Can You Prove Jesus' Resurrection Is Only Fabrication?

      Can You Prove Jesus' Resurrection Is Only Fabrication?

Most persons dismiss it as a made-up ridiculous, impossible story. After all, how many cold stiff corpses have we seen arise from the dead? Such a miracle would be contrary to natural law. No scientific experiment has established such a thing. It must be a mistake or myth since the Bible has been translated multiple times and into many languages. But New Testament writers claim Bible Christianity stands or falls on it being fact (1 Corinthians 15:13-19). If true, it's implications couldn't be more crucial to humanity. So let's give the Christian claim our honest thoughtful consideration.

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There can be no  doubt Jesus died by crucifixion on the cross. In his trials, before both Roman and Jewish courts, he likely was deprived of food, drink, and sleep. The scourging was severe, tearing away his flesh. Some died from that alone. But also there was his carrying the cross in exhaustion, loss of blood from the crown of thorns to the nails in his feet. And His cry, "Father into your hands I commit my Spirit." The separation of water and blood from the spear piercing his side was conclusive proof. The soldiers trained in execution procedures didn't break his leg, for they knew he was already dead. Jesus' mother and disciple John stood by in grief witnessing his death. The soldiers gambled for his garments and took his naked body from the cross and  later gave it to the rich man, Joseph of Arimathaea, for burial in his stone tomb just outside Jerusalem. This was a sad day for Jesus' disciples thinking he was Messiah and King of Israel.

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The Jews and Romans in Jerusalem took steps to prevent any kind of deception about Jesus' claim to resurrection. "The leading priests and Pharisees went to see Pilate. They told Him, 'Sir, we remember that deceiver once said while he was still alive. After three days I will rise from the dead. So we request that you seal the tomb until the third day. This will prevent his disciples from coming and stealing his body and then telling everyone he was raised from the dead! If that happens, we'll be worse off than we were at first. Pilate replied, Take guards and secure it the best you can." So they sealed the tomb and posted guards to protect it?" (Matt. 27:62-65). Their precautions are actually what God used to demonstrate the resurrection of Jesus was an indisputable fact.

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The news about Jesus' death and resurrection was made known shortly after their supposed occurrence.  Dr. Luke, the companion of the apostle Paul, who wrote his earlier gospel now writes about the first 30 years of the church. He says of Jesus, "During the forty days after his crucifixion, he appeared to the apostles from time to time, and he proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. And he talked to them about the Kingdom of God" (Acts 1:3).
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On the day of Pentecost, Peter preached, "People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus the Nazarene by doing powerful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know. But God knew what would happen, and his prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to a cross and killed him. But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip" (Acts 2:22-23). Peter preached this on Pentecost 50 days after Jesus' resurrection before people from surrounding nations. 
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Anyone could investigate Jesus' tomb just outside the city. The disciples who in fear had been locked  in the upper room now were joyously telling everyone--He's alive! He's Alive! And how could the religious leaders who plotted Jesus' death explain that at his death the earthquake, the darkness, the thick temple curtain torn from top to bottom, and the dead persons that came into the city (Matt. 27:51-54)? Five thousand men plus women and children became believers.
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The Apostle Peter wrote (2 Peter 1:16).  "We are not making up clever stories when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw his majestic splendor with our own eyes." Peter was referring to Jesus' transfiguration in Matthew 17:1-6. Tradition says Peter didn't think he was worthy to be crucified as his Lord and requested to be crucified upside down.
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In Acts 3:4 Peter healed a lame temple beggar and preached in the name of Jesus who the nation's leaders crucified and who God according to plan, raised from the dead. And that the people should turn from their sins to trust in Jesus who they crucified, but God raised from the dead. Peter said there was no one else God has given under heaven by which we must be saved. The high Jewish council put Peter and John in jail and commanded them never to preach Jesus and his resurrection. But they replied, "Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him? We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard"
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Apostle John wrote (1 John. 1:1-4). "We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life. This one who is life itself was revealed to us and we have seen him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. He was with the Father and then he was revealed to us. We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that you may fully share our joy."  
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This is  not some religious man's opinions about what god is and can or cannot do (Acts 14:12-15), or what some politically correct politician thinks (Acts 26:8), or someone's claim an angel he alone saw, told me so (Gal. 1:8), or what some centuries later critic removed from the scene can believe (Col. 2:8). This is citing real historical events only historical eyewitness testimony can establish.

 What is real serious is what God says about it!  Acts 17:30-31 says "God overlooked people's ignorance about these things in earlier times, but now he command everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to him. For he has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man he has appointed, and he proved to everyone who this is by raising him from the dead."
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Apostle Paul wrote (1 Cor. 15:3-6 About A.D. 55). "I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried,  and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one  time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. The apostles spoke before hostile witnesses who admitted they couldn't deny the events.
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Many of the hymns and creeds used by the first Christians are incorporated into the New Testament letters. Check out these Rom. 1:3-4; Phil. 2:6-11; Col. 1:15-18; 1 Tim.3:16; 2 Tim. 2:8; 1 Pet. 3:18-22; 1 Jn. 4:2. Moreover, there are 5,700 early Greek manuscripts used to make modern translations, plus writings of the church fathers. This documented sources for the classic writings as of Plato, Aristotle, Caesar are only a few copies dated a 1,000 years after the time. Nor is Jesus' resurrection related to myths about about crops coming to life in the spring. Jews of Jesus' time believed in one ethical Creator God, not the pagan myths that came into prominence after his time. It seems the reason we sinners deny Jesus' death for our sins and his resurrection is that we think our sinful desires more important to us than the invitation of a loving, all-knowing God to save us from our deceptive, destructive beliefs and behavior. 
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Modern critics have tried to explain away the records but utterly failed. No we haven't seen any cold stiff corpses arise from the dead. But the only reason it would be impossible is if we assume no Creator of the universe and life exists who can raise the dead. Jesus' death and resurrection was in God's time, and not to be a daily affair (Gal. 4:4-5). And yes, it is contrary to natural law, but again if a God exists who upholds natural law, this would be His purpose and proof it is so. Scientific experiments are not the means of proving or disproving historical events. Documented eyewitness testimony is the means to do that. Remember too, the apostles were astonished even though Jesus told them many times he would die and rise again after three days. The first Christians were monothestic Jews who were willing to die in testimony it was true. Their traditional belief would condemn them to hell. But the religious leaders of Jesus' day had vested interests and plotted to murder Jesus even though they knew he raised Lazarus from the dead. (John 11:45-53).
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What can we conclude from all this? (1) Jesus claimed to be God many times and ways and his resurrection from the dead, in fact showed his claims and teaching are the truth and authority of God. (2) Jesus then is in fact the long awaited Jews Messiah, and the Savior of all who will believe, trust, depend on him for life eternal with God.  (3) Jesus said this to the human world facing the darkness of death and Hell, "I Am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this . . . ?" John 11:25-26)
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To seal assurance of your faith and avoid future doubts. Pray, Lord God, I'm a sinner ashamed of many things I have done that I know are wrong. But you promised me eternal life and to be with me and be my Guide in Godly living. I depend on you from now on throughout life and until you come for me or I die and go to you. Thank you Lord for making me your adopted child. See 1 John 5:11-13. You can now win others to our Lord by sharing these important articles WWW.  God bless you to bear spiritual fruit (Jn. 15 ) & people fruit (Matt. 4:19).

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Christian's Persecuter Becomes Christ's Preacher!

           Christian's Persecutor  Becomes  Christ's Preacher! 

What kind of believer are you? Are you a weak, shallow believer, or an intense, aggressive one? Are your beliefs inherited, passed on from your family and friends, and never questioned or thought through, or are they born of experience and of honest intense thought and conviction? Are your beliefs something you live by and would die for? Can you give evidence to substantiate them? Consider the amazing transformation that made Pharisee Saul of Tarsus into Paul, an Apostle or One Send by Christ.
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First, consider Saul of Tarsus--the Persecutor of Christians. As a Pharisee, educated under Gamaliel, and a Roman citizen, Saul had every advantage of becoming a great leader of his people.
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Consider Saul as persecutor.  After reciting Israel's history, to the Jew's governing council, Stephen, a man controlled by the Holy Spirit, accused them of disobeying God's law,  persecuting the prophets and murdering their Righteous Messiah. They shook their fists at him in rage. "But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God and he saw Jesus standing in place of honor at God's right hand. They put their hands over their ears . . . and dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. He shouted, "Lord, don't charge them with this sin! And with that, he died. His accusers took off their coats and laid them at the feet of a young man named Saul" (Acts 7 & especially 52-59; Life Application Study Bible, NLT).

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"A great wave of persecution began that day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem and all the believers except the apostles were scattered through the regions of Judea and Samaria. (Some devout men came and buried Stephen with great mourning). But Saul was going everywhere to destroy the church. He went from house to house dragging out both men and women to throw them into prison. But the believers who were scattered preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went." (Acts 8:1-4).  
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"Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord's followers. So he went to the high priest. He requested letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, asking for their cooperation in the arrest of any followers of the Way he found there. He wanted to bring them--both men and women--back to Jerusalem in chains" (Acts 9:1-2) .
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Consider Saul's amazing conversion. "As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him. 'Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?' "Who are you, lord? Saul asked. And the voice replied, "I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do."
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The men with Saul stood speechless, for they heard the sound of someone's voice but saw no one! Saul picked himself up off the ground, but when he opened his eyes he was blind. So his companions let him by the hand to Damascus. He remained there blind for three days and did not eat or drink.
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Now there was a believer in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision, calling, "Ananias" "Yes, Lord" he replied. The Lord said, "Go over to Straight Street, to the house of Judas. When you get there, ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying to me right now. I have shown him a vision of a man named Ananias coming in and laying hands on him so he can see again."
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"But Lord," exclaimed Ananias, "I've heard many people talk about the terrible things this man has done to the believers in Jerusalem! And he is authorized by the leading priests to arrest everyone who calls upon your name." But the Lord said, "Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel. And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name's sake" (Acts 9:3-13; see also 26:1-24).
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Consider Saul's elitist Jewish  credentials. "I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin--a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault. Now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. (Phil. 3:5-7).
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Now consider Paul, as the Apostle of Christ. As a preacher of Christ, Saul used the name Paul and gave up his great opportunity and favor with his people. Like Moses, he turned his back and never looked back. Oh, what he had to endure for Christ and Christians as one sent to the Gentiles!
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Consider what Paul endured as Christ's preacher.  Let me summarize how Paul reluctantly  defends  himself against false apostles in the  Corinthian church. He worked harder--Jews lashed him five times with 39 stripes, three times beaten with rods, once stoned, three times shipwrecked, day and night drifted at sea, faced dangers from rivers and robbers, dangers in cities, deserts, and seas, sleepless nights, hunger, thirst, and cold besides his burden for all the churches (2 Cor. 11:23-27). It seems God kept him alive and encouraged him with a vision of Heaven perhaps when stoned. But God allowed a demon to be a thorn in his flesh to keep him humble (2 Cor. 12:1-9).
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What Can We Conclude from all this? (1) Unlike the critics claims, all these details of names, places, conditions read like real historical events that launched the Christian church. See also 1 Cor. 15:1-10; Luke 1:1-4; 2 Pet. 1:16). (2) Christianity is based upon a real God who speaks and acts through His willing servants in our world. (3) Unlike Freud's claim that God is only the illusion of a Father's comfort and protection, Paul knew his God was real and showed it in everyday life. Christian families thrown to the lions in Caesars coliseum didn't know God as just an illusion. (4) Paul said, if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. . . . I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better (Phil. 1:22). How is it with YOU?
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What do you live for? Fame, wealth, family, entertainment, achievements? Won't death take them all away from you? Further, the Bible doesn't say how long we will live or that we won't have troubles (Rom. 8). But it does say God loves us even as imperfect, selfish, rebellious, sinners. And, God can transform us now, and take us to Heaven after death. A loving God respects our dignity and freedom of choice. We can have our way till the very end and go without God to abide in eternal darkness (John 3:16--21; 2 Thess. 2:13). Please don't let Satan steal, kill, and destroy the rich and satisfying life God is offering you right now (John 10:10).
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Won't you say, Lord Jesus, I've lived for myself and my desires. But I now realize your way of truth, love, and goodness is best for me. I turn from my way to trust in you to forgive and cleanse me from all sin and save me to live for you now and be with you one day in Heaven.  Now I want to learn your Word of how best to live for you, and to share my new faith in my Lord Jesus Christ. Thank You Lord!
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Adam and Eve in The Garden of Eden

                       Adam and Eve in The Garden of Eden

The Bible account (Genesis 2; 3) of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden may seem like somebody's made up story to teach children that the real world is filled with dangers that in growing up we must learn to overcome. There are no talking snakes, no fruit on trees that give life and knowledge of good and evil, no God who walks and talks among us, and the devil is only fear of the dark. This story is not an actual event testable by empirical science, but only a primitive myth.
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But could we be making assumptions we can't prove, or have misunderstandings? The theory that the world is matter, is not matter itself, knowledge and information require a thinking mind. And if physicists can honestly admit space, time and matter came into being, it's being may not be detectable physical energy such as gravity, but an infinite mind or God present everywhere. And if there's God who can create a universe from nothing, He would have no problem creating a man and woman as the account describes. Even a simple bacteria is a city of interacting machines. Its complexity, unity, and precision could never be the produce of random process even in unlimited time. It requires an infinite intelligence such as the self-existent Creator God of the Bible (Genesis 1:1; Exodus 3:14). Further, isn't it a tremendous burden on naturalistic science to assume every reproductive male and female kind of life form appear together at the same place and time?
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The account is not useless technical evolving science, but meant to be simple truth all cultures at all times can understand. We know birds talk and can even say words we understand. If Satan is the world's deceiver, he must can do unusual deceptive tricks (Ephesians 6:11). The trees only need to represent symbols to show that we have a real choice between God's way or the devil's. Our first parents bad choice, meant mankind's spiritual death, leading to physical death, and eternal separation from God.  But God promised the defeat of Satan and sin in a coming redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ (Genesis 3:15; 1 John. 3:8; John 10:10; Rom. 16:20). Evolving scientific theory must unite genes of our first parents Adam and Eve. Original sin best accounts for universal evils (Matt. 19:4; Rom. 5:12-21; 1 Cor. 11:9; 2 Cor. 11:3). God saw to it that this event was recorded and preserved for future generations.  And speaking of God in human terms is necessary to be understood in every culture and time. Any kind of scientific explanation would soon be useless.
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Biblical prophets and apostles preached God's acts to people of their day. Their preaching was fulfilled and recorded by the same groups of people the prophets condemned who surely would have challenged any false statements. Some archaeologists are strangely silent about newly discovered monument inscriptions confirming biblical kings, cities, and events. Could these critics claiming Bible history is myth and written decades or even centuries later be willfully deceived?
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Without the Bible's revealed God we must face our utter hopelessness. It means the world has no ultimate purpose, morality has no authority--there's just limited conflicting human opinions. Death means lights out eternally, man is just another perishing animal, and whoever usurps power can kill or enslave the rest of us. Can you be open minded?  Our first parents were not hairy, chattering, knuckle-walking, ignorant monkeys. And, Christians have a living hope in a risen Lord who may catch us up to Him any time (1 Thess. 4:16-18). Now allow me to discuss important points in the story.
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Our first parents were created by God in His rational, moral image. Indeed, they had all God's communicable attributes as we do today. Adam was made directly from the ground. He walked and talked with God (John 1:14), tended the garden, named the animals and could find no animal compatible with him. All this shows man never was an animal, nor descended from them, and is always responsible to God. Further, Eve, said to be our first mother also created in God's image was on the same level of dignity as Adam. And as any child knows, both are designed for each other and have compatible but separate rolls. Even supposing the sexes can be born with affection only for their own gender, they are not forced to carry it out. God calls that sin (Lev. 18:22; Rom. 1:26-27; 1 Cor. 6:9-11). We intuitively know of God, but suppress that knowledge being hard hearted not wanting or trusting even  a loving God to rule over us. But He will (Ps. 2:8-9; Romans 1;2; Rev. 2:27).
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God warned our first parents not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil or they would die. The tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil represent our own choice of the kind of world we desire. Our many daily choices, motives, actions either please or displease the God who sustains our life. We have a conscience that  knows right and wrong. We know that how we want to be treated, is how others want to be treated as well--which renders us without excuse (Rom.2:14-15). Whatever our heredity and environment in a wicked world may be, we still have free choice or can choose the lessor evil.
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Critics protest this in contradictory ways. Bible critics say science shows our choices and acts are determined or fixed, then try to persuade us of acceptance. They claim great evils remain in the world which show no good and powerful God exists, then claim a loving God would never punish us as in Hell. But the Bible teaches heaven or hell is our choice. God invites us to trust the Savior and be with Him in heaven or have our own way alone in eternal darkness (John 3:16-21). Now if there is a Creator, why can't there be a much lessor power as the devil?  Couldn't the critics be wrong?
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Consider how the devil deceived our parents and us. (1) Doubt. God's Word and His goodness. "Did God say you must not eat from any tree of the garden?" God in grace provided a multitude of trees from which to eat as He does give us a multitude of blessings today. (2) Discouragement. Makes us focus on troubles rather than on God and blessings. (3) Diversion. Makes the wrong things seem more attractive--beautiful tree, delicious fruit, make you wise. (4) Defeat. Makes us feel guilty ashamed failures. (5) Delay. They should immediately have repented and been forgiven. Instead they were afraid, tried to hide from God, and cover their guilty rebellion with fig leaves.

We don't have to be captive to the devil or his demons. Jesus was given all authority in Heaven and earth (Matt. 28:19-20). In Christ believers have authority over the demons like snakes and scorpions. But don't rejoice because evil spirits obey you, rejoice because your names are registered in heaven (Luke 10:19-20). Fig leaves was their attempt to hide their sin. But God graciously provided for our parent's restoration with a blood sacrifice of animal skins and the promise of a coming Savior (Gen. 3:15; Lev. 17:11). That foretold of Jesus' blood sacrifice on the cross for our sin that alone can reconcile us to God and give us peace (Col. 1:20).
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Won't you admit, Lord, I'm a rebellious unholy self-centered sinner unfit for Heaven and deserve Hell. I trust you now to cleanse me of sin, make me acceptable to You, and enable me  to live a victorious life of witness to your grace. I trust you as my eternal Lord, Savior and Guide until you take me to live forever with YOU.  Thank you Lord.
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A Letter to Buddhist Friends in Eastern Nations

                A Letter to Buddhist Friends in Eastern Nations 

Buddhist teachings written down four centuries after Buddha's death, resulted in many conflicting traditions, beliefs, and practices within eastern nations. Among these nations are Burma, Tibet, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Mongolia, even Hawaii. Different schools of thought spread to countries at different periods of time. Persons may consider themselves Buddhist and claim other religions as well. Let's look at Buddhism's background, some difficulties of Buddhism, and how Christian beliefs differ.
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                                     The Background and teachings of Buddhism
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Buddha was a reformer rejecting Hindu gods, its caste system, and occultism. He also rejected a personal God, prayer, worship, priesthood, and the human soul. Yet, in some of its many forms, Buddha idols are regarded as god, worshipped, and prayed too. In some Buddhist sects there are Savior gods and  heavens and hells. Persons who say they are Buddhists may be polytheists, atheists, pantheists, animists, or folk traditionalists.
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Siddhartha Gautama (563 B.C-483 B.C.) was born as a Prince of India with all the advantages of wealth, finery, handsome appearance. His father built him three palaces and he married a beautiful girl who bore him a son named Rahula. His parents sought to protect him from the world. But he wasn't satisfied with all that affluence, dancing girls, music and finery. One day he saw four things which aroused his compassion: an old man, diseased man, corpse and a begging monk. Disease, decay, death, makes life so impermanent and futile. Seeing that such great suffering exists, at age 29, he abandoned his family in search of enlightenment.
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He sought satisfaction among Hindu masters for six years eating so little he became skin rapped around bone, and decided asceticism was not the way to enlightenment. One day sitting under a fig tree (later called wisdom tree), he became the Buddha, the enlightened or awakened one. He believed humanity's problem can be explained in Four Noble Truths. (1) Life is without purpose, full of pain, sufferings, anguish, death. (2) Suffering is caused by desire, cravings for pleasure, prosperity, success, existence. (3) The cure for sufferings is to eliminate our cravings. (4) We can do this by following this Noble Eightfold Path.
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The Noble Eightfold Path is:  (1) Right knowledge (the Four Noble Truths). (2) Right intentions. (3) Right speech (truth). (4) Right conduct meaning no killing animals, stealing, lying, adultery, alcohol or drugs to dull the mind or harm the body. (5) Right livelihood. (must not be a slave trader, tax collector, or butcher, (Buddha thought meat-eating is wrong). (6) Right effort. (7) Right self-analysis. (8) Right meditation, Yoga. Buddha called his enlightenment The Middle Way between affluence and asceticism. Wise and wealthy King Solomon, agreed with Buddha that having everything under the sun is meaningless and vanity (Eccl. 1:8).
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Buddhism split over the issue of who can be enlightened, if everyone, or only a few. Theravada Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism seem like different religions. Theravada Buddhism is strict and for monks with shaved heads wearing robes. It goes by Buddha's early teachings. It's concern is insight and wisdom. Salvation or enlightenment is wholly self-effort. It's for a saint or arhat. It avoids speculation about heavens and hells. It's atheistic. It uses the original Buddhist cannon, The Three Baskets. It assures one will achieve nivana or release from the cycle of rebirths, sansara.
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Mahayana Buddhism is for laymen. It emphasis Buddha's life. It stresses feeling and compassion. Others can help one become enlightened. Buddha is a Savior or Bodhisattva. It adds many other books to cannon and many sub sects as Pure Land Buddhism. Zen Buddhism stressing gardening and irrationality. Nichiren Buddhism. Tibetan Buddhism combined with occult and magical religion. It has many Buddha's and The Dali Lamia is worshiped as one.
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                                  What Might People Find Difficult About Buddhism?
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1. Buddhist's have no authoritative basis for their beliefs. Within Buddhism we have so many different, even conflicting schools of belief. It was four hundred years after Buddha's death before anything was written down about his life and teachings. Some Buddhists claim The Three Baskets as the earliest of the accounts and it was written in the Pali language and translated later and many times into each countries language. Others add many more later books to their canon.The Buddhist canon is a virtual library of books. So, if there is even one way to get off the cycle of multiple whatevers (samsara), to achieve nirvana, we can't be sure which one it is. It's all guesses.
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2. Isn't worship of man-made idols a foolish waste of time? Does it do any good  to bow and pray to gods made of wood, stone, metal as many Buddhists do? Man made gods have no ability to hear our prayers, know our needs, help us in any way. Our power created them and we take them in at night so they won't be stolen or destroyed.
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3. How can Buddha know we have no soul?  If Buddha believed each person consists of five "aggregates" or parts: the physical body, emotions, perception, will, and consciousness, and death causes these parts to come apart. All we can say from appearance is that at death our body becomes cold and stiff, and that life is no longer present in the body. Some persons have even claimed to have out-of-the-body experiences who see things and describe events that took place while their mind was unconscious. So it seems we can't say that our life, soul, or self hasn't gone to some other place.
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4. Is there any visible evidence in Buddhism that there is a cycle of rebirths. If Buddha said whatever exists in another life is disconnected parts "aggregates", then those parts can't tell us anything about there former life. Dreams, birthmarks, injustices in life, natures yearly cycles, and mere claims are no visible evidence of former lives. It seems to require a known person risen from the dead, as 500 people saw Jesus (1 Cor. 15:1-8). If we shouldn't help suffers work off their karma, doesn't that immensely prolongs suffering and defeat Buddha's thinking? So, there seems to be no real evidence for reincarnation of any kind.
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                                      Christians Differ from Buddhists in Crucial ways.
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Christians find much to praise in Buddha's path to enlightenment. It's very comprehensive and in depth. It's most relative to real life concerns. It's beneficial to human well-being. It's ethical principles against stealing, lying, sexual misconduct, and slave trading are commendable.  But isn't the Noble Eightfold Path the very things we have to desire? And, surely it's good to desire food, drink, sleep, clothes, and good health. And if we abandon our families, wouldn't that be the cause of even their greater suffering? Maybe then, desire is not the basic cause of suffering. Christians believe the real cause is wrong behavior and rebellion against our Creator that results in frustration, emptiness, guilt, shame, and death.
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Christian beliefs have a solid foundation in the Bible. The Bible accounts are not speculative philosophy, myths, or accounts written centuries later. They are true accounts of God acting in our world in ways we can see and recognize. Bible prophets and apostles published shortly after the events while persons living could know that they were true. God's spokesmen predicted detailed events of their day and of centuries later that occurred as predicted. Only an all knowing God can tell us about the future. Further, these events are of healing the blind, lame, deaf, walking on water, raising the dead which only God's known spokesmen with God's power can do. All this may be new and seem strange to you my friends, but please pray for God to give you understanding. There's hope.
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Jesus, our Creator, invites us to an eternal, permanent, love-trust relationship with Him. He came into our world, to bear the just punishment of our guilt and shame that is the real cause of our sufferings, anxiety, futility, disease, and death. If we will believe, trust in, rely on Jesus, we can know the love, peace, purpose, truth, self-esteem, and joy that is: The Jesus Way. It is eternal life and fulfillment God made us to have with Him (John 1:1-3,14; 3:16-21; 10:9-10).
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Friends, I invite you to get a Christian Bible in your own language if you can. In English, I recommend the Life Application Study Bible, NLT, large print. It's virtually a Bible college education. Friends in Christ, pray for the people of Asia, link, and send them these gospel articles WWW as ministers of faith and love. Translate them into their language if you can. God bless you and thank you for your ministry to very needy people. We will meet them in Heaven one day. God's love, peace, and joy to everyone.
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Is Jesus About to Come FOR His Bride?

                      Is Jesus About to Come FOR His Bride? 

I'm aware of the different views of Bible prophecy regarding Jesus' coming and His reign on the earth. Christian essentials are that the Bible is God's true authoritative Word, that there is only one God in three persons, that Jesus is the God-man who alone saves us from sin by faith in his death and resurrection, that our salvation is unmerited favor which we show through good deeds, and that there is a real Heaven and Hell. Our different backgrounds, teachers, and inclinations cause us to differ about some of our beliefs. So we need to practice the principle--In essentials, unity; in non essentials, liberty; in everything love one another until we all come into full complete understanding.
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Now with regard to Bible prophecy, Christians differ as things aren't as explicit as we would like. I believe, the far greater evidence is that Jesus will first come for His Bride, the Church, to take us to Heaven to be judged for our rewards and to celebrate the marriage supper (1 Cor. 3:10-15; 15:50-57; Rev. 19:5-9). During that same time on earth seven years of tribulation will take place such as never seen before (Mt. 24-21-22;25;  Rev. 3:10; 7:14; 6-18). Then Jesus will come with His saints to earth the second time to destroy His enemies and reign a thousand years. At the end of the millennium, Jesus will destroy earth's final rebellion, judge all the unsaved at the great white throne, and restore a new eternal Heaven and earth ( 2 Peter 3:10-13; Rev. 20-22).
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Jesus told his disciples troubling news that he was going to leave them. Peter asked the Lord where he was going. Jesus told them, "Don't let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father's home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am" (John 14:1-3 NLT). Jesus was promising his people here that he would return TO TAKE THEM BACK TO HIS FATHER'S HOUSE WHICH IS HEAVEN.
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Similarly, Paul answers the Thessalonians question of what happens to those who have died (1 Thess. 4:16-18). "The Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive on the earth will be CAUGHT UP in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. So encourage each other with these words.
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It seems clear Jesus is coming in the air to rapture or snatch away His Bride to Heaven. The Bible says so many times that it will be unexpected like a thief in the night and nobody but the Father knows the day or hour. It's imminent or can happen anytime so we are to be alert and ready as shown by our holy lives. See Mt. 24:42,44; 25:13; Luke 12:40; 1 Thess. 5:1-6; Rev. 16:15. Dr. Norman Geisler gives us a chart showing some of the contrasts between  the Rapture and the Second coming. 

The  Rapture	The Second Coming
Meeting them in the air    (1 Thess. 4:17 )	Taking them to earth (Zach. 14:4; Acts 1:11)
Taking believers to Heaven   (John 14:3)	Bringing believers back to earth  (Rev. 19:14)
Coming for His saints    (2 Thess. 2:1)	Coming with His saints   (Jude 14)
Only Believers see Him   (1 Thess. 4:17)	All people see Him   (Rev. 1:7)
No signs precede it   (1 Thess. 5:1-3)	Many signs precede it   (Matt. 24:3-30)
The Tribulation begins    (2  Theses. 1:6-9)	The Millennium Begins   (Rev. 20:1-7)

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This is all known at the pretribulational premillennial dispensational interpretation of Scripture. It's based upon a natural ordinary meaning of language applied to prophecy the same as to the other Scripture. It recognizes God has introduced new elements throughout His providential working with humanity. It's the understanding that God's relationship with man in the Garden of Eden was changed after the Fall, different also with Abraham promising him a land and both physical and spiritual descendants, different again under God's theocratic rule of Israel under Mosaic law, a priesthood, temple sacrifices, and circumcision, different again from Pentecost in Acts 2 with a new Christian brotherhood, the Holy Spirit's indwelling all believers with direct access to God with Jesus being the only sacrifice for sin. Paul said it was a mystery unknown in the Tanakh or OT that the church of Jew and Gentile would become one body (Eph. 3:6).
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Finally, sin's curse will be partially lifted during Christ's millennial reign. God's promises to Israel  of their land and Messiah are finally to be fulfilled (Isaish 11; Zach. 14; Rom. 11:25-27: 1 Cor. 10:32). Israel and the Church are kept separate throughout the Bible in God's plans for both. In the Old Testament Israel meant Israel as also 65 times in the New Testament (i.e., Matt. 19:28; Acts 1:6; Rev. 7:4). The Church is a Christian brotherhood under grace (Rom.11:6). We shouldn't read God's Old Testament unfulfilled promises to Israel as fulfilled in the Church or in the millennium.  If God doesn't keep his promises to Israel, how can we trust Him to keep his saving promises with the Church?
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Now Jesus gave no signs of the rapture just of His second coming (Matt. 24-25) Jesus, however, rebuked the supposed biblical experts of his day, the Pharisees and Sadducee's, as not discerning the signs of the times all around them showing he was their Messiah (Isaiah 35:5-6; Matt. 16:1-3). Could there be signs of our times that must take place before Jesus' comes? Wouldn't they alert us that the rapture is even closer and that we better be ready living Godly lives and telling people about the Savior of us sinners?
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What might such signs be? (1) The rebirth of Israel. Ezekiel 37 is the prophecy of the valley of dry bones that are the restored people of Israel in their land in unbelief with one king over all. No one ever dreamed it would happen. But in 1948 to every one's surprise Israel became a nation again after being scattered among the Gentile nations for 1,878 years. The Roman General Titus had his legion destroy Israel's temple and Jerusalem in AD 70. Jesus had predicted the destruction until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled (Luke 21:20-24). Then Jesus gave signs of his second coming (Luke 21:25-36). So it seems after cosmic disturbances Armageddon is on the way (Joel 2:28-29) which will lead Israel to be converted (Zach. 12:2-9; Rev. 6:12-13).
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(2) A growing apostasy or false teachings within the church. It's not uncommon today to see on the Internet once pastors and leaders of the church teaching atheism. Paul warns Timothy and us today, this will happen (1 Tim. 4:1-2; 2 Tim. 4:3-5). We are to be watchful and be evangelists. We're warned these deceivers will deny the teachings of God (2 Tim 3:4-5), Christ (1 John 2:18), Christ's return (2 Pet. 3:3-4), morals (2 Tim. 3:1-8), and God's authority (2 Tim. 3:4). Essentially, they reduce us to perishing predatory animals without God and without hope devouring each other.
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That's all the more reason we who love our Lord must be disciplined and diligent telling people about Jesus wherever we go. I do. It's a sad fact so many persons who are church members for years, and claim to be Christians never tell anyone Jesus is the Lord who died to save us from slavery to sin, death, and Hell. We will one day stand before the Savior who then will be our Judge to give account of our earthly service. How faithful or unfaithful are you? Excuses of business and faithlessness won't mean a thing before Jesus. We manage to do what we really want to do. Will we have any rewards in heaven? Or did sports, computer games, television, and trivial things take up all our time?
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The Internet gives us an unprecedented opportunity to reach our world for Christ. Faithful Christians have sacrificed to go to Bible college, the university, seminary, learn another language in loving obedience to their Lord hoping to go to another country to win unchurched people to Christ. We have an unprecedented opportunity today to reach people for Christ worldwide. We can post Christian articles wherever we are to reach people for Christ. Let's defeat the devil--be bold and faithful, loving and resourceful.
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I invite you to join me in a Covenant of Praise. I'm praying for God's enabling to keep me healthy of body and mind to share His grace and glory worldwide. I'm praying for 300 articles, 1,000+ arguments for Christian faith, 7 million good news messengers, 70 million converts, 200 countries reached. God can do it if everyone will link, and pray that hearts, minds, lives be changed for His glory. Tell professors, pastors, classes, insert in church bulletins that they are welcome and invited to use God's articles. Lord, make us faithful and fruitful loving evangelists. We will rejoice with those won to Christ in Heaven one day with strong beautiful bodies. I don't ask for donations, but for your faithful prayers that God use us as His good news messengers in lives of humble, loving, obedient service. Is there anything better we can do for another human being? Praise Father! Praise Son! Praise the Holy Spirit! Praise You triune God, and thank You ever so much. We love, trust, and obey YOU.
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(3) The craving for peace in the Middle East. The entire Middle East has been at war  60 years. I'm looking at a list of eleven wars not counting the ones going on now. Things seem to be getting worse, the news is depressing. People have such little regard for human life and moral principles. Let's tell people about Jesus' purpose and defeat the devil terrorist's. Jesus said, "The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life." (John 10:10 Life Application Study Bible, New Living Translation).
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(4) A revived Roman Empire. Daniel 2;7 tells of four past world kingdoms of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece under Alexander the Great, and the Roman Empire. But the end times is also evident here as the Roman Empire never consisted of a ten-nation confederacy. Antichrist emerges from this new confederacy to dominate the world in a kind of unified government. Now aren't we moving toward a one world currency system which seems required as a first step? What about governments controlling our communication systems? It seems a dominate world government is required to solve our horrendous international problems and force peace on violent sinful nations? 
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(5) Globalism. Alert persons can see we are becoming more and more a one-world community. Our global communication systems and rapid means of travel will make us one people in every area. We are increasingly dependent with similar policies in business, trade, commerce, environment, technologies,  population control, entertainment, science, medicine, and so on. World problems are escalating as depletion of oil, Middle East conflict, terrorism, overpopulation, starvation, pollution, national and international crime, sex slavery, cyber warfare, economic instability, and others.
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It seems that a great and capable leader is needed who can solve these otherwise insurmountable problems. That is when the Antichrist takes complete control. He will impose a anti-God global union with himself to be worshipped as God. The Antichrist will impose a one-world political system, a one-world monetary policy, and a one-world false religion (Rev. 13). He may be alive and waiting somewhere in the world today to soon take charge.
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Friend, these are ominous times for our world. If you don't know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you best cry out. Lord, I'm a sinner, save me!! I deserve Hell but I trust Jesus has paid for my many sins and to forgive and wash me in His cleansing blood shed for me on the cross. Help me Lord live a holy God-honoring life until you take me home.  And help me courageously and faithfully share my faith in your healing cleansing blood. 
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Which Came First, the Chicken or the Egg?

                Which Came First, the Chicken or the Egg?

What we claim as fact, truth, reality is decided by what we believe is the ultimate or final authority for our beliefs. Equally brilliant and educated persons can reach opposite conclusions viewing the same evidence simply because they have accepted different starting points as the authority for their thinking. This can be shown with opposite answers to the above question. And people will attempt every possible explanation to justify their conclusion.

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This seems to be the facts as I understand them. (1) Roosters must pregnant hens before they can have chicks. (2) Hens have a protein called ovacleidin 17 in their body needed for egg shells to form. (3) Hens must lay on the eggs 21 days to keep them warm to hatch. (4) Hens must turn the eggs over 3 or more times a day to be keep evenly warm to hatch. (5) The chicks peck their way out of their shell, and the hen protects her chicks sometimes taking them under her wings and by showing them how to get food and water. (6) Breeding chickens to produce better varieties introduces intelligence not found in nature, but even then chickens genetic makeup won't allow anything other than newborn chicks.

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Now if we say the chicken came first, we are a creationist believing the Bible is our final authority and appealing to the fifth day of Genesis when God created birds, sea creatures, and every living thing to reproduce after its own kind as we see happens today (Gen. 1:20-23). Thus, the Bible is the creationist's final authority and starting point.

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But if we say the egg came first, then we are an evolutionist claiming that is our final authority and starting point. Many in science today would claim evolution, but not all scientists do. Evolutionists have usurped every branch of science today and educational authorities attempt to deny creationists teaching positions in schools. What I don't understand is: If evolution is so overwhelmingly demonstrated as scientific fact, then creation teaching should be allowed, even encouraged, to show how false it really is, to settle the controversy. So let's be clear about what we're talking about.
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By evolution is meant all life forms are related biologically by common descent, being evolved by accident over billions of years from a single-celled common ancestor formed from lifeless chemicals. It's not that there can't be varieties of dogs and horses, or monkeys and men, but that every kind of life form reproduces after its own kind so there can be many varieties of dogs, but dogs don't change into horses, and many kinds of monkeys, but monkeys never evolve into people. Thus, the animals and plants we see today are descendants of the original ones God created though many have died out.
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Now as a biblical creationist I have some serious problems with evolution that require good answers. Evolution has become the basis of many people's worldview that decides every issue of life and how we are to live. So we need to have a through understanding of  the issues and consequences.
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First, DNA is a molecule of instructions of what an organism is to become. Nothing (non being) can't create matter, and mindless matter doesn't spontaneously generate information. Mutations can't be the mechanism of change as they are only copying errors causing defects and never observed to add new instructions. The DNA molecule gives a library of information so its sender, must be an infinite mind, God. Yes, DNA in organisms can be almost identical, but what makes animals and plants different is their different DNA arrangement, not identical chemistry. All this can't be an accident of chance over billions of years as evolutionists claim.
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Next, living cells show irreducible complexity like a city of biochemical machines working together. In multi-cellular organisms, cells are specialised performing different tasks enabling the organism to survive. The organisms different systems as digestive, reproductive, respiratory and it organs as eyes, legs, heart, kidneys, must all function together making it one functioning animal. If one of these systems or organs  should fail, the organism would die. Thus, animals must be created complete and functional. Such complexity could never have gradually evolved by chance in billions of years. And this must be true throughout the whole animal and plant kingdoms.
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Now the evolutionist usually says the chicken simply came from some earlier form of bird, but that's no satisfactory answer. That just pushes the question a step further back. And bird eggs must all be hatchet and have parents in conditions similar with hens. In fact, throughout the life kingdoms babies generally require parents to initially provide for them, especially human babies. Moreover, no reptile egg has been observed to hatch a bird. The evolutionist doesn't address the problem by saying the creationist is unscientific, stupid, ignorant, primitive, or that most scientists are evolutionists, or denying the Genesis creation account. Speculative arguments of future possibilities furnish no actual proof either. All such claims are evasions that don't answer creationists evidences and show a hateful disrespectful unchristian attitude. 
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Now there are yet other crucial problems with evolution that have dire consequences for our lives.  Evolutionists claim there's no Almighty, all knowing, loving, personal Creator God, so there are no absolutes of truth and morals. Each person then is free to decide such things for him or her self. Now if no absolutes, how can an evolutionist claim evolution is true? No absolutes means nothing is certain truth. Has the evolutionist  thought about the consequences of  his claim of no absolutes and no higher authority as a personal Creator God? 
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Then, each persons becomes their own authority. There's no fixed morality or truth, just limited, conflicting, individual preferences. So alternative lifestyles are acceptable, and we're free to follow our desires. We then can have sex with anybody we like, lie, steal, and murder people we hate or just for fun. The only rule for animals in a jungle world is temporary survival. There is no God to tell us how to live or judge us, we're not responsible to anything but free to fulfill our desires. It's this life, then lights out, so why not have our fling? Traffic lights, prices on items, jails--and all such things are rules we really detest. We can give our own interpretation to author's books as well as everything else. It's my way, and my truth with each of us. Nobody is telling me what to do, I'm my own boss!!
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If everyone applied the worldview of those who detest the biblical Christian worldview, this world would quickly become chaos, continual violence and warfare, a virtual madhouse of insecurity and insanity. Moral and epistemological relativism doesn't work, it's of the devil (John 10:9-10). Can we admit the truth? Certainly the world would be a lot better if everyone applied the Bible of our Creator God--Galatians 5:19-23; John 3:16-21).
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Now I ask you, does the evolutionist really live by his philosophy? Or, does he borrow from the Christian biblical worldview of a personal Creator God? The Bible's God created us for a love-trust relationship with Him, gives us breath and abundant blessings. He invites us to a restored eternal paradise with Him. He sent His Son to pay for our sins, forgive and renew us in faith, love, hope, a meaningful life, and rewards our earthly service. Persons who can only see rules, punishments, and Hell misunderstand Bible Christianity alltogether. They have an arrogant know-it-all attitude, and  their only concern is  a self-centered desire to have their own way.

Of course, if we drift rebelliously toward the evolutionist's way, the world becomes a madhouse of violence (Gen. 6:5-8). So government, or whatever has power, must impose rules and authority on everyone to prevent chaos and continual warfare. Honestly, who would want such a world? It's terrifying and unliveable. Human life will have no value, no hope, and death is lights out. The truth is that the evolutionist doesn't really live as if the world is a jungle and we are all animal predators, hoping only for temporary survival. He feels guilt and shame deep down, even if he won't admit it. So he borrows human dignity and morality from the Christian biblical worldview and its Creator God.
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Now space limitations forbid much discussion. But if all is relative, then there is no uniformity or dependability in nature (Gen. 8:22), everything is an accident of chance. Further, if all is only material having no mind, how can we know that the immaterial laws of logic are true, and that our senses and memory give us true information, or that we even have a soul? Evolutionists are without a factual foundation. They borrow from the Christian biblical worldview, as do others of a non-Christian worldview. They have limited conflicting imaginings, just fooling themselves in their self-centered arrogance. We really have no common ancestor, but do have a Common Designer and great purpose, hope, and love in Yeshua or Jesus.
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What then if the Bible's Creator God is absolute truth? Then God made everything, upholds everything, and as the Bible teaches God made us beings of dignity in His image for a personal love-trust relationship. Human dignity, love, justice, truth, Heaven and Hell can all be realities and life has meaning, and hope. Everything we do counts. The Bible teaches God so loves us sinful people that He sent His unique son, the God-man, to pay for our sins on the cross and offer us a more abundant and eternal life (John 3:16-21; 10:9-10; 2 Cor. 5:21). Won't you say, Lord Jesus I trust you right now and forever as my Lord, Savior, and Guide to do your will until I see you after death. Now serve God by sending this article on the www as a ministry of faith and love.
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How Could God Allow This To Happen To Me?

                How Could God Allow This To Happen To Me?
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"Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct paths. Don't be impressed with your own wisdom. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them."  (Proverbs 3:5-7; Romans 8:28 Life Application Study Bible, Living New Translation). But does the Bible bear this out. Let's check it out by a look at the life of Job and the life of Abraham.
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Upright Job, asked God why is everything taken from me but my life? Though right with God, Job lost--possessions, prestige, wealth, children, health, being left covered with painful humiliating boils, a nagging spouse and consoling friends who became offensive condemners. Now what can test ones faith in a good, caring, powerful God more than that?
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But in all this Job's faith shown. He said,  "The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord, Job did not sin by blaming God (Job 1:20-22 NLT). When his wife said, "Curse God and die. Job replied, Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?" Job said nothing wrong (Job 2:10). In painful agony, Job affirmed, "I know my Redeemer lives, and he will stand upon the earth at last. And after my body has decayed, Yet in my body I will see God"(Job 19:25-26).
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From his limited spot in time, Job couldn't see God's perfect wisdom, sovereignty, and justice. But God's questioning him enabled him to be humbled and restored. He lived 140 years after that with four generations of children and grandchildren. God also gave him twice the sheep, camels, teams of oxen, donkeys and seven more sons and three beautiful daughters.
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What can we learn from the Book of Job and his suffering? First, we may learn something about its causes. Suffering can be due to my sin, other's sin, natural disasters, ignorance, or the devil and his demons. What else can we learn? (1) That we should trust God even though we don't understand the things that happen in our lives. (2) That human wisdom is always partial, temporary, and subject to pride. (3) That what we don't understand now we may understand with later maturity. (4) That God is always present everywhere but at times He may seem nonexistent. (5) That we should be really careful in condemning others as we may not understand their circumstances and motives. (6) That the best consolation we can give suffers is just our empathic presence. (7) That when we lose everything, God is yet with us to provide and restore. (8) That we're to remember the patience of Job and the great example of faith and integrity he set for humanity. See book of Job; Ezek.14:14,20; James 5:11. 
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God promised Abram a son, then later told him to sacrifice his son. "The Lord said to Abram, 'Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father's family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those nations that bless you and curse those who curse you. All the families on earth will be blessed through you' (Gen. 12:1-3).
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This passage is known as the Abrahamic Covenant and is repeated to Abraham several times (Genesis 13:14-17; 15:1-7, 18-21; 17:1-8). In it God gaves personal promises to Abram to bless him, make him famous, be a blessing to others, and others would be blessed as they help you. God gave national promises as his children would become a great nation, the land would belong to his descendants, the covenant would be established with his descendants. And God gave universal promises as nations blessed or cursed as they treated his descendants, and finally all the nations would be blessed meaning the coming Messiah and Savior. But, Abraham had to wait a very long time and endure such great testing even to have the promised son only to be asked to sacrifice him.
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Let me first dwell on the sacrifices he had to make before all this could happen. Abram longed for that promised heir but year after year went by and his hopes were disappointed time after time. First, he lost his nephew Lot who was not the promised one, but God reassured him of the promised heir. Next, he thought it was his faithful servant Eliezer of Damascus, but no God said it was be from his body and he would have descendants like the stars of heaven. Abram and wife Sarai being so impatient thought they could bring it about with her servant Hagar who bore Abram a son Ishmael whom he loved. But that was not God's plan either. Then the Lord Almighty appeared to Abram, changed his name to Abraham, the father of nations and Sarai became Sarah, a princess.
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God promised them to have a son next year about this time. Sarah laughed wondering how this could be since she was ninety and he one hundred years old. The Lord asked Sarah why she laughed? Lets ponder the Lord's question a moment. Is anything too hard for the Lord? Can't the all-knowing, Almighty Creator God supply our need as we trust and obey Him in His timing? Whether with our family, our employment, our relationships, our health,whatever? God assured them they would have a child this time next year.
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The Lord kept His word as He always does, Sarah became pregnant and bore a son at the time God said she would. Abraham circumcised him as God commanded and named him Isaac meaning "he laughs."But here is the bad part. God told Abraham to sacrifice his son, the promised son, the one he waited decades to have. What kind of God would do that? That was an immoral act even murder not any different than the pagan tribes living all around him. Could Abraham have misunderstood? Doesn't this defy all reason? And what of all the promises God told Abraham he would fulfill? God now asked him to give up the love of his heart--it was his severest test. But Abraham willingly unhesitatingly obeyed walking 50 long miles to Mount Moriah with his beloved promised son beside him. But carefully notice what Abraham told his two servants with him. He said, we, speaking of him and Isaac, will worship there and come back (Genesis 22:5).
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Abraham had by this time found God to be utterly trustworthy in his love-trust relationship that he could give up his greatest treasure and show he loved God more than anything the world had to offer.
It was no leap into the dark as critics often like to claim, it was a lifetime of trusting God in so many different occasions and finding God always faithful to His promises. Hebrews 11:19 tell us Abraham believed that when he killed Isaac, that God would raise him up from the dead and this was before later prophets raised people from the dead. We can see God do incredible things the Bible promises if we will believe and be willing to allow God's way in God's time. Not like Sarah who told Abram to have a child with her servant girl even though that was an acceptable custom at that time. Not like Abraham when he told Sarah to say she was his sister and he not be killed.
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Yes, we will be tested again and again always with the choice of who and what comes first in our life, God's way or my way. We have to come to the point that we believe the Creator who designed all things throughout the universe and made us for a love-trust relationship really knows in the long run what's in our best interests. Now, what about the personal promises of the Abrahamic covenant?
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Well, Abraham did have descendants like the stars of heaven and sands on the seashore. Many nations and kings did come from him. Israel survived when Canaanite nations of that day didn't. Clearly God has blessed obedient Israel and nearly allowed disobedient Israel's destruction. Nations that blessed Israel prospered as the USA and others that cursed her were destroyed as Egypt and Hitler's Germany. It seems the U.S.A. is turning its back on Israel today in fulfillment of prophecy (Matt. 24:9).
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But the land promise of the Abrahamic covenant has not yet all been fulfilled. Israel is a nation today after centuries of being scattered among the Gentile nations from 70 AD. While Joshua captured much land, King David expanded it greatly, and Solomon collected tribute. Israel has never occupied all the land God promised from the border of Egypt to the Euphrates River (Genesis 15:18-20).
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 Now these land promises God made to Israel were confirmed in several ways.The are said to be without conditions, eternal, God passing between animals with a smoking oven and burning torch. Male circumcision became its sign and seal. I believe God's promises to Abraham are just as permanent as God's promise of my salvation in Jesus as God doesn't lie. Later prophets say Israel will return to their land in unbelief as happened after 1948. We are getting close to Jesus coming for his saints (1 Thess. 4:16-17).
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Now the Jews of Christ's day expected the Messiah their prophets foretold, but not as suffering servant Messiah dying for people's sin's (Isaiah 53; Luke 19:10). In their pride, they despised the Gentiles, resented Roman oppression, and could only see Messiah as reigning king so they rejected their promised Messiah (Luke 19:14).
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Understand, Israel is a theocratic kingdom (God rule),  while the Church is a universal brotherhood. The Church begun on Pentecost with all believers indwelt by God's Spirit, and with the New Covenant in Christ's blood as the final sacrifice so Christians as priests with direct access to God. The body of Christ composed of both Jew and gentile was a mystery not known until Christ paid for our sins. The church is not fulfilling God's promises to Israel. The separation between Israel, the Gentiles, and the Church is maintained throughout the Bible (Acts. 4:8; 3:12; 21:28; Rom. 10:1). Paul said, "Don't give offense to Jews, Gentiles, or the Church of God (1 Cor. 10:32).
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 But Israel will later be the head nation and other nations come to Jerusalem to worship while the whole world will enjoy peace and prosperity (Isa. 2; 11);  There will be justice and equality (Jer. 23:5-6), joy (Psa 48). God's children will be freed from the curse of decay and death and our bodies will be released from sin and suffering. Oh what a glorious day of the Lord it will be (Rom. 8:18-24; Rev. 20). So does God keep His promises? You bet He does, big time! So let's make every day count by keeping our love-trust relationship alive that leads to obedience and unending joy. We have through the internet the greatest opportunity to share God's good news. Let's not waste it doing trivial things. We don't want to be ashamed when we see Jesus. 
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A Challenge To Open Hearts & Minds

                     A Challenge To Open Hearts & Minds

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Politically correct is most incorrect if it seeks to stifle truth. We humans have minds that innately think, weigh evidence, and seek to discern truth from falsehood. Free speech is our inherent right and should be mandated everywhere by law. Authorities political, scientific, or religious that seek to suppress truth stifle the well being and progress of society. We must understand that truth is universal and reasonable, not just my truth against your truth that leads us to disrespect and strife. The questions below give Christian evidence authorities increasing seem to ignore, discount, ridicule, and marginalize from the public arena. I trust you to give it your honest objective reflective thought.
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Does Empirical Science Put God Beyond Human Knowledge? Some scientists claim we can't know anything that is not tested by repeatable, measurable experiments. The truth is only present physical objects are subject to such testing. Historical events, ethics, law, art, philosophy, even what you ate for dinner last week is not subject to such testing. Yet we know these things exist in the real world. Scientists assume even before they begin their experiments, that the world exists, it is knowable, our senses give accurate information,  we can think logically, and honest accurate data are imperative to discover truth. What is this then but a mountain of faith? 
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Consider this question seriously: If God could create a great universe with its laws, then would lessor things like angels, men, miracles, and heaven be difficult? Surely creation of the  greater means no problem for the lessor. And, if the Bible's God is Spirit or Mind, isn't it wrong-headed to expect to discover Him with microscope, telescope, or contrived experiments. Even supposing God exists, can we demand He perform a miracle we can film to prove He exists and can act in our world? What if God made us in His image for loving relationship with Him, then wouldn't it seem reasonable for Him to make Himself known to us?  But! maybe not on our terms.
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Isn't this the crucial question? It's not whether God exists, since we may intellectual believe some kind of God exists, but care nothing about Him. When we don't know God, we may fear He may not have our best interests in mind. That fear may cause us to ignore or discount all evidence that points to Him. It doesn't matter if He's said to be our Creator, loves us, or gives us the breath we breath--we just don't know what to expect. We humans prefer our ways and don't want to stray from our comfort zone of what we think right for us. We wonder, will this God give me what I want?

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 Unlike superstitious pagans, Christians believed God created a rational knowable world for us to explore and enjoy which provided for experimental science. He provided us the foundation and authority for absolute truth, ultimate purpose, human dignity, ethics, justice, love, and life after death. All this gives us hope and makes life worthwhile. So He's a good and wise God who loves us.

Christians believe Jesus is the God-man who walked among us doing good (John 1:1-3, 14). He even died to pay for our sins, and arose again to give us abundant life (John 10:10; 2 Cor. 5:21). Before Jesus', time, pagans offered sacrifices to their fearful vengeful gods. So it was unthinkable of God to love us so much to die such excruciating pain nailed to a cross, be naked, cursed before glaring eyes, and laughed at, bearing the punishment for our sin. It didn't matter how ignorant, foolish, poor, hateful, selfish, ugly, misfit, rejected we might be, or might become--Jesus loves us to give His life so we can have eternal life.
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We have abundant evidence Jesus is the risen Son of God. It launched the Christian church that dates the calender (Acts 1:1-3; 2:22-24). Jesus underwent ridicule, torture, and death so we today can know Him as our Savior, Lord, and Guide. Paul mentioned 500 people saw Jesus after His resurrection many still alive when he wrote 25-30 years later (1 Cor. 15:1-8). Jesus is the world's only visual evidence we have life after death, and Heaven if we trust Him to save us.
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Friends, evolutionary science is based on naturalist assumptions: But no experiment shows a dog can change into a horse, monkey evolve into a man. Mindless molecules can't arrange themselves into men even in billions of years no more than red, white, and blue confetti thrown from a plane can form the American flag.. There's no one missing link, but chains of them between all the life forms. Artists pictures in science textbooks are no proof. Those who don't want a loving God in their life have to fall back on evolutionary assumptions. The naturalist claim there's no God, is arrogant and used to excuse life apart from the God who really loves us and wants us to know Him? 

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If the Beginning Universe Didn't Create Itself, Then What Did? All science is based upon a cause and effect relationship so that whatever has a beginning must have a cause. It's illogical to think a nonexistent universe could created itself. Then, the cause of the finite, material universe must be timeless, immaterial, intelligent, powerful, and personal. And its cause can't come into or go out of existence, but is eternal, self-existent, and prior to creation. These characteristics describe the Creator God of Genesis 1:1; the self-existent I Am of Exodus 3:14, eternal Word (Mind or Lord Jesus) of John 1:1-3, 14 and Christian's Redeemer of Phil. 2:5-11; Col. 1:14-18.  
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Doesn't Our Conscience tell us we're responsible to Moral Law and its Lawgiver? The philosopher Immanuel Kant thought it implied justice, immortality, and God. Excuses make no sense unless we break a moral law. We suffer guilt and shame to break one. We feel a sense of duty to save life even at the risk of our own. All cultures share laws for as against genocide and rape. We judge the human race for moral progress or regress. Moral laws are discovered, not invented. We may deny the moral law, but when someone cheats, steals, lies, or abuses us, we scream foul! So then, it's a moral world. We violate God's known moral standards and need His forgiveness and power to live better.

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Can't true events, if accurately recorded, be just as true millenniums later as when recorded? The Gospels tell us essentials of Jesus' life and each one adds its own details and perspective that is verified in secular history. We don't have to know everything to know something. Ancient people knew nobody can walk on water, raise the dead,  heal visible diseases unless God does it (John 3:2; 21:24, 25). For over three years, Jesus astonished His disciples, and hostile witnesses with hundreds of visible miracles that demonstrated His claims to be God were true. Talk about empirical tests!!

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Won't you say YES! to the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ? Christians don't live perfect lives. Nobody in the Bible did, but Jesus.  It's His righteousness upon which we depend. His victory over sin is why He can save us sinners. We have victory over the world's system of evil, over Satan and his demons, and over our own sinful tendency as we focus on our Lord, trusting in His forgiveness, His love for us, His goodness, and power. We become God's people and all things become new as we keep surrendering our self-centered lives into His Almighty loving arms. Whatever your need, won't you say: Lord, I trust You right now to save me the sinner, and to be my Lord and Guide throughout life. That's the best decision of your life.
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Now to grow in Christ get a Bible and really study it. I recommend for English readers, the "Life Application Study Bible". It's clear living translation and many helps are far superior to any other Bible I know. Read, link on to, & share these gospel articles on the www to win others to the Savior. Lord, help this brother or sister be faithful and abundantly fruitful. In Jesus name, amen. Praise God!
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