Christ Teachings

Was Jesus in the grave for three days and three nights?

By: Milburn Cockrell: Courtesy a Christian website:

 http://www.biblestudy.org/basicart/was-jesus-in-the-grave-for-three-days-and-nights.html

“Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three night in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:38-40).

Since Jesus claimed to be the Messiah, the Jews demanded a sign of Him to prove His claim. Jesus could give them no better proof that He was the Christ than the literal fulfillment of the well-known sign of Jonah, Luke 11:30. If this sign were not literally fulfilled, it would prove unto them that He was not the Messiah. This was the only sign Jesus ever gave them to prove His Messiahship. Hence the great need for Him to do exactly what He promised them to do.

Mark 8:31 tells us:

“And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.”

Did Christ mean what He said? Did He really expect to be buried in the earth for three days and three nights? Jesus did not say, “After two nights and one day I will rise again.” He said, “After three days I will rise again.” He meant three days and three nights–a full 72 hours!

The Jews remembered this sign when He was crucified.

“Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first” (Matthew 27:62-64).

They did all they could to prevent His resurrection. They got the watch, made the sepulchre sure, and sealed the stone. “After three days I will rise again” was necessary to fulfill the Jonah sign.

Modern interpreters of the Bible make Jesus Christ a liar. They say Jesus was crucified on Good Friday, buried about sundown the same day, and arose on the next Sunday about daybreak in contradiction to the Scriptures! Any schoolboy knows that this is only two nights and one day. If He were crucified on Good Friday and arose on Sunday morning as they say, then He did not literally fulfill the sign of Jonah. If He did not fulfill this sign as He promised the Jews, then He was an impostor and not the Messiah! In other words, Jesus Christ lied to the Jews about His burial and resurrection.

If the Good Friday theory is correct as some teach, then the Bible contains “highly figurative language” which requires a human interpreter to tell people what the verses really mean. By this same liberal method of interpreting the Scriptures you can destroy every basic doctrine in the Bible.

I do not care very much for what scholars say! But I am greatly concerned about not accusing my Lord of lying! Jesus Christ plainly said He would be in the grave “three days and three nights”. He emphatically declared He would rise again “after three days”. I believe He fulfilled the sign of Jonah and vindicated His Messiahship. In Matthew 28:6, we read this testimony of the angel at the tomb:

“He is not here: for he is risen, as he said.”
He said He would be in the grave “three days and three nights” and “after three days” He would rise again. Jesus did fulfill the Jonah sign. But He was not crucified on Good Friday, nor did He rise on Sunday morning!

The Part-of-a-Day Theory Wrong

Men, in order to get the Bible out of an embarrassing situation, allege that the Jews counted a part of a day as the whole day. Such passages as Genesis 42:17, 18; 1 Samuel 30:12, 13; Esther 4:15-17; 1 Kings 20:29; and 1 Chronicles 10:5 are cited to prove this theory. However, none of these passages prove “three days and three nights” means two nights and one day. Only one of them even contains the expression “three days and three nights” 1 Samuel 30:12. But there is absolutely no reason to give “three days and three nights” in 1 Samuel 30:12 any meaning except their literal meaning.

Divine inspiration declares the young man “had eaten no bread, nor drunk any water, three days and three nights.” What authority has any man to contradict these plain words by affirming the time was not so long? The expression, “three days, night and day”, in Esther 4:15, is not the same wording as “three days and three nights” in Matthew 12:40. There is no mention of any nights at all in the other passages; therefore, they give no evidence as to the meaning of “three days and three nights.” There is no reason to take any of the passages cited in any sense except their literal sense, unless one has a theory to prove. The “three days and three nights” in Jonah 1:17 are to be taken in their literal sense.

Granting that some of the Jews did count a part of the day for a whole day, can it be proven that this is what Jesus meant? Can it be proven that the Jews counted a part of a day as a whole day and a whole night? Where is the proof in the inspired Word?

Yet, proponents of the Good Friday tradition want us to believe that a part of a day meant a whole day and a whole night. Men who believe the Bible to be literally true dare not accept such reasoning.

The Meaning of Day in the Bible

The word “day” in the Bible in its primary sense means the interval between dawn and darkness.

“And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night . . . ” (Genesis 1:5, Compare Genesis 1:14-18; 8:22.)
This is the first occurrence of the word “day” in the Bible, and the Lord God himself gives its meaning. Jesus believed there were 12 hours in a day. He asked in John 11:9:

” . . . Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world.”
Jesus made a day and night consist of 24 hours. Can there be any higher authorities than the Lord God and Jesus Christ? Do not such authorities settle the matter for all true believers?

In the Bible a day is the interval of time comprising the period between two successive risings of the sun (Genesis 7:24; Job 3:16). The Hebrews reckoned it from evening to evening Exodus 12:18,

” . . . from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath” (Leviticus 23:32).
The 12-hour night began at sunset and ended at sunup. It was counted before the 12-hour day.

“And the evening and the morning were the first day” (Genesis 1:5).
Hence a new day began at 6 o’clock in the evening and lasted until the same time the next evening–a period of 24 hours–a 12-hour night followed by a 12-hour day!

The Good Friday Hoax

The Bible nowhere says or implies that Jesus was crucified and died on Good Friday! It is said that Jesus was crucified on

“the day before the Sabbath”, (Mark 15:42; Luke 23:54; John 19:14, 31, 42).
As the Jewish weekly Sabbath came on Saturday, scholars have assumed Jesus was crucified on Good Friday. This is poor reasoning because the Bible bears abundant testimony that the Jews had other Sabbaths beside the weekly Sabbath which fell on Saturday.

The first day of the Passover week, no matter on what day of the week it came, was always an annual Sabbath.

“And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread. In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein” (Leviticus 23:6, 7).
On the seventh day of this feast, the 21st of Nisan, was another annual Sabbath:

” . . . in the seventh day is an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein” (Leviticus 23:8).
The day of Pentecost was an annual Sabbath Numbers 28:26. This is the reason we read about Sabbaths in the plural number in the Old Testament Leviticus 26:2, 34, 35, 43.

The Bible makes it plain, Jesus was crucified and buried on:

” . . . the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath” (Mark 15:42).
John tells us:

“And it was the preparation of the Passover” (John 19:14).
It was the preparation day on which the Passover Supper was made ready [editor's note: actually it was the preparation for the Holy Day, the Night to Be Much Remembered], the 14th of Nisan John 13:1, 29; 18:28. It was the preparation to keep the Passover Sabbath–the annual Sabbath which always came on the 15th day of the first ecclesiastical month. John 19:31 adds:

” . . . (for that sabbath day was an high day) . . . .”
Its greatness was due to the fact that it was the annual Sabbath of the Passover Festival.

Two Sabbaths that Week

Matthew makes it plain that two Sabbaths had passed since Jesus was crucified. The KJV has this rendering:

“In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre” (Matthew 28:1).
On this verse nearly all translators have allowed tradition to control their translation. It is not “Sabbath” but “Sabbaths” in the Greek text (the genitive case and the plural number). The verse properly translated would read:

“In the end of the sabbaths . . . .”
This allows for an annual Sabbath on Thursday and a regular Sabbath on Saturday.

When Jesus was buried near sundown on the day of the Passover,

“Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary”
watched the burial Matthew 27:58-61. Immediately after the burial, Luke says:

“And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on” (Luke 3:54).
This Sabbath was an annual Sabbath on Thursday. The day after the annual Sabbath the women bought spices, Mark 16:1. Luke tells us that the women, after preparing the spices on Friday,

” . . . rested the sabbath day according to the commandment” (Luke 23:56).
The traditional interpretation makes Mark and Luke contradict each other. In Mark 16:1 we are informed that the Sabbath was past when the spices were purchased. “Had” is inserted without any authority from the Greek text.

“No reason can be given for the variation–bought sweet spices. Not had bought” (An American Commentary on the New Testament, Vol. 11, p. 251).
In Luke 23:56 we are told that the women prepared the spices and ointments, and rested the Sabbath day. If Jesus lay in the grave on Sabbath only, Mark and Luke contradict each other. But if He lay there two Sabbaths having a work day between them, then Mark and Luke harmonize to perfection.

The Resurrection Late Saturday Evening

When does the Bible say that Jesus rose from the dead? The two Mary’s came to the tomb:

“in the end of the sabbath” (Matthew 28:1).
The Sabbath always ended at sunset:

“From even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath” (Leviticus 23:32).
Then they went to the tomb before sunset on Saturday. Jesus had risen from the dead before their arrival Matthew 28:1-8. According to the Bible, Jesus Christ arose before sunset on Saturday. Christ did not rise on Sunday morning, for the two Mary saw Him, heard Him speak, and held His feet just as the Sabbath ended and the first day of the week began.

“In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week . . .” (Matthew 28:1).
Mark 16:9 tells us Jesus first appeared to Mary Magdalene early the first day of the week, which was Saturday after sundown. The nearer after sunset this happened, the earlier in the first of the week it was. Mark does not say that she was alone at the time she first saw Jesus, and Matthew tells us that:

“the other Mary was with her” (Matthew 28:1).
The Date of the Crucifixion

Having shown from Matthew 28:1 that Jesus rose from the grave as the Sabbath ended at sunset and the first day of the week began, this would put the crucifixion on Wednesday at sunset just as the preparation day ended and the annual Sabbath commenced. According to the Gospel writers, Jesus died at the ninth hour (3:00 p.m. our time) and was buried about sunset that same day, Luke 23:44, 45, 50-54; Mark 15:33-38, 42-47.

If Jesus were buried at sunset on Wednesday and arose at sunset on Saturday, He fulfilled the sign of Jonah. He would have been in the grave Wednesday night, Thursday night, and Friday night–a full “three days”. All together a full “three days and three nights.” Thus we have a literal fulfillment of the words of Christ in Matthew 12:40. hence there is no need to follow Roman Catholic tradition which makes Jesus Christ a liar. Truly,

“. . . He rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (1Corinthians 15:4),
not the second day according to Roman Catholic tradition!

The Third Day

Some Scriptures speak of His resurrection

“after three days” (Mark 8:31; 9:31 R. V.; 10:34 R. V.; Matthew 27:63).
Other verses say

“three days” (Matthew 26:60, 61; 27:39, 40; Mark 14:58; 15:29, 30; John 2:19, 20).
Still others speak of

“the third day” (Matthew 16:21; 17:23; 20:19; 27:64; Luke 9:22; 18;33; 24:6, 7, 21, 46; Acts 10:40; 1 Corinthians 16:4).
Some make much over “the third day” in Luke 24:21, and they affirm that if the crucifixion took place on Wednesday, Sunday would be the fourth day since these things were done. But the answer is simple. These things were done just as Thursday was beginning at sunset on Wednesday. They were therefore completed on Thursday, and the first day since Thursday would be Friday, the second day since Thursday would be Saturday, and “the third day since” Thursday would be Sunday, the first day of the week.

So the supposed objection in reality supports the Wednesday crucifixion. But if the crucifixion took place on Friday, by no manner of reckoning could Sunday be made “the third day since” these things were done.

Unless we believe the Bible contains errors, we know that all passages must harmonize. Therefore, “after three days” must mean the same as “the third day” Matthew 16:21.

There is nothing in the Bible to favor the Good Friday crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The biblical record harmonizes with a Wednesday crucifixion and Saturday evening resurrection–a full 72 hours. This view allows for a literal interpretation of “three days and three nights.” It allows for the word “after three days” to mean just that. It proves that Jesus Christ fulfilled the sign of Jonah and thus proved His Messiahship to the Jews.

Written By: Milburn Cockrell

Paarsurrey says:

It is evident from the above that the Christians are in doubt about Jesus death on Cross. The difference is in almost every detail. The Catholics, Protestants believe that the incident of crucifixion happened on Friday; just to avoid a lot of questions as to why the funeral rites as per the Jewish custom were not performed if Jesus had died on the Cross. One may read my post:

http://paarsurrey.wordpress.com/2008/09/08/actions-of-disciples-putting-wrappings-on-jesus%e2%80%99-body-testify-jesus-was-injured-but-alive-when-laid-in-the-tomb/

Other Christians resort to believe that the incident happened on Wednesday.

I request the Christians to make the research in the issue sincerely and unbiased and to accept the truth where-ever it comes from.

Thanks
I am an Ahmadi peaceful Muslim

SACRIFICIAL VICTIM OR SCAPEGOAT ?

Centuries of lies about a real man.

It is not too difficult to notice that since Robert Graves wrote about Jesus in such familiar terms in his book “King Jesus”, others in different countries almost copied the efforts and created undeserved best sellers. People in other language sectors are almost always unaware of the original and the plagiarized authors are also oblivious to the fact. What is shameful however, is that the heavily researched contents of the original, often leading to startling and revolutionary conclusions are tilted in foreign language copies in favour of local religious ideologies. In that way, disturbing and undermining conclusions can be cushioned or even distorted. Religious administrators are all too often willing to lend financial support to these clever parasites. I saw one of these ludicrous efforts in Spain called the Q document written up (according to the new author) Cesar Vidal, “as a version of” the original published in English by Burton Mack through Element Books and now with Harper Collins. The rogue author even had the audacity to register his own copyright then and wait a few years before doing his own so called pirate version. This uninspiring writer like many others of his type, pump out an incredible number of “own versions” of other people´s heavily researched books and make sure that the originals never find their way into the market. Even in their own countries, these writers are looked on with more suspicion than praise in view of the sheer impossibility of anyone being able to create a best seller every other week. The odd cranky institution, caught by the phenomenal output of the “genius” however, often grants them the odd accolade or two. Whether this is a publishing aberration aided by backing religious censors is not clear, but without doubt many a revolutionary study remains outside the barriers of different countries in the same manner that the Inquisition “literary bonfires” did its work. The fact remains that in a shameful way, new knowledge is deflected and sanitized making the translation of the original work by honest publishers a worthless exercise .This writer, at least, had foreseen its potential and explains the seedy, copyright precaution taken to ensure that it would remain so. Here’s hoping that Harper Collins will do something about it.

History of Manipulation.

It also happened with dramatic results in the aftermath of the centralisation and state control of Christianity at the time of the Emperor Constantine. Today, much of what we consider genuine in the ancient texts are defined as “extrapolations” or altered copies designed to provide sanitized, manipulated evidence. The Josephus texts which are probably the only ones which can be taken seriously but which are not conclusive (in so far as identifying Jesus is concerned), are often utilised as proof of his existance and divine origins. These Slavonic Josephus texts of “The Jewish Wars” offer different versions of the short mention of one who could be Jesus. This is clear evidence of interference. Where one talks of divinity, the other talks of impressive personality. Where one talks of physical beauty, the other talks of a wispy beard and a a possible back or neck deformity. Such are the means and wherefores that keep the man in the street well supplied with what is considered suitable for his status, by the lofty autocratic religious authorities. Modern Iran is a perfect example of the political conditions that prevailed nearly two thousand years ago.

There was a modern writer in modern times, who created a revolutionary approach to the context of the probable life of Jesus and the social conditions which were to lead to the crucifixion and beyond. He did it in his own original and enviable fashion. This was Professor Schoenberg who brought the period back to life and created an impressive scenario which lent a curious reality to the circumstances surrounding Jesus´s life and so called death. Professor Schoenberg took a great deal of support from the then published, controversial Dead Sea Scrolls, to the extent of attributing a particular text to Jesus´s own words during his claimed convalescence in the Essene monastery. Professor Eisemann who may have inspired him however, was one of the most imaginative of the scroll decipherers and he had little doubt about the contemporary nature of the texts and of its authorship during Jesus´s own lifetime. He brought out a wide variety of significant aspects of the scrolls that in my mind proved the point. Some of these points were to lead me to very interesting and missed observations in the bible texts. It also drew me to the commentaries through the centuries by the outstanding writers of each period who betrayed their beliefs associated with the hidden traditions of early Christianity. I filed these away as Caskets of Evidence” in a chapter of my new book on the Knights Templars.

In my mind (and Eiseman´s) there is no doubt that the Essenes and the Nazarenes were much of the same order of things. I did however form the opinion from reading Professor Higgins mammoth works on etymology that the Carmelites were a very ancient order associated with the early Israelite tradition of mountain worship – hence the concept of Mount Carmelot. The Grail Legends of “Camelot” speak for themselves. Joseph of Arimathea himself has often been classified as a member of the Carmelites. My own discussion with modern Carmelites also endoresed these ideas. This led me to various conclusions relating to the origins of the Israelites and subsequent Christian tradition. It also made it clear to me that the tribes of Israel derived from a wide variety of oral traditions and a similar variety of early cult worships which never really managed to amalgamate conclusively. It was a key that led me to some very interesting overlooked aspects of the nature of Jesus and his family. The matter is extremely complex but not of immediate value with respect to these series of articles designed to shape the face of a man. A man, who has been misrepresented, historically ignored and mythologised beyond recognition – for purely political purposes. A man enslaved in fiction for a doctrine of, so called, liberation. Such are the wonders of the strange equation that was to produce armies of Pharisees in the name of a strange amalgam called Christianity. Jesus would have been at great pains to work out what it was all about. The notion of gathering the flock by force for example, would have provoked this gentle, pacifist who based his teachings on example, affection and puzzling sermons. It has clouded the very human and endearing characteristics of an unusual and ultimately unique expressant of great love.

Not a Jew

Jesus´s teachings have nothing to do with Judaic traditions or way of life. In fact he commented reprimandingly on many aspects of it. He felt it lacked sincerity in the upper levels of priestly government and what he did say very clearly when we analyse his overall concepts, was that centralised faiths run like autocratic governments, overlooked the real suffering and aspirations of a people. The Roman Catholic Church gave the temple back to each community where the faith was practiced, but it retained, as Constantine did, the autocratic hold on its people by adopting the Roman concept of Divinity with a human face. This had to lead to the strict mental control of the so called Christians in a manner more suited to the Pharisees than to the intellectual, highly sensitive Jesus who was quite happy to lead only those who understood him. It is without doubt the body of knowledge which Jesus had acquired through his traditional and travelling education which eventually led him to accept this final sacrifice. As far as the priests of the House of Judah were concerned he was an enemy from within with an incredible understanding of the origins of the tribes and its prophetic literature. Jesus was out to destroy the concept that Judea was Israel and that the Israeli people were Jews. In fact, from the recruiting process that followed it was clear that the Jews represented a small faction of the peoples of the territories north of its borders. The fact, obvious to the Nazarenes and the Essenes, was corroborated by the reality that this was just one tribe of a scattered eleven or even twelve. Hardly a concept for a united Israel called Judea! What the Romans appear to have written at the top of the cross and no doubt provided by Joseph of Arimathea or even his friend Pilate, was “Jesus the Nazarene, King of Israel” not of the Jews. (INRI). This deliberate distortion of historical reality has been the bane not only of the Christians, but of the Jewish people themselves as it drove them headlong into each other with unnecessary hatred and recriminations. The Jewish people have their proud pedigree and heritage, but little to do with Israel and the Israelites. This is a modern concept that would have not gone well with anyone involved in the repatriation and conservation of its cultural heritage from the time of Abraham (who was most definitely not a Jew).

Jesus´s attitude to the occupying forces was one of respect which is, if anything, surprising to many. He was horrified at the attack on the centurion when he was apprehended and he moved Pilate to embarrassing confusion when he refused to acknowledge or deny the things that the priests had accused him of. Pilate recognised nobility and spiritual conviction but was in any case well acquainted with this popular figure who acted very much as he would have expected him to. Pilate’s problem was that as Procurator of Judea (his only territorial authority) and in bad terms with the Roman Emperor, the last thing he could cope with was insurrection. The fierceness of the religious leaders forced him to take some sort of palliative, diplomatic action. Jesus was obviously well aware of what he was causing but it is not clear that he expected his life to be put at risk at that point. If he had wanted to provoke the Roman authorities directly, he could have chosen multiple other ways. Herod did not disturb Jesus either, who again, saw him as a much admired figure and according to the bible texts, “someone he was looking forward to meeting so much that he became Pilate’s friend for life for giving him the opportunity”. This a very curious thing indeed and if the massacre of the Innocents had been true, the presence of a royal or prophetic figure would have struck fear in his heart if his father, Herod the Great, had spoken to him about the event during his childhood. It is now well known that Jesus was not born on so called zero date, but at least four of five years earlier for him to have been the object of Herod´s wrath. Instead, however, we have joy – a great desire to meet him on the part of Herod Junior. It may well be that this may have been refused in the past, by Jesus for his part in the dath of his cousin John. It may also show what is suspected, that Jesus´s ancestors were known to him and deserved his respect. There are factors that appear to show that this might have been the case. The other curious incidental aspect is that the situation betrays friction between Herod – and the Roman colonial authorities. If he was not Pilate´s friend then there was something wrong, for they both governed the same territory ! If the incident cemented the relationship between them, then there is something in the story that needs to be looked at carefully. I suspect that Jesus was well known to the family and respected precisely because of his strong public condemnation of the priests whom Herod also disliked. Pilate stood uneasily in the shadow of the giant Herod who was a Roman Emperor´s man and therefore a potential threat to his own position. One mistake – one sign of disrespect and the Roman Emperor could have had him thrown into the dungeons without mercy. Taking Jesus to Herod was one way out of the conundrum but he feared for Jesus´s life and his prayers were answered when it proved to be the correct thing to do. In doing so, probably unwittingly, he managed to close ranks with the next thing to the Emperor on these shores. When he returned from the palace with a newly garbed Jesus, he hoped the presentation to the people would alter their attitudes. The intensity of the drive by the Temple authorities however, demonstrates an arrogance on their part, bordering on the hysterical and they whipped up the crowds in a way that took the situation away from his hands. The infamous deed of the washing of his hands off the whole matter was to become one of the most celebrated acts in the history of modern humanity. In fact the theatre behind all this, strikes one as a rehearsed exercise in keeping with the similarly theatrical nature of all the horror that followed. Could Jesus really have worked all this out for himself and skillfully forced the hand of the Jewish Sanhedrin to have him executed for heresy ? It does not make sense. What does matter, is that the descriptions of the events and the imagery adopted by the later Christian Church suggests that this was a religion in the making. Putting his head in the noose with intellectual hardheadedness may have been instinctive, but it does not prove that he organised his own crucifiction. It could show, that other people did, after the event, like Paul for example, who knew what Jesus had tried to do and put his own interpretation on it. The reason for this line of thought lies in the last supper testimonials which are so contrived as to point in the direction of a clever scene writer embellishing the scene long after the event. I am referring not just to Judas and his supposed betrayal of his Master, but to Jesus´s own supposed statements which in retrospect imply that he was making it all happen. If we add this to the red cloak, the reed and the crown of thorny myrtle, which are the stage elements of the Roman/Greek mystery school initation of Demeter, we have High Roman officialdom conspiracy in the background. In short, the creation of a divine mortal. All very strange indeed and perhaps Jesus was but a pawn in a much more sophisticiated exercise of pure stage management. The matter requires a very deep study all of its own. Jesus had a right to declare that he was what people made him out to be, but he was not going to confirm it, because he was too clever for that. Assuming powers or rights was not statesmanship. He knew the traps and he wanted to make sure that the burden of responsibility for the whole thing rested on the Jewish priests and not on Pilate. Herod would have been incensed to the point of removing Jesus to a safe place if his reception of the man was what the bible tells us. The scene with Barabbas fits in like a glove and again, the scenario begins to sound like a good calculated story. The robber terrorist or the gentle preacher with wrong ideas. Yet Jesus is chosen – unless he himself volunteered to die in his place, which may be what happened The priests may have continued with their accusations of profound heresy, taunting him to die for the robber, if he was a merciful God and then come back to life again as a Divine entity.

In any case, Herod was hardly the taunting figure that the Church makes him out to be. Professor Schoenberg interprets the so called mocking garments as more of a gift of fine clothes with which to impress his people in view of the possibility that Jesus might have been dressed in simple loin cloths which might have been badly torn and soiled in the early fraca in the garden of Gethsemane. In fact there is a very real need to analyse the bible narrative of this event and to note the disturbing notion that most people see in the texts what they are expected to see, despite the wording making it all extremely clear. Herod would have never sent Jesus to his death and Pilate would have never been driven to torturing him unless it was all part of a very clever and stage managed exercise. Jesus we must remember, endorsed Roman taxation “give unto Caesar what belongs to Caesar”. The priests would have wanted to trap him into making a political statement and get him arrested, but the people listening would have seen it as the baiting of a holy man by priests whom they themselves probably also found sterile and pompous. In other words, Jesus was a practical and experienced political thinker and he was obviously learned enough to appreciate the reality and nature of what he was leading himself to. He had nothing against the Greek or Roman occupiers for the simple reason that he had little faith in the ability of the vast population under their control to shake them off or govern with enough authority to prevent constant bloodshed. He was also troubled about the arrogant and obviously devious conspiracies of the ruling Judaic priesthood, living on cushy earnings and guaranteed Roman protection. Even the supreme authority – Herod – was a Roman puppet and astonishingly, the pagan builder of a Jewish Temple. He was, we must remember, an Idumean and possibly an Amorite – a people from Petra who had once challenged Judea. Nothing seems to make sense and we see a determined move forward by a Jesus who could very easily have worked it all out, as a last desperate move to undermine the Judean Authorities. It could have been a brave gesture of self sacrifice to make them pay for the tacit enslavement of the peoples of Israel (now far removed in the main from their own lands), by creating the spectre of the sacrificed Messiah in accordance with well known prophetic descriptions of the manner and form of his appearance and demise. But was Pilate and Herod in it too? Possibly, but perhaps in the understanding that the matter would not go beyond a simple public flogging that they knew the tough Jesus would take with dignity. They are both protecting him but the priests challenge Jesus´s so called affinity with God and his behaviour and lack of interest in his own defence may well have struck a chord in Pilate´s mind. The events that followed may well have been worked out to ensure that the final hanging on the cross was not fatal and may even have been stage managed to the point of coincidence with an eclypse or meteorological prediction that would sway the crowds. Asian mystics and previous divinities of wide acclaim, had often been associated with crucifixions and resurrection that had declared them immortal. Maybe something of that nature was being attempted. Times were bad for all concerned and when hope is gradually being removed from the political platforms, a dramatic event can often regenerate public government and build new bridges into the future. The twin tower inferno, Princess Diana´s assasination, Joan of Ark, all point in similar directions – the hand of Providence and waves of reconciliatory compassion affecting humanity. Something like this was about to happen when Jesus cried with bitterness at the lack of concern his own beloved disciples showed towards him when they slept, as he himself sweated with fear and apprehension. But why would a leader get angry about not being guarded when he appeared to know what was going to happen. It sounds too childish to be real. There was also a nebulous figure wrapped in simple loin cloth who runs away and appeared to be with Jesus so he was not entirely on his own. The whole scene seems to fail the reality test. What really happened then ? Jesus does not sound like a determined warrior spurning the enemy. He sounds not just human but very lonely and abandoned. He must have known that their was no way out, yet there was so much that he could have done, like spoken softly and even rhetorically in a manner that could have turned the tables on the lynching party. He did nothing. Or so it would seem. It also sounds like a moral story – one of duty betrayed and the loneliness of the one who wears the crown and the full responsibility of destiny. The fleeing figure could be a reflection of the future betrayal by Peter – the coward with lack of conviction or dedicated loyalty.

The constant attack on the priesthood.

There is very little to add to the constant confrontations that Jesus had with the Pharisees who literally made him come up in a rash with their mannerisms and influence in the lives and behaviour of others. They were censorious and uncompromising and this can be clearly seen, even today, in the public behaviour of the fundamentalist extremists in Jerusalem before the walls of the historical and hardly worth adoring, Herod. What is even more curious and quite unacceptable is that the wall is treated and almost tacitly acknowledged as the one Jews would have liked to have been there instead – that of Solomon – another acknowledged Pagan. The bible and all ancient records make it quite clear that if ever there was a Temple of Solomon, it was not in Jerusalem. A lively debate with most fanatical people by anyone with a good deal of knowledge of the ancient scripts, shows up the same lack of understanding of the biblical records that must have driven Jesus to the point of assault. But then this is the same with any religious cult in the outer fringes of a popular religion. These fanatics (ultra orthodox Christians alike), talk in generalised terms and break down quickly when confronted with direct questions on biblical texts. There are many misundertood concepts that are taken for granted by fanatical elements. The Levites for example, who appear to be of the temple order of Judea, were in fact in Shiloh when King Saul protected the Arc. Were they Judean therefore or of another tribe ? This puts their Judean origins in question. Things of that nature were the sort of sparking points which got Jesus hot under the collar. In fact he got to that situation with the moneylenders, as he saw them pollute the sanctity of a site which even he, in principle, assumed to be worthy of some respect because of its influence on the community. He was also protecting Herod´s temple but he did not consider it as pure as he as a Templar Essene would have liked it to be or perhaps even properly installed, since he spoke about rebuilding (cleansing) it. The incident with the merchants that drove the priests to white hatred is a curious prophetic echo of an earlier biblical sayings that cannot be dismissed, because it refers to a little understood saying: “Return to Shiloh what belongs to Shiloh”. The full implication of this is almost awesome for it was at Shiloh where the Arc was taken by the enemies of Israel. To Jesus, the missing Arc was the lost identity of the people of Israel which Judea had usurped. The new united Israel did not include Judea and for that simple reason, his mission did not impose circumcision or Synagogue attendance on his initiates – something unthinkable for a Jew. There must have also been a tacit understanding on the part of the Judean Authorities that his movement was schismatic, because there are contemporary comments that criticise the entry into his movement of non circumcised and non Jewish people. It proves that neither Jesus nor his movement had anything to do with the Jewish people. Jews were and still are very self orientated and in those days, additionally prejudiced against those they did not see as Jews. Tax collectors for example, were not expected to be Jewish and if they were, certainly not to be entertained or to be seen with. These are the things that have been missed. These are the things that give us an idea of what Jesus was up to. Jesus like the Qumran Northern Messiah or Teacher of Righteousness was not the Messiah of Judea. Judea had every right to do things its own way and Jews do and honestly follow their hearts and teachings of course, but the claim over Israel as the Royal and leading tribe is not vindicated in religious history and cannot be endorsed by anyone. Academics are now being openly critical about this misnomer and the State of Israel is now being labelled the Jewish State and the people Jewish not Israeli. Jerusalem was taken by the tribe of Judah and made their home, but whether there was a historical connection with the earlier occupants – the Jebbusites is not immediately clear. In the same way, except for a brief period of Al Israel (all the ribes including that of Judah), Jerusalem was not the capital city of Israel, but Shiloh, (the wasteland of T.S Elliot) – was. It is no coincidence that Jesus was coupled with the concept of Shiloh and it is wrong to assume that the name, as some religious scholars think, was meant to mean the new Messiah. It meant the Messiah who would return Israel to its original ancestral territories.

Jesus I must add, was not rubber stamping the sanctity of the Temple ure,which he made clear, was not of any great importance in spiritual terms. He was merely provoked by the weakness of those who saw profit in cultural values. He was questioning the ignorance of those supposedly holy, priests who allowed them to do so (for profit without doubt) and the money minded users who dared to turn the place into a circus. Jesus betrays a Grecian logic and an underlying Asiatic conscience which is consistant with his sayings and character. One wonders what Jesus would make of Lourdes and Fatima today but he would not have been a very happy man, in the same context. In fact, he would have been lost for words since it expressed everything he did not believe in. All this would have been conducive to idolatry and somehow it does not tie in with a man whose sayings are steeped in conscious development and strength of conviction and character. Jesus may have become a wandering mystic later in life and after his personal life threatening experience but before that he would have been a zealous leader with wild ambition to bring things back to the way they were within a united Israel. This is the intellectual Jesus – the man whose authority came from knowledge. He knew that Herod´s claim to kingship was pretty slim, but a fact often forgotten, is that behind the so called Herodian royal line there is a definite connection with the Judean princely genealogy, members of which there are reasons to believe Jesus knew about. The contenders of the direct Judean Royal line, either did not want to show up, or were well and truly exterminated in their skirmishes with the occupying forces. Much lies in the vaults of ancient libraries and in the hands of modern royal advisors that remain there, unpublished, for selfish dynastic reasons. In the world of leadership claims, especially crowns, rocking the boat is not an exercise lightly taken. Heads of State are no doubt brought up in the traditions and knowledge that they have to learn about in order to do their national jobs properly and relate to others with similar understandings and possible claims to title. The intelligence services of most countries are are also well prepared with respect to claims to title and authority based on genealogies and race. They know only too well what family, religious and cultural inheritances can do to turn apparently insignificant figures into centres of influence. As so called guardians of posterity and keepers of the knowledge that provide influence and power, it is part of their job. Britain for example has a very interesting quasi historical tradition associated with the presence of Jesus in the Isles. Without it, British Royalty would not have the same sense of mission to rule. When religious songs refer to “walking the shores of Britain”, they mean just that – that the tradition and national understandings are that Jesus did in fact walk the shores and the songs are designed to ensure that nobody ever forgets it. Jesus was apparently brought over to Cornwall by his uncle Joseph of Arimathea who appeared to have had tin mines or dealt with the element in the area. It is the very base of Glastonbury lore and much more credible than the Arthurian claims, which are strong enough. Very near there, a tribe with the curious name of Novae Magi was known to have spawned its issue. Jesus was associated with something sounding rather similar at birth (bearing gifts) and this is but one of the coincidences that many simply take for granted. The possibility that Jesus’s grandparents, Anne and Belli were of this tribe would make the whole business of Glastonbury, Joseph of Arimathea – the Mary chapel and well, (in which the present Crown Prince of England put his broken arm with a degree of genuine faith), begins to fall into place. It is no secret that without the Arthurian connection, much of British Royal tradition would have fallen on stony ground but in fact it is the much earlier Arimathean connection that underpins it. King Arthur´s line of descent also draws from the same source so there is no conflict. Britain therefore does indeed have to form an important part of the the Holy Family tradition and there are some very erstwhile accounts (and genealogies apparently) that place Mary´s parents on those soils. Joseph therefore would have more than happily brought his nephew over to his ancestral grounds. In fact he would have had to do so as a family duty even if Anne and Belli had gone to Galilee to join their daughter for a while. It is also more than likely that Joseph was in fact the youngest son of Anne and brother to Mary, rather than an uncle to her. If he had been an uncle he would have been a very old man indeed at the crucifixion unless he was a very much younger son of Anne and in my estimation of things, I cannot see that this is the case. Passing yourself off as a husband rather than a brother, is biblically simple. Both Abraham and Isaac did it in reverse by posing as brothers to their wives as we are told in the old testament. The carpenter Joseph who is nowhere to be seen at the crucifixion (nor do we know where he died or got buried) is probably none other than Joseph also an Essene,it seems, who took his sister and nephews with him when he could. We shall see what else evolves that could prove a little more interesting in this respect when isolated incidents are put together, without forgetting the wide variety of apocryphal documents that fill in the holes here and there.

National Religious Traditions in Various Places.

If we start to talk about family ties with Britain, we have to remember that similar “national ties” can be said of Marseilles and the Magdalen tradition as also of Poland and Mary the mother of Jesus. A document with that implication exists in the country´s national archives and explains why the Teutonic knights chose the place for their Order of the Round Table and the Arthurian cult of course. The fact that they called the city Marienburg or Marienbad, is not incidental. They believed her family had its origins there and she may even have been born in the area. All these countries are fiercely Christian and would have all been Catholic had it not been for Henry VIII who denied papal authority over the British islands in pursuit of greater personal ambitions and perhaps also because he ceased to believe that they occupied the moral high ground. The religious differences between Protestant and Catholic understandings are minor and British Christian worship is as Catholic as anything can be bar the images issue.

Jesus therefore was a man troubled to some extent by the variety of influences in his life. His sensitivity would have been the source of his constant nightmares as he felt the strain of his inherited aspirations to leadership and the cold knowledge of being very much alone. His brothers and sisters may have well considered him an odd ball. A vision of martyrdom even, has its rewards for its aspirant, but despite his intensive intellectual training away from home, Jesus was a very loving and contented man who would have felt loathe to risk giving up his life meaninglessly. He panicked at the prospect and did not always fully understand the implications of his mission. He wished at one point or another that he could jump off this train of fate without this ultimately horrendous personal sacrifice. He appears to have been surrounded by Sicarii or Zealots, much wanted by the authorities as terrorist, so it is also pretty obvious that they knew of his place in their aspirations. Jesus´s quoted sayings show that he would have been quite happy as a teacher and a lover of humanity, set on giving people hope and sense of purpose. This, amazingly enough, is as close as one can get to Sufi training. In fact the closer we get to the circumstances of the The Passion narration, the more it starts to become an ultimate exercise in self negation and pursuit of the final destruction of the ego and its multiple fears. The final destruction in a Sufi sense, would imply survival at the end of the physical and mental suffering. In the bible story, both are clearly illustrated side by side very graphically and somehow one would feel that this was deliberate for the reader to note the important combination. The word atonement which really means at peace with oneself, is really Nirvana and it is utilised in the Christian destiny as part of the price of adherence to the code. Without the doubts and the overcoming of genuine fears, there is no initiation and if he was, as he said, offering himself as a substitute for the sacrifice of the gentle unsuspecting lamb, he had placed his life on the sacrificial stone knowingly. He also made it quite clear that he would survive and return to the physical world within three days. It was just under two days, but then, his condition health wise had been aggravated by the unexpected penetration of the lance in his lower lung. If he had not been taken down quickly, he would have been mortally wounded. His shallow, almost undetectable breathing would have enabled the lower lobe to seal the entry and recuperate somewhat to enable his transfer to the monastery. The Magdalen´s embrace could have killed him so his deterrence is perfectly understandable however frigid it might seem.

A Life Death Experience

If we examine the full account of Jesus´s ordeal and if we believe that he was given some sort of herbal sedative or cataleptic inducement, the whole thing is not only possible, but likely. Sufis can do all of that and so can most of the Shamans of Asia and Africa including full burial for two or three days. Some people might think that this destroys the validity of his mission, but in fact it strengthens it, as anyone who cares to embrace those footsteps with total honesty can fully appreciate. Knowing that every move provoked even worse suffering without redemption in sight, is horrifying. Jesus could not have been at all certain that he would survive and that in itself is a worse fate than death. It could have all gone wrong and the final intervention in the form of the bringing down from the cross so quickly, might not even have been contemplated by his uncle, Joseph of Arimathea, until the last moment when he saw a ray of hope and the final gesture of submission.

A high level of education and a sense of royal inheritance would have given Jesus his submission drawn from self esteem which would have militated against the rough handling and public abuse he appeared to have got. If he was, however, intent on making sure that he would not die by organising events around him and perhaps raising the crowds against his persecutors, all he needed was the courage of the resolve that it would not go horribly wrong. Jesus, however did begin to have doubts that it would work, taking into consideration the many times he had been let down on other issues before, by his own disciples. He did not want to die,of course, simply because that would not have been an aspiration that we can attribute to his nature. He felt for his mother and his family and he would not have wanted to destroy all their hopes in their love and fears for him. It is therefore very likely that the whole situation was well rehearsed beforehand with his uncle Joseph who could have known exactly what was going to happen, but the intensity of the torture could not have been foreseen. The arrival of Simon of Cyrene may not have been that coincidental and his intervention is curious, to say the least. Someone was intent on seeing that he got to the cross in one piece and in a reasonable state of health. There may have even been a variety of factions interested in carrying out this long drawn and gory public spectacle. It may also have had nothing to do with Jesus himself, although his final statements cast doubt on this.

The concept of a risen Messiah in tune with prophetic writings was just what was needed to halt the deteriorating process of cultural loss among the descendants of the tribes of Israel. Jesus was intent on providing it, not just as any martyr but as a resurrected divine being with a family right to lead. In modern terms the creation of public awareness and a sense of identity is done with the creation of outside enemies, justified war and resultant sacrifice of young blood. The events in Jesus´s case, seem to point to a plot – an Asiatic life death experience, taking into account how quickly he was taken off the cross b efore his legs were broken and asphyxia induced. We must also note just how carefully he was immediately washed and prepared for the deep curative sleep that could have been induced by the drug. The dangers of infection of the wounds and high fever were tackled with what was technically a complete immersion in antiseptic aloes. The amount apparently utilised according to the Nerw Testament, also supports the theory. The burial in the easily opened family tomb with a circular stone and a slab for a bed rather than a hole in the ground makes a great deal of sense. The covering with a total body wrap would have then left the restoration process in the hands of nature to the best advantage. The shroud if, as widely suspected , is genuine, was not pressed to the sides of the face which would have created a very wide facial image, but stretched in such manner as to make one wonder whether it was intended to allow him to breathe. It is more than likely that the Turin shroud is in effect the real thing and if it was, the image explains everything that happened that day.

The people of the day were superstitious and such a macabre resurrection would have spread the word like lightning throughout the known world. Paul as we know, was not long in coming to find out what was going on. He may have been tipped off cryptically as a Roman agent,who, as we shall see, had little in common with the Judeans he disliked and whom he was constantly harassing. Why ? Like Joseph of Arimathea he was a very respected religious agent so is it not strange that he should have been such a tyrant and then become the corner stone of the emerging so called Christian Church ? But then, there are some very curious aspects of all that we take for granted in the life of the man millions call God.

“Either the gate to life with God or to eternal separation from Him.” The Christians believe that through the sacrifice that Jesus Christ termed the Son of God, we can be saved. If we accept Jesus Christ as our savior and try to live without sin, then when we pass on we are to live in Heaven with God for all of Eternity as a reward for having been a good child of God. Since we are still always guilty of sin, then we must strive to ask God’s Forgiveness and continue to try to achieve a sinless state. For those who do not follow the path of God, then they will forever be condemned to damnation within Hell. It is, however, taught that we can always ask for forgiveness and be given that forgiveness up until the very last moment of breath.

How is it possible to know anything at all? “God has spoken! He communicates with man through both general and special revelation (the Word and Jesus Christ).” The Word being the Holy Bible, consisting of the Old and New Testament, which is the Book by which Christians live by and learn of God’s Commandments for us to know what we must do to live within God’s Grace just as His Son, Jesus Christ, did in the New Testament, then so should we.

How do we know what is right and wrong? “Based on the character of God as good. He sets absolute standards of morality.” Again the Ten Commandments are the prime example with which God has given us the directions to know what is right and wrong and what to do and what not to do. We are given teachings from infancy of what is right and wrong and we learn to depend upon those teachings to guide us in the right directions. It becomes so deeply ingrained within us that our own conscience will plague us if we do not choose the right thing over the wrong thing.

By Christian world view, God is absolute.

By: Kate Gardens

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Be encouraged that the Christ was raised amidst the most religiously hindered people in the world, yet He used these same people to spark a worldwide spiritual fire.

The Jewish people of the first century where part of a religious tradition so hopelessly engrained in self-centeredness that they reserved the exclusive right to hoard all the answers for themselves. They thought God was impressed by their religion. However it was for their know-it-all mentality that they remained utterly clueless about God’s priorities. The same thing applies to us modern, callused Christians. In Christ, we can embrace this truth and at the same time find encouragement.

We can look hopefully upon ourselves only so far as it reminds us how God chooses some of the most unlikely, weak, hard-hearted people the world has ever known to make His greatness all the more obvious.

We religious Americans resemble the Jewish nation of New Testament times both in our callousness as well as in our horrifying treatment of Jesus Christ. The Jews rejected Him because He didn’t fit their small-minded bill. So also we western Christians crucify the Lord on a regular basis with our rebellious faith-performances. If Christ came to the United States again in bodily form, we would have to either give up all the religion we hold dear or we’d have to reject and kill Him to preserve our traditions.

Therefore we have encouragement in God’s irresistible grace. He has a track record of using the most stubborn, religious hearts to benefit of His eternal goals. For example, Jewish-background believers accomplished some of the most widespread, ground-breaking work for God’s kingdom soon after Christ’s resurrection. God used those first few Jewish believers to send such shockwaves through the greater, unsuspecting, gentile world that we are still feeling their effects today. Who would have guessed? Not only did God spare those rebellious, little people, He also transformed their stubborn hearts and then put them to work advancing His world-wide kingdom. In light of all this, we might dare to esteem ourselves useful to God. We Americans are not out of reach of God’s grace.

Be encouraged also by all the prophets that went before Christ who seemed to accomplish nothing more than rejection, suffering and, ultimately, getting themselves killed. Christ’s ministry on earth also seemed to end horrendously. But God draws miraculous success out the most unexpected scenarios, a truth that is epitomized for all time in His Son’s resurrection from the dead. The prophets and finally Christ obeyed God by dying so that there would be no doubt that God alone accomplishes our spiritual success.

Prophets of old and then finally Jesus Himself died fleshly deaths from which God grew glorious, renewing, spiritual growth. Christ’s faithfulness in particular was the crown of all spiritual success forever. Such heavenly, Spirit-led victory flies in the face of all the hopeless self-destructiveness of men, who have been hell-bent from Adam onward.

Christ conquers situations which, in men’s estimation, seem beyond hopeless. He triumphs over heinous tragedy and shameful death so far as to use it for His own eternal glory.

And Jesus is still making all things possible for those of us who belong to Him. He continues to be the same just as God is still the same Lord over all.

Therefore, shouldn’t we Americans trust Him to establish His kingdom here in our own land, right now? If He is not the same Fullness of God that He has always been, then we have believed in vain, and we might as well eat, drink and be merry with the remainder of our futile existence.

Can the kingdom of God exist here in the United States or in any other society affected by westernization? Can men and women in westernized societies have anything to do with Christ?

by Patrick Roberts. Find additional resources at www.BooksByPatrick.com

Sometimes we are so inhibited. We cover ourselves up. We hang blinds and curtains on our windows. We tint our vehicle windows. We keep to ourselves, don

When you’re looking for free Sunday school lessons for children you really have to pay close attention to the age of the children that you’ll be teaching! One great teaching method is playing games that the kids already know but with a Biblical twist. There are many appropriate games for kids that are three to six years old.

Colors of the Rainbow

“Colors of the Rainbow” is a game that’ll make the kids running around to find a seat on Noah’s Ark. Before you begin the game, introduce the story. All you’ll need to do to prepare is place chairs in the middle of the room in a circle, having one less chair then you do children. One of the kids should stand in the middle and the others should sit down on the chairs.

The child in the middle will say, “I see a beautiful rainbow and in it I see the color ____.” He or she will pick a color of the rainbow and then any of the kids that are wearing anything with that color should stand up. If you have a CD player at hand, it’ll be helpful. Along with the kid that was in the middle, the children that are standing up will start to move around the chairs while you play some music. Then, when you stop the music, everyone has to find a seat.

If you don’t have music to play then you can have the kids run around until you tell them to stop. The kid that doesn’t find a chair will be the next 1 to go in the middle. Try to continue playing until all of the kids have had a chance to be the caller.

Orange You Special

When you’re looking for free Sunday school lessons for children you want to find specific games or activities to use, not generalities. “Orange You Special” is a perfect game for little kids because it has religious elements and it’ll also make the kids feel good.

This activity covers the topics of creation, love and self worth. You’ll need to bring a bag of oranges. All of the kids should take one. Instruct the kids to be gentle with their oranges and to carefully examine them. Ask them to look for specific details that would help them to tell their orange apart from the others. After a few minutes, collect the oranges and scatter them on a table. Then, have the kids come up and see if they can find their orange.

For very young children you can have them draw faces on their oranges beforehand. You’ll tell them this: “All of us are different in one way or another but we are all made by God and he knows all of us very well. God knows everything about us and he never confuses us. We are all special to him and he wants us to love one another regardless of how we look or act. An orange is sweet no matter who is eating it. Therefore, we should always be kind to others no matter what. Now, let us eat our oranges.”

“Colors of the Rainbow” and “Orange You Special” are free Sunday school lessons for children that will keep their attention and be enjoyable. These are activities that the children will never forget.

About The Author

Mary-Kate Warner is a Sunday School Director in Colorado.

Feel free to visit her website to discover more fun free Sunday School lessons:

http://www.TeachSundaySchool.com/

Visit Mary-Kate’s website today to get instant access to 52 weeks of Sunday School lesson plans!

Whilst Christians may suspect unsubstantiated claims surrounding the prophet Jesus christ it is hard for most to get to the truth of his elevation and the beginning of their faith. Despite every effort to locate substantial evidence of his existence, outside of the bible, nothing stands up to scrutiny. My research has established, however, that he never existed. His birth, life and death is based on ancient mythology dating from the Ice Age. The ideas surrounding such a being were stolen and used for power and control by a violent Roman emperor.

Horror stories of hell and threats of eternal punishment await doubters and dissenters who dare question the establishment or the belief in Jesus Christ. Logic states, however, that with the size of the universe stretching almost to infinity it is impossible that a ‘man’ could be the creator of it. The ruse that the so-call ‘Son of God’ died as a criminal to save everyone is a carry on premise from earlier beliefs.

Destruction of records, denial of religious origins and bluff by perpetrators behind the fraud effectively blinds and deafens us to the facts. This author, with full memory of reincarnation and of being between lives, unearthed irrefutable evidence to prove his non existence. In the same manner heaven and hell are mere strings of manipulation.

Claims of the mystical celestial kingdoms dominated by a male God extend from the pre historic era when big men gained power and control. Kings emerged as gods on earth and rulers of the after-life when their role in procreation was noticed. Their word was law and their actions taken as sanctioned by God because kings supposedly married the Mother god to fertilise the earth.

So good is the deception and its survival that men still trade their lives for promises of heavenly rewards. So it is with terrorists who seek martyrdom based on such myths and fanatics who are prepared to kill, maim, curse or frustrate anyone who dares to oppose them. This work will hopefully alter that state of affairs and may bring it to an end.

An examination of cognitive progress based on linguistics, archaeology and anthropology uncovered the divine being of antiquity as Mother god. Her three aspects of earth, sun and light was the first Trinity while the Sun was the main object of worship. She is the ‘eye’ in Egyptian iconography while her personification as a woman satisfied a belief that the sun came to earth.

This research uncovered a ritual whereby men sought godship by dying on the cross at dawn to marry ‘her’, the sun. This happened in the circle or ‘her-o’, the origin of ‘hero’. Terms spawned from this act are records of thought patterns and behaviour from the beginning of speech that remain in modern language. They provide the keys to understand ancient religions, such as that of Egypt.

Linguistic roots highlight the past and demonstrate the passage of rituals and godmen from one society to the next. The circle/cross symbol is iconified in Australia, the America’s, Asia, Africa and Europe. Sacred sites include mountain tops and the peaks of man made hills, pyramids, and ziggurats.

As new discoveries threatened religious beliefs and the credibility of the bible they were hidden by powerful leaders. Galileo was the first to notice that the universe has depth and more planets and stars than previously considered. The lights in the sky proved not to be he souls of the dead. Thi threatened the church and he was tortured, jailed and house bound for the remainder of his life.

Later Copernicus proved that the earth was not the center of the unverse but merely one planet out of several that rotate around the sun His book was banned after publication following his death. The threat to heaven and hell was enormous and as people began to question the bible many were burned alive or otherwise tortured and murdered. The bible had to be upheld as correct at any cost but my research shows that it was greatly altered while the New Tetstament is a fabrication based on myth.

Darwin’s book on evolution was banned for a hundred years and to this day religious bodies insist on creation in 6 days as correct. There are hundreds of cases of church interference in the promotion of knowledge and science over the errors in the bible.

The evidence, therefore, points to a conspiracy and cover up of the facts to protect the establishment which promotes heaven and hell, devil, angels and saints.

Armed with these facts plus my memory of reincarnation delving into records never before seen unearthed confessions from the real authors of the New Testament The mysteries created by religious leaders to stop the curious from discovering the conspiracy surrounding Jesus Christ have been undone and the truth about the man described in the bible as 666 is finally out.

Please visit my site for more details on one of the greatest crimes ever.

Lifetime sacraments are holy events for any Roman Catholic, with Confirmation and First Communion being two of the most sacred. First Communion is a glad occasion, a celebratory time, as a child first takes in the sacrament of the Eucharist. Because of the special nature of this time, choosing an appropriate Communion gift should not be rushed, especially if you’re a non-Catholic celebrating with the Catholic family.

Traditional Communion Gifts

To young Catholics, Communion is a dedication of one’s life to God and Christ. Traditional communion gifts are usually religious in nature, as a reminder to the child of their commitment to the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church and their belief in God and Christ. Rosaries, bibles, prayer books, crosses, crucifixes or lockets inscribed with a cross are quite common. Other traditional communion gifts can include sacramental charm bracelets and religious medals, but books that encourage the spiritual growth of the child are also common.

Special Communion Gifts

If you feel especially close to the First Communicant, you may want to go beyond the traditional and give them something truly special. In this case, it’s always a good idea to sit back for a moment before choosing the appropriate Communion gift. Think about what kind of gift would emphasize the magnitude of the day as well as commemorate your relationship.

Delicate cross earrings, pendants and bracelets can be excellent gift ideas for girls. A small locket inscribed with a cross or praying hands can be made even more special with a picture of you and the child within. For boys, a plain gold or silver cross, inscribed with the date of their Communion, can be a wonderful reminder of the day, as well as your love for them. If he’s shy about wearing a necklace, the same style of cross can be worn on a thick bracelet chain or used as a key chain.

Other special communion gifts include First Communion photo frames, personalized rosary holders, figurines, Holy Communion chalices and much more.

Communion Gift Ideas

“Tradition” doesn’t have to mean “common”. Gifts from the heart that memorialize this sacred event can further deepen the child’s commitment and remind them of what a wonderful step First Communion is towards greater spiritual understanding. Family bibles, a rosary that is special to you, a pendant that you’ve worn for years – things that come with a history and are special to you will be special to them. Should you choose to give a sentimental gift, remember that the story of the item is part of the gift, and give accordingly.

The Last Resort

If you absolutely can’t think of anything appropriate, money is always appreciated. Many times, First Communion dresses, suits and gatherings are quite expensive and may cause economic hardship. In cases such as these, the gift of money is truly priceless.

Choosing an appropriate Communion gift can be exciting, as you picture the look on the child’s face at receiving it. Follow your heart; the love you hold for the child will shine through, no matter what the gift is.

By: Roberto Bell

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Every teacher has their own Sunday school teaching methods. Different age groups require different lessons and different lessons require different methods. However, no matter the lesson, variety is key.

Teaching lessons in an interactive manner is a must! You don’t ever have to be the teacher that students dread listening to. There will be topics that are not as interesting as others but it’s all in the way that you present it. Be a joyful and enthusiastic member of your Church. Dig into your own life and teach from the depths of your personal relationship with God. You will not be able to teach children about Christianity if you are not passionate about it yourself!

Celebrating success is another fantastic Sunday school teaching method. You want to make the kids feel good about themselves and make them feel good about God. Even if it might seem over the top, a job well done is a big deal! Take the last 20 minutes of class to play a game if all of the students memorize the verse that you’re studying or if everyone gets over an 80% on a test. You want to encourage your class to shoot for the moon. Positive reinforcement is a huge catalyst for success.

You can apply different Sunday school teaching methods in any setting. If it is a nice day outside, teach that day’s material outside! You can even do a nature walk with the kids and instruct them to take mental notes of all of God’s different creations. During Winter when it snows, take the kids outside to build different Biblical subjects in the snow. Even if you are just going to be reading to the students, sit outside in the sunshine. Sometimes a classroom gets tight and it is nice to give the kids some variety.

Movies, artwork and music are also great tools for your Sunday school teaching methods. Children love to express themselves through artwork. You can do a presentation of Biblical artwork from different generations and then have them create their own piece. As far as movies go, there are a number of short films anywhere from 20-60 minutes that cover Biblical events.

In order to teach religious classes you must develop personal relationships with your students. It is not the same as public school teachers. You need to be someone that kids feel comfortable coming to if they need help with something or if they need to talk. Reach out to your students and display warmth in your teaching. Relate to everybody and accept everybody. Allow your students to be who they are but still care for them unconditionally. After all, they are your family away from home!

Sunday school teaching methods vary from teacher to teacher. The most important part of teaching is encouraging your students to grow as Christians. Religious growth works hand-in-hand with personal growth and any teacher’s main goal should be to assist their students in growing.

About The Author

Mary-Kate Warner is a Sunday School Director in Colorado.

Feel free to visit her website to discover more fun Sunday School Teaching Methods:

http://www.TeachSundaySchool.com/

Visit Mary-Kate’s website today to get instant access to 52 weeks of Sunday School lesson plans!

Sunday school crafts make learning about religion fun for kids. It

It is no secret that one of the most powerful tools in public speaking is humor. No matter how glum the subject matter if the speaker can get the audience laughing at some anecdotal story, joke or wisecrack the crowd relaxes and the rest is a piece of cake. Hillary Clinton is a seasoned speaker who craftily used the humor factor on the Jay Leno Show Thursday evening April 3, 2008.

As Hillary took the stage on the Leno show which was taped in Burbank California Kevin Eubanks cranked his band up to play the theme from the famed “Rocky” movies. Touting her as the underdog who can still shape up to knock em all dead it started the segment off on a light note. Hillary raised the level of hilarity by saying “It is so great to be here, I was so worried I wasn’t going to make it. I was pinned down by sniper fire”

Staving off the serious question Leno was bound to ask about the now famous Hillary “misspeak” Clinton once again wielded her craft as a master politician by diffusing what might otherwise have been a dark moment later in the show.

Ironically a later segment of the show meant to be even more hilarious turned more somber when contrasted against Hillary’s frivolity.

Leno corralled a few passers by, some who were college students and asked them a few questions that almost anyone would know the answer to. Almost anyone that is; except all of those questioned by Leno.

Not much was funny about a male nursing student who had no clue about who Florence Nightingale was. Another young man giggled and whispered into Leno’s ear who he thought John Hancock was; that answer was bleeped! One girl answered that Benedict Arnold was probably a rock singer.

Its only entertainment after all so what’s the big deal? Was it the musical equivalent of cognitive dissonance or an accidental comedy flip flop where what was intended to be serious became laughable and what was intended to be funny illumined a tragic truth about America?

The Constitution wisely says the Congress shall make no laws regarding religion and that is why we have the department of Health, Education and Welfare and not the government office of “Body, Mind and Soul.” The Bible and the church are left to deal with man as a “tripartite” creature made in the likeness of God. If report cards had to be issued for either the government or the church would they get a passing grade?

American health care may be near shambles but our bodies are generally in good shape except for the rising tide of obesity and the looming portent of aids especially among African Americans. What politicians and presidential candidates are building their platforms on has more to do with how we are going to pay for healthcare not what shape our bodies are in. This theme has been vigorously enjoined by McCain, Clinton and Obama.

Education is still a major point in political rhetoric as it has been for several generations now but the record shows that no candidate has offered more than the promise of throwing more money at the problem. So far that has not worked.

Even though homeschooled children consistently score higher in any tests the state or federal government can come up with it is fast becoming an uphill battle for homeschoolers. New York State has laws for homeschoolers that make jumping through burning hoops look like child’s play. California has slammed the homeschoolers and the backlash is a near exodus of people who still think their children’s education is their business not the states.

With some states reporting a high school drop out rate as high as 35 percent; other states have been sending police to escort frightened students who fear for their lives to their respective schools. It is a little easier to understand why some kids think Benedict Arnold was a rock and roll star. The popular show “Who’s Smarter than a Fifth Grader” doesn’t have to look very hard for contestants and the field extends all the way to post grads apparently. No insult intended to those who still work hard at education, the naturals or the geniuses in America however few they may be.

While presidential candidates manage to downplay race issues, explain away elaborate lies in campaign speeches and still get laughs and accolades on late night TV shows, the preachers and theologians are left to deal with the last but not least, our souls. How are they doing?

If we are to believe Oprah Winfrey’s Tollenesian spawned new age musings the answer would be “everything is hunky dory.” It’s a happy, happy new earth where dat ole man river, he just keeps rollin along according to Oprah’s new mentor. Elkhart Tolle and friends are assuring America that there’s no sin, we are our own saviors and Christ died for nothing. Over a half million people in America opted into Oprah’s latest offering of nebulous new age ether raising the question yet once again; who is smarter than a fifth grader?

Don’t worry all the men and women who are preaching the gospel and teaching the Bible have not been blown away by new winds blowing in from directions not found on any compass. Many of the faithful are still plugging away and skillfully “contending for the faith once delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3)

Over forty years ago while passing a large graveyard I was asked by a friend if I knew just how many dead people there were in that cemetery. I quickly replied that I had no clue. My passenger retorted with “all of them.” It was hilarious at the time but gets less humorous each time I hear it. It took me years to form a much more important question about the population of graveyards and no hilarity can be attached to it.

The question is “how many souls are in the graveyard.” The answer is no surprise to the Biblically grounded but it is still almost totally miss-understood by every one else. Quite simply, there are no souls in any graveyard, not even one.

The scriptures warn, promise and elaborate that man is indeed “tripartite” and at the end of life, the host (body) is laid aside and returns to dust. The life of man does not hang around in the dust. The sentient, cognizant and personal part of man (soul) removes to other quarters but can never be destroyed. Judged, yes, but never completely destroyed.

Our health, education or our welfare has little to do with how the soul fares after death. The soul of man holds little interest to the politician and perhaps that’s as it should be. What should not be ignored is the spiritual, theological or moral stand of the candidates. Ignoring one “soul” for the other “sole” is not good politics at any time. The other “sole” being the sole attention being given to healthcare and education. It is a focus that is bound to become a blur if we continue to make light of racism, hatred and public lying. Is all that something to laugh about?

The tenants of the Bible are neither funny nor overwhelming. In an article published in June, 2004 Christianity Today also in The Voice of the Martyrs April 2008, writer Andy Crouch said “the Bible is not a make-up mirror, casting a flattering soft light and showing us mostly ourselves. It is a window into a larger world…full of tragedy and hope. The hope where God’s Word becomes flesh…Great advances in demonstrating the Bible’s relevance rarely comes from the restless minds of marketers. They come from people who dare to obey what they read. On the cruel edges of the world, there is no need for elaborate explanations to bring distant biblical text closer to our lives. Rather, when we go to the cruel edges of the world, we bring our lives closer to the text.”

It is the truth in the scriptures that make it virtually impossible to separate our lives from the text even if we are not believers. Ignoring that inseparability may seem like the better part of discretion in political rhetoric but it is the part that will undue the nation if ignored completely in all politics or our daily lives.

In Christ’s teachings body, mind and soul are never separated they are only given a new abode in a place where health, education and welfare will never be an issue. To wit: “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die…” John 11:25-26

Rev Bresciani is the author of two Christian books one that is entirely on the second coming of Christ. He is a contributing columnist for several online news and commentary sites. His articles are read throughout the world. Please enjoy a visit to http://www.americanprophet.org

As a new believer, I was introduced to some Bible songs like “Behold, Behold,” “The Lord is My Shepherd,” and “I am the Resurrection and the Life”. Many times I was not aware that I was actually singing a Bible verse. Later, when I came across the verse in my reading, I was surprised that I already knew it.
Yes, help in memorizing Scripture is one of the main benefits of Bible verse songs. Music has a rhythm and when that rhythm locks the words of the Bible into it, the verse is much easier to recall. Television advertisers have used this for years to get the name of their product into the minds of the public. It works too for I can still remember commercial tunes I learned over 50 years ago!
However, though poetry is easy to put to music because of its meter, Bible verses are not so written. Ways to do so successfully is the subject of another article. When it is accomplished, however, the meter of the song dictates the next word and locks it in.
Scripture songs also help us remember the verses we memorized. I can recall numerous times when I think of a verse while speaking and can quote it exactly. However, mentally I am actually singing it in my mind quickly. The rhythm of the song helps me retain the Bible words
Several years ago I taught third grade in a Christian school. Some of my students had difficulty learning the memory verse for the day and I wanted to help them. The answer was music. Singing the verse aided them in both learning and retaining it.
This has also been for me a means of meditating on the Bible. A Bible verse song runs over and over in my mind and, of course, so do the words. The Spirit has thus used this to apply the Bible verse to my life in numerous situations.
A good song will, in fact, bring out the meaning of a verse. An example of this is found in a verse that, in the KJV, contains a misplaced modifier, 2 Corinthians 5:21. It says, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin” Obviously, Paul is not teaching that we are sinless, but Christ is. Through repetition of the phrases, the song makes this clear.
Bible Songs can also be a way to present the Gospel. Several years ago I taught my class all of the verses in the Roman’s Road set to music and then we sang them for a parent assembly. The plan of salvation was presented to the audience in a way that was hard for any unsaved relatives to ignore.
Finally, Bible verse songs are a means of retaining Scripture as I get older. It is much more difficult for me to memorize Bible verses and remember them now, than it was when I was younger. However, I can still remember a song and through this means can learn and retain verses.

By: Joy Mary

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God made music. The Bible is God’s Word. When the two are united, this results in a unique and timeless blessing available through Bible songs.

Is there a time for you, as a Christian, to tell somebody that you will no longer have anything to do with them? And, if so, how do you do that in a Christlike manner?

Last May I ended an acquaintance that had lasted for ten years. I had encountered this man, on average, a couple of times per week over that decade and from the start I noticed that he tended to become very negative about many things. Sometimes I agreed with him. Most times, I did not. But our conversations were usually friendly and occasionally thought-provoking, so, I maintained the relationship.

But over the course of years, I steadily wore down.

We had several bitter arguments about matters of little importance. And a couple of others in which I told him straight-out that I am a Christian and that I was not going to listen to his sordid sexual

Richard Jarzynka is the author of “Blessed with Bipolar” (http://www.bipolarman.org) He has used the “symptoms” of the disorder to help him counsel clients; run a marathon; grow in his christian faith; and earn a masters degree in psychology, a scholarship to law school, and a football scholarship. He blogs at www.bipolarman.org/blog

While no human being will ever understand or discover the full truth in this life on earth, they can accept God’s word as true because they see the truth that they can see in the flesh, and take the remainder on faith. The truth is God’s Word, which is manifest in the Holy Bible and ultimately in His Son Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

The external reality orbiting humanity is made up of concrete materials based in the Periodic Table of chemistry. This is true for everything in our Milky Way Galaxy and the universe as far as we are able to see it. While new elements in the periodic table are being discovered, they are unstable derivations of elements already discovered. God created all the elements on the Periodic Table via mathematics a fundamental creation of His own.

According to Genesis 1:27, in the Holy Bible “So God created human beings in his own image. n the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” The American Heritage Dictionary defines a human as a bipedal primate mammal. A human being is a member of the race of beings that God designed and created for companionship and close friendship, to replace the relationship God lost when Lucifer was expelled from Heaven to become Satan, the ruler of the world. Human beings are the beings closest to God, followed in importance by angels, which are the servants of, and messengers, to mankind.

It is a well known scientific fact that energy can not be either created or destroyed. Scientifically, the human body contains energy that is the mind and soul and it must go somewhere after the body dies and this energy continues to exist. The body is an empty shell that is buried or burned, while the spirit and essence of the human being leaves the body after death to dwell in either Heaven or hell forever.

By: Kate Gardens

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Kate Gardens is a custom essay writing expert writer and UK customers support consultant at Customessays. Get more details for marketing essays writing, management essay writing and find more tips for medicine essay writing.

Something is fundamentally wrong! After two millennia of organized Christianity the world is not a better place. The same can be said for Islam and all organized religions. Faiths that were established upon the teachings of love have become the pillars of hatred. Teachings that claimed we are all brothers and sisters have turned brothers and sisters against one another. Each religion rails against the other and within religions sectarianism will prove their undoing.

What went wrong? There is an award winning video called,

God made the Earth and everything else within 6 days and on the 7th He rested. And so now in our mortal life, the more religious part of humanity has made it a habit to go to church at least once a week on their assigned Sabbath. While we go to church to worship, it is not the only thing that we are able to do in the chapel. it is a fact that the weekly church bulletin is one thing almost everybody who comes to church will see and notice. Depending on the architectural and interior design it is most likely that bulletins will be placed where everybody may see them, otherwise it defeats the purpose. The criteria for good church bulletins is that they are able notify, inform, invite, welcome, and at the same time should also have a design that would be appealing to the public.

The sad story about this however is that bulletins are not that easy to make. If you wish to make one, you will need all the right stuff. First of all, a good computer must be had with a software that could stand the demand of the task and not to mention a good printer. And even if you are good in graphic designs, making quality bulletins will still take a lot of your precious time.

Since church bulletin materials aren’t as highly popular as other craft materials, even if quality church bulletins and church resources may be sold at stores, at most times they are out of stock. This leaves you no choice but to go and check every store that sells such materials. In a very busy world such as ours, scouting each and every store will be consuming our precious time, money and effort which we could have probably spent in equally or more important things.

Luckily, with today’s technology there are now online stores that offer a wide array of bulletins you can choose from online. It’s just like a one stop store of quality church resources. All you have to do is browse online and choose the bulletins that you are looking for all in the comfort of your home or office.

Not only do they have everything creative but they also have a variety of event themes you can choose from, from weddings to anniversaries to baptisms and more. That isn’t all. If you’re looking for supplies these online stores also have a church resources center where you could shop for bookmarks, offering envelopes, book plates, wall charts and many more.

Bulletins, just like many church resources, play a big role in the church. They are not just silent pieces of papers or stationery posted to catch attention but they could also be the means of a transformation for a person. With quality and elegance, bulletins will surely help churches in fulfilling their goals. Better now that these things are available online and can be done in the comfort of your home.

You can visit online stores anytime to avoid the hassle of checking every store and save more time. Quality church bulletins are now at your fingertips at any time, day or night.

We should never underestimate the power of simple things. Church bulletins with wonderful design may be simple, but who knows? Maybe because of this, the most crooked path you have been traveling in life can turn to a different direction.

By: Calvin Patel

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Spend less time finding good bulletins for your church by finding them online. You can find everything you need at a good church resources website.

HOW THE DISCIPLES CAME TO UNDERSTAND THE MESSAGE AND MISSION OF CHRIST

INTRODUCTION

Jesus knew that his disciples would not fully understand his message or his mission until after he had risen and imparted the Spirit to them. To prepare them for his impending departure, Jesus promised to send them another Advocate, the Spirit of Truth (John 14:16-17). Jesus made it clear that after his departure, the Spirit would be in them and not just with them, explaining and revealing the truth to them. The shift to the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit is therefore critical in our understanding of how the disciples came to conceptualize and interpret the purpose of Christ and his teachings.

This study will endeavor to show that after Jesus was glorified, the Holy Spirit enabled the disciples to understand and perceive the message and the mission of Christ. In order to do this, we will first track the various misunderstandings of Christ’s hearers prior to his resurrection, offer an analysis of Christ’s remedy for this by sending the Spirit who will guide them into all truth, and address the corresponding change in the disciples’ understanding after receiving the Holy Spirit.

JESUS IS MISUNDERSTOOD BY HIS OPPONENTS

John portrays Jesus’ opponents as having largely misunderstood his purpose and message. At times, this lack of understanding is due to a faulty world-view (e.g. the prevalent view of a one-dimensional messianic theocracy). In other instances, they fail to perceive the spiritual underpinnings of Jesus’ language (e.g. “I am the bread of heaven” 6:32-24). They also fail to grasp the somewhat cryptic use of typological language (e.g. “tear down this temple, and I will rebuild it in three days” 2:19). On other occasions, they demonstrate a fundamentally flawed understanding of scripture altogether, as is the case with their misunderstanding of the Messiah’s origin (7:27). In yet another place, John records that the crowd failed to grasp Jesus’ use of a figure of speech referring to himself as the Shepherd (10:1-7). Lastly, not even the highly educated and accomplished rabbinic crowd was immune to misconstruing Jesus’ words (3:9-11).

This isn’t to say that the unbelieving Jews could not understand anything they heard Jesus say. The quintessential example of this is Jesus stating that “Before Abraham was born, I AM” (8:58). The response of the pious Jews is to stone him for blasphemy. Jesus does not censure them for their accusation because they have correctly understood this as an overt claim of deity. Though they apprehend the meaning of Christ’s claim, they fail to accept it because they are operating under a flawed messianic framework and they do not have a personal revelation of its truth by the Spirit.

The opponents of Jesus do not understand him, or at best have a partial understanding of Christ’s teachings and mission and they refuse to believe. Jesus communicates to them that without a willing heart to believe, they can not possibly understand that he is in the Father and the Father is in him (10:38). Obedience to Christ was essential if they were to later receive the Spirit of Truth who would provide an explanation of “all things.”

JESUS IS MISUNDERSTOOD BY HIS FOLLOWERS

To be fair, it is apparent that not even Jesus’ closest followers understood his larger mission and message. The tendency to misread Jesus was a systemic problem among his hearers. The disciples’ misunderstandings of Jesus fall into three categories: First, they simply fail to fully understand something he says or does. Such is the case when Jesus rides into Jerusalem. The Scripture in the NIV states that, “at first the disciples did not understand all of this [emphasis added].” The text makes it clear that they had a partial understanding at the time, and a fuller understanding later after Jesus had been glorified (12:15-17). Second, they fail to recognize the symbolic significance of Jesus’ teaching and actions. This can be seen in the washing of the disciples’ feet and the future understanding of its significance they will receive after receiving the Spirit (13:7-13). Third, they fail to perceive Jesus’ real mission, namely, his passion and resurrection (16:18; 20:9). Thus, John points out in many places that even the twelve disciples were not immune to misinterpreting Jesus’ teachings or his larger program of atonement. The future resurrection of Christ and his subsequent explanation would provide the new conceptual framework for their understanding, and the Spirit would awaken their newly transformed inner man to the inescapable truth of Christ’s claims.

To conclude the matter, one narrative in particular appears to capture this issue of misunderstanding and response. John contains a scene in which Jesus cleanses the Temple, and answers his opponents by saying that if they tear down “this Temple” he will restore it again in only three days. His opponents do not understand and reject him. The disciples also do not understand but choose to follow him. Their faith in Jesus’ unprecedented miracles is not shaken despite their apparent lack of understanding. As Carson states, “Thus, of these two groups which fail to grasp the significance of Jesus’ temple saying, one explicitly misunderstands, and the other implicitly fails to understand until a specified time.” Those who “explicitly” misunderstand are those in darkness to whom the light has shown, but have failed to comprehend it (1:5).

JESUS PROMISES A REMEDY: THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH

As has been demonstrated above, John has constructed his Gospel to show us that Jesus has been repeatedly misread. Jesus then pledges to remedy this situation by sending the Spirit to those who truly love him and obey his commands (John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:1-17). After stating to the disciples that he himself is the truth (14:6), Jesus then assures them that he will send another Advocate who will be with them forever – the Spirit of Truth (14:16-17). The wording of this passage has been the subject of endless discussion and exegesis. It is therefore necessary to briefly provide a working definition of the terms “another” (Gk. allon), “Advocate” (Gk. parakletos), and “Spirit of Truth” (Gk. ta pneuma tes aletheias). We will then examine what this other Advocate will do once he is sent to them.

allon: It is clear from the Greek text that Jesus does not promise to send them another Advocate who is completely foreign or alien to them. The fact that Jesus has told them that the Spirit had been “with” them, but not yet “in” them (13:7), demonstrates that they were familiar with the workings and power of the Spirit. Had John wanted to communicate that the Spirit was entirely “other” than Christ or “other” than what they’d already experienced, he would have used a word such as heteros, meaning “another of a different kind.” Instead he uses allon, meaning “another of the same kind.” Thus, while heteros primarily means another of a contrasting type, allon refers to another of a comparative type. Barrett suggests that either allon or parakleton may be translated adjectively, which slightly effects how we render the passage. Either it is rendered that Christ himself through the agency of the Spirit will be the paraclete (which would fit the epistolary usage in 1 Jn 2:1); or the Spirit of Truth is the paraclete who provides communion and continuity with Christ’s presence (which would fit the successor motif of John regarding the Spirit). Arguably, both constructions allow Jesus to continue his ministry of truth through the Spirit.

parakletos: This term comes into English as “paraclete” and has been translated in various ways. The primary thrust of the term according to Bauer (Arndt, Gingrich, and Danker) is “one who appears in another’s behalf, mediator, intercessor, helper.” Thus it clearly has a defensive thrust. Though BAGD states that the forensic or legal use is more rare, Liddell, Scott, and Jones lists the legal sense as the first definition for the classical period and assigns it a secondary intercessory capacity. Though it is likely a forensic term, it is probably not as restrictive as the Latin advocatus, which appears to be the favorite of the Patristic Fathers starting with Tertullian. Keener argues that parakletos is used frequently in both classical and rabbinic texts and states, “Rhetors could function as advocates for their friends; while the image is not so specific as ‘friend-advocate’ here, the idea is consistent with the context.” Referring to the other passages regarding the Paraclete, he goes on to state:

A forensic reading of these passages fits the trial motif throughout the Fourth Gospel and is becoming increasingly popular. This is, as noted above, a quite natural way to read the “Paraclete”; the problem is that some scholars find difficulty relating this as a forensic term to what appears to be nonforensic functions in the Paraclete passages. Shafaat admits the forensic connection of 15:18-16:7, which is inescapable once one recognizes that synagogues (16:2) also functioned as judicial assemblies.

Barrett recognizes that the primary meaning of the paraclete is that of “legal

assistant, or advocate” and does affirm the forensic aspect in 16:8-11, yet he declines to press the legal nuance out of John’s other contexts. Instead he sees a clear connection with other cognates such as parakalein and paraklesis. Barrett argues that both words are important links and both may be taken in a dual sense. On the one hand, they may mean to “prophetically proclaim,” and on the other hand may mean, “to console or offer help.”

Keener, however, feels this type of interpretation leans too heavily on etymology, and does not put enough weight on the normal sense of the noun. Brown also feels that the legal aspect of parakletos is very strong. Jesus is judged and convicted to die on a cross and then sends the Spirit to reverse that judgment and conviction of the world (16:8-11). The trial motif is also found in the Old Testament text in Zech. 3. In this passage, Satan stands as the accuser while the Lord’s angel takes on a defensive role. This passage has undoubtedly given rise to various non-biblical expansions of that theme.

This trial motif of the heavenly courtroom is expanded in the Dead Sea texts and has clear ties to the imagery of Zech. 3. Neusner states:

In the construct of the two spirits, which pits two figures against one another in the heavenly court, the accuser (Satan) is opposed by a defending attorney who looks after the interest of the righteous by pleading their just cause before God and protecting them from evil in a variety of ways. In the Community Rule, 1QS 3:18-25, that figure is called the prince of light, the angel of God’s truth, and the Spirit of holiness and is probably identified with the angel Michael.

In any case, the minimalist definition may simply mean “an advocate, or provider of mediatorial help.” It seems that whatever else the term might mean, we can not dial out its forensic and legal frequencies. Though it is clear that John may have meant more than this, he likely did not mean less. As is consistent with other places in his Gospel, John does not have the habit of pulling his meanings out of thin air. Rather in typical Johannine fashion, he uses terminology that is familiar to his readers and exercises the prerogative to expand the term to encompass his own objectives (e.g. logos). The phrase “another Advocate” then, assumes they already have an Advocate and anticipates that the coming Spirit is a worthy successor.

So far, John has told us that Jesus promised to send another Advocate-Helper to the disciples whose presence will abide with them in perpetuity.

ta pneuma tes aletheias: There are various conceptual parallels to the Holy Spirit found in extra-biblical literature. The Wisdom of Solomon (possibly contemporaneous to Philo and the NT and falsely attributed to Solomon) personifies Wisdom and calls “her” the spirit, which is holy. In addition to this, Philo portrays the Spirit as hovering over the waters as air, or an invisible force. Philo seems to fuse the idea of God’s Spirit to knowledge, wisdom, and power to create and understanding. Some argue that the Qumran texts provide us with another possible background for the “spirit of truth” phrase in particular. Here we have the most striking contrast between the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. As noted above, Jesus may have drawn from the celestial courtroom imagery in the TANAK (Zech. 3), but that he borrowed his terms or concepts from Qumran is less clear.

In searching for a theological or conceptual backdrop for Jesus’ use of “Spirit of Truth,” or “Holy Spirit” in John 14-16, some potential candidates can immediately be screened out such as the impersonal view of Philo, or the exalted angelic view of certain strains of Judaism. In addition to thinning out various inaccurate concepts for the Spirit of Truth, we must also recognize that all of these possible backgrounds are at least inadequate. A far more useful framework to the disciples is the messianic passage of Is. 11:2 which states, “The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him- the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding [emphasis added], the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.” The disciples have already come to believe that Jesus is ministering in the power and the wisdom of God’s Spirit. Now Jesus is promising the same to them as an extension of his messianic vocation. The assurance of the coming Spirit is a comforting promise of permanency and equivalence. But what did Jesus mean by referring to him as the Spirit of Truth?

THE SPIRIT WILL GUIDE THEM INTO THE TRUTH

In order to understand what Jesus meant by it, we need only to examine his usage of “truth” and John’s application of the term as it relates to Jesus. Twice in John’s prologue he refers to Jesus as “full” of truth (1:14, 17). He also repeatedly states that Jesus prefaced his teaching with “I tell you the truth.” (1:51; 3:3; 5, 11, 21, 33; 5:19, 24-25; 6:26, 32, 47, 53 et al.). Moreover, Jesus only speaks what he hears the Father say, thereby showing himself to be a man of truth (7:18). And lastly, Jesus claims to be the truth (14:6). Arguably then, the disciples already understand Christ himself as the specific parallel here, and the messianic use of Spirit in Torah as the broader context. At this time it is not critical for them to comprehend all truth. For now, the truth must apprehend them. They must embrace it before fully understanding it, or like the unbelieving Jews they will risk never understanding it.

Already familiar with the Holy Spirit’s “resume” from the TANAK, the disciples are introduced to his new job description as it relates to Christ’s ongoing mission through them. The Paraclete will teach them all things and remind them of all Jesus previously taught them (14:26). The Spirit will teach them the significance of Christ’s words. panta in Greek literally means “all things,” but here refers to all relevant things; i.e. Christ’s spoken words. Through the mediation of the Spirit’s presence, Jesus would unlock their understanding of his plan and his person. This teaching will be “explanatory and applicational, like the exposition of the Jewish sages.” Yet there is a discontinuous aspect of the Spirit’s teaching of the disciples. Regarding the Spirit’s role in teaching and reminding, Carson observes:

One of the Spirit’s principal tasks, after Jesus is glorified, is to remind the disciples of Jesus’ teaching and thus, in the new situation after the resurrection, to help them grasp its significance and to teach them what is meant…the promise of v. 26 has in view the Spirit’s role to the first generation of disciples, not to all subsequent Christians. John’s purpose in including this theme and this verse is not to explain how readers at the end of the first century may be taught by the Spirit, but to explain to readers at the end of the first century how the first witnesses, the first disciples, came to an accurate and full understanding.

It is interesting that the Spirit will have to remind them of Christ’s words. Typically, Jewish disciples would meticulously memorize their rabbi’s teachings. Memorizing was critical to the educational system of both Jews and Greeks. It is unlikely that Jesus here means mere recollection, and most likely is referring to “recollection with application.” The Spirit will enhance an already strong cultural ability to memorize, and will provide them with unparalleled retention and accuracy of interpretation. This interpretive recollection will be the basis for their later stories of Christ, and the future codification of that tradition.

The Paraclete will also “testify” (Gk. marturesei ) of Christ (15:26). This is not a tepid affirmation, but a “bold counter-offensive” against the world. Jesus’ application of marturesei in the immediate context is not in the sense of a friendly witness, reaching out to longing souls. Though this is certainly a function of the Spirit’s witness in other New Testament passages (1 Jn. 5:6-10; Rom. 8:16; Acts 9:1), the context that flanks v. 26 is that of the world “hating” Christ and the church. The “witness” aspect of the Paraclete, will be to turn the verdict of judgment back onto the world. His resurrection will vindicate his claim, and the Paraclete will authenticate this message through the ministry of the disciples as the Spirit convicts the world. The disciples will themselves be witnesses, but as yet are not spiritually fit for that vocation.

In 16:12, Jesus tells them that he has much more to divulge but at the time they can not “bear” it. Given the weighty nature of what Christ has already vocalized, this probably means that they are not spiritually fit to bear more. But when he sends them the Advocate-Helper, they will be able to carry a theologically weightier load. John’s text reveals clear trinitarian undercurrents, but the disciples may not be ready to go there just yet. Jesus completes his thought saying that the Spirit will guide them into all truth (v.13). Carson notes, “If there is a distinction between ‘in all truth’ and ‘into all truth,’ it is that the latter hints at truth the disciples have not yet in any sense penetrated, while ‘in all truth’ suggests an exploration of truth already principally disclosed.” There will be continuity between recalled truth, and newly revealed truth. When the Spirit reveals future revelation, he will take from what is Jesus’ and convey it to them. This future revelation is typically interpreted as a matter of eschatology. Yet this approach is not entirely aware of John’s view of eschatology, which is typically more realized than anticipatory. The spirit will reveal the significance of all that is to come likely referring to Christ’s death, resurrection and glorification, which they will later understand.

AFTER THE RESURRECTION, THE DISCIPLES STILL MISUNDERSTAND

After the farewell discourse, Jesus is arrested, crucified and resurrected. Mary Magdalene, Peter, and the disciple who outran Peter (probably John) fail to make a connection between Jesus’ empty tomb, Christ’s extensive discourse on it, and the scripture. After seeing the tomb empty, verse 9 states that “They still did not understand [emphasis added] from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.” The disciples returned to their homes, leaving Mary at the empty tomb sight. Mary, a close follower of Christ (though not one of the twelve), instantly misunderstands what has happened to Jesus’ body. She is confused, thinking that it has been simply moved to another more permanent grave sight. Jesus then appears to all the disciples except one (20:19-23) and Thomas still refuses to believe the disciples report until he sees Christ for himself.

AFTER THE RESURRECTION, THE DISCIPLES RECEIVE THE SPIRIT

We are lead to the defining moment of Christ’s mission among them. He has been their rabbi, friend, advocate, their shepherd and messiah. Now he appears to them as the risen Lord of the world, and imparts to them the Spirit of which he had promised (20:22). The disciples will still need to have Christ open the scriptures to them (Lk. 24:7), they will still need the Spirit to come and empower them for service and witness (Acts 2), and they will still need to experience the unfolding program of the messiah as they take the Gospel into the Gentile world (Acts). But as newly transformed believers by the Spirit of God, they can perceive the truth of Christ at a level that they could not have before. Jesus gives their inner renewal a missional context saying, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” Then, reminiscent of Adam, in Genesis-like fashion the Son of God breathes into them new life and they experience new birth.

AFTER RECEIVING THE SPIRIT, THE DISCIPLES UNDERSTAND

John’s Gospel itself is an implicit attestation that Jesus’ promise came true. The disciples did remember all of Jesus teachings and their significance, and they did testify to the world of Christ. At the time of the Gospel’s writing, John is able to reflect on previous ambiguities that later become crystal clear to him and the disciples (2:17, 22; 12:16; 20:9). He is able to convey retrospectively, that apart from Jesus sending the Advocate-Helper to assist in their understanding and recollection of Christ’s teaching, they would still be lost in confusion. This does not mean that the disciples never misunderstood anything again. Before John lets us out of the book, he recounts two trivial misunderstandings the disciples still faced. First is Peter’s failure to follow Jesus’ line of thought regarding feeding his lambs (21:15-17), and second is the popular rumor that spread about John remaining alive until Christ’s return (21:22-23). Also, in other places we see the disciples’ view was sometimes murky with regard to a direct course of action (e.g. the choosing of a replacement apostle in Acts 1, or the timing of Christ’s “restoring the Kingdom to Israel” etc.). The disciples were not given complete infallibility in every respect. Their infallibility was fused with the Spirit’s witness of Christ in them, reminding, teaching, and revealing to them the significance of Christ’s teachings. This is why Paul states that the church is built on the foundation of the Apostles and the Prophets (Eph. 2:20).

CONCLUSION

When the disciples began their journey with Christ, they couldn’t possibly have anticipated the spiritual transformation that would take place in them. In confronting the inadequate Messianic views of his countrymen, Jesus was bound to be challenged and misunderstood. As rabbi Jesus declared himself to be the fulfillment of their typological religious structures, it was inevitable that he would be met with resistance. When Jesus broke their oral traditions to heal people on the Sabbath, his aim was to re-introduce them to their God-given vocation of mercy over justice. To complicate things, Jesus is at times taken entirely too literally by both his opponents and his followers.

It is critical to our understanding of these events that the promise of sending the Holy Spirit was not merely a “patch” for their propensity to misinterpret Jesus. The Spirit is the eschatological gift of the Father for inner re-birth and transformation (John 3) so that the believer may offer true and spiritual worship to the Father (4:23-25). Therefore, the result of this inner transformation was that the disciples would have a more complete comprehension of the purpose, person, mission and message of Jesus. Sending to them the Spirit of Truth would have a curative effect on their failure to grasp Jesus’ meaning.

It is also crucial for us to grasp the uniqueness of the disciples’ change in perspective. Though it is true that our own understanding of Christ’s teaching is aided and assisted by the illuminating presence of the Spirit of Truth, this should enhance rather than take the place of practicing solid exegesis and honing our hermeneutical skills. So then, as we seek to untangle various aspects of the promise regarding the Paraclete, we must keep in mind that there are discontinuous aspects of these events in our own pursuit of understanding. In going from a state of misunderstanding to understanding, the disciples faced a situation that was particular to their experience. Every strata of society found some way of misreading Jesus’ message and his mission. But to those who loved him and obeyed his commands, who faithfully followed his way and deferred their understand to a later time, he poured out his Spirit of Truth, and explained all things to them.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Barrett, C. K. The Gospel According to John; An Introduction With Commentary and

Notes on the Greek Text. 2d ed. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1978.

Barrett, C. K., ed. The New Testament Background: Writings from the Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire That Illuminate Christian Origins. Revised ed. London: Harper Collins, 1995.

Bauer, Walter. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature. Revised by F. Wilbur Gingrich and Frederick W. Danker. 2d ed. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1979.

Brown, Raymond E. “The Holy Spirit as Paraclete.” St. Anthony Messenger, May 1999: 13.

Carson, D. A. The Gospel According to John. Grand Rapids: Eerdman’s Publishing, 1991.

_____________. “Understanding Misunderstanding in the Fourth Gospel.” Tyndale Bulletin 33 (1982): 68.

Fuller, Daniel P. “The Holy Spirit’s Role in Biblical Interpretation.” International Journal of Frontier Missions 14, no. 2 (June 1997): 93.

Keener, Craig S. The Gospel of John. Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 2003.

____________. Gift and Giver. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2001.

Liddell, Henry George, and Robert Scott. A Greek-English Lexicon. Revised and augmented by Henry Stuart Jones and Roderick McKenzie. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1968.

Neusner, Jacob ed. Dictionary of Judaism in the Biblical Period. Peabody: Hendrickson

Publishers, 1996.

Philo, The Works of Philo: Complete and Unabridged. trans. C.D. Yonge. Peabody:

Hendrickson Publishers, 2006.

Simon, William Bradley. “The Role of the Spirit-Paraclete in the Disciples’ Mission in

the Fourth Gospel.” PhD. diss., The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2002.

The Greek New Testament. Edited by Barbara Aland, Kurt Aland, et al. 4th rev. ed. United Bible Societies. Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 1994.

Jeff Kennedy
Pastor of Discipleship
Eastpoint Church

It is altogether fitting that my first original writing of the new year should be a prayer to Jesus Christ, my Savior and promise keeper.

I am a converted Roman Catholic, and believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, is both my Savior and redeemer. I am a Christian. You may be a follower of Judaism, Islam, Taoism, Hinduism, Buddhism or Confucianism among others. It does not matter to me.

I am just happy that you recognize a power greater than yourself. Whatever your choice of religious belief, become a better member of your faith.

Despite the current problems of the Roman Catholic faith-in particular its egregious, unconscionable handling of those relatively few pedophile priests who have abandoned Christ’s teachings-the life and message of Jesus Christ remains unchanged, and His church on Earth endures after more than 2,000 years.

The Catholic religion, like all religions, has had its good and bad keepers of the faith. There have been popes who have been no better than common criminals, and other popes who have been great examples of keepers of the faith, including Pope John XXIII (Angelo Roncalli), and Pope John Paul II (Karol Wojtyla), two of the most popular popes in the history of the papacy.

Pope Benedict XVI (Joseph Ratzinger), the current reigning Pope, is the 265th pope of the Roman Catholic Church.

I wrote the following prayer in honor of Jesus Christ, and wish to share it with you at this time.

Prayer of Gratitude to Jesus Christ, My Savior and Promise Keeper

All praise and glory to you, Heavenly Father, and to your son Jesus, the living Son of you, my Father in Heaven, a living God who sees all, hears all and knows all.

Thank you, Father, for sending Jesus to me so I might see Him and learn His living ways. I understand that my faith does not literally require me to see Jesus in the flesh to receive and benefit from His message of unconditional love, understanding, acceptance and redemption. Only you, Father God, would have the patience to send your Son among us when faith would have sufficed. Let those who have not seen yet believe share in your promise of redemption.

I thank you Father for reaching out to me with your words of compassion and comfort. Thank you for opening my eyes and heart to your message of service to others. Let not my heart be troubled by the cares of the world, so that I can be of service to you with no misgivings.

Guide me and direct me in all that I do and say so that your glory may be manifest in my service to others. Help me to appreciate that my life has little purpose without service to others, and grant to me an understanding heart and wise judgment so that I can better recognize those who are troubled and in need.

Let kindness and genuine concern be my greeting to all of your children. Let a gentle smile be my first words spoken. Without you Lord I am but an empty vessel waiting to be filled. With you, let me bring living water to those thirsty for your Word. Speak through me Lord so that your message remains clear, concise, and convincing.

Let my life be one of gratitude for the opportunity to serve with a willing and cheerful heart. I understand that while service to others will enrich my life, it is only through your grace that I will be saved, and with you in Heaven.

I ask all of this, Father God, in the name of your son Jesus, my Savior and promise keeper.

Copyright

As a young Christian we sang Bible songs such as “I am the Resurrection and the Life,” “Behold, Behold, I Stand at the Door and Knock, Knock, Knock,” and “I Know Whom I have Believed”. Many times I was not aware that I was actually singing a Bible verse. Later I would find the verse in my Bible reading and would be surprised I had already learned it.
Yes, help in memorizing Scripture is one of the main benefits of Bible verse songs. Music has a rhythm and when that rhythm locks the words of the Bible into it, the verse is much easier to recall. Commercial products have capitalized on this truth. I can still sing commercials I heard 50 years ago!
However, though poetry is easy to put to music because of its meter, Bible verses are not so written. How to do that is the subject of another article. But when it is done well, the words flow with the tune and each note demands the correct word.
Learning Scripture songs also helps us remember the verses. When I am speaking, I often think of a verse set to music and am able to quote it accurately. In my mind, however, I am really singing the verse quickly. The rhythm and accents of the song was the aid to remember it.
Several years ago I taught third grade in a Christian school. Some of my students had difficulty learning the memory verse for the day and I wanted to help them. Music was the answer. By singing the verse, they were much quicker about learning and remembering it.
This has also been for me a means of meditating on the Bible. The song plays over and over in my mind and so do the words. Many times just the right verse I need for a given situation comes to mind through a song.
Since words of songs are often repeated, it is a means of even clarifying a verse. For example, when I was writing a song for 2 Corinthians 5:21, I wanted to correct the misplaced modifier in the KJV translation. “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin” Obviously, the last phrase refers to Christ, not us. The meaning is clear; the song helped to clarify it for instruction.
Bible Songs can also be a way to present the Gospel. One year for a parent meeting in our Christian school, I taught my class the entire Roman’s Road of verses and they sang them as their part of the program. The plan of salvation was presented to the audience in a way that was hard for any unsaved relatives to ignore.
The final advantage of Bible verse songs is their aid to those of us who are getting older. I find it much easier to forget what I learned now than in the past. However, I can still remember a song and through this means can learn and retain verses.

By: Joy Mary

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

God invented music. God gave us His Word. When the two are linked together, the result is a blessing available no other way than through Bible songs.

“Mommy, Mommy! Come and see!”

She had her hands full with an exuberant eight year old.

“Look!” I screamed, as I pointed up to the sky.

“What, Honey?” she asked.

“Can’t you see the distance between the stars?” I asked. “LOOK!”

I was frustrated. I could tell by the look on her face that she couldn’t. I had been stargazing again, something I did regularly with my blanket on the back steps of our house. But this particular night, something had changed for me. In one nanosecond, my vision had shifted and I had my first glimpse of infinity with no limitations. Mom shook her head, turned, and walked back into the house.

I had done a back flip out of her arms when I was a baby and landed on a silver box. The box was severely dented, but the doctor said that I was fine. Maybe that bump on the head was a blessing and perhaps that is why I saw things a little differently as a child. And I always felt temporary.

I always had a fascination with the moon, the stars, and the sky and I seemed to know things that no kid my age had business knowing. I was fascinated by the paranormal and was reading Psycho-Cybernetics at sixteen.

Mom and I had walked through the doors of many a church, chapel, and tabernacle as I was growing up. She was looking for something to give her peace of mind, I’m sure, but I somehow knew that it wasn’t in any of those buildings, or in the pages of a book. No priest, bishop, or pope would be able to change my mind.

“Our brains are limited,” I would tell her. She looked at me as if I were someone else’s child. “We can’t understand something infinite, so how can we understand God?”

As a child, I would debate with Mormon ministers (and win.) And I would squirm in the pews of the Catholic church as I looked at Jesus hanging on the cross.

I was confused as I watched the parishioners sitting quietly in their piety and then running each other over as they tried to leave the parking lot. I wondered why nuns were so mean and why everything was a sin. It isn’t easy for any kid, let alone one who fell on her head.

But over the years, it didn’t get any easier for me. I met Christians who cheated on their spouses and chastised me for reading my horoscope. I watched the news and wondered why people were killing each other in the name of religion. It didn’t make sense to a kid and it doesn’t make sense to me now. How could that guarantee someone a place in heaven? There is no “them.” There is only “us.”

Something was wrong and incongruent. Wasn’t the Bible written by humans? How could they really know what or who God was? They were limited. I knew this because I had heard that all of us (Moses included) only use a tiny portion of our brains.

Then I started reading about Jesus. Wow. This was someone I could relate to. And I must have been reading a different bible because I was really excited. He could do anything. He performed miracles! And he told us that we could too! So why would anyone want to keep him hanging on a cross in a church? I wanted to take him down and play with him.

“Greater things than these shall ye do,” he said. And I would always remember those words. I much preferred that line of thinking rather than feeling like a sinner when I did just about anything that kids do.

Years later, when I was working at a cosmetic counter at Macy’s and we were expecting our “gifts with purchase” and my manager was having a meltdown because they hadn’t arrived, I thought of what Jesus had said.

“They are here,” I said confidently, remembering the loaves and the fishes parable.

“No, they are NOT here!” she wailed. “We checked the stock room and the warehouse and they are NOT here!”

Anxious customers were swarming the counter and I just smiled. “They are here,” I repeated. I could see them in my mind.

She glared at me, but as she turned around, one of the warehouse guys walked in with the precious cargo of boxes stacked up in his arms. There they were.

“But….” She stuttered, dumfounded. “How did you know?”

“Loaves and fishes,” I said, as I started to unpack the gifts, still grinning. She didn’t get it. It’s manifestation in the simplest sense and we could have learned this stuff two thousand years ago.

Why are we so surprised when there is a miraculous healing? We should be shocked when we get ill. Jesus healed the sick and he did it often. We were distinctly told that we were made in “His image.” Duh. God’s image. It isn’t rocket science, people.

It’s kindergarten, Golden rule, treat others the way we want to be treated stuff. Simple and childsplay. In fact, we are told to become like little children. Do you know why babies cry when they arrive here? Because all of their needs were met in the womb. They didn’t have to talk or scream. Their host (ess) was divinely telepathic.

Separation from the host is painful. Think about it. And our pain is precisely about that as adults: separation from the host. Not just our mothers, but where we came from before we entered her body and became the nucleus of our own little universe. And now we (humanity) appears to have a deadly auto-immune disorder and is turning on itself, destroying precious parts of itself like vicious little Pac-men.

I loved the Book of Revelations and the stories of the anti-Christ when I was little. It frightened most people, but it was my favorite book of all. And now, with 2012 fast approaching, ancient prophecies and Hollywood movies feeding the apocalyptic flame, I think I know why it was. It was the final curtain and this bright, shining soul named Jesus who came to earth to teach us the very basics of life, help us perform miracles, show us how to understand infinity and transcend death two thousand years ago was giving us all of the clues and answers that we need to get through it all.

It is so simple. Why do we need to complicate things? Why do we need to limit and confuse the things we don’t understand? Now is the time to put these teachings into action. We are slow learners, but there is still time.

A question came to mind recently. I’m not sure why, but I was able to answer it very quickly. It was this. Would you give up your life if it meant that the rest of the world would live? My answer was yes. It was the lesson of compassion that I had learned from mankind’s amazing teacher. I never even realized that it was living deep inside my heart. Maybe my soul is finally outgrowing my skin.

We stuffed Jesus, the man who taught us everything we need to know, between the pages of a book, hanging him up on a cross instead of playing with him and learning from him. Every time we kill in the name of God, hurt one another, scare the hell out of our children by calling them sinners and making them squirm in their pews and wet their beds with nightmares about multiple sixes, discriminate against each other, shut down our natural state of compassion and unity, exclude instead of include, refuse to believe in miracles and heal ourselves, and realize that we are infinite beings, we should wonder….

Are WE the anti-Christ we most fear?

Then Jesus said, “Let’s get away from the crowds for a while and rest.” There were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat. Mark 6:31 (NLT)

Jesus experienced enormous stress and pressure, yet it didn’t seem to disturb his peace of mind. In spite of opposition, constant demands, and little privacy, his life reflected a calm sense of balance.

If you want to be stressed do the opposite of what Jesus did.

1. Let others press you into their molds. (John 8:12)

Don’t try to know who you are. Try to be someone you really aren’t. That will give you lots of stress. Jesus, on the other hand, told the people who he was eighteen times.

2. Try to please everyone. (John 5:30)

You can’t please everyone. Even God doesn’t! When you get “Person A” happy, then “Person B” will be upset with you. Jesus never let the fear of rejection manipulate him. No one can pressure you without your permission.

3. Wing it. Don’t sweat the details. (John 12:27)

Jesus said, “…it was for this very reason I came…” (NIV) He had priorities based on his focus. Wing it all the time, put off planning, and one day you will sweat it. Preparation prevents pressure, but procrastination produces it. You work by either priorities or pressures.

4. Try to do a lot of things at one time. Multitask as much as possible. (Luke 4:42-44)

You can’t chase two rabbits at the same time! Jesus knew how to handle interruptions without being distracted because he knew his primary goal. In fact, He sometimes turned distractions into opportunities to accomplish his goal.

5. Do everything yourself because other people are a pain and get in the way. (Mark 3:14)

We get tense when we feel it all depends on us. Jesus enlisted twelve disciples. Don’t allow trying to be perfect, or the fear that others may not do a good enough job, keep you from involving others in the task.

6. Prayer time is a waste of time. Don’t stop thinking about the things you have to and want to do. (Mark 1:35)

No matter how busy Jesus got, he made time to be alone to pray. A daily prayer time is a great stress reducer. Use this time to talk to God about your pressures and problems. Through reading your Bible you will evaluate your priorities, and discover peaceful living.

7. Work is the most important thing. Don’t stop till you drop. (Mark 6:30-31)

Balance is the key to stress management. Jesus balanced work with fun and rest.

Based on the article, “Seven Secrets of Stress Management,” by Rick Warren.

I was born in Canada, grew up on the Amazon in Peru,went to high school in Iowa, College in Pennsylvania, served as a pastor in central Ontario, and in Indiana. Now I am a medical interpreter at the St. Vincent Pimary Care Clinic in Indianapolis, and the pastor of a Spanish Church at First Baptist Church in Carmel, Indiana. One of the hobbies I enjoy is writing, and knowing that people are reading what I have written online. It is my hope that my articles will be of a help to you, and especially that they will introduce you to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

The Christian fish symbol or other wise called the ichthus symbol has be used for a very long time. Many Christians today use this symbol to let others know they are a Christian. For example I

My logic and faith in the wisdom and justice of the Divine is that all religions have equal access to the one and only Divine Being.

I believe that after leaving the physical body the virtuous Christian and the virtuous Jew will keep company with the virtuous Moslem, Buddhist and Hindu as well as with the virtuous atheist.

What is of more importance, the name that we call God, or the purity with which we seek?
Does God have a religion?
What religion does “He-She-It” belong to?

I believe that there is only one God and “He-She-It” is Love and that Love is the essence of all religions.

However, being born a Christian,
I wonder the following:

Am I really a Christian?
What makes one a Christian?

What I claim or my heart’s purity?
My birth or my conscience?
My Baptism or my behavior?

Then I thought, “A Christian is a person who seeks to put in practice Christ’s teachings and example.
Subsequently I brought to mind his teachings and concluded that in order to be a Christian I would need to:

ß Love others as I love myself.

ß Love others as Christ loves me.

ß Love even those who seek to do me harm.

ß Not have any anxiety concerning tomorrow, having faith that if I work for the benefit of the whole, all my needs will be cared for as are those of the birds and lilies of the field.

ß Remember that God exists in each being, in the poor, ill, imprisoned, orphans, refugees and all others and serve them in anyway that I can.

ß Share my resources and belongings with those in need thus freeing up my spiritual wealth.

ß Realize that the satisfaction and abundance I am seeking are within me.

ß Never do to others what I would not like them to do to me.

ß Abandon my personal life and unite with my fellow beings just as the first Christians in communal life.

ß Never criticize or condemn others but rather seek to understand and overcome my own weaknesses.

ß Have trust that God loves me unconditionally and that if I ask, I will be given what I need unless it is my greater benefit not to have what I am asking for.

ß Forgive others regardless of their actions and repetitive mistakes.

ß Understand and employ the power of fasting and prayer.

ß Remember that our destiny is to live in harmony and unity with our fellow beings.

ß Realize that my purpose is to use my talents, intelligence, abilities and virtues to create a more harmonious world.

ß Remember that I could leave my body at any time and thus live in such a way so that I am without regrets or pending matters whenever I leave.

ß Remember that I am the Temple of God and that the Divine lives in me.

ß Realize that the Kingdom of God is within me and nowhere else.

ß Realize that by following Christ’s guidelines I will discover the Truth that will set me free from me ignorance.

ß Gradually absorb the truth that we are all divine and that our destiny is Theosis or to become like God through the perfection of our innate virtues.

ß Believe that Christ is an incarnation of the Divine.

ß Believe in his resurrection from death.

ß Love God with all my power, mind, heart and soul.

ß Live with love.

I suspect you could add many more qualities
of a Christian.

Then I thought, “so, am I a Christian or not?”

An answer came from within.
“It is my goal and I am in the process.”

Being a Christian, Moslem, Jew, Buddhist, Hindu or even a conscious Atheist is an
ongoing process of seeking to experience our true spiritual self and manifesting it through love, truth, peace, service, right action and selflessness.

Be well – Be Happy
We are Goodness itself.

Robert E. Najemy, author of 25 books and life coach with 30 years of experience, has trained over 300 life coaches and now does so over the Internet. Become a life coach.
Over 600 free article and lectures at

http://www.HolisticHarmony.com/

What Homer, Euclid, Herodotus, Hippocrates, Antonio Vivaldi, Johann Gutenberg, and Jesus Christ have in common is that they are among the many historical figures documented with uncertain dates of birth. And it is rather ironic that Jesus Christ, probably the biggest name in the list and to whom historians have been basing their timeline for the last two thousand years, continues to have an obscure birth date.

Early Church experts ventured to establish Jesus’ birth as the center of human history, from when the years begin counting progressively as Anno Domini, or “The year of our Lord”; and to when all other years preceding it form a countdown. But the problem with this Christ-based system was that it had been colliding into vital basic elements of other, more precise, systems and historical details. What later occurred because of this was a consolidation of systems to determine the year of Jesus’ birth somewhere between 7 and 4 B.C. In regards to the crucifixion, however, historians point to either 33 A.D. or 30 A.D.

According to the Bible, the crucifixion took place on a Friday, when the Feast of the Passover was said to have been celebrated (John 18:39). The Passover happened on a full moon, on the fifteenth day of the month of Nissan. Astronomical records reveal that a full moon Friday occurred in 33 A.D. and not in 30 A.D., when the full moon appeared on a Thursday [1].

According to the Gospel of Luke, Jesus was “about thirty years old when he began his ministry” (3:23 NIV). If he was crucified in 33 A.D., being born in 4 B.C. would have made him 37 when he died.

Another matter that remains sharply controversial is whether Jesus was truly born on December 25. Was Jesus really born “on a cold winter’s night that was so deep”? The date would put Palestine in the middle of winter. Again, referring to the Gospel of Luke, it is said that “there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night” (2:8 KJV). Common sense alone will tell anyone that no shepherd will abide by his sheep during a mid-winter’s night.

According to Bible expert Ralph Edward Woodrow, it was even plausible that Jesus was born during the fall. Woodrow explained that since Jesus died on a spring Passover night, and his ministry lasting three and a half years that commenced in the fall of his thirtieth year, it was logical that Jesus was born in the fall.

Woodrow continued to explain that fall was the most logical season for Joseph and Mary to have come venturing back to Bethlehem to be tax-registered. There were no records that show any taxation done in wintertime, he claimed. Yet this census decree by Caesar Augustus (Luke 2:1) continued to play excruciating nuisance, not only for Joseph and Mary, but also for the people of Israel, for it came along when the biggest Jewish cultural festival was to be held: the Feast of the Tabernacles. Known in the native Jewish tongue as “Succoth,” this harvest festival brought all the people of Israel into Jerusalem, swelling a city of 120,000 to 2 million. This tremendous overflowing would understandably spill over to the neighboring towns of Jerusalem, including Bethlehem that lay a mere five miles south of the capital. This explains why Joseph and Mary “found no room for them in the inn” (Luke 2:7) that night of fall.

So how did December 25 connect to Jesus’ birthday at all? Experts point to the Church’s decision to incorporate into Christianity the pagan Roman Feast of the Birth of Unconquered Sun, or the “Natalis Solis Invicti.” This December winter festival seemed perfect for the Christian world because of the characteristic rejoicing and gift-giving that occurred all throughout its celebration. Later prominent Christian saints Cyprian (died 258), martyr and bishop of Carthage, and John Chrysostom (ca.304-407), church father and patriarch of Constantinople, consecrated the Roman sun-god “Sol” as the Lord Jesus Christ, “who is as Unconquered as the Sun.”

Upon the entry of 300 A.D., Rome had already established December 25 as the day of Jesus’ birth as part of the celebration of the Epiphany, held on January 6th. By 379, the December 25th Christmas had found its way to Constantinople and was galvanized as an official Church festival by St. John Chrysostom in 400.

Visit these sites if you want more information about when was Jesus born or when did Christianity start in particular.

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