Jesus Christ’s Effect on History

Flavius Josephus,
Jewish historian, became a Pharisee at 19, later commander, of the Jewish forces in Galilee. Captured by Romans and attached to their headquarters.  Born: 34AD

“Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many Jews, and many of the Gentiles. He was the Christ, and when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men among us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first, did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day; as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians so named from him are not extinct at this day.”

Pontius Pilate, Roman governor of Judea who ordered Christ’s crucifixion, first century A.D

Wrote to the Roman emperor Tiberius Caesar:

“And him, Herod, and Archelaus and Philip, Annas, and Caiphas, with all the people, delivered to me, making a great uproar against me that I should try Him (Christ). I, therefore, ordered Him to be crucified, having first scourged Him, and having found against Him no cause of evil accusations or deeds. At the time he was crucified, there was darkness over all the world, the sun being darkened at midday, and the stars appearing, but in them there appeared no luster; and the moon, as if turned into blood, failed in her light.”

Julian the Apostate, Roman Emperor from 361-363 A.D. and one of the most gifted ancient adversaries to Christianity.

In his work against Christianity:

“Jesus…has now been celebrated about three hundred years having done nothing in his lifetime worthy of fame, unless anyone thinks it is a very great work to heal lame and blind people and exorcise demoniacs in the villages of Bethsaida and Bethany.”

But at the end of his life was forced to say:

“Thou has conquered, O Galilean!”

– He also affirms the authenticity of all four gospels.

Thallus, Samaritan-born historian, wrote A.D. 52.  His writings have disappeared and we know of them only from fragments cited by other writers.

One such writer is Julian Africanus,  A Christian writer of about 221 A.D. who says:

“Thallus, in the third book of his histories, explains away this darkness as an eclipse of the sun – unreasonable as it seems to me (unreasonable of course, because a solar eclipse could not take place at the time of the full moon, and it was at the season of the Paschal full moon that Christ died).”

Carnegie Simpson

“Jesus is not one of the group of world’s great. Talk about Alexander the Great and Charles the Great and Napoleon the Great if you will…Jesus is apart. He is not the Great – He is the only.”

David Strauss, German theologian who applied Hegelian philosophy to the study of the Bible.

Toward the end of his life

“This Christ…is historical, not mythical, is an individual, no mere symbol…”

E. M. Blaiklock

“Luke is a consummate historian, to be ranked in his own right with the great writers of the Greeks.”

Bruce M. Metzger

“Today no competent scholar denies the historicity of Jesus.”

H. G. Wells, British writer, 1866-1946

“In the reign of Tiberius Caesar a great teacher arose out of Judea who was to liberate the intense realization of the righteousness and unchallengeable oneness of God, and of man’s moral obligation to God…This was Jesus of Nazareth…Is it any wonder that to this day the Galilean is too much for our small hearts.”

Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of the French

“You speak of Caesar, of Alexander, of their conquests and of the enthusiasm which they enkindled in the hearts of their soldiers; but can you conceive of a dead man making conquests, with an army faithful and entirely devoted to his memory? My armies have forgotten me even while living, as the Carthaginian army forgot Hannibal. Such is our power.”

“I know men and I tell you, Jesus Christ is no mere man. Between him and every other person in the world there is no possible term of comparison. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I have founded empires. But on what did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded his empire upon love; and at this hour, millions would die for him.”

“I search in vain history to find similar to Jesus Christ, or anything which can approach the gospel.  Neither history nor humanity, nor ages, nor nature, offer me anything with which I am able to compare it or to explain it. Here everything is extraordinary.”

Ernest Renan,
French historian, religious scholar and linguist

“All history is incomprehensible without Christ.”

“Whatever may be the surprises of the future, Jesus will never be surpassed.”

William E. Channing, American religious leader whose writings and sermons led to the emergence of Unitarianism, 1780-1842

“The sages and heroes of history are receding from us, and history contracts the record of their deeds into a narrower and narrower page. But time has no power over the name and deeds and words of Jesus Christ.”

P. Carnegie Simpson,

Concerning Christianity said:

“Is a fact of history recognizable as any other.”

H. G. Wells,
British writer, 1866-1946

When asked which person left the most permanent impression on history, he replied that judging a person’s greatness by historical standards:

“By this test, Jesus stands first.”

“I am a historian, I am not a believer, but I must confess as a historian that this penniless preacher from Nazareth is irrevocably the very center of history. Jesus Christ is easily the most dominant figure in all history.”

“Christ is the most unique person of history. No man can write a history of the human race without giving first and foremost place to the penniless teacher of Nazareth.”

Kenneth Scott Latourette,
former President of American Historic Society

In A History of Christianity:

“It is evidence of His importance, of the effect that He has had upon history and presumably, of the baffling mystery of His being that no other life ever lived on this planet has evoked so huge a volume of literature among so many people and languages, and that, far from ebbing, the flood continues to mount.”

“As the centuries pass by, the evidence is accumulating that measured by its effect on history, Jesus is the most influential life ever lived on this planet. The influence appears to be mounting.”

“No other life lived on this planet has so widely and deeply affected mankind.”

George Bancroft,
great American historian

“I find the name of Jesus Christ written on the top of every page of modern history.”

One Solitary Life

Nearly two thousand years ago in an obscure village, a child was born of a peasant woman. He grew up in another village where He worked as a carpenter until He was thirty. Then for three years He became an itinerant preacher.

This man never went to college or seminary. He never wrote a book. He never held a public office. He never had a family nor owned a home. He never put His foot inside a big city nor traveled even 200 miles from His birthplace. And though He never did any of the things that usually accompany greatness, throngs of people followed Him. He had no credentials but Himself.

While He was still young, the tide of public opinion turned against Him. His followers ran away. He was turned over to His enemies and sentenced to death on a cross between two thieves. While He was dying, His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had on earth – the simple coat He had worn. His body was laid in a borrowed grave provided by a compassionate friend.

But three days later this Man arose from the dead – living proof that He was, as He had claimed, the Savior whom God had sent, the Incarnate Son of God.

Nineteen centuries have come and gone and today the risen Lord Jesus Christ is the central figure of the human race. On our calendars His birth divides history into two eras. One day of every week is set aside in remembrance of Him. And our two most important holidays celebrate His birth and resurrection. On church steeples around the world, His cross has become the symbol of victory over sin and death.

This one Man’s life has furnished the theme for more songs, books, poems and paintings than any other person or event in history. Thousands of colleges, hospitals, orphanages and other institutions have been founded in honor of this One who gave His life for us.

All the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the governments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned have not changed the course of history as much as this One Solitary Life.

Daniel Webster, American politician., 1782-1852

“All that is best in the civilization of today, is the fruit of Christ’s appearance among men.”

Will Durant,
popular modern historian and philosopher

When asked what he felt the apex of history was:

“the three years that Jesus of Nazareth walked the earth.”

http://www.why-jesus.com/history.htm

On What Day Was Jesus Born?

While much of the world celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ on the 25th of December, can the actual day of Jesus’ birth be determined from scripture? This question will be explored in some detail, and will yield a result that is quite intriguing. The first passage we will consider begins with the father of John the Baptist, Zacharias:

Luke 1:5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.

Luke 1:8 And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his course, …

Luke 1:23 And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.
Luke 1:24 And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, …

The clue given to us here is that Zacharias was of the “course” of Abia.

The 24 Courses of the Temple Priesthood.

7. But David, being desirous of ordaining his son king of all the people, called together their rulers to Jerusalem, with the priests and the Levites; and having first numbered the Levites, he found them to be thirty-eight thousand, from thirty years old to fifty; out of which he appointed twenty-three thousand to take care of the building of the temple, and out of the same, six thousand to be judges of the people and scribes, four thousand for porters to the house of God, and as many for singers, to sing to the instruments which David had prepared, as we have said already. He divided them also into courses: and when he had separated the priests from them, he found of these priests twenty-four courses, sixteen of the house of Eleazar, and eight of that of Ithamar; and he ordained that one course should minister to God eight days, from sabbath to sabbath. And thus were the courses distributed by lot, in the presence of David, and Zadok and Abiathar the high priests, and of all the rulers; and that course which came up first was written down as the first, and accordingly the second, and so on to the twenty-fourth; and this partition hath remained to this day. — Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, Book 7, Chapter 14, Paragraph 7.

King David on God’s instructions (1 Chr 28:11-13) had divided the sons of Aaron into 24 groups (1 Chr 24:1-4), to setup a schedule by which the Temple of the Lord could be staffed with priests all year round in an orderly manner. After the 24 groups of priests were established, lots were drawn to determine the sequence in which each group would serve in the Temple. (1 Chr 24: 7-19). That sequence is as follows:

1 Chr 24:19 These were the orderings of them in their service to come into the house of the LORD, according to their manner, under Aaron their father, as the LORD God of Israel had commanded him.

Now each one of the 24 “courses” of priests would begin and end their service in the Temple on the Sabbath, a tour of duty being for one week (2 Chr 23:8, 1 Chr 9:25). On three occasions during the year, all the men of Israel were required to travel to Jerusalem for festivals of the Lord, so on those occasions all the priests would be needed in the Temple to accommodate the crowds. Those three festivals were Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, and Tabernacles (Deut 16:16).

The Yearly Cycle of Service in the Temple.

The Jewish calendar begins in the spring, during the month of Nisan, so the first “course” of priests, would be that of the family of Jehoiarib, who would serve for one week, Sabbath to Sabbath. The second week would then be the responsibility of the family of Jedaiah. The third week would be the feast of Unleavened Bread, and all priests would be present for service. Then the schedule would resume with the third course of priests, the family of Harim. By this plan, when the 24th course was completed, the general cycle of courses would repeat. This schedule would cover 51 weeks or 357 days, enough for the lunar Jewish calendar (about 354 days). So, in a period of a year, each group of priests would serve in the Temple twice on their scheduled course, in addition to the 3 major festivals, for a total of about five weeks of duty.

The Conception of John the Baptist.

Now back to Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist.

Luke 1:23 And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.
Luke 1:24 And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, …

Beginning with the first month, Nisan, in the spring (March-April), the schedule of the priest’s courses would result with Zacharias serving during the 10th week of the year. This is because he was a member of the course of Abia (Abijah), the 8th course, and both the Feast of Unleavened Bread (15-21 Nisan) and Pentecost (6 Sivan) would have occurred before his scheduled duty. This places Zacharias’ administration in the Temple as beginning on the second Sabbath of the third month, Sivan (May-June).

Having completed his Temple service on the third Sabbath of Sivan, Zacharias returned home and soon conceived his son John. So John the Baptist was probably conceived shortly after the third Sabbath of the month of Sivan.

The Conception of Jesus Christ.

Now the reason that the information about John is important, is because according to Luke, Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the sixth month of Elisabeth’s pregnancy:

Luke 1:24 And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying,
Luke 1:25 Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.
Luke 1:26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
Luke 1:27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.

Note that verse 26 above refers to the sixth month of Elisabeth’s pregnancy, not Elul, the sixth month of the Hebrew calendar, and this is made plain by the context of verse 24 and again in verse 36:

Luke 1:36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.

Mary stayed with Elizabeth for the last 3 months of her pregnancy, until the time that John was born.

Luke 1:56 And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house.
Luke 1:57 Now Elisabeth’s full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son.

Now working from the information about John’s conception late in the third month, Sivan, and advancing six months, we arrive late in the 9th month of Kislev (Nov-Dec) for the time frame for the conception of Jesus. It is notable here that the first day of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, is celebrated on the 25th day of Kislev, and Jesus is called the light of the world (John 8:12, 9:5, 12:46). This does not appear to be a mere coincidence. In the book of John, Hanukkah is called the feast of dedication (John 10:22). Hanukkah is an eight day festival of rejoicing, celebrating deliverance from enemies by the relighting of the menorah in the rededicated Temple, which according to the story, stayed lit miraculously for eight days on only one day’s supply of oil.

The Birth of John the Baptist.

Based on a conception shortly after the third Sabbath of the month of Sivan, projecting forward an average term of about 10 lunar months (40 weeks), we arrive in the month of Nisan. It would appear that John the Baptist may have been born in the middle of the month, which would coincide with Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. It is interesting to note, that even today, it is customary for the Jews to set out a special goblet of wine during the Passover Seder meal, in anticipation of the arrival of Elijah that week, which is based on the prophecy of Malachi:

Mal 4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:

Jesus identified John as the “Elijah” that the Jews had expected:

Mat 17:10 And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?
Mat 17:11 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.
Mat 17:12 But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them.
Mat 17:13 Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.

The angel that appeared to Zacharias in the temple also indicated that John would be the expected “Elias”:

Luke 1:17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

So then, the Feast of Unleavened Bread begins on the 15th day of the 1st month, Nisan, and this is a likely date for the birth of John the Baptist, the expected “Elijah”.

The Birth of Jesus Christ.

Since Jesus was conceived six months after John the Baptist, and we have established a likely date for John’s birth, we need only move six months farther down the Jewish calendar to arrive at a likely date for the birth of Jesus. From the 15th day of the 1st month, Nisan, we go to the 15th day of the 7th month, Tishri. And what do we find on that date? It is the festival of Tabernacles! The 15th day of Tishri begins the third and last festival of the year to which all the men of Israel were to gather in Jerusalem for Temple services. (Lev 23:34)

Immanuel.

Isa 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Immanuel means “God with us”. The Son of God had come to dwell with, or tabernacle on earth with His people.

John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

The Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot), occurs five days after the Day of Atonement, and is a festival of rejoicing and celebration of deliverance from slavery in Egypt (Leviticus 23:42-43).

Luke 2:7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
Luke 2:8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
Luke 2:9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
Luke 2:10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
Luke 2:11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

Why was there no room at the inn? Bethlehem is only about 5 miles from Jerusalem, and all the men of Israel had come to attend the festival of Tabernacles as required by the law of Moses. Every room for miles around Jerusalem would have been already taken by pilgrims, so all that Mary and Joseph could find for shelter was a stable. During Tabernacles, everyone was to live in temporary booths (Sukkot), as a memorial to Israel’s pilgrimage out of Egypt – Lev. 23:42-43. The birth of the Savior, in what amounted to a temporary dwelling rather than a house, signaled the coming deliverance of God’s people from slavery to sin, and their departing for the promised land, which is symbolized by Tabernacles.

Also of note is the fact that the Feast of Tabernacles is an eight day feast (Lev 23:36, 39). Why eight days? It may be because an infant was dedicated to God by performing circumcision on the eighth day after birth:

Luke 2:21 And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

So the infant Jesus would have been circumcised on the eighth and last day of the Feast of Tabernacles, a Sabbath day. The Jews today consider this a separate festival from Tabernacles, and they call it Shemini Atzeret.

Conclusion

So, if you have followed the above reasoning, based on the scriptural evidence, a case can apparently be made that Jesus Christ was born on the 15th day of the month of Tishri, on the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles, which corresponds to the September – October timeframe of our present calendar!

Tabernacles Future Fulfillment

It is also interesting to note that Tabernacles was a feast of ingathering of the Harvest (Exo 23:16 and 34:22). If Jesus’ first coming was indeed on 15 Tishri, the first day of Tabernacles, then it is quite reasonable to presume that the harvest of this earth, the ingathering of the second coming of Jesus Christ, will also occur on precisely the same date. The unknown factor would be the year that this would happen.

http://biblelight.net/sukkoth.htm

The true meaning of Christmas involves the reconciliation between God and His much loved, howbeit estranged children, of all those who would by faith in God’s covenant, receive forgiveness for their sins, through the sacrifice and propitious work of God’s only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, when He offered up His life and died in our place, as our Passover Lamb, as a covering for our sins.

No longer is there a need for us to sacrifice animals, as was required under the old covenant (which only provided a temporary covering and had to be repeated every year); but now after having had our sins laid on Him, we are now free to live for Him and also to serve Him forever… which is in fact the whole meaning of life… to serve and to worship God!

John 3

Born from Above

^1-2 There was a man of the Pharisee sect, Nicodemus, a prominent leader among the Jews. 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.”

³Jesus said, “You’re absolutely right. Take it from me: Unless a person is born from above, it’s not possible to see what I’m pointing to—to God’s kingdom.”

⁴“How can anyone,” said Nicodemus, “be born who has already been born and grown up? You can’t re-enter your mother’s womb and be born again. What are you saying with this ‘born-from-above’ talk?”

^5-6Jesus said, “You’re not listening. Let me say it again. Unless a person submits to this original creation—the ‘wind-hovering-over-the-water’ creation, the invisible moving the visible, a baptism into a new life—it’s not possible to enter God’s kingdom. When you look at a baby, it’s just that: a body you can look at and touch. But the person who takes shape within is formed by something you can’t see and touch—the Spirit—and becomes a living spirit.

^7-8“So don’t be so surprised when I tell you that you have to be ‘born from above’—out of this world, so to speak. You know well enough how the wind blows this way and that. You hear it rustling through the trees, but you have no idea where it comes from or where it’s headed next. That’s the way it is with everyone ‘born from above’ by the wind of God, the Spirit of God.”

⁹Nicodemus asked, “What do you mean by this? How does this happen?”

^10-12Jesus said, “You’re a respected teacher of Israel and you don’t know these basics? Listen carefully. I’m speaking sober truth to you. I speak only of what I know by experience; I give witness only to what I have seen with my own eyes. There is nothing secondhand here, no hearsay. Yet instead of facing the evidence and accepting it, you procrastinate with questions. If I tell you things that are plain as the hand before your face and you don’t believe me, what use is there in telling you of things you can’t see, the things of God?

^13-15“No one has ever gone up into the presence of God except the One who came down from that Presence, the Son of Man. In the same way that Moses lifted the serpent in the desert so people could have something to see and then believe, it is necessary for the Son of Man to be lifted up—and everyone who looks up to him, trusting and expectant, will gain a real life, eternal life.

^16-18“This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.

^19-21“This is the crisis we’re in: God-light streamed into the world, but men and women everywhere ran for the darkness. They went for the darkness because they were not really interested in pleasing God. Everyone who makes a practice of doing evil, addicted to denial and illusion, hates God-light and won’t come near it, fearing a painful exposure. But anyone working and living in truth and reality welcomes God-light so the work can be seen for the God-work it is.”

The Bible, God’s Love letter to you…

For more information click here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYIrhD-ZwCg

YOU ARE GOD’S TREASURE

by David Wilkerson | November 22, 2010

The Word says, “The adulteress will hunt for the precious life” (Proverbs 6:26) The adulteress spoken of in this verse is Satan. And he hunts down those who are precious to God.

The Bible gives us a vivid illustration of this in Numbers 13 and 14. Israel had sent twelve spies to search out the Promised Land. When the spies returned after forty days, ten of them planted three lies in the hearts of God’s people: (1) “There are too many people in the land; they’re too strong for us.” (2) “The cities are walled too high; the strongholds are impregnable.” And (3) “There are giants in the land, and we’re no match for them. We’re helpless! Finished!”

These lies took the heart right out of Israel. Scripture says the people endured a night of despair. “All the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night” (Numbers 14:1). More than 2 million people were weeping, wailing, moaning—focused completely on their weaknesses and inabilities. Their wails of unbelief bombarded heaven.

Beloved, the devil throws the same three lies at God’s people today. “Your trials are too numerous. Your temptations are too overwhelming. You are too weak to resist the power coming against you.”

The word that God spoke to Israel is for us today also: “Ye shall be a special treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine” (Exodus 19:5). “Thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God, and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar [precious, special] people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth” (Deuteronomy 14:2).

Joshua and Caleb had a revelation of their preciousness in God’s eyes. They knew Israel was special to the Lord. That was the key to their hopeful spirit. Joshua said, “If the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it to us” (Numbers 14:8). In other words, “Because he delights in us, the land is as good as ours already.”

This is the same revelation David had: “He brought me out and delivered me—because he delighted in me.” Likewise, every victorious Christian today has this same revelation of their loving heavenly Father. “We can’t fail! All our enemies are meat for us, because we’re precious to the Lord.”

http://www.worldchallenge.org/en/node/10687

Are you facing struggles in your life?

Read on…

Concentrate on this sentence:

“To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did”

When God takes something from your grasp, He’s not punishing you, but merely opening your hands to receive something better.

Concentrate on this sentence:

“The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you.” Something good will happen to you today, something that you have been waiting for.

Say this prayer:

God our Father, walk through my house and take away all my worries and illnesses and please watch over and heal my family – in Jesus name, Amen.

PASS IT ON

For those who have yet to accept Yeshua as Messiah, Lord, and Savior, and are looking for evidence that demands a verdict as to who he is, read on:

Fulfilled Prophecy as Evidence for the Bible’s Divine Origin

• 2,000 prophecies including some 300 prophecies and implications about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
  
• There are no prophetic failures.
  
• While there are both obvious and subtle prophecies, most are very detailed and specific.
  
• No other religion has specific, repeated, and unfailing fulfillment of predictions many years in advance of contingent events over which the predictor had no control.
  
• Studies of psychics show only around 8% of their predictions come true and virtually all of these can be attributed to chance and a general knowledge of circumstances.
  
• Mathematicians have calculated the odds of Jesus fulfilling only 8 of the Messianic prophecies as 1 out of 10¹⁷ (a 1 followed by 17 zeros). This is equivalent to covering the entire state of Texas with silver dollars 2 feet deep, marking one of them, mixing them all up and having a blind-folded person select the marked one at random the first time. For more on this, see What Are The Odds?
  
• Fulfilled prophecy is powerful evidence that the Bible is divine rather than human in origin.
  
• Objection: Jesus manipulated events to fulfill prophecy. Answer: (a) Many prophecies were out of his control (ancestry, place of birth, time of death). (b) His miracles confirmed Jesus to be the Messiah. (c) There is no evidence that Jesus was a deceiver. (d) In order to manipulate all the people (including his enemies) and even his disciples to make it appear that he was the Messiah, Jesus would have needed supernatural powers. If he had such powers, he must have been the Messiah he claimed to be.
  

Examples of Messianic Prophecies

• Manuscript Evidence
  
• Archaeological Evidence
  
• Prophetic Evidence
  
• Statistical Evidence
  
  • Introduction to Apologetics
    
  • Summary for Memorization
    

Do Not Worry

²⁵ “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on.

Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

²⁷ Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

²⁸ “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; ²⁹ and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

³⁰ Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

³¹ “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Cindy Trimm: The Properties of Thought: You Become What You Think

by Cindy Trimm

Oct 29, 2010

God speaks to you at the speed of thought. Thought moves at the speed of light. As quickly as light illuminates a room, a single thought can illuminate your life. You are always only one thought away from living the life of your dreams – one decision away from destiny.

James Allen wrote in his timeless classic, As A Man Thinketh, “All that a man achieves or fails to achieve is a direct result of his own thoughts.” Your life moves in the direction of your thoughts. Thoughts are the ever-present currents that move you either closer or further away from your best future.

Like a short-wave radio signal, your thoughts send messages out on a specific frequency and are transmitted back to you as an experience or occurrence in your life. Your thoughts create a magnetic field around you – attracting either positive or negative experiences. What you think has the power to literally transform your life.

Your life is what your thoughts make it. James Allen also observed that a person “will find that as he alters his thoughts toward things and other people, things and other people will alter towards him.” This is the basic premise of the Law of Attraction.

The Law of Attraction is based on the principle that we attract into our lives whatever we focus on as a result of the energy that is exchanged in the process. Because all matter – seen and unseen – is comprised of energy, the energy created by our unseen thoughts either attracts or repels the energy matter of what we ultimately see and experience as a result.

This phenomena is rooted in the findings of quantum physics – which found that nothing in the universe is static due to the fact that all matter is vibrating energy – raw energy that responds to the vibrations of our thoughts, so that consequently “what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen” (Hebrews 11:3 NLT). It is the essence of faith,”the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”(Hebrews 11:1 NKJV).

Everything you see began in the unseen realm. The first book of the Bible tells us that God spoke the earth into existence – “the worlds were framed by the word of God” (Hebrews 11:3). Yet before God’s word ever was, there were His thoughts. The source of all energy and all matter is the mind of God. The Creator – the Great Imaginarian – in whose image you were created.

Your thoughts are powerful. If you want to change your life, you must change your thoughts. If you want to unstick or unclutter your life, you must first unstick and unclutter your thoughts.

“What You Invest Mental Energy in is What You Tie Your Soul to, Both Positively and Negatively.”

How are unhealthy soul toxins and debilitating soul ties created in the first place? How can you end up cluttering your soul simply by the thoughts that you think? It is due to this exchange of energy that takes place when you give something your attention, entertain it in your mind, meditate upon it, and speak about it. What you invest mental energy in is what you tie your soul to, both positively and negatively.

As currents of electricity create electromagnetic fields connecting positive or negative charges, your thoughts create similar fields. Your positive thoughts attract positive attachments; your negative thoughts attract negative attachments. Whatever your soul can conceive, there is potential for attachment. As a mother will form attachments to the life conceived within her, so your soul forms attachments to whatever it conceives.

The seed of a thought, like the seed of a life, when planted will always result in an exchange of energy and therefore some kind of an attachment. Whether aborted or stillborn, an exchange of energy has taken place.

An exchange takes place through investments of time, energy, attention, and action in the form of thoughts, deeds, or words. Exchanges can be both intentional and unintentional. Sometimes we can be completely oblivious to what we’ve attached our souls – something may have taken hold in our mind because we inadvertently paid attention to it for too long. I believe this is why Isaiah stated, “(He) who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed, and shuts his eyes from seeing evil… will dwell on high” (Isaiah 33:15-16).

You have to be careful about what you pay attention to – what you spend time and energy thinking about and dwelling upon. Your life will move in the direction of what you contemplate. As it says in Proverbs, “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life” (Proverbs 4:23 NLT). What consumes your thoughts gives you a good indication of what ties your soul.

“Whatever You Harbor in the Innermost Corridors of Your Thought-Life Will, Sooner or Later, Reveal Itself in the Outer Arena of Your Life.”

Our thoughts, intentions, motivations, and aspirations – whether they be secretly pondered in the heart, openly declared as a desire, or formally written as goals – mold and shape our personal universe into something either grand and beautiful or base and hideous. Whatever you harbor in the innermost corridors of your thought-life will, sooner or later, reveal itself in the outer arena of your life. Whatever is hidden will eventually be brought to light. First Corinthians 4:5 ESV states that God “will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart.” Just as a seed is for a time hidden under ground, it will eventually break through the surface and it’s true essence will ultimately be revealed.

Everything you see in the natural began as a spiritual seed – a thought. The temporal realm has its roots in the spiritual. Grabbing a hold of this profound spiritual truth will enable you to make some critical connections that can transform your life. Once you understand that the spiritual realm is the “causal realm,” you will begin to grasp the massive power of your thoughts, ideas, words, and prayers – spiritual things that engineer, mold, and craft the current and future state of your temporal existence.

Proverbs tells us, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he,” (Proverbs 23:7 AMP). Your outer world is a direct result of your inner world. Every circumstance in life is a result of a choice – and every choice is the result of a thought. All those things that fill your mind hold the keys to your reality. Make it a habit to examine what your thoughts are chasing after.

We must learn to harness our thoughts if we are to effectively reign as kings and priests in this earth. We must understand who we were created to be as children of God and the authority we have in Christ. We have inherited the Kingdom and been given dominion over all our adversaries.

“The First Thing We Must Do in Taking Possession of God’s Promises is to Take Possession of Our Thoughts.”

We are told in Ephesians 6:12 that our fight is not with flesh and blood, but with powers and principalities – a fight that can’t be won with our hands, only with our minds. You must become as skilled in your thoughts as a swordsman is with his sword. Taking control of your thoughts will cause you to gain control over your life. That is what putting on the armor of God is all about. (See Ephesians 6:14-17.)

The first thing we must do in taking possession of God’s promises is to take possession of our thoughts. This might not appear to require a great deal of skill or effort, let alone training or practice, but there is only one thing harder to master than your thoughts and that is your tongue! (See James 3:8.)

Winning the battle in your thought-life requires meditating daily on the truths found in Scripture, studying diligently to show yourself approved, and becoming an earnest and life-long student of the art of spiritual warfare.

Throughout the New Testament we are told that our battles do not take place in the temporal realm but in the spiritual realm. We are told in nearly every epistle, “Fear not, only believe” (see Mark 5:36), “gird up the loins of your mind” (see 1 Peter 1:13), “renew your mind” (see Romans 12:2), and “put on the mind of Christ” (see 1 Corinthians 2:16). We are taught in Romans that to “set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace” (Romans 8:6 ESV).

“Every Battle is Won or Lost in the Arena of Your Mind. If You Do Not Take Control of Your Inner Thoughts You Will Become a Slave to the Outer Circumstances Created by the Tempest Raging in Your Mind.”

We are instructed to “take every thought captive to obey Christ” because”the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds… every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5 ESV).

Every battle is won or lost in the arena of your mind. If you do not take control of your inner thoughts you will become a slave to the outer circumstances created by the tempest raging in your mind. The divine spirit within you won’t be driving your life, the storms and changing weather of your thoughts will. You must command your thoughts as Jesus commanded the sea. (See Luke 8:24.)

Don’t Underestimate the Power of Your Thoughts

Whatever your predominant focus is, that is what you give permission to exist in your life. Jabez chose to focus on his future desires rather than his present circumstances. Many times people focus on the negative and they live in a cycle of negativity. You have to choose to focus on the positive. You have to train your mind to think on whatever is honest, virtuous, and praiseworthy. (See Philippians 4:8). Whatever is going wrong in your life is a result of your focus. If you don’t like it, change your focus.

In Genesis 13:14-18, God taught Abraham something about focus. He told him to look at the territory he was giving him, to walk the land in every direction, and visualize the expanse of his legacy. He took him to the seashore, had him run sand through his fingers, and said, “For every grain of sand, you will have a descendant.” What did God train him to do? He trained him to focus on bigger thoughts. He taught him how to visualize his destiny.

“The First Thing That You Need to Change is Your Thoughts About What God Wants for You. He Wants You to Live a Life of Abundance. It is His Desire to Give You Divine, Universal Secrets to Great Success and Prosperity.”

If you plan to change your future, do not focus on things or people or circumstances that are smaller than what you are truly desiring. Your focus will either feed your faith or confirm your fears. Learn to think like Abraham. Think intentionally, generationally, and even globally. You can never think too big for God!

You must also train your mind to think in the present – to think positively in the present tense (in grammatical terms that would be “the present perfect”) – see the thing that you want, the business you hope to accomplish, the person you plan to marry, and so on, as if you are already in possession of what you desire. Condition your mind to accept these thoughts and you will draw these opportunities and experiences to yourself.

Your success and prosperity hinge on what lies within your mind. The first thing that you need to change is your thoughts about what God wants for you. He wants you to live a life of abundance. It is His desire to give you divine, universal secrets to great success and prosperity. He holds the secret spiritual recipe for abundant living.

There are many people who may not be as spiritual as you are, but nevertheless they were able to tap into something great. Whether by accident or providence, they are living lives beyond their wildest dreams, and you can, too. You must say to yourself, until this one fact becomes your conviction, “God wants me to live in abundance!”

A world of possibilities is waiting to be released in your future. Jesus said inMark 9:23, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”

“Every Great Achievement Begins as a Thought in the Imagination of a Person. Every Thought is Birthed in the Spirit. Achievement, Therefore, is a Spiritual Process.”

In Genesis 11, the people thought to themselves that they could build a tower to Heaven, and because they saw this tower in their minds they were able to build it. God stopped them by causing confusion and making it impossible for them to communicate, because the tower became an idol to them. However, this story still tells of the power of our thoughts: “Nothing they have imagined they can do will be impossible for them” (Genesis 11:6 AMP).

Man begins with a concept in his mind, something he believes he is able to accomplish; he joins his will and intellect to his imagination, and then the power of expectation sees it through. Every great achievement begins as a thought in the imagination of a person. Every thought is birthed in the spirit. Achievement, therefore, is a spiritual process.

Based on your ability to harness your imagination, life’s opportunities either shrink or expand. Albert Einstein said, “I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.” Imagination drives the engine of innovation, discovery, problem-solving, and peace-making.

Whatever can be imagined already exists; it simply exists in another dimension – in another form or substance – and that is the source of all inspiration. God conceived and by His Spirit spoke into existence all that is. He brought what already was in the spiritual into the temporal by the power of His Word. He breathes that creative force – His very Spirit – into a human being at the moment a person receives that Word into their heart. It is His Spirit – the creative power of His Word – within an individual that gives inspiration and understanding of what already exists in the spiritual realm.”But it is the spirit in man, the breath of the Almighty, that makes him understand” (Job 32:8 ESV). That spirit in you has always existed – it is eternal – and it is the source of all revelation and inspiration.

“Inspirational Thoughts Can Be Thought of as God Finding Expression for His Will Through the Minds of Ordinary Men and Women.”

Our lives are built by a series of thoughts, much like bricks are used to build a house. The bricks are what bring it forth from a piece of paper and make it three dimensional. As a man thinks in his heart – in the present active continuum – as he continues to think – he builds his life one brick at a time.

Your every present thought is a significant building block in determining the quality of your future. Many of us build lives like shanties while others build mansions. If your thoughts are inferior your life will be inferior, but if your thoughts are lofty and honorable you are laying the foundation to live accordingly.

Purpose to think inspired thoughts. Inspiration is a God-thing. Inspiration is God Himself speaking into the heart of a human being. Inspirational thoughts can be thought of as God finding expression for His will through the minds of ordinary men and women. According to Jeremiah 29:11, God’s thoughts are always good and not evil. I want to remind you that God is up to something good, and He has you in mind.

Enlarge Your Territory

There is a direct correlation between the quality of your thoughts and the quality of your life. What you think determines who you are, it determines what you are, where you go, what you acquire, where you live, who you love, where you work, what you accomplish, what you read, and so on.

You will never have more, or go further, or accomplish greater things than your thoughts will allow you. Therefore, you must create an opulent thinking environment in order to create an opulent life. When you alter your thoughts, you alter your life. Your life is a reflection of your most dominant thoughts and meditations. When you meditate on success, you live a successful life.

“Become the Architect of Your Future. Use Your Thoughts Like an Architect Uses a Blueprint. Think About Every Detail.”

The trouble for most people is that they don’t know exactly what success would look like for them as individuals, or more importantly, what it would feel like personally. It is not enough to just meditate on success generally, you need to be specific. Become the architect of your future. Use your thoughts like an architect uses a blueprint. Think about every detail. An architect not only thinks about the rooms in a house, but the types of windows, the size of closets, the location of outlets, and so on. Nothing is too insignificant. Think big! Think detailed!

If you want to progress in life, you’ve got to think progressive thoughts. To do so, something new must replace the old. You’ve got to think beyond where you are. Alexander Graham Bell thought beyond the limitation of the dots and dashes of the Morse code, and went on to replace the telegraph when he invented the telephone. Become a visionary – be creative. Take the limits off your mind!

This is the challenge of creative thinking – you’ve got to open the spiritual channels of your mind so that God can download divine creative thoughts into your brain. When other people were unable to see what was going on in Heaven, Jesus could. Spend some quality time with God and ask him to enlarge your capacity for thinking and imagining – ask Him to help you take the limits off. That’s what Jabez did.

In 1 Chronicles 4:10 NIV, Jabez prayed, “Oh, that You would bless me and enlarge my territory!” Not only did Jabez ask God to expand the capacity of his mind, but he asked God to protect it as well. He asked of the Lord that”Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain.” Jabez knew that every evil thought he conceived would ultimately bring forth pain.

Do yourself – and the world – a tremendous favor by getting the toxins out of your soul.

Dr. Cindy Trimm
Cindy Trimm International
Email: info@cindytrimm.com

http://www.elijahlist.com/words/display_word_pf.html?ID=9273

God’s will for us

“Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.

“And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints….”  Ephesians 6:10-18

What is the Armor of God?

God’s armor brings victory because it is far more than a protective covering. It is the very life of Jesus Christ Himself.

“Put on the armor,” wrote Paul in his letter to the Romans, “…clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 13:12-14)

When you do, He becomes your hiding place and your shelter in the storm — just as He was to David. Hidden in Him, you can count on His victory, for He not only covers you as a shield, He also fills you with His life.

“I am the vine; you are the branches,” said Jesus. “If a man abides in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)

Since living in the safety of the armor means oneness with Jesus, we can expect to share His struggles as well as His peace. Remember, God offers us His victory in the midst of trouble — not the absence pain.

So “do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you, but rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ…” (1 Peter 4:12-13)

Committed Christians who face torture for their faith continue to testify to the supernatural strength–even joy–that enables them to endure unthinkable pain. They affirm with Paul–

“that in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us…. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers…. will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:37-39)

This wonderful truth has become reality to all who believe and follow Jesus. When you put on His armor, His life surrounds you and keeps you safe in Him. He is your precious friend, and you are His! So “put on Christ.” (Galatians 3:27) He is your victory!

How do I “put on” God’s Armor?

This life in Christ begins with knowing and trusting each part of the armor. The first part is TRUTH — God’s revelation of all that He is to us, all that He has done for us, and all that He promises to do for us in the days ahead. This wonderful, everlasting TRUTH is written in the Bible, revealed by the Holy Spirit, and realized through Jesus Christ.

It cuts through all the world’s distortions, deceptions, and compromises. When you study, memorize, live, and follow TRUTH, He enables you to
see the world from God’s high vantage point. For He is the Truth! Putting on the first piece of the armor means feeding on truth through daily Bible reading and making it part of yourself.

http://www.crossroad.to/Victory/Armor.htm

God’s Armor

Know the Truth about…

Affirm key Scriptures

Belt of TRUTH

God: the Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit

“I am the
Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)
Deut. 4:39; Psalm 23:1; 18:1-3

Breastplate of RIGHTEOUSNESS

The holy and perfect righteousness of Jesus in those who are “born again” and filled with His Spirit

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” (Matt. 5:6) Psalm 100:3; Rom. 3:23-24, 6:23; Gal. 2:20-21; Phil. 3:8-10.

Sandals of PEACE

Inner peace and readiness

“For He Himself is our peace…” (Eph. 2:14-15)

Rom. 5:1; Eph. 2:14; John 14:27, 16:33, 20:21.

Shield of FAITH

Living by faith

Helmet of SALVATION

Salvation through Christ today and forever

“Nor is there salvation in any other…”(Acts 4:12)
Each day: Ps. 16, 23; Heb. 1:3-6

For eternity: 2 Cor. 4:16-18; 1 Thess. 4:17; 1 John 3:1-3

The victorious Sword of the spirit: GOD’S WORD

God’s Word countering spiritual deception and accusations

“…the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory….” (John 1:14) Heb. 4:12; Matt. 4:2-11; 1 Pet. 3:15; Ps. 119:110-112

• The belt of truth:
  Thank you, my Lord, for showing me the TRUTH about Yourself, Your plans and Your ways. Thank You for reminding me that You are the only God, the Creator of heaven and earth, the King of the universe, my Father who loves me, and my Shepherd who leads me. You are my wisdom, my counselor, my hope, and my strength. You are everything I need each day!
  
• The breastplate of righteousness:
  Thank You for showing me the truth about myself — that on my own I could never be good enough to live in your presence. Thank you for taking my sins to the cross and offering me your perfect, RIGHTEOUS life.  Lord, show me any sin that I need to confess right now, so that nothing will hinder me from being filled to overflowing with your Spirit. [Take time for confession] Thank you for forgiving me and for filling me with your RIGHTEOUS life.
  
• The sandals of peace:
  Thank you for the peace you give me when I trust and follow you. Show me how to help others find that PEACE.
  
• The shield of faith: Thank you for helping me have FAITH in you. I choose to count on everything you have shown me about yourself — and everything you have promised me in your Word.
  
• The helmet of salvation: Thank you for promising me SALVATION both for today’s battles and for all eternity.
  
• The sword of the spirit, the Word of God:
  Thank you for the scriptures you have given me to memorize. Please show me which  you want me to use to cut through deceptions and gain your victory in any battle I may face today.
  

EACH PIECE

CHRISTIAN PARADIGM

GLOBAL PARADIGM

Put on:

Know and affirm:

Recognize and resist: