|
 Why
should anybody choose to be a Christian? Is
Christianity just a choice one makes when choosing a
religion, akin to choosing a car or a house? How
can somebody just choose a religion?
There are many religions, why should
anybody have to choose to become part of a
religion? Why can’t somebody be just a good ethical
person, doing good, but not having any religion?
For example, somebody could believe based on
science, God does not exist, can’t that person just
be good, helping others, what’s wrong in not
choosing a religion? Why does somebody need to put
a label on him or herself saying Buddhist, Muslim,
Mormon, Christian, etc?
The Purpose of Religion and Science
Ultimately, the purpose of religion is
an attempt to answer the questions of life. Who am
I? Where did I come from? Is there something beyond
this life? Does God exist? Who is God, if God
exists? Where did matter come from? Who or what
caused the universe? Am I required to do
anything? Religion addresses these questions and
more, instructing the follower what must and must
not be done. The word religion comes from the word,
religare, meaning to restrain, tie back.
Religion is not alone in this quest for meaning
and truth.
Science also is searching for answers to
many of these very same questions. How did the
universe come into existence? How did life form?
Is there anything beyond life? If the scientist
feels there is no intelligence designer (God) who
made the universe, what’s purpose in joining a
religion?
Science and religion both attempt to
find answers to the same questions, with a different
basis. Science explores the questions of life from
a natural backdrop, religion from a
super-natural basis. These questions, science
and religion attempt to answer can be summed up as
follows.
Ø
Who are we?
Ø
Where did we come from?
Ø
Where are we going?
The Search for Truth
Science and religion both claim to be on
the quest for “Truth”. Truth means what is real,
what is actual as opposed to what is not real or
factual. Logic dictates the need for truth. For
example, the existence of human and animal life is a
fact. How did this life come into existence? Both
religion and science attempt to answer this
explaining the “Truth” of life.
Take for example, the evolutionist, he
believes life came into existence through a series
of random mutations without the help of supernatural
intelligence (God). Christianity believes life was
created by God both views cannot be true, since both
views contradict each other. This is a principle of
logic, contradictory positions cannot both be true.
God cannot exist and not exist, since one view
negates the other.
The Buddhist believes Buddha was
enlightened, he believes Buddha received information
which was “True” or real. The Muslim believes
Mohammed received “Truth” from God and this
revelation was written down in the Quran. The
Christian believes Jesus was the Son of God, who
died for the sins of mankind. The Atheist believes
there is no God, matter and life came into existence
apart from God.
Each one of these groups feel they have “Truth”.
Since many of the beliefs contradict each other,
they cannot all be true.
Since everybody cannot be right, is
there a way to find out who has the “Truth”? Can we
examine the facts and determine, what is truth?
Is
Truth important?
Is
there life after death? Does God exist? Does
this life matter? These are important questions,
and based on what we believe the answers (Truth)
are, we make choices.
For example, if someone believes the
truth is, “No God exists” and “This life is all
there is” she might invest her life in what this
world can offer, and not worry about what happens
after death. The Christian missionary who believes
this life is temporary and eternity in heaven,
follows death might forsake his life in a hostile
country, to tell people about Jesus because he
believes his life is in heaven. We all act on our
belief, what we think is true.
If someone does not believe, knowing
whether what happens following death is important;
they don’t pursue the issue. Here lies the problem,
How can we know if it is important or not? We need
to examine the evidence for “Truth” If the evidence
shows, what happens after death is not important
then why worry about death? However, if the
evidence shows there is life beyond death, and the
events in our present life determine our eternity,
then we should pursue the truth, so we can know what
to do.
The person who thinks death is
unimportant might think “If you are not going
anywhere, then why worry about where you are
going?” However, if you are going somewhere (Heaven
or Hell), then you might worry about death, and what
follows. You might look for a map, because the map
tells you what choices you must make along the road,
so you can arrive at your destination. The map in
many ways is like Truth, if you have truth, you can
know the way. So if Heaven or Hell is a real place,
it would be important to know how to go Heaven and
not go to Hell. The question is “Should we worry
about what happens after death?”
Jesus said you should, Jesus makes the following
comment regarding the importance of the souls final
destination.
He
says value of the soul to each individual is greater
then gaining the whole world.
"For what profit is it to a man if he gains the
whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a
man give in exchange for his soul?
Matthew 16:26
Is
the statement by Jesus Christ true? If
Christianity is false, then the words of Jesus
should not be heeded, but Jesus is right, and Hell
is real then nothing is more important then finding
the truth.
Jesus claims to the only way for salvation.
Christianity
claims to be the Truth, In fact, Jesus claims to be
the “Exclusive Truth” meaning the only way to God is
through Him. Secondly, Jesus said those who believe
on him will not perish but have eternal life, be
saved. These are strong, clear-cut statements, but
are they True? Is there evidence behind the claims
of Jesus being truth?
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the
life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
John 14:6
15
"that whoever believes in Him should not perish but
have eternal life. 16 "For God so loved the world
that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish but have
everlasting life. 17 "For God did not send His Son
into the world to condemn the world, but that the
world through Him might be saved
John 3:15-17
What do you need to do to be saved?
Saved, saved from what? Someone might
ask. According to the Bible, man created in the
image of God, is eternal like God. Those created
will never cease to exist. The question is where
will they exist? God is without sin, and sin must
be paid for, the only way for someone to pay for sin
is with their own life. Those who die in their sins
will be separated from God. God understanding the
hopeless condition of man sent Jesus Christ, His
Son, from Heaven, to pay for our sins on the cross.
When someone accepts God’s gift of salvation, his or
her sins are paid for by the work of Christ.
16
He saw that there was no man, And wondered that
there was no intercessor; Therefore His own arm
brought salvation for Him; And His own
righteousness, it sustained Him. 17 For He put on
righteousness as a breastplate, And a helmet of
salvation on His head; He put on the garments of
vengeance for clothing, And was clad with zeal as a
cloak.
Isaiah 59:16-17 (710 B.C.)
Seven hundred years before Jesus was born the
prophet Isaiah wrote about Jesus, and how his death
would pay for the sins of all humanity. Scripture
refers to Jesus as the “Arm of the Lord” both in
Isaiah 53:1 and 59:16. God, through the person of
Jesus interceded on our behalf because our situation
was hopeless.
God entered our world in the body of man, to die for
our sins, so we could be made righteous with God.
The Lord has made bare His holy arm In the
eyes of all the nations; And all the ends of the
earth shall see The salvation of our God.
Isaiah 52:10Who
has believed our report? And to whom has the arm
of the Lord been revealed?
Isaiah 53;1
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1. We are separated from God.
"For as the heavens are higher than the
earth, So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts.
Isaiah 55:9
Can anyone hide himself in secret places, So
I shall not see him?" says the Lord; "Do I
not fill heaven and earth?" says the Lord.
Jeremiah 23:24
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2. Our sins separate us from God
But your iniquities have separated you from
your God; And your sins have hidden His face
from you, So that He will not hear.
Isaiah 59:2
"As it is written, There is none righteous,
no, not one... For all have sinned, and come
short of the glory of God"
Romans 3:10,23. |
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3. Our sin brings Judgment and Death
Therefore, just as through one man sin
entered the world, and death through sin,
and thus death spread to all men, because
all sinned
Romans 5:12
"Behold, all souls are Mine; The soul of the
father As well as the soul of the son is
Mine; The soul who sins shall die.
Ezekiel 18:4
for all have sinned and fall short of the
glory of God,
Romans 3:23 |
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4. Jesus Christ came to pay for our sins
"For God so loved the world that He gave His
only begotten Son, that whoever believes in
Him should not perish but have everlasting
life.
John 3:16
5. But He was wounded for our
transgressions, He was bruised for our
iniquities; The chastisement for our peace
was upon Him, And by His stripes we are
healed.
6. All we like sheep have gone astray; We
have turned, every one, to his own way; And
the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us
all.
Isaiah 53:5-6 |
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5. Those who receive Jesus are forgiven of
sin
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift
of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our
Lord.
Romans 6:23
"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears
My word (Jesus) and believes in Him who sent
Me has everlasting life, and shall not come
into judgment, but has passed from death
into life.
John 5:24 |
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6. We must choose to accept Jesus Christ
"For whosoever shall call upon the name of
the Lord shall be saved" Romans 10:13
How does someone accept Jesus as Savior?
A simple sincere prayer, with a willing
heart is all that is required.
"Dear Lord, I know that I am a sinner and
cannot save myself. Right now I turn from my
sin and accept You alone for my salvation.
Thank you for saving me. In Jesus Name,
Amen." |
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Is
Christianity the Truth?
To
evaluate whether Christianity is true and Jesus is
the Son of God as He claims its important to
understand the background, beliefs and evidence
of Christianity.
1.
Background of Christianity
1.
A. Old Testament
The word Christianity comes from the
word Christ. Christ is the Greek word for
xyXm
Mashiyach (Messiah),
meaning anointed or anointed one. Though the word
messiah is used for priests and kings, the Old
Testament pointed to the coming of an ultimate
Messiah, an individual who would come and restore
the world to a condition of righteousness and judge
sin. Christianity believes Jesus of Nazareth is the
Messiah of Israel foretold by Israel’s prophets. The
prophets listed specific events and qualifications
which could only be fulfilled by one man. Jesus
Christ fulfilled these qualifications demonstrating
himself as the Messiah.
Christianity therefore considers itself
the fulfillment of Judaism, Jesus being the Messiah
foretold by the Jewish prophets. The Messiah would
come into the world and restore humanities’
relationship with God.
When Israel rejected Jesus as Messiah, God extended
the blessings of the Messiah, to the non-Jewish
nations (The Gentiles). His rejection by Israel was
foretold before Jesus came, and Israel future
acceptance of Jesus is also foretold. Jesus being
identified as “me whom they pierced”, came the first
time to suffer and die for the sins of the world, he
will come the second time in glory and power to rule
the nations. In the end the nations will come
against Israel, and Israel will cry out to Jesus
Christ as their Messiah.
"And I will pour on the house of David and on the
inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and
supplication; then they will look on Me whom they
pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one
mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one
grieves for a firstborn.
Zechariah 12:10
God revealed His word through the
descendents of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. These
descendents known as Israel, named after Jacob who
was renamed Israel. Jacob’s had twelve sons whose
descendents became known as the 12 tribes of Israel
(See attached chart). Through Israel, God would
make his plan of redemption, through the Messiah
(Christ) known to the whole world.
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Summary of The Old
Testament (Tanach) |
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Creation
to
Noah’s Flood
Genesis 1-9
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God created the heavens and the earth and
mankind in 6-days and rested on the 7th day.
God created the first man and woman, Adam
and Eve. They had “Free Will” to obey or
disobey God. They choose to reject God’s
command and listen to Satan, a fallen angel.
By rejecting God’s command, mankind became
fallen and corrupt. God however promised a
Messiah who would redeem man and
restore him. (Genesis 3;15). Man’s corrupt
nature caused God to bring judgment on the
whole human race, causing a flood to kill
human and animal life. Noah, his family
and all the living animals who entered the
arc (the boat Noah built) were spared from
God’s judgment.
Everybody alive today is a descendent of
Noah and his family.
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From
the Flood to Egyptian captivity
2500
B.C.
To
1450
B.C
Genesis 10-50
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Following the flood, The arc landed in the
mountains of Ararat (Armenia), from there,
man as one tribe traveled to the lands of
Babylon. As one people, humanity again
began to rebel against God, so God caused a
confusion in language between Noah’s
descendents. This confusion caused
humanity to be dispersed over the earth
forming the different nations.
Abraham left Ur, a city in Babylon, for
Mt. Moriah (Jerusalem) at God’s
instruction. God promised to make a great
nation out of Abraham. Isaac, Abraham’s son,
had two sons Jacob and Esau. Jacob had 12
sons, who would later become the nation of
Israel.
Joseph, Jacob’s second youngest son was
sold by his brothers into Egypt. In Egypt,
he became prime minister. Famine struck the
land of Canaan (Israel) forcing his brothers
to come to Egypt for food. There, they met
their brother who was sold as a slave years
earlier. Joseph forgave his brothers and
they settled in the land of Egypt with
Joseph. Over the next 400 years they
multiplied to over 1,000,000 souls and
subsequently became oppressed in the land of
Egypt as slaves of a new Pharaoh. The cried
out to God for rescue, and God sent them
Moses, A Hebrew raised in Pharaoh house.
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From
Egypt to Babylon
1450
B.C.
To
539
B.C.
Exodus to II Kings
Including Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel
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Moses, representing God to Pharaoh,
delivered plagues on Egypt, Pharaoh agreed
to release Israel from Egyptian slavery.
Moses led the descendents of Jacob (Israel)
back to the land of Canaan. On the way,
Israel rebelled against Moses and wanted to
return to Egypt. They were forced to wander
in the wilderness of Sinai under Moses’
leadership for the next 40 years, until the
rebellious generation died.
Joshua, would succeed Moses
and lead Israel into Canaan. Israel
conquered and settled a portion of land and
established a confederacy of tribes after
the 12 sons of Jacob. God ruled the tribes
through judges. The people requested a king
like the other nations, and God gave them
Saul as their first king, followed by
David. David conquered the city of
Jerusalem from the Jebusites, making it the
City of David. Through prophets, God
established David’s throne as an eternal
throne later to be ruled by his descendent,
the Messiah, who would one day rule
the world with Jerusalem as the capital city
of the earth. Solomon, David’s son would
build the Temple on Mt. Moriah, becoming
known as Solomon’s Temple
Eventually Israel tuned away
from the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and
started worshipping the idols in the land of
Canaan, Baal, Ashtorah, Chemosh, etc. God
warned Israel through prophets, letting
Israel know these practices would result in
destruction. The people rejected these
messeages through Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea,
Micah and others, and continued their idol
worship.
God responded by sending the
armies of Assyria in 722 B.C. to take the
northern part of Israel captive to the lands
of Assyria. From 605-586 B.C. the
Babylonians, destroyed Jerusalem and
Solomon’s Temple taking those who were left
into Babylon for a period of 70 years. At
the end of 70 years, the Persians defeated
Babylon under Cyrus the Great, he allowed
the Jews to return to the land of Israel.
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From Babylon to The
Maccabees
539
B.C.
To
4
B.C.
Daniel to Malachi
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In Babylon, Israel was humbled becoming
servants of the Babylonians. However in
Babylon, God raised up prophets like Daniel
who became the prime minister of Babylon
under king Nebuchadnezzar. Through Daniel,
God revealed his future plans for Israel and
the world, and the coming of His Messiah.
Giving the exact month, year and day of his
death (Daniel 9;24-27)
In 539 B.C. Cyrus the Great,
head of a Persian-Median kingdom defeated
Babylon. He allowed the Jews to return to
the land of Israel and rebuild their
Temple. In 516 B.C., seventy years after
the Temple was destroyed, the Second
Temple was completed. During this
period God spoke through the prophets,
Zechariah, Haggai, Malachi to encourage
Israel about the coming plan of redemption
through the Messiah.
Alexander the Great, as
foretold in the book of Daniel, conquered
the Persian kingdom in 331 B.C., the Greeks
took control of Israel. After Alexander
death, his kingdom was divided between his 4
generals. The generals Ptolemy and Seleucid
became the progenitors of two kingdoms which
fought for control of Israel, the
Selucids and Ptolemies.
Eventually in 165 B.C.,
Antiochus Epiphanies, a Seleucid, tried to
destroy the Jewish identity by setting up an
idol of Zeus and sacrificing a pig in the
Second Temple on Mt. Moriah, he forced the
Jews to adopt Greek customs. This caused a
revolt leading to independent Jewish state
for about 100 years, the Maccabean
Kingdom. Feuding between Jewish rulers
caused them to invite Roman arbitration,
General Pompey conquered Jerusalem in 63
B.C., the Romans would later install Herod
the Edomite as ruler over Palestine, this
began Roman rule over Israel in the time of
Jesus Christ. Herod the Great died in the
year 4 B.C.
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1.
B. New Testament
Jesus Christ was born approximately 4 B.C., before
the death of Herod the Great, the Edomite installed
by Rome to rule over Palestine. Jesus was born in
the city of Bethlehem, fulfilling the words of Micah
5:2
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Summary of the New Testament |
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Birth of
Jesus Christ
To
Ministry years.
4 B.C. to
A.D. 30 |
Jesus was born in the city of Bethlehem
fulfilling the words of Micah 5:2, who 700
years earlier foretold the coming Messiah
from the city. Joseph and Mary were
required to go to Bethlehem because Romans
were taking a census. Mary was with child,
but not by Joseph, but by the Holy Spirit.
Inside Mary, was Jesus Christ (Messiah) who
was God incarnate, God taking upon Himself,
human flesh, to be born into the world, to
redeem humankind. Again fulfilling what was
foretold by the prophet Isaiah 700 years
earlier, “A virgin shall conceive” (Isaiah
7:14)
About 2 years after his birth, three Magi
from the East, looking for the King of Jews,
the Messiah, followed a star leading them to
Jerusalem. In Jerusalem, they were told to
go to Bethlehem referring to the birthplace
of the Messiah according to scripture.
Joseph then left Bethlehem for Egypt to
escape Herod’s plans. Following this, Herod
worried about losing his throne killed all
the male children 2-years and younger.
After Herod’s death, Joseph returned from
Egypt and settled in Nazareth. Following the
settlement of Joseph, Mary and Jesus in
Nazareth, little is known about the next 30
years except an incident when Jesus went to
Jerusalem at Passover, and was left behind
by his family at the Temple at the age of
12 (Luke 2:41-49). |
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Ministry Years
A.D. 30
To
A.D. 33 |
In 15th year of the Reign of
Tiberius Caesar,
about A.D. 29 John the Baptist began his
ministry as a precursor to the Messiah (Luke
3:1). Jesus’ ministry would follow John the
Baptist. Christ’s ministry lasted for three
3 ½ years. During this time Jesus presented
Himself as
Israel’s Messiah, performing signs, healing
the blind, lame and deaf, raising the dead.
Israel rejected Jesus as their Messiah
fulfilling what prophets foretold would
happen, hundreds of years before Jesus was
even born. Jesus came to die for the sins
of the world as the prophets Isaiah and
Daniel foretold. (Isaiah 52:13-53:12, Daniel
9:24-27)
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Passover
A.D.33 |
On Passover A.D. 33, Jesus was crucified on
the cross, the exact date Messiah was
cut-off was foretold by Daniel the prophet
539 years before His birth (Daniel
9:24-27). The Messiah was cut-off to pay
for the sins of the world. Jesus became our
Passover lamb, paying for our sins.
Jesus foretold the destruction of the
Temple following his rejection by Israel
(Matthew 23:37-24:1)
Before Jesus was crucified, He told of a
day when he will come back with glory and
power to judge the world. He will sit on the
throne of His glory and judge the nations.
(Matthew 24:30, 25:30) And Israel would in
the future accept Him as their Messiah.
(Matthew 23:39) |
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The Church
Pentecost A.D. 33
To the Present
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After Jesus was received into Heaven (Acts
1:10-11), 50 days after Passover, on
Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came on the
disciples in power (Acts 2). From Jerusalem
the disciples began to spread the message of
the Gospel. The “Good News” was Jesus’
death on the cross paid for the sins of all
mankind, and by accepting Jesus as Lord and
Savior your sins will be forgiven.
The word Gospel means “Good News” the
good news is your sins can be forgiven
through what Jesus did on the cross.
This message is essence of Christianity,
1. God became man in the person of Jesus
Christ to pay for the sins of the world.
2. By accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and
Savior, you receive the gift of eternal life
by the work of Christ on the cross.
3. Jesus will return in glory and power at
His 2nd coming, at which time
Israel will acknowledge Him as their Messiah
rejected at His first coming.
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2.
The Beliefs of Christianity
The beliefs of Christianity are based on both the
Old and New Testaments. Both parts are considered
equally inspired by God, through his servants the
prophets, who recorded the words in the original
autograph. The autograph was then copied via
manuscripts and transmitted over time, until the
printing press, when manuscripts were copied by
mechanical means.
The original manuscripts were inerrant (without
error), through the transmission process some
transmission errors can be found in translations
today. These transmission errors are minimal and do
not effect the message in anyway.
With the existence of numerous Old Testament (Hebrew
and Aramaic) and New Testament (Greek) manuscripts,
this accuracy can be verified. The recent discovery
of the Dead Sea Scrolls, confirmed the nearly
flawless transmission of the Hebrew Manuscripts over
time.
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Some basic
essential Christian beliefs |
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God |
Christianity believes there is only one
God. God created the heavens and the earth
and created all life. God has identified
Himself, as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
one God as three persons (Trinity).
Tell and bring forth your case; Yes, let
them take counsel together. Who has declared
this from ancient time? Who has told it from
that time? Have not I, the Lord? And
there is no other God besides Me, A just
God and a Savior; There is none besides Me.
Isaiah 45:21 |
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Jesus |
Christianity believes Jesus Christ is the
Messiah of Israel who came and suffered as
the scriptures foretold. (Isaiah
52:13-53:12) The Messiah would be the Son
of God, God incarnate as foretold by
scripture. He would come to rule on David’s
throne, as a descendent of David, son of
David and Son of God.
"I will declare the decree: The Lord has
said to Me, 'You are My Son, Today I have
begotten You.
Psalm 2:7
He was taken from prison and from judgment,
And who will declare His generation? For He
was cut off from the land of the living; For
the transgressions of My people He was
stricken.
Isaiah 53:8
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.
Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end, Upon the throne of
David and over His kingdom, To order it
and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever. The
zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
Isaiah 9:6-7 |
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Death |
Christianity believes we only have one
life. When someone dies, there are no
second chances. The only exceptions being
miracles when the dead were brought back to
life, to demonstrate Christ’s power over
death. For example, Lazarus was brought back
to life, John 11.
And as it is appointed for men to die once,
but after this the judgment,
Hebrews 9;27 |
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Sins |
Those who accept Christ as Lord and Savior,
receive forgiveness of sins. Jesus paid for
everyone sins on the cross, but only those
who accept the gift receive the gift.
7 But if we walk in the light as He is in
the light, we have fellowship with one
another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His
Son cleanses us from all sin.
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive
ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If
we confess our sins, He is faithful and just
to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness. 8 If we say that
we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and
the truth is not in us. I John 1:7-9
For our transgressions are multiplied before
You, And our sins testify against us; For
our transgressions are with us, And as for
our iniquities, we know them:
Isaiah 59:12 |
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Heaven |
After death, the saved go into Heaven, to be
with Christ, not because of their
righteousness but Christ’s righteousness.
We someone accepts Christ, their sins are
paid for and they receive Christ’s
righteousness.
22 But if I live on in the flesh, this will
mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall
choose I cannot tell. 23 For I am hard
pressed between the two, having a desire to
depart and be with Christ, which is far
better.Philippians 1:22-23
"And if I go and prepare a place for you, I
will come again and receive you to Myself;
that where I am, there you may be also. John
14:3 |
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Hell |
Hell is a real place. People, who die in
their sins, go there to await the judgment
of humanity. There are no second chances
for those in hell. Jesus talked twice as
much about Hell then about Heaven, to warn
people it’s a real place.
22 The rich man also died and was buried. 23
"And being in torments in Hades (Hell), he
lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off,
and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 "Then he cried
and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me,
and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of
his finger in water and cool my tongue; for
I am tormented in this flame.' Luke
16:22b-24
And anyone not found written in the Book of
Life was cast into the lake of fire.
Revelation 20:15
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The Evidence of Christianity
The question many might ask themselves,
is why should I believe Christianity is the truth?
This is a legitimate question, a question everybody
should ask about what they believe. The atheist who
denies the existence of God, still needs to ask, if
God does not exist, how did the universe come into
existence? The Buddhists should ask themselves,
what evidence is there Buddha was enlightened? How
do I know, the Hinduism behind Buddha is true? The
Muslim should question whether Mohammad received
revelation from Gabriel?
Why should we question? Because, what
you believe is true may be wrong! The atheist who
lives his who life, thinking no God exists, might
have the rest of eternity to think about not
choosing to investigate God’s existence. The
Buddhist who was sure he would be given endless
chances through reincarnation, might find out there
was only one life and its too late after death. The
Muslim who followed Mohammad and denied the death of
Jesus on the Cross, might find out after death,
Jesus Christ on the cross was his only hope.
Supernatural Evidence
The Bible is different then any book on
the earth. It’s actually a collection of books, the
Old Testament compiled in Hebrew and Aramaic
(Daniel chapters 2-7), and the New Testament in
Greek. What separates the Bible from every other
book is the supernatural nature and evidence
in the pages. Supernatural means beyond this
natural world, for someone to die is natural, for
someone to come back to life after dying is
supernatural, beyond the natural world.
When Jesus came into the world, he did
not merely claim to be the Messiah, son of God, but
demonstrated who he was, through supernatural
events. Jesus raised people from the dead, he
calmed storms, healed the blind, lame and deaf. He
did these works to demonstrate he was the Son of
God. The evidence of the person of Jesus Christ, is
more then signs and wonders performed 2000 years
ago.
Before Jesus was even born in the world,
God through prophets established qualifiers to prove
the Messiah’s identity. God demonstrates the
supernatural authorship of the Bible by proclaiming
events future events in the past.
9Remember the former things of old, For I am God,
and there is no other; I am God, and there is none
like Me, 10Declaring the end from the beginning, And
from ancient times things that are not yet done,
Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all
My pleasure,’ Isaiah 46:9-10
3
"I have declared the former things from the
beginning; They went forth from My mouth, and I
caused them to hear it. Suddenly I did them, and
they came to pass. 4 Because I knew that you were
obstinate, And your neck was an iron sinew, And your
brow bronze, 5 Even from the beginning I have
declared it to you; Before it came to pass I
proclaimed it to you, Lest you should say, 'My idol
has done them, And my carved image and my molded
image Have commanded them.'
Isaiah 48:3-5
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Supernatural Evidence regarding Jesus |
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1. Before the Messiah came the we were told
he would die and be rejected
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Jesus was rejected by Israel, according the
scripture. The prophets of the Old
Testament gave us the circumstances
surrounding the death of the Messiah
(Christ), how his own people (Israel) would
reject him at his first coming but accept
him at his second coming. Isaiah
52:13-53:12, written 700 years before Jesus
pictures his rejection and death followed by
his exaltation.
13 Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently;
He shall be exalted and extolled and be very
high. 14 Just as many were astonished at
you, So His visage was marred more than any
man, And His form more than the sons of men;
15 So shall He sprinkle many nations. Kings
shall shut their mouths at Him; For what had
not been told them they shall see, And what
they had not heard they shall consider.
Isaiah 52:13-15
(710 B.C.)
3 He is despised and rejected by men, A Man
of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we
hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was
despised, and we did not esteem Him.7
He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet
He opened not His mouth; He was led as a
lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before
its shearers is silent, So He opened not His
mouth. 8 He was taken from prison and from
judgment, And who will declare His
generation? For He was cut off from the land
of the living; For the transgressions of My
people He was stricken. Isaiah 53:3,7-8 |
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2. We are told where the Messiah would be
born. |
The Old Testament prophets, identified the
birthplace of the Messiah. This narrowed
down the identification of the Messiah to
someone born in a specific city, eliminating
99.99% percent of the people on earth from
being Messiah.
"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you
are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet
out of you shall come forth to Me The One to
be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are
from of old, From everlasting."
Micah 5:2 (700 B.C.) |
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3. We are told the Messiah would be pierced
in his rejection. |
The prophets foretold before he came the
Messiah would be pierced and rejected. And
his piercing would be a mark of his
identification. David in the Psalm pictures
the crucifixion 1000 years before the birth
of Jesus. Zechariah identifies the Savior
of the Jewish people at the end of time, as
the “One whom they pierced”
16 For dogs have surrounded Me; The
congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me.
They pierced My hands and My feet; 17 I can
count all My bones. They look and stare at
Me. 18 They divide My garments among them,
And for My clothing they cast lots.
Psalm 22:16-18 (1000 B.C)
10 "And I will pour on the house of David
and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the
Spirit of grace and supplication; then they
will look on Me whom they pierced.
Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns
for his only son, and grieve for Him as one
grieves for a firstborn. Zechariah 12:10
(520 B.C.)
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4. After the Messiah death Jerusalem and
the Temple would be destroyed. |
Daniel writing 539 before the birth of Jesus
proclaims the month and year of Messiah’s
death, and what happens after the Messiah is
killed. The city of Jerusalem and the Temple
would be destroyed. This happened in A.D.
70 as the Romans destroyed both the city and
the Temple.
"And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah
shall be cut off, but not for Himself;
And the people of the prince who is to come
Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.
The end of it shall be with a flood, And
till the end of the war desolations are
determined.
Daniel 9:26 (539 B.C.) |
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5. The Messiah would be abused by man |
Before Jesus was crucified he was abused by
the Romans and Jews, this abuse is pictured
700 before his birth in the book of Isaiah.
I gave My back to those who struck Me, And
My cheeks to those who plucked out the
beard; I did not hide My face from shame and
spitting.
Isaiah 50:6 |
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6. The Month and Year Jesus would die
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539 years before Jesus is born, Daniel gave
us the timeline of Messiah. Daniel foretold
from the starting point of the command to
rebuild Jerusalem (March 444. B.C.,
Nehemiah. 2:8) 483
Jewish-years later, The Messiah would be cut
off (killed) following Messiah death
Jerusalem and the Temple would be destroyed.
Daniel's 70 Weeks
25 "Know therefore and understand, That from
the going forth of the command To restore
and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the
Prince, There shall be seven weeks and
sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built
again, and the wall, Even in troublesome
times. 26 "And after the sixty-two weeks
Messiah shall be cut off, but not for
Himself; And the people of the prince who is
to come Shall destroy the city and the
sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a
flood, And till the end of the war
desolations are determined. Daniel 9:25-26
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7. Messiah would enter Jerusalem on a donkey
and one day rule the earth |
In the Bible there are two pictures of
Messiah, one picture is a rejected servant
and the other is ruler of the world. The
Jews in the time of Christ did not
understand that Messiah would first come as
a servant, be rejected and later return (at
his 2nd Coming) as King of the
Earth. Christ entered Jerusalem at his
first coming on a donkey, cheered as King of
Israel, he was later rejected by the
leaders. (Luke 19:37-38)
9 "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your
King is coming to you; He is just and having
salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A
colt, the foal of a donkey. 10 I will cut
off the chariot from Ephraim And the horse
from Jerusalem; The battle bow shall be cut
off. He shall speak peace to the nations;
His dominion shall be 'from sea to sea, And
from the River to the ends of the earth.'
Zechariah 9:9-10
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Objective-Evidence |
Description of Evidence |
Importance of the Evidence |
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Objective Historical Israel and Judah.
 As
a nation and people Israel and Judah have an
objective history with kings, cities, wars
and dealings with other nations. The bible
revolves around the formation of Israel and
Judah and their interaction with God and
mankind around them.
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Today we can go to the cities and towns of
ancient Israel. We can investigate
buildings, roads, mountains and rivers and
compare them to the historical writings. By
using Archeology we can place the history
under a microscope.
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We can compare the historical records of
other nations and writers with the history
of Israel. We can corroborate facts to the
bible records. People such as Rameses II of
Egypt, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Cyrus
the great are all historical figures that
interacted with Israel and the Jewish
people. We can compare the objective
evidence, what the writers of these nations
say to what the bible says about the same
events.
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Objective Historical Persian History
 The
nation of Israel and the nation of Persia
of come into contact with each other from
539 BC to 333 BC.
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The Persian-Median Kingdom defeats Babylon
and the Jewish people and their lands come
under Persian control. Kings, cities and
events are mentioned during this period of
time.
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We can compare historical records of Persian
history with that of the biblical accounts.
We can see that history corroborates the
objective points that are recorded in the
bible by the authors.
Books such as Ester, Nehemiah, Ezra, Daniel,
Habakkuk, interact with Persian history.
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Objective History Roman
 The
nation of Israel and the Jewish people came
into contact with Rome from 54 BC to the
present. Rome first came to settle a
dispute with the Hasmomite Jewish Kingdom.
Roman control existed during the time of
Jesus.
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Roman rulers such as Caesar, Augustus, Nero
and others are mentioned in the new
testament. Roman Legions, cities, coins,
customs are all part of the records found in
the New testament. Roman history can be
compared to actual people, cities.
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Roman history validates the New testament
records. Small details about people and
their positions have been verified in
archeological discoveries many times over.
The existence of Pontus Pilate was
questioned by many critics but recent
discoveries have confirmed his existence as
governor of Judea.
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Objective:Archelogical
 City
of Babylon
The Ruins of ancient Babylon, capital of
Babylonian Kingdom, cover 2000-3000 acres
in Iraq, 56 miles south of Baghdad.
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Babylon’s ruins include one of many
ziggurats (Stepped towers) from the area.
Later finds include ruins of the palace of
King Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4:29)
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The palace of Nebuchadnezzar, who destroyed
Jerusalem in 586 BC and sent the Jews into
exile, was the site of Belshazzar’s feast in
Daniel 5. Jeremiah wrote that the Lord would
make Babylon desolate forever (Jer 25:12,
51)
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Objective: Archeological Black Obelisk of
Shalmaneser
 This
6.5 foot tall black basalt obelisk (Four
sided pillar) reports in pictures and words
the conquests of Assyrian King Shalmaneser
III Israel’s foe.
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The Black Obelisk was discovered in the
palace at Nimrud in 1846 and shows the
biblical Jehu, king of Israel, kneeling down
and bringing tribute to the Assyrian king,
Shalmaneser. Dating from 841 BC.
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This find is the only picture we have so far
of an Israelite king. This is the first
mention of tribute paid to Assyria by
Israel. King Jehu’s reign is mentioned in 2
Kings 9-10.
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Objective:Archelogical The Moabite Stone
 In
1868, A German missionary found a stone slab
over three feet tall near Dibon, east of the
Dead Sea. Inscribed on the stone were the
accomplishments of Mesha, King of Moab
around 850 BC. This stone is sometimes
called the Mesha Stele.
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The ancient Moabites were relatives of the
Israelites according to Genesis 19:37. On
this stone King Mesha brags of having driven
the Israelites out of his land. 2 Kings 3
tells that the king of Moab rebelled against
the king of Israel after the death of King
Ahab of Israel.
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The Moabite stone is one of the earliest
finds that mentions biblical people. The
stone says that King Omri and his son Ahab
“humbled” Moab for many years. After Ahab’s
death, King Mesha said he had “Triumphed”
over Ahab’s family and that Israel had
“perished forever”. Some scholars say that
the stone also contains a reference to the
“House of David”
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Objective: Archelogical Siloam Carving
Two boys discovered this ancient Hebrew
inscription carved in stone along the wall
of a tunnel as they were wading through the
southern end of the tunnel’s waters in 1880.
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The inscription comes from the days of
Hezekiah (701 BC) who ordered the tunnel to
be made so the water from Jerusalem’s Gihon
Spring could be brought in to the city to a
man-made reservoir, The Pool of Siloam.
This tunnel provided water to Jerusalem
during the anticipated siege of the King
Sennacherib of Assyria.
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The inscription celebrates the completion of
this remarkable tunnel as mentioned in 2
Kings 20:20, 2 Chronicles 32:20.
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Objective: Manuscript Dead Sea Scrolls
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