“Is the God of the Bible a Genocidal Maniac?”

Welcome to the fourth installment of misconceptions clarified where this week’s topic will focus on the genocide of the ancient Canaanites and the Amalekites in the Old Testament to see if God is guilty of committing genocide. Now, if the revealed God in the Bible is an all-loving benevolent God, why did He order the extermination of a whole nation of people? This can be a very troublesome proposition for those who are not of the Judeo-Christian faith, and especially for those who are highly critical of the Bible itself. Unfortunately, there are many people who are quick to reference the genocide in the Bible, and according to The God Delusion, Richard Dawkins says, "The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully."

Let’s see if there is any truth to this claim…

First, in Deuteronomy 20:17 God commands the Israelites to completely destroy the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. At first glance, this particular passage appears to be a cruel order from an all-loving God. But, before we convict God of genocide off of one single passage, why would God command not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, but six groups of people to be completely destroyed? Let’s dig a little deeper to see what these ancient people are all about, in particular the Canaanites.

According to Genesis 9:18, Noah’s son Ham was the father of Canaan, and when Ham saw his father naked and drunk, instead of covering his father up and remaining silent, he leaves his father naked and tells his brothers. When Noah finds out what Ham did, he said in Genesis 9:24, “Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers.” Then in Genesis 10:16-18, the passage says that the Amorites, the Jebusites, and the Hivites are the descendants of the Canaanites. The scripture also says in Genesis 15:13-21 that the Canaanites and their descendants would occupy the promise land in a dream given to Abram. Then in Deuteronomy 7:1-5, God tells the Israelites that when they enter the promise land possessed by the Canaanites and their descendants that not only are they to completely destroy them, but they are not to intermarry with them, they are not to give their daughters to their sons, and they are not to take their daughters for their sons. Why? Because in verse 4 it says, “for they will turn your sons away from following me to serve other gods.”

But, it gets much deeper than this! So far, according to the scriptures the Canaanites and their descendants were cursed, were the lowest of slaves, possessed the promised land, and committed idolatry; a violation by the way of the very first two commandments given to Moses on Mount Sinai; to not have any other gods before the Lord and to not make for yourself an idol because God is a jealous God. Now, notice in Deuteronomy 7:5, God commands the Israelites when they enter the promise land to break down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their Asherah poles, and burn their idols in the fire. Moreover, Molech was one of the gods the Canaanites used to sacrifice their children to as a form of worship according to Leviticus 18:21, along with several other practices such as homosexuality, bestiality, incest, and pederasty. To put this into greater perspective, imagine in the 21st century people killing their kids, having sex with little boys, and having sex with animals in the name of some god… Not only would these hideous acts be broadcast all over the media, but the death penalty would be sought in many cases for anyone who would kill their own children. Hence, this begs the question, was God’s charge to exterminate the Canaanites and their descendants just, or was God unjust in his actions? Notice also what the Lord tells the prophet Ezekiel in 18:25... “Yet you (the people who accuse God of his unjust ways) say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear, O house of Israel (and everybody else): Is my way unjust? Is it not your ways that are unjust?"

It gets even better than this! While many are quick to point to God’s wrath, many fail to realize how patient God is with his people. In Genesis 15:16, God exercised extreme patience with the Canaanites and their descendants by subjecting his own chosen people the Israelites to Egyptian bondage four hundred years until the sin of the Amorites (a descendant of the Canaanites) reached its full measure. Which means that the Canaanites and their descendants had at least four generations to repent from their sins, and guess what..? They continued sacrificing their kids and committing such hideous crimes for four hundred years. Again, “Is God a genocidal maniac,” or "Is God just in his actions?" Does anybody see how God was willing to be patient and subject His own chosen people in order to bring the wicked to repentance, and after waiting four hundred years, God finally said enough is enough! Is it not the ways of the people that are unjust???

But, what about the Amalekites? God told King Saul in 1 Samuel 15:1-3, “go attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men, women, children, infants, cattle, sheep, camels, and donkeys.” Now, how could an all-loving God order the extermination of poor little innocent infants and children??? Woe! This can’t be an all-loving God, right? Well, at first glance, this may appear to be really cruel to kill harmless infants and children. However, depending on your presuppositions or depending on your agenda will determine how you look at the situation. For many, the sole objective is to disprove God’s existence, or to prove that the God in the Bible is some kind of “genocidal maniac”  and thus God can't be all-loving. On the other hand, a person can look at this from a different perspective and ask, “what did the Amalekites do to make God order Saul to totally destroy everything to include infants and children?” You see, if people ask the right questions, and examine everything the Amalekites did throughout the Bible, the answer to why God commanded such an order would make perfect sense.

What’s the evidence…? In Exodus 17, when the Israelites were in the wilderness and vulnerable from thirst, the Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. In Deuteronomy 25:17, Moses reminds the Israelites of how the Amalekites came and attacked them when they were weary and worn. In Numbers 14:45, the Amalekites joined the Canaanites to attack the Israelites. In Judges 3:13, the Amalekites joined the Moabites to attack the Israelites. In Judges 6:3, the Amalekites again joined the Midianites to attack the Israelites. Furthermore, because Saul failed to completely destroy the Amalekites, they would continue to be a thorn in Israel’s side when Hammon the Agagite tried to destroy the Jews during the reign of Esther approximately five hundred year later. Unfortunately, according to the scriptures the Amalekites were a very wicked people who were on a mission to exterminate the Israelites, and it wasn’t until the reign of Saul almost five hundred years later after their first encounter with the Amalekites that God said enough is enough!

Again, instead of asking the question, “Is God a genocidal maniac,” the question should be, "How patient is God's judgement for the people who were trying to completely destroy his chosen nation?" How patient has God been with you in your sin??? In all reality, God exercised a patience unimaginable in this day and age. Just imagine another country steadily trying to destroy America, and America does nothing for five hundred years… Or, just imagine if God was to allow such wicked acts by the Canaanites and the Amalekites to continue on throughout the generations to the extent that maybe today’s society would still be sacrificing their kids as a normal part of everyday life. God’s people should be thankful that he intervened and discontinued such a wicked act instead of falsely accusing God of genocide. The evidence from the scriptures points to the guilt, points to the sin, and points to the wickedness of the ancient Canaanites and the Amalekites, not God in his final act of judgement against them.

Finally, the main reason why many people get confused about these specific passages that call for the extermination of certain people in the Bible is because of a poor interpretation of the scriptures. When it comes to interpreting ancient scripture, a person has to always take into consideration the ancient languages, the author’s intent, the scriptural and historical context (which in this case the context of the whole Bible is necessary to really understand who the Canaanites and the Amalekites are), and to allow scripture to interpret scripture. You see, the problem many people have is that they isolate certain passages and base their conclusions from those isolated passages, which is poor hermeneutics. In order to gain a sound interpretation of a particular passage in the Bible, a person must consider the context i.e. scriptural, historical, and sometimes the whole Bible to gain the best interpretation. Therefore, to answer the question above, “Is the God of the Bible a Genocidal Maniac,” the answer according to the scriptures is ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! God was completely just in his actions, even against infants and children who would have followed in the same generational footsteps of their wicked ancestors. Fortunately, for all the children who did die before they reached the age of accountability, death was a better solution than to live a life full of wickedness and reap eternal damnation. Either way, God was loving, God was patient, God was just, and God even saved some of the children from reaping eternal separation from God; thus clarifying the misconception!

#Time4Truth #Misconceptions #Clarified #GodisJust #GodisPatient

2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."

Please click on the links below for more information or check out the video by Sam Shamoun explaining the so-called genocide in the Bible: http://www.gotquestions.org/Canaanites-extermination.html; https://bible.org/article/canaanites-genocide-or-judgment 
 

Is the Doctrine of the "Trinity" Unbiblical???

When it comes to the doctrine of Christianity, the Trinity is one of the most controversial aspects of the Christian faith.  For many, the three-in-one concept of God is difficult by itself to comprehend. For others, the three-in-one concept denotes polytheism (belief in more than one God) instead of monotheism (belief in only one God). And for some, the challenge is in the actual term, "Trinity" which is not found in one single instance in the Bible, and therefore, it cannot be biblical, right? But, how many people know that just because a certain word is not found in the Bible does not mean that it is unbiblical? The term "Trinity" was created to describe who God is since obviously there was no such term that defined God's three-dimensional being. Whatever the case may be, let's examine what the Bible really has to say in regards to God having more than one person to himself.

Before this article gets into the biblical evidence, it's important to note that many anti-Trinitarians reference Deuteronomy 6:4 to defend their position which says, "Hear O Israel, the Lord your God is one." However, what exactly does the author Moses intend to mean when he says "The Lord your God is one"? Does Moses mean that God is one in dimension, or one in quantity? Well, according to the Hebrew transliteration "echad" the word "one" not only means one in quantity, but it also means “united” as one or “altogether” as one. Meaning, God's multiple dimensions of himself i.e. Father, Son, Holy Spirit are altogether united as "One God." 

The problem many people have when it comes to the hermeneutics (the interpretation) of the Bible is that they use a 21st century perspective to interpret the ancient scriptures. For example, the definition for the term "one" in the English language means literally one in quantity. However, in the ancient Hebrew language a word could have more than one meaning i.e. literal, numerical, and, or figurative. Additionally, in the Hebrew language each character also represented numerical value. Therefore, when it comes to the interpretation of the ancient Hebrew language into a modern language like English, there are a few variables to keep in mind in order to gain a sound interpretation, which are the ancient languages itself, the historical and scriptural context, the author's intent, and scripture interpreting scripture. 

And speaking of scripture, is there any evidence for the doctrine of the Trinity (not the term itself) found in the Bible? Well, see the evidence for yourself! 

In Genesis 1:1-2 it says, "In the beginning God (Elohim) created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters." Now, there are a couple of challenges anti-Trinitarians face with this particular passage. First, why did the author Moses use a plural term for God "Elohim" instead of the singular term "El" if God was singular in dimension? Second, why would the author Moses again identify "The Spirit of God" separately in this passage if there is only "one" person to God's being? 

Here's the answer: Because Moses knew that there was more than one person at work. Because Moses knew that there was more than one aspect to God's being. Because Moses knew that there was more than one dimension of God operating altogether as One God. And because Moses knew that God was plural in being, but only One Triune God. 

Let's briefly examine the two other persons of God's being according to the scriptures. First, "The Angel of the Lord" is mentioned in a multitude of occasions in the Old Testament to include Genesis 16:7-14, Genesis 31:10-13, Genesis 48:15-16, Exodus 23:20-23, Judges 2:1-5, Zechariah 3, and Psalm 34:6-7. This Angel of the Lord is identified separately from God himself, who possesses attributes only God can possess such as forgiving sins, giving life, judging the earth, and knowing all things just to name a few. Please read these passages to see for yourself the Angel of the Lord at work functioning in the role as God. For more information on the Angel of the Lord, please visit this website: https://www.blueletterbible.org/faq/don_stewart/don_stewart_26.cfm

The other person of God at work who possesses attributes that only God himself can possess is the "Spirit of the Lord" mentioned in Psalm 104:30, Psalm 139:7-12, Ezekiel 36:26-27, Ezekiel 37:12-14, Job 33:4, 2 Samuel 23:2, Isaiah 63:10, 11, 14, Genesis 1:2, and Exodus 33:14. This is absolutely amazing because the Angel of the Lord and the Spirit of the Lord are identified separately from God himself, but working as God themselves! Which is exactly what Moses intends to mean in Deuteronomy 6:4; that God has three dimensions to himself united together as "One." And believe it or not, this is just scratching the surface on the abundance of scriptural references pertaining to the doctrine of the Trinity in which anti-Trinitarians would have to contend with. 

Lastly, notice also that all of the above references are found in just the Old Testament. The New Testament references for the doctrine of the Trinity include Mark 1:10-11, Matthew 3:17, Luke 3:22, John 10:30, John 16:13-15, 1 Corinthians 12:4-6, Ephesians 4:4-6, 2 Corinthians 13:14, and the clearest reference comes from Matthew 28:19 where Jesus commands his disciples, “to go and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” The scriptural evidence for the doctrine of the Trinity is inarguable, and the challenge for anti-Trinitarians in this particular passage is this: if Jesus is not God himself and if the Holy Spirit is not God himself, why didn't Jesus just command his disciples to baptize his people in the name of the Father only? Furthermore, if Jesus really wasn't God himself, why would Jesus command his disciples to baptize his people in the name of "created" beings like you and I? It doesn't make sense or add up that Jesus would make such a command if He truly wasn't God in the flesh. 

Hence, here's the truth: The Father is God, The Son (Jesus) is God, and The Holy Spirit is God united all-together as "One" Triune God according to the scriptures; which is exactly what Moses meant in Deuteronomy 6:4 that the Lord your God is united as "One." Additionally, notice what Jesus said in John 5:46, "If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me." Which means that Jesus is the only person who can stand in the place of "The Angel of The Lord" in the Old Testament. 

So, the final answer is, "NO" the doctrine of the Trinity is not unbiblical, but very biblical. Why? Because even though the term "Trinity" does not appear in the Bible, that does not mean the doctrine itself is unbiblical. Additionally, even though the Bible doesn't quote God specifically as saying, "I Am the three-in-one God" doesn't mean God is not Triune. And even though the name "Jesus" is not mentioned specifically in the Old Testament does not mean Jesus was not present or at work. We have to always remember that the authors of the Bible were not concerned about appeasing the literary criticisms of the 21st century! 2 Peter 1:21 says, "For prophecy never had it origins in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit."

#Time4Truth #Trinity #Misconceptions #Clarified

Please click on the YouTube Video below by Sam Shamoun, a faithful servant of the Lord Jesus Christ who explains the doctrine of the Trinity from an Old Testament perspective.

Is "Sunday" Christian Worship rooted in Paganism?

Welcome to the second episode of Misconceptions Clarified where this article will be answering the question on whether or not worshipping Jesus Christ, the God of all creation on Sunday was affiliated or influenced by Roman Mythology. Unfortunately, many critics of the Christian faith will go to the extreme by taking any single aspect of Christianity that may appear similar to another tradition and accuse the whole of Christianity as pagan, unauthentic, or plagiarized.

According to Arthur Weigall and others, the early Christian Church was influenced by Roman Mithraism; a tradition that revered the sun and considered Sunday a sacred day for Mithra. However, just because there is a similarity in one tradition to another does not mean it is a borrowed tradition. The worship of the "sun" and the worship of the "Son" of the Living God on Sunday are totally two different and separate traditions. That's like saying that the name "David" and the name "Davis" are the same name and the same person because of the similarity between the two names. NONSENSE! Just because there's a similarity, just because it sounds almost the same, and just because it appears at face value the same, does not mean it is the same. Just because the Babylonians worshipped the moon on Saturday does not mean that the Jews plagiarized this tradition and called it the Sabbath. Just because the months in the Hebrew calendar have Babylonian origins does not mean the Hebrew faith was borrowed from the Babylonians. And Just because the Emperor Constantine instituted Sunday as a day of rest, does not mean Christianity is rooted in Roman Paganism. Obviously, the mythological Roman god of Mithra who was born out of a rock is not the same as the historical Jesus of Nazareth who Christians worship. How these two are even compared side by side just shows the desperate attempts by opponents to discredit Christianity. But, how many people really know that there are a multitude of pagan traditions that uphold at least one day out of the week as sacred... In reality, there are only seven days in one week and over six thousand worldviews that are indirectly competing for one of those days. Nevertheless, just because one tradition worships on a day another tradition worships, does not mean any plagiarism has occurred.

In fact, a deeper investigation into the origins of Christian worship on Sunday reveals that the Lord's Day was instituted by the Lord Jesus himself, which can be proven by scripture and proven by the early history of the church. For instance, The Teaching of the Apostles also known as the Didache says in 14:1, "And on the Lord's own day gather yourselves together and break bread and give thanks, first confessing your transgressions, that your sacrifice may be pure." In Justin Martyr's Second Apology he says, "The weekly worship of the Christians, on the day called Sunday all who live in the country gather together to one place." And in Pliny the Younger's Epistle 10:96 to Emperor Trajan he says, "they were accustomed to meet on a fixed day before dawn and sing responsively a hymn to Christ as to a god." (*On a side note, these three sources mentioned above are very early sources dated in the first and the second century.)

Let's examine what the scripture says... In the Gospel of Matthew 5:17 Jesus said in his Sermon on the Mount (the best sermon of all-time) that he did not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets, but to fulfill them. Now, before the incarnation of Jesus (God in the flesh) the Israelites were operating under the Old Covenant given to Moses at Mount Sinai in Exodus 19, Exodus 24, and inscribed on the new tablets in Exodus 34. Unfortunately, the Israelites were rebellious over and over again, and they violated the covenant of God to the extent that the Old Testament prophets began to speak of a "New" and "Everlasting Covenant" in Jeremiah 31:31-34, Jeremiah 32:40, Ezekiel 37:26, Isaiah 55:3, and Isaiah 61:8. Then during the Last Supper in Luke 22:20, Jesus quotes Moses in Exodus 24:8 and adds a new variation to Moses by saying, "this cup is the 'new' covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you." Meaning, when Moses sprinkled the blood of the bull on the people and said, "this is the blood of the covenant" Jesus fulfilled that Old Covenant with his own blood and established the "New and Everlasting Covenant" with his resurrection. 

In addition, when Jesus gave up his spirit in John 19:30, he said, "it is finished." Meaning, the Old Covenant in which the High Priest had to make atonement for the sin of the people over and over again was "paid in full" by the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. So, when Jesus finished/fulfilled the shadow of the Old Covenant, Jesus thus establishes his "New and Everlasting Covenant" with his resurrection from the dead on Sunday, which would be considered the Lord's Day according to Revelation 1:10. The primary reason why Christians worship the Son of the Living God (not the sun in the sky) on Sunday has nothing to do with Roman Mithraism, but it has everything to do with the resurrection of Jesus Christ early on Sunday morning according to Matthew 28:1, Mark 16:2, Mark 16:9, Luke 24:1, and John 20:1. 

Furthermore, there are two instances recorded in the Gospel of John 20:19 & verse 26 on the "first day of the week" where Jesus appeared to his disciples in his post-resurrected body. Another major factor for Christian worship on Sunday occurs at Pentecost, a fulfillment of the Feast of Weeks in Leviticus 23 that was celebrated fifty days after the Passover on a Sunday in which the disciples gathered in the upper room and received the gift of the Holy Spirit. In Acts 20:7, on the "first day of the week" they gathered together to break bread, and in 1 Corinthians 16:2 on the "first day of the week" they gathered to set aside a sum of money. So, there is plenty of scriptural evidence that supports the early church gathering together on the first day of the week to commemorate the most revolutionary event in all of human history, which occurred on Sunday the first day of the week; the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Lastly, back to the fulfillment of the Old Covenant/Old Testament by Jesus Christ, the book of Hebrews is where it gets real interesting regarding the "New Covenant." Just see for yourself the multitude of passages that refer to the "New Covenant." In Hebrews 7:18 it says, "The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless, and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God." In Hebrews 7:22 it says, "Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant." In Hebrews 8:6 it says, "But the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better promises." In Hebrews 8:13 it says, "By calling this covenant new, he has made the first one obsolete (fulfilled); and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear," which included the old temple tradition. In Hebrews 9:1-10 it talks about the earthly tabernacle (the temple) and how it was in place only "applying until the time of the new order." In Hebrews 9:15 it says, "For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant." In Hebrews 10:1 it says that "the law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming, not the realities themselves." And finally in Hebrews 10:9 it says "He (Jesus) sets aside the first to establish the second."

So, whoever accuses Christianity of pagan plagiarism lacks a serious knowledge of early church history and the scriptures. And whoever accuses Christianity for worshipping God on Sunday instead of the Sabbath also fails to realize that Jesus Christ fulfilled the old order of things and established the new order of his New Covenant, in which anyone who accepts Jesus as their Lord and Savior by faith are not bound by the Law of Moses, a law that was unable to make anything perfect. The same instance can be found in the Council of Jerusalem in Acts chapter 15 that ultimately decided Gentile converts were not bound by the Law of Moses in regards to circumcision and dietary laws to become followers of Christ by faith. Christians across the spectrum are not bound by the old way of things, but only the new order of things established by the Lord Jesus himself through faith. How Christians commemorate the resurrection of Jesus on Sunday has nothing to do with Roman mythology and does not violate any Sabbath law.

The new order of things established by Jesus himself included the church, the Lord's day on Sunday the first day of the week (Revelation 1:10), the fulfillment of the temple where the Holy Spirit resides in those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:11), the fulfillment of the sacrificial system (Hebrews 10:11-12), the fulfillment of the Law of Moses (Matthew 5:17), the fulfillment of the festival of First Fruits which occurred the day after the Sabbath (1 Corinthians 15:20&23; Leviticus 23:9-14), and a fulfillment of the Old Covenant all together (Hebrews 7:18). The difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament is that the Old Testament was a temporary covenant established by God through Moses on Mount Sinai and the New Testament is a "New and Everlasting Covenant" established by God himself in the flesh through his Son Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 3:14 says, "We are not like Moses who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away. But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away." And it is our prayer that people will truly come to the saving knowledge of the "New Covenant" established by our Lord and savior Jesus Christ and stop grasping for straws in their desperate attempts to criticize every single angle of the Christian faith.

If you want more information on this particular topic, please visit the links below:

http://www.bible.ca/7-Mithraism.htm, https://www.blueletterbible.org/faq/sabbath.cfm, http://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/the-lords-day/, http://www.cgg.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Library.sr/CT/BQA/k/168/What-is-Lords-Day-Revelation-110.htm

#Time4Truth #MisconceptionsClarified #ChristianityIsAuthentic #SundayWorship

When it comes to the God in the Bible, to Jesus Christ, and to the Bible itself, anyone can find a multitude of misconceptions about Christianity in general on the Internet, on YouTube, on the bookshelf, and on the television. All you have to do is Google, “is Christianity a myth” and it will populate over two million results. It is quite amazing though to read the extent some of these critics will go just to discredit Christianity.

For instance, one misconception that many people are familiar with pertains to the Bible's human composition, and since the Bible was authored by human beings, it cannot be trusted as inspired revelation by God because it was written by human hands. Yet, the crazy thing about this misconception is that when someone criticizes the Bible, people are quick to believe them even though their work was humanly composed. What a logical paradox, right? If this is the case, then how can anybody believe in anything ever written by human hands? Especially, over the Bible that claims not once, not twice, not three times, but thousands of times its divine inspiration, and solidified with divine miracles. It is one thing to say or to write that something is inspired by God, and a completely different thing when that inspired saying or that inspired writing is confirmed by divine miracles. Jesus says in John 14:11, "to at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves." Meaning that the bible is not just a bunch of written words written by a bunch of human authors in vain. But, the Bible is a divine written compilation composed by several human authors that was confirmed by the many miracles performed by God himself, which separates the Bible from any other book in the whole world. The Bible says in 2 Peter 1:21, "For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit."

Furthermore, this misconception that the Bible cannot be trusted because of its human composition should be a standard applied across the spectrum. If one standard is to be applied, shouldn't it be applied universally? If the Bible cannot be trusted because of its human composition, shouldn't that same standard be applied universally?

Intriguingly, the misconceptions, the criticisms, and the lies that are being spread in the twenty-first century about Christianity is really nothing new believe it or not. The picking and choosing what to believe and what not to believe despite the evidence is in fact very common. It is documented in the Gospel of John 5:43-44 of Jesus' confrontation with the Jewish leaders that many will believe other human beings over the God who manifested himself in the flesh; who by the way performed many miracles beyond any other human being in all of human history combined to include the resurrection from the worst type of capital punishment in the crucifixion. And, even though the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is historically documented by very early Christian and Non-Christian sources, even though the science of archaeology has proven the Bible correct on a multitude of occasions, and even though the fulfillment of prophecies contained in the Bible is unlike any other book in the whole world, these sources cannot be trusted because of its human origins… NONSENSE!! If this is the case, then nothing ever written can be trusted, which ultimately eliminates any argument against Christianity because of their human composition. So, whoever advocates this position against the Bible immediately loses credibility for their own argument, and therefore, the misconception is cleared! If the Bible cannot be trusted because of its human composition, then nothing ever written can be trusted (which we know not to be true) to include the works of those who use this kind of argument.

So, if anyone wants to search for the truth “objectively” minus any biases or any anti-Christian agendas by utilizing "credible" academic sources (not a YouTube video or a Facebook post), a person can and will surely find the real truth. You just have to research what you research! Double check the references, double check the information, and double check when the source was written. The problem many people have when it comes to research is that people tend to believe non-witness testimony over eyewitness testimony. People tend to believe the first thing they see or read instead of digging deeper into their research. However, little do some know that the twenty-seven books found in the New Testament are all eyewitness historical testimonies written no later than the first century, yet people want to believe what other people are saying two thousand years after the life of Christ, which is NONSENSE again. If you want to know the truth, you have to examine the sources closest to the situation, not farthest from the situation!  

Lastly, Jesus makes this very exclusive claim in John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life,” and if you examine the life of Jesus individually against any other human being to ever live on this planet earth, you will come to the conclusion that He was indeed the “unique” Son of the Living God; the Word that became flesh and dwelt among men, and the "only way" to the Father in heaven. Unfortunately, there are many people who will just not believe even though the evidence speaks for itself. God could have inscribed the Bible with his own finger like He did with the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai and yet, people will still find ways to discredit God, discredit his son Jesus Christ, and discredit the written revelation of God in the Bible.

Jesus said it best in Luke 16:31, "If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead."

#Time4Truth #Misconceptions #Clarified

In a world where science and the advancements of technology dominate the 21st century American context, the idea of "having faith" almost appears to be going out of style like the radio cassette tape or like a pair of bell-bottoms in a 70's club. Unfortunately, there is this major misconception regarding the definition of what faith really means. For some, faith is believing in something that's unknown, unseen, or uncertain. For others, faith is living life with blindfolds on, and for those who are really heavy into science, faith is an abstract idea that cannot be investigated under a telescope, or provide the necessary evidence for God's existence. The notion of "having faith" just doesn't cut it for many anymore. 

Nevertheless, little do people know that everyone has faith in something whether they believe it or not. The Bible says in Hebrews 11:1 that faith is the substance of things hoped for and the "evidence" of the things we do not see. To shed some perspective on this particular passage, there are many examples in life people put their faith in without seeing it with their own eyes. For instance, the air we breathe is a perfect example of having faith in something that cannot be seen, and the rising and falling of our chest is the evidence of that air. Another example of faith pertains to the evolutionists who believe in the theory that the world is billions of years old even though they weren't there in the beginning. They trust in their interpretation of the available facts and believe it to be true. Another good example of applied faith can be drawn from people who lived in the past. For instance, many people believe that George Washington was the first president of the United States and a great general even though no one living today was alive to witness him lead this country or do battle. Yet, there exists a great amount of faith that the historical records of George Washington's life, leadership, and presidency are true. 

Well, the same concept applies to Christians who believe and have faith that Jesus Christ really lived, really died, and really rose from the dead on the third day. Christians do not need to see Jesus to believe that He lived and performed everything recorded in the scriptures. Why? Because the Bible (a historical book) along with the extra-biblical historical evidence corroborates his life, his death, and his resurrection, which can be trusted as truth. Furthermore, in the New Testament Jesus told doubting Thomas in John 20:29, "blessed are those who have not seen, and yet have believed (faith)."

Therefore, having faith is knowing, having faith is trusting, having faith is assurance, having faith is facts, having faith is evidence, and having faith is confidence in something or someone that cannot be seen with the naked eye to be true. In other words, by faith Christians understand that the universe was formed at God's command so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. By faith Christians know that Jesus Christ truly lived, truly sacrificed his life on the cross for the forgiveness of sin, and truly left the grave empty appearing to the disciples and the multitudes in his post-resurrected body. And without faith in the evidence of Jesus Christ, it is "IMPOSSIBLE" to please God according to Hebrews 11:6. So, this idea that having faith is weak or having faith is vanity is a misunderstanding of what faith really means. As a matter of fact, having faith is essential in the journey of life, especially the Christian walk because without faith it is "IMPOSSIBLE" to please God, and without faith it is impossible to believe in anything that occurred in the past.  

Therefore, if you are reading this post and are struggling with your faith, remember that faith is facts, not indecisiveness! And just in case you are wondering how a person gains faith, Paul says in Romans 10:17 that faith comes from hearing the message, and that message comes from the Word of God in the Bible, which is given at the Lord's church. And once you hear the Word that is sharper than any two-edge sword, the faith you obtain will be the catalyst to your spiritual action, to your spiritual passion, and to your spiritual works. The Bible says in James 2:26 that just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead.

#Time4Truth #FaithisFacts #GotFaith?

After celebrating Holy Week, one of the busiest weeks in the calendar year, there still exists many doubts, many questions, and many criticisms regarding the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Did Jesus truly rise from the dead? Is there any evidence for the resurrection? Or, is this whole idea of a resurrection just a myth?

For some, no matter how much evidence there might be to support the idea of a resurrection they will never come to belief. However, coming back to life after being pronounced dead is not so uncommon. Just google "Lazarus Syndrome" or just google people who were pronounced dead that came back to life to see for yourself that the idea of life after death is not just some fairy tale. Hence, if people come back to life from the emergency room and from the mortuary, then it is absolutely possible that God could raise his own Son from the dead forever, right? Unfortunately, what happens in the ER or in the mortuary won't satisfy the case for the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

But, before you close the case on the resurrection of Jesus as unsolved or false, consider five points that favor the resurrection to be true. First, let's begin with the death by crucifixion on the cross. Did Jesus really suffer death on the cross? Of course he did! No credible academic scholar will disagree with this fact that Jesus really died on the cross. There was no way Jesus survived the cross! I repeat, there was no way Jesus survived the crucifixion! Why? Because death was guaranteed by crucifixion, and one method the Romans used to ensure death was by breaking the legs of the criminals so they couldn't lift themselves up to breathe. The two criminals Jesus was crucified along side with had their legs broken and by the time the Romans came to break the legs of Jesus, he was already dead, which prompted the Romans to verify that Jesus was dead by taking a spear and piercing his side. So, there is no doubt that Jesus really died on the cross.

The second point is the tomb. Being that Jesus died on Preparation Day, right before the Sabbath began, the Jews requested to have the bodies taken off the cross. They buried Jesus in a tomb nearby, sealed the tomb, and posted guards at the Pharisees request in order to nullify Jesus' own claim of raising his temple in three days. Hence, the Jews went above and beyond the call of duty when it came to the burial of Jesus because they themselves feared the reality of Jesus resurrecting from the dead. The Jews never requested from the Roman governor for any other crucified victim that a seal be placed on their tomb and that guards be posted on 24 hour watch to ensure no one tampered with their tomb, except for Jesus. Think about that for a second...

The third point is the empty tomb. The body of Jesus was never found! I repeat, the body of Jesus Christ was never found! What other explanation can one devise for the empty tomb; a tomb that was sealed and guarded by Roman authorities, except the resurrection...

The fourth point is the multiple attestations of the reappearance of Jesus Christ in his glorified body. Jesus reappeared to his disciples, to 500 people at one time, to doubting Thomas, and to Saul of Tarsus. The multiple appearances Jesus made after the crucifixion adds further weight to the truth of his resurrection. Furthermore, the Bible contains not 1, not 2, not 3, but 4 consistent historical eyewitness accounts of the arrest, the crucifixion, the burial, and the resurrection of Jesus. That's really solid evidence!

The fifth point pertains to the desperate and hostile explanations created to explain away the truth of the resurrection. In Matthew 28:11-15 it says that to this day the Jews widely circulated the fabricated story that the disciples stole the body. Unfortunately, instead of acknowledging the truth of what really happened, the chief priests devised a lie that's still widely circulated today. So, if you are reading this and had doubts about the resurrection of Jesus, please remember that Satan is out to seek, kill, and destroy anything of God, especially the most revolutionary account in all of history, the resurrection of Jesus. There are millions of fabricated reports on the internet, on social media, on television, on the radio, on YouTube, and by others with an anti-theistic agenda. In order to get to the bottom of the truth, you have to go back and investigate artifacts two thousand years ago, not contemporary material. The closer you get to the scene, the better chance you have to find out the real truth, and the lesser chance the truth is corrupted by legend, myth, or false reports. 

For information on the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus, we recommend Lee Strobel's Case for Christ, or N.T. Wright's exhaustive Case for the Resurrection.

#Time4Truth #God'sNotDead #TheEmptyTomb

In today's day and age, there are a multitude of questions that surrounds the Christian faith, and one of those questions this post is going to address pertains to the incarnation (God made flesh) of Jesus. If Jesus is God as he claimed to be in John 8:58 where he told the Jews, "before Abraham was born, I Am," then why did God become a man? Why would a perfect God step off his glorious throne in heaven and come down and dwell among a wicked people? For some, this might not make any sense.

Well, there are five reasons why God became a man through Jesus Christ. The first reason why God became a man was to reconnect the broken relationship between God and humanity that occurred in the Garden of Eden. We have to remember that once Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating the forbidden fruit, not only did they break the relationship like how a couple may break their relationship because of infidelity, but they were unable to restore that relationship back together. Why? Because the act of disobedience put humanity in a fallen state where only an unfallen God could repair it. For example, once a rock falls completely to the ground, the rock is incapable of picking itself back up into the air, right? The fallen rock would need an external factor to lift it off the ground. Well, the same concept applies to humanity. Once Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden, they were like the fallen rock unable to lift themselves up from their own sin. They needed an external factor, an unfallen God to lift them up from their sin, which is why God became a man. Paul says in Romans 5:11, "but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation." Which means that through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we now have reconciliation with God where our relationship with God has been restored, repaired, redeemed, and reconnected. But, the only way to receive this reconciliation is belief in the One God has sent (John 6:29).

The second, third, and fourth reasons why God became man are detailed in Hebrews 2:14-18; "Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death, that is the devil, and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham's descendants. For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted."

Essentially, God became a man not only to repair the broken relationship, but to also destroy the power of the devil, to liberate those who lived their lives in fear of death, to make atonement for our sins, and to help those who are being tempted. Wow! God did all of this for us??? Let me get this right… God stepped off his throne in heaven, put on the flesh of mankind, walked in the wilderness for 40 days, dealt with several temptations by Satan, betrayed by his own family, betrayed by his own friends, suffered so much anguish in the Garden of Gethsemane that he sweated drops of blood, arrested by the Romans authorities, tried by the Jewish Sanhedrin, remained silent against his accusers, suffered severe mutilation, crucified by Pontius Pilate, and buried in a tomb of the dead. Jesus did all of this so he can help those who are being tempted??? MY GOD! Jesus did all of this for you so that whenever you are being tempted or whenever you are suffering from something in your life, you have someone you can look up ^ to that can relate to everything you are going through! I mean how awesome is it to know that we serve a God who knows, who has been through, and who can relate to exactly what you are going through in your life…  Who is the son of man that You care for him that much that You would send your one and only Son down into the world to suffer and to die by the hands of his own creation? The ultimate and fifth answer to why God would do such a thing to become a man is all because of LOVE folks! I repeat, it was all because of LOVE folks! Romans 5:8 says, "but God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."  

#Time4Truth #Love #is #the #Reason!!

Genesis 2:17, "But you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."

Since the Bible was written centuries ago, there has been a countless number of questions surrounding the Christian faith. One of the most intriguing questions of them all is: "Why did God put the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden knowing that Adam and Eve would choose to eat the fruit instead of obeying God?"

This question here is one of the more difficult questions simply because there is no direct answer found in the Bible. However, there is a reason why God doesn't outline every single answer and detail for his people in his word because if God did give us all the answers, the Holy Spirit whom the Father sent to guide his people into all truth and into all understanding would be out of a job, right? Nevertheless, the mainline argument presented to those who are challenged by the presence of suffering and evil in the world and why Adam and Eve disobeyed God is the doctrine of Free Will and love. When God created humanity, he created them in his image and after his likeness in Genesis 1:26, which means that human beings possess some of the same qualities as the Creator God such as his freedom, his relational nature, and his love. In order for God's people to purely love God and to purely have a relationship with God, God had to create his people with complete freedom. So when God created humanity, God had to also create the opportunity for them to love and obey him, which is where the tree of knowledge comes into the picture. The tree of knowledge provided that opportunity for Adam and Eve to obey or disobey God. Just like a woman is given the opportunity to say yes or no when a man asks for her hand in marriage, is the same opportunity God created Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Without that opportunity of obedience, the pure relationship and love God seeks with his creation is unavailable.

Which means that the tree of knowledge is absolutely necessary in the story of creation. God used the tree of knowledge of good and evil as a vehicle of opportunity, which unfortunately became a curse through Adam and Eve's decision to eat the forbidden fruit. This does not mean that God created evil. It means that God created the possibility of evil to exist through the opportunity made available from the tree of knowledge of good and evil; not the actual evil that came into existence through the disobedience and sin of Adam and Eve. We have to remember that is was humanity that sinned against God and not the reversal! On a brighter note, the good news of the Gospel is that even though God knew beforehand that the wrong opportunity would be selected in the Garden, God still chose to move forward with his creation. Why? Because God knew that his gift of love, his gift of life, his gift of grace, and his gift of salvation would be better than the curse of sin! Romans 5:15 & 16 says, "The gift is not like the trespass, and the gift is not like the result of one man's sin."

Therefore, just as Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, the same tree of opportunity is afforded to the rest of humanity in which all fell short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). I John 1:8-9 says, "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." However, if we make the most of every opportunity like Paul commands the church in Ephesians 5:16 and Colossians 4:5, and "if we confess our sins, he (Jesus) is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins." We have to always remember that there will be an abundance of opportunities to do right or wrong, to go left or right, and to obey or disobey God's word. So, before you make a decision on whatever opportunity is presented before you, first pray that opportunity aligns with God's will, and then once God approves, make the most out of that opportunity. If you choose the wrong opportunity, instead of beating yourself up mentally, make the most out of that opportunity by repenting and learning from it. Even if you are placed in an opportunity through no fault or decision of your own, still make the most out of that opportunity because you never know the blessings that can come from it. Most importantly, remember that God made the most out of the failed tree of opportunity presented to Adam and Even by sending his one and only Son Jesus Christ to die on the curse of a tree. Paul says in Galatians 3:13, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."

So, while we have life, while we have breathe in our nostrils, while we have forgiveness of sin, and while we have opportunities, make the most out of them because you never know how long those opportunities will be available. Job 1:21 says, "The Lord gave and the Lord takes away."

#Opportunity #Forgiveness #Time4Truth

Colossians 1:17, “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

If you woke up this morning and are reading this, first, give the Lord some praise for giving you another day…!

Second, remember that everyone who woke up this morning, woke up to their own set of circumstances, their own set of trials, and their own set of challenges in this life. So, if you are feeling lonely this morning about your situation, “don’t!” I repeat, “don’t!” There is somebody around the world going through something similar and, or even worse, and believe it or not, everyone has a situation that they are dealing with; whether it’s death, whether it’s sickness, whether it’s family, whether it’s relationships, whether it’s finances, whether it’s employment, whether it’s the streets, whether it’s court, or whether it’s the enemy. Every person that woke up this morning has to jump over some kind of hurdle.

However, don’t let your circumstances overwhelm you. Be encouraged because the scripture says in Colossians 1:17, that in him, (in Jesus), all things hold together. So, no matter what you may be going through in your life, no matter how separated your relationships may be, no matter how helpless you may feel, no matter how weak you may get, no matter how broke you may feel, no matter how sinful you were, no matter how tempted you are, and no matter how Satan is trying to destroy you, in Jesus Christ you have his strength, in Jesus Christ you have his forgiveness, in Jesus Christ you have his grace, in Jesus Christ you have an escape, in Jesus Christ you have eternity, in Jesus Christ you have his fullness, in Jesus Christ you have his image, in Jesus Christ you have his mind, in Jesus Christ you have his power, and in Jesus Christ you have the victory! In Jesus Christ you have every tool you need to carry out your assignment here on earth because Jesus is the glue, Jesus is the tape, Jesus is the staple, Jesus is the thread, Jesus is the latch, Jesus is the paper clip, Jesus is the Velcro, Jesus is the rope, Jesus is the nail, and Jesus is the laminin that holds all things together in the world and in your life. Just like the protein molecule laminin which is shaped like the cross and responsible for holding all the major components of the human body together, Jesus is the symbolical laminin that holds all of creation together until he returns again... Glory to God!

So, no matter what you may be going through in your life, remember what the Bible says.., that God is still with us, that God will never leave you nor forsake you, that God is pleased to make “you” his own, and that in Jesus Christ all things hold together.

Therefore, “let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2). #Time4Truth

Thank you Jesus for holding all things together!!

As the eastern parts of the United States continues to get blitzed with snow, the snow is a spiritual reminder of what God did for the whole world. The Bible says in Isaiah 1:18, "Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool."

You see, despite the fallen state of the world, the snow is a spiritual reminder of how God takes away the colored-stained sins of the world and turns them white as snow. And God changed the color of our scarlet and crimson-like sin by sending his Son Jesus Christ into this fallen world to die on the cross for our sins. Jesus said in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him will never perish, but have everlasting life." Paul says in Romans 5:8, that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for the ungodly. 

So, no matter the mistakes, no matter the sins, no matter the wickedness, and no matter the wrong-doing anyone has committed in their life, God can change the color of that sin from crimson to snow through his son Jesus Christ who died for the sins of the whole world. That's the Good News of the Gospel!! (G.O.S.P.E.L. G.od's O.wn S.on P.urchased E.ternal L.ife) 1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

Furthermore, God not only sent his Son Jesus into the world to change our crimson color sin into white, but to also remember our sin "no" more. The Bible says in Hebrews 8:12, "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more." And, the only way God will remember your sin no more is to believe in his One and only Son Jesus Christ, to believe that God raised him from the dead, and to believe that Jesus' purpose for dying on the cross was to redeem humanity from their sins bridging the world back to restoration with the Father in heaven. Therefore, as the snow continues to fall on your front yard, or for those who are seeing the snow fall from a distance on television, on the internet, on social media, or wherever you may be witnessing the eastern snow storm, let the snow be a spiritual reminder of what God did through his son Jesus Christ for the whole world!! #Time4Truth

God bless!!  

When Jesus says in John 14:6, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me,” many times Christians quote this famous verse, but really don't know the meaning of what they are quoting. So, today’s post is going to focus on what Jesus means when he says, “I am the life” since this is the time of year we celebrate Jesus’ birth and life. However, what does Jesus really mean when he says, “I am the life?” Is Jesus referring to the period between birth and death; the mere human existence of a person? Or, did Jesus have more in mind? According to the ancient Greek "zo-a" meaning of life, there are several connotations associated with the word life. Therefore, when Jesus says that “I am the life,” Jesus means several things..; that his life is the only life that is power that gives continued life; that his life is the only life that brings other lives to life; that his life is the only life that gives spiritual life; that his life is the only life that gives eternal life, that his life is the only life that renews lost souls to life, that his life is the only life that can make your life complete, and that his life is the only life that can save other lives from being condemned for life. When Jesus says that "I am the life," not only does Jesus mean that his life can renew your life in the physical and in the spiritual, but Jesus also means that his life is the only life that can give life after death. Jesus says in John 11:25, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live even though he dies.”

Furthermore, when Jesus says, “I am the life” Jesus also means that there is no other life to ever exist on the planet earth that people can believe in to be saved and receive eternal life. THERE IS NO OTHER LIFE! According to several studies, approximately 108 billion people have lived on planet earth thus far regardless of the opinions surrounding the age of the earth (check out this website for more information, http://www.prb.org/Publications/Articles/2002/HowManyPeopleHaveEverLivedonEarth.aspx). Which means what? That out of that statistic, only one life is able to give life to the other 107 billion, 999 million, 999 thousand, 9 hundred and 99 lives, which is who? THE JESUS LIFE!! Acts 4:12 says, “Salvation can be found in one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”  

However, the question that still remains to be answered is: How does "The Jesus Life" accomplish eternal life for those who believe in him? The answer is simple; The Cross! Why? Because according to Leviticus 17:11-13 it says three times in the passage that "the life of every creature is in the blood." Which means what? That when Jesus says “I am the life,” Jesus also means that his blood is the only blood that has the eternal DNA of the life-giving God that was sufficient enough to be shed on the cross for humanity. Jesus' blood is the only blood worthy enough to cover the sins of the whole world, unlike the Old Testament sacrificial system where atonement for sin had to be performed on an annual basis. Jesus' blood is the only blood that possessed the power to not only cover sin once and for all, but his life also possessed the power to give continued life after the flesh to anyone who believes in him. So while Jesus's blood was trickling down from the cross, as his life was being sacrificed, it was through his death that brought life to many!

Check out the video below for more #Time4Truth and if you have a desire to donate to this ministry God has so blessed us with, please give to this link... http://www.gofundme.com/christianway

Merry “Christ-Mass” Everyone!!

Jesus says in John 14:6, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

When Jesus says I am the way, it has several meanings.  It means that Jesus is the only road you can travel on to reach the eternal destination of where the Father resides.

When Jesus says I am the Way, Jesus is the only way to eternity, Jesus is the only way to heaven, Jesus is the only way to Glory, Jesus is the only way to the Father, and Jesus is the only way out of all other available ways that may be present at any given time. There are no turns, there are no curves, there are no dead ends, there are no exits, there are no other ways, there are no other signs, and there are no alternate routes.

When Jesus says I am the Way, Jesus is also opposing all others ways of his time. Meaning this... The belief system of the Romans is not the way. The belief system of the Greeks is not the way. The belief system of the Gentiles is not the way. The belief system of the Jews is not the way. The belief system of the Pharisees is not the way. The belief system of the Sadducees is not the way. And the belief system of the law of Moses is not the way.

When Jesus says I am the Way, it means that the only way to the Father in heaven is the Jesus way! The only way to receive forgiveness for your sins is the Jesus way. The only way in a world that has many other ways is the Jesus way. The only way to find life after death is the Jesus way. The only way that flesh and blood can inherit the kingdom of God is the Jesus way. The only way the perishable can clothe itself with the imperishable is the Jesus way. The only way the mortal can achieve immorality is the Jesus way. And the only way Christian Way Ministries can lead God's people to the way to be saved is the Jesus way!

When Jesus says I am the way, the only way a person can get on the road called "Jesus" is belief in the one God sent. In John 6:29 Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." #Time4Truth

Listen to this song by Jesus Culture called "You made a Way"

Proverbs 9:10, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."

This may sound bizarre to put God and science in the same phrase in the 21st century, but to say that God is science.., well that's just nonsense, right? How can God be science? Well, that is a good question! According to the Oxford Dictionary, the term science means "to know or to have knowledge about something," and since the Proverb says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, it makes sense to conclude that God is science. Why? Because God is the source of all knowledge! How? Because God is knowable through His word in the Bible and without God, who can provide an answer to the origins of knowledge? Surely, knowledge didn't just evolve on its own through trial and error as some would suggest. Surely, the egg didn't come before the chicken. Surely, knowledge didn't come before the Giver of knowledge. How would a person even know to try something before the error without the knowledge to try it? 

Unfortunately, science minus God at the forefront cannot solve the origins enigma of knowledge, which makes sense when considering the fact that science by itself can only investigate the physical natural world, not the abstract entity of the origins of knowledge. Scientists cannot put knowledge under a microscope to observe where it came from. Furthermore, science has a difficult time investigating its own experiments on the natural world, which is evidenced by how often theories change whenever new information surfaces. For example, it wasn't too long ago that scientists concluded that pluto was NOT a planet after so many years! And, if you are wondering what other scientific theories have changed throughout the past couple of centuries, just click on this link below: http://discovermagazine.com/2000/oct/featblunders/.

On the other hand, the Bible gives us answers that science cannot answer. In regards to the origins of knowledge, the only plausible conclusion is God. Why? Because it only makes sense that a mind with knowledge created human beings with minds to possess knowledge. In addition, what's even more interesting is how people put their faith in the flawed system of science verses putting their faith in the un-flawed knowledge of God. In the Bible, God's word repeatedly states how perfect, good, just, and knowledgeable God is, and yet, God and the Bible in all of its perfect wisdom gets overlooked all because science allegedly cannot prove the existence of God himself. This argument by itself does't disprove God! Scientists who claim that God and the Bible cannot be proven fail to mention that the science of "archaeology" has proven hundreds of accounts mentioned in the Bible, which should count for something. What's even more fascinating about the Bible is that even though it was written over two thousand years ago, it still possesses knowledge that can be applied today in the 21st century, which again is proof that God's word is infinite and relevant. And believe it or not, before the study of science rocketed into existence a couple hundred years ago, God revealed certain truths in the Bible long before science could confirm it. Just check out the scientific facts in the Bible by clicking on this link below; http://www.jesuseveryday.com/free_christian_books/Scientific_Facts_in_the_Bible.pdf

In conclusion, it is true that the Bible is not a scientific book, however, that doesn't mean it possesses no scientific knowledge. If science cannot prove or explain the origins of knowledge, then one must search for an answer elsewhere, which is where the Bible can shed some infinite insight on this matter. The Bible says that God is the source of all knowledge, that God is the source of all understanding, and that God is the source of all creation; which in turn means that God is the source of all science! God is the supernatural being responsible for the origins of knowledge who preserved his Word (the Bible) for over two thousand years to tell his creation everything they need to know. The B.I.B.L.E is the Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth! Therefore, for those who have their doubts remember this, true science is all about knowing the truth, and there are many scientists who believe in God, who believe in Jesus Christ, and who believe that God inspired the writers of the Bible. So, be objective in your research for truth, let the evidence lead you, and remember that minus God, knowledge and reason are extinct! So, it's time to give credit where credit is due! #God-is-Science #Time4Truth

Psalm 14:1, "The fool says in his heart, there is no God."

According to Bill Maher's response on the Late Night Show with Stephen Colbert on November 17th 2015, Bill acknowledges that there are some things in the universe he does not understand, but he also says this: "but my response to that is that I don't make up silly stories, or believe intellectually embarrassing myths from the Bronze Age."

So, is Bill Maher correct in his statement? Were the stories in the Bible really just made up "silly stories?" Can the Judeo-Christian faith no longer be reliable because it dates back over two thousand years? Or, is Bill Maher subjectively speaking on matters he just does not know?

Bill Maher's statement regarding Christianity's "intellectual embarrassing myths" is a rather general blanket criticism. There are no specifics in his presupposition as to which stories are made up and it's difficult to know what stories Bill had in his mind when he made this statement. However, one thing is for certain, he couldn't be referring to the whole story of Christianity as being made up, especially when considering all the available evidence that confirms the historicity of the Christian faith. No credible scholar would agree that Christianity is just some made up story, and with that being said, Bill has to be referring to certain accounts in the bible such as Noah and the Ark, the Virgin Birth, and, or the Resurrection. These are generally some of the accounts mentioned in the Bible that many people like Bill struggle with to believe.

Unfortunately, the challenge for some who struggle with the existence of God comes from their pure rejection of God himself; which means that if someone starts with the premise that God does not exist, then nothing about God is believable, not even the "silly stories" in the Bible. So, no matter the available evidence, question marks and criticisms will always dominate the minds of the unbeliever. The Bible says in 2 Thessalonians 2:11, "God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness."

On the other hand, if one keeps their mind "open" (key word open) to the existence of God and allow the evidence to lead them to the truth, one will be quite surprised how far from the truth Bill Maher's remarks are. For example: Did you know that Christianity has more evidence preserved in museums around the world than any other religion? Did you know that the Bible has over two thousand fulfilled prophecies, more than any other book combined in the world? Did you know that the historicity of the Bible has been validated by the scientific discipline of archaeology over and over again? Historical events such as the global flood, Egyptian slavery, Jericho's Wall, Babylon, King Cyrus prophesized by Isaiah two hundred years prior, the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple, the life, death, and the empty tomb of Jesus, Pontius Pilate, Paul of Tarsus, etc., are all mentioned in the Bible and are all historically validated. The Bible says in Luke 19:40 that even if the disciples were to keep quiet about Jesus, the stones would cry out, and that's exactly what's happening in the 21st century; the stones are crying out to the people of God that GOD DOES EXIST and that the "silly stories" in the Bible are TRUE!  

Furthermore, the Bible mentions an abundance of other facts way before science could even confirm them such as the universe expanding, the springs of the deep, and the earth being round just to name a few. Just recently scientists were able to prove that the human brain recognizes the reality of God, something the Bible revealed a long time ago (Thank you science for finally confirming this harsh reality). The Bible says in Genesis 1:26 that God made man in his image and after his likeness, so it's no wonder why the human brain can recognize the reality of the person who created the brain. It's really not that complicated! However, people like Bill Maher suppress the truth of this reality by constantly rejecting the existence of God. The only question that remains to be answered is: will Bill Maher believe that this new evidence of science proving God's reality to be a "made-up silly story" too???

Either way, whoever finds themselves reading this post, remember that the argument presented by Bill Maher that Christianity is a myth contains NO such corroboration. Christianity is as real as it gets! Why? Because Jesus historically fulfilled all the messianic prophesies written about him in the Old Testament to the very detail with his life, death, and resurrection. The whole Christian faith is reliant on the historical figure of Jesus of Nazareth. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:14 that if Christ was not raised, then our whole faith is in vain. Therefore, always remember that when it comes to the evidence, Christianity has more of it than any other religion in the world.

#GodisReal #JesusisReal #TheBibleisReal #Time4Truth

Want more information on the evidence for archaeology or on the study regarding the reality of God in the human brain, please click on the links below:

https://answersingenesis.org/archaeology/does-archaeology-support-the-bible/

http://www.breakingchristiannews.com/articles/display_art.html?ID=17607

Does God exist and if so, is there any evidence for God's existence??? Well, according to Romans 1:20 Paul says, "For since the creation of the world, God's invincible qualities, his eternal power, and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse."

Hence, if the scripture is true in what it says then there's plenty of evidence for God's existence through nature alone. Unfortunately, for many, the Bible isn't enough; there needs to be more. There needs to be evidence to prove God's existence. And, whoever may be seeking more than what the Bible provides, all you have to do is just open your eyes, look up in to the sky, observe the natural world, and ask this question: Did the marvelous universe just pop itself into existence, or did God create the universe? Does the sun burn 93 million degrees Fahrenheit on its own, or did somebody control the temperature? 

Let's consider the former question really quick... How often does something pop into existence without a cause? How often does a cake appear in the oven without somebody putting the ingredients together? How often can a plane fly minus a pilot or minus the plane being programmed to fly by itself??? The answer is NEVER! Everything in the observable world has a cause. The device you are reading this post from has a cause, the clothes you wear have a cause, the homes you live in have a cause, and the cars you drive have a cause. Everything in the observable world has a cause! Nothing in the scientific lab mixes itself together; it requires a scientist to perform the experiment. Every effect has a cause! Therefore, the cause and effect argument alone is evidence for a cause of the universe, and if the universe has a cause, then that cause must be GOD!

Who else could be responsible for creating the sun, the moon, the stars, the invincible oxygen we breath, the various species, the trees, the laws of nature, our bodies, the self-functioning cells in our bodies, the information encoded in our DNA, our rationality, our conscience, our feelings, and our intelligence? Surely complexity, design, information, and intelligence just doesn't come into existence on its own... Surely consciousness doesn't evolve from unconsciousness... The only other reasonable explanation for the existence of the universe is God. To believe otherwise that the universe and it's incredible design comes from absolutely nothing without a cause, or just evolved over a span of billions of years is not only a far stretch of the human imagination, but there's not one single piece of evidence in the observable world that proves an effect minus a cause. More faith would be required to believe in the proposition of self existence, than to believe in God's existence. The Bible says in Psalm 19:1, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands."

Therefore, not only does God exist, but all the arrows in the natural world point to God's existence. For those who need more than the cause and effect argument, please consider the eight arguments outlined by William Lane Craig, one of the top leading apologists of the 21st century, which include the Contingency argument, the Cosmological (Kalam) argument, the Applicability of Mathematics argument, the Teleological argument, the Intentional State of Consciousness argument, the Moral argument, the Ontological argument, and the Personal Experience argument. Needless to say, there is more than enough evidence for the fact-seeking community on the existence of God. 

#Time4Truth #GodExists

Please click on the video below for more information on the Cosmological (Kalam) argument.

One of the main criticisms surrounding the God of Christianity pertains to the presence of suffering and evil in the world. If God is an all-powerful God (omniscient) and an all-loving God (benevolent) then why does God tolerate evil and suffering??? Some critics suggest that God takes pleasure in the atrocities of the world simply because He does not intervene. However, in the Bible the Lord asks Israel in Ezekiel 18:25, "Is his ways unjust? Is it not your ways that are unjust?" And then in Ezekiel 18:32 the Lord says, "For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone."

Which means that God's ways are not unjust and that God does not take the pleasure in the death of anyone. The Bible says in 2 Peter 3:9, "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."

Unfortunately, everyone is not willing to come to repentance and obey the God of all creation! Remember, the condition of the world is not God's fault. Why? Because everything God created in the beginning was "very" good. Instead, it was the unjust ways of humanity, it was the sin of humanity, it was the abuse of their free will, and it was the misuse of the dominion God gave them as to why evil and suffering exists in the world. That's the real reason why the world is the way it is! It’s called, "The Human Fault," not the God fault! 

Another reason why God allows the presence of suffering and evil in the world is not because God is not loving enough or not powerful enough to remove it. God could in a twinkle of an eye wipe out all evil and suffering, however, that wouldn't solve the issue. Why? Because just as Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the garden, someone else would carry the baton of sin. Just like how the United Sates captures a leader of ISIS, another leader assumes the position. That’s why God hasn’t snapped his fingers yet and eliminated evil, because he knew his creation would be rebellious all over again. But, there’s good news! God in fact has a plan to rid the world of its evil, and that plan is his Son Jesus Christ when he comes again to judge the living and the dead one last time. And after the final judgement, "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. He who was seated on the throne said, I am making everything new! Then he said, write this down for these words are trustworthy and true” (Revelation 21:4-5).

Therefore, the answer(s) to one of the most difficult questions surrounding the Christian Faith on why God’s tolerates the presence of evil and suffering is to allow his creation to know that God exists and to give those who want a loving relationship with God an opportunity to freely come to Him. We have to always remember that without evil, what is good? Without suffering, what is happiness? And without hate, what is love? Never forget that evil and suffering has a purpose. God can use it to bring about his purposes, to mold those who truly want a relationship with Him, and to bring others unto repentance. The bible says in Romans 8:28, "we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him who have been called according to his purpose." So, no matter the present suffering you may be enduring in your life, always remember that your suffering produces perseverance, that your suffering produces character, and that your suffering produces hope. And even though this idea of a loving God tolerating evil can be a rather difficult controversy, never forget that every soul is precious to God.  #Time4Truth #GodLovesYou

In a world where truth has become more subjective and the Word of God has become more compromised, is it possible to know the answer to the question, "What is Truth?" This is certainly a good question that has been asked at least once by every person to ever live, and what's interesting about this question is that two thousand years ago Pontius Pilate, the governor of Judea asked Jesus the same question in John 18:38, "What is Truth?" But, what's even more fascinating is that Jesus didn't even answer Pilate's question. Why? Is it because society back then also possessed multiple versions of the truth? Is it because there is really no such thing as absolute or objective truth? Or, is it because Pilate asked the wrong question? Unfortunately, no one will ever know the real answer as to why Jesus remained silent to this very important question. However, right before Pilate asked this question, in verse 37 Jesus did give Pilate some insight into his overall mission; that He came in to the world to testify to the truth.

Well, what truth did Jesus testify to? In a world that has so many religions, so many worldviews, and so many gods, how can anyone distinguish between the real from the fake, between the right from the wrong, or between the truth from the false??? Some believe that all religions lead towards the same God. Some believe that no God exists at all. And some believe in their own particular God(s). But, what is the truth, and what truth did Jesus testify to?

First, in a world where information is widely accessible at the touch of a button and where everyone has their own opinion to the answer of what truth is, finding out the "real truth" might require some thorough research on behalf of the seeker. Why? Because if you Google the question, "What is Truth," it will only populate approximately 634 million answers. Fortunately though, a person can avoid filtering through the Google mountains of truth by leaving the research up to those who themselves already sorted out these truths. However, the only difficult challenge with that is, who can you trust to assist you in finding the right answer, especially when everyone claims to know the right answer to the truth? It's almost as if your hands are tied behind your back, right?

This is why the account of Jesus' encounter with Pilate at his trial is so interesting. Why? Because when Pilate asked Jesus the same question, "What is Truth," instead of giving Pilate an answer to the truth like everyone else would have done when asked the same question, Jesus took the unpopular route and remained silent. I repeat, Jesus remained silent! How many of you know that sometimes there is more truth in silence than there is truth spoken??? You see, if Pilate would have been paying attention to what Jesus said beforehand in the context, Pilate would have probably asked a different question, which would have probably received a different answer. Hence, a lesson can be learned from this particular account that in life asking the 'right' questions can be far more effective than asking a bunch of questions, or asking the wrong question. How? Case-in-point: Just Google, "Who testified to the truth," and see how you just narrowed your research from 634 million down to just 28 million; by more than 95 percent! WOW!   

Therefore, in your quest of finding out the answer to the question "What is Truth," start by asking a better question; "Who testified to the truth?" Furthermore, instead of looking at what everyone else says about what they believe truth to be, look to the only person in the history of mankind who remained silent when asked the same question. And, instead of googling the internet for the truth, cut your research down even further by looking at the only person who testified to the truth to find your answer. You see, there's a difference between spoken truth and testified truth. And Jesus not only testified to everything spoken about him in the scriptures by the prophets, but Jesus also testified to everything he taught through his own word, through his own life, through his own death, and through his own resurrection. That's the ultimate demonstration to what testified truth means, and that's what separates Jesus' truth from the truth of the world! Paul says in Romans 5:8, "God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners Christ died for us." That's testified truth, and Jesus is the only person in all of humanity that ever accomplished the one power that has kept humanity captive, and that was the fear of death folks!

John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him (the truth) will never perish, but have everlasting life."  

#Time4Truth #AskTheRightQuestions #JesusTruth