Studying God's Word

The cornerstone of the Christian message is Jesus Christ – God come to earth, His death and His resurrection. Christians believe this because God says it in His Word, our Holy Bible, and also because Jesus Christ says it. The coming of Christ is woven through both the Old and New Testaments.

Acts 4:12 – Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.

John 1:18 – No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.

John 14:6 – I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Christians accept the Bible verses listed above as God’s Word. Christians accept the deity, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Islam, on the other hand, denies the deity, death and resurrection of Christ. Islam denies the Bible is God’s Word. Islam and Christianity cannot both be true. Their beliefs are mutually exclusive. One is true and one is not or they are both false. The overwhelming body of facts confirm the truth of Christianity. Historical records confirm the death and resurrection of Jesus and His resurrection proved He is God. Muslims, of course, strongly disagree. If Christianity is true then Islam is false. It’s as simple as that.

Never fall for the ruse that all religions are the same. Satan wants you to believe that. Never accept the premise that Allah and Jehovah are one and the same God. Satan wants you to believe that. Now is not the time to be politically correct. Allah was originally the moon god for one of the desert tribes of Saudi Arabia and Mohammed adopted the name for the one god of his new religion. Mohammed then used the sword to ram Islam down the throats of the nations of the middle east.

There is not one shred of evidence to support Allah as god or the Koran as a holy book. The Muslim faithful are told their god is unknowable. Of course you would say that if you knew your god was fake and you didn’t want anyone to look too closely. Muslims are kept in line by fear. They are under the threat of death if they dare question the tenets of their faith. False religions dare not allow anyone to question their faith or they would be exposed as the frauds they are.

When light strikes the retina of our eyes it sets off a cascade of chemical reactions all of which are necessary for us to see. Think of it as a chain where all of the links have to be there for us to be able to see. If even one of these chemical reactions is omitted we won’t be able to see. How could this sequence of reactions happen by gradual evolution if they are all necessary for vision? You either have them all and you see or you don’t have one or more and you’re blind. If evolution was searching for the right path for vision how would it know which way to go? The only explanation is the eye was designed and made as a complete functioning biological system by an intelligent designer who we Christians refer to as God. Below are some Bible Scriptures that refer to what God has made:

Colossians 1:16-17 – For by Him 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.

John 1:3 – All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

Nehemiah 9:6 – You alone are the Lord; you have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and everything on it, the seas and all that is in them, and You preserve them all. The host of heaven worships You.

Psalm 19:1 – The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.

Ephesians 3:9 – God who created all things through Jesus Christ.

Psalm 102:25-27 – In the beginning You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands, they will perish, but You remain; they will all wear out like a garment, like clothing You will change them and they will be discarded. But You remain the same, and Your years will never end.

Romans 1:20 – For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

Psalm 139:14 – I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Ephesians 2:10 – For we are God’s masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which god prepared in advance for us to do.

Those who do not believe in miracles are narrow minded. They cannot see the possibility of anything outside the workings of the natural world they live in. God is outside, over and above natural law, and is not bound by it, therefore miracles are not a problem for God. If you believe in God belief in miracles is not a problem. If you don’t believe in God you won’t believe in miracles either. God and miracles go together. Biblical miracles are an act of creation – a sovereign, transcendent act of God’s supernatural power. All of God’s miracles had a specific purpose which was to confirm faith in God. The miracles of God authenticated the message and the messenger, or they demonstrated God’s love by relieving suffering.

The presupposition of a Christian is that God exists and that he has established natural laws which he can make or break. God can intervene in this world or not at his pleasure. Belief in miracles is easy with this worldview. God doesn’t have to do observable miracles today because we have the documented miracles in the Bible to refer to as proof of God. The miracles of Jesus were verified. The miracles of Jesus were done in public, before unbelievers and over a period of three and a half years covering a variety of powers.

The testimony of those Jesus cured of disease or infirmity is a matter of public record and undeniable. Never before had leprosy been cured before Jesus came. Never before had a man born blind received his sight before Jesus came. Never before had a man been raised from the dead before Jesus came. Never before had a man stilled the wind or walked on water until Jesus came. The miracles of Jesus were verifiable, unique and obviously could only have been performed by God. This confirmed Jehovah as the one true God and helped to establish and authenticate Christianity as the religion of God.

I hold these truths to be self evident: There is a rational body of truth for belief in God and in Jesus Christ. God exists and is a personal, knowable God who desires to communicate with us. God has come to earth in the incarnation and resurrection of Jesus Christ to establish a relationship with us. God has used the Bible to reveal himself, his character and his plan. Over the years Hebrew scribes meticulously copied the Hebrew text of the Old Testament. Copying was done one letter at a time and the letters of each page were counted for accuracy. If even one error was made on a page it was destroyed.

The Masoretic text from around 900 AD was the oldest Bible text we had until the Dead Sea scrolls were discovered in 1947 hidden in caves above the Dead Sea. These scrolls date from 150BC to 70 AD and were virtually the same as the Masoretic text and our Bible today. We know we have the unfiltered word of God. Only the book of Ester was missing.
An expansive body of evidence on the New Testament has scholars convinced it has come down to us with only minute and insignificant errors from the original text. God has ensured his Word survived intact. The Old Testament canon has long been set. It contains 39 books divided into the Law, the prophets and the writings.

The New Testament is more disputed but we can be sure it contains only the books God has decreed. The 27 books of the New Testament canon were included by virtue of their inspiration from God as decided by a fourth century church council at Carthage. The criteria used for the canon: Was it written by an Apostle, does the church recommend it, and does it conform to sound doctrine as preached in the churches.

Luke 21:33 – Heaven and earth will pass away, says the Lord God, but my words will never pass away.

In Isaiah 52:13 – 53:12, there are15 specific words or phrases that fit the life of Jesus exactly. They involve his life and the rejection of his ministry, his death, his burial and his reactions to the unjust judicial proceedings. The book of Isaiah was written 800 years before Jesus lived! In Micah 5:2, Jesus’ birthplace was predicted to be Bethlehem, a small village of 200 families. In Ezekiel 26, the Bible predicted the great city of Tyre would be utterly destroyed and never rebuilt and it remains so to this day even though there is a natural spring there making it the perfect place for a city.

The Bible predicted the wrath of God upon Israel for their continued disobedience which resulted in their captivity by other nations and everything unfolded exactly as prophesied. To me one of the most amazing prophecies in the entire Bible is the restoration of Israel as a nation in one day. This happened on May 14, 1948, when Israel was established again as a sovereign nation in the original homeland given to them by God. No other people on earth once dispersed have ever maintained their national identity and reformed into a sovereign nation.

Deuteronomy 28:25 – The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You will come at them from one direction and flee from them in seven, and you will become a thing of horror to all kingdoms of the earth.

Hosea 9:17 – My God will reject them because they have not obeyed Him; they will be wanderers among the nations.

Jeremiah 31:10 – Hear the words of the Lord, O nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He who scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him as a shepherd does his flock.

As you read the Bible the Holy Spirit will confirm with your spirit that the Bible is the Word of God. As you read the Bible your mind will be enlightened, your heart will be touched and there will come to you a convincing discernment that the Scripture’s message is meant just for you as if God was speaking to you personally. Yes, He is!

The Bible not only claims to be God’s Word it takes it for granted as a matter of fact. 394 times the Old Testament refers to itself as the Word of God. The Old Testament speaks as if the author has authority by using synonyms such as laws, statutes, precepts, commands, ordinances and decrees, There is an unmistakable swagger to the Bible that can’t be overlooked. The Bible acts like it’s God’s Word. The 40 writers of the 66 books of the Bible took over 1500 years to complete it yet there is a continuity to the message of the Bible that is unmistakable. There is a single theme of God’s love for man and God’s salvation plan to restore our lost fellowship with God. The evidence is clear that God worked through the Bible writers to say exactly what He wanted said and each writer readily admits that was the case.

2 Timothy 3:16 – All Scripture is God-breathed, and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,

Throughout his ministry Jesus acknowledged the validity of the Old Testament Scriptures. In John 10:35, Jesus said, “And the Scripture cannot be broken.” Jesus is interwoven throughout the Bible to the point if we believe in one we must believe in both. The Bible contains over 1,000 prophecies, over 500 of which have been fulfilled and documented. I need no further proof that the Bible was written by God. The Bible prophecies are incredibly detailed which is unequalled in any other major religion of the world.

In fact, not a single prophecy has been fulfilled by any other religion in the world which only underscores the fact they are all fake religions sponsored by Satan to lead men away from the gospel of truth.

Jeremiah 28:9 – As for the prophet who prophesies of peace, when the word of the prophet comes to pass, the prophet will be known as one whom the Lord has truly sent.

The resurrected Jesus was on this earth for 40 days before his ascension. Throughout the Bible God has this thing about 40 days. For instance, Jesus was tempted in the wilderness for 40 days prior to his ministry. What good is it to be resurrected unless you appear to enough people so it can’t be disputed later? The Bible has recorded eleven separate appearances of the risen Christ to over 500 people with great variety as to the time and place.

There were eyewitness testimonies given for each appearance. The disciples themselves had to be persuaded against their wills that Jesus had risen from the dead. Remember the story of doubting Thomas? The fact that meek disciples turned into roaring lions of the faith spreading the gospel of Christ all over the world to the point they were all martyred for preaching, except John, is proof they had seen the risen Jesus. Nothing else could have motivated them to do what they did.

The fact that millions of people since then have known Jesus Christ in their lives bears testimony that Jesus is alive. The evidence supporting the resurrection of Jesus is overwhelming and irrefutable. Below I have listed the appearances of Jesus in the New Testament:

Matthew 28:9-10 – Two women outside of Jerusalem

John 20:15-18 – Mary Magdalene

Luke 24:13-32 – Two travelers on the road to Emmaus

Luke 24:34 – Peter in Jerusalem

John 20:19-25 – Ten disciples in the upper room

John 20:26-31 – Eleven disciples in the upper room

John 21:1-23 – Seven disciples fishing

Matthew 28:16-20 – Eleven disciples on the mountain in Galilee

1 Corinthians 15:5 – More than five hundred people

1 Corinthians 15:7 – James

Luke 24:44-49; Acts 1:3-8 – Disciples who watched Jesus ascending into heaven

If you could have the correct answer to one question in this life what would you ask? For me the question would be, “Did Jesus rise from the dead?”. Once I know this answer all the other important questions in my life are answered. The resurrection of Jesus is foundational and crucial for Christianity. Without the resurrection Christianity would not exist. If the resurrection happened we know that God exists and that Jesus is the Son of God sent to save us from our sins because only God could rise from the dead. If the resurrection happened we know about the character of God, that He made us and loves us and wants us to live in heaven with Him forever. You are what you do and so is God. If the resurrection happened we know the Bible is the Word of God and contains God’s wisdom and truth.

1 Corinthians 15:14 – And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.

If the resurrection happened I have no problem accepting the miracles of Jesus as God showing us He has authority over all things in his creation. If the resurrection happened I know where we came from and where we are going. I also know God put on this earth for a reason, to seek out our God and decide whether or not to serve Him or not. I know we are put on this earth to bring praise, honor and glory to God by how we live our lives. At the time of the resurrection of Jesus all the people in Palestine accepted it as an irrefutable fact. The Jewish authorities had the Roman guards seal the tomb of Jesus and stand watch because they knew Jesus said He would arise on the third day and they didn’t want his disciples to take the body and thereby perpetuate the myth.

When the Roman soldiers reported the body of Jesus missing the Jewish elders paid the soldiers money to say the disciples came and stole the body. Nobody at the time believed this story because a Roman soldier caught sleeping on guard duty was killed instantly. At the time the Jewish and Roman authorities did not dispute the resurrection of Jesus. How could they? The tomb was guarded, the body was gone and they could not produce the body of Jesus. If the authorities had the body of Jesus they could have produced it and ended the upstart Christian cult right there.

As far as saying the disciples stole the body of Jesus we have to understand the disciples did not believe Jesus would rise from the dead. It’s inconceivable to believe all of them would band together to steal Jesus’ body in order to perpetuate a false religion on the people. Not to mention the fact it would be impossible to steal the body of Jesus out from under the noses of the Roman guard detachment there to protect the tomb. A recent theory is that Jesus wasn’t actually dead when he was buried but had swooned. We are to believe Jesus ripped off the 75 pounds of burial clothes he was wrapped in from the inside and then somehow managed to roll back the burial stone weighing several tons from the inside with no possible handhold.

In his physical condition we are to believe Jesus then walked away to appear before the disciples unharmed and in good physical condition. Let’s not forget Jesus also had a spear thrust into his heart and hands and feet that were pierced by nails. The Romans were experts at crucifixion and they knew death when they saw it. The resurrection is much more plausible than believing all these other impossible things happened in conjunction.
If Jesus had not risen from the dead in 32-33 AD and the evidence been irrefutable then there would not have been an explosion of believers. The Christian church would not now be worldwide with two billion believers. The resurrection is the cornerstone of all we believe.

The resurrection has been verified by eyewitness testimony by the Apostle Peter as recorded by Mark. The gospels of Matthew and John written by those Apostles also testify to the resurrection of Jesus. Luke wrote his gospel after carefully examining the evidence and came to the same conclusion that Jesus arose from the dead.

Throughout history all people everywhere have shown a belief in god, whether it was many gods or one supreme god. This is because Jehovah, the one true God, made us so we would seek Him out. Man will never be at peace without God filling the void in their hearts. In Ecclesiastes 3:11, the writer referred to God as having, “set eternity in the hearts of men.” of men.” With the law of cause and effect this seeking after a supreme being can be traced back to God, the first cause. God is eternal, uncreated and self-existent and by definition an uncaused cause.

Science has proven there was a big bang to start the universe. That is an effect that isn’t disputed. For every effect there must be a cause but the scientists don’t know what caused the big bang. It’s obvious that God was the cause. Humanists have pushed the theory of evolution on us and our children without a shred of proof. Most people have swallowed this lie hook, line and sinker. The odds of an accident of nature creating the awesome complexity of life is so minute as to be completely ruled out. That leaves us with the only other possibility, that we were indeed created by an intelligent designer, which would be God.

In a previous blog I’ve listed 23 physical proofs that God created the universe, all of which must be present for the universe to exist. I recently found another proof to add to the list. The oceans are needed for life to exist on earth. They are a cushion against the heat of the sun and the freezing blast of the winter. The modulating effect of the oceans keep the earth’s temperatures in the range where life can exist. There are over eleven million species of life on earth. Are we to believe that each one developed independently by accident? How could the intricate human eye connect with our brain to give a visual picture of our world on its own?

It has been demonstrated that human beings have an inner sense of right and wrong, a moral compass that is consistent among all people everywhere. If we have a moral code (the effect) then there must be a cause, a moral Lawgiver, namely God.

For the last 200 years or so the world’s education system has been gradually taken over by the liberal left by design. These humanists have removed all vestiges of religion from the classroom and now mostly turn out perfect little atheists who parrot the same leftist dogma: 1. All religions are equally valid. 2. Contradictions between religions are acceptable. 3. Absolute truth doesn’t exist. All three assertions are absolutely false. If you can’t test or prove a religious assertion then any search for truth is meaningless and we are left with believing what those in power tell us is true which is their goal all along.

An unenlightened mind is one never exposed to the truth of God and Muslims in the middle east fall into that category. Millions of Muslims live in squalor, abject poverty and deep despair. If they would only study the Christian Bible they would be enlightened by God’s truth and they could start to make positive changes in their lives. What do Muslims have to lose? It couldn’t get any worse for them. Their god stands mute before Jehovah, the one and only true God and Creator of the universe. True enlightenment will bring satisfying comprehension when based on a rational body of truth and that truth is in God’s Word, the Holy Bible.

When I first understood completely God’s salvation plan for man I instinctively knew it to be true in my soul. You might say my spirit was enlightened. Two words came into my mind, “It’s perfect,” because God is perfect. God hasn’t told us everything He knows but He has given us more than enough information to give us a solid foundation under our faith.
Christianity is based on reasonable faith. It’s normal for Christians to go through periods of doubt. It’s okay, God’s not offended. God is always there for you. We all face doubts in our walk with God. When that happens fall back on what you know to be true, like the proven facts of the Bible and the resurrection.

Remember the 500 fulfilled Bible prophecies. Look inward to see the changes Jesus made in your life and other Christians you know. Believe what you see, feel and know to be true. There is no doubt or question that will bring Christianity crashing down. Christianity has been closely scrutinized for 2,000 years by brilliant scholars and is still standing strong.