All posts tagged: Jesus Christ

Painting of the resurrection of Jesus Christ by Luca Giordano

On the Third Day

An interesting article on Christianity Today by Andrew Wilson, delves into a curious Biblical anomaly about Christ’s death and resurrection. While there are ample, often vivid, descriptions of Christ’s death and suffering on the cross in the Old Testament, such as Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22, we don’t have similar direct descriptions of Christ’s resurrection. Wilson, who pastors King’s Church in London, England, notes that Christ’s resurrection on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:3-5) is the very core of our Christian faith. As Paul explains a few verses later, “if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:14). Though we don’t have a similar Isaiah 53 description of Christ’s third-day resurrection, Wilson says it’s hinted at multiple times in the Old Testament, all with profound significance. First, Wilson notes that when God told Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac, the Lord provided a ram as a substitutionary sacrifice on the third day. I had never noticed that connection before and actually read that …

15th century gold ring with image of Christ on in it found in Kalmar, Sweden

15th-century gold ring with an image of Jesus discovered in Sweden

Swedish archaeologists have uncovered an ancient gold ring with an image of Christ on it in the city of Kalmar. It was one of over 30,000 finds discovered in preparation for a major water and sewage infrastructure project in the city. Parts of the city date back to medieval times, CBN reports. The ring, which was in mint condition, is considered one of the major discoveries at the site. Because of the size, it’s believed the ring was worn by a woman and was lost sometime in the 15th century. Another major find included an alsengem, a glass-type stone used as an amulet by pilgrims to ward off evil. The amulet, however, had been broken and was probably thrown away. It is dated to around the same time. Curiously, the image on the ring depicts Jesus with long hair and beard and reveals the profound influence that the Shroud of Turin had on portrayals of Jesus in paintings and other mediums. The shroud, which some believe to be Christ’s burial cross, was first put on …

Varanasi, India

Talk About Carey’s Savior

By Dr. Michael Brown William Carey (1761–1834) began his career as an uneducated shoemaker in England. At the end of his life, he was living in India, hailed as “the father of modern missions,” serving also as a professor of Oriental languages at Fort William College in Calcutta. He was almost entirely self-taught. His accomplishments were almost inconceivable, but for Carey, they were just a way of life. His motto was, “Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God.” In describing his own life mission, Carey said, “My business is to witness for Christ. I make shoes just to pay my expenses.” As for his staggering achievements, as reported on the Britannica website, Carey was called the ‘father of Bengali prose’ for his grammars, dictionaries, and translations.” He “translated the Bible into Bengali, Oriya, Marathi, Hindi, Assamese, and Sanskrit. He also translated parts of it into 29 other languages and dialects.” (If you’ve ever tried to master a foreign language, chew on that for a while.) Moreover, His social work extended beyond education …

Comedian Bill Maher receiving his Hollywood Star in 2010

Comedian Chris Distefano challenges Bill Maher to read ‘The Case For Christ’

Comedian Bill Maher, who hosts ‘Real Time’ on HBO has never shied away from speaking about his Atheist beliefs over the years. However, in a recent podcast interview on “Club Random,” Maher was challenged by fellow guest, Comedian Chris Distefano, to read Lee Strobel’s The Case for Christ, CBN reports. “I believe in Jesus, by the way,” said Distefano who stated he has just started reading the book and recommended that Maher read it. Distefano added that he grew up Catholic and never took his faith seriously until he read Strobel’s book. Maher, who said that he has found the defense of the Christian faith ‘underwhelming,’ agreed to take a look at it. Strobel, a former investigative journalist and atheist, wrote The Case for Christ after his research convinced him of the reality of Jesus Christ. He was challenged to investigate the Christian faith after his wife became a believer. Strobel’s book, a bestseller, defends the Biblical case for Jesus Christ.

The face of the only known man crucified by the Romans in Britain revealed

Experts have reconstructed the face of the only person known to have been crucified by the Romans in ancient Britain, the Daily Mail reports. The man’s skeleton was found near the village of Fenstanton back in 2017 and radiocarbon dating placed his death between 130 and 337 AD. The man’s face was revealed in a BBC documentary, The Cambridgeshire Crucifixion. The man, who was probably a slave, was around 35 years old at the time of his death and about 5’7 (1.7 m).” Based on his DNA, he probably had brown hair and eyes. The discovery of his remains solved another issue with the crucifixion of Christ. While many paintings pictured Christ being crucified by having a nail pounded through his feet, this man’s skeleton actually had a two-inch nail pounded through his heel. This meant his feet would have been turned sideways to allow the nail to be pounded into the wood through the heel. Many have questioned the paintings of Jesus’ crucifixion which typically portray a nail being pounded into His feet, suggesting …

Painting of Mary and Joseph finding Jesus at the temple

The ongoing fight against the Jewishness of Jesus

By Dr. Michael Brown

You would think this would be pretty easy to get right: according to the Gospels, Yeshua (Jesus) was born a Jew in an ancient Jewish city in the historic land of Israel. But no, all this must be disputed, after all, how can Jesus be the liberator of the oppressed if He Himself was born to an oppressor people in an oppressor city? The narrative must be changed.

Iowa State Capitol Building

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds responds to Satanic Temple display set up in the state’s capitol building

The Satanic Temple is making headlines in the US with a religious display recently set up in the Iowa State Capitol building, the Christian Post reports. The exhibit, set up alongside Christmas displays and a Nativity scene, features an altar to Baphomet, which is portrayed with a silver goat’s head and a human body with a red cape over its shoulders. Along with this the satanic altar, which is expected to stay up until Friday, Dec. 22, 2023, also provides an overview of the seven tenets of the Satanic Temple. There has been a condemnation of the altar from many quarters, but the US guarantees of freedom of religion and speech in its constitution. I believe Iowa’s Republican Governor, Kim Reynolds, provided the best response to this altar in a statement she released on Tuesday. “Like many Iowans, I find the Satanic Temple’s display in the Capitol absolutely objectionable,” Reynolds wrote. “In a free society, the best response to objectionable speech is more speech, and I encourage all those of faith to join me today …

Survey: Less than half of born-again Christians believe Jesus led a sinless life

In preparation for the last plague, the death of the firstborn, and Israel’s exodus out of Egypt, the Hebrews were told to sacrifice an ‘unblemished’ lamb. They were then to spread its blood over the lentil of their homes so that the angel of the death would not kill their firstborn, and then eat the lamb in what would become the first Passover supper (seder). The only requirement was the lamb had to be unblemished. According to Thayer’s, the Hebrew word form for unblemished, tâmı̂ym, means “complete, whole, entire, sound, healthful.” 5 Your lamb shall be an unblemished male a year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. (Exodus 12:5 NASV) They had to use the best of their flock for the sacrifice, not the rejects or the lame. Even today, Jewish priests are fastidious in enforcing this unblemished requirement for sacrifices. In September 2022, the Temple Institute purchased five Red Heifers from America, whose ashes are needed to purify the priests. The Institute actually sent a Rabbi to examine the …

Is Jesus a Communist?: Join the […] revolution

Was Jesus a Communist? Some people believe that he was. You might have heard about “Liberation Theology” which was popular, and very powerful in Latin America, about fifty years ago. It existed mostly in the Roman Catholic Church, although the ideas spread to other Protestant groups. Liberation Christians tried to merge the ideas of Marxist Communism with what the Bible says about Jesus. Technically, it is impossible to call Jesus a Communist, or a political leftist. Karl Marx, who created Communism, was born in 1818, into a Jewish family that had recently converted to Christianity. He lived many centuries after the time of Jesus, and he never seemed to promote Jesus. He promoted his new idea, atheistic Communism. There is no clear connection between Jesus and Karl Marx, or the Communists who followed him. A Communist is an Atheist. Before the Communists were the French revolutionaries, who met in a National Assembly, apparently on a tennis court, around the year 1789. When the Speaker of the Assembly looked out over the members, it was clear …

Entangled

By Rick Renner

In the early years of our ministry in the former Soviet Union, a group of local psychiatrists determined among themselves that I was using a high level of hypnosis to control the people who attended our church. They stated that my level of hypnosis was so developed that I could even manipulate and control people who read my monthly teaching letters that we sent to television viewers.

What happened to religion? Does anyone believe?

I was raised in a very religious family. As a teenager, in a tough high school, I tried being a member of the tribe. We had a co-ed physed class, and I remember sitting out for the dance lessons. The teacher made me sit in the bleachers and watch, and my friends thought I was strange, but I thought I was holding up the flag for my faith. In our home, we were never allowed to go to dances. I tried to keep my strict religion because I thought it was important. My friends were OK with my strange habits, and they had their own family traditions. People believed in religion in those days, more than they do today, and we tried to live out the beliefs of our families. As we got older, it seemed like we cared less and less and everyone was busy with important things. After a while I stopped caring. Now I understand how someone could become an atheist. I also understand how someone could follow Jesus. I started my …

Why did Jesus die so fast on the cross?

One of the questions often asked about Christ’s crucifixion is why did Jesus die so fast? According to the Gospel writers, Jesus had been on the cross about six hours (9 am to 3 pm) before He died. Crucifixion was a favoured form of execution used by the Romans because not only was it brutal but there were tricks that could extend the excruciating punishment for days. Since people were hung onto the cross by hammering their arms and feet into the wood, they normally died by suffocation. As they hung from their arms, their chest cavity was stretched out making it impossible to breathe. In order to breathe they had to painfully push up with their feet in order to gain a breath. Death would finally come when the person no longer had the strength to push up for air. If the Romans wanted to be extremely brutal, they would put a seat on the cross so the person could rest which would extend the dying process for days. But the Roman’s crucifixion of …

Was Jesus a racist? Should we cancel Him?

Was Jesus a racist? Some people claim that He gave a racist put-down to a woman who asked for help. If the accusation sticks, Jesus might be cancelled. One label that we all don’t want is “racist.” It’s the new mark of shame. Statues are being pulled down and schools are being renamed, and careers are being terminated. The Royal Family is being severely criticized, and books by Dr. Seuss are being cancelled from publication. My concern is that racism will no longer be a social issue if everyone is called a racist. The label needs to be applied with care, or there will be push-back and denial. Also, people can learn to keep quiet when they might be judged, without changing their ideas. I know someone who is a manager in the radio business, and he will not tolerate any jokes that make fun of groups of people. I don’t think he is racist, but he is also extremely careful to avoid a label that might ruin his career. Prejudice and bigotry exist everywhere, …

‘Trust in Jesus’ t-shirt deemed a political message?

A lawsuit is pending against election officials in Hart, Michigan, when Margaret Wittman, who was hired as an election worker, was not allowed to work when she showed up at the polling station during the November 2020 Federal election wearing a t-shirt reading, “My heart will TRUST in you JESUS.” The lawsuit alleges, that when Wittman refused to cover-up her t-shirt, she was told to go home because it was considered a political message.

Modern Shepherds

Christmas is that bizarre time of the year when people who don’t have anything to do with Jesus suddenly start praising His name. Celebrity singers whose lifestyle and beliefs do not include any room for Jesus have wonderfully sincere sounding songs about the birth of Christ. I am not going to name who these are, but think about how they are, and the irony becomes clear. Singers who support things opposed to the word of God are calling us to come and worship baby Jesus. Maybe they find the baby less threatening than the grown-up Jesus, who confronted evil and certainly condemned much of what modern culture calls good.  No room in their hearts for Jesus, they relegate him to the back rooms of their lives, setting him up in the stables around back. Maybe someone needs to tell them that Jesus never stayed in the stable for long. That sweet baby in the feeding trough is God in the flesh with a purpose to bring peace and salvation through an intimate relationship with Him. …

Does Anyone Care About Jesus Anymore?

I am a Christian, but lately, I have noticed that no one wants to talk about that. I can talk with other Christians about our beliefs, but people who don’t believe don’t seem to care. When I just mention that I believe in Jesus, I get an awkward silence, and then the other person changes the subject, or leaves. So, does anyone out there care about Jesus anymore? Probably not many, but the question is wrong. Does anyone do anything for more than a week? You might know the name Alvin Toffler, the author who wrote a famous book “Future Shock.” The book was published about fifty years ago, which makes him a futurist from the past. He predicted that the pace of change would accelerate; change would come on us so fast we wouldn’t be able to cope with it. RELATED: Future Shock: Wikipedia  In the Bible, the mark of a successful prophet, or religious futurist, was if the predictions came true: “You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message …

Guru Jesus: It’s Not About You

Is it possible to learn from Jesus, without being Christian? Yes. Mahatma Gandhi was a Hindu who admired the teachings of Jesus, but never became a Christian. Gandhi’s ideas about ‘passive resistance’ come directly from the Bible, and that wisdom brought almost a billion people, in South Asia to independence, without a destructive civil war. Today, the nations of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, and probably Burma, owe a great debt to Gandhi, the peaceful liberator; and his ideas came from Jesus. Gandhi the Hindu treated Jesus like a guru, and that changed to history of the world, in a good way. In Webster’s dictionary, a “Guru” is “a personal religious teacher and spiritual guide in Hinduism.” Jesus was Jewish and not a Hindu, but we apply the definition to Him, easily. You might have heard of “WWJD” for Protestants and “Imitatio Christi” for Catholics, and similar ideas for Orthodox Churches. “What Would Jesus Do?” dates back to 1896, from a novel by an American writer Charles Sheldon. The Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox …

Jesus truck in Aurora, IL, USA Credit: Adam Burk/Flickr/Creative Commons

Who You Gonna Call?

“If there’s something strange in your neighborhood, Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters!” “If there’s something weird, and it doesn’t look good,Who are you gonna call? Ghostbusters!” This advice comes from Ray Parker who wrote this very popular theme song for the movie Ghostbusters. I bet some of you are singing that song right now! While the idea of a bunch of guys driving a hearse and chasing ghosts made for a fun movie, is it true? Can mere humans defeat spirits? Now, I am a sports fan. And there are some games that I would like to see, but I must say this would be a blowout. Not worth paying money for, that’s for sure. Just like paying hundreds of dollars to watch a fight that ends with the first punch. Better to save your money and not bother. Yeah I know I just made all the Hollywood movie types mad at me and they’ll probably get the Illuminati to delete me, but it’s true. We are just not a match for the unseen world. …

Stonemasons in the 1900s Credit: Aussie~mobs/Flickr/Creative Commons

Jesus: A carpenter or stonemason?

I recently read an interesting article about Kathie Lee Gifford, 64, on the release of her latest book The Rock, The Road and The Rabbi. An American talk show host, actress, singer, song writer, comedian and author, Kathie gained her fame co-hosting Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee along with Regis Philbin. Kathie Lee is a committed Christian and is a co-host on NBC’s Today show. The article reported on an interesting statement she made on the life of Christ related to her research for the book: “By studying the original Greek, the original Hebrew and how many myths are out there. I learned that Jesus was not a carpenter, but He was a stonemason because there was nothing but rock in Israel then.” It was a bit of a shock for me. For over 40 years, I thought Jesus was a carpenter and even wrote an article that implied as much. But now Griffith was saying the Lord was probably a stonemason. Now in my defense, the description of Jesus as a carpenter is …

Gospel of Jesus' wife fragment. Background photo: Jame Marvin Phelps/Foter/CC BY NC

‘Gospel of Jesus’s Wife’ a fake: the murky world of antiquity forgeries

The 2012 discovery of a business-card sized piece of papyrus by Harvard University professor Karen King has led to speculation Jesus was married. King received photo copies of the papyrus along with a second piece that included parts of the Gospel of John from a person who purchased the two papyri several years back. The buyer, who remains anonymous, later provided access to the original papyrus. What caught everyone’s attention was text on one fragment possibly referring to Jesus’s wife. Written in Egyptian Coptic, the text reads “Jesus said to them, My wife….” and then it stops as the papyrus is torn at this point. Since Mary is also mentioned on this same fragment, some concluded this was a reference to Mary Magdalene who they believe was the wife of Jesus. King dated the fragment to the fourth century and believed it was a copy of text written in the second century. She suggested it was evidence that some in the early church thought Jesus had a wife. King does point out that because of …

Former Muslim imam says the Qur’an is the reason he converted to Christianity

[by Dean Smith] Mario Joseph is a Catholic teacher/evangelist living and ministering in India. He differs from a priest in that he is married with children. He also differs in another respect — he was a Muslim imam before his conversion. He grew up in an area of India that was predominantly Muslim and Hindu with few Christians. His family were strong Muslims and Mario was sent to Qur’an school at the age of 8. By the time he was 18, Mario was serving as an imam in his local mosque. In this video, Mario provides the fascinating details of his conversion from Islam to Christianity. It starts, oddly enough, because of question asked in a mosque where he was teaching. He was telling those gathered that Jesus was not God, when someone shouted out: “Who is Jesus?” It was because of this question, Mario searched the Qur’an to find out more about Christ. What he discovered puzzled him. According to Mario, the Qur’an only mentions Mohammad four times, while Jesus Christ is mentioned 25. …

Ethics without God?

[by Dean Smith] The Boston Globe is reporting that 64 students at Dartmouth College, based in Hanover, New Hampshire, were disciplined, ironically, for cheating on a sports ethics class. Dartmouth, founded in 1769 by a Christian minister, is an Ivy league school. Over 70% of the 280 students in the class were part of Dartmouth’s athletic programs. During exams, students use electronic devices to click the right answer. In this particular class, some students, who didn’t show up for the exam, had given their devices to other students to answer the questions for them.

Muslims eject woman from American Church for declaring Jesus is Lord

[by Dean Smith] When the Episcopalian Church decided to allow Muslims to hold a call to prayer at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC, on Friday, November 14, 2014, it was intended to show that two of the world’s major faiths worship the same God. Instead it showed how far the Episcopalian church has fallen from God. But things went a bit awry when Christine Weick, a 5o-year-old, Michigan woman, showed up during the prayer time and told the Muslims in attendance that “Jesus is Lord.”

Did Jesus have a beard?

Español: ¿Tenía Jesús barba? Our immediate response to the question posed by the title is YES!!!! However, a piece of a glass plate from the 4th century does a very unique thing — it portrays Jesus without a beard. The discovery is considered one of the earliest representations of Jesus. It was found by archaeologists in Andalusia, Spain. They were part of the FORVM MMX project digging at the site of a religious building in the ancient village of Castulo dated to around 350 AD. The glass plate probably held bread for the Eucharist. The image engraved on the glass was also different in other respects. The artist portray Jesus as having short curly hair and wearing a toga. Pictured beside Jesus are the apostles Peter and Paul, who are also beardless. All three have halos over their head. We have no idea if this rendering was based on even older images of Jesus, but obviously the people of this era accepted a beardless Jesus as realistic. Shroud of Turin What we do know is …

Jesus ranked the most significant person in world history

Two computer scientists, Professor Steven Skiena of Stony Brook University in New York and Charles Ward used quantitative analysis to decide who the most significant people were in world history. They studied thousands of historical figures to determine which person’s opinions had the most impact on world affairs. Using an algorithm similar to Google’s ranking system and “other data sources,” they ranked the various historical figures by importance as referenced in the English version of Wikipedia — an online encyclopedia. Their analysis concluded that Jesus Christ was the world’s most influential person. 

Jesus the magician?

In 2008, marine archaeologists announced the discovery of a small pot that may contain the earliest reference to Jesus Christ. The pot was found while excavating the ancient underwater ruins of Alexandria’s harbor located in Egypt. The submerged area also includes the sunken island of Antirhodos where some believe Cleopatra had her palace. In an article posted on MSNBC, Jennifer Viegas of the Discovery Channel says the small pot had the words “DIA CHRSTOU O GOISTAIS” engraved along its side. Most believe the word CHRSTOU is a reference to Jesus Christ. The pot is dated between the Second century BC and the early part of the first century placing it within the ministry years of Jesus. But it’s the remaining words that proved controversial