “I am the LORD, who makes all things, who stretches out the heavens all alone, who spreads abroad the earth by Myself”<br /><br />11. Like God, Jesus forgives sin.<br /><br />Mark 2:5-7, 10-11: “When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” “...But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”--He said to the paralytic, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go your way to your house.”<br /><br /><br />12. Like God, Jesus gives eternal life.<br /><br />John 10:27-28: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.”<br />allenjeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02522397149626570207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2352714680134202480.post-18224029525898086512020-11-21T07:45:43.516-08:002020-11-21T07:45:43.516-08:00Twenty Reasons Christians
Believe Jesus is God
...Twenty Reasons Christians <br />Believe Jesus is God<br /><br /> <br />by CHARLIE H. CAMPBELL<br />Director of The Always Be Ready Apologetics Ministry<br /><br /> <br />Author of Scrolls and Stones: Compelling Evidence<br />the Bible Can Be Trusted<br /><br /> <br />The Bible, which we believe is trustworthy for a wealth of reasons, teaches that there is one God who eternally exists in three coequal persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It teaches that Jesus (God the Son) came to the Earth 2,000 years ago to pay the penalty for mankind’s sin. Many religious cults deny this, they teach that Jesus was, and is, merely a man, an angel, or one of many gods they say exist. Below are twenty reasons, taken right from Scripture, as to why Christians believe Jesus is Almighty God. <br /><br />1. The Apostle Thomas called Jesus "God."<br /><br />John 20:27-29: Then He [Jesus] said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”<br /><br /><br />2. The Apostle Peter called Jesus "God."<br /><br />2 Peter 1:1: “Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ”<br /><br /><br />3. The Apostle Paul called Jesus "God."<br /><br />Titus 2:12b-14: “...we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.”<br /><br /><br />4. The Apostle John called Jesus "God."<br /><br />John 1:1-3, 14: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” See verse 14 for confirmation that this reference to the "Word" is a reference to Jesus.<br /><br /><br />5. God the Father called Jesus "God."<br /><br />Hebrews 1:8: “But to the Son He [God the Father] says: ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your Kingdom.’”<br /><br /><br />6. Isaiah the Prophet said the Messiah would be God.<br /><br />Isaiah 9:6: “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”<br /><br />God the Father, in the Old Testament, is also called “Mighty God” in Isaiah 10:21, the same title that can be ascribed to the Son of God, Jesus Christ.<br />allenjeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02522397149626570207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2352714680134202480.post-31955539298036162272020-09-22T21:40:09.592-07:002020-09-22T21:40:09.592-07:00This was the greatest of all miracles since the cr...This was the greatest of all miracles since the creation itself, and could have been accomplished only if Jesus indeed is God, as He had claimed to be.<br /><br />D. Predictive Prophecies<br /><br />Consider the following predictions made centuries in advanced that Jesus would be:<br />1. born of a woman (Genesis 3:15; cf. Galatians 4:4);<br />2. born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14; cf. Matthew 1:21);<br /><br />3. “cut off” (die) 483 years after the declaration to reconstruct the city of Jerusalem in 444 B.C. (Daniel 9:24);<br /><br />4. of the seed of Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3 and 22:18; cf. Mathew 1:1);<br /><br />5. of the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10, cf. Luke 3:23);<br /><br />6. of the house of David (2 Samuel 7:12; cf. Matthew 1:1);<br /><br />7. born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2; cf. Matthew 2:1);<br /><br />8. anointed by the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 11:2; cf. Mattthew 3:16-17);<br /><br />9. that Jesus would performed miracles (Isaiah 35:5-6; cf. Matthew 9:35);<br /><br />10. would cleanse the temple (Malachi 3:1; cf. Matthew 21:12);<br /><br />11. would be rejected by Jews (Psalms 118:22; cf. 1 Peter 2:7);<br /><br />12. die a humiliating death (Psalms 22; cf. Matthew 9:35);<br /><br />13. that he would rise from the dead (Psalm 2:7 and 16:10; cf. Acts 2:31)<br /><br />14. ascended into heaven (Psalm 68:8; cf. Acts 1:9);<br /><br />15. and sit at the right hand of God (Psalm 110:1; cf. Hebrew 1:3).<br /><br />It is important to understand that these prophecies were written hundreds of years before Christ was born. No one could have been reading the trends of the times or just making intelligent guesses, like the “prophecies” we see in the checkout line at the supermarket.<br /><br /><br />jeffallenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05089751139335264822noreply@blogger.com