You have never read the scriptural account of Jesus and his disciples like this. Free from the clutter of chapters, verses, headings, book titles, and cross-references, the gospels have been interwoven into one continuous narrative. It will open the most wonderful story ever written in a brand new way. The story of Jesus would be woefully incomplete if it didn’t include the actions of his disciples after his death, so the narrative continues through the book of Acts without any man-made interruptions. You can read a sample of the book by going clicking on the cover picture. Read and enjoy. Those who want to study this material in more depth, are referred to my book, Christianity, It’s Beginnings, also available from Amazon. In that book, the same text is presented with headings referencing the Scriptural source along with a series of thought provoking questions. In the Law given through Moses, God commanded the Israelites to remember the Sabbath Day and to keep it holy. One of the primary reasons given for this command was for the people to take the time, one day a week, to stop and remember that they had been slaves in Egypt and the Lord had brought them out with a mighty hand an outstretched arm (Deut. 5:15). He did not want them to forget.
After Christ’s resurrection, the disciples met on the First Day of the week, not the Sabbath. God gave us something as a reminder of what he has done for us. Each Sunday, just as the New Testament disciples did, once a week, we come together to break the bread of the Lord’s Supper and to drink the wine to remember that we were once slaves to sin before Christ provided a way for us to become free. If we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts (Rom. 6:7-12). (Continued)
B. Remember how Peter responded during Jesus’ trial when someone asked if he knew Jesus? U. Sure, he said he didn’t know him. I think he did that three times. B. Why do you think he did that? U. Probably because he was afraid they would arrest him. What do you think? B. I think you’re right. We talked last week about what Peter said on the day the church began. Do you remember that? U. He said that the Jews had killed Christ and they should repent and be baptized for the remission of sins. B. Does that sound like he was afraid? U. No, he sounded bold. B. After this, as Peter and John were going into the temple, Peter healed a man who had been lame since his birth. That attracted a large crown and as Peter was teaching them, the temple guard arrested them and put them in jail. The next day they were taken to the council, the same one who had condemned Jesus to die. Read what happened. U. When they had brought Peter and John before them, they asked, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, answered, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel, are we being called to account this day because of the good deed done to the crippled man? Are you asking by what power he is now made whole? Then, let each of you know, as well as everyone in Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth whom you crucified and who God raised from the dead, it is by him that this man stands here before you whole. This is the stone which was set aside by you builders, which has become the head of the corner. Salvation is not found in any other; there is no other name under heaven given to men whereby we must be saved.” He didn’t sound scared. B. And the council was angry. Read on. U. So they commanded that Peter and John be taken outside the council, and then they conferred among themselves. “What shall we do to these men?” they asked. “Indeed a notable miracle has been done by them and that is clear to everyone living in Jerusalem. We cannot deny that. The council didn’t try to deny the miracle because they knew they couldn’t. So what did they do? B. Read on, this continues their conversation. U. To try to stop this teaching from spreading among the people, let us strongly threaten them so they won’t speak to anyone anymore in this name.” Then they called Peter and John and commanded them not to speak at all or teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. We cannot stop speaking the things which we have seen and heard.” They didn’t seem to be afraid; they told them clearly they weren’t going to stop. Where did they get such courage? Peter didn’t have it before. B. On another time, Peter and the other apostles were teaching about Jesus the Christ in the temple when guards came and arrested them. They took them to the council, the same one who had ordered them to stop teaching about Jesus. Again the council warned them and this is how they responded. U. Then Peter and the other apostles answered, “We ought to obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus after you killed him by hanging him on a tree. God has exalted him to his own right hand as a Prince and a Savior to give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. We are his witnesses of these things, as is also the Holy Spirit that God gave to them who obey him.” When they heard this, they were furious and took counsel to kill them. B. Do they sound afraid in face of these threats? U. No. B. Where do you think they got their courage? U. Perhaps because they believed they had seen Jesus alive after he died. B. Exactly right. Let’s look at another example. Jesus’ brothers didn’t believe he was the Christ when he was alive. Look at what they said to him in John 7:2-5. U. But when the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles was near, Jesus' brothers said to him, "You ought to leave here and go to Judea, so that your disciples may see the miracles you do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world." For even his own brothers did not believe in him. I thought his mother remained a virgin. How did Jesus have brothers? B. Apparently everyone in his home town knew about his brothers. Read about what they said while they were trying to figure out how this man they had seen grow up in their small town got the power to perform miracles. Read Matthew 15:54. U. Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?" they asked. "Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother's name Mary, and aren't his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Sounds like they knew his family. B. Two of his brothers, James and Judas, or Jude, wrote books contained in the New Testament. Paul said Jesus appeared to James. Afterwards, he obviously believed in him because he became a strong leader in the Jerusalem church. We’ve already talked about his appearing to Paul. Did you know that Paul had once been called Saul and was a leader in trying to stamp out Christianity? U. No, I didn’t know that. B. The first Christian who was killed because of his faith was a man named Stephen. After he spoke to the council, they became so angry that they drug him outside and stoned him to death. That’s the first account of Paul or Saul. Read Acts 8:1 through 3. U. And Saul was there, giving approval to his death. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison. So why did he change? B. Because when he was on his way to Damascus to arrest Christians to bring to Jerusalem, Jesus appeared to him. The account is in Acts 9:3. U. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" "Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked. "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied. "Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do." What did Jesus tell him after he got to the city? B. Jesus didn’t tell him anything, but he sent a man named Ananias to see him and tell him what to do. Ananias didn’t want to go, so the Lord explained it to him in verses 15 though 19 and then he went. U. But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name." Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord--Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here--has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit." Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength. So, he was baptized. Were his sins forgiven? How was he to suffer? B. Several years later, Paul told about this day in Acts 22:12. U. A man named Ananias came to see me. He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there. He stood beside me and said, `Brother Saul, receive your sight!' And at that very moment I was able to see him. "Then he said: `The God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. You will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.' He said they were washed away. Guess that’s the same as being forgiven. B. There is one more interesting thing to consider about the resurrection. Do you remember who first learned he was risen? U. The women and Mary Magdalene when they went to the tomb. B. What’s interesting about that is that the testimony of women was not considered worthwhile at that time. Here are two comments made in the Talmud and by Josephus. U. Any evidence which a woman gives is not valid. Sooner let the words of the Law be burned than delivered by women. But don’t let the testimony of women be admitted on account of the levity and boldness of their sex. Sounds like they didn’t think much of a woman’s opinion. I certainly don’t feel like that, I value my wife’s opinion. But if they felt like that, why did they include the women’s testimony about finding the tomb empty and Mary Magdalene seeing Jesus? B. The only reason I can think of is that it was true testimony. It must have been quite embarrassing to the apostles that Jesus didn’t first appear to them. No man would have made up that story, it is just too embarrassing. Perhaps, it was to show what Paul later said, “There is neither male nor female, we are all one in Christ Jesus. So, what do you think about Jesus’ resurrection? U. I must admit, I never thought there was such evidence about Jesus’ resurrection. I see why you said Christianity was not a baseless religion, but rather, is based on evidence. And I haven’t found any inconsistencies in the Bible. But I need some time to think about these things. B. OK, let’s meet same time next week. U. See you then. B. Here’s what we covered. No Reasonable Doubt About These Jesus was alive before the cross He died on the cross The tomb was empty Jesus appeared to the women, his disciples, his brother, and over 500 at one time Historical Facts His disciples lost their fear His brothers became believers His first appearance to the women must have been a great embarrassment to the men. All of these blogs are on http://thinkersdiscuss.weebly.com/blog U. You have opened my eyes to the Bible and the prophecies that were made and came true. But, I just can’t conceive of Jesus being raised from the dead. No one was ever raised from the dead. All the doctors will tell you that. His disciples must have stolen his body so it would look like he was resurrected. (To the Audience) Does it make any difference anyway? B. Actually, Jesus was not the first person raised from the dead. There were at least two in the Old Testament. Elijah and Elisha both raised one each. Jesus himself raised three, then later Peter raised one and so did Paul. What distinguishes Jesus’ resurrection is that he said he would be raised on the third day and he never died again. Everyone else, as far as we know, died again U. You just named seven. I didn’t realize the Bible told of them. But do I really have to believe that these people and Jesus were raised from the dead? B. It makes a terrific difference whether Jesus was raised from the dead. But your question is not original as some in Corinth asked the same question in the first century. They evidently had trouble believing in resurrection after death. Paul answered them in 1st Corinthians 15:12-19 U. But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. Guess this answers my question. If Christ has not been raised, then Christianity is useless. B. That’s right. That’s why the Bible is so careful in presenting the data for us to evaluate. God didn’t expect us to believe such a difficult concept without providing solid proof. U. So, what is the proof? B. Is there any question that Jesus was alive when he was nailed to the cross? U. No, I’ll concede that. But did he really die or did the ignorant people just think he did. Perhaps Peter or some of the others gave him some drug that just made him look dead. B. If they did, then they must have been the greatest pharmacists ever because no one has ever been able to duplicate such a drug. If they had, it would be in great demand as a lot of people would love to be thought dead so they could escape the mess they made of their lives and start over again. But there is no such drug. U. Maybe they just thought he was dead. B. Let’s look at Jesus just before he died. Read from this version which weaves the four gospels together. U.From about noon until three o’clock, darkness came over the land. At about three, Jesus cried in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Later, Jesus knew that everything had been accomplished, so to fulfill scripture he said, “I am thirsty.” Someone filled a sponge with vinegar and placed it on a hyssop stem and put it to his mouth. Jesus drank the vinegar and said, “It is finished.” After again calling in a loud voice, “Father, I commit my spirit into your hands,” Jesus bowed his head and yielded his spirit. I guess giving up his spirit is the same as dying, but it doesn’t say anyone else knew it. Besides, he called out in a loud voice, don’t dying people’s voice weaken? B. Usually, but remember what we said last week, Jesus gave up his life. Let’s see what happened right after he died. U. When the centurion and his soldiers who were watching Jesus saw the earthquake and the other things that happened, they were very afraid and said, “Truly, this was the Son of God, a righteous man.” Everyone who had come to that place, when they saw what happened, smote their breasts, and left. There was an earthquake? B. That’s what it says. What was the reaction of the people to these things? U. The centurion thought he was the Son of God and everyone else seemed to be upset. Isn’t that what beating their breast signifies? But what they thought doesn’t prove he was dead. Where were his disciples? B. His friends and disciples were watching all this take place, but they weren’t very close. U. His friends and many of the women who had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for him were there watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and Salome. Then they were so far away they couldn’t be sure he was dead. He just looked dead. B. Let’s look at another witness. U. Because this was done on the preparation day, the Jews did not want the bodies to remain on the crosses on the Sabbath, (for that was a high Sabbath) They therefore requested Pilate to break the victims’ legs so they would die more quickly. The soldiers went and broke the legs of the first thief and then the other who was crucified with him. When they came to Jesus, they saw he was already dead so they didn’t break his legs. One of the soldiers had a spear so he pierced his side which made blood and water come out. The one who saw this bears testimony and his testimony is true. He knows what he saw was true and says this so you might believe. These things happened so that the scripture should be fulfilled, “None of his bones shall be broken and another scripture that said, “They shall look on him whom they pierced.” So the soldiers thought he was dead, were they trained physicians? B. Probably not, but they were trained soldiers on the burial detail, so they had probably seen many die on the cross. So, he stuck Jesus with the spear to make sure and afterwards he was sure. U. Possibly. B. Also, they had their orders, “break the legs of the men so they would die sooner.” If they had any doubts about Jesus being dead, do you think they wouldn’t have broken his legs? U. That’s a good point. They certainly thought he was dead, but maybe Jesus was just so exhausted he had passed out and couldn’t feel the spear. B. So let’s look at what happened next. Two men asked for body to bury it. Look at Pilate’s reaction to his being dead so soon. U. It was evening when Joseph of Arimathaea boldly requested Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. He was a member of the Sanhedrin who waited for the kingdom of God, but, because of his fear of the Jews, he was a secret disciple of Jesus and had not consented to his death. Pilate was surprised that he was already dead, so he summoned the centurion to ask him if Jesus had died. When the centurion assured him that he was dead, Pilate agreed for him to take the body. We find another who thought he was dead. B. Another trained soldier who probably had seen several dead men and several severely wounded men. Here are two more people who thought him dead along with their servants who probably carried the body. U. He went and took down the body of Jesus. Also with him was Nicodemus, who had first come to Jesus at night. They brought about seventy five pounds of a mixture of myrrh and aloes, and taking the body of Jesus, they wound linen cloths along with the spices around him as that was the Jewish custom for burial. Near where he was crucified was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb carved out of the rock where no one had been buried. They laid Jesus in the tomb as it was nearly the end of the Jews’ preparation day, and the tomb was near. They rolled a stone over the tomb’s door. B. How could they carry the dead body that far, wrap it in cloths, and lay him on a rock surface, and still not think he was dead? U. Unless they were in on the conspiracy. B. Here’s another group that certainly weren’t his disciples. They were the group who wanted him killed in the first place. U. On the morning after the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, “Sir, we remember that that deceiver, while he was still alive, said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ Give the command therefore to make the tomb secure until the third day so his disciples cannot come at night, steal his body and tell the people, ‘He is raised from the dead.’ That deception would be worse than the first.” Pilate told them, “Take these guards, go and make it as secure as you can.” So they went, and secured the tomb by putting a seal on the stone and posting a guard detail. They secured the tomb but it doesn’t say they saw Jesus’ body. B. If you sealed a document in an envelope, why would you do it? U. To make sure that no one opened the envelope to read the document without my knowing about it. B. Would you check to make sure the document was in the envelope before you sealed it? U. Of course, it would be foolish not to. B. Do you think the Jews and the guards checked to make sure the body was in the tomb before they sealed it? U. It doesn’t say they did. B. You don’t think they were foolish people do you? U. No, they must have checked it. B. So on the day after he died, they found his body in the tomb and it appeared dead. They probably looked and maybe even poked it a little. U. Probably. Ok, I concede, there were a lot of people who thought he was dead. B. Enough to establish it beyond reasonable doubt? U. Yeah. B. The Jews thought so too, because they never claimed he wasn’t dead. They knew that everyone would have laughed at such a claim. They all knew crucified men didn’t escape the cross alive. U. Are you laughing at me? B. No, you weren’t there. Actually, I think your questions and doubts are good. U. OK, I’ve conceded that Jesus was actually dead, but that doesn’t prove his disciples didn’t steal his body. Is there any evidence other than the Bible for his being crucified. B. Again, yes. Here are what four non-believers who lived after Jesus wrote: · Josephus, a Romano - Jewish historian who lived from 37 to 100 AD, called Jesus a wise teacher who was crucified by Pilate. · Tacitus, a senator and historian of Rome and lived in 56 to 117 AD, wrote that Christ “suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus.” · Lucian of Samosata, a satirist who lived 120 -180AD, said the Christians worship a man to this day who was crucified. · Mara bar Sarapion, a Stoic philosopher from Syria, wrote sometime after 73 AD but during the first century about the execution of "the wise king" of the Jews. U. All of them said he was crucified, so let’s put that to rest. Jesus died on the cross. But that still doesn’t say he was resurrected and lives now. B. Exactly. So let’s look at the evidence for that. I have divided the evidence into 5 areas. 1. The tomb is empty 2. The disciples believed it 3. The primary persecutor of Christians changed to be one of the primary teachers of Christianity 4. Jesus’ brothers didn’t believe he was the Christ before he died, but did afterwards. 5. Women were the first to find the tomb empty. U. You’re the one saying the tomb was empty. B. The account of the first people to find the empty tomb is this: U. Very early in the morning of the first day of the week, the women came to the tomb as the day dawned. They discussed among themselves, “Who will roll the stone away from the door of the tomb? It is very large.” When they arrived, they saw that the stone was rolled away. Looking into the tomb, they did not see his body. They were very confused. Then they saw a young man sitting on the right side wearing a long white garment and another whose clothing shined. The women were afraid and bowed their faces toward the ground. The man said, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is raised. Remember what he said to you when he was still in Galilee? ‘The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified, and the third day rise again.’” They found the tomb empty, but who rolled the stone away? B. Read this. U. When the Sabbath had ended, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, Joanna, Salome, and other women bought sweet spices to anoint his body. Before they arrived at the tomb, there was a great earthquake, and the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, rolled back the stone from the tomb’s door, and sat on it. His face was like lightning and his clothing as white as snow; the guards shook in fear of him and became like dead men. So you’re telling me an angel rolled away the stone? B. Yes, and the guards saw him do it. It scared them so bad they couldn’t move. Finally, they told the Jewish leaders. Read this. U. While the women were on their way, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests everything that had happened. After they had assembled with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large amount of money with these instructions, “You will say that his disciples came at night and stole the body while you slept. If this comes to the governor’s attention, we will convince him, and make you safe.” So they took the money, and did as they were told, and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day. So the Jewish leaders knew what had happened and they came up with a story to explain it away. This does confirm the tomb was empty. Did they accuse the disciples publically of stealing the body? B. There’s no record of that. Seems they resorted to circulating the rumor. Perhaps they knew they couldn’t sustain such an accusation. U. Where were the disciples while this was taking place? B. It appears they were all gathered together, confused about Jesus’ death and probably wondering what they were going to do now. It’s evident they didn’t expect him to rise. When the women returned from the tomb, they didn’t believe them. Peter and John went to the tomb to check out their story. Read this. U. The women, Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, told the eleven and the others with them what they had seen. But to the men, their words seemed like nonsense and they didn’t believe them. Peter and the other disciple ran together to the tomb and the other disciple outran Peter. He bent down, looked in and saw the linen clothes lying there. He didn’t go in, but Peter, when he arrived went into the tomb and also saw the linen clothes and the napkin which had been around Jesus’ head. The napkin was not lying with the linen clothes but was folded and lying by itself. The other disciple then went into the tomb and he saw and believed. As yet, they didn’t understand that scripture had said that he must rise from the dead. The disciples then went to their own home. They didn’t expect him to rise from the dead? When did they start believing he was resurrected? B. After Jesus appeared to some men. He first appeared to Mary Magdalene, then to two men walking away from Jerusalem who had heard everything, and then to Peter. Later that night, he appeared to ten of the eleven apostles and the others who were gathered in a room. Then the next Sunday, he appeared to the apostle who had not been there the first time, along with the others. U. That was doubting Thomas. Was that all who saw him? B. Paul wrote about that question in 1 Corinthians 5:3 through 8. U. I first delivered to you everything I had received. How Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that he was buried and rose again the third day according to the scriptures. After that, he was seen by Peter, then by the twelve. Later, he was seen by more than five hundred brethren at one time, of whom the greater part remain unto this day, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen by James and then by all the apostles. Last of all, I also saw him as one born out of due time. He appeared to a lot of people. Why didn’t he appear to the Jewish leaders so they could see him and believe. B. I don’t know if they would have believed even then. They had seen Lazarus resurrected from the dead and didn’t believe. They had witnessed either first or second hand many miracles that he did and they didn’t believe. U. If they saw those things why didn’t they believe? B. I can’t be for certain why, but this is what they said. U. The chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the Sanhedrin and said, “What shall we do? This man does many miracles. If we let him alone, everyone will believe on him, and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation.” …From that day forward, they worked together to find a way to put him to death. They didn’t believe because they would lose their place? They were more concerned about that than the truth? B. As the old saying goes, “power corrupts.” To be continued. All of these blogs are on http://thinkersdiscuss.weebly.com/blog B. There’s another in Daniel that’s very interesting, but with the uncertain dates, it’s hard to be dogmatic about it. We read earlier where Isaiah and Jerimiah had prophesied about the Babylonians coming to destroy Jerusalem.
U. Yeah. B. They also foretold that the Hebrews would serve Babylonia 70 years. U. At least there was to be an end to the captivity. But 70 years is still a long time, in fact it could be a lifetime. B. History places the fall of Jerusalem at about 600 BC although the temple wasn’t destroyed until about 587 BC. The exact dates in this time period are questionable for the same reason as we talked about before. So, when did the Babylonians free the Hebrews? U. I don’t know, hope you do? B. The correct answer is, they didn’t. Remember Daniel was still serving when the Medes and Persians conquered the city. But Isaiah 45:11 also said this about 200 years before it happened. U. "This is what the LORD says-- the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker: Concerning things to come, do you question me about my children, or give me orders about the work of my hands? It is I who made the earth and created mankind upon it. My own hands stretched out the heavens; I marshaled their starry hosts. I will raise up Cyrus in my righteousness: I will make all his ways straight. He will rebuild my city and set my exiles free, but not for a price or reward, says the LORD Almighty." Who was Cyrus? B. Cyrus was the king of Persia. Daniel lived in Babylon until he became king. In his first year, he said this as recorded in 2 Chronicles 36:22. U. In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and to put it in writing: "This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Anyone of his people among you--may the LORD his God be with him, and let him go up.' " So when did this happen? B. History says about 530 BC. U. Let’s see, 587 until 530 was only 57 years. That’s not 70 years. Wait a minute, you’re dating this event from when Jerusalem was captured aren’t you. B. Yep, and that was 70 years. U. So what does all this have to do with when Jesus was coming? B. Just establishing some dates so we can put the next prophecy into its proper time frame. In Daniel 9, we read about Daniel praying concerning the temple in Jerusalem. It had been destroyed, and Daniel wanted it to be rebuilt. While he was praying, the angel Gabriel came and told him this. Read Daniel 9:24 U. "Seventy `sevens' are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy. "Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven `sevens,' and sixty-two `sevens.' It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. After the sixty-two `sevens,' the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. 7 sevens and 62 sevens, what does that mean? Who is the Anointed One? Wait, you told me, Christ means anointed one. B. Let’s suppose sevens means seven years. Then 7 + 62 is 69 times seven or 483 years. So if we can establish when the order to restore and rebuild the temple is given, we can estimate when the Anointed One, or Christ is to come. U. OK, when was the order given? B. In Ezra 4, we read about King Artaxerxes of Persia. Some of the Hebrews had already gone back to Jerusalem and were trying to rebuild the temple. They had opposition who wrote to King Artaxerxes. The king wrote back and told them to stop. He investigated and found that Darius had given the order to rebuild, so he sent another letter saying it should be done as soon as possible. This is the last decree we can find, and the temple was soon rebuilt. Artaxerxes assumed power in 465 BC, and died in 454. No one is sure exactly when this order was given, but say if was just before he died in 455. If we add 483 years to 454, we find the Anointed One being cut off in 29 AD. U. And when did Jesus die? B. His death has been dated anywhere between 25 and 33 AD with most people saying 29 AD.. Pretty close considering the questionable dates. U. That’s so precise why didn’t the Jews figure out that date? Then they wouldn’t have killed Christ. Couldn’t they figure out the date, they must have kept track of the time since the king issued the decree. B. There is room for confusion. Cyrus issued the first decree in 530 AD so 483 years from that day would be 47 BC. Maybe since nothing happened around that time, the priests and scribes decided they didn’t really know when the Anointed one would come. I just think it interesting that the dates come out anywhere close to Jesus’ time, particularly since the actual dates are so uncertain. U. That is close. My mind is spinning a little now. Can you review what we have covered today? B. We started out to see if there were any prophecies which would say when Jesus the Christ was to come. This is what we discussed. · Daniel’s explanation of the king’s dream told of four kingdoms which would come before the rock broke them all into dust. o Babylonian - o Medes and Persian which became Persian o Alexander the Great’s o Roman empire which was weakened by civil wars, the last being about 40 BC. o Jesus’ church came during the Roman Empire and has grown to fill the world. People who believe Jesus was the Son of God probably live in every country and represent the largest religion in the world. There are no world empires today and haven’t been since the Roman Empire. · We also saw that Isaiah predicted at least 200 years before that Babylonia would capture Jerusalem and carry away temple treasures even while they were just a city under Assyrian rule. · Jerimiah said the Babylonians would take the Jews away for 70 years. o That happened about 600 BC o Babylonia fell in 539 BC o Cyrus, king of Persia, sent some Jews back to Jerusalem in about 530 BC., or 70 years later. · The angel Gabriel told Daniel that it would be seven sevens and 62 sevens from the issuing of the decree to rebuild the temple until the Anointed One would be cut off. o We assumed the sevens meant seven years and calculated that there were 69 sevens or 483 years. o The decree by Artaxerxes came in about 455 BC so that would mean the Anointed one should have been cut off in 28 AD. o Considering the inaccuracies of dating anything during these years, we said that was very close, since the date of Jesus’ death is somewhere between 25 and 33 AD. So what do you think about all this? U. I’m kind of blown away. I never knew about any of these prophecies and I’m wondering why. B. They don’t teach this in universities or high school any more. It’s more fashionable to teach godless evolution. U. You’re much more likely to find them making fun of the Bible. I wish I could get them to see this. I would like to hear their comments B. You and me both. U. I feel kinda bad about bring up another question. B. Don’t. Let’s discuss it. What is it? U. I just can’t conceive of Jesus being raised from the dead. That must have been a trick his disciples did to make it look that way. Does the Bible address that? B. It sure does. We’ll look at that next time. All of these blogs are on http://thinkersdiscuss.weebly.com/blog U. Last time we investigated several prophecies in the Old Testament, written hundreds of years before Jesus’ birth. They foretold many important events in his life. It looks to me like God would have told them when he was going to send his son so they would be ready for him and not just surprise him. Maybe they wouldn’t have killed him. B. Actually, he did. They just didn’t seem to pick up on the clues. One prophecy we looked at last week was that someone was to come just before the Christ. Look again at Malachi 3:1. U. "See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come," says the LORD Almighty. B. Now look at what John said in John chapter 1:23. U. John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, "I am the voice of one calling in the desert, `Make straight the way for the Lord.' That’s close to what Malachi wrote, not Isaiah. B. Isaiah also said the messenger was coming before the glory of the Lord. Read Isaiah 40:3-5. U. A voice of one calling: "In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken." That does sound like he would be coming soon after the messenger. B. There’s another very interesting prophecy about when the Lord, or Christ, would come. Have you heard of Daniel? U. Which one, Daniel Webster or Daniel Hawthorne? B. The Daniel I’m referring to was the Hebrew who was taken captive when the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and took many to Babylon. He wrote one of the books in the Bible and he must have been pretty special since he and some of his friends were selected to be trained as advisors to the Babylonian King. The advisors were termed “wise men.” U. We still use that title although sometimes it’s intended as a joke. B. The king was very serious about their job. It had life and death consequences. One night the king had a dream which disturbed him so much that he couldn‘t go back to sleep. He couldn’t remember it, so he called his wise men together and told them to tell him what it meant. U. How were they supposed to know if he couldn’t remember? B. Seems unreasonable to me, but he became so angry that that threatened to kill them and their families unless they tell him. U. That’s ridiculous. He would kill them for that! I wouldn’t want to work for him. B. Apparently. Since his wise men couldn’t tell him anything about what he had dreamed, he sent soldiers to round them up. Daniel must still have been in training, because they hadn’t asked him earlier, but when he heard about the king’s demand, he spoke up. He sent word that God could tell King Nebuchadnezzar the dream. When they took him to the king, Daniel described the strange statue the king had seen in his sleep. A strange statue which had a head of gold, chest of silver, stomach and thighs of bronze, legs of iron and feet of mixed iron and clay. Also in the dream, a rock was hewn out, but not by human hands, and the rock struck the feet of the statue and broke the entire statue into dust. Then the rock grew until it filled the whole earth. U. That is a strange dream, wonder what the king had for dinner? I’m curious. What did the dream mean, if anything? B. Good question. After Daniel described the dream, he then explained what the dream meant. Nebuchadnezzar was the head of gold, and the rest of the statue pictured kingdoms that were to follow his. The next kingdom would be the one of silver, then one of bronze, and it would be followed by the one as strong as iron with brittle toes. Then there is the rock that destroyed the statue. All of this is contained in the book of Daniel. U. What’s the point of these kingdoms? B. Remember, the question is, “Was there a prophecy about when Jesus would come?” Let’s compare the dream and its explanation to what secular history tells us. U. When did the king have the dream? B. This was about 600 BC. Notice that the Babylonian kingdom wasn’t going to last and that inferior kingdoms would follow. U. How were they inferior? B. I’m not sure what inferior means in this case, but through secular history, we learn that Babylon fell to the Medes and Persians in about 536 BC. (Slide 9) Do you know the phrase “handwriting on the wall?” U. Sure, we often use it to suggest the future outcome is obvious. B. Did you know that it came from the Bible? U. No, was it related to what we’re talking about. B. After King Nebuchadnezzar died, Daniel continued to live in Babylon although the new king didn’t call him much. Then a strange event happened and he called Daniel to explain it to him. Either unaware or confident in his defenses, the king and all his nobles were having a drunken feast while the army of the Medes and Persians were approaching. During the feast, the king saw a hand, just a hand, writing on the wall and it said MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN.The king didn’t know what these words meant and the only person who could tell him was Daniel. This is what Daniel said, U. This is what these words mean: Mene: God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end. Tekel: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting. Parsin: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians." Then at Belshazzar's command, Daniel was clothed in purple, a gold chain was placed around his neck, and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom. That very night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was slain, and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom, at the age of sixty-two. So this is the next kingdom? B. Right. Let’s look at a map. Babylon had become the major power in that part of the world by 600 BC and remained the ruler until the city fell. Israel was just a tiny nation. U. I don’t remember much about that from history, although I do remember that Babylon was in Iraq. There’s a lot of news about that area now. Was Babylon the same as Bagdad? B. No, but there was an interesting prophecy about Bagdad. When Nebuchadnezzar was king, Babylon was one of the seven wonders of the world. (Slide 13) The king had built the wonderful Hanging Gardens there for his queen. But it was an evil city and had taken Israel captive because Israel had turned away from God to worship idols. Read what the prophet Jerimiah told the Hebrews before the Babylonians came to conquer Jerusalem. U. Therefore the LORD Almighty says this: "Because you have not listened to my words, I will summon all the peoples of the north and my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon," declares the LORD, "and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and against all the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy them and make them an object of horror and scorn, and an everlasting ruin. I will banish from them the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, the sound of millstones and the light of the lamp. This whole country will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years. So how much warning did they receive? B. This wasn’t the first, Isaiah had warned them even before Babylon became a great power. They were still just a city under Assyrian power when he said this in about 700 BC or a hundred years ahead of time. U. Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, "Hear the word of the LORD: The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your fathers have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the LORD. And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood, that will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon." (2Kings 20:12-18) So that’s what happened to Daniel, he was a captive. Was he a eunuch? B. Don’t know as it never says, but there is no mention of his wife or children, so he might have been. Jeremiah also said this in 25:12. U. "But when the seventy years are fulfilled, I will punish the king of Babylon and his nation, the land of the Babylonians, for their guilt," declares the LORD, "and will make it desolate forever. But Bagdad isn’t desolate. B. But Babylon is. Hussein planned to rebuild it and spent a lot of money doing so, but no one lives there today. U. I didn’t know that. Interesting. But let’s get back to the statue. So, the Medes and Persians took over from the Babylonians. B. They were in power for the next two hundred years until 336 BC. U. Does the Bible tell us? B. No, the Old Testament writings stopped about 400 BC and this occurred after that. So, we have to rely on secular history. In 336 BC, Alexander the Great from Greece began his conquest and conquered the land. By this time, the Persians had taken over from the Medes and it was known as the Persian Empire, but was still the same as what they both had. Alexander took only three years to establish this kingdom. Again, Israel was just a small part of his empire. U. There must have been other powerful countries. What about China, it existed then. B. The Old Testament really dealt with Israel and China didn’t influence Israel. Perhaps that’s why they weren’t mentioned. After the Greeks came the Romans who established an even larger empire. So the legs represent the Roman Empire. Notice that it says the feet were iron mixed with clay, indicating some strength but a weakness too. It didn’t change metals like it has before, so this was still the Roman Empire, but weakened. Rome was torn by civil wars throughout much of its early existence. U. Wasn’t there a rock in the dream? B . Good memory. The rock is really the most interesting part. It’s really what tells us when Jesus was to come. Read what Daniel told the king in 2:34. U. While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were broken to pieces at the same time and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth. So what kingdom does the rock represent? B. Here, read what Daniel 2:44 says will happen in that time. U. And in the days of these kings, the God of heaven shall set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed. The kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break into pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. B. So the explanation of the dream looks like this. U. I don’t remember any major kingdoms after the Roman Empire collapsed. What kingdom is he talking about? And its supposed to last forever. No kingdom has ever done that.
B. There is one kingdom, the one Jesus said he would build. U. Wait a minute. You said a couple of weeks ago that Jesus didn’t have an earthly kingdom. B. That’s true, but he said he would build something. One time he asked his disciples who they thought he was and this was the answer he got as recorded in Matthew 16:16. U. Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. He would build his church on a rock. Was that rock Peter? What does it mean by the gates of Hades won’t overcome it? B. He built it on the confession that Peter made “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” instead of on the man Peter. Peter was an outstanding man, but still a man. Hades is the abode of the dead. He is saying His church will outlast death and those in the church will begin a new life when this one is over. They’ll have that eternal life we talked about last week. U. When did Christ build his church? Is it the kingdom? B. Acts 2 tells us about the beginning of the church. It began on a Sunday seven weeks after Jesus’ resurrection and during the time of the Roman Empire. On that day, the Holy Spirit filled the Apostles and they began to speak a message to everyone present. Peter’s message is recorded. He told them how they had crucified the Son of God. Read verses 22-24. U. "Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. B Then he reminded them that David had foretold of his being resurrected. Then he concluded with this. U. "Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." How did they react to that message? B. They were upset and convinced that what Peter said was true. In fact, read what they asked and what he replied. U. When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will call." That’s all they had to do to get forgiveness for killing the Son of God? B. That’s all. Notice that the promise is also for those far away. This is the same thing the Apostles told everyone to do when they believed in Jesus as the Son of God. Just repent and be baptized. U. That seems so simple. Did anyone do that? B. 3000 men did that day. Acts tells us about the spread of the church and we see that more people were added to the church every day. It then spread from Jerusalem to the rest of the world. Just like the prophecy in Daniel said, it now fills the world. Christians are present in most if not all nations of this earth, and the church has been in existence for about 2000 years and isn’t showing any signs of going away. U. You’re talking about Christianity, but it’s not an earthly kingdom. B. Not earthly, but it is the spiritual kingdom. It fits so nicely. The church began during the days of the Roman Empire, after civil war had broken out. It didn’t conquer armies by its army. It conquered them by the citizens believing Jesus was the Son of God. Secular history agrees with the Bible’s forecast as to when it began, and remember we said earlier that many historians have estimated that by the end of the first century there were a million people who believed in Jesus. The message spread throughout the world. Read what Paul said about the spread of the gospel in Colossians 1:3-6. U. We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints-- the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God's grace in all its truth. He said it was already all over the world. Is that really true? How could the apostles travel all over the world? B. The Apostles left Jerusalem and went into the world preaching, just like Jesus told them to do. They taught, then others who heard taught, and still others who heard taught, etc. That process has continued to this day. Consider what happens when believers teach unbelievers. Starting with the 12 apostles and consider they teach only 12 the first month and then those twelve teach 12, then those 36 teach 36, the gospel could teach over 6 million in just 20 months. You could stretch it to 20 years instead of months, it will reach the world rather quickly. In fact, it spread so rapidly over the next 30 years that Paul could make that statement about the known world. They probably hadn’t traveled to the Americas, but they could have covered Europe, Africa and Asia. But the Bible doesn’t record all they did, so we must depend on secular history for some of that information. U. So, the statue gave the Hebrews an approximate date for Jesus to come. But it wasn’t very precise. How long was it between the civil wars and Jesus’ birth? B. The last and possibly the most famous civil war was between Octavian and Marc Anthony which ended in 40 BC. At least that’s the date that history records, although since there have been several calendar changes since then, the dates are subject to be off by several years. (Slide 29) Some place Jesus’ birth at anywhere from 8 BC to 1 AD and his death between 25 and 33 AD. U. That was the war where Cleopatra allied with Marc Anthony and famously committed suicide by snake bite when they lost. So the Roman Empire had had several kings and had been fragmented before Jesus. That’s closer than I thought. Are there any other prophecies about when Jesus would come? All of these blogs are on http://thinkersdiscuss.weebly.com/blog |
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