I was raised that an unmarried adult person (especially a woman) is still under the authority of her father until she gets married. That contradicts the Bible.
The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 7:32 -34:
“But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord: 33 But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife. 34 There is difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband.”
The unmarried answer to God not their parents. They are to be concerned with pleasing God not their fathers.
You have no right to tell your adult daughter or son that they have to stay home with you or that they cannot get a job, go to college, move out on their own etc. That is between them and God.
The Bible only says married woman are to be keepers at home, not unmarried women.
I Timothy 5:11-15
11 “But the younger widows refuse: for when they have begun to wax wanton against Christ, they will marry; 12 Having damnation, because they have cast off their first faith. 13 And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not. 14 I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully. 15 For some are already turned aside after Satan.”
Younger women is directly referring back to younger widows!
It also only advises that young widows should marry, not that every woman has to marry.
The Bible Even Says That If the World Is Really Evil Like It Is Now, Then It Is Best Not To Marry, But It Is NOT A Sin If You Do Marry.
1 Corinthians 7: 26-28:
26 “I suppose therefore that this is good for the present distress, I say, that it is good for a man so to be. 27 Art thou bound unto a wife? seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? seek not a wife. 28 But and if thou marry, thou hast not sinned; and if a virgin marry, she hath not sinned. Nevertheless such shall have trouble in the flesh: but I spare you.”
Once your child is an adult, you have no right to tell them how they can or cannot serve God. To do that is to step into God’s jurisdiction and it is cultish!
Years ago my Dad even tried to twist Scripture and tell my brother that he had to stay home until he got married because the Bible says a man is supposed to leave his Father and Mother and cleave to his wife. So he would be in sin and rebellion against God if he left home before he got married.
We thought that he was probably wrong, but we really did not know any Scripture to prove it at that time.
Finally God removed our Dad from our home 12 years ago, and we have been free from him since then.
A few years ago God showed us the truth in 1 Corinthians 7:32 -34.
The New Testament says unmarried adults (both men and women) answer to God, not their fathers!
1 Peter 5:5b “Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.”
The words humble, humility, and meek all mean the same thing.
A humble Christian is willing to learn the Scriptures from anyone, including a child.
Even king Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, said in Ecclesiastes 4:13 “Better is a poor and a wise child than an old and foolish king, who will no more be admonished.”
You know, when you study the Bible often and deeply, you can find out some interesting things that most people miss.
The Book of Ecclesiastes is the book of Solomon’s repentance. Solomon had married hundreds of heathen wives and they had turned him to worshiping idols.
Ecclesiastes 4:13 indicates that Solomon may have been turned back to God through a child.
1 Peter 5:5 makes it clear that all Christians are to be subject to each other.
Our standard is the truth of the Bible. If someone is speaking the truth of the Bible then everyone else is to be subject to them concerning that truth.
It does not matter if the person speaking that biblical truth is the Pastor or the janitor, young or old, black or white, rich or poor, educated or uneducated, male or female.
The Bible only forbids a wife from teaching her own husband in the church.
1 Timothy 2:12 “But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.”
Notice it says “the man” not every man. This is clearly speaking of a wife not being in authority over her own husband, and not teaching him publicly in the church.
The Bible does not teach that all men are over all women. It teaches that a husband is over his wife.A woman is equal with all men except her own husband.
Any man who says that he will not allow a woman to teach him the Bible is a fool! And any husband who refuses to listen to the wise counsel of his wife in private is a fool!
I heard of a Pastor once who said he would never allow a woman to teach him the Bible. Sometime later he ended up in prison for molesting a 16 yr old girl!
Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.”
A humble Christian will help the poor without looking down on them.
1John 3:16-17 “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?”
James 2:15-16 “If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?”
Ephesians 4:28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
I Timothy 6:17-19 “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.”
Being humble also means that you do not put yourself above God, and that you accept His will in trials.
1Peter 5:6-7 “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”
Romans 5:3 “And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;”
Now Meekness Is Not Weakness!
Being humble, meek, and having humility does not mean that you cannot rebuke someone for sin.
Jesus is God, therefore He is the meekest of all. Yet He ran sinners out of the Temple with a whip.He also called the Pharisees names!(snakes and vipers)He even called Peter Satan!
John2:14 “And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: 15 And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables; 16 And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise.”
Matthew 23:33 “Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? 34 Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: 35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.”
Mark 8:33 “But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.”
Moses was very meek, yet he commanded the Levites to kill those who had worshipped the golden calf.
Exodus 32:19 “And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses’ anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount. 20 And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strewed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it. 21 And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them? 22 And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief. 23 For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. 24 And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf. 25 And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies:) 26 Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD’s side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. 27 And he said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbor. 28 And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men. 29 For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves today to the LORD, even every man upon his son, and upon his brother; that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day. 30 And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses said unto the people, Ye have sinned a great sin: and now I will go up unto the LORD; peradventure I shall make an atonement for your sin.”
Therefore, a person can be meek and still harshly rebuke and even punish someone for sin.
This is what true humbleness is. If all churches taught this consistently, and all Christian obeyed this consistently, we could save the world, which is our duty.
The Bible says in Matthew 5:19 “Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 18:4 “Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
God Does Not See Everyone The Same
Christians who dilligently obey Him he sees as Great, but Christians who break even small commandments and teach others to break them, He sees as the least.
God Does Not Even See All Lost People The Same
The Bible says in Luke 7:47 “Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.”
Some people are forgiven much, others are forgiven little.
This shows plainly that their are different degrees of sin and different degrees of righteousness.
God does not see a Christian who diligently obeys Him as a sheep gone astray or as an evil sinner. He sees them as a Great Friend.
John 15:14-15 “Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.”
Abraham was called the Friend of God, and you can be too. Just simply obey Him in all things.
In addition, God does not see a moral, law abiding person, who is just not saved, as bad of a sinner as He does a murderer, thief, or adulterer.
Jesus Himself said that some people are forgive much and others are forgiven little.
When God looks at you He can see you as Great, Perfect, Blameless, and as a Friend.
You don’t have to walk around with your head down all the time saying “God just sees me as an awful sinner, and I can never be good enough for Him no matter what I do.”
That is a lie from the Devil designed by him to discourage great Christians and cause them to stop serving God!
That attitude is not humbleness either!
Humbleness is simply believing that your not greater than God, and loving your neighbor as yourself.
God saw Job as Perfect, Moses as Humble, Daniel as Blameless, and John The Baptist as Great, and none of them had the blood of Jesus applied to them.
They were all saved by believing that God would come as a man and die for them to pay for their sins, but they did not have the Holy Spirit indwelling them to keep them from sinning. They were practically righteous enough to have God’s favor, without the help of the Holy Spirit.
Believers Today Have The Holy Spirit, So We are Without Excuse!
As a Christian, you have a lot more power over sin than the people in the Old Testament did, and if they could achieve God seeing them as great, then so can you.
If you believe the Gospel, are fully committed to Christ, and diligently obeying Him, then God sees you as a Great Friend, not as a sheep gone astray or as an evil sinner.
Don’t allow wolves masquerading as Pastors tear you down. They only do that to gain manipulative power over you, and to make them feel comfortable in their own evil sins.On Judgment Day God will call you Great, and He will cast them into Hell!
The Emerging Science That Will Cause God’s Judgement.
The scientific community is moving to create human/animal hybrids for medical research, and a recent survey alarmingly showed that most Americans would be in favor of such research.
The Bible says very plainly that everything is supposed to only reproduce with its own kind. Meaning humans with humans only, not humans with animals!
Genesis 1:25 “And God made the beast of the earth after his
kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth
after his kind: and God saw that it was good.”
In addition, all humans are made in the image of God, animals are not. To mix a human with an animal desecrates God’s image!
Genesis 1: 26-28 “And God said, Let us make man in our
image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea,
and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and
over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in
his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he
them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply,
and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the
sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon
the earth.”
Furthermore, all humans are of the same kind.
We all came from the first 2 people, and the Bible says we are all of one blood. Therefore, skin color does not matter, just like hair and eye color do not matter. Any human can marry any other human.
Acts 17:26a “And hath made of one blood all nations of men
for to dwell on all the face of the earth…”
Now, a Christian is to only marry another Christian, but that is a spiritual thing, not a physical thing.
2 Corinthians 6:14 “Be ye not unequally yoked together with
unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and
what communion hath light with darkness?”
Moreover, to mix one kind of animal with another kind of animal desecrates that part of God’s creation.
It is only supposed to be goats with goats, sheep with sheep, mice with mice, dogs with dogs etc. Different kinds of animals are not to mix.
I have heard reports recently of people trying to mix goats
and sheep together. The offspring usually die, but a few have lived. Goats and
sheep are not the same kind of animal. They are not supposed to mix.
One of the reasons why God sent the world-wide flood in Genesis and had Noah build the Ark, was because people were mixing humans with animals, mixing different kinds of animals together, and fallen angels (devils) were mixing with humans.
The Bible says that all flesh had corrupted their ways.
Genesis 6:12 “And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it
was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.”
The book of Jasher (which is not part of the Bible, but it is a history book, and is mentioned in the Bible) says that people were mixing with animals and mixing different kinds of animals together before the flood.
Now, since the book of Jasher is not part of the Bible we cannot base our salvation on it, but since it is a history book, we can trust the historical accounts in it as much as we can any other ancient historical documents.
The Bible seems to agree with this historical account of humans and animals mixing in that it says the whole earth was corrupt and that all flesh had corrupted their ways.
And the Bible does say that fallen angels were mixing with humans before the flood.
Genesis 6:1-8 “And it came to pass, when men began to
multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, That the
sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them
wives of all which they chose. And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always
strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred
and twenty years. There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after
that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare
children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every
imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it
repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his
heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face
of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the
air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. But Noah found grace in the
eyes of the LORD.”
Jude 1:6 “And the angels which kept not their first estate,
but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under
darkness unto the judgment of the great day.”
Later, God expressly prohibited the mixing of humans and animals, and said that the penalty for doing so should be death.
Leviticus 18:23 “Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to
defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie
down thereto: it is confusion.”
Leviticus 20:16 “And if a woman approach unto any beast, and
lie down thereto, thou shalt kill the woman, and the beast: they shall surely
be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.”
(Just because God commanded this in the Old Testament does not mean that it is no longer valid today. Nowhere in the New Testament did God ever change this law. The only laws God changed in the New Testament were the ceremonial laws like keeping the Sabbath, not eating certain animals etc. All the moral laws still stand, and governments are still supposed to administer God’s commanded penalties for breaking those laws.)
Romans 13:3-4 “For rulers are not a terror to good works,
but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is
good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to
thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth
not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute
wrath upon him that doeth evil.”
In addition, Satan is the author of confusion, not God.
1 Corinthians 14:33a “For God is not the author of confusion…”
A human/animal hybrid is not a good thing, it is confusion. It is a physical corruption of God’s creation.
Corrupting God’s image by mixing humans and animals together makes God angry and causes His judgment.
If we want God’s blessing in our Country and not His wrath,
then America must not allow any kind of mixing between animals and humans, or
between different kinds of animals, for any reason.
If the doctors and scientists would repent and seek God for cures, He would show them the cures for all diseases without having to do any of these kinds of experiments.
God created the whole universe. He created a cure for
everything, and He would show it to the doctors and scientists, if they would
just seek Him and not lean on their own corrupted understanding.
Proverbs 3:5-8 “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and
lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he
shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and
depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.”
See, the Bible promises that if the doctors and
scientists seek God, then He will show them the proper cures to be healthy.
Now, a human/animal hybrid is a physical corruption of God’s creation, but the Bible teaches that they do have eternal souls, because they are part human.
Look at Jesus’ Great Commission:
Mark 16:15 “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world,
and preach the gospel to every creature.”
Why does it say creature and not human?
The word creature in this verse means thing, creation,
creature (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible with Greek and Hebrew Dictionaries
#2931 in the Greek).
Now, the Bible teaches that animals do not have eternal souls, they cannot be saved, and they do not go to heaven.
The Bible says in, Ecclesiastes 3:21 “Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?”
Ecclesiastes 12 :7 “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.”
After death every human spirit goes up to God for judgment, but every animal spirit simply returns back to the earth. Their whole being just goes back to dust and becomes non-existent. Animals do not have eternal souls.
Humans have eternal souls. God’s breath gave us our eternal souls at creation.
Genesis 2:7 “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the
ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a
living soul.”
This is why all humans go to God for judgment after death.
Hebrews 9:27 “And as it is appointed unto men once to die,
but after this the judgment:”
So, humans have souls that need to be saved through the Gospel, but animals do not.
So, why did Jesus say to go preach the Gospel to every creature?
Because a human/animal hybrid is a creature, and since they are part human, they have eternal souls, they have a sin nature, and they need to be saved through the Gospel too (the same is also true of human/fallen angel hybrids).
Human/animal hybrids are nothing new. There have been
reports of them throughout history. Some people think these reports are just
myths, but some of the reporters were men of authority and high respect like Captain
Richard Whitbourne, Henry Hudson who first sailed into the Hudson Bay, and
Captain John Smith.
Jesus was teaching His church in the Great Commission that
we must reach the human/animal creatures with the Gospel too.
Moreover, since these creatures have eternal souls and God wants to save them, then they also have God-given unalienable human rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Since human/animal hybrids do have God-given human rights, it is a double sin to produce these human/animal hybrids in order to enslave them for medical research or any other reason.
The Bible also says that when Christ sets up His Millennial Reign on the earth, then these creatures will be delivered from their physical corruption.Meaning God will make them fully human.
Romans 8:19-21 “ For the earnest expectation of the creature
waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made
subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the
same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the
bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.”
So, these human/animal hybrid creatures were not willfully
made the way they are, but were forced to be that way by some human, who hoped
to gain something (like medical cures) from making them that way.
When Christ sets up His earthly kingdom these creatures will be delivered from their bondage of physical corruption. God will fully heal them and make them fully human. And they will partake of our liberty in Christ’s kingdom, as long as they have received the Gospel or if they did not have the mental capacity to receive the Gospel. In that case God would see them as innocent as a fully human baby.
Now these creatures, just like full humans who are adults,
will go to hell if they can understand the Gospel, but do not get saved.
Spiritually God sees these creatures as equal to us. He judges us all by the
same standard.
In closing, it is a sin to make these creatures, and it is a sin to enslave or kill the ones that already exist.
Committing these sins will cause God’s destructive judgment on society.
If we want God’s blessings and not His judgment, then we must stop these experiments, and seek to protect and preach the gospel to any of these creatures that we ever find to already exist.
I know this is not a popular view, but this is what the Word
of God says, and this is where I stand.
In this article, I will give you proof beyond reasonable doubt that Jesus Christ arose from the dead.
The reasonable doubt standard.
The reasonable doubt standard is the judicial standard. Courts decide everyday whether or not people live or die based on this standard. It is the most sure standard we can have.
The reality of possible doubt.
There is always room for possible doubt, because if someone has a presupposition to not believe something, they can always make up something to deny all evidence that does not agree with their presupposition.
The reality of possible doubt is why lawyers are so careful with Jury selection. They must make sure that no one on the jury has any presuppositions of the suspect being guilty or innocent, because bias could lead to a false conclusion and a false conviction.
So, in order for you, or anyone else, to believe any evidence contrary to what you already believe, you must first get rid of your presupposition.
The Apostles all gave eyewitness accounts that Jesus died on a cross and bodily, arose from the dead.
Luke 24:39 “Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.”
1 John 1:1 “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;”
Therefore, if Jesus did not die on a cross and rise from the dead, the apostles were either:
Wrong (He did not really die, He was just unconscious.)
Lying (They just made it up.)
Fooled (After Jesus died, an impostor convinced them that He was Jesus risen.)
Delusional (They had a vision.)
Influenced (Only one disciple had a vision and was so influential that the rest believed it.)
Distorted (They or others distorted the account of Jesus’ death and resurrection over time.)
Were they wrong?
There is proof beyond reasonable doubt that the disciples were not wrong about Jesus dying, because:
The Roman soldiers said He was dead and did not break His legs. They broke the legs of the 2 thieves in order to make them suffocate and die faster, because with their legs broken they could not push up in order to breath. If the soldiers had made a mistake like that, (letting a condemned person live) they would have lost their heads.
Blood and water both came out when Jesus’ side was pierced. We now know because of medical science that this happened because His heart had failed and water had collected in Jesus’ lungs (Called Pleural Effusion), so when His side was pierced his lung was also pierced and the water came out. A person cannot survive this, at least not without immediate and expert medical care, which they did not have back then.
The fact that both blood and water came out proves beyond reasonable doubt that Jesus was dead. Now I guess you can try to make up something to say that even with this, Jesus did not actually die. Anything is possible. But the reasonable conclusion is that Jesus was dead at this point. Remember we are just doing away with reasonable doubt, not all doubt, because it is always possible to doubt, but it is not always reasonable to doubt.
Were they lying?
It is also unreasonable to believe that the disciples were lying about Jesus’ resurrection.
All 12 disciples ended up dying horrible deaths for it decades after it happened, and they were scattered throughout the world. They no longer had the support of each other. None of the others would have known if one of them had recanted, but none of them did, they all died. Why would they die for a lie? It is possible, but it is not reasonable.
Also, if they were lying why would they write that women were the first eye-witnesses to see Jesus alive. In the culture back then the word of a man was seen to be more reliable than the word of a woman. The only reason why the Apostles would have written that a woman saw Jesus first was if that is what happened, and they were just recording the facts.
Furthermore, why would they have written of things that made no sense at that time. Like, both blood and water coming out of Jesus’ side, or Him sweating drops of blood (also now known to be a rare medical phenomenon)?
The Apostles could not explain these things. Someone who lies about something makes sure that all facts can be explained, so to make it more believable. The only reason why they would write something unexplainable like this, is because they actually seen it happen, and they were just simply recording what they saw.
Just as they claimed they were.
Acts 4:20 “For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”
It may be possible that the apostles lied, but in light of
this evidence, them lying is not a reasonable conclusion.
Were they fooled by an impostor?
The fact that no regular person can walk through walls, or just ascend up into heaven is proof beyond reasonable doubt that the disciples were not fooled by an impostor.
Were they delusional?
It is also unreasonable to believe that they were delusional, because 12 people or even 500 people are not going to have the same vision. That is just ridiculous. I guess if you just did not want to believe it you could claim it is possible. But that is not a reasonable claim.
Were they influenced?
We have proof beyond reasonable doubt that they were not just influenced by one person having a vision.
The Bible gives us multiple accounts of all the disciples seeing Jesus, and says that 500 people saw Him after He arose. The “influenced” argument is “possible,” because anything is “possible”, but it is not reasonable.
Did they distort the account of Jesus’ resurrection over time?
We also have proof beyond reasonable doubt that the account of the Resurrection of Jesus has not been distorted over time.
The Gospels were written within 60 years after Jesus died. The earliest Christian writings of Ignatius of Antioch, Polycarp of Smyrna, Papias of Hierapolis etc all agree with the Gospels and say that Jesus died on a cross and arose from the dead 3 days later. And still today all religions that claim to follow Jesus Christ say that Jesus died on a Cross and arose from the dead 3 days later.
Therefore, it is unreasonable to believe that the account of Jesus’ death and resurrection have been distorted and changed over time.
I have now given you evidence beyond all reasonable doubt that Jesus Christ arose from the dead.
Now it is still possible for you to doubt (only because you don’t want to believe), but it is not reasonable.
Even people who saw Jesus doubted, even though they were looking at Him.
Matthew 28:17 “And when they saw him, they worshipped him:
but some doubted.”
So, it is possible to doubt Christ’s resurrection, but it is not reasonable to doubt it.
Moreover, since it is unreasonable to believe that the disciples were: wrong, lying, fooled, delusional, Influenced or distorted the account of Jesus’ resurrection, or that the account has been distorted by others over time, the only reasonable conclusion is that they were accurate. Jesus truly did die on a cross and arise from the dead 3 days later.
And since, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is true, that proves that:
Jesus Christ is God, because no mere human can raise themselves from the dead.
The Bible is true, because Jesus said it was, and since He is God, He would know. And since the Bible got the most important thing right (Christ’s resurrection), it is reasonable to believe it got everything else right.
John 17:17 “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is
truth.”
Jesus is the only way to Heaven. Since Jesus is God and died to save us, He would decide how we got to heaven.
John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth,
and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
And that anyone who did not go through Him to get to Heaven would go to Hell, because this is what Jesus said.
Matthew 23:33 “Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?” If you read the few verses before this one you will see he was speaking to the religious leaders who did not believe in Him.
John 8:24 “I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.” If you go to this passage in the Bible and look at verse 13 you will see that he was talking to the religious leaders who did not believe in Him, just like He was in Matthew 23.
So, yes, Jesus did say that people die in their sins and go to Hell if they do not believe in Him.
Jesus said there is fire in Hell.
Jesus said so in Mark 9:43-44 “ And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched. Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.” These verses mean to get rid of whatever is stopping you from getting saved, so you do not go to Hell, even if it is a physical body part.”
The phrase “their worm dieth not” is simply saying that people will not die in Hell, but that hey will be tormented in fire forever.
Man is referred to as a “worm” in Job 25:6 “How much less
man, that is a worm? and the son of man, which is a worm?”
Revelation 14:11a “And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night,” Another verse showing people are tormented in Hell forever.
Nothing is worth going to Hell for.
Matthew 16:26 “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”
If you have never received Jesus Christ as your Savior, please go to the page How to Get to Heaven to learn how to now.
The Bible says that Faith is the evidence for there being a God.
Hebrews 11:1 “Now faithis the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Natural processes cannot explain the existence of faith, only God can.
Just think about it for a moment. If life originated from any kind of natural process, and not from a Supernatural act by a Supernatural Being (God), then how do you explain the existence of faith?
Why do most humans feel the need to believe in something supernatural, if everything is just natural?
What about transformed lives?
Furthermore, if there is no God, if the Bible is not true, if Jesus is not real, then why are so many people’s lives dramatically transformed, when they just simply believe in Jesus and start obeying the Bible?
How do you explain all the testimonies of people whose lives were a mess until they believed in Jesus and started obeying the Bible? They were drug addicts, drunkards, prostitutes, criminals, etc. Some of them tried everything (like counseling, discipline, even other religions) to turn over a new leaf and get their lives straitened out. Some of them had their family and the law try to straighten them out, but nothing worked!
Until they committed their lives to Jesus Christ, and started obeying His Word, then suddenly they never drank, did drugs, committed crimes, or prostituted ever again.
You can find a lot of testimonies like these by going to churches and talking to Christians, and there are a lot of them on Youtube as well.
Jesus Christ is the only explanation for these transformed lives!
These transformations are not caused by any natural process, but by a Supernatural act by a Supernatural Being (Jesus Christ).
2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
If you have never had any of your own experiences with God, you can know that He is real based upon the testimonies of other people’s experiences. The truth is, you may not have your own experience with God until you do believe in Jesus.
The Bible says that faith is the evidence for the existence of God, the truth of the Bible, the reality of Jesus being God, and all other things supernatural.
Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the… evidence of things not seen.”
So science and history can be debated all day long, but the fact is there is a God that created everything! And the existence of faith itself, is the evidence that proves that fact! And since there is a God, you are accountable to Him!
What does God require of you?
To repent of your sins and believe in Jesus.
The Bible says:
Acts 17:30 “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:”
Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”
Romans 5:8 “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 5:12 “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:”
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Jesus is both God and the Son of God.
John 1:1-3 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.”
John 1:14 “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”
John 10:30 “I and my Father are one.”
1 John 5:7 “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”
If you do not believe in Jesus, and repent of your sins before you die then you will be tormented in flames of fire for all eternity.
Hebrews 9:27 “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:”
Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (This death is not physical, but spiritual. It means that you will be separated from God and tormented in the Lake of fire for all eternity.)
Revelation 21:8 “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
Revelation 20:14-15 “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”
Revelation 14:11a “And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night” (You will never burn up and stop existing in Hell, you will be tormented in flames forever.)
Mark 9:43 “And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:”
Matthew 16:26 “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”
How to Be Saved:
Romans 10:9 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
You must believe that Jesus arose from the dead in a flesh and bone body, not just in Spirit form.
Luke 24:36-40 “And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet.”
To believe in Jesus does not mean to only be fully persuaded in your mind of who Jesus is and what He did.
The word “believe” in Romans 10:9 in the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance roots backwards twice to a word, which means “obey” (the word believe is Strong’s # 4100 in the Greek, which comes from # 4102, which comes from # 3982, which means obey and also yield).
This shows that true faith is rooted in obedience.
Therefore, in order to fulfill the requirements of salvation in Romans 10:9 you must be fully persuaded in your mind of who Jesus Christ is and what He has done, and your heart must change from wanting to sin to wanting to obey God. This is an immediate change of your heart (meaning desire and will).
It means that you yield (submit) your will to God’s will. That is repentance of sins, and it is required for you to receive forgiveness of your sins.
All of your actions may not change immediately after you get saved, but you are going to be so convicted over your sin, when you mess up, that you are going to cry out to God to help you to change. This is the only way you can go to heaven.
If you have never done this, please do it now. Here is a prayer that you can pray word for word or use as a guide to tell God that you believe the gospel, repent of your sins and ask Him to forgive you of your sins.
The prayer does not save you.
The decision to believe in Jesus and repent of your sins is what saves you.
The prayer just helps you tell God that you have made these decisions.
Here is the prayer you can pray, if you have made the decisions written above:
“Dear God, I know that I am a sinner and I believe that Jesus Christ died on a cross and bodily arose from the dead 3 days later to pay for my sins. I repent of my sins. Please forgive me of my sins and help me to obey you and live for you for now on. Please take me to heaven when my life on this earth is over. Thank you for saving me. In Christ Jesus name, Amen.”
