Head-dibs

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Today is Easter Tuesday, the day after Easter Monday. You thought the Resurrection celebration was over? I just learned that few (very few) cities in the U.S. plan their city calendar accordingly, even cancelling school during these special days. I was also reminded that for the past few years, some have claimed that Jesus and the resurrection of Jesus was a borrowed idea, being no more than a fantasy or a myth. Permit me to summarize J.R.R. Tolkien (who corrected C.S. Lewis, who once said that myths are lies): Christianity is a myth--one that happens to be true. It’s just the further myths gets from source material, the more misguided they are in communicating truth. So how do we know if the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus was not a borrowed idea? Let me suggest reading the ancient myths, noting how myth stories change over time. "Not one clear case of any alleged resurrection teaching appears in any pagan text before the late second century A.D., almost...

Proof of the deity of Christ. "Jesus Christ ... declared to be the Son of God with power ... by the resurrection from the dead" (Romans 1:3-4). An integral part of the gospel. " The gospel ... how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures " (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). The seal of the finished work of Christ. " When He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high " (Hebrews 1:3). Essential for salvation. " If Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins " (1 Corinthians 15:17). " That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved " (Romans 10:9). Evidence of the believer's justification. " Jesus our Lord ... was delivered for our offenses, and was raised ...

Ever think about the connection between Passover and Resurrection Sunday? Were you even aware there was one? Passover celebrates the release of the Hebrew nation from just over 400 years of captivity in Egypt and Resurrection Sunday ("Easter") celebrates Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. God planned that the one should have everything to do with the other. Long before Israel became a nation, God told Abraham that his descendants would be slaves then delivered after 400 years of captivity. The prophecy was fulfilled when God selected Moses (not Charlton Heston) to lead the people out--but under specific circumstances. God performed a series of miracles that would loosen the Egyptian hold on the captive nation of Israel. The circumstance is repeated many times in the Old Testament Book of Exodus: “that you may know that I AM the LORD.” One will find this phrase directed to Israel, to Egypt and to the nations throughout the rest of the OT. The final miracle involved th...

"The Gospels say that women were the first to see the resurrected Christ (Mary first and then to the other women) and then to Peter and then to the Twelve. Later in the New Testament, Paul says that Peter (Cephas) was the first one to see Christ after His resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:5). Which is correct?" Since men’s testimonies were considered legal (official) in the first century, it is understandable that the apostle Paul would not list the women as witnesses in his defense of the resurrection in his letter to the Corinthians. Jesus did appear first to Mary Magdalene, then to the other women, and then to Peter. Paul was not giving a complete list. The order of the appearances of Christ is as follows: The order of the Resurrection appearances is as follows: Mary and the women (Matthew 28:1-10; John 20:10–18); Peter (1 Corinthians 15:5); Two disciples (Luke 24:13–35); Ten apostles (Luke 24:36–49; John 20:19–23); Eleven apostles (John 20:24–31); Seven apostles ...

This question reminds me of those lateral thinking problems: “A man and his son are in a car crash. The father is killed and the child is taken to hospital gravely injured. When he gets there, the surgeon says, 'I can't operate on this boy - for he is my son!!!' How can this possibly be?” Some evidence has been withheld behind the question, so the problem appears to be more difficult than it really is; for example: Matthew 28:2-5 describes at least one angel who seemed to be the one responsible for rolling the stone, as witnessed by the guards, not the women. “ And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. And his appearance was like lightning and his clothing as white as snow. The guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men .” When the women arrive, there is no mention that they see the one who sat on the stone. We do know they see at least one sitting inside t...

The editors of The Skeptic’s Annotated Bible see a contradiction in the following accounts (dutifully quoting from the KJV): The Tomb was Closed: “ The angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it .” (Matthew 28:2) The Tomb was Open: “ And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre .” (Luke 24:2) “ Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away .” (Mark 16:3-4) “ The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre .” (John 20:1) Part of the difficulty lies in the fact that The Skeptic’s Annotated Bible does not truthfully present or examine all the evidence. First, the quote of Matthew 28 is incomplete. Starting from verse 1 we read in the NASB (a clearer translation of the Greek), “ Now after the Sabbath, as it began to daw...

James M. Black published "When The Roll is Called up Yonder" in 1894.  This song has been sung often by many churches through the years.  I have a few questions for your consideration, at the end: Stanza 1: When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound, and time shall be no more, And the morning breaks, eternal, bright and fair; When the saved of earth shall gather over on the other shore, And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there. REFRAIN: When the roll is called up yonder, When the roll is called up yonder, When the roll is called up yonder, When the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there. Stanza 2: On that bright and cloudless morning when the dead in Christ shall rise, And the glory of His resurrection share; When His chosen ones shall gather to their home beyond the skies, And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there. (REFRAIN) Stanza 3: Let us labor for the Master from the dawn till setting sun, Let us talk of all His wondrous love and ...

"If we think that Jesus did not rise, but 'lives' and 'reigns' only in his memories and imaginations, and is not actively and objectively ‘there’ in the place of power, irrespective of whether he is acknowledged or not, we should give up hope of our own rising, and of Jesus’ public return, and admit that the idea of churches and Christians being sustained by the Spirit-giving energy of a living Lord was never more than a pleasing illusion." James I. Packer (1926-), “Jesus Christ the Lord”

Everyone knows there are only two inevitabilities in life: death and taxes. Sunday is Easter, the day we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. Most people will be thinking of taxes while eating their chocolate bunnies. In this week before the IRS filing deadline, make certain you consider the inevitabile: death, not taxes. The resurrection has no meaning if you do not view it against the background of death. "Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this ?'" (John 11:25-26)

"When I look at religion I have two questions. One, has anybody ever conquered death and two, if they have, did they make a way for me to conquer death? I checked the tomb of Buddha, and it was occupied, and I checked the tomb of Confucius and it was occupied, I checked the tomb of Mohammed and it was occupied, and I came to the tomb of Jesus and it was empty. And I said, there is one who conquered death. And I asked the second question, did He make a way for me to do it too? And I opened the Bible and discovered that He said, ‘ Because I live you shall live also .’" G.B. Hardy

A North Carolinian asked, “ how did his father raise him up from the dead? Does Jesus have power? ” I think I can answer both questions by looking at WHO Jesus is; that is, Jesus is plainly and clearly identified as being God. Consider a few things that are said of God in the Old Testament and what is also said of Jesus in the New Testament: He is the Creator ( Psalm 102:24-27 and Hebrews 1:10-12 ); He was seen by Isaiah ( Isaiah 6:1-4 and John 12:41 ); He was preceded by a forerunner ( Isaiah 40:3 and Matthew 3:3 ); He disciplines His people ( Numbers 21:6ff and 1 Corinthians 10:9 ); He is Holy ( Isaiah 8:13 and 1 Peter 3:15 ); He leads the captives ( Psalm 68:18 and Ephesians 4:8 ); He is the object of faith ( Joel 2:32 and Romans 10:9 and 13 ). This is my favorite passage: Look at Revelation 1:8 —who is speaking? Now look at Revelation 22:13 —who is speaking, and what does He call Himself? Finally, turn back to Revelation 1:17 —who is speaking? Now look at the next verse, Reve...

He rose! And with him hope arose, and life and light. Men said, "Not Christ but Death died yesternight." And joy and truth and all things virtuous Rose when He rose. --Anonymous

by Ray Comfort Early in March of 2007, Hollywood director James Cameron announced something that he no doubt hoped would go down as well as Titanic. It was big news. When Cameron (with less subtlety than his Hollywood counterparts) attempted to sink Christianity by producing "the bones of Jesus," even Time Magazine couldn't help but use the word "showman" and be reminded of Hollywood fiction: Ever the showman, (why does this remind me of the impresario in another movie, "King Kong", whose hubris blinds him to the dangers of an angry and very large ape?) Cameron is holding a New York press conference on Monday at which he will reveal three coffins, supposedly those of Jesus of Nazareth, his mother Mary and Mary Magdalene. 1 Ironically, it's not the first time the imaginative director has tried to help us understa...

(by Todd Friel ) Explain to me why a poor family from Bethlehem would be buried in a middle class grave in Jerusalem. Mary, Jesus and Joseph were the most popular names in Israel at this time. That is why the Jewish archaeologists who first discovered these caskets in 1980 NEVER claimed these belonged to the family of Jesus. The odds are too preposterous. Israeli archaeologist Joel Rosenberg believes this new film is nonsense. So does Jewish archaeologist Amos Kloner. There is no credible evidence that Jesus was ever married. The only possible reference to Jesus being married is in a 14th century manuscript (Acts of Phillip) that nobody deems credible. There is no evidence that Jesus had children. They claim they have proof that Jesus had a baby. We can’t even determine the father of Anna Nicole Smith’s baby. (Jay Leno) Read the rest here .