A smart person, whether saved or not, should have a plan for the Rapture of the Church before it takes place.
The best plan, of course, is to be saved prior to that happening. However, for those of you (atheists, muslims, hindus, & etc.) that are not willing to admit that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died as a sacrifice for your sins, then you need to plan ahead. I don't mean just for the Gog/Magog invasion or the coming of the antichrist, but also the immediate future after the Rapture. I am talking about the first few minutes, hours, and days after the Rapture happens.
Think about it. How many believers may be driving big rigs at that time?? What happens when that big 18-wheeler traveling 70+ miles per hour is suddenly unmanned by the Rapture??? Approximately 70,000 pounds of truck, trailer, and cargo will be barreling, out of control, down the highway left to chance at where it will finally stop. How about your bedroom at 3am? Something to think about...
Or let's consider if the pilot and co-pilot of your airplane flight across the country are believers? Then all of the sudden...WOOSH!...and they're gone? Where will the plane crash? What about you and the people on board? What about the destruction on the ground? How many of the firefighters and police officers are believers that are assigned to the area of the crash?
As many destructive possibilities can occur as the mind can ponder...and this will go on for days and months as people realize that they relied on certain people to be in critical positions at certain times to ensure that things were handled on-time and in a proper manner.
Just consider this...do you know how to maintain a dam that holds back tons of water and prevents the flooding of the below communities? Do you know how to properly maintain a nuclear missile silo? What if you have a "rectifier fail" alarm at the central office of your local telephone company when the commercial power goes out? Do you know what a "rectifier fail" alarm is???
What is salt? It is used for flavoring, but was first used as preservative. People used to (and still do) preserve their meats using salt. If the salt is removed, then what happens? Rotting, putrid meat is what happens. Only good for the filthiest of animals (vultures, maggots, crustaceans, & etc.).
Likewise, if the Christians (the salt) are removed from the earth (the meat), then what do you have? Chaos, despair, and fear will reign. The world will have lost, for the most part, it's moral compass. You won't have those pesky Christians to protest abortion, gay marriage, pot smoking, child prostitution, and the like. It will be like the dam busting loose. Not only will abortions, gay marriage, and "what-not" be tolerated--it will be encouraged. And worse...do you wish that you never gave birth to your teenager? Blam! Blam! Blam!...problem solved. Want to marry Fido? Get a four-legged tuxedo. Or maybe you're not ready to commit. Just have an ecological orgy. Everything is free game. Young, old, human, animal, plant...kill'em, eat'em, make-out with'em, dry'em out and smoke'em. Because who knows? You might be next. Kill or be killed will be the rule.
What if you are raptured and your child is not? Who will he/she look to for protection and provisions? The answer: whoever is left behind. Maybe they're nice. Maybe they're child-molesters. Maybe they're cannibals...
So what's the plan?
Become a survivalist or become friends with a survivalist (even if they are a believer), then you will know where they keep their stash. Don't worry about being accused of thievery, if your survivalist friend is a believer, then they won't need it where they are going.
Food, water, guns, ammo, and protection from the elements. Oh, and if you don't have a gun or ammo, you can have mine. I don't plan on being here.
Or you could just become a believer and forego all of this. Just read the column at the right-hand of your screen and get saved. It's much better than being tracked by a rapist cannibal...trust me.
Well, I know that one thing did not happen--I did not spend all day scanning and analyzing news reports to see what actually happened that day.
Why? Because my dad and uncle were helping me cut down some trees in my yard and working in my garden.
Couldn't you have done that on another day? Yes, but when people are offering to help you and not charge you anything for their work, then you should operate on their schedule or else you may not have any help. Besides, this is my dad and my uncle (dad's brother), and if they're ready to work, then I am too.
But didn't you wonder what was happening in the world?Ooooooooh yes. All day long as a matter of fact. I even mentioned to my dad that this was the day that I had in my dream. I had told him about the dream a few weeks prior.
I'll tell you what happened to me on May 23rd, 2009:We cut down a tree that took the corner of the roof off of my house!
I couldn't believe it. We had planned it all out and figured that we should have no trouble--or so it seemed. Well, the tree came down and so did part of my roof. So, I guess you know what happened on May 24th, right? Yep, we were all back out there: dad, uncle, and me were repairing the roof. Actually, I think it's in better shape now than it was before the tree pulverized it. Believe me, I would have much rather been scanning news reports than agonizing over how to explain to my wife how part of the roof of the house was now on the front lawn.
Long story short (too late), I have only now had an opportunity to see what happened on and around May 23rd, and here is what I've found so far:
Oh, and the conjunctions of Neptune, Jupiter, and Chiron began.
So, I'd like to tell you of the definite conclusions that I have drawn from all of this. So far? Not much...
Really...the above events, taken just as they are, look to me to just be evidence of the steady progression towards the one world government led by the antichrist into the tribulation period. You can look at the news on any given day of this century and find that same kind of evidence. So far, I see nothing about May 23, 2009 that stands out as being significant to the context of my dream. Yes, some significant things happened that day, but nothing that make me say, "YES! That's what my dream was all about!"
I mean, I guess if I were a real conspiracy nut, I could say, "Du-u-u-u-ude, Germany (the birthplace of Nazism no less) re-elected their president on May 23rd..." but I don't think that I have enough evidence to say something like that backs up my dream being valid.
Or I could go on and on and on about the three religious leaders of different religions getting together to denounce terrorism, but there's just not that much there for me to run with.
Netanyahu dissing Obama about the settlements could be good fodder. I mean, Bibi (Netanyahu) said it on May 24 in Israel which means it could have still been May 23 here in the western hemisphere, right? Oh stop it! That's just too desperate...
All I can really say folks, is that if something significant happened on May 23rd, then I must have missed it. Perhaps something significant did indeed happen but won't be realized until later? Or, maybe my dream was just the result of random thoughts from my overactive imagination while I slept which would mean, I must admit, that yours truly foolishly pursued it...or was it so foolish?
Well, I don't plan to give up on this just yet. Even in today's 24-hour headline news society, news doesn't always hit the newsstands the same day that it occurs. I'll just keep my eyes and ears open for now.
Here are a few of other interesting tidbits that I found...
Did you know that an image of a "crown of thorns" in space was captured by the Hubble Space Telescope and reported by Fox News on 4/8/09 exactly 4 days prior to Easter Sunday (4/12/09)? So, if Easter on 4/12/09 represents the day that Christ resurrected from the dead, and He was in the grave for the 3 preceding days (4/9/09-4/11/09), then 4/8/09 would represent the day that Jesus had the crown of thorns placed on His head and was crucified! (See John, Chapter 10) Am I the only one that sees the connection here??
Also, an image of a "giant hand reaching across space" was captured by a NASA observatory and reported by Fox News on 4/7/09. Some say that it could represent the hand of Christ.
If you make a negative image of it, then you can see where the puncture wound from the nail which held Him to the cross would be. Not sure what biblical implications this might propose...we need a "wise man" to interpret these things.
On 2/25/09, telegraph.co.uk reported that European astronomers snapped a picture of a “Big Brother-style cosmic eye” that they nicknamed the “Eye of God”.
On 2/4/09, a "green comet" (named "Lulin") made it's closest approach to Earth on 2/4/09 and was seen over Jerusalem. Revelations says the fourth horseman rides a pale green horse! Swine flu is being called an epidemic...coincidence? Gary Stearman's article about this (Read it here) says, "...in the spring of A.D. 70, Flavius Josephus reported a star/comet that looked like a sword hanging over Jerusalem for about a year...[and] continued listing a series of strange events in the spring of A.D. 70..."
Gary then recounts the strange events that Josephus recorded that year (70 AD):
Lights around the altar?
A heifer bringing forth a lamb in the midst of the temple as it was being lead to be sacrificed?
Chariots and soldiers(UFO's?)running in the clouds in the sky??
You know, I wish I were as smart as Daniel the prophet or Joseph the son of Jacob. Both of those dudes could interpret dreams. Of course, they were both able to interpret dreams because God made it possible. I just don't have that gift, and I really wish that I did. I mean when Daniel or Joseph interpreted a dream, they were dead-on 100% accurate. I bet I could interpret that dream that I had if I were blessed as a dream interpreter.
Or if I can't be a dream interpreter, then I wish I were as smart as those "wise men" from the east that saw the "star of Bethlehem" and knew without any doubt that the Messiah had been born. Their confidence was impeccable. I bet I could tell what the conjunctions of Jupiter, Neptune, and Chiron meant if I were blessed as a reader of the "signs in the sky".
Alas, I have not been blessed in either of those ways and maybe never will be. I guess there's no harm in dreaming about it.
You know, for about a year now, I've been telling folks that I don't think we have much time left for this world. Based on my layman's reading of the Holy Bible, the front page of the newspapers are looking a lot like the last pages of the New Testament. The more I research, the more evidence I find that the prophetic clock is still steadily ticking away.
Then a few weeks ago (I don't remember the exact night), I had a dream that I can only label as strange. I want to recount what I remember of it for you now:
THE DREAM
I was exiting some bushes to where my church house was located. I could see the church as I cleared the bushes, and I remember being surprised to find out that a childhood friend, we'll call him Alan, of mine was the pastor there. I was a little dismayed because I always felt that Alan was not a very good influence on my life when we were kids, and I wondered if he had changed. As I approached the church house, someone (I don't know who) stopped me and pointed to the sky and said, "look." So I looked in the direction that this person was pointing, and I saw a blimp hovering in the sky. On the side of the blimp was written:
"Announcing:
The U.N.'s Messiah!
May 23, 2009!"
After reading that, I remember thinking to myself, "A messiah for the United Nations? That would have to be theanti-christ".
AFTER MY DREAM
I marked that date on my calendar so I would remember it. Then I started searching for events that are planned on or around May 23, 2009, and I found a few interesting things:
1) Astronomers and astrologers are closely watching this date because it is the beginning of the conjunctions of Jupiter, Neptune, and Chiron. Now, I personally don't put faith in New Age Astrology, but wise men in the past knew how to interpret these types of things.
2) May 23, 2009 falls on a "Sabbath Day" just after "Ascension Day" (May 21, 2009) and "Jerusalem Day" (May 22, 2009).
3) There is a new moon on May 24, 2009.
4) Pentecost (the birth of the church) is celebrated on May 31, 2009.
Now, I am not so cavalier to proclaim that "God gave me a dream and this is what it means". Why? Because I don't know that God gave me this dream, and I don't know what the exact meaning is. Of course, had God, or one of His angels (Gabriel perhaps) had come to me and said, "Martin, the dream you had is about events that will soon happen and this is what it means..." then I would have no problem telling you that "God gave me a dream and this is what it means".
But that didn't happen! Believe me, I have prayed to God many times about this one dream. It has been over a month since I had the dream, and it just sticks with me. More times than I can remember, I have asked God to let me know if this dream is from Him or not and what I should do with it. I can't stop thinking about it. The more I research on it, the more I find. The more I find, the more I am perplexed. There's really only two possibilities: either it's true or it's not. However, determining which possibility is correct has become highly elusive.
Joseph had two dreams, and they came true (Genesis 37:5-11). The cup-bearer and the baker had dreams (Genesis 40:5-23), and they came true. Pharaoh had a dream (Genesis 41:1-8), and it came true. Nebuchadnezzar had a dream, and it came true (Daniel 2:1-49).
Does that mean that my dream will come true?No.
So, since I don't have an option to tell you whether it is true or not, then I figured that I would share my research with you and allow you to decide for yourself.
THE CONJUNCTION
On May 23, 2009, Jupiter, Neptune, and a "planetoid" named Chiron will conjunct. You can go to any search engine like Google or Yahoo and type in the words "May 23 2009 Jupiter Neptune Chiron" and they will find you many articles (most secular...I do not recommend that you take their interpretations seriously) stating that this conjunction will occur.
About two thousand years ago, another conjunction occurred. J.R. Church tells an amazing story (Read the full article here) of this conjunction:
"Some years ago, I had tracked Jupiter's movements around the time of the birth of Christ and saw the first of a triple conjunction between Jupiter and Regulus, beginning on Rosh Hashanah, the new moon of September 11, 3 B.C. Jupiter continued its forward movement for a few months, then returned in a retrograde movement for a second conjunction on February 13, 2 B.C. Jupiter continued backing up for a few months, then started forward again and encountered its third conjunction with Regulus on May 8, 2 B.C...This convinced me that Jesus was born on Rosh Hashanah, 3 B.C."
So, we can say that conjunction in the heavens do have significance.
Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find much about what the ancients had to say about Neptune, but some suggest that Neptune represents illusion, "divine amnesia," and inspiration. I won't claim any of these yet as being true concerning Neptune as it does not come from biblical-based sources.
WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT CHIRON (CHEIRON)?
According to E.W. Bullinger, Chiron (Cheiron) is the Greek name for Centaurus. Below is a sample of his research:
"It is the figure of a being with two natures. Jamieson, in his Celestial Atlas, 1822, says, 'On the authority of the most accomplished Orientalist of our own times, the Arabic and Chaldaic name of this constellation is Bezeh.' Now this Hebrew word Bezeh (and the Arabic Al Beze) means the despised. It is the very word used of this Divine sufferer in Isaiah 53:3, 'He is DESPISED and rejected of men.'
The constellation contains thirty-five stars. Two of the 1st magnitude, one of the 2nd, six of the 3rd, nine of the 4th, etc., which, together with the four bright stars in the CROSS make a brilliant show in southern latitudes.
The brightest star, a (in the horse's fore-foot), has come down to us with the ancient name of Toliman, which means the heretofore and hereafter, marking Him as the one 'which is, and which was, and which is to come--the Almighty' (Rev 1:8). Sir John Herschell observed this star to be growing rapidly brighter. It may be, therefore, one of the changeable stars, and its name may be taken as an indication of the fact that it was known to the ancients.
Another name for the constellation was in Hebrew, Asmeath, which means a sin-offering (as in Isaiah 53:10).
The Greek name was Cheiron, which means the pierced, or who pierces. In the Greek fables Cheiron was renowned for his skill in hunting, medicine, music, athletics, and prophecy. All the most distinguished heroes of Greece are described as his pupils. He was supposed to be immortal, but he voluntarily agreed to die; and, wounded by a poisoned arrow (not intended for him) while in conflict with a wild boar, he transferred his immortality to Prometheus; whereupon he was placed amongst the stars.
We can easily see how this fable is the ignorant perversion of the primitive Revelation. The true tradition can be seen dimly through it, and we can discern Him of whom it spoke,--the all-wise, all-powerful Teacher and Prophet, who 'went about doing good,' yet 'despised and rejected of men,' laying down His life that others might live.
It is one of the lowest of the constellations, i.e. the farthest south from the northern centre. It is situated immediately over the CROSS, which bespeaks His own death; He is seen in the act of destroying the enemy.
Thus these star-pictures tell us that it would be as a child that the Promised Seed should come forth and grow and wax strong in spirit and be filled with wisdom (Luke 2:40); and that as a man having two natures He should suffer and die. Then the third and last section in this first chapter of this First Book goes on to tell of His second coming in glory."
HAVE THESE STARS BEEN IN CONJUNCTION BEFORE?
Yes. The last time Jupiter, Neptune, and Chiron were in conjunction was in 1945.
Two historic atomic bombs were detonated that year, one on Hiroshima on August 6 and again 3 days later in Nagasaki, which brought World War II to an end.
The most obvious events are the evacuation of Auschwitz and the other concentration camps--not only in Europe but in the Philippines, Japan, and others.
Franklin D. Roosevelt's unprecedented 4th term inauguration in office, and then his unexpected death in April. Mussolini tried to escape and got assassinated. Hitler, Eva Brown, and friends commit suicide in Hitler's bunker. Prime Minister Winston Churchill of Britain resigns.
Paraguay, Chile, Peru, and Ecuador get memberships in the United Nations, which was being organized in San Francisco, CA, and in France, women get to vote for the first time.
There were so many fascinating events that year, that I can't list them all here. Just go to Google or Wikipedia and check out 1945 and see for yourself, or you can go here for a quick run down of the events of 1945.
ASCENSION DAY
This day occurs 40 days after Jesus was resurrected from the dead. 40 days is how long Jesus stayed on the earth after His resurrection, and then He ascended into the clouds. Now, He sits at the right hand of the Father until His enemies are made as His footstool.
THE DAY OF PENTECOST
We don't celebrate this holiday in Christian circles much, but we should. This is the day that the church was born (Book of Acts 2:1-47). The Day of Pentecost coincides with the Jewish holiday of "Hag Shavuot".
According to Chuck Missler in his lecture on the rapture, Enoch was born on "Hag Shavuot", a Jewish holiday, which means "Feast of Weeks" and He was also translated (a form of rapture?) on the same day 65 years later. Could the same happen to the church?
Here are Chuck's lectures on the rapture:
The Rapture -- part 1
The Rapture -- part 2
Don't get me wrong, I am not date-setting here. I have no idea when the rapture of the church will come, and I caution anyone who tries to set a day and time for the rapture of the church. Jesus said it best in Matthew 24:36-42:
"But of that day and hour knoweth no [man], no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noe [were], so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two [women shall be] grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come."
WHAT CAN I MAKE OF THIS?
1) I had a dream that announced: "U.N.'s Messiah...May 23, 2009".
2) "Ascension Day" happens on May 21, 2009. This day commemorates the ascension of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ into the Heavens after 40 days of His being resurrected.
3) "Jerusalem Day" happens on May 22, 2009. This day is celebrated by Israel to remember the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967.
4) Two "stars" (Jupiter and Chiron) that are supposed to represent the Messiah, and I have a loose interpretation on Neptune that could mean "divine illusion" that will form a conjunction and not just one time. There are supposed to be several conjunctions of these three throughout 2009 and in the beginning of 2010. The first conjunction occurs on May 23, 2009.
5) May 23, 2009 falls on the Sabbath Day (Saturday).
6) There is a New Moon on May 24, 2009.
7) "Hag Shavuot" and "The Day of Pentecost" happen one week after May 23, 2009.
Even with all of this I cannot say with certainty what any of this means, if it means anything at all. Without clarification from the Lord, I am stuck with either my dream just being thoughts of my imagination while I slept, or a glimpse of the future. I have either wasted a lot of time and energy foolishly pursuing a vision of my own creation or this thing has a real purpose.
WHAT I DO KNOW FOR SURE!
1) The day of the rapture is coming. Look around, friend. We are living in the days of Noe (Noah). If you don't believe me, then take a look at my news blog at Watchman Rayburn's Report. Things are getting tough, folks.
2) If anyone comes presenting himself as a "world teacher" or as a supreme leader, then he is NOT the Messiah. Jesus will rapture the church prior to that. He will return to the earth with all of His saints and destroy the anti-christ. So, if I cannot be found on the earth, and someone claims that they are God, then you know that I am writing the truth about the rapture.
3) If you have not believed in Jesus as the Messiah/Son of God and prayed to God to forgive you of your sins in Jesus' name, then I urge you to do so now. Do not wait. No one but the Father knows of the day and hour when the Lord will rapture His church, and I want you to be a part of that.
Lately, I have been researching a lot about the constellations. Mainly because of a dream I had about a month or so ago. If God permits, I'll write an article about the dream.
No, not the "zodiac" that the blind present-day astrologers, new age, secularists pawn off onto society as though their gibberish has any practical relevancy. It is the "mazzaroth" that I have been pursuing and searching for the meaning(s) which God gave to all of the stars and what His meaning is when different planets and stars "conjunct".
I have been reading a book by E.W. Bullinger entitled "The Witness of the Stars" which you can read here. E.W. seems to have his stuff together on this. There's also a book by Joseph Seiss entitled "The Gospel in the Stars" that is compelling.
I believe that God has revealed His divine plan in the stars. It's been right under our nose (or right over our nose in this case) all of this time. How many of us have not considered and gave reverence to God over how he placed the objects of the heavens into the sky? Well, I plan to search it as much as I can until God restrains me.
You know, us "logical type" people (like myself) are hard to convince. We demand things like "compelling evidence", "proof", and "undeniable facts" in order to declare truth. However, to be a real "logic freak" requires that you maintain your logic-based beliefs unless some tidbit of information challenges it.
For instance, let's suppose that this is your first day on planet earth, and the time is 8:00am. If I asked you, "what color is the sky?" You would look up and most likely answer, "the sky is blue." Then if I told you that at night, the sky would be black, you would have no other choice but to have faith that the sky would be black. Several hours pass and you look up at the sky, and it is indeed black. At that moment, you know that you have proof that at night the sky is black. If there was any doubt about the color of the night sky before, then there is none now because you have seen it. What you have believed about the sky has been demonstrated and thus becomeslogical proof.
I should have done this long ago. Below is a copy of a document that I found which gave me proof of the resurrection of Jesus Christ as the prophesied Messiah of the Old Testament.
I stumbled upon it back in the '90s (sometime between 1990-1994) while going through some of my readings, and I immediately thought to myself, "This is it! This is the logic to support my faith!" Little did I know that this was only the beginning. After reading this document, I progressively began seeing the world from a totally different perspective. Sure, I was saved (put my faith in Jesus as my Lord and Savior) long before reading this, but it was at the time of my reading the below document that I knew the solidity of the facts which my faith was built upon. In short, I knew that I stood on the "solid rock" of Jesus--there were no more doubts.
Read, if you will, this document and decide for yourself. Check it out, test it, try it. Don't just take it at face value. If there is anything wrong in it, then let me know. I'll be more than happy to check it out too.
Beware critics, "Bill Maher" types, hindus, muslims, those of the jewish faiths, and other beliefs...this document will test your world view.
RESURRECTION VERIFICATION
Technique
C. Sanders, a military historian, in his, “Introduction to Research in English Literary History,” there are three tests to be used in determining the historical reliability of any document. These are: 1) the bibliographical test, 2) the internal evidence test, 3) the external evidence test. Since the New Testament is a document, among other things, then it should receive no special treatment.
The Bibliographical Test
In order to discover whether or not the New Testament has a bibliographical foundation, we must examine the following elements in the light of evidence:
· the amount of existing manuscript copies and their date of composition;
· the composition date of the original autographs;
· a comparison of the manuscripts of the New Testament with those of ancient secular history.
Before those, we must define what a “manuscript” is. According to New Testament scholar Bruce Metzger, Professor Emeritus of New Testament at Princeton Theological Seminary, there are a total of 4,969 Greek New Testament manuscripts (“Text of the New Testament”). This, of course, does not include the 15,000+ copies of various versions such as the Syriac and Latin Translations of the New Testament (around AD 150), the Coptic versions dating from the third to the sixth century. More or less there are more than 20,000 known extant manuscripts of the New Testament.
The dates of the original autographs are (in chronological order): Pauline Epistles (AD 48-64), Mark (AD 50-70), Luke (AD 70-85), Acts (AD 70-85), Matthew (AD 80-100), and John (AD 90-110).
Most scholars believe that Acts and Luke are a part of the same document. And that the book of Acts ends abruptly without mentioning that Paul was tried and martyred by Nero in AD 64. So, they conclude that Luke and Acts were probably written before AD 64. In the opinion of William F. Albright, ;ate W.W. Spence Professor of Semitic Languages “..every book of the New Testament was written by a baptized Jew between the forties and eighties of the first century AD” (William F. Albright interview in “Christianity Today,” June 18, 1963). Thus, there is very little doubt that the New Testament is a first century historical work.
Comparison of New Testament With Other Ancient Texts
TEXT
DATE WRITTEN
EARLIEST COPY
TIMESPAN
COPIES
Caesar
100-44 BC
900 AD
1000 years
10
Plato (Tetralogies)
427-347 BC
900 AD
1200 years
7
Tacitus (Annals)
100 AD
1000 AD
1000 years
10 (-)
Pliny the Younger (History)
61-113 AD
850 AD
750 years
7
Thucydides (History)
460-400 BC
900 AD
1300 years
8
Herodotus (History)
480-425 BC
900 AD
1300 years
8
Sophocles
496-406 BC
1000 AD
1400 years
193
Aristotle
384-322 BC
1100 AD
1400 years
49+
Demosthenes
383-322 BC
1100 AD
1300 years
200
Homer (Illiad)
900 BC
400 BC
500 years
643
New Testament
48-110 AD
125 AD
(John Fragment)
200 AD
(Bodmer Papyri)
15-90 years
20,000+
Dr. Bruce M. Metzger, professor of New Testament at Princeton University writes: “…the work of many an ancient author has been preserved only in manuscripts…from the Middle Ages (sometimes the late Middle Ages), far removed from the time at which he lived and wrote. In the contrary, the time between compositions of the books of the New Testament and the earliest extant copies is relatively brief. Instead of the lapse of a millennium or more, as in the case of not a few classical authors, several papyrus manuscripts of portions of the New Testament are extant which were copied within a century or so after the composition of the original documents.”
The Internal Evidence Test
“…historical and literary scholarship continues to follow Aristotle’s dictum that the benefit of the doubt is to be given to the document itself, not arrogated to the critic to himself” (John Warwick Montgomery, “History and Christianity,” pp. 29-30).
In other words, listen to the claims of the document under analysis, and don’t assume fraud or error unless the author disqualifies himself by contradictions or known inaccuracies. Take note that the authors of the entire New Testament claim time and time again that they are recording eyewitness testimony of testimony derived from equally reliable sources.
Consider the following New Testament verses:
“Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus.” (Luke 1:1-3)
“We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you of the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.” (2 Peter 1:16)
“We proclaim to you that we have seen and heard so that you may also have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and the Son.” (1 John 1:3)
“The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you may also believe.” (John 19:35)
“Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through Him, as you yourselves know.” (Acts 2:22)
It is of importance to know that the Gospels of Luke and John claim to have primary-source value. F.F. Bruce, former Rylands Professor of Biblical Criticism and Exegesis at the University of Manchester, concerning the New Testament’s primary-source value, had this to say: “The earliest preachers of the gospel knew the value of this first-hand testimony, and appealed to it time and time again, ‘We are witnesses of these things,’ was their constant and confident assertion. And it can have been by no means so easy as some writers seem to think to invent words and deeds of Jesus in those early years, when so many of His disciples were about, who could remember what had and had not happened..And it was not only friendly eyewitnesses that the early church had to reckon with; there were others less well disposed who were also conversant with the main facts of the ministry and death of Jesus. Had there been any tendency to depart from the facts in any material respect, the possible presence of hostile witnesses in the audience would have served as a further corrective.”
In conclusion, the internal testimony of the New Testament is that of a document claiming to contain eyewitness testimony in the ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth.
The External Evidence Test
In this portion of the analysis, the following question is asked: “Do other historical materials confirm or deny the internal testimony provided by the documents themselves?” The following extra-biblical writings, which quote passages from the New Testament, support the evidence already presented.
“The Epistle of Psuedo-Barnabas” (c. AD 70-79) contains quotations, and makes many allusions to New Testament books. He cites and alludes to passages from Matthew, and also quotes John 6:51, Romans 4:11, and 2 Peter 3:8. It is extremely difficult to quote from nonexistent books.
“Corinthians,” by Clement of Rome (c. AD 95-97) cites passages from Matthew, Mark, Luke, Acts, Titus, 1 Corinthians, Hebrews, 1 Peter, and include a possible allusion to Revelation 22:12. Clement, incidentally, was called by Origen, in “De Principus” (Book II, Chapter 3), a disciple of the apostles (eyewitnesses). Interestingly enough, Clement, who received instruction from the apostles themselves, was thoroughly orthodox in his theology. Therefore, in the case of Clement, his supernatural depiction of Jesus can’t be easily explained away assuming it to be a product of oral tradition or legend.
“The Seven Epistles of Ignatius” (c. AD 110-117) contain quotations from Matthew, John, Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians, Ephesians, Philippians, Galatians, Colossians, James, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, and 1 Peter. Both Ignatius and Clement, who were disciples of the apostles (eyewitnesses), validate the theology contained within the New Testament as being the theology of the Church. For example, Ignatius affirms the Deity of Christ, the virgin birth, and the resurrection of Jesus. Clement substantiates the apostles’ belief in the resurrection of all believers. Both these men, being personal acquaintances of the eyewitnesses, successfully demonstrate the primary-source value of the New Testament.
Papias, bishop of Hierapolis (c. AD 130) wrote the following information he received from the Presbyter (Apostle John): “When Mark became the interpreter of Peter, he wrote down accurately whatever he remembered , though not in order, of the words and deeds of the Lord...Mark, then, made no mistake, but wrote down as he remembered them; and he made it his concern to omit nothing that he had heard nor to falsify anything therein…Matthew, indeed, composed sayings in the Hebrew language; and each one interpreted them to the best of his ability.”
Irenaeus, bishop of Lyons, wrote: “Matthew issued among the Hebrews a written Gospel in their own language, while Peter and Paul were evangelizing in Rome and laying the foundation of the Church. After their departure, Mark the disciple and interpreter of Peter, also handed down to us in writing what had been preached by Peter. Luke, also the companion of Paul, set down in the book a Gospel preached by him. Afterwards, John, the disciple of the Lord who reclined at his bosom, also published a Gospel, while he was residing in Ephesus in Asia.”
Irenaeus’ testimony is extremely valuable because he had studied under Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna. Polycarp who was martyred in AD 156, having been a Christian for 86 years, was a disciple of the Apostle John and “always taught what he learned from the apostles” (Irenaeus, “Against Heretics,” in “Early Father,” p. 90). In reference to his relationship with Polycarp, Ireneaus writes: “I remember the events of those days better than the ones of recent years…I am able to describe the very place in which the blessed Polycarp sat and discoursed…and how he spoke of his familiar conversations with John and with the rest of those who has seen the Lord, and how he could recall their words to mind. All that he had heard from the concerning the Lord or about His miracles and about his teachings, having received it from eyewitnesses of the Word of Life, Polycarp related in harmony with the Scriptures.”
The external sources of Pseudo-Barnabas, Clement, Ignatius, Papias, Polycarp, and Ireneaus validate the first century dating, the primary-source value, and the supernatural Jesus of the New Testament. External confirmation of the New Testament’s internal testimony, and the historical existence of Jesus, is supplied by the following non-Christian sources also.
“Cornelius Tacitus,” a Roman historian, in AD 112, wrote of the existence of Roman Christians and of the death of Jesus Christ. He also wrote that Jesus was put to death by Pontius Pilate during the reign of Tiberius (Annals XV.44). In a fragment of his “Histories” (Chron.ii.30.6) dealing with the AD 70 burning of the Jerusalem temple, Tacitus makes reference to Christianity in his writing about the fire in Rome in 64 AD: “But all human efforts, all the lavish gifts of the emperor, and the propitiation’s of the gods, did not banish the sinister belief that the conflagration was the result of an order. Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from who the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilate, and a deadly superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judaea, the first source of the evil, but also in the city [Rome], where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world meet and become popular.”
Also, the secular record above agrees with the New Testament perfectly (i.e.: Christ’s ministry occurred during the reign of Tiberius; Christ was put to death under a Procurator, Pilate; Christ was killed by crucifixion; Christ was killed in Judaea; the movement spread from Jerusalem to Rome).
“Lucian of Samosta,” a second century satirist, spoke only scornful words concerning Jesus and the early Christians. He wrote that the early Christians repudiated polytheism and worshiped Jesus like a god. He also states that Jesus was crucified in Palestine (“The Passing of Peregrinus”).
“Flavius Josephus,” a Jewish historian of the early second century, makes reference to both Christ and the early Christians, and that Christ’s disciples believed their Master had risen from the dead. He also wrote that Jesus was crucified under Pilate, and that His ministry, filled with many wonderful works, both Gentile and Jewish followers (Antiquities 28.33). Josephus writes: “About that time there lived Jesus, a wise man, if indeed one ought to call him a man. For he was one who wrought surprising feats and was a teacher of such people as accept the truth gladly. He won over many Jews and many of the Greeks. He was the Messiah. When Pilate, upon hearing him accused by men of the highest standing among us, had condemned him to be crucified, those who had in the first place come to love him did not give up their affection for him. On the third day he appeared to them restored to life, for the prophets of God had prophesied these and countless other marvelous things about him. And the tribe of the Christians, so called after him, has still to this day not disappeared.”
Josephus also writes: “…[Annas] convened the judges of the Sanhedrin and brought before them a man named James, the brother of Jesus who was called “the Christ,” and certain others. He accused them of having transgressed the law and delivered them up to be stoned…”
“Suetonius,” a Roman historian, in AD 120, describes the expelling of Christians from Rome and Nero’s persecution of the early church (“Life of the Caesars,” 26.2).
“Thallus,” a Samaritan-born historian, wrote in AD 52 that the darkness which fell upon the land during Christ’s crucifixion required a naturalistic explanation (a solar eclipse) and was well-known (from the third book of his “Histories,” as cited by Julius Africanus, who argues vigorously against Thallus’ interpretation). It is important to note that neither Thallus nor Julius Africanus debates that the event occurred as many critics do today. There was no question that the sky became dark when Jesus was crucified as far as Thallus and Julius Africanus were concerned. Rather, they debate how the event occurred.
“Phlegon,” a first century historian, also confirms Thallus’ affirmation about the darkness which fell upon the land. Phlegon places this during the reign of Tiberius Caesar. Thus, confirming Luke’s account (Luke 3:1). This is found in “Chronicles,” as cited by Julius Africanus, who cited Phlegon as evidence against Thallus. He is also cited in Origen’s “Contra Celsum,” Book 2, sections 14, 33, 59; and in Philopon’s “De. Opif. Mund. II 21,” concerning the darkness.
In an AD 73 letter (preserved in the British Museum), written by a Syrian named Mara Bar-Serapian to his son Serpion, Christ’s death is mentioned along with the deaths of Socrates and Pythagores.
Justin Martyr, in his “Defense of Christianity” which he wrote to Emperor Antonius Pius, refers the emperor to Pilate’s report, which Justin supposed was preserved in the imperial archives. In his “Defense,” he cites the “Acts of Pontius Pilate” which according to Justin, records a description of the crucifixion and, in addition, records some of Christ’s miracles (Apology 1.48).
“Pliny the Younger” (c. AD 112) wrote an epistle in which he stated that he has killed many Christians while he was Governor of Bithynia, and that Christ was worshiped as a god by his disciples. He also wrote that Christians had a habit of meeting once a week in order to sing hymns to their Lord (Epistles X.96).
In addition, the Jewish Talmud (Sanhedrin 43a, “Eve of Passover”; and Yeb. IV 3; 49a) acknowledge Christ’s existence, but do not look favorably upon His ministry. They attribute His miracles to Satan, His birth to adultery, and acknowledge that he was crucified on the eve of Passover. The Jewish scholars, who would have been more than happy to show that Jesus was a myth, if it were possible, did not believe such an option existed (See Joseph Klausner, “Jesus of Nazareth” New York: Macmillan, 1925, pp. 23-28. Klausner, a Jewish scholar, document many citations from the Talmud” that verify Christ’s historicity.).
The just mentioned non-Christian sources confirm the following internal testimony of the New Testament:
· Jesus was worshiped as God.
· Jesus performed miracles (though attributed to nontheistic sources)
· The disciples of Christ believed that He had risen from the dead.
· Jesus was crucified under Pontius Pilate in Palestine at the time of Passover.
· The sun was darkened on the day of Christ’s crucifixion.
· The early Christians repudiated polytheism.
· Roman rulers, including Nero, persecuted Christians.
· The Jewish religious establishment accused Christ of sorcery and of being a bastard.
· Jesus’ ministry occurred under the siege of Tiberius Caesar
· Christ attracted both Jews and Gentiles.
New Testament historicity is also confirmed by archaeological findings. Because of the abundance of evidence, we will deal with only four specific discoveries that confirm the New Testament’s internal testimony.
“The Pavement.” According to John 19:13, Jesus was tried by Pilate at a place known as the Pavement. For centuries there had been no record of this place. Fortunately, the Pavement has been recently discovered. Thus, confirming the accuracy of John (William F. Albright, “The Archaeology of Palestine,” rev. ed. Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Pelican Books, 1960, p. 141).
“The Pool of Bathseda,” which was recorded in no other document except the New Testament, can now be identified with a fair measure of certainty (F.F. Bruce, “Archaeological Confirmation of the New Testament,” in “Revelation and the Bible,” ed. Carl F.H. Henry, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1969, p.329).
“The Census” as described in Luke 2:1-3, not recorded outside the New Testament was assumed to never have occurred. In addition, there was no evidence that Quirinius was governor or that everyone had to return to his or her ancestral home. Fortunately, archaeological discoveries show that the Romans held a census every 14 years. They began with Augustus in 23-22 BC, or 9-8 BC. The one to which Luke refers would be the latter. Evidence has also been unearthed which verifies that Quirinius was governor of Syria around 7 BC. A papyrus found in Egypt gives directions for how the census was to be conducted. The procedure concurs with the Lucian account of everyone having to return to their ancestral home (John Elder, “Prophets, Idols, and Diggers,” New York: Bobba-Merrill, 1960, pp. 159-160; and Joseph Free, “Archaeology and Bible History,” Wheaton, Illinois: Scripture Press Publications, 1969, p. 285).
In Acts 14:6, Luke writes that Lystra and Derbe was in Lycaonia and Iconium was not. This, however, is contradicted by the Roman historian Cicero, who indicated that Iconium was in Lycaonia. To the credit of the New Testament, Sir William Ramsey, in 1910, discovered a monument that showed Iconium to be a Phyrgian city. This is also confirmed by later discoveries (Joseph Free, “Archaeology and Bible History,” Wheaton, Illinois: Scripture Press Publications, 1969, p. 317).
It is obvious, from the examination of external sources (extra-biblical writing and archaeological discoveries), that the internal testimony of New Testament in historically reliable.
Possible Objections
Although we have established, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the New Testament is a historically reliable document, most people will reject the testimony of the documents solely because it records “miraculous” events. Rejections of such are based on the assumption that miracles can never happen. But we can know that miracles have never happened if we have evidence that they have never occurred. If a person assumes that miracles are impossible from the outset, then no evidence will be convincing. But such a state of mind is closed-minded and unbecoming of any self-respected skeptic. C.S. Lewis, late Professor of Midieval and Renaissance Literature at CambridgeUniversity, in response to a skeptical philosopher David Hume, reveals the fallacy of this anti-miraculous thinking:
“Now of course, we must agree with Hume that if there is absolutely ‘uniform experience’ against miracles, if in other words they have never happened, why then they never have. Unfortunately, we know the experience against them to be uniform only if we know that all the reports of them are false. And we can know all the reports if them to be false only if we know already that miracles have never occurred. In fact, we are arguing in a circle.” (C.S. Lewis, “Miracles,” New York: Macmillan, 1947, p. 105.)
So, the question that needs to be asked is not “Can miracles occur?” But rather: “Have miracles occurred?” Since we have demonstrated that the New Testament is a reliable, primary-source recording of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth-a life loaded with miracles-miracles did in fact occur. There is also abundant, reliable evidence available for miracles occurring today. If, of course, one believes that the disciples of Jesus all got together and concocted the whole thing, then one is left with a great psychological absurdity; eleven out of twelve men (John died of natural causes) allowed themselves to be martyred for what they knew from the outset was a colossal lie. Having left everything considered precious in the worlds eyes-family, social stability, loved ones, religious security-in order to preach that a Jewish carpenter (who they knew was dead) had been resurrected and was now sitting at the right hand of God, these men willingly let others put them to death. Having ample time to recant, they did not. Though it may be argued that many have died for a lie, it is always a lie that is believed to be the truth. However, this is not the case with the disciples of Christ. These men had personal access to His life and knew whether or not their message was true. It takes an enormous amount of faith to believe the psychological absurdity that they concocted the whole thing, and then went out and died for it.
In addition, it is equally absurd to believe that the disciples were somehow deceived into believing the reality of the resurrection and the miracles of Christ’s ministry. Norman L. Geisler, a professor of systematic theology at Dallas Theological Seminary, in reference to this objection, writes the following: “These charges have been made but must be ruled out by the known facts of the case. Mass hallucination or delusion is eliminated by several factors. First, there was the inclination to disbelieve the reports of the resurrection. Hallucination is a phenomenon which occurs when people are already inclined to believe in something. Second, the apostles and eyewitness were persons who had known Jesus intimately for years. Recognition was no real problem. Third, there were numerous and independent occasions of long duration, involving conversation and verification by various groups of people, that rule out any possibility of psychological deception. Fourth, mass delusion is ruled out by the numerous independent occasions when one, two, seven, ten, and eleven persons had the same experience that the five hundred had…the number and repetition of these miracles rule out any possibility of delusion.
Since, then, there is no evidence for either individual or collective delusion or hallucination of the eyewitnesses it is necessary to conclude that they were not only honest but also sane witnesses of the event of which they spoke.” (Norman L. Geisler and Willian Nix, “A General Introduction to the Bible,” Chicago: Moody Press, 1968, p. 316.)
Jesus: Deceiver, Deranged, or Deity?
God reveals himself to Moses in the Old Testament:
“And God said unto Moses, ‘I AM THAT I AM:’ and He said, ‘Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel I AM hath sent me unto you.’” (Exodus 3:14)
The New Testament teaches that Jesus is this same God: “Jesus said unto them, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM.” (John 8:58)
Since we have demonstrated that there is no reason to believe that His disciples knowingly lied about His claims, we only have three choices concerning His character: 1) He was a deceiver-He intentionally and knowingly lied about His nature. Therefore he was not a good man; 2) He was deranged-He sincerely believed himself to be God, but was not; 3) He was Deity-He was who He said He was, and should be worshiped. Let’s look at each possibility.
Jesus As Deceiver
The idea of Jesus as a deceiver doesn’t square well with the portrayal of His life in the New Testament. He placed a premium on honesty, love, and righteousness, and despised hypocrisy. If Jesus was a deceiver, He let himself be put to death when He could have recanted prior to His crucifixion. He obviously had ample time to do so (see Matthew 26-27), but chose not to. Therefore, we can only conclude that He sincerely believed himself to be God Incarnate. If this is the case, He was either God Incarnate or mentally deranged.
Jesus As Deranged
If Jesus sincerely thought himself to be God, and was not, the conclusion cannot be avoided that He was deranged. Psychiatrists Noyes and Kolb, in their standard medical text, “Modern Clinical Psychiatry,” describe a schizophrenic person as an individual who permits himself to “retreat from the world of reality,” (“Modern Clinical Psychiatry,” Philadelphia and London: Saunders, 1958, p. 401). If Christ believed himself to be God , and was not, then He mad a significant “retreat from the world of reality,” and therefore must be judged as mentally deranged. But, in light of the profound insight of Christ’s moral and ethical precepts, and the New Testament’s picture of Christ as a well-balanced individual, can we really doubt His sanity? For this reason, skeptics have been, for the most part, unwilling to declare Christ insane. In fact, psychiatrist J.T. Fisher has written the following psychiatric appraisal of Christ’s teachings: “If you were to take the total sum of all authoritative articles ever written by the most qualified of psychologists and psychiatrists on the subject of mental hygiene -if you were to combine them and refine them and cleave out all the excess verbiage-if you were to take the whole of the meat, and none of the parsley, and if you were to have these unadulterated bits of pure scientific knowledge concisely expressed by the most capable of living poets, you would have an awkward and incomplete summation of the Sermon on the Mount. And it would suffer immeasurably through comparison. For nearly two thousand years the Christian world has been holding in its hands the complete answer to its restless and fruitless yearnings. Here….rests the blueprint for successful human life with optimum mental health and contentment.” (J.T. Fisher and L.S. Hawley, “A Few Button Missing,” Philadelphia: J.P. Lippincott, 1951, p. 273)
If one still believes that Jesus was insane, we have a situation which one must believe the colossal absurdity that a completely deranged lunatic has given the human race “the blueprint for successful human life with optimum mental health.” Who, in their right mind, can accept the conclusion without sacrificing his own sense of reasonableness? As the Catholic apologist, G.K. Chesterton, has written: “No modern critic in his five wits thinks that the preacher of the Sermon on the Mount was a horrible half-witted imbecile that might be scrawling stars on the walls of a cell. No atheist or blasphemer believes that the author of the Parable of the Prodigal was a monster with one idea like a cyclops with one eye.” (G.K. Chesterton, “The Everlasting Man,” Garden City, New Jersey: Image Books, 1955, pp. 201-202)
Jesus As Deity
Since He was not a deceiver or deranged, only one option is left: Jesus was who He said He was, namely, God.
The Resurrection Verified
From the abundance of all the historical evidence, we believe that we have sufficiently demonstrated the reliability of the New Testament, and have verified the resurrection of Jesus. In light of this, the following quote is most appropriate: “Out of the first century AD, when the Resurrection, if untrue, could have been easily by anyone who took the trouble to talk with those who had been present in Jerusalem during the Passover week of 33, no contrary evidence has come; instead, during the century the number of conversions to Christianity increased by geometric progression, the influence of the Gospel story spreading out like a gigantic web. If Christ did not rise as He promised, how can we explain this lack of negative evidence and number of conversions? Furthermore, if the body of the crucified Jesus naturally left the tomb, how did He leave? Not by its own accord, for Jesus was unquestionably dead. Not through the efforts of the Jewish religious leaders or the Romans, for they placed a guard at the tomb for the express purpose of keeping the body there. Not Jesus’ followers, for to perform such an act would have been to deny the principles of truth upon which their latter lives were predicated and which they preached until killed for their own convictions.” (John Warwick Montgomery, “The Quest For Absolutes: An Historical Argument,” unpublished mimeograph, p. 7)
It is truly amazing that even the works of antiquity do not even begin to approach the reliability of the New Testament, people continue to reject the truth of the resurrection. The rejection is not supported by evidence, but runs contrary to it.
The Inescapable Truth
The following is an outline of what our study has covered:
Jesus claimed to have defeated death in history.
Historical verification operates on the principal of probability. This is not a disadvantage, because this is a contingent universe, the certainty of synthetic statements (statement about the world) religious or otherwise, can never rise to 100% proof.
In the New Testament, which contains the account of Jesus’ resurrection, can be shown to be historically reliable, then Christ’s resurrection can be verified.
According to three tests *bibliographical, internal, and external) of examining the historicity of any document, the New Testament is historically reliable. In addition, to dispense with the New Testament because it contains miracles, as Lewis has observed, is to reason in a circle. Claiming that the disciples (eyewitnesses) made the whole thing up is to ignore the fact that eleven out of twelve of them signed their testimony in blood. And due to their personal access to the event of Christ’s ministry, it is equally absurd to believe that they were somehow deceived.
Therefore, Jesus rose from the dead.
From these conclusions, the following are deduced:
Jesus, throughout the Gospels, claimed to be God, He also claimed that His resurrection would verify His Deity.
Jesus rose from the dead, and He is therefore God.
Concerning Christ’s character, we only have three choices: deceiver, deranged, or deity. We have concluded that He could only be deity.
Thus we have an excellent reason to put our faith in Jesus Christ. Through a commitment of Christ (putting our faith in Him), the gap between the high probability of the resurrection and the desire for inward certainty is able to be bridged. As Francis Schaeffer once put it: “It should be added in conclusion that the Christian, after he is a Christian, has years of experimental evidence to be added to all the above reasons…”
Unlike other religious options, Christianity is not an irrational leap into the darkness of the unverifiable, but rather, a rational and reasoned leap into the light.
And finally, for those who still cling to the popular fallacy that all religions lead to God, and that there are no criteria to judge the truth or falsity of any religion, please accept the following poetic excerpt as a gentle rebuke:
“’All roads lead to God,’
I’ve heard so many say
But when they get to Jonestown
They beg to look the other way”
What you are about to read now is even more revelating and important than what you’ve already read. It is personal evidence that Jesus is God and ruler over all creation.
First of all, you must realize that God separated himself from man because of sin. Sin is an abomination in the eyes of God. Also, it is helpful to understand this parallel-that when light shines darkness flees. So, when Jesus (the Light) is in your heart, then Satan and his demons (darkness) flee. You must also realize that you are worthy of death and hell for your sins.
In this passage of scripture, we see that David is leading his men into a heated battle with the Philistines. Look what happens and what is said: “And David longed, and said, ‘Oh that one would give me drink of water of the well of Bethlehem, that is at the gate.’ And the three broke through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David: but David would not drink of it, and poured it out to the Lord, and said, ‘My God forbid it me, that I should do this thing: shall I drink the blood of these men that have put their lives in jeopardy? For with the jeopardy of their lives they brought it.’ Therefore he would not drink it. These things did these three mightiest.” (1 Chronicles 11:19)
Is not salvation the blood of Jesus who put himself in jeopardy for all of us?
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
“If we confess our sins, then He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)
But just knowing what you must do in order to be saved from damnation is not enough to save anyone. Only Jesus can save. So, you must come before God in prayer and confess your sins and ask for forgiveness. There is no particular prayer or “magic” words to say to God, but here is a sample prayer that you may pray as you read:
Dear Heavenly Father, Lord of the Universe, I know that you created all things. I also know that by my sin you were separated from me. My sin is a detestable thing., and I know that I am worthy of death and hell. I humbly ask you, Lord, to have mercy on my soul and forgive me of these sins which I have committed against you-where I have rebelled against you and failed you. I know that Jesus bought me with His blood when He died on the cross for me. Please have mercy on me and let His death be the payment for my sins, God. I also know that Jesus rose again on the third day after His death by conquering death, hell, and the grave. And now my Lord Jesus sits at your right hand making intercessions for his people. Have mercy on me, Lord.. Thank-you, Lord, for saving me. I pray that you will use me, your servant, to glorify and serve you, teach, serve, and lead others to Christ, and lastly to care for myself so that I might bear the fruit of the Spirit to please you, God. May your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven, my Lord. By Jesus Christ I pray these things and for His sake, amen.
Congratulations!
You are a child of the Lord! Jesus has entered your heart and claimed your salvation! The kingdom of heaven is within you!
I am so happy that you have made this choice and all of Heaven is now rejoicing your salvation.
Now, it is my recommendation that you begin reading the Bible (the greatest textbook ever written!) everyday. If you don’t have one, go buy one, or go to a church house and ask for one-any church worth its salt will give you a bible if you ask. Also, go to church whenever you can and have fellowship with the other saints. Because the church is the body of Christ! If you don’t go to church, then find a church which preaches the Bible as the inspired living Word of God, After visiting churches, then consider baptism (which we are commanded to do) and become a member,
Again, I congratulate you on the victory which you allowed Jesus to win through you! Now, I challenge you to be a soul winner! Lead others to Christ like you’ve been lead. You are truly BORN AGAIN!
