Christianity -- Revisited
Greetz all.
I've got an argument for Christianity that is guaranteed to piss off everyone but a select few. I'm just gonna go over the basics of this argument to begin with; if you want more detailed information (references, for example), just let me know, and I'll do what I can to help.
First of all, the New Testament has been proven to be historically accurate by comparing it to other sources of the period (first and second century AD). If you want specific sources, again, let me know, and I'll get them for ya. So, we know for a fact that Jesus lived. But there are three possibilities for who Jesus really was. He was either Lord, liar, or lunatic.
Liar
If, when Jesus made his claims, he knew that he was not God, then he was lying and deliberately deceiving his followers. But if he was a liar, then he was also a hypocrite because he told others to be honest, whatever the cost, while he himself taught and lived a colossal lie. More than that, he was a demon, because he told others to trust him for their eternal destiny. If he couldn't back up his claims and knew it, then he was unspeakably evil. Lastly, he would also be a fool because it was his claims to being God that led to his crucifixion.
Many will say that Jesus was a good moral teacher. Let's be realistic. How can he be a great moral teacher and knowingly mislead people at the most important point of his teaching--his own identity?
You would have to conclude logically that he was a deliberate liar. This view of Jesus, however, doesn't coincide with what we know either of him or the results of his life and teachings. Wherever Jesus has been proclaimed, lives have been changed for the good, nations have changed for the better, thieves are made honest, alcoholics are cured, hateful individuals become channels of love, unjust persons become just...
Someone who lived as Jesus lived, taught as Jesus taught, and died as Jesus died could not have been a liar. What other alternatives are there?
Lunatic
If it is inconceivable (fun word) for Jesus to be a liar, then couldn't he actually have thought himself to be God, but been mistaken? After all, it's possible to be sincere, yet wrong. But we must remember that for someone to think himself God, especially in a fiercely monotheistic culture, and then to tell others that their eternal destiny depended on believing in him, is no slight flight of fantasy but the thoughts of a lunatic in the fullest sense. Was Jesus Christ such a person?
Someone who believes he is God sounds like someone today believing himself to be Napoleon. He would be deluded and self-deceived, and probably he would be locked up so he wouldn't hurt himself or anyone else. Yet in Jesus we don't observe the abnormalities and imbalance that usually go along with being deranged. His poise and composure would certainly be amazing if he were insane.
In light of the other things we know about Jesus, it's hard to imagine that he was mentally disturbed. Here is a man who spoke some of the most profound statements ever recorded. Would it make sense to be such a "great moral teacher" and be insane? I don't think so.
Lord
I cannot pesonally conclude that Jesus was a liar or a lunatic. The only other alternative is that he was the Christ, the Son of God, as he claimed. As Josh McDowell says in his book More Than A Carpenter, "When I discuss this with most Jewish people, it's interesting how they respond. They usually tell me that Jesus was a moral, upright, religious leader, a good man, or some kind of prophet. I then share with them the claims Jesus made about himself and then the material [just discussed] on the trilemma (liar, lunatic, or Lord). When I ask if they believe Jesus was a liar, there is a sharp 'No!' Then I ask, 'Do you believe he was a lunatic?' The reply is 'Of course not.' 'Do you believe he is God?' Before I can get a breath in edgewise, there is a resounding 'Absolutely not.' Yet one has only so many choices."
The evidence is clearly in favor of Jesus as Lord. Some people, however, reject this clear evidence because of moral implications involved. They don't want to face up to the responsibility of calling him Lord.
In the Old Testament, 60 major prophesies and 270 ramifications were made about the Messiah. Jesus fulfilled every one of these. As of 1977, the chance that eight of the main prophesies would be fulfilled by one man was one in ten-to-the-seventeenth. In other words, 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000. If you were to take that many silver dollars and lay them on the face of texas, it would be covered entirely two feet deep. Now take one of those coins, place a small black mark on it, and throw it randomly back into the pile. Now send an blind man in search of it. Good luck. He's got the same odds of finding that coin that he does of being Jesus.
Who Would Die for a Lie?
For some reason, I feel that I can trust the testimonies of the twelve apostles. Maybe it's because all but one of them were martyred for what they believed in:
1) Peter--crucified
2) Andrew--crucified
3) Matthew--the sword
4) John--the only natural death of the whole bunch
5) James, son of Alphaeus--crucified
6) Philip--crucified
7) Simon--crucified
8) Thaddaeus--killed by arrows
9) James, brother of Jesus--stoned
10) Thomas--spear thrust
11) Bartholomew--crucified
12) James, son of Zebedee--the sword
The response to this could easily be "Well, a lot of people have died for a lie, so what does this prove?" Yes, many have died for a lie, but they thought it was the truth. Now, if the resurrection (a key point in Christianity) didn't take place, the disciples knew it. Therefore, these eleven men not only died for a lie--here's the catch--but they KNEW it was a lie. It would be hard to find eleven people in history who died for a lie while KNOWING it to be a lie.
In all of the New Testament, the disciples are describing events that they observed. They repeated numerous times that Jesus was raised from the dead and appeared to them for a period of forty days. Just for fun, here's some scripture that shows the apostles to be witnesses of Jesus' resurrected life:
Luke 24:48; John 15:27; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:24, 32; Acts 3:15; Acts 4:33; Acts 5:32; Acts 10:39; Acts 10:41; Acts 13:31; 1 Corinthians 15:4-9; 1 Corinthians 15:15; 1 John 1:2; Acts 22:15; Acts 23:11; Acts 26:16
So, the apostles had to be convinced that Jesus was raised from the dead. At first, they hadn't believed. They went and hid. They didn't hesitate to express their doubts. Only after ample and convincing evidence did they believe. There was Thomas, who said he wouldn't believe that Christ was raised from the dead until he had put his finger in the nail prints. He had this opportunity. He later died a martyr's death for Christ. Was he deceived? He bet his life he wasn't. Similar stories of doubt and denial apply to Peter, James (Jesus' own brother), and others. They all became convinced, even to the point of death.
If the resurrection was a lie, the apostles knew it, and therefore, they lied. That made them hypocrites, as they also taught to be honest. The resurrection became "the belief that turned heart-broken followers of a crucified rabbi into the courageous witnesses and martyrs of the early church. This was the one belief that separated the followers of Jesus from the Jews and turned them into the community of the resurrection. You could imprison them, flog them, kill them, but you could not make them deny their conviction that 'on the third day he rose again.'" (Michael Green)
Before the resurrection, the apostles were beaten. They had seen their Messiah die. But once they saw he was alive, they KNEW that he was the true Messiah, and they preached it earnestly. This even took this group of outcasts, and made them the largest threat to the Jews at the time.
"On the day of the crucifixion they were filled with sadness; on the first day of the week with gladness. At the crucifixion they were hopeless; on the first day of the week their hearts glowed with certainty and hope. When the message of the resurrection first came they were incredulous and hard to be convinced, but once they became assured they never doubted again. What could account for the astonishing change in these men in so short a time? The mere removal of the body from the grave could never have transformed their spirits and characters. Three days are not enough for a legend to spring up which would so affect them. Time is needed for a process of legendary growth. It is a psychological fact that demands a full explanation. Think of the character of the witnesses, men and women who gave the world the highest ethical teaching it has ever known, and who even on the testimony of their enemies lived it out in their lives. Think of the psychological absurdity of picturing a little band of defeated cowards cowering in an upper room one day and a few days later transformed into a company that no persecution could silence--and then attempting to attribute this dramatic change to nothing more convincing than a miserable fabrication they were trying to foist upon the world. That simply wouldn't make sense." --Unknown
The apostles went through the test of death to substantiate the veracity of what they were proclaiming. I believe I can trust their testimony more than that of most people I meet today, people who aren't willing to walk across the street for what they believe, let alone die for it.
God bless you all,
--PhirePhreak
PS -- much of my information has come from my recent reading of Josh McDowell's book, More Than A Carpenter. If you want more information, ask me, or read the book... it's great.
Heck-of-a-lot of Prophecies
Greetz all.
Another *brilliant* idea here. It seems that too many people are just concerned with the probability I gave about the prophecies. That's not really important. The point is that we can all agree (I hope) that the chances of all 80+ prophecies and 270+ ramifications would come true in one single man are extremely low. Especially when you look at the nature of these prophecies (be patient... it's a VERY long list, and I'm quoting these from the King James Version, so you might understand the relations easier reading from the New International Version):
Concerning His Birth:
Isaiah 7:14 predicts the virgin birth: "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel." Matthew 1 answers with "She was found with child of the Holy Spirit. . . . Then Joseph . . . did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus." (or, "Joseph . . . had no union with her until she gave birth to a son.")
Psalm 2:7 says that the Messiah will be the Son of God: "I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, 'You are My Son, today I have begotten You." Matthew 3:17 says "And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, 'This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
Way back in Genesis 22:18, it says that the Messiah will be a descendant of Abraham: "In your [Abraham's] seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice." Matthew 1:1 lists the genealogy of Jesus: "The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham."
Also, a descendant of Isaac: "But God said to Abraham . . . in Isaac your seed shall be called." (Genesis 21:12) Luke 3:23,34 replies "Jesus, . . . the son of Isaac."
Also, a descendant of Jacob: "I see him, but now now; I behold Him, but not near; A Star shall come out of Jacob, A scepter shall rise out of Israel, And batter the brow of Moab, And destroy all the sons of tumult." (Numbers 24:17) Also fulfilled in Luke 3:23, 34: "Jesus, . . . the son of Jacob."
The Messiah will be of the tribe of Judah: "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people." (Genesis 49:10) Again, Luke 3:23, 34 says "Jesus, . . . the son of Judah."
Also, of the family line of Jesse: "There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots." (Isaiah 11:1) Citing Luke 3 again, "Jesus, . . . the son of Jesse."
From the house of David: "'Behold, the days are coming,' says the Lord, 'That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A king shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the land." (Jeremiah 23:5) Again, Luke 3: "Jesus, . . . the son of David. . . ."
Micah 5:2 says, "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the Thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting." Matthew 2:1 says, "Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea."
The young Messiah would be presented with gifts: "The kings of Tarshish and of the isles will bring presents; the kings of Sheba and Seba will offer gifts." (Psalm 72:10) Matthew 2:1, 11 answers this prophecy: "Wise men from the East came to Jerusalem . . . and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him."
Even King Herod's decision to kill all the male children to try to eliminate the Messiah was predicted in Jeremiah 31:15 when it says, "Thus says the Lord: 'A voice was heard in Ramah, Lamentation and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children, Refusing to be comforted for her Children, Because they are no more." Matthew 2:16 says "Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men."
Concerning His Nature:
Pay attention to the end of Micah 5:2 (". . . . Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.") Colossians 1:17 says, "And He is before [or, has existed prior to] all things, and in Him all things consist."
The Messiah would be called Lord: "The Lord said to my Lord, 'Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool." (Psalm110:1) Answered in Luke 2:11 ("For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.") and in Matthew 22:43-45 ("He said to them, 'How then does David in the Spirit call Him "Lord,"saying: "The Lord sait to my Lord, 'Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool'"? If David then calls Him "Lord," how is He his Son?").
It was predicted in Isaiah 7:14 ("Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.") that He will be called Immanuel, meaning "God with Us". Matthew 1:23 answers with "'Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,' which is translated, 'God with us.'"
He would be a prophet, according to Deuteronomy 18:18 ("I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him."). This was fulfilled in Matther 21:11 ("So the multitudes said, 'This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.'").
He would be a priest, as prophesied in Psalm 110:4 ("The Lord has sworn and will not relent, 'You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek."). Answered in Hebrews 3:1 ("Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus.") and also in Hebrews 5:5, 6 ("So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become a High Priest, but it was He who said to Him, 'You are My Son, today I have begotten You.' As he also says in another place, 'You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.").
He would be a judge, as said in Isaiah 33:22 ("For the Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our Lawgiver, the Lord is our King; He will Save us."). Answered in John 5:30 ("I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.").
He would be called a king, according to Psalm 2:6 ("Yet I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion."). And in Matthew 27:37, "they put up over His head the accusation written against Him: THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS."
He would receive a special annointing of the Holy Spirit, as said in Isaiah 11:2 ("The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord."). He received that special annointing in Matthew 3:16, 17 ("When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly, a voice came from heaven, saying, 'This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.").
He would have a zeal for God ("Because zeal for Your house has eaten me up, and the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me." --Psalm 69:9). His zeal became apparent when he drove the merchants from His Father's house in John 2:15, 16 ("When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple. . . . And he said, . . . 'Take these things away! Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!").
Concerning His Ministry:
He would be preceded by a messenger ("A voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord; Make straight in the desert a highway for our God.'" --Isaiah 40:3). John the Baptist was that messenger ("John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!'" --Matthew 3:1, 2).
His ministry was to begin in Galilee ("Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed, as when at first He lightly esteemed the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward more heavily oppressed her, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, in the Galilee of the Gentiles." --Isaiah 9:1). And it did ("Now when Jesus heard that John had been put into prison, He departed to Galilee. And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali. From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'" --Matthew 4:12, 13, 17).
He would perform great miracles ("Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, And the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. Then the lame will leap like a deer, And the tongue of the dumb will sing For joy." --Isaiah 35:5, 6). And, He did ("And Jesus was going about all the cities and the villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness." --Matthew 9:35).
He will teach using parables ("I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old." --Psalm 78:2). Guess what! He did! ("All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them." --Matthew 13:34).
He would enter the temple ("And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple." --Malachi 3:1). He did this also ("Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple." --Matthew 21:12).
He would enter Jerusalem on a donkey ("Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, humble, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey." --Zechariah 9:9). He did... how fitting for a king! ("And they brought him to Jesus. And they threw down their own clothes on the colt, and they set Jesus on him. And as He went, many spread their clothes on the road. Then, as hHe was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives." --Luke 19:35-37).
He would be a "Stone of Stumbling" to the Jews ("The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone." --Psalm 118:22). He did ("Therefor, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, 'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.'" --1 Peter 2:7).
He would be a "light" to the Gentiles ("The Gentiles shall come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising." --Isaiah 60:3). He became such a light ("For so the Lord has commanded us, 'I have set you as a light to the Gentiles, that you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth.' Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord." --Acts 13:47, 48
Concerning Events After His Burial
He would be resurrected ("For You will not leave my soul in Sheol; nor will you allow Your Holy One to see corruption." --Psalm 16:10). And to everyone's amazement, it was so ("His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption." --Acts 2:31).
He would ascend into the heavens ("You have ascended on high." --Psalm 68:18). He did ("He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight." --Acts 1:9).
He would be seated at the right hand of God ("The Lord said to my Lord, 'Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool." --Psalm 110:1). The scriptures say that He was ("When He had by Himself purged our sins, [He] sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high." --Hebrews 1:3).
*continued in next post*
