A message to the doubter...

There has been one TV preacher that I have learned from and respect, and believe me that is rare. The Holy Spirit has obviously come out of this man and here is one of his best teachings...


CLAIMS THAT JESUS MADE

Regardless of the source, the only Jesus in history will be found
making one or more of the following claims.

a)Jesus spoke that He would be killed but would rise on the
third day. (Mark 10:33-34; Matthew 20:19)

b)He spoke that He had been sent to save the world and
salvation came only from believing in Him. (John 3:16-18)

c)Something was wrong with the whole world that could only
be set right by his death being a "ransom". (Matthew 20:28)

d)He spoke of God as His Father and that men should honor
the Son as they honored the Father. (John 5:23)

e)He spoke that those who believed in Him would have
everlasting life. (John 14:6)

f)He claimed to be the Son of God. (John 9:35-37)

g)He spoke that no man could come to the Father except
through Him. (John 14:6)

h)He spoke in His teachings of heaven and eternity from
the inside. "I saw Satan cast down." (Luke 10:18)
And, "Before Abraham, I was." (John 8:58)
And, "There is joy in heaven by the angels when a
sinner repents." (Luke 15:10)

i)He spoke that He was to be the judge of all things
including man. (John 5:22)

j)Jesus thought of Himself as perfect by presuming himself
adequate to forgive sin (Matthew 9:6) and be the redeemer and
Savior of mankind (Matthew 16:16-17).
It doesn't matter whether he was perfect,  he thought he was
and it is not man's nature to accept someone who thinks of
himself as perfect.  Mankind certainly does not make saints of
people who think they're perfect.

So from the claims that Jesus made one can only conclude that:

a) Jesus was a liar and a fraud or
b) He was who and what He claimed to be.
c) A GOOD AND WISE TEACHER

Some say that Jesus was a "good and wise teacher". One can be wise
and be a liar which only makes him a "good" liar. One can be good
and lie without the realization that he is lying in which case he
cannot be wise.

Therefore, one cannot call Jesus both "good and wise" without
accepting that He was what He said He was.

CAN JESUS BE "JUST" A PROPHET

The claims that Jesus made suggest that He considered Himself more
than a prophet. A mere prophet from God would never make the
statement that he "should be afforded the same honor as the one (God)
who had sent him" and mere prophets do not claim that they can forgive
sin. Therefore, if one is to afford Jesus the status of being one
of "God's prophets" then all the other claims that Jesus made should
be accepted as well.

THE RESURRECTION IS THE KEY

One of the qualifications of a prophet is his predictions must be
verifiable by witnesses. We tend to focus on the "long term"
prophecies of the Prophets of old as these are the ones most
relevant to us.
Short term prophecies, those that can be verified during the "time"
of the prophet, are important because they serve to identify him
immediately as a prophet and thus give credibility to his longer
term predictions.

The following verse in the Gospel of Mark obviously qualifies
as a "short term" prediction or prophecy from Jesus. One that could
be verifiable in His "time".

(Mark 9:31) For he taught his disciples, and said unto them,
"The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall
kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day."

The portion of this prediction of significant importance is Jesus'
claim that after being killed He would "rise on the third day".
It's obvious that a miracle from God must occur for this prediction
to come to fruition.

Thus, the Resurrection is the key to determining whether the claims of
Jesus were just a bunch of lies or if He was who He said He was.

THE FACTS

To argue His resurrection one must begin with some general assumable
facts. i.e. we can't argue a resurrection took place unless
we first assume "a life and a death were present" prior to the
resurrection. The following not only are recorded in the scriptures
but are easily backed up by the writings of historians of the period.
(i.e. Josepheus).

1)Jesus lived.
2)He was crucified and considered dead.
3)He was buried in a known accessible tomb.
4)The tomb was found to be empty on the third day.
5)It was preached (by the disciples) that He had was raised up
and had ascended to Heaven.
6)The Jewish leaders who instigated the crucifixion would
be most interested in disproving the resurrection even more
than we would today.
7)The early Church leaders (the disciples) were persecuted for
preaching the resurrection message.
8)The tomb was found empty.

COMMON ARGUMENTS AGAINST RESURRECTION

1)The disciples stole the body of Jesus.
2)The Romans stole the body.
3)The Jewish leaders stole the body.
4)The women went to the wrong tomb.
5)He (Jesus) wasn't really dead when he was placed in
the tomb and He resuscitated
6)Everyone was hallucinating.
7)The disciples made the whole thing up and were lying
when they preached the resurrection.
8)It's all true. The disciples are telling exactly what
they saw and experienced.

a)Had the Romans or the Jews stolen the body (arguments 2 & 3),
they could easily have disproved the Resurrection and expose Jesus
as a fraud by simply producing the body if they were in possession of it.

b)Had the women gone to the wrong tomb (argument 4) they would have
simply kept looking until they found the right one.

c)No one ever survived a Roman crucifixion (argument 5).
Further, John reports (John 19:34) that Jesus was pierced with a
Roman spear as a final gesture to assure His death.

d)Hallucinations are temporary and do not change reality.
If it had just been hallucinations, there would have been a body in
the tomb. (argument 6).

e)The only arguments remaining center on the disciples.
Specifically, the disciples were either telling the truth when they
preached the crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus or they were
preaching lies.

A LOOK AT THE DISCIPLES

Prior to the death and resurrection of Jesus the disciples were
disorganized in their understanding of the teachings of Jesus.
Peter was unstable in his faith as evidenced by his three denials
of Jesus. (Matthew 26:70-75). John was harsh and selfish to an extent
that Jesus actually referred to John and James as "the sons of thunder"
(Mark 3:17). Thomas was always filled with doubt.

Cowards, fearing for their own lives, all the disciples with
the exception of John, deserted Jesus when He was arrested and carried
away to be crucified. It appears that John was the only disciple that
was present at the crucifixion.

The disciples underwent cataclysmic changes after the Resurrection. They
show consistency in their understanding and preaching of what Jesus had
taught them. Peter became the epitome of stability within the Church.
John's ways were transformed from selfishness to loving and Thomas became
a full believer never to doubt again. Thomas preached in India which was
probably the most difficult "assignment" of all. Their cowardice was
transformed to that of courage as they preached throughout the "then known"
world.

THE FINAL ARGUMENT

Finally, to answer the question, "Were the disciples preaching lies or
were they telling what they knew to be the truth concerning the death and
Resurrection of Jesus".

The disciples were scattered throughout different countries as they
preached the Gospel. They preached alone not knowing if they would ever
see their fellow disciples again.

All the disciples, with the exception of John, were tortured, persecuted
and eventually put to death for preaching the resurrection. (The following
compilation is taken from Fox's Book of Martyrs by John Fox)

1)Peter was crucified in Rome.
2)Andrew was crucified in Edessa.
3)James was killed by the sword in Jerusalem.
4)Philip was crucified in Heliopolis, Phyrgia.
5)Bartholomew was beaten and crucified in India.
6)Thomas was speared by idolatrous priests in Parthia, India.
7)Matthew was axed to death in Nadabah, Ethiopia.
8)James (the son of Alphaeus) was clubbed to death in Jerusalem at the
age of 94.
9)Thaddaeus was crucified in Edessa.
10)Simon "Zeolotes" was crucified in Brittainnia.
11)Stephen was stoned to death and was the first to be martyred.
12)Paul (an apostle) was beheaded in Rome.
13)Matthias (an apostle) was stoned and beheaded in Jerusalem.
14)Mark (an apostle) was dragged to death in Alexandria.
15)Luke (an apostle) was hanged by priests in Greece.

Any of the disciples could have saved his own life by simply admitting
that he was preaching lies. Most likely none of the other disciples would
have ever known of such an admission since they were separated from the
others. Each of the disciples died alone.

Yet, not a single disciple retracted his story! They preached the death
and Resurrection of Jesus Christ even unto their own deaths. They preached
what they knew had happened. They were witnesses to the events that Jesus
had predicted. Jesus came out of the tomb as He said He would and since He
did then Jesus has to be everything He claimed He was.

The Seven Sacraments--Unction PODCAST

The Seven Sacraments--Unction PODCAST
File size: 57.4 MB Run Time: 71 minutes
09/17/07

This is the seventh and final podcast in the Seven Sacraments series. We discuss the reality of healing and our personal experiences with the healing power of Jesus Christ. We use an Episcopal tract as the base of this podcast and add biblical significance, clarification and opinion to the statements from the tract.
If you have any experience with healing, we ask that you leave your comments.

Technorati:christian podcast,podcast,podcast,PODCASTING,BIBLE STUDY PODCAST,FAITH PODCASTING

Outspoken Women, Theories, and Evolution

I was watching The View and Barbara Walters brought up Pope Benedict's recent statement regarding the absurdity of believing solely in Creationism or Evolution...we can just believe in BOTH!!!

I don't think so.

The discussion between the ladies was quite revealing. The statements made by Elisabeth Hasselbeck, who generally takes the more conservative view and is a Christian, were the closest to Truth of any of the ladies (including Joy Behar, who was raised Catholic). In discussing her views and beliefs, she stated that she believes the seven day creation spoken about in Genesis 1 may not have been in the 24 hour day span we believe to be one day.

*For our view on this, refer to Introduction to the Bible on our website.

Hasselbeck also discussed the flaw she sees in completely separating church and state. While the discussion did not lead to Hasselbeck completely denying Evolution, she did state that she believes everything comes from God and He understands things down to the cellular level, so when discussing the origin of life in a science class, it does not make sense to her to completely leave God out of it. Science and God "blend" together.

It's safe to say that this is the accepted "norm" for most Christians. The other day I received an email from a gentleman claiming to be a Christian, but he thinks I'm crazy for believing Creation. The separation of church and state has forced the youngest generation at the time to learn, and accept, only evolution. My high school biology book makes it's easy to see why. It's filled with so many big words that make it difficult to understand and easy to cover up the huge gaps in it.

Thinking back, it was in 8th grade when I learned what a theory was.

theory (n) - a proposed explanation whose status is still conjectural, in contrast to well-established propositions that are regarded as reporting matters of actual fact.

The Big Bang was introduced as an example of a theory. What does that do to evolution, which has been accepted as fact? If the very thing that started evolution is a theory, what does that say about the "fact"?

As a scientist, you are taught to constantly question. As a student learning science, you are required to accept things because they are published in your books. Anyone else noticing the double standard here?

The point is that you cannot accept both. It's one or the other. Evolution is full of big words and confusing statements. Creation is clear, simple, and easy to understand. We keep finding that pattern: man talks in circles, God and the writers of the Bible make very clear statements.

It takes a much bigger leap of faith to believe evolution than it does Creation. But, the choice is up to you.

Lost Tribe of Manasseh has been found? TRY AGAIN

Members of Manasseh, the Lost tribe?
They don't look Hebrew?

Point # 1-
To be Hebrew, the rule is not to intermarry with Gentiles. If we follow the theory that these Lost Tribes are Hebrews (Jews) and that when they are found in small numbers in India and China and once reunited then they will receive a little land in the nation of Israel like the tribes had in biblical times...makes little sense.

Using this theory opens the possibility for any small group of people to stand up and say;"Hey! We are the tribe of Dan! Why? Because we say so! Gives us some land in Israel." The promises to these tribes are too significant and history shows us the proof. How hard is it for a group of people to start there own nation? Answer: Almost impossible! It takes Divine Providence for such an event to happen. For the Lost Tribes to be only Jews scattered through India and China...even creates problems within Jewish Law. There is truth in the promises and who the tribes are...if we look at the bible in depth.

Have these scattered tribes in India and China intermarried with Gentiles? Yes. Are the lost tribes Jews or Gentiles? We say that the 10 lost tribes are GENTILES and 2 tribes are Jews based on Scripture and common sense. These lost tribes are not a few thousand scattered people in foreign lands practicing Judaism...they have become nations or their own fulfilling the birthright promises as stated in Genesis!!

Here is some information from a website found HERE:
Intermarriage in the Torah

According to the Torah, Jews should not intermarry because their children will turn to other religions. "You shall not intermarry with them: do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons. For you will turn your children away from Me to worship other gods..." (Deuteronomy 7:1-3).

Intermarriage in Judaism Today

There is an ongoing debate about interfaith marriage in the Jewish community today.

Orthodox Judaism's View of Intermarriage

All branches of Orthodox Judaism, both Haredi and non-Haredi, view intermarriage as wrong and refer to intermarriage as a "Second Silent Holocaust."


Point #2 -
The Tribes including the two sons of Joseph have specific promises given to them.
Again...how do these supposed members from India fulfill the promises?

Point #3-
If you read the promises (at the bottom of the page) from the Bible, it is clear that
the Tribe of Manasseh is a country...Great Britain.
Who is the older son of Joseph?
Answer: Manasseh!
Which is older? The United States or Great Britain?
Answer: Great Britain!
Who is more powerful? The United States or Great Britain?
Answer: The Untied States.
Who is wiser? The United States or Great Britain?
Answer: Great Britain...Why? One reason is that the British are the standard for English.

TEL AVIV - One-hundred-seventy-four people from a group of thousands in
India that believes it is one of the 10 "lost tribes" of Israel landed
here this week, fulfilling for many a life-long dream of returning to
what they consider their homeland.

Shavei Israel, a Jerusalem-based organization led by American Michael
Freund, hopes to bring to the Jewish state the remaining 7,000 Indian
citizens who believe they are the Bnei Menashe, the descendants of Manasseh,
one of biblical patriarch Joseph's two sons and a grandson of Jacob.

The tribe lives in the two Indian states of Mizoram and Manipur, to
which they claim to have been exiled from Israel more than 2,700 years
ago by the Assyrian empire.

"I truly believe this is a miracle of immense historical and even
biblical significance," Freund told WND as the group of 174 arrived
here earlier this week.

"Just as the prophets foretold so long ago, the lost tribes of Israel
are being brought back from the exile," said Freund, who previously
served as deputy communications director under former Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Another planeload of 57 Bnei Menashe is slated to touch down in Israel
tomorrow.

The group, which has preserved ancient Jewish customs and rituals, has
been trying the past 50 years to return to Israel.

Over the last decade, Freund's Shavei Israel, at times working with
other organizations, brought about 1,200 Bnei Menashe members to the
Jewish state.
Many settled in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria. About 80 lived in Gaza's
slate of Jewish communities, which were evacuated by the Israeli
government in 2005.

The original batches of Bnei Menashe to arrive here were brought to
Israel as tourists in an agreement with Israel's Interior Ministry.
Once here, the Bnei Menashe converted officially to Judaism and became
citizens.


But diplomatic wrangling halted the immigration process in 2003, with
officials from some Israeli ministries refusing to grant the rest of
the group still in India permission to travel here.

To smooth the process, Freund enlisted the help of Israel's chief
rabbinate, which flew to India in 2005 to meet with and consider
converting members of the Bnei Menashe. Once legally Jewish, the tribe can
apply for Israeli citizenship under the country's "Law of Return," which
guarantees sanctuary to Jews from around the world.

Six rabbis were sent by Israel's Sephardic chief rabbi, Shlomo Amar,
to begin converting the Bnei Menashe. The rabbis met with hundreds of tribal
members, testing their knowledge of Judaism and assessing their conviction,
converting 216 individuals - over 90 percent of the members interviewed.



"The rabbis were incredibly impressed with the Bnei Menashe," said
Freund.
"They saw for themselves that the group is very serious and should
be integrated into the Jewish nation. That they are a blessing to the state
of Israel."



Last year, 218 converted members arrived in Israel. Freund hoped to
repeat the process for 231 more Bnei Menashe who had been approved for
conversion, but the Indian government, which heavily restricts conversions,
put a halt on the plan.



Instead, the batch of Bnei Menashe that arrived this week were brought
to Israel as tourists in coordination with the Israeli government.
Once here, the tribe will be officially converted by the country's chief
rabbinate and qualify for Israeli citizenship.

The new immigrants will spend the next few months studying Hebrew and
Judaism at a Shavei Israel absorption center in northern Israel.

The Bnei Menashe that arrived here over the years have fully transited
into Israeli society. Many attended college and rabbinic school, moved
to major Israeli communities and even joined the Israel Defense Forces.

Twelve Bnei Menashe served in the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip and
in Lebanon in 2006. One of them, Avi Hanshing, a 22-year old paratrooper,
was injured during a clash with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
Hanshing's father was among those who arrived here earlier this week in
an emotional reunion at Israel's international airport.

"As much as we might think that Israel is helping the Bnei Menashe, it
is the reverse that is true. It is they who strengthen us - with their
faith, with their commitment and with their undying love for Zion,"
said Freund.


According to Bnei Menashe oral tradition, the tribe was exiled from
Israel and pushed to the east, eventually settling in the border regions
of China and India, where most remain today. Most kept customs similar to
Jewish tradition, including observing Shabbat, keeping the laws of Kosher,
practicing circumcision on the eighth day of a baby boy's life and observing
laws of family purity.

In the 1950s, several thousand Bnei Menashe say they set out on foot to
Israel but were quickly halted by Indian authorities. Undeterred, many began
practicing Orthodox Judaism and pledged to make it to Israel.
They now attend community centers established by Shavei Israel to teach the
Bnei Menashe Jewish tradition and modern Hebrew.

Freund said he hopes the arrival this week of more Bnei Menashe would
"jump-start the process of bringing back the rest of the 7,000 Bnei Menashe
who are in India yearning to return home."

READ OUR PAPER HERE!  Below is an excerpt:

In Egypt Joseph had two sons: Ephraim and Manasseh. (Genesis 41:50-52) 
All 12 brothers become tribes except for Joseph.
 
Joseph is not made a tribe but his two sons (Ephraim and Manasseh) 
become tribes, as a double portion, a blessing. (48:5,21,22) 

The birthright is passed through Joseph and goes to Ephraim 
and Manasseh, but Ephraim is given the greater blessing (48:12-20) . 
Ephraim is given the right to the father’s name: Israel. 
***Realize that there are actually 13 tribes altogether.***
Even though Levi does not have land possession, Levi is still a tribe!



Moving forward through history........ 
 
After Joseph’s death,the children of Israel become slaves in Egypt. 
After 400 years they are led out of Egypt under Moses and 
wander in the desert for 40 years. 
The children of Israel are then led into the Promised Land under Joshua. 

The 13 Tribes of Israel eventually become nations, occupying  the
territory promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. After the reign of King Solomon
over the nation of  Israel,  the tribes split into two kingdoms:
Israel and Judah. 


Israel is the Northern Kingdom, headed by the tribe of Ephraim. 


Judah is the Southern Kingdom, headed by the tribe of Judah. 


There are 9 ½ tribes to the North, 2 ½ tribes to the South,
       and the Tribe of Levi is scattered throughout.
 

The people of the Northern Kingdom: Israel, are called Israelites 
                           
                            and 

  the people of the Southern Kingdom are Judahites (or Jews).
 

Only the Israelites of the Southern Kingdom are Jews. 
Ephraim (Israel) is taken into captivity 745 B.C. by the Assyrians.
Judah is taken into captivity 573 B.C. by the Babylonians. 

The Jews returned from captivity after 70 years. 
The northern tribes never return.
 
These northern tribes are the 10 “lost” tribes of Israel. 
But are they really lost? Or do they just have different names? 
Wherever these "lost" tribes are, they must be as numerous as 
     "the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore". 

Remember: 
Ephraim and Manasseh receive the birthright, not the Jews! 
The birthright promises AREN’T fulfilled when they become tribes. 
The birthright promises ARE fulfilled when they become nations...
    a multitude of nations, and many kings!

            Genesis 22:17
 
        "To Ephraim and Manasseh : 
    Blessed be everyone that blesses you, 
     cursed be everyone who curses you, 
      you will be exceedingly fruitful, 
  you will possess the gates of your enemies, 
   you will be a blessing to all nations 

  you will be as numerous as the sand on the
   seashore and as the stars in heaven."

Hosea 1:9-11 9
Then God said:
“Call his name Lo-Ammi,
For you are not My people,
And I will not be your God.
10 “Yet the number of the children of Israel
Shall be as the sand of the sea,
Which cannot be measured or numbered.
And it shall come to pass
In the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’
There it shall be said to them,
You are sons of the living God.’
11 Then the children of Judah and the children of Israel Shall be gathered together,
And appoint for themselves one head; And they shall come up out of the land,
For great will be the day of Jezreel!

Note: The children of Judah and the children of Israel are not the same. Becoming a son of the living God can only be obtained through being born again by the Spirit of God.

Where & when did the children of Israel become "not my people", then as numerous as the sand on the seashore, then a multitude of nations, and then "sons of the living God"?