Will the Real Jesus Stand Up?

Will the Real Jesus Stand Up?

Last Updated on April 18, 2022 12:59 PM by herald

In trying to disprove the act of creation, many scientists have spent countless hours and billions of dollars that could otherwise have been spent on moving millions out of poverty. 

Those efforts have largely backfired as there are now many scientists, Nobel Prize laureates included, who have challenged the idea of evolution and now support the idea of creation by an intelligent being.

There are several books that document the scientists who believe in God and of course the creation. You can peruse one book here.

The Anti-Christ Movement

Having not succeeded in debunking the creation, some scientists, philosophers and writers have expended much effort trying to disprove the human existence of Jesus.  One of the stratagems used by this “antichrist” movement is to prove that Jesus was someone other than who he said he was.

See for example, Huffington Post writer, Joel L. Watts 2013 review of a book written by Joseph Atwill, a computer scientist by profession, who set out to prove that Jesus was a character created by the Romans to keep the Jews under control.

You may be surprised at my use of the term “antichrist” here because you have heard about THE ANTICHRIST who is a specific historical figure yet to come. 

However, “antichrist” is actually a spirit or an ideology that is definitely not new.  There were antichrists even in the first century after Jesus’ death and resurrection.  The writer of 1 John makes this very clear after defining what the term anti-Christ means:

By this you will know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and which is already in the world at this time. I John 4: 2 – 3.

Note that John makes the appearance of Jesus in the flesh as the salient criterion for judging the authenticity Jesus. This is the foundational concept upon which all Christianity is based. As the Apostle Peter asserts:

For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.   2 Peter 1: 16 English Standard Version.

If Jesus did not come in the flesh, he could not have died on the cross and therefore, could not be the resurrected Lord; in which case, the Christian faith is dead.  The Apostle Paul puts it very bluntly:

And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. I Corinthians 15:17 NIV

Christ’s resurrection is so important that salvation is contingent upon it:

…If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9 BSB

Jesus the Prophesied

We should have no difficulty identifying the real Jesus because  his coming was prophesied thousands of years in advance and by a number of different persons in the Old Testament.   

Many indeed did come on the scene prior to Jesus’ arrival  to stake their claim as the Messiah (deliverer) of Israel and try to liberate it from foreign rule.   Most famous of all is the well documented revolt of the Macabees.

Knowing the hardness of heart of men, God in his wisdom gave many different men and women prophecies about Jesus long before he was born so that we would be able to identify him when he arrived on the scene.

Only the historical Jesus fulfilled EVERY prophecy that were made about him.  You can find a compilation of 68 prophecies about Jesus here.    

Not included in that list is the fact that Jesus  would be born in the time of the Roman Empire.  This is a key point of interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of the statue of different metals in Daniel Chapter 2.  

We briefly discussed the timing of events of that prophecy as they relate to the image of different metals in a recent article here.   

Notice it was the Roman Empire that was the dominant power around the time (160 BC – 285 AD) that Jesus was born.

In the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. Daniel 2:44 BSB

When Jesus came on the scene, true to Daniel’s prophecy, he preached the imminence of the Kingdom of God:

From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”  Matt 4: 17

False Messiahs False Concepts

There have been and will continue to be many false Messiahs and Jesuses as well as false concepts about Jesus.   Wayne Jackson has compiled a set of false concepts people  have  about Jesus. You can find that compilation here.

The problem today is that people do not study the Bible.  This includes so-called “Bible believing Christians” which is an irony all by itself.  People are all too willing to take in any kind of fake news,  forgetting that Bible was the first to issue warnings about fake news (See Matthew 24:26 – 28).  Sometimes this gullibility is perpetrated by people who should know better.

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Recently I was in a Facebook conversation and the subject came around to Jesus. On commenter opined that Jesus travelled throughout India.  A professional reporter in the chat replied “I can believe that”.  Now, I don’t get the sense that the comment was said tongue-in-cheek so I took it for what it was.

It became very interesting, however, when I challenged the individual on professional grounds about gullibility, verification of sources etc.

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The Bottom Line

We live in an age where freedom seems to be the single most important wish of all people.   The covid-19 pandemic made us acutely aware of how precious freedom is.

Freedom is a God given right. It includes the liberty to choose what one wants to believe.  But choice always comes with consequences. 

So we need to remember that while we have freedom of choice we do not have freedom to choose the consequences!  

For the most part, the consequences of our choices are hard-wired into the choices so to speak.  For example, you are free to cross the road at any time.  If you are very lucky you will cross uneventfully. But, if you are not so lucky you may be facing a fine or worse, become the latest road fatality!

We can believe whatever we want but we also need to remember that belief is not truth.  It may be surprising to some that there are people in 2022 who believe that the earth is flat rather than round or spherical!  

What you believe about Jesus matters.  In fact, it is a matter with eternal consequences.    

In our recent article here we noted that there is a prevailing belief that there are multiple paths to God.   Jesus says there is only one way and that is through him.   

“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. John 14:6 NLT

In another article we will discuss at length why it is logical that that must be the ONLY WAY.  However, if you have come that place where you acknowledge that Jesus is who he says he is, we invite you take the next logical step and “receive him”.

To “receive Jesus” means to accept his authority as the sinless son of God who offers the ONLY valid way back to a relationship with God the Father.  

But those that received him [Jesus], to them he gave authority to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his Name John 1: 12 Aramaic Bible in Plain English  

Take that step now with this simple prayer:

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Dear God I acknowledge that there is only one path back to you and that is through your sinless son Jesus Christ, the one spoken of in the Bible.  

I hereby acknowledge that Jesus as Lord and all the things said about him in your word.

I believe your raising him from the dead over 2000 years ago completed all that was necessary for my salvation.  

Even though I may not fully understand what it all means, I ask you to save me now as promised in Romans 10:9.

Help me understand all that this decision means means and requires from today onwards. Amen.   

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Dear reader, if you made that decision and offered up that prayer we would like to hear from you especially if you have any questions. 

We strongly suggest that you find a church or group of believers who can offer guidance and help you learn more about God’s plan of salvation. 

Unfortunately we cannot say that all church assemblies are equal so we suggest that you ask your heavenly Father to help you choose the right church assembly or group. It is his delight to help those who hunger and thirst for the truth.

Blessings!

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 “Herald” can be reached at thekingdomhearld@gmail.com or on Whatsapp 246-846-3191

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