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If it has not already happened, at some point in your life it is likely that you will sincerely want to know the truth about God and whether or not a particular religion is “for real.” Maybe that time has arrived and that is the reason that you have chosen to take a look at what I’ve written. When I realized that my “knowing” that God existed and that my general idea of what “He” wanted of us was really just a guess, I made a decision to find out for certain. I didn’t actually “know” that there was a God or what that God was really like, I had just accepted what I had been told by my mother and, of course, by others by that time as if it were all true. Little did I know that it was going to take many years of very serious investigation and formal training to firmly establish what, under different circumstances, could have been very easy had I been able to recognize "the obvious." One of the things that I didn’t want to do was to end up with just another belief that wasn’t based on solid proof. It is because, just as in my case, it would require you a great deal of time, very hard work, and frustration to discover what I have that I hope to save you at least some of the time and work. My aim is to help you think by raising certain questions and then answering them with the real answers while hoping that it will not keep you from doing some very serious thinking and reasoning of your own.
My work here was out of sincere curiosity about the matters discussed here and out of love and concern for you that I make this effort. I have often wished that I could have had the kind of help that I am offering you but it was not available and is not, to my knowledge, available from any other single source. And, while I am not going to try to refute, on an individual basis, the vast number of false teachings that exist, I have provided the basic information that should make it possible for you do it for yourself.
Deu 18:21 And if thou say in thy heart, How shall we know the word which Jehovah hath not spoken? 22 when a prophet speaketh in the name of Jehovah, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which Jehovah hath not spoken: the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously, thou shalt not be afraid of him.
The passage above simply says that a person who claims to be a true representative of the true God and who makes pridictions about supposed future events, events that only God could possibly know about because he, himself, had determined that they would take place, is proven to be a liar if what they predict does not take place exactly as predicted and they are not to be trusted. Such a person is a false prophet and is not to be trusted at all about any teaching they claim is from God.
Question:
According to Deut 18:21, should you feel compelled to believe the teachings of anyone who claims to represent God but predicts something that does not come to pass?
If someone predicted the outcome of a football game, would that make them a prophet? No, it would not because he was only guessing and happened to have a fifty-fifty chance of being right and got lucky. What if the person in question was one who was considered to be a preacher of "the" truth and used his correct guess to "prove" his claim of being a true representative of the true God? Would that convince you that his claim was true? It shouldn't. The kind of prediction that would reasonably prove his claims would contain details that no one could get right by simply guessing. So, the answer is:
Yes ... No
Luk 21:5 Now while some people were talking about the temple, how it was decorated with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said, 6 "As for these things that you see, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another that will not be torn down." 7 Then they asked him, "Teacher, when will these things be, and what will be the sign that these things are about to take place?" Mark says virtually the same thing that Luke does, Mk 13:1-4.
Here is Matthew's version:
Mat 24:3 While Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately and said, "Tell us, when will these things take place, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?"
Luk 21:20 "When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then understand that its devastation is near. 21 Then those in Judea must flee to the mountains, those inside the city must leave it, and those in the countryside must not go into it. 22 For these are the days of vengeance when all that is written will be fulfilled.
Questions:
Do Jesus' disciples want to know when Jerusalem is going to be destroyed?
Yes ... No
Do they want to know how to tell when it is about to happen?
Yes ... No
When you compare what Jesus' disciples said in Luke 21:7 with what they said in Mat 24:3, is it clear that readers are to understand that they expected Jesus to be the destroyer of Jeruslaem and that they were wanting to know when he was going to do it and how they would be able to recognize that the time was getting near?
Yes ... No
Does Jesus say that the time of Jerusalem's destruction is "when all that is written will be fulfilled?
Yes ... No
Would the time for the fulfillment of all that is written have to inclued Jesus' return to judge the world and gather his elect since they were part of "all that is written?"
Yes ... No
Mat 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come."
Question:
Does Jesus say that "the end will come" when the "gospel of the kingdom" had been proclaimed throughout the world?
Yes ... No
Read what the apostle, Paul, said:
Col 1:23 However, you must remain firmly established and steadfast in the faith, without being moved from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
Questions:
Paul wrote the passage above sometime in the sixth decade AD. Did he say that the gospel had already "been proclaimed to every creature under heaven"?
Yes ... No
Based on what the disciples ask, did they see a connection between the destruction of Jerusalem and Jesus' return in judgment?
Yes ... No
Mat 24:29 -
Immediately after the tribulation of those days. The first question, When shall these things be? has now been answered. Here begins the answer to the second, concerning the coming of the Lord. For other passages on the second coming, see 1Th_2:19; 1Th_3:13; 1Th_4:15; 1Th_5:23; 2Th_2:1, 2Th_2:8-9; 1Co_15:23; Jam_5:7; 2Pe_1:16; 2Pe_3:12; 1Jo_2:28. "Immediately" after the destruction of Jerusalem (the tribulation): Mat 24:30 - "... all the tribes of the earth will mourn when they see 'the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven' with power and great glory.
Mat 24:31 He will send out his angels with a loud trumpet blast, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to another." Mat 24:34 Truly I tell you, this generation will not disappear until these things (all of them) happen. 35 Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear." 36 "No one knows when that day or hour will come-not the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
Questions:
Does Jesus say that "all the tribes" (or people) on earth would see Jesus returning "immediately" following the destruction of the city of Jerusalem?
Yes ... No
Does Jesus say that "This generation" (the generation of those disciples he was speaking to at that moment) "will not disappear until all these things happen?
Yes ... No
By saying "all these things," he is including both the destruction of Jerusalem and his return to judge the world that has just been talking about.
Yes ... No
Does Jesus say that he does not know the precise "day or hour" he will return?
Yes ... No
Is there anything in what Jesus said that would indicate that he attempted to tell the disciples that they were wrong to think that the destruction of Jerusalem and his return in Judgment would take place at virtually the same time?
Yes ... No
Is it reasonable to understand, based solely on what the scriptures say, that Jesus meant for his disciples to believe that the end of the age (KJV- world) would be marked by the destruction of Jerusalem immediately after which he would return in judgment and to gather his elect?
Yes ... No
Act 1:6 They therefore, when they were come together, asked him, saying, Lord, dost thou at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? 7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know times or seasons, which the Father hath set within His own authority.
Question:
Are Jesus' disciples still interested in knowing when Jesus is going to restore the kingdom to Israel the same as they did in Mat 16; 24, Mk 13, and Luke 21?
Yes ... No
Compare the following passages from Matthew if you are not sure.
Mat 16:27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then shall he render unto every man according to his deeds. 28 Verily I say unto you, there are some of them that stand here, who shall in no wise taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.
Mat 24:30 and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Mat 24:31 And he shall send forth his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Mat 24:34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all these things be accomplished.
Act 1:11 "...who also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye looking into heaven? this Jesus, who was received up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as ye beheld him going into heaven.
Questions:
According to Luke, was Jesus visible to his disciples, and was he coming back just as they had seen him go?
Yes ... No
Did Jesus return to gather his elect before some of his earliest disciples died?
Yes ... No
Did Jesus return "immediately" following the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70?
Yes ... No
Examine 2Thes 2:1-8
2Th 2:1 Now we ask you, brothers, regarding the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to him, 2 not to be so quickly upset or alarmed when someone claims that we said either by some spirit, conversation, or letter that the Day of the Lord has already come. 3 Do not let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day cannot come unless the rebellion takes place first and the man of sin, who is destined for destruction, is revealed. 4 He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god and object of worship. As a result, he seats himself in the sanctuary of God and declares himself to be God. 5 Don't you remember that I repeatedly told you about these things when I was still with you? 6 You know what it is that is now holding him back, so that he will be revealed when his time comes. 7 For the secret of this lawlessness is already at work, but only until the person now holding it back gets out of the way. 8 Then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will destroy with the breath of his mouth, rendering him powerless by the manifestation of his coming.
Questions:
Does verse 1 make it clear that Paul is talking about the return of Jesus?
Yes ... No
Does verse 2 make it clear that there was talk about Jesus having already come?
Yes ... No
Does verse 3 say that "the rebellion" must take place before Jesus' return indicating that it had not taken place yet?
Yes ... No
Do verses 4 thru 8 clearly indicate that someone, not God, was at that time keeping the "lawless one" from taking over and starting "the rebellion?"
Yes ... No
Does verse 8 plainly state that Jesus would "destroy" the "lawless one" when he returned indicating that Jesus would be returning to end his rebellion?
Yes ... No
Would that mean that Jesus was going to be represented by the Roman army in putting down the Jewish lead rebellion that would be "immediately" followed by his personal and visible return to gather his elect?
Yes ... No
Based on historical fact, did the Jews rebell against Rome in the sixth decade causing Rome to invade Israel in 66 AD and destroy Jerusalem in AD 70?
Yes ... No
According to what Paul said, would this have cleared the way for the return of Jesus?
Yes ... No
If you are a reasonable person, what must you conclude from what the Bible says about the return of Jesus?
A. According to the scriptures, he will be returning sometime in our future.
B. According to the scriptures, he was supposed to have returned "immediately" and in a visible form following the destruction of Jerusalem brought on by a Jewish uprising in the sixth decade AD.
C. Based on historical fact, Jesus did not return at the time the writers of the New Testament said that Jesus said he would, nor when Paul indicated that he would.
True ... False
Based, then, on what the Bible says, and not according to a theory based on prejudice against the Bible, the most reasonable conclusion concerning the identity of Jesus is that ...
A. He was a true prophet of the biblical God.
B. He was not a true prophet.
If you need help, here is Deut 18:21-22 again:
Deu 18:21 You may be asking yourselves, "How can we tell if a prophet's message really comes from the LORD?" 22 You will know, because if the LORD says something will happen, it will happen. And if it doesn't, you will know that the prophet was falsely claiming to speak for the LORD. Don't be afraid of any prophet whose message doesn't come from the LORD.
This work is certainly not exhaustive. Much, much more good evidence could have been presented that to anyone using truly sound judgment would effectively refute those who will not agree with it. But, if you are reasonably intelligent, seriously desire to know the truth, and are able to be very honest it should be more than enough to help you see what the truth really is.
The first question has been debated for a very long time by people from every strata of society; rich and poor, educated and uneducated, intelligent and those not so intelligent. I searched everywhere and no one seemed to have “the” answer. Finally, I discovered what virtually everyone else had missed. It was right in front of me, in plain sight all the time, and I want you to benefit from all my work by revealing it to you here.
The problem is that personal prejudices and propaganda tend to blind people to the truth and keep them from recognizing the answers to the questions they ask even when the truth is obvious. That God exists is self evident. Something caused the universe to exist and that something can be, and is, called God by many people. But recognizing that the universe was caused is not the same as saying that the biblical God or some other God was the cause. The question that needs answering is the second one. The writers of the Bible present a particular concept of God, that creating force, claiming that their concept was revealed to them by that force itself and is therefore true and that it, "He," also revealed his will for all of mankind to certain people called prophets. These prophets were then to proclaim God's message to whomever the message was intended. His will, they claim, involved specific and detailed instructions about how to take advantage of his offer to become immortal. So, according to them, their description of God came from God. Not one word of what they said, so they say, was made up by any human. They claim, and this is perfectly logical if what they say is true, that anyone who says anything that does not agree perfectly with what the writers of the Bible wrote is a false teacher. That is what they say. Is what they say true? If what they say is true, then the biblical God is the true God and all others are false. If what they say is not true, then which one, if any, of the other Gods worshipped by humans should we put our faith (or trust) in? Which one should we obey?
Stay aware of this: The cosmos had a beginning or it did not. If it had a beginning, something had to cause it to begin. If it had no beginning then you can discount the Bible as false because the very first chapter of Genesis says it did. If you take either position you must realize that you are making an assumption and that it is not a proven fact unless it can be proved that the Bible is what its writers claim. The problem then is that we must be able to answer this question: Is the biblical account true and does the Bible contain the whole will of God for all mankind as its writers calim? If this question cannot be answered with complete certainty, then no one can justly be held accountable with regard to its claims. That being true, the biblical God does not exist, except in the human imagination, because he is supposed to be perfectly just according to the claims of the writers.
At a fairly young age (about 14) I decided that knowing whether or not God existed was the most important question that we all needed to know the answer to. The reason I thought this is that the God described in the Bible has a terrible punishment in store for anyone who does not believe in him and do as he requires. If the true God is the one the writers of the Bible describe, I reasoned, we needed to know, not guess, that he exists and what his will for humans is. His requirements leave no room for guessing. As I began my search for the truth, I soon discovered that there was virtually no one who believed that we could actually know whether or not God exists. Everyone was either saying that God does not exist, or that it could not be known one way or the other, or that a person just has to have faith that God exists because it’s too risky not to. I didn’t think that guessing hoping to get lucky was a good idea because the stakes are too high. Besides, surely a just God would not make you have to depend on a lucky guess if he is going to punish you if you’re wrong. It took a long time for me to realize that everyone was confusing the two questions mentioned at the beginning. The question that people ought to be debating is the second one. The answer to the first one, as already noted, is quite obvious. In time, I think that you will agree that the answer to the second one is also obvious but not quite as obvious as the answer to the first.
During my search for the answers, I became quite educated in the Bible, about religion in general, and about humans. In over forty years of formal education and contact with the best minds of all persuasions, with years of intense study and research, I have not left a single stone, as they say, unturned. I have read the entire Bible easily more than one hundred times, significant parts of it at least thousands of times, and have memorized a good deal of it in at least three versions. I have attended numerous public religious debates and lectures, read hundreds of books, and have taught many classes on biblical topics. Many of my students considered me one of the best, if not the best, Bible teachers they had ever met. Suffice it to say, however, that none of them ever heard what I am presenting here.
When it comes to religion, it is extremely rare for a person to be open minded enough to let someone even imply that they are wrong without becoming indignant. A primary reason that this is so has to do with a certain philosophy made popular in ancient Greece and later restated in another forms. It says, in effect, that truth, if it exists, cannot be communicated and, as a result God, if one such as the Bible describes exists, has to honor the honest opinion of every individual concerning what they think should be right for themselves and others. There are two related results of this idea. One is that people feel that religion is a personal matter and discussing it, except “in church,” is therefore not in good taste. The other is that it permits every person to be his/her own god determining for themselves what is right or wrong while, at the same time, claiming that their beliefs are biblical; in perfect agreement with the intended meaning of the writers. “Everyone has a right to believe what they want, or worship as they please,” is a statement often heard. According to this idea, the true God, if one such as the Bible describes exists, has no real authority at all and just wasted his time in attempting to communicate with them. If he is going to be fair, he has to accept whatever each person think is right. We, in effect, get to tell God what he should want us to know and do. God is not the real authority, we are!
My advice to you at the outset is that you read the following books of the Bible. From the Old Testament, read: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, 1Kings, 2Kings, Isaiah, and Daniel. Next, read the entire New Testament. Choose a modern version of the Bible to read such as the New International Version, the American Standard Version, the Revised Standard Version, or the Contemporary English Version. You don’t need to study them in depth. At this point I just want you to get familiar with what is in them. As you read, take note of statements such as “… exactly the way it happened,” “God said,” and the like. Pay attention to what it says about miracles, their purpose, how they are described, etc. Notice what it says about the character of God and what it indicates with regard to the topics of predestination, free will, and faith or any synonyms of faith like “believe,” and “trust.”
In addition to the Bible, read commentaries, Bible dictionaries, encyclopedias, and the works of other writers no matter what their background or point of view. Be sure to read good works on Christian Apologetics but don’t neglect to read what atheists and agnostics have written too.
Is there a way to prove whether the Bible is what its writer’s claim that it is or not? Indeed there is and it is in the Bible itself.
Briefly, the writers of the Bible claim that what they wrote is, quite literally, true. Read the passages listed for examples of this. John 5:36; John 14:24-25; 2Peter 1:16-21; Titus 1:2; 1Timothy 2:4; 2Timothy 3:16-17; James 3:1.
So, everything the writers of the Bible describe supposedly happened exactly the way they said it did. According to the writer of Genesis, only five days, of twenty-four hours each (not eons as some want to say), after God created the earth and the universe, he created a man, full grown, called Adam. Shortly afterward, he created a woman, full grown, called Eve, to be Adam’s mate. These two people were immortal but their immortality was conditional. The only way that they could remain immortal was to continuously obey the creator. Under no circumstances were they to do anything that he had told them not to do or that he had not told them to do. Disobedience to God is called “sin” which means to fall short of doing what God commands. If they ever disobeyed him, he would make them mortal and death would be the result for them and their posterity. At some point, they decided to do something that God had specifically told them not to do and, true to his word, God made them mortal. Since that time, there have been no immortal humans. However, they say, God promised that He would again someday make immortality available to everyone that put their trust (faith) in a man named Jesus (said to be God in the form of a human) and do as he commanded. In the New Testament the message about this and what people must do in order to benefit from it is called “the gospel,” or “good news.” It would be the last chance for humans to gain immortality before Jesus returned to raise all the dead, pronounce judgment on everyone according to their deeds, send the unfaithful to everlasting punishment, and reign over the faithful from then on. The Bible is, according to them, the true account of God’s effort to save mankind and to restore immortality to all that He has chosen to receive it.
NOTE: A popular doctrine among those who like to be called Christians is the doctrine of “original sin” based partially on what Paul said in Romans 5:14-19. Paul writes that "death reigned from the time of Adam...even over those who did not sin by breaking a command" (v. 14); "the judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation (on all)" (v. 16); "the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men" (v. 18); and "through the disobedience of the one man, many were made sinners" What Paul means, according to the doctrine of Original Sin, is that all humans genetically share in the guilt of Adam and Eve and are thus under condemnation and deserving of death. If true, then children who die but that are not old enough to know the will of God deserve death and must somehow obtain God’s forgiveness or be punished eternally with all the rest of the wicked at the return of Jesus. Certainly this wouldn’t be just but this is the reason that the Catholic Church and a few others “baptize” babies. Actually, they don’t baptize them at all. They sprinkle or pour a little water on them in direct opposition to what the writers of the Bible said God commanded. "Baptism," or immersion in water, was only applicable to people old enough to believe what God supposedly said and to be able to repent. The truth is that the Bible writers were confused on this topic and the result has been a point of major division for almost twenty centuries among different religious groups. Take a look at the following passages and you will see what I mean.
Isa 7:15 Even before the boy is old enough to know how to choose between right and wrong, …Jam 4:17 Therefore, anyone who knows what is right but fails to do it is guilty of sin. Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. Rom 6:3 Or are ye ignorant that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Rom 6:4 We were buried therefore with him through baptism unto death: that like as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection; 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away, that so we should no longer be in bondage to sin; 7 for he that hath died is justified from sin. Mar 16:15 Then he told them: Go and preach the good news to everyone in the world. 16 Anyone who believes me and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe me will be condemned. Act 2:38 Peter said, "Turn back to God! Be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ (or, as Jesus commanded), so that your sins will be forgiven. Rom 5:12 Adam sinned, and that sin brought death into the world. Now everyone has sinned, and so everyone must die.
Notice that children can be too young to know right from wrong. Then, James says that those who know right from wrong are said to be sinners. Paul says that everyone has sinned and must therefore die. Then we have the problem that only believers of the gospel are told to repent and to be baptized (immersed in water) so that their faith, or trust in what God says, will result in the forgiveness of their sins and infants are not capable of those things. And, only baptized believers are not under condemnation because of their faith in Christ and therefore able to begin a new life free from the guilt and penalty of previous sins. Or, are we to believe that all infants that die were predestined to be sinners that would not repent anyway? Either way, justice is violated and tyranny rules!
Now, here is the 18th chapter of Ezekiel. See what you think.
Eze 18:1 The LORD said: 2 Ezekiel, I hear the people of Israel using the old saying, "Sour grapes eaten by parents leave a sour taste in the mouths of their children." 3 Now tell them that I am the LORD God, and as surely as I live, that saying will no longer be used in Israel. 4 The lives of all people belong to me--parents as well as children. Only those who sin will be put to death. 5 Suppose there is a truly good man who always does what is fair and right. 6 He refuses to eat meat sacrificed to foreign gods at local shrines or to worship Israel's idols. He doesn't have sex with someone else's wife or with a woman having her monthly period. 7 He never cheats or robs anyone and always returns anything taken as security for a loan; he gives food and clothes to the poor 8 and doesn't charge interest when lending money. He refuses to do anything evil; he is fair to everyone 9 and faithfully obeys my laws and teachings. This man is good, and I promise he will live. 10 But suppose this good man has an evil son who is violent and commits sins 11 his father never did. He eats meat at local shrines, has sex with someone else's wife, 12 cheats the poor, and robs people. He keeps what is given to him as security for a loan. He worships idols, does disgusting things, 13 and charges high interest when lending money. An evil man like that will certainly not live. He is the one who has done these horrible sins, so it's his own fault that he will be put to death. 14 But suppose this evil man has a son who sees his father do these things and refuses to act like him. 15 He doesn't eat meat at local shrines or worship Israel's idols, and he doesn't have sex with someone else's wife. 16 He never cheats or robs anyone and doesn't even demand security for a loan. He gives food and clothes to the poor 17 and refuses to do anything evil or to charge interest. And he obeys all my laws and teachings. Such a man will live. His own father sinned, but this good man will not be put to death for the sins of his father. 18 It is his father who will die for cheating and robbing and doing evil. 19 You may wonder why a son isn't punished for the sins of his father. It is because the son does what is right and obeys my laws. 20 Only those who sin will be put to death. Children won't suffer for the sins of their parents, and parents won't suffer for the sins of their children. Good people will be rewarded for what they do, and evil people will be punished for what they do. 21 Suppose wicked people stop sinning and start obeying my laws and doing right. They won't be put to death. 22 All their sins will be forgiven, and they will live because they did right. 23 I, the LORD God, don't like to see wicked people die. I enjoy seeing them turn from their sins and live. 24 But when good people start sinning and doing disgusting things, will they live? No! All their good deeds will be forgotten, and they will be put to death because of their sins. 25 You people of Israel accuse me of being unfair! But listen--I'm not unfair; you are! 26 If good people start doing evil, they must be put to death, because they have sinned. 27 And if wicked people start doing right, they will save themselves from punishment. 28 They will think about what they've done and stop sinning, and so they won't be put to death. 29 But you still say that I am unfair. You are the ones who have done wrong and are unfair! 30 I will judge each of you for what you've done. So stop sinning, or else you will certainly be punished. 31 Give up your evil ways and start thinking pure thoughts. And be faithful to me! Do you really want to be put to death for your sins? 32 I, the LORD God, don't want to see that happen to anyone. So stop sinning and live!
Question; with regard to verse 20, what about infants? Infants die for all kinds of reasons in times of peace and in times of war. Are their deaths due to some sin they have committed even before they can know right from wrong? Are babies’ born guilty of sin? Does everyone die because everyone has sinned, or does everyone die because Adam and Eve sinned and God did not extend the right to immortality to their posterity? Which is it? It can’t be both ways! If all have sinned resulting in each individuals guilt and death, then all need to repent and to be baptized (not sprinkled or poured on) but only after having heard, and in response to, the news of what Jesus supposedly did to make eternal life possible again for those who believe. Someone may say, “Well, babies die because Adam and Eve caused God to make humans mortal and adults die because of their own individual sins.” No, no! That isn’t what Paul said. He specifically said that while death started with Adam, it came to everyone because “everyone has sinned.”
According to the Bible, not only is God the ultimate power in the universe but He is absolutely perfect in every way. He knows everything, including everything that is ever going to happen in the minutest detail because He is in total and complete control of His creation. Absolutely nothing takes place that He has not predetermined to take place (Of course, this raises a good question about the Devil.) How else would you expect Him to be? He is perfectly just in all his dealings, his love is perfect and pure, he is kind, he is gracious, he is patient, he is strict and faithful to his word, he is forgiving, he is merciful, and he never lies (However, see 1Kings 22:19-23 where God was said to have caused certain men to lie. Interesting, isn't it?) He has also promised to give his faithful adherents anything they ask him for (This raises another good question. Why are we still having problems?). As a way to let people know who he had chosen to represent him and to make his will known to others he empowered certain people called prophets and apostles to be able to perform miracles that they were to do when they presented a message from him. These were unique and the kind of thing that no human could do or would ever be able to do unless God gave them the power to do them. They involved things like being able to simply call out to a man known to have been dead and buried for days and have that man immediately come out of his tomb still wrapped in his grave wrappings but as alive and healthy as the best day of his life; just the kind of thing that you’d expect of the creator of the universe, right? A person with such power could command the wind to stop blowing and it would immediately cease. They could even command the earth to stop spinning so that the sun seemed to stay in one place in the sky and it would be immediately obeyed. Of course, they could instantly make people born blind see, instantly heal lepers, instantly heal people born lame, instantly turn water into the finest wine, instantly turn rocks into humans, and on and on and on. Absolutely nothing would be impossible for them. Well, I wonder what happened? Why don't we hear about or ever get to see someone doing the kinds of things that the prophets, Jesus, and his apostles supposedly did? Could it be that it's because no one can do those things and never could? You know that's right!
I wasn’t aware of it in the beginning, but I later discovered that “faith,” the way the writers of the Bible used it, was not a synonym for credulity, or prejudice, or guessing. It is not the acceptance of an idea without proof. Faith, the way they describe it, is based on miraculous proof that has been personally witnessed. Now, although faith can be based on hearsay, a person cannot be justly condemned for not believing that a miracle happened or reading about them or someone claiming to be relaying a message from God. Secondary sources can be biased, mistaken, or lying intentionally. The biblical concept of faith stands in direct contradiction to the “faith” defined in the dictionary. Be aware that human languages tend to change and dictionary definitions are those definitions that are currently accepted. They are not necessarily the definition that a person writing even a few years ago may have been using. Legitimate proof is necessary if God is truly just and intends to deal fairly with human beings. The current and very popular idea of faith is that it consists of mere mental assent based on nothing but hearsay. No actual evidence is needed nor does it require any overt response beyond a mere mental assent. If you read something from a law book, let’s say, and you don’t use the same definitions for what you read that were used by the author, then there is no way you can legitimately expect to correctly understand what the author intended. Obviously, this kind of thing would be disastrous for lawyers and their clients. Then, even if you do understand and believe what you read, you cannot benefit from it unless you act upon the information. Biblical faith, according to the writers of the Bible, required that it be based on proof and that it be acted upon beyond mere mental assent. There were no such things as “religious truth” and “scientific truth” as far as the writers of the Bible were concerned. To them, all truth was scientific truth for what they presented could supposedly be established by observation, results could be measured, proofs could be repeated, and the evidence could not be falsified.
Following is a story from 1Kings with a brief introduction that illustrates what I’ve just said. It is not supposed to be just a fictional story; it is presented as an historical event that actually happened just as described.
Many centuries after Adam and Eve, after God had used a global wide flood to destroy most of the life on earth, a certain man named Abraham, who lived in what is now the country of Iraq, was favored by God because of his “faith” and promised a land at the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea. In time, Abraham’s descendants, through his son Jacob, took control of this territory and eventually established a kingdom. After David, the first king of Israel died, there followed a succession of kings that began to introduce other Gods besides Jehovah, the true God, to the people of Israel (God had changed Jacob’s name to Israel.). One reason for this was that they began to marry women from foreign countries who worshipped “false” Gods; inventions of the human mind, something specifically forbidden by God. It was done as a favor to the wives as well as to promote peace and commerce between nations, also against God’s will. Eventually, a man named Ahab came to be king with his wife Jezebel from Samaria who was set on executing all the prophets of God. One of the prophets, named Elijah, commanded rain not to fall for three years in the country of Samaria where the king lived in order to punish the king and those who worshipped the false Gods. Because of the severe effects of the resulting drought supposedly brought on by Elijah’s God given power, Elijah, who was in hiding, was considered a serious problem and was put at the top of Jezebel’s most wanted list. Eventually, God told Elijah to go meet with Ahab and tell him that he was going to make it rain again. (You might enjoy beginning with 1Kings 11 to get a better picture of what I’m about to show you.)
1Ki 18:17 and when he saw him, Ahab shouted, "There you are, the biggest troublemaker in Israel!" 18 Elijah answered: You're the troublemaker--not me! You and your family have disobeyed the LORD's commands by worshiping Baal. 19 Call together everyone from Israel and have them meet me on Mount Carmel. Be sure to bring along the four hundred fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel's table. 20 Ahab got everyone together, then they went to meet Elijah on Mount Carmel. 21 Elijah stood in front of them and said, "How much longer will you try to have things both ways? If the LORD is God, worship him! But if Baal is God, worship him!" The people did not say a word. 22 Then Elijah continued: I am the LORD's only prophet, but Baal has four hundred fifty prophets. 23 Bring us two bulls. Baal's prophets can take one of them, kill it, and cut it into pieces. Then they can put the meat on the wood without lighting the fire. I will do the same thing with the other bull, and I won't light a fire under it either. 24 The prophets of Baal will pray to their god, and I will pray to the LORD. The one who answers by starting the fire is God. "That's a good idea," everyone agreed. 25 Elijah said to Baal's prophets, "There are more of you, so you go first. Pick out a bull and get it ready, but don't light the fire. Then pray to your god." 26 They chose their bull, then they got it ready and prayed to Baal all morning, asking him to start the fire. They danced around the altar and shouted, "Answer us, Baal!" But there was no answer. 27 At noon, Elijah began making fun of them. "Pray louder!" he said. "Baal must be a god. Maybe he's day-dreaming or using the toilet or traveling somewhere. Or maybe he's asleep, and you have to wake him up." 28 The prophets kept shouting louder and louder, and they cut themselves with swords and knives until they were bleeding. This was the way they worshiped, 29 and they kept it up all afternoon. But there was no answer of any kind. 30 Elijah told everyone to gather around him while he repaired the LORD's altar. 31 Then he used twelve stones to build an altar in honor of the LORD. Each stone stood for one of the tribes of Israel, which was the name the LORD had given to their ancestor Jacob. Elijah dug a ditch around the altar, large enough to hold about thirteen quarts. 32 (SEE 18:31) 33 He placed the wood on the altar, then they cut the bull into pieces and laid the meat on the wood. He told the people, "Fill four large jars with water and pour it over the meat and the wood." After they did this, 34 he told them to do it two more times. They did exactly as he said 35 until finally, the water ran down the altar and filled the ditch. 36 When it was time for the evening sacrifice, Elijah prayed: Our LORD, you are the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. Now, prove that you are the God of this nation, and that I, your servant, have done this at your command. 37 Please answer me, so these people will know that you are the LORD God, and that you will turn their hearts back to you. 38 The LORD immediately sent fire, and it burned up the sacrifice, the wood, and the stones. It scorched the ground everywhere around the altar and dried up every drop of water in the ditch. 39 When the crowd saw what had happened, they all bowed down and shouted, "The LORD is God! The LORD is God!" 40 Just then, Elijah said, "Grab the prophets of Baal! Don't let any of them get away." So the people captured the prophets and took them to Kishon River, where Elijah killed every one of them.
If you read very much of the Bible, you will see that people who worshipped Gods other than the biblical God were severely and consistently ridiculed because they worshipped Gods for which there was no proof of their existence. They were only imagined, having been invented by humans, followers being converted to them on the basis of hearsay, fear, and magic tricks. In time, you are going to see that the biblical God, as admitted by those who wrote the Bible, is also just an imagined being, a human invention. You will see that the writers of the Bible, while not being the original inventors of their God, were instrumental in promoting him as the one and only true God; a purely hypocritical thing to do since he does not exist any more than do the Gods they called false and for which they ridiculed others for worshipping. Doesn’t it seem more than just a little odd that most people want some proof that the car they are wanting to buy is in good condition; the reason for test driving it, getting a warranty, or having an “expert” examine it first? But, when it comes to believing something that claims authority over their lives forever they insist that no proof is needed? As a matter of fact, many people think that it is somehow disrespectful to require God to show proof that he exists or whether someone is actually teaching what he supposedly tells them to. They even have a scripture that they think justifies this idea. They seem to be completely naïve about the fact that such behavior puts them at serious risk of being defrauded by charlatans and fools. It never seems to occur to them that a truly just God would not make you have to guess about whether he exists or guess at whether he requires one thing or another of you and then punish you if you make the wrong decision. The writers of the Bible obviously did not intend for the God they described to be thought of as just another of the many false Gods that humans simply imagined to exist. According to the Bible, God can only be truly trusted if his existence and will can be proved. It is the only way he could be legitimately respected as a perfectly just and trustworthy being. (Later on, we are going to have to talk about predestination and free will.)
Here is one more account of something that supposedly took place in the life of Elijah:
1Ki 17:17 …, the son of the woman who owned the house (where Elijah was staying as a guest) got sick, and he kept getting worse, until finally he died. 18 The woman shouted at Elijah, "What have I done to you? I thought you were God's prophet. Did you come here to cause the death of my son as a reminder that I've sinned against God?" 19 "Bring me your son," Elijah said. Then he took the boy from her arms and carried him upstairs to the room where he was staying. Elijah laid the boy on his bed 20 and prayed, "LORD God, why did you do such a terrible thing to this woman? She's letting me stay here, and now you've let her son die." 21 Elijah stretched himself out over the boy three times, while praying, "LORD God, bring this boy back to life!" 22 The LORD answered Elijah's prayer, and the boy started breathing again. 23 Elijah picked him up and carried him downstairs. He gave the boy to his mother and said, "Look, your son is alive." 24 "You are God's prophet!" the woman replied. "Now I know that you really do speak for the LORD."
Do you see? It was when miracles were performed, supposedly, in connection with one’s claim to be a true prophet that people decided that it was reasonable to believe in the biblical God. Miracles did not take place unless it was to be used as proof of God and his will. It was faith (or trust) based, supposedly, on real evidence of a miraculous nature. However, be careful to remember that this is what the Bible says; there is no proof that it is true but there is a great deal of proof that it is false. Many people will argue with this, be we have not personally witnessed any actual miracles of the biblical kind performed to prove that the biblical God is the origin of anything the Bible teaches. Therefore, and this is very important, it is only hearsay and you cannot be justly required to believe hearsay in the place of being a personal witness to clear evidence of the truth of what is claimed in the form a legitimate miracle. Now, read what Jesus supposedly said in John 5 about how miracles confirmed his identity.
Since I have never witnessed a miracle of the biblical kind nor know of anyone else who has, and if we may assume that we actually have free will, I realized that if the existence of God could not be proved, that all you can do is just believe (give mental assent to) and hope that he does without any legitimate evidence, then God, if he exists and is perfectly just, cannot punish anyone who decides not to believe even though the Bible says that he will. If God is going to punish those who do not believe and obey him even though they cannot know for certain that he exists or what his will is, then God is not just and the Bible is not true with regard to what God supposedly requires of humans, nor of the claims for its origin. A just God cannot justly punish people when they cannot know that he exists and therefore cannot know with certainty what his will is so that they can obey it. I’m sorry, but guessing with the hope that you are right simply will not do when your life, for all eternity, is at stake. It does not matter if God supposedly has a way for humans to avoid his punishment; since miracles of the biblical kind do not take place, it is unjust to punish people who decide not to believe what can then only be considered hearsay. Just by simple observation you can see that a wide variety of religions exist and each of them are divided into many denominations, all of them teaching different interpretations of their respective religious doctrines. Many of them even claim to be able to do miracles as proof that they are true representatives of God even though many of the things they teach contradict the teachings of others who also claim to represent God in truth. Somebody is lying! This is good evidence that even people who, try as they might, cannot know, or agree on, what the will of God is. Therefore, it is reasonable that either there is no God of the biblical kind, or he cannot communicate with humans in a reliable manner, or he has no specific requirements for humans and all religious doctrines are just human contrivances. Can you imagine a God, supposedly all powerful, all wise, all knowing, and perfectly just who tries to communicate with his creation but who cannot make his will known by everyone alike but intends to punish people for not understanding and obeying him anyway? That isn’t just nor does it indicate an all powerful being; it’s tyrannous and stupid not to mention a few other negatives about such a character that should be obvious.
I should point out here that there is an idea that you are likely to hear about, if you haven’t already, that is becoming widely accepted. It is that God created different religions so that people in different cultures could have a religion that was suited to their particular likes and way of life. Some put it this way; there is only one God but we all choose our own path to him. If this is true, then what are we to make of what Jesus, who was supposed to be God himself, said? The following passages are some things that Jesus is said to have told his first disciples.
Jn. 12:48 But everyone who rejects me and my teachings will be judged on the last day by what I have said. 49 I don't speak on my own. I say only what the Father who sent me has told me to say. Jn. 12:50 I know that his commands will bring eternal life. That is why I tell you exactly what the Father has told me.
Jn. 14:6 "I am the way, the truth, and the life!" Jesus answered. "Without me, no one can go to the Father.
Jn. 16:13 The Spirit shows what is true and will come and guide you into the full truth. The Spirit doesn't speak on his own. He will tell you only what he has heard from me, and he will let you know what is going to happen.
Mat 28:18 Jesus came to them and said: I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth! 19 Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, 20 and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world.
Mar 16:15 Then he told them: Go and preach the good news to everyone in the world. 16 Anyone who believes me and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe me will be condemned.
Paul, an apostle of Jesus who was supposed to have been told by God (Jesus) what to say said;
2Th 1:8 … Our Lord Jesus will punish anyone who doesn't know God and won't obey his message. 9 Their punishment will be eternal destruction, and they will be kept far from the presence of our Lord and his glorious strength. 10 This will happen on that day when the Lord returns to be praised and honored by all who have faith in him and belong to him.
Did you notice that Jesus says that what he has told them came directly from God, the Father of all creation? Do you see that, according to the Bible, no one can get to God except by obeying the teachings of Jesus, and that anyone who does not believe them will be condemned to everlasting punishment? According to Jesus, the belief that there are many ways to get to God is a lie. On the other hand, if it is true that there are many ways to get to God, then Jesus is a liar. Both of these ideas cannot be right. They are contradictions. Both may be wrong, but both cannot be correct at the same time.
Now, let’s return to the topic of miracles for a bit. Many people have the notion that the writers of the Bible never attempt to prove the existence of God; that they just assume it. This is a false notion that has no support from the writers of the Bible. From the very beginning, they show that God supposedly worked miracles that proved the claims he made for himself. The first miracle mentioned in the Bible, following creation, including that of Eve, was when God changed Adam and Eve from immortal beings to mortal. See how the apostle Paul describes the reverse action in 1Cor 15. “1Co 15:51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We all shall not sleep (die), but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”
First, a miracle is described in the Bible in nothing like the kind of things being called miracles today. The writers of the Bible present a miracle as being an event that only the force that created the universe could possibly cause to happen just as in the case above. No human could ever copy or reproduce one. If they could, miracles could not have been used as a legitimate proof for the existence of the biblical God nor could they help a person distinguish between a person who falsely claims to represent God and one who actually does, if there are any who do. Only if the biblical God actually exists and is just as the writers of the Bible describe him could miracles, as described in the Bible, be performed. Second, miracles were performed for the purpose of identifying those people chosen by God to reveal his will to mankind and to distinguish it from false teachings. A third characteristic was that they took place instantly rather than over a period of time. They were noting at all like anything that is usually called a miracle in our time. A baby being born is not a miracle, bringing a person back to life after drowning in icy water is not a miracle, cancer inexplicably disappearing is not a miracle, and surviving an airplane crash or a sinking ship where all other passengers and crew are killed is not a miracle. All such things have logical explanations other than “only God could have done it.” The only possible explanation that makes any sense when a real miracle was supposedly performed in the Bible was the one given by a man named Nicodemus as described in John 3:1-3.
Following are a few statements from the Bible about miracles that prove what I’ve just said and more.
Deu 18:21 You may be asking yourselves, "How can we tell if a prophet's message really comes from the LORD?" 22 You will know, because if the LORD says something will happen, it will happen. And if it doesn't, you will know that the prophet was falsely claiming to speak for the LORD. Don't be afraid of (or respect) any prophet whose message doesn't come from the LORD.
This passage comes from the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy which some scholars believe was originally written by Moses who, according to the Bible, was a true miracle working prophet of God. A prophet was both a person who could foretell the future with absolute precision, never being mistaken even in the smallest detail (a kind of miracle), as well as a person used by God to reveal his requirements for humans concerning all other aspects of life and whose messages were confirmed by some kind of miracle that hearers could personally observe.
Joh 3:1 “There was a man of the Pharisee sect, Nicodemus, a prominent leader among the Jews. 2 Late one night he visited Jesus and said, "Rabbi, we all know you're a teacher straight from God. No one could do all the God-pointing, God-revealing acts you do if God weren't in on it." 3 Jesus said, "You're absolutely right. …”
Heb 2:1 We must give our full attention to what we were told, so that we won't drift away. 2 The message spoken by angels (God’s messengers, or prophets) proved to be true, and all who disobeyed or rejected it were punished as they deserved. 3 So if we refuse this great way of being saved, how can we hope to escape? The Lord himself was the first to tell about it, and people who heard the message proved to us that it was true. 4 God himself showed that his message was true by working all kinds of powerful miracles and wonders. He also gave his Holy Spirit to anyone he chose to.
Take care to notice what verse 2 says. Those who rejected the message of the prophets were deservedly punished because they did not believe even though miraculous proof was presented, or so it supposedly was. This is a very important point because it implies that the presentation of miracles was what made it possible for God to be justified in punishing unbelievers.
Jn. 15:24 I have done things that no one else has ever done. If they had not seen me do these things, they would not be guilty. (A statement attributed to Jesus by John, one of his closest disciples.)
The last passage, Jn. 15:24, similar to the passage from Hebrews, simply says that if Jesus had not worked real miracles that were witnessed by the people, God could not have justly charged them with disobeying him, they would not have been guilty of sin because they could not have known with any certainty what his will was. That’s right. Unless God proved his existence and verified those who really represented him through the use of miracles specifically for that purpose, he could not justly condemn them for disobeying him. This is a very important point. It means that you cannot be required to believe that God said this or that just because someone says so or because you read it in the Bible. Oh, you can believe what you want to believe, you just can’t be justly punished if you choose not to. Unless a person who says that they are preaching the truth about what God supposedly says works miracles in your presence to prove it, you shouldn’t let yourself feel compelled to believe a word they say. Without a real miracle, it’s only hearsay. Of course, if everything is controlled having been predestined, then there is no such thing as justice anyway.
Now, before we leave this topic, you ought to take care that you are sure that you know how to recognize a real miracle because there are so many people who claim to work miracles as proof of their claims but who teach things that contradict the teachings of others who also claim to work miracles as proof of what they say. How can you tell who is telling the truth and who is a true miracle worker? If you pay close attention to what the writers of the Bible say was a true miracle, it won’t be difficult at all. Here is a list of some miracles that the writers of the Bible said took place. Read them carefully. Notice that there are some very important differences between what a real miracle is supposedly like and the things that so many people are calling miracles these days.
Mat 8:1 As Jesus came down the mountain, he was followed by large crowds. :2 Suddenly a man with leprosy came and knelt in front of Jesus. He said, "Lord, you have the power to make me well, if only you wanted to." :3 Jesus put his hand on the man and said, "I want to! Now you are well." At once the man's leprosy disappeared.
Mat 20:29 Jesus was followed by a large crowd as he and his disciples were leaving Jericho. 30 Two blind men were sitting beside the road. And when they heard that Jesus was coming their way, they shouted, "Lord and Son of David, have pity on us!" 31 The crowd told them to be quiet, but they shouted even louder, "Lord and Son of David, have pity on us!" 32 When Jesus heard them, he stopped and asked, "What do you want me to do for you?" 33 They answered, "Lord, we want to see!" 34 Jesus felt sorry for them and touched their eyes. Right away they could see, and they became his followers.
Mat 8:23 After Jesus left in a boat with his disciples, 24 a terrible storm suddenly struck the lake, and waves started splashing into their boat. Jesus was sound asleep, 25 so the disciples went over to him and woke him up. They said, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!" 26 But Jesus replied, "Why are you so afraid? You surely don't have much faith." Then he got up and ordered the wind and the waves to calm down. And everything was calm. 27 The men in the boat were amazed and said, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him."
Mat 14:22 Right away, Jesus made his disciples get into a boat and start back across the lake. But he stayed until he had sent the crowds away. 23 Then he went up on a mountain where he could be alone and pray. Later that evening, he was still there. 24 By this time the boat was a long way from the shore. It was going against the wind and was being tossed around by the waves. 25 A little while before morning, Jesus came walking on the water toward his disciples. 26 When they saw him, they thought he was a ghost. They were terrified and started screaming. 27 At once, Jesus said to them, "Don't worry! I am Jesus. Don't be afraid." 28 Peter replied, "Lord, if it is really you, tell me to come to you on the water." 29 "Come on!" Jesus said. Peter then got out of the boat and started walking on the water toward him. 30 But when Peter saw how strong the wind was, he was afraid and started sinking. "Save me, Lord!" he shouted. 31 Right away, Jesus reached out his hand. He helped Peter up and said, "You surely don't have much faith. Why do you doubt?" 32 When Jesus and Peter got into the boat, the wind died down. 33 The men in the boat worshiped Jesus and said, "You really are the Son of God!"
Joh 11:1 A man by the name of Lazarus was sick in the village of Bethany. He had two sisters, Mary and Martha. This was the same Mary who later poured perfume on the Lord's head and wiped his feet with her hair. 2 (SEE 11:1) 3 The sisters sent a message to the Lord and told him that his good friend Lazarus was sick. 4 When Jesus heard this, he said, "His sickness won't end in death. It will bring glory to God and his Son." 5 Jesus loved Martha and her sister and brother. 6 But he stayed where he was for two more days. 7 Then he said to his disciples, "Now we will go back to Judea." 8 "Teacher," they said, "the people there want to stone you to death! Why do you want to go back?" 9 Jesus answered, "Aren't there twelve hours in each day? If you walk during the day, you will have light from the sun, and you won't stumble. 10 But if you walk during the night, you will stumble, because you don't have any light." 11 Then he told them, "Our friend Lazarus is asleep, and I am going there to wake him up." 12 They replied, "Lord, if he is asleep, he will get better." 13 Jesus really meant that Lazarus was dead, but they thought he was talking only about sleep. 14 Then Jesus told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead! 15 I am glad that I wasn't there, because now you will have a chance to put your faith in me. Let's go to him." 16 Thomas, whose nickname was "Twin," said to the other disciples, "Come on. Let's go, so we can die with him." 17 When Jesus got to Bethany, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Bethany was only about two miles from Jerusalem, 19 and many people had come from the city to comfort Martha and Mary because their brother had died. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus had arrived, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 Yet even now I know that God will do anything you ask." 23 Jesus told her, "Your brother will live again!" 24 Martha answered, "I know that he will be raised to life on the last day, when all the dead are raised." 25 Jesus then said, "I am the one who raises the dead to life! Everyone who has faith in me will live, even if they die. 26 And everyone who lives because of faith in me will never really die. Do you believe this?" 27 "Yes, Lord!" she replied. "I believe that you are Christ, the Son of God. You are the one we hoped would come into the world." 28 After Martha said this, she went and privately said to her sister Mary, "The Teacher is here, and he wants to see you." 29 As soon as Mary heard this, she got up and went out to Jesus. 30 He was still outside the village where Martha had gone to meet him. 31 Many people had come to comfort Mary, and when they saw her quickly leave the house, they thought she was going out to the tomb to cry. So they followed her. 32 Mary went to where Jesus was. Then as soon as she saw him, she knelt at his feet and said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." 33 When Jesus saw that Mary and the people with her were crying, he was terribly upset 34 and asked, "Where have you put his body?" They replied, "Lord, come and you will see." 35 Jesus started crying, 36 and the people said, "See how much he loved Lazarus." 37 Some of them said, "He gives sight to the blind. Why couldn't he have kept Lazarus from dying?" 38 Jesus was still terribly upset. So he went to the tomb, which was a cave with a stone rolled against the entrance. 39 Then he told the people to roll the stone away. But Martha said, "Lord, you know that Lazarus has been dead four days, and there will be a bad smell." 40 Jesus replied, "Didn't I tell you that if you had faith, you would see the glory of God?" 41 After the stone had been rolled aside, Jesus looked up toward heaven and prayed, "Father, I thank you for answering my prayer. 42 I know that you always answer my prayers. But I said this, so that the people here would believe that you sent me." 43 When Jesus had finished praying, he shouted, "Lazarus, come out!" 44 The man who had been dead came out. His hands and feet were wrapped with strips of burial cloth, and a cloth covered his face. Jesus then told the people, "Untie him and let him go." 45 Many of the people who had come to visit Mary saw the things that Jesus did, and they put their faith in him. 46 Others went to the Pharisees and told what Jesus had done. 47 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called the council together and said, "What should we do? This man is working a lot of miracles. 48 If we don't stop him now, everyone will put their faith in him. Then the Romans will come and destroy our temple and our nation."
As you can see, miracles of the biblical kind had an immediate effect, they could not be done by mere humans, they were not the kind of thing that could be faked, the only possible explanation was that God had done it, and most of them are described as having been done before crowds of people in public places involving people known by many others that were present. There is no way that magic props could have been used to do these things. None of them involved things like pancreatic cancer or brain tumors that no one could see being cured. However, in spite of these things, it is also clear that there were those who did not seem to realize what Jesus’ miracles were supposed to mean. Some today assume, I repeat, assume, that Jesus and other supposed miracle workers employed knowledge of some new and advanced science. This could not be true. Jesus and his disciples had very little formal education and even if they did it would mean that they were just fooling ignorant and superstitious people into believing that they were representatives of God when, in fact, they were not, at least according to how the writers of the Bible describe what happened. If everyone who claimed to be doing miracles were being truthful, then it would prove that all their differing versions of what God says are equally true and that God may as well have just told people to believe what they believed to be best to begin with and not have wasted time warning people to avoid falling victim to false doctrines. Today, it doesn’t seem that there is anything that qualifies as false doctrine unless it is what I’m presenting here. By the way, when you read the account of Jesus raising Lazarus, did you wonder why Jesus didn’t just command the stone to roll aside? It certainly would have added to the impact on onlookers present there.
Though it is clear, despite claims to the contrary, that miracles of the biblical kind do not take place now, many Christians, so called (I’ll explain this later), believe, for example, that they did take place in “Bible times” but that they ceased with the death of Jesus’ apostles or the completion of the New Testament and use various scriptures that they believe support these ideas. One of the main reasons for believing that they ceased with the death of the apostles, other than that they are not now being performed by anyone, is that a primary purpose of miracles, as has been pointed out, was to confirm the authenticity of the word spoken by Jesus, the prophets, apostles, and others who were supposedly inspired by God. It is assumed that since the complete gospel was revealed and had supposedly been preached to the whole world by the sixth decade AD (at least that is what the apostle claimed), miracles were no longer needed for confirmation of God’s supposed will for all mankind. This idea ignores the fact that the apostles and others supposedly continued to perform miracles after God’s complete will had supposedly been preached and confirmed all over the world. Since miracles were to confirm the claims of the messengers and the source of their messag in order to distinguish true prophets from false teachers, why wouldn't they continue even until now? There certainly is just as much confusion over what the truth is as there ever was. The reason as has been said before, if humans have free will, is that unless you personally witness a miracle being performed in confirmation of some message supposedly from God, you cannot be justly required to believe it. Considering all the different interpretations of what the Bible supposedly teaches around these days, how is the average person, or even those who spend most of their lives studying the Bible, supposed to be able to know what the truth is? There is no guarantee that a lot of prayer and study will help. Millions of people do that all the time and there is no end to the disagreement among them. All of them cannot be right. Do you understand how important this is?
Have you noticed that the things said by the writers of the Bible were supposedly confirmed to be the truth through the performance of miracles but that people now try to prove the truth of the Bible through logical reasoning? They are trying to do just the reverse of what the writers of the Bible indicated was done in their day, they are attempting to prove the miracles by argument. The biblical characters attempted to prove their arguments with miracles. That should tell you something very important. Do you know what it means? The answer should be obvious. Real miracles are not being performed now and since they are needed to confirm messages from a supernatural source it is certain that they have never been performed by anyone. Is this clear? Think about it.
According to the Bible, those men that Jesus sent to preach the gospel to the world were given the power to perform miracles in order to confirm the truth of their message. And, virtually everyone who believed their message would be able to do miraculous things. Between Matthew 10:1 and 10:20 below, I left out verses that contained information that was not necessary to my point.
Mat 10:1 Jesus called together his twelve disciples. He gave them the power to force out evil spirits and to heal every kind of disease and sickness.
Mat 10:5 Jesus sent out the twelve apostles with these instructions: Stay away from the Gentiles and don't go to any Samaritan town. 6 Go only to the people of Israel, because they are like a flock of lost sheep. 7 As you go, announce that the kingdom of heaven will soon be here. 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead to life, heal people who have leprosy, and force out demons. You received without paying, now give without being paid.
Mat 10:14 If someone won't welcome you or listen to your message, leave their home or town. And shake the dust from your feet at them. 15 I promise you that the day of judgment will be easier for the towns of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town. 16 I am sending you like lambs into a pack of wolves. So be as wise as snakes and as innocent as doves. 17 Watch out for people who will take you to court and have you beaten in their meeting places. 18 Because of me, you will be dragged before rulers and kings to tell them and the Gentiles about your faith. 19 But when someone arrests you, don't worry about what you will say or how you will say it. At that time you will be given the words to say. 20 But you will not really be the one speaking. The Spirit from your Father will tell you what to say.
The statements above were supposedly spoken before Jesus was crucified. Until then, his disciples were only to present the gospel to the Jews. The statement below was made after Jesus was resurrected (supposedly). He now commanded them to preach the gospel to the whole world. The tenth chapter of Acts tells how that Peter was the first of the apostles to realize what Jesus had said and that the gospel was now intended to go to everyone and not just to Jews any longer.
Mar 16:15 Then he told them: Go and preach the good news to everyone in the world. 16 Anyone who believes me and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe me will be condemned. 17 Everyone who believes me will be able to do wonderful things. By using my name they will force out demons, and they will speak new languages. 18 They will handle snakes and will drink poison and not be hurt. They will also heal sick people by placing their hands on them.
Since some scholars believe that the verses above were not part of the original material written by Mark, I am including a passage from Matthew that is accepted as original by all. Also, the book of 1Corinthians confirms that all Christians were supposedly given miraculous abilities as Jesus supposedly said would be the case in the passage above. Incidentally, notice that baptism is commanded by Jesus meaning that it was not optional and therefore necessary in obtaining immortality. When you've accurately understood the biblical concept of faith, you'll understand how this could be.
Mat 28:18 Jesus came to them and said: I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth! 19 Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, 20 and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world.
The following is what Luke says took place on the Jewish feast day called Pentecost about seven weeks after Jesus’ supposed resurrection.
Act 2:1 When the day of Pentecost came, all of them were together in one place. 2 Suddenly, a sound like the roaring of a mighty windstorm came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw tongues like flames of fire that separated, and one rested on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them that ability. 5 Now devout Jews from every nation under heaven were living in Jerusalem. 6 When that sound came, the crowd rushed together and was startled because each one heard the disciples speaking in his own language. 7 Stunned and amazed, they asked, "All of these people who are speaking are Galileans, aren't they? 8 So how is it that each one of us hears them speaking in his own native language? 9 We are Parthians, Medes, Elamites, people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, 10 Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, the district of Libya near Cyrene, and visitors from Rome. 11 We are Jews, proselytes, Cretans, and Arabs. Yet we hear them telling in our own tongues the great deeds of God!" 12 All of them continued to be stunned and puzzled, and they kept asking one another, "What can this mean?" 13 But others kept saying in derision, "They're full of sweet wine!" 14 Then Peter stood up with the eleven, raised his voice, and addressed them, "Men of Judea and everyone living in Jerusalem! You must understand something, so pay close attention to my words. 15 These men are not drunk as you suppose, for it's only nine o'clock in the morning. 16 Rather, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: 17 'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on everyone. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. 18 In those days I will even pour out my Spirit on my slaves, men and women alike, and they will prophesy. 19 I will work wonders in the sky above and signs on the earth below: blood, fire, and clouds of smoke. 20 The sun will turn to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the coming of the great and glorious Day of the Lord. 21 Then whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'
At this point in the context, Peter presents the gospel to those that were there. This is the result of them hearing that message about Jesus:
Act 2:37 When they heard this, they were pierced to the heart. They asked Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what should we do?" 38 Peter answered them, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the Holy Spirit as a gift. 39 For this promise belongs to you and your children, as well as to all those who are far away, whom the Lord our God may call to himself." 40 With many more words he continued to testify and to plead with them, saying, "Be saved from this corrupt generation!" 41 So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about 3,000 persons were added to them. (From the American Standard Version)
Notice that when Peter was speaking, he said that these signs indicated that “the last days” had arrived and that there would be many others besides themselves that would perform miracles. Paul's letter, 1Corinthians, makes this abundantly clear.
In 1Cor 13, Paul said that the ability to do miracles would cease at some point in time. But, when and why would that be?
1Co 13:8 Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. 9 We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. 10 But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled. 11 When I was an infant at my mother's breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good. 12 We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us! 13 But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love. (From the Bible in Contemporary English)
Co 13:8 Love never fails. Now if there are prophecies, they will be done away with. If there are tongues, they will cease. If there is knowledge, it will be done away with. 9 For what we know is incomplete and what we prophesy is incomplete. 10 But when what is complete comes, then what is incomplete will be done away with. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, thought like a child, and reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up my childish ways. 12 Now we see only a blurred reflection in a mirror, but then we will see face to face. Now what I know is incomplete, but then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. (From the Revised Standard Version)
Many people want Paul to mean that when we finally know everything we will know everything and not just some things. That idea is absurd. Obviously, complete knowledge and a complete assurance of the future, including the nature of their resurrected bodies, that he will talk about in chapter 15, will come when they see “face to face.” What, or who, are they going to see “face to face”? Are they talking about each other or Jesus? They could see each other right then! When would their knowledge of Jesus and salvation be confirmed beyond any possible doubt? When would they have absolute assurance of the future and all their questions be answered beyond any possibility of error? Some point out that Paul's use of "the perfect" is neuter gender in Greek meaning that he could not have been talking about Jesus. Jesus would not be classified as an "it." They are correct about that, but they fail to realize that Paul was speaking about an event, the return of Jesus when all possible doubt would be removed and the purpose of the miracles would no longer exist. John, who was also writing to converts who were curious and lacking complete knowledge when he said the following:
1Jo 3:2 Dear friends, we are now God's children, but what we will be like has not been revealed yet. We know that when Christ is revealed we will be like him, because we will see him as he is.
Luk 21:20 But when ye see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that her desolation is at hand. 21 Then let them that are in Judea flee unto the mountains; and let them that are in the midst of her depart out; and let not them that are in the country enter therein. 22 For these are days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.
The context of the passage from Luke (as well as Matthew 24 and Mark 13) is dealing with the destruction of Jerusalem and Jesus’ return in connection with it in judgment. That event was to end the need of miracles because the focus of the entire bible, according to Jesus, was the end of that age and the beginning of the new when immortality would become a reality again for mankind. His return in judgment at which time Jerusalem would be destroyed was to be the ultimate fulfillment of all that had ever been written by supposed inspired men (Lk 21:22).
So, miracles were to cease at the return of Jesus because they would have served their purpose. Until then, the gospel would continue to be confirmed by miracles and those converted to Jesus would be given miraculous powers as further confirmation of what God had supposedly promised. With all the false things being taught about Jesus and his doctrine, how else would it be possible to be sure who was teaching the truth? How else would it be possible for anyone to know what to believe today?
Do miracles of the biblical kind take place today? Have you ever seen one performed? I haven’t, and I know of no one who has and I’ve been a lot of places and have always been very observant. If you think you've witnessed a miracle you need to re-read what a miracle supposedly was and how to identify one as well as what their purpose was. Additionally, all of the written accounts of miracles supposedly happening since the days of Jesus are only hearsay with no possibility of confirmation beyond someone else’s say so. Nothing being done by anyone in this age can properly be called a miracle of the kind described in the Bible. So, have miracles ceased? They absolutely have ceased, according to the Bible. Plain personal observation proves that they are not being performed now. Were they ever performed? No, they had to have been invented or they were magic tricks embellished by the writers to seem like miracles. It is fairly common even in this skeptical and relatively educated day and age to find people who are fooled by magic tricks that are presented as miracles. It happens virtually every day.
In Matthew 24:14, Jesus, while answering questions being asked by his disciples concerning the time he intended to return in judgment, at which time Jerusalem would be destroyed, he said that it would take place after the gospel had been preached to the whole world. The following passage is from a letter that the apostle Paul wrote to a congregation of the church located in the city of Colosse in Asia Minor near the middle of the sixth decade AD. It is presented to prove that the will of God, “the good news,” or the gospel was supposedly preached to “everyone on earth” by the time this letter was written. Jesus had said, according to Matthew and others, that “the end” would come when the gospel had been preached “all over the world” (Mat 24:14). In addition to this, it was said that when Jesus told his disciples to go to all the world and preach the “good news” about him and what he had made possible, he told them that they would have the power to work miracles as proof of their claims (Mark 16:15-20). Jesus and his apostles also warned that there would be many people teaching false doctrines and that people would need to be able to tell the difference between them and those teaching the truth. Miracles would be the surest way to tell.
NOTE: Many who believe that Jesus is yet to come attempt to defend their belief by insisting that when Jesus said, “the end will come,” he only meant that Jerusalem’s end would come ending an age and not that he would return to judge the world at that time. The Greek word that Jesus used in Mat. 24:14, literally means everywhere on earth not covered by water. But, because the preaching was limited to the Roman Empire and possibly areas bordered by it, some scholars have justified making it mean only the Roman Empire. That is pure unadulterated prejudice and Paul’s words in Col. 1:23, make this absolutely crystal clear. Isn’t it obvious that Jesus and Paul held a concept quite common among the general population at that time that the world was much smaller than we now know that it is? They knew nothing of continents on the other side of the oceans or of far away remote islands. All they knew that existed was located around the Mediterranean Sea. As far as they knew that’s all there was. And, besides this, was't the Holy Spirit supposed to guide the apostles into "all" the truth? And, didn't the apostles chide early Christians for sometimes not understanding what they said? Incidentally, this means that if there is any truth to the account of the biblical flood, it was a very local thing and not actually global in nature at all because Peter speaks of the supposed global nature of it the same way that Paul speaks of the spread of the gospel to all creation! You might want to take a look at Daniel 4:19-22. Did the king's dominion literally extend to "the ends of the earth"?
Col 1:23 But you must stay deeply rooted and firm in your faith. You must not give up the hope you received when you heard the good news. It was preached to everyone on earth, and I myself have become a servant of this message.
Was the gospel actually preached to all the inhabitants of the world? No! Did Paul say that it had been? He certainly did! The wording used by Paul literally means the entire inhabited earth and there is no reason to doubt that he was speaking with respect to what Matthew had supposedly quoted Jesus as having said in Mat 24:14. Was Paul right? Obviously not!
This was a question that was on the minds of first century Christians. In fact, a lot of people have wanted to know the answer to this. According to the Bible, was Jesus going to be a spirit when he returned or was he going to have a physical though immortal body? How do the writers of the Bible describe the body that has died and been raised immortal? Luke 24, Acts 1, and Revelation 1:7 give us a good description of what Jesus’ resurrected body was supposedly like and what it would be like at his return. Luke says that after Jesus was resurrected he was not a spirit but had a physical body that was capable of vanishing in thin air and appearing out of thin air. It was that kind of body, a body of flesh and bone, that he left with as they stood watching him ascend into the sky (Acts 1:1-11) and it was this kind of body that the “angels” implied that he was coming back with and that everyone would see at his coming. The term “flesh and blood” in 1Cor. 15:50 and other places, refers to the human body as it exists in its mortal state. The immortal state of the human body will consist of “flesh and bone” that has been changed to be able to appear and vanish at will just as Jesus did in Luke 24. How can that be? Just like the miracles that Jesus and others supposedly performed could not be explained, how a body of flesh and bone could be made to do that could not be explained except that God is able to do it (See John 3:1-2). Blood was associated with mortal life as was noted by the deaths of humans and animals. The Jews were to be reminded of this by the daily animal sacrifices offered at the temple and other places. According to this, beings whose primary abode is heaven (in the sky), do not have blood because it is not needed for life. This is the best understanding of the scriptures concerning the way that Jesus was supposed to return. He would be a physically visible person just as living people now are physically visible. It was an integral part of what Christians hoped for and wanted to understand. There is no support what-so-ever for the notion being put forth by some that Jesus came in an invisible form in AD 70, or that he is going to return in an invisible form in the future. How would an invisible Jesus be able to offer any kind of hope to his followers? If they could not see him, if unbelievers could not see him, there would be no sense in it at all.
There were some people who put themselves forth as teachers who were saying that Jesus had already come and raised the dead but that it had been in an invisible way. These people were among those described as antichrist by the apostles. Paul told a young preacher named Timothy,
2Ti 2:15 Do your best to win God's approval as a worker who doesn't need to be ashamed and who teaches only the true message. 16 Keep away from worthless and useless talk. It only leads people farther away from God. 17 That sort of talk is like a sore that won't heal. And Hymenaeus and Philetus have been talking this way 18 by teaching that the dead have already been raised to life. This is far from the truth, and it is destroying the faith of some people.
Obviously, if Jesus had returned and had raised the dead, nobody saw it but those two guys. It had to have been an invisible event if what those people said was true. So, what do you think Jesus and Paul would have thought about people today who teach that Jesus returned at the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70? Nobody saw that either. Like Paul said, it’s pure garbage, “useless talk.”
Now for the scriptural date set for the return of Jesus in judgment at which time all the dead would be raised and the faithful would begin to be with Jesus forever. It is generally assumed that the Bible does not reveal this information but that Jesus is going to return at some point in the future and some are saying that it is sure to be “soon.” It is an assumption based on a mistaken understanding of what the Bible says. Matthew 24, which parallels Mark 13 and Luke 21, is near the end of a section of scripture that begins with Mat. 21. He has been in the region north of Jerusalem by the Sea of Galilee (Mat. 14:13). In chapters 15 and 16 Jesus rebukes some Pharisees for their hypocrisy and false teaching and then performs several miracles to continue confirming his identity and building faith in his disciples. At the end of chapter 16, after he has repeatedly confirmed his identity to them and has gotten them to admit that he is who he claimed to be, he tells them that he is going to bring judgment on the whole world and that some of them would live to see it (Mat. 16:27-28). From chapter 17 on it becomes clear that the disciples understanding of Jesus is that he is deity, God in the flesh, and that he has come to restore the land of Israel to its former glory as a nation free from sin and foreign domination with Jesus as king. This conquest would culminate in a great and final battle called the battle of Armageddon in Revelation 16:16 that would involve the destruction of Jerusalem described by Jesus at the beginning of Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21, and in Revelation 11 following. Chapters 21-23 contain a series of rebukes for the Jewish religious leaders in Jerusalem ending with Jesus saying that judgment is going to come on them “in this generation,” that present generation (23:36-38) because of their hypocrisy. Finally, as Jesus and his disciples are leaving Jerusalem proper, his disciples express their awe at the beauty of the temple. At this, he tells them that Jerusalem is going to be destroyed. Assuming, from what he has recently said about his coming in judgment, claiming to be a savior and their king that he will be in charge of that destruction, they ask him questions about the specific time he plans for it to happen. In answering, he tells them that there will be recognizable signs and that it will be soon after the gospel has been preached to the whole world. When “the abomination that brings desolation” is placed in the temple,” says Jesus, “run to the hills as fast as you can.” As soon as Jerusalem has been destroyed, he will “immediately” (“Mat 24:29 Right after those days of suffering”) appear as predicted and gather his faithful into his kingdom. In verses 34-36 he makes it clear that though he cannot tell them the precise day and hour that all this will take place it will take place within their lifetime. Some of them would live to see both the destruction of Jerusalem and Jesus’ coming at the end of the age; that present age after which Jesus would rule forever. There is not a shred of evidence in any of this that Jesus intended to return at a time later than AD 70, the year that Jerusalem was destroyed by the armies of Rome. There is no indication in the context that Jesus divided his answer into two topics, as many attempt to show. Matthew makes no distinction between the time of the destruction of Jerusalem ending that present age and Jesus’ coming in the future. And neither do any of the writers of the New Testament give any indication that Jesus’ coming would be beyond their normal lifetime. All of them indicate that it was expected very soon and that the signs given by Jesus were already taking place proving it. Paul even made a point of saying that the gospel had been preached to the whole world by the time he wrote his letter to the Colossian congregation of the church around the middle of the sixth decade (1:23). John said, 1Jo 2:18 “Little children, it is the last hour: and as ye heard that antichrist cometh, even now have there arisen many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last hour.” Around the same time that John said that, Peter said this;
1Pe 4:12 Dear friends, don't be surprised or shocked that you are going through testing that is like walking through fire. 13 Be glad for the chance to suffer as Christ suffered. It will prepare you for even greater happiness when he makes his glorious return. 14 Count it a blessing when you suffer for being a Christian. This shows that God's glorious Spirit is with you. 15 But you deserve to suffer if you are a murderer, a thief, a crook, or a busybody. 16 Don't be ashamed to suffer for being a Christian. Praise God that you belong to him. 17 God has already begun judging his own people. And if his judgment begins with us, imagine how terrible it will be for those who refuse to obey his message. The Scriptures say, 18 "If good people barely escape, what will happen to sinners and to others who don't respect God?"
This is solid proof from two of Jesus’ apostles and closest disciples who were with him for most of the time he spent teaching that the current idea that “the” antichrist and the judgment is coming sometime in our future is false. At the time John wrote, the antichrist was already present and he said that it was an indication that the end was very near as Jesus had supposedly foretold in Mat 24 and as Peter also confirms by what he says. In addition to this, the term “antichrist” was used in reference to a group of people that were trying to convince people that Jesus was not a real person and had not actually been present in the flesh. If true, it meant that he could not have died and been resurrected making eternal life a possibility for believers. Anyone who said such things was an antichrist (against Christ).
Jude, the next to last book in the New Testament, was written to warn Christians about certain false teachers who had “slipped in” among them. It is in anticipation of certain false teachings that would cause many Christians to turn away from what the apostles had taught. The apostasy that Jesus had supposedly told them about and that would take place just before Jesus’ return was already taking shape. What Jesus said, however, could hardly be considered a prophecy because it was certain that if Jesus was persecuted and killed for teaching that he was God in the flesh his disciples would be persecuted and killed for teaching the same thing. There is nothing miraculous in that. Be aware that these letters were written at a time when it was becoming very clear that war with Rome was imminent or even already beginning and that there is no proof that Jesus ever said any of the things attributed to him. Jesus left no writings of his own.
I need to make you aware of a popular method of interpreting the Bible known as the allegorical method. It’s a thoroughly subjective method that allows people to make the Bible mean just about anything they want it to mean and completely dispenses with any attempt to discover the author’s intended meaning. The emphasis is, “What does it mean to you.” It makes everyone right in his own sight no matter how their views may disagree with those of others. It should be obvious to any right thinking person that the meaning that the authors of the Bible were originally intending to convey cannot be discovered that way and that it makes each person their own god.
This is not what it may sound like. It may sound like to you that it is the idea that Jesus is about to return very soon but it isn’t. This doctrine simply says that Christians are always to be ready for Christ’s return because he just might come at any time and that that is how passages in the Bible that say that Jesus is coming soon are to be understood. The one and only reason for interpreting those passages that way is because he did not return in the lifetime of his first disciples as some passages clearly say. This method of interpretation is a clear attempt to establish a prejudice as the truth. There is no legitimate way to get that kind of meaning from what the writers of the Bible said. It is a biased assumption stated as the truth.
It should be obvious to even a casual reader that Peter’s use of “a day as a thousand years and a thousand years as a day,” (2Pet 3:20) was Peter’s way of paraphrasing what Jesus said in Matthew 24:36 because both of them were speaking of Jesus’ return in judgment. Peter only meant that, like Jesus, he could not predict the exact time of Jesus’ return but he could say that it would be soon (1Pet 4:17). He was just trying to get Christians to continue having patience with God in the face of persecutions that they were going through and that were among the signs given by Jesus in Matthew 24 for example, regarding indications of the increasing nearness of his return in Judgment. The term “thousand years” in apocalyptic literature such as Revelation was used to mean a period of time known only to God just as is indicated by comparing the statements above by Jesus and Peter that are dealing with the same context.
There are several forms of millennialism. At this time there are four. There is Premillennialism, Postmillennialism, Amillennialism, and Dispensationalism. All of these doctrines deny the teaching that Jesus intended to return in the first century to judge the world in the lifetime of his first disciples. They are based on the fact that Jesus didn’t return within the time frame that he indicated and the misinterpretation of Peter’s statement about a day being the same as a thousand years to God and a thousand years as a day (2Peter 3:20) as well as a great many other passages in the Bible. They are all just some of the many ways people try to make the Bible say what they want it to say. Most of them also incorporate the doctrine of The Imminent Return of Jesus while, at the same time, saying that his return actually is near now. That is why there have been many dates set for the return of Jesus over the last several hundred years and, of course, all have been wrong just as they will always be wrong. Currently, according to some, Jesus should return by 2010 or no later than 2048. In fact, there were many predicting that Jesus would return near the recent turn of the century. Recently, a Church of God evangelist said, on his TV program, that this generation alive today was “the terminal generation,” meaning that Jesus would come before its end which means within the next forty years. This same preacher also says that the Bible teaches that no one can know when Jesus will return except God. Since he claims to know that this is the terminal generation, he is either claiming to be a prophet or God. Why it never seems to dawn on so many people that those preachers who make such mistakes should not be trusted about anything they say is a curious thing. They simply ignore the instructions of the writer of Deuteronomy (Deut 18:21-22). An official of the Mormon Church even said recently that a prophet didn’t always have to be right. Can you believe it?
Deut 18:21 “You may be wondering among yourselves, "How can we tell the difference, whether it was GOD who spoke or not?" Here's how: 22 If what the prophet spoke in GOD's name doesn't happen, then obviously GOD wasn't behind it; the prophet made it up. Forget about him. “
Here is a list of some of the more notable people that have, in the last two hundred years, predicted the return of Jesus and been wrong:
Mil•ler (mîl¹er), William, 1782-1849. American religious leader who preached that Christ's Second Coming would take place in 1843. Miller's followers later organized the Advent Christian Church (1860). Smith (smîth), Joseph, 1805-1844. American religious leader. He founded (1830) the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and led his congregation westward from New York State to western Illinois, where he was murdered by an anti-Mormon mob. While attempting to escape from jail, we should add. He had predicted that Jesus would return in 1891 and before he and many of his followers died. According to Smith, his generation was the terminal generation.
Armstrong, Herbert W., 1892-1986. Founder of the World Wide Radio Church of God. He predicted that Jesus would return in 1975. His son, Garner Ted Armstrong, continued the organization founded by his father. Ambassador College was founded by them and “The Plain Truth” magazine is one of their publications.
Rus•sell (rùs¹el), Charles Taze, 1852-1916. American religious leader who founded (1884) the sect now called Jehovah's Witnesses. Russell said that the return of Jesus was invisible and that it began in the fall of 1874.
Rutherford, Joseph F. 1896-1942 Second leader of the Jehovah’s Witnesses now known as the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society with meeting houses called Kingdom Hall. In 1920, Rutherford published a 128 page tract entitled, Millions Now Living Will Never Die,” in which he predicted that all the dead would be raised and that Jesus would visibly return in 1925. Later leaders of the sect predicted Jesus’ return in 1975.
This list could go on and on and ultimately include every person who claims to believe the Bible, especially those that have predicted Jesus’ return or have suggested possible dates for Jesus’ return while being careful to say that they were not certain that it was correct. Pat Robertson, for example, says things like, “I’m not saying that Jesus will return at this time, I’m just saying that, according to all the signs given in the scriptures, this could be the time.” What people don’t seem to realize is that Robertson’s admitted uncertainty about how to understand the Bible ought to make them skeptical of everything he teaches. It should be most obvious to any rational minded person that the way such people interpret the Bible is wrong.
The term “cult” is most often used hypocritically by those who represent a loose majority of those who assume themselves to represent a fairly accurate understanding of the Bible. They refer to religious groups that do not accept the main ideas (The doctrine of “original sin” and “salvation by faith alone” are the main ones.) of the status quo, as they define it, as cultic. Just which ones are cultic is somewhat arbitrary though there are those groups that are consistently labeled that way. A more accurate definition would be that cults are systems of belief based on subjective ideas (the mental ascent only kind of faith that rejects evidential support) taken as truth, something which virtually all of them do. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black!
Preterism is the belief that all, or virtually all, of the supposed prophecies in the Bible have already been fulfilled. There are two major forms of Preterism, full and partial. A full preterist believes that all biblical prophecy has been fulfilled including the return of Jesus. According to them, Jesus came in AD 70 just as the Bible indicates that he intended to but that he was invisible being only present in spirit. A partial preterist believes that all the prophecies in the Bible have been fulfilled except for the return of Jesus which will be visible with the naked eye. Both of these obviously incorporate some form of millennialism.
The way the Bible treats these two opposing ideas makes understanding the Bible very difficult for most people, even the most educated scholars. And, if the Bible is actually true, it is impossible to understand. However, if you just use a little sound reasoning based on accurate definitions not being averse to letting go of your “sacred cows,” you’ll see that it isn’t difficult at all. First, read Genesis 2-3 and notice that it clearly indicates that Adam and Eve were told by God exactly what they were to do and not do. (Also notice that there are two distinctly different accounts of the order of creation.) Clearly indicated is that they were free to make their own choices about what God had told them but that disobeying God would bring a serious consequence. From the very beginning, we are lead to believe that humans have free will. How else could God justly hold them accountable? But, at the same time, how could God know the future unless all things are predestined? Now, read Exodus 1:1-15:22 covering the historical account of Moses and Pharaoh. Next, read 1Kings 22:2-23 covering the historical account of Ahab, king of Israel, and God making his prophets lie to him in order to trick him. Read the last few chapters of 1Kings and compare that with the first ten chapters of Isaiah. Next, read Romans 9:1-33 where the apostle Paul affirms the historicity of the Exodus story. Then, both he and James verify the historicity of the accounts of Elijah which supposedly happened exactly as told by the writer of 1Kings. See Romans 11:4 and James 5:17. NOTE: There are people who believe in the idea that every form of life is the reincarnation of another despite the fact that there is not a shred of proof to support it. To them, every form of life is sacred and is not to be killed (murdered). Even if it means starving to death, they will not slaughter a cow to eat. It could be the reincarnation of a relative. If you are going to learn anything at all, you are going to have to give up some false beliefs or, in other words, kill some “sacred cows.”
Do you see that the biblical God is supposed to be in such control over the universe that he makes everything happen exactly as he wants it to happen? This is exactly what the apostle Paul says in Romans 9. Take time to read that chapter now.
Rom 9:1 I am a follower of Christ, and the Holy Spirit is a witness to my conscience. So I tell the truth and I am not lying when I say 2 my heart is broken and I am in great sorrow. 3 I would gladly be placed under God's curse and be separated from Christ for the good of my own people. 4 They are the descendants of Israel, and they are also God's chosen people. God showed them his glory. He made agreements with them and gave them his Law. The temple is theirs and so are the promises that God made to them. 5 They have those famous ancestors, who were also the ancestors of Jesus Christ. I pray that God, who rules over all, will be praised forever! Amen. 6 It cannot be said that God broke his promise. After all, not all of the people of Israel are the true people of God. 7 In fact, when God made the promise to Abraham, he meant only Abraham's descendants by his son Isaac. God was talking only about Isaac when he promised 8 (SEE 9:7) 9 Sarah, "At this time next year I will return, and you will already have a son." 10 Don't forget what happened to the twin sons of Isaac and Rebekah. 11 Even before they were born or had done anything good or bad, the Lord told Rebekah that her older son would serve the younger one. The Lord said this to show that he makes his own choices and that it wasn't because of anything either of them had done. 12 (SEE 9:11) 13 That's why the Scriptures say that the Lord liked Jacob more than Esau. 14 Are we saying that God is unfair? Certainly not! 15 The Lord told Moses that he has pity and mercy on anyone he wants to. 16 Everything then depends on God's mercy and not on what people want or do. 17 In the Scriptures the Lord says to Pharaoh of Egypt, "I let you become king, so that I could show you my power and be praised by all people on earth." 18 Everything depends on what God decides to do, and he can either have pity on people or make them stubborn. 19 Someone may ask, "How can God blame us, if he makes us behave in the way he wants us to?" 20 But, my friend, I ask, "Who do you think you are to question God? Does the clay have the right to ask the potter why he shaped it the way he did? 21 Doesn't a potter have the right to make a fancy bowl and a plain bowl out of the same lump of clay?" 22 God wanted to show his anger and reveal his power against everyone who deserved to be destroyed. But instead, he patiently put up with them. 23 He did this by showing how glorious he is when he has pity on the people he has chosen to share in his glory. 24 Whether Jews or Gentiles, we are those chosen ones, 25 just as the Lord says in the book of Hosea, "Although they are not my people, I will make them my people. I will treat with love those nations that have never been loved. 26 "Once they were told, 'You are not my people.' But in that very place they will be called children of the living God." 27 And this is what the prophet Isaiah said about the people of Israel, "The people of Israel are as many as the grains of sand along the beach. But only a few who are left will be saved. 28 The Lord will be quick and sure to do on earth what he has warned he will do." 29 Isaiah also said, "If the Lord All-Powerful had not spared some of our descendants, we would have been destroyed like the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah." 30 What does all of this mean? It means that the Gentiles were not trying to be acceptable to God, but they found that he would accept them if they had faith. 31 It also means that the people of Israel were not acceptable to God. And why not? It was because they were trying to be acceptable by obeying the Law instead of by having faith in God. The people of Israel fell over the stone that makes people stumble, 32 (SEE 9:31) 33 just as God says in the Scriptures, "Look! I am placing in Zion a stone to make people stumble and fall. But those who have faith in that one will never be disappointed."
Do you see that Paul’s rhetorical question, "How can God blame us, if he makes us behave in the way he wants us to?" Rom. 9:19, clearly indicates that Paul knew that he was saying that God blames us even though “he makes us behave in the way he wants us to”! Then, because he knows that it doesn’t make sense, he dodges the question by trying to make people feel guilty for thinking that God might be unjust. His answer actually affirms what he is trying to deny! God, he says, has the inherent right as the creator of the cosmos to do anything he wants without being charged with being unjust. In other words, where God is concerned, there is no such thing as injustice. He literally cannot do wrong. Although the writers of the Bible present most of what they say in a manner that makes you believe you have free will, they also clearly indicate that all things have been predetermined by God, even our thoughts, so that it becomes clear that we only feel that we are acting out of a freedom of choice. That’s why people feel guilty when they think that they have disobeyed God. Misunderstanding this is at the heart of the reason that there has been so much disagreement among students of the Bible over the centuries concerning predestination and free will as presented in the Bible. Some think all things have been predetermined while others, recognizing the injustice involved, think some things, such as death, have been predetermined but that humans are free to obey or to disobey God as they choose. Actually, the writers of the Bible indicate that it’s both, something that is quite impossible even for God. And, this God is going to punish people even though he makes them do the things that they do, holding them responsible? If God is being fair, or just, with humans by treating them this way, then what is the meaning of injustice? Where is the mercy when such a God decides to abstain from punishing people for doing things that he has determined they will do? What sense does it make for God to reward people for doing what he has predetermined that they will do? Where is the love, the patience, the kindness, the wisdom, or the intelligence of such a God? What purpose is there to warn people of false teachers or in trying to convert sinners? How could a person be a sinner or a saint if his decisions are determined by God before he is even born? See Gal 1:15 where Paul says God had determined his destiny before he was born. Where is the intelligence of people who believe in such a God? How ridiculous must it get for people to recognize the fraud?
Paul emphatically states that he is not lying, not making up anything. Why do you suppose a person who was supposed to be able to work miracles felt the need to deny that he was lying if the miracles were supposed to prove his honesty? Claiming to be honest certainly wouldn’t make a person more believable than performing a miracle for proof. If it would, it would mean that their claims were intended to prove the miracles instead of the other way around as the Bible elsewhere explains.
Isaiah was another supposed prophet who lived at the same time Elijah did. If you haven’t already done so, do yourself a favor and read the last several chapters of 1Kings and the first ten chapters of Isaiah. There are some things I want you to specifically notice. One is that according to Isaiah 10:5ff, God was behind Assyria’s attack on Jerusalem but God was also going to punish Assyria for thinking that they had done it of their own free will. Two is that Ahaz, king of Judah, is chastised by God for not wanting proof from God for what God has supposedly predicted. Isaiah 7. Three is that Isaiah 7:14 is used by Matthew to mean something very different from what it does in the Isaiah context. See Matthew 1:18-25 and Luke 1:1-2:40. In the Isaiah context, the virgin was a young girl whose first born child would be a boy named “Immanuel.” It wasn’t that she would bear a child without having intercourse with a man, and not only that but the sign that was supposedly created by naming him Immanuel was meant for king Ahaz. It meant that the boy would be a living reminder of what God had supposedly told Ahaz. Matthew uses the name Immanuel to literally mean God and the “virgin” was literally a young woman who would give birth without having had human intercourse. So, it is clear that Matthew takes the passage completely out of context to use it in a way that Isaiah did not originally intend. This is proof enough to show that Jesus and his followers did just what most people do in this day and time. They took passages out of context to use them in support of their own pretexts. In other words, they invented a whole new meaning for the Old Testament and ridiculed the Jews for not having already understood it even though God had supposedly hidden the meaning from them intentionally. The whole idea makes the preaching of the “gospel” a completely superfluous and ridiculous activity. How could God call people that he had already been predestined to be saved? Human beings are like puppets or marionettes that unknowingly move as God makes them and are made to feel guilty when they do certain things that they supposedly shouldn’t. It’s just like a child who is not very adept at manipulating a marionette and destroys it when he causes it to do something that he doesn’t intend. How utterly stupid is that for someone that is supposed to be all powerful and perfectly just as well as loving, merciful, patient, and in complete control?
I thought I might need to say at least something about the book of Revelation because it is constantly misused by most Christians (so called) in their attempts to support the idea that Jesus is yet to come back to judge the world.
First, chapters 1 through 3 and chapter 21 should be sufficient to show that the material was specifically intended for congregations in Asia Minor at the time John wrote it. They were warned that Jesus was coming soon. Since Jesus did not come soon according to John’s very clear language, wouldn’t that have given people a good reason to stop believing in Jesus? The fact that, while many converts to Christianity eventually left, the church continued to gain converts does not change anything. The Mormon Church continues to grow in spite of the plain fact that Joseph Smith, its founding prophet, proved to be a fraud. And the fact that he was a fraud should have caused followers and potential converts to back away. Some, as a matter of fact, did and do.
Second, scholars (but not all) generally agree that the book of Revelation was written after the destruction of Jerusalem, likely during the reign of Domitian. This position is not based on good evidence and is taken in an attempt to bolster the notion that it serves as evidence that Jesus is yet to return as he predicted. The context of the Book indicates that Jerusalem had not yet been destroyed when the Book was written meaning, if the apostle John was its author, that it was written no later than AD 70.
Third, the number 666 (some manuscripts have 699) used to identify “the beast” in chapter 17, translates to Nero, the emperor of Rome in the sixth decade AD. The name of no other prominent person involved in the persecution of the church, or the Jews for that matter, in that age fits.
Fourth, from chapter 11 onward to chapter 20, there are several scenes of the destruction of Jerusalem which is called, “the great city,” “the great whore,” “the holy city,” “Sodom,” “Babylon,” and “Egypt.” “The waters that you saw, where the whore is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages.” (Rev 17:15; compare with Acts 2:5-11). If Revelation had been written in the ninth decade it would have been by some other person than the apostle John who felt a need to invent something that would support Jesus’ supposed return at a later time but soon since he did not return in AD 70. But, in view of the fact that the book indicates that Jerusalem was still standing, Jesus still did not show up and Jerusalem was not destroyed again after AD 70. If the apostle John did write it in the ninth decade, he did so because Jesus did not return in AD 70 and he still expected him soon, very soon, within his lifetime and John was quite old by then. But then, that doesn’t explain the fact that he indicates that Jerusalem was still standing. If Revelation was written after AD 70, there is not a single indication that John knew that Jerusalem had been destroyed already and that just isn’t a realistic possibility. I think that the apostle John wrote Revelation while either visiting exiles on Patmos or as a temporary exile himself around AD 69 or even more likely as late as early summer of AD 70 when there was no doubt about the outcome of the siege on Jerusalem expecting severe consequences for the church in Asia Minor as part of the fallout from Rome’s anger with the Jews, especially since the church was largely composed of converted Jews and since it was generally considered a Jewish cult by the Romans at that time. None of this, however, really matters since there is more than enough evidence from the rest of the Bible to prove that the Biblical God is a fabrication, which means that Jesus was not who they said he was, and that the Bible is not a divine revelation.
Yes! Jesus absolutely was in support of capital punishment. Read Romans 13. Keep in mind that Jesus claimed to be God and that he and the God described in the Old Testament were in complete agreement if not one and the same being.
If you think not, then answer this. Did God ever command the destruction of whole cities including men, women, children, infants, and animals? Yes, he did. Did God ever command disobedient children to be stoned to death? Yes, he definitely did? Did Jesus say that he was coming back to destroy the disobedient? According to the gospel writers, he most definitely did. Since he was God, supposedly, and existed before Abraham, refering to himself as "Lord of the Sabbath" indicating that he had established it, and since John said that the world was created by his power, can you imagine that he would not have spanked his own children? If you can, it's because you don't know the Bible very well and you certainly do not know Jesus.
Now, if you claim to be a true follower of Jesus, you must accept capital punishment and the practice of spanking disobedient children. If you don't accept these things, you cannot legitiamtely claim to be mature in your understanding of the Bible; what you claim is God's will.
By inadvertent admissions made by the writers of the Bible, it is a fraud. The writers of the Bible said that everything they said came directly from God, that they had not made any of it up, and that no one had a right to interpret what they said to mean anything other than what they clearly intended it to mean. See the passage below for another example.
1Pet 1:16 When we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, we did not follow any clever myths. Rather, we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice of the Majestic Glory was conveyed to him as follows: "This is my Son, whom I love. I am pleased with him." 18 We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 Thus we regard the message of the prophets as confirmed beyond doubt, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a lamp that is shining in a gloomy place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20 First of all, you must understand this: No prophecy in Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, 21 because no prophecy ever originated through a human decision. Instead, men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
Isn’t it obvious that we wouldn’t be allowed to interpret the Bible in whatever way that might make us feel comfortable with ourselves and what we think ought to be right? If you are in disagreement with someone over what the Bible supposedly says, one or both of you is wrong. Who’s supposed to be the authority, God or humans?
NOTE: It is commonly taught that this passage is referring to what is called the “transfiguration” event mentioned in Mat 17. It is said that the transfiguration event was the fulfillment of what Jesus said in Mat 16:27-28 and that Peter confirms this idea here. It was not, it is said, speaking of the “last” judgment that is supposed to take place at the end of the world. That this is not true is obvious. There is no indication in the scriptures that what Jesus said in Mat 16:27-28 was the fulfillment of the supposed transfiguration event in Mat 17. What Peter said in the passage above is that what they supposedly heard God say at the transfiguration event was that the disciples were to listen to what Jesus had to say. He was supposedly the one who could correctly help them understand what Moses and Elijah said and Jesus said, only a few days before, that he was coming back to judge the world in their lifetime. Peter says that this was confirmed to them to be true beyond all doubt. Notice, as you read 1Peter 2-3, that Peter warns them of the judgment to come and what will happen to those who are disobedient to the will of God. The prophets, said Peter, had foretold of the coming judgment long ago; among them, Moses and Elijah.
They said that miracles would cease at the return of Jesus from heaven to judge the world, raise the dead, and gather his faithful followers into his kingdom. Since miracles of the biblical kind clearly do not take place now and since Jesus has not returned it is obvious that the writers of the New Testament were not telling the truth about miracles, the origin of the things they said, the resurrection of Jesus, nor the return of Jesus. They said that Jesus intended to return to raise the dead, judge the world, and bring his heavenly kingdom when Jerusalem was destroyed which would be within the lifetime of some of his first disciples. They also said that when he appeared at that time he would be visible and have a body of flesh and bone and that he would not be an invisible spirit. Since he failed to do what he predicted that he would do he must be labeled a false teacher according to the mandate set forth in Deuteronomy 18.
Even the Bible says that anyone who makes claims of authority such as those made by the writers of the Bible must be able to prove that their claims are true by performing actual miracles such as those described in the Bible. The idea that the messages written down in the Bible were supposedly confirmed when they were first presented and need no further confirmation is silly and is based on misunderstanding. With all the differing opinions about what the Bible supposedly teaches or does not teach around, how is anyone supposed to be sure that what they are hearing is true? How would anyone follow the advice of the Bible writers and be able to identify false teachers and false doctrines? “Study the scriptures to see whether they are so,” you say? I ask you, “Aren’t there a lot of people doing that and aren’t they still disagreeing? Miracles are needed today just as much as they ever supposedly would have been in the past. Are they being performed? No. Were they ever? If they are not being performed now, then they never were.
Therefore, based on what the writers of the Bible have said on their own and you have read here and contrary to what they obviously wanted there readers to believe, Jesus was not a true prophet, he was not God in the flesh, he is not coming back, he cannot save anyone, miracles of the kind described in the Bible never took place, and the biblical God exists only in the minds of those who think he does. Making it plain that Jesus was supposed to reappear at the destruction of Jerusalem to raise the dead, judge mankind, and gather the faithful in the lifetime of some of his earliest disciples turned out to be an inadvertent admission that the unique claims for the Bible by its writers were false. Jesus isn’t coming back because he was never resurrected and the biblical miracles and the supposedly fulfilled prophecies are all fabrications.
All religions alike can be determined true or false in this very same way, using the very same approach. Can they present absolute proof, such as miracles, that will allow them to make a just claim of authority over your life? If not, avoid them like the plague. They are a waste of your time and sometimes they are very dangerous.
In explanation of the use of “Christians, so-called” I’ll point out the following fact. Since Jesus proved not to be whom or what he claimed to be and is not coming back as he said he would, the only way you could be true to him would be to reject his claims. If you reject his claims, how could it be said that you are a follower of Jesus, a Christian? It isn’t possible, is it?
Does the fact that a God such as the one described in the Bible or the Islamic Koran (which is based on the biblical God) does not exist except in the human imagination bother you? Does it worry you that it means that there is no life after death? Be aware that just because those books are fraudulent it does not mean that they were wrong about an afterlife in general. It just means that we still have no way of determining such a thing with any certainty. My guess is that, except for the memory of us in the minds of those still alive, death is the end for us. Is this a terrible thing? It is if you don’t find another way to think of it, a way that could allow you to feel at ease about it. If we can see a silver lining on every cloud then we ought to be able to see this in a more positive, less troubling, way too. Religious writings, such as the Bible, are the result of fear and the human longing to live forever because of the sadness, the heartache, and the often suffering caused by disease and death. Too, they resulted from the desire on the part of some to take advantage of this fear and longing in humans and invent teachings that would give them power and control over others. History records just how successful they are and have been. I suspect that they will continue to be successful in fooling both themselves and those of us who are naïve enough to fall for their ideas. What I have demonstrated in this work ought to help you free yourselves from being defrauded by such people and ideas.
The earth is just a place and life is what you make it within the bounds of things you cannot change. Take care to use your minds to the best of your individual abilities, for your own good and the benefit that you may be to others just as I have tried to use mine to benefit you as well as to satisfy my own curiosity.
Just below is a list of links. The first one is to COMMON SENSE, a site that contains a great deal of information including important links to sites that present various religious views and the best reference materials. Access them via the Research link near the bottom of the main page. These have been provided to make it convenient to compare the teachings of all the major denominations and world religions with what is presented here. After all, the truth has nothing to fear from examination.
At the very top of this page there are a number of links that were placed there without my permission. However, I intend to let them stay because they represent some of the many false teachings that exist today.
Thank you for visiting my page at Angelfire. My intent is that the material contained here will benefit you and free you from those who would otherwise enslave and defraud you.
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