What Did Nasa Really Find On Planet Mars?

An article appeared today on the news wire "Daily Currant" that Nasa discovered two large slabs of stone with words inscribed on them. The article also mentioned that everyone at NASA Mission Control were surprised and could not help but believe what they saw that God left messages on Planet Mars stating that He is God.

http://dailycurrant.com/2013/07/01/nasa-finds-message-from-god-on-mars/

Now, don't get me wrong that what NASA found is a confirmed hoax. On the contrary I will be happy to believe too what they discovered if NASA can show the proof of their discovery. Why would God leave a message on Mars when mankind does not even want to believe in what He did through Jesus Christ His Son at the Cross. I am not saying that NASA was lying or that it is impossible for God to leave messages on Mars for mankind. No, it is perfectly possible but the discovery sounded too unbelievable for me and NASA had better come forward to prove or disprove what the news stated.

On another note, events on Earth are now heading to a point of escalated celestial occurrences that the return of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior is very imminent. Several governments which had been denying the existence of UFOs in the past have not come forward to confirm that UFOs are as real as airplanes are a reality. Also the incidences of UFO sightings have been intensified - it used to be around 1000 sightings in a month around the globe but lately, the numbers have been stacking up.

So, you be the judge here. The End is indeed drawing nigh and shortly my fellow Christians and I will be taken up into heaven in the twinkling of an atomic second to be with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and if you are left behind and happen to read this post, please start believing that what is stated in the Bible is indeed true and that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died for your sins and that through faith in what He did, you can receive what He had come to give you - salvation for your soul and a place in eternity with Him.

If you want to receive Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, please pray the prayer at the bottom of this blog and immediately you will enjoy fellowship with Jesus as His beloved child. Faith is simply but the price paid is inexpensive because it cost God His precious Beloved Son.

The Coming Phenomena in 2014-2015

The way events are panning out, it will be interesting to note what we can expect over the next two years. And we have the fingerprints of God in the skies to give us a forewarning of the events ahead. It is very rare that we have four blood moons happening in close succession and NASA had coined the name "tetrad" for this special phenomenon.
Over the past six hundred or so years since NASA kept calculations, there had only been 3 previous occurrences of tetrads

1. in 1492 - the Jews were expelled from Spain because they did not want to convert to Catholicism
2. in 1948 - when the nation of Israel was birthed
3. in 1967 - when Israel won the Six-Day War

and they (NASA) had projected that a series of tetrads will take place over the next two years (2014 - 2015) and there will not be any more for five hundred years after that.

So, what does all these mean?  I will leave you to watch this video by Dr John Hagee as he explains from the Bible what had been prophesied millennia ago. I need to caution you that this video is the culmination of three sermons preached over three weeks and it lasts for nearly two hours; so sit tight and put on your spiritual seat-belts...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0P8VLZADfKU

Signs in the Heavenlies

Events in the world and especially in the Middle-East are getting more and more harrowing.
Will there be a Middle-East war in the near future?  Who will be fighting against whom?
Will it be Syria getting itself completely devastated as punishment for using chemical weapons?
or will it be Iran getting its punishment for having crossed the red-line in its nuclear program?

I encourage you to watch this video and be prepared with what the heavens will be revealing to us in 2014 and 2015.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbORfBeo5ew

Happiness Come Through Encouragement

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room.

One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from
his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on
his back. The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation..

Every afternoon, when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by
describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window. The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside. The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance. As the man by the window described all this in exquisite details, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine this picturesque scene.

One warm afternoon, the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man could not hear the band - he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.

Days, weeks and months passed. One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.

As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window.
The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left
him alone. Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world
outside. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window besides the bed. It faced a blank wall.

The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window. The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall. She said, 'Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you.'

Epilogue:
There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations.
Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled.
If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can't buy.
'Today is a gift, that is why it is called The Present .' 

The Sign of The End Times

Since January 2012, unusual signs have been sighted and recorded for us to witness for ourselves. Signs in the skies in the form of meteorites, flying saucers, groaning eerie noises in heavens had been appearing so often since then that we cannot help but acknowledge that the Earth is experiencing changes that is beyond what we are used to.

Birds are dying and falling out of the skies in the thousands; dead fishes are seen floating across square kilometers of sea; carcasses of dead animals are found... what is the explanation for this?

Watch this video and see for yourselves.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=fLFomMPdYjc

The Lord Jesus Christ, in the Gospel of Matthew, had already prophesied that such things will take place and these are just signs of the end of the Earth and we might have just stepped into this realm. What do we do now?  My advice is that you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, accept Him as your Lord and Savior and you will be saved (spirit, soul and body).  The Lord knows His own and will protect us from dangers and deliver us from evil.

End Times Development

The Bible tells us that just before He returns, people will exchange their natural relationships for relationships that they were not originally created for.

Romand 1:18-32 - God's Wrath on Unrighteousness

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,
21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,
23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man — and birds and four- footed animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves,
25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.
27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;
29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil- mindedness; they are whisperers,
30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful;
32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

Gay and lesbian marriages have been sanctioned in many countries and the recent appeal in California, USA, to uphold the sanctity of marriage and to reject same-sex marriages was turned down by the US Appeal Court. So, where does that leave normal marriage (between a man and a woman)?  The Bible is very clear here - that God sanctified the marriage union between a man and a woman; He had never blessed any same-sex marriages; in fact if you read Romans 1:26-27 (refer passage of scriptures above) you will understand that the Lord condemns these lewd actions and has allowed their actions to bring to fruition what the actions deserve.

The entire HIV disease was started as a result of these unnatural relationships and one should never blame God for that. We need to remember that there are consequences for every action that we take; when we do wrong, there will be consequences and punishments but when we do the right things, there will be blessings.

Likewise, if one were to reject the salvation plan of God and not believe on the finished work of Christ Jesus on the cross, then that person will have to bear the consequences and end up in the pit of fire (hell) when he/she dies. However, should one embraces the salvation offered by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, he/she will enter into the blessings reserved for sons and daughters of the Most High God.

In the End Times (our current era), the Bible tells us that there will be much corruption in man's behavior. May it be found that you are NOT among those who are described in the passage above but that you are numbered among the saints, those who are called the children of the Lord.

The Coming Four Blood Moons A Warning to Israel

There will be four moon eclipses (also known as blood moons) in the next two years 2014 and 2015. Blood moons are prophetic messages targeted at Israel while sun eclipses are signals for the world at large.
In the past, blood moons had taken place in 1492 (the edit of expulsion from Spain), in 1948 (the day Israel was born) and in 1967 (during the six-day war) and over the Sukhot 2014 and Sukhot 2015 there will be four blood moons taking place and then there will not be any more for hundred of years to come.
So, are we ready for these eclipses?  I do believe that the Lord will return during one of these four blood moons.

Solar and Lunar Eclipses in 2014/15

You have seen the video in my earlier post. Here is a written version...

Prophecy in the News ^ | May 2008 | J. R. Church

Posted on May 3, 2008 12:09:14 AM GMT+08:00 by XeniaSt

As you may know, this year is a Sabbatical Year in the Jewish calendar and starting next September 29, 2008, a new Sabbatical cycle will commence. It will run for seven years and conclude with another Sabbatical Year in 2014/15.

Also, you may know that Daniel’s seventieth week will be a seven-year Sabbatical 
cycle. Students of biblical prophecy have long compared Daniel’s seventieth week 
with the Tribulation Period as laid out in the book of Revelation.

Intrigued with the Scriptures that repeat over and over again that our Savior’s
Second Coming will be heralded with signs in the heavens, in which the sun will
be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, Pastor Mark Biltz went on the
Internet, to a U.S. Government web site, to see if he could find any solar or lunar
eclipses over the next few years that might be significant.

(Excerpt) Read more at prophecyinthenews.com ...

TOPICS: Evangelical Christian; Other Christian; Religion & Science

KEYWORDS: bookofrevelation; daniel70weeks; signsofthetimes

The Jew looks for a signs and the Greek looks for wisdom. This year is a sabbatical year; seven years from now will be another sabbatical year.

Is there anything special in the year 2014 or 2015? Scripturally that is; let's ignore the Aztec calendar for now.

NAU Revelation 6:12 I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood;

The sun darkens and the moon becomes like blood.

Solar and Lunar Eclipses perhaps?

Lunar Eclipses

The four lunar eclipses will occur on:

1.   Passover, April 15, 2014

2.   The Feast of Tabernacles, October 8, 2014

3.   Passover, April 4, 2015 and

4.   The Feast of Tabernacles, September 28, 2015

This sequence of four signs ( eclipses) on YHvH's feasts does not occur often,

¨    the last time was 1967-1968 (six day war and the capture of Jerusalem)

¨    and 1949-1950 ( the year after the State of Israel was formed)

¨    and 1493 the year after the Jews were expelled from Spain.

During 2014 - 2015 there will also be Solar Eclipses on YHvH's feast days:

1. Adar 29/Nisan 1, March 20, 2015
2. Tishri 1, The Feast of Trumpets, September 13, 2015 

What is coming up this year and next?

¨    Av 1 - August 1, 2008 - partial eclipse

¨    Av 1 - July 22, 2009 - partial eclipse

¨    Av 1 - July 11, 2010 - partial eclipse

In the Jewish calendar, they are all on the first of Av, the day when Jews lament the destruction of their temples. As the story goes, Moses caught the people worshiping the Golden Calf on Tammuz 17. Therefore, the three weeks from Tammuz 17 to Av 9 are called “the dark time” and “between the straits.”

It is the most sorrowful time of the year for Jews. From Av 1-9, no bathing is allowed; no comforts; no clean clothes; the Jew takes his shoes off; sits on an overturned chair and reads the book of Lamentations.

Messianic Pastor Mark Biltz discovered these signs occurring on YHvH's Feast days.

Signs and Wonders In The Heavens

In His Olivet discourse found in Matthew 24:29, our Lord Jesus Christ spoke of the sun being darkened (solar eclipse) and the moon not giving its light (moon eclipse) as signs of His coming. Interestingly enough many of these sun and moon eclipses had associated events in the history of Israel as a nation.

Pastor Mark Biltz shared his discovery of the occurrences of these eclipses and when these would be. I will leave you to watch and come to your own conclusions.

Evidence for the Resurrection

This is an article written by Josh McDowell

For centuries many of the world's distinguished philosophers have assaulted Christianity as being irrational, superstitious and absurd. Many have chosen simply to ignore the central issue of the resurrection. Others have tried to explain it away through various theories. But the historical evidence just can't be discounted.

A student at the University of Uruguay said to me. "Professor McDowell, why can't you refute Christianity?"

"For a very simple reason," I answered. "I am not able to explain away an event in history--the resurrection of Jesus Christ."

How can we explain the empty tomb? Can it possibly be accounted for by any natural cause?

A QUESTION OF HISTORY After more than 700 hours of studying this subject, I have come to the conclusion that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is either one of the most wicked, vicious, heartless hoaxes ever foisted on the minds of human beings--or it is the most remarkable fact of history.

Here are some of the facts relevant to the resurrection: Jesus of Nazareth, a Jewish prophet who claimed to be the Christ prophesied in the Jewish Scriptures, was arrested, was judged a political criminal, and was crucified. Three days after His death and burial, some women who went to His tomb found the body gone. In subsequent weeks, His disciples claimed that God had raised Him from the dead and that He appeared to them various times before ascending into heaven.

From that foundation, Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire and has continued to exert great influence down through the centuries.

LIVING WITNESSES    The New Testament accounts of the resurrection were being circulated within the lifetimes of men and women alive at the time of the resurrection. Those people could certainly have confirmed or denied the accuracy of such accounts.

The writers of the four Gospels either had themselves been witnesses or else were relating the accounts of eyewitnesses of the actual events. In advocating their case for the gospel, a word that means "good news," the apostles appealed (even when confronting their most severe opponents) to common knowledge concerning the facts of the resurrection.

F. F. Bruce, Rylands professor of biblical criticism and exegesis at the University of Manchester, says concerning the value of the New Testament records as primary sources: "Had there been any tendency to depart from the facts in any material respect, the possible presence of hostile witnesses in the audience would have served as a further corrective."

IS THE NEW TESTAMENT RELIABLE?    Because the New Testament provides the primary historical source for information on the resurrection many critics during the 19th century attacked the reliability of these biblical documents.

By the end of the 1 9th century, however, archaeological discoveries had confirmed the accuracy of the New Testament manuscripts. Discoveries of early papyri bridged the gap between the time of Christ and existing manuscripts from a later date.

Those findings increased scholarly confidence in the reliability of the Bible. William F. Albright, who in his day was the world's foremost biblical archaeologist, said: "We can already say emphatically that there is no longer any solid basis for dating any book of the New Testament after about A.D. 80, two full generations before the date between 130 and 150 given by the more radical New Testament critics of today."

Coinciding with the papyri discoveries, an abundance of other manuscripts came to light (over 24,000 copies of early New Testament manuscripts are known to be in existence today). The historian Luke wrote of "authentic evidence" concerning the resurrection. Sir William Ramsay, who spent 15 years attempting to undermine Luke credentials as a historian, and to refute the reliability of the New Testament, finally concluded: "Luke is a historian of the first rank . . . This author should be placed along with the very greatest of historians. "

---

I claim to be an historian. My approach to Classics is historical. And I tell you that the evidence for the life, the death, and the resurrection of Christ is better authenticated than most of the facts of ancient history . . .

E. M. Blaiklock 
Professor of Classics 
Auckland University

---

BACKGROUND The New Testament witnesses were fully aware of the background against which the resurrection took place. The body of Jesus, in accordance with Jewish burial custom, was wrapped in a linen cloth. About 100 pounds of aromatic spices, mixed together to form a gummy substance, were applied to the wrappings of cloth about the body. After the body was placed in a solid rock tomb, an extremely large stone was rolled against the entrance of the tomb. Large stones weighing approximately two tons were normally rolled (by means of levers) against a tomb entrance.

A Roman guard of strictly disciplined fighting men was stationed to guard the tomb. This guard affixed on the tomb the Roman seal, which was meant to "prevent any attempt at vandalizing the sepulcher. Anyone trying to move the stone from the tomb's entrance would have broken the seal and thus incurred the wrath of Roman law.

But three days later the tomb was empty. The followers of Jesus said He had risen from the dead. They reported that He appeared to them during a period of 40 days, showing Himself to them by many "infallible proofs." Paul the apostle recounted that Jesus appeared to more than 500 of His followers at one time, the majority of whom were still alive and who could confirm what Paul wrote. So many security precautions were taken with the trial, crucifixion, burial, entombment, sealing, and guarding of Christ's tomb that it becomes very difficult for critics to defend their position that Christ did not rise from the dead.

Consider these facts:

•    FACT #1: BROKEN ROMAN SEAL    As we have said, the first obvious fact was the breaking of the seal that stood for the power and authority of the Roman Empire. The consequences of breaking the seal were extremely severe. The FBI and CIA of the Roman Empire were called into action to find the man or men who were responsible. If they were apprehended, it meant automatic execution by crucifixion upside down. People feared the breaking of the seal. Jesus' disciples displayed signs of cowardice when they hid themselves. Peter, one of these disciples, went out and denied Christ three times.

•    FACT #2: EMPTY TOMB As we have already discussed, another obvious fact after the resurrection was the empty tomb. The disciples of Christ did not go off to Athens or Rome to preach that Christ was raised from the dead. Rather, they went right back to the city of Jerusalem, where, if what they were teaching was false, the falsity would be evident. The empty tomb was "too notorious to be denied." Paul Althaus states that the resurrection "could have not been maintained in Jerusalem for a single day, for a single hour, if the emptiness of the tomb had not been established as a fact for all concerned." Both Jewish and Roman sources and traditions admit an empty tomb. Those resources range from Josephus to a compilation of fifth-century Jewish writings called the "Toledoth Jeshu." Dr. Paul Maier calls this "positive evidence from a hostile source, which is the strongest kind of historical evidence. In essence, this means that if a source admits a fact decidedly not in its favor, then that fact is genuine." Gamaliel, who was a member of the Jewish high court, the Sanhedrin, put forth the suggestion that the rise of the Christian movement was God's doing; he could not have done that if the tomb were still occupied, or if the Sanhedrin knew the whereabouts of Christ's body. Paul Maier observes that " . . . if all the evidence is weighed carefully and fairly, it is indeed justifiable, according to the canons of historical research, to conclude that the sepulcher of Joseph of Arimathea, in which Jesus was buried, was actually empty on the morning of the first Easter. And no shred of evidence has yet been discovered in literary sources, epigraphy, or archaeology that would disprove this statement."

•    FACT #3: LARGE STONE MOVED    On that Sunday morning the first thing that impressed the people who approached the tomb was the unusual position of the one and a half to two ton stone that had been lodged in front of the doorway. All the Gospel writers mention it.

---

There exists no document from the ancient world, witnessed by so excellent a set of textual and historical testimonies . . . Skepticism regarding the historical credentials of Christianity is based upon an irrational bias.

Clark Pinnock 
Mcmaster University

---

Those who observed the stone after the resurrection describe its position as having been rolled up a slope away not just from the entrance of the tomb, but from the entire massive sepulcher. It was in such a position that it looked as if it had been picked up and carried away. Now, I ask you, if the disciples had wanted to come in, tiptoe around the sleeping guards, and then roll the stone over and steal Jesus' body, how could they have done that without the guards' awareness?

•    FACT #4: ROMAN GUARD GOES AWOL   The Roman guards fled. They left their place of responsibility. How can their attrition he explained, when Roman military discipline was so exceptional? Justin, in Digest #49, mentions all the offenses that required the death penalty. The fear of their superiors' wrath and the possibility of death meant that they paid close attention to the minutest details of their jobs. One way a guard was put to death was by being stripped of his clothes and then burned alive in a fire started with his garments. If it was not apparent which soldier had failed in his duty, then lots were drawn to see which one would be punished with death for the guard unit's failure. Certainly the entire unit would not have fallen asleep with that kind of threat over their heads. Dr. George Currie, a student of Roman military discipline, wrote that fear of punishment "produced flawless attention to duty, especially in the night watches."

•     FACT #5: GRAVECLOTHES TELL A TALE 
  In a literal sense, against all statements to the contrary, the tomb was not totally empty--because of an amazing phenomenon. John, a disciple of Jesus, looked over to the place where the body of Jesus had lain, and there were the grave clothes, in the form of the body, slightly caved in and empty--like the empty chrysalis of a caterpillar's cocoon. That's enough to make a believer out of anybody. John never did get over it. The first thing that stuck in the minds of the disciples was not the empty tomb, but rather the empty grave clothes--undisturbed in form and position.

•     FACT #6: JESUS' APPEARANCES CONFIRMED    Christ appeared alive on several occasions after the cataclysmic events of that first Easter. When studying an event in history, it is important to know whether enough people who were participants or eyewitnesses to the event were alive when the facts about the event were published. To know this is obviously helpful in ascertaining the accuracy of the published report. If the number of eyewitnesses is substantial, the event can he regarded as fairly well established. For instance, if we all witness a murder, and a later police report turns out to he a fabrication of lies, we as eyewitnesses can refute it.

OVER 500 WITNESSES Several very important factors arc often overlooked when considering Christ's post-resurrection appearances to individuals. The first is the large number of witnesses of Christ after that resurrection morning. One of the earliest records of Christ's appearing after the resurrection is by Paul. The apostle appealed to his audience's knowledge of the fact that Christ had been seen by more than 500 people at one time. Paul reminded them that the majority of those people were still alive and could be questioned. Dr. Edwin M. Yamauchi, associate professor of history at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, emphasizes: "What gives a special authority to the list (of witnesses) as historical evidence is the reference to most of the five hundred brethren being still alive. St. Paul says in effect, 'If you do not believe me, you can ask them.' Such a statement in an admittedly genuine letter written within thirty years of the event is almost as strong evidence as one could hope to get for something that happened nearly two thousand years ago." Let's take the more than 500 witnesses who saw Jesus alive after His death and burial, and place them in a courtroom. Do you realize that if each of those 500 people were to testify for only six minutes, including cross-examination, you would have an amazing 50 hours of firsthand testimony? Add to this the testimony of many other eyewitnesses and you would well have the largest and most lopsided trial in history.

HOSTILE WITNESSES Another factor crucial to interpreting Christ's appearances is that He also appeared to those who were hostile or unconvinced.

Over and over again I have read or heard people comment that Jesus was seen alive after His death and burial only by His friends and followers. Using that argument, they attempt to water down the overwhelming impact of the multiple eyewitness accounts. But that line of reasoning is so pathetic it hardly deserves comment. No author or informed individual would regard Saul of Tarsus as being a follower of Christ. The facts show the exact opposite. Saul despised Christ and persecuted Christ's followers. It was a life-shattering experience when Christ appeared to him. Although he was at the time not a disciple, he later became the apostle Paul, one of the greatest witnesses for the truth of the resurrection.

---

If the New Testament were a collection of secular writings, their authenticity would generally be regarded as beyond all doubt.


F. F. Bruce 
Manchester University

---

The argument that Christ's appearances were only to followers is an argument for the most part from silence, and arguments from silence can be dangerous. It is equally possible that all to whom Jesus appeared became followers. No one acquainted with the facts can accurately say that Jesus appeared to just "an insignificant few."

Christians believe that Jesus was bodily resurrected in time and space by the supernatural power of God. The difficulties of belief may be great, but the problems inherent in unbelief present even greater difficulties.

The theories advanced to explain the resurrection by "natural causes" are weak; they actually help to build confidence in the truth of the resurrection.

THE WRONG TOMB? A theory propounded by Kirsopp Lake assumes that the women who reported that the body was missing had mistakenly gone to the wrong tomb. If so, then the disciples who went to check up on the women's statement must have also gone to the wrong tomb. We may be certain, however, that Jewish authorities, who asked for a Roman guard to be stationed at the tomb to prevent Jesus' body from being stolen, would not have been mistaken about the location. Nor would the Roman guards, for they were there!

If the resurrection-claim was merely because of a geographical mistake, the Jewish authorities would have lost no time in producing the body from the proper tomb, thus effectively quenching for all time any rumor resurrection.

HALLUCINATIONS?    Another attempted explanation claims that the appearances of Jesus after the resurrection were either illusions or hallucinations. Unsupported by the psychological principles governing the appearances of hallucinations, this theory also does not coincide with the historical situation. Again, where was the actual body, and why wasn't it produced?

DID JESUS SWOON? Another theory, popularized by Venturini several centuries ago, is often quoted today. This is the swoon theory, which says that Jesus didn't die; he merely fainted from exhaustion and loss of blood. Everyone thought Him dead, but later He resuscitated and the disciples thought it to be a resurrection. Skeptic David Friedrich Strauss--certainly no believer in the resurrection--gave the deathblow to any thought that Jesus revived from a swoon: "It is impossible that a being who had stolen half-dead out of the sepulchre, who crept about weak and ill, wanting medical treatment, who required bandaging, strengthening and indulgence, and who still at last yielded to His sufferings, could have given to the disciples the impression that He was a Conqueror over death and the grave, the Prince of Life,

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For the New Testament of Acts, the confirmation of historicity is overwhelming. Any attempt to reject its basic historicity, even in matters of detail, must now appear absurd. Roman historians have long taken it for granted.

A. N. Sherwin-White 
Classical Roman Historian

---

an impression which lay at the bottom of their future ministry. Such a resuscitation could only have weakened the impression which He had made upon them in life and in death, at the most could only have given it an elegiac voice, but could by no possibility have changed their sorrow into enthusiasm, have elevated their reverence into worship."

THE BODY STOLEN? Then consider the theory that the body was stolen by the disciples while the guards slept. The depression and cowardice of the disciples provide a hard-hitting argument against their suddenly becoming so brave and daring as to face a detachment of soldiers at the tomb and steal the body. They were in no mood to attempt anything like that.

The theory that the Jewish or Roman authorities moved Christ's body is no more reasonable an explanation for the empty tomb than theft by the disciples. If the authorities had the body in their possession or knew where it was, why, when the disciples were preaching the resurrection in Jerusalem, didn't they explain: "Wait! We moved the body, see, He didn't rise from the grave"?

And if such a rebuttal failed, why didn't they explain exactly where Jesus' body lay? If this failed, why didn't they recover the corpse, put it on a cart, and wheel it through the center of Jerusalem? Such an action would have destroyed Christianity--not in the cradle, but in the womb!

THE RESURRECTION IS A FACT Professor Thomas Arnold, for 14 years a headmaster of Rugby, author of the famous, History of Rome, and appointed to the chair of modern history at Oxford, was well acquainted with the value of evidence in determining historical facts. This great scholar said: "I have been used for many years to study the histories of other times, and to examine and weigh the evidence of those who have written about them, and I know of no one fact in the history of mankind which is proved by better and fuller evidence of every sort, to the understanding of a fair inquirer, than the great sign which God hath given us that Christ died and rose again from the dead." Brooke Foss Westcott, an English scholar, said: "raking all the evidence together, it is not too much to say that there is no historic incident better or more variously supported than the resurrection of Christ. Nothing but the antecedent assumption that it must be false could have suggested the idea of deficiency in the proof of it."

REAL PROOF: THE DISCIPLES' LIVES But the most telling testimony of all must be the lives of those early Christians. We must ask ourselves: What caused them to go everywhere telling the message of the risen Christ?

Had there been any visible benefits accrued to them from their efforts--prestige, wealth, increased social status or material benefits--we might logically attempt to account for their actions, for their whole-hearted and total allegiance to this "risen Christ."

As a reward for their efforts, however, those early Christians were beaten, stoned to death, thrown to the lions, tortured and crucified. Every conceivable method was used to stop them from talking.

Yet, they laid down their lives as the ultimate proof of their complete confidence in the truth of their message.

WHERE DO YOU STAND? How do you evaluate this overwhelming historical evidence? What is your decision about the fact of Christ's empty tomb? What do you think of Christ?

When I was confronted with the overwhelming evidence for Christ's resurrection, I had to ask the logical question: "What difference does all this evidence make to me? What difference does it make whether or not I believe Christ rose again and died on the cross for my sins!' The answer is put best by something Jesus said to a man who doubted--Thomas. Jesus told him: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me" (John 14:6).

On the basis of all the evidence for Christ's resurrection, and considering the fact that Jesus offers forgiveness of sin and an eternal relationship with God, who would be so foolhardy as to reject Him? Christ is alive! He is living today.

You can trust God right now by faith through prayer. Prayer is talking with God. God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. If you have never trusted Christ, you can do so right now.

The prayer I prayed is: "Lord Jesus, I need You. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and trust You as my Savior. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be. Thank You that I can trust You."

Josh McDowell, according to a recent survey, is one of the most popular speakers among university students today. He has spoken on more than 650 university and college campuses to more than seven million people in 74 countries during the last 21 years.

©1992 Josh McDowell Ministry